August 8, 2004
Enjoy Your Vacation!
The first full week of vacation for our State Legislators began Monday. Yet, this entire session seemed like a vacation, with a record-late budget, nearly no legislation of note or importance, continued public gridlock between the three powerful "men in a room" and relative silence from just about everyone else we elected to represent our communities.
While the State's lawmakers enjoy their vacations, thousands of poor, mostly minority, New Yorkers will spend ever more time in prison because of the Legislature's unconscionable failure to reform the Rockefeller drug laws, despite strong bipartisan support.
While the State's lawmakers enjoy their vacations, more New Yorkers risk watching their jobs leave New York State, while their companies continue to avoid State taxes because of the Legislature's failure to close loopholes in the Empire State Development Program.
While the State's lawmakers enjoy their vacations, New York's schoolchildren will continue to wonder whether anyone is attempting to fix their failing schools because of the Legislature's failure to redress the chronic under-funding of our schools, despite a Court order to do so.
I could go on and on, and talk about the rights of gay New Yorkers to have fully equality in marriage, about the growing risk of energy shortages due to the failure to re-enact Article X, about the continued lack of affordable housing, and about continually falling State assistance to the MTA, jeopardizing the sustainability of many capital program important to Manhattan such as the Second Avenue Subway and the extension of the 7 train.
The failings in Albany are plentiful.
At the same time, it's important to recognize the energetic and progressive leadership of Senators David Patterson and Eric Schneiderman, and the inspired campaign to retake State Senate Seats, chaired by Liz Krueger. (One of those Senate Districts, the home of Democrat turned Republican Olga Mendez, includes parts of Harlem. I urge anyone who lives there to turn their attention to Councilman Jose Serrano's campaign to unseat Mendez.)
Luckily we're beginning to see more and more news stories, editorials, and letters to the editor about Albany's failings. I hope our leaders realize that New Yorkers are starting to pay attention, and that this time they will be held accountable if they don't return from this vacation to pursue real reform in our capital.
Brian Ellner
Posted by John at August 8, 2004 3:01 PM
August 6, 2004
Stadium Updates
On Tuesday I attended Community Board 4's hearing on the Mayor's plan for the West Side Jets stadium.
Prior to the meeting, I also attended the Hell's Kitchen/Hudson Yards Alliance's press conference opposing the stadium.
I vehemently oppose the current stadium plan. It doesn't meet the needs of the community, it would create a traffic nightmare in an already overly congested area (near the Lincoln Tunnel and Port Authority) and the entire process has had an unsettling secrecy to it.
Every few weeks we seem to learn something new that further undermines the proposal. In mid July the Regional Plan Association released a report describing why a stadium was not the most advisable structure to place upon the rail yards, favoring the gradual phasing in of office and residential development. While I do not agree with all the elements of the RPA's analysis (I don't want to see the far West side become simply another row of million dollar condos and enormous office towers), the RPA made clear that the promises of stadiums leading to economic development in other cities have often failed to pan out.
And just yesterday, the City's Independent Budget Office found serious shortfalls in the city's financing proposal for its contribution to the project, claiming that it leaves taxpayers particularly vulnerable if the development doesn't meet its rather high expectations. (Special thanks to Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum for calling for this study.)
We should be working to promote sensible development, and I support covering the rail yards to make way for a development plan that includes low and moderate income housing, small schools, spaces for non-profit groups, art galleries, performance groups and the like.
We also must create a realistic and responsible traffic plan. It is already difficult to move around the West Side, and putting a stadium there would turn the entirety of the west side of Manhattan south of 59th street into one big parking lot, adversely affecting the quality of life and even the health of neighborhood residents.
Brian Ellner
Posted by John at August 6, 2004 3:03 PM
August 2, 2004
Back from Boston
I’ve just returned from a week long stint up in Boston where I attended the Democratic National Convention, and I wanted to take a brief moment to relay a bit of the trip.
Overall, it was an exhausting, but exhilarating, experience.
Particularly special for me was the amazing standing ovation for Howard Dean as soon as he walked onstage, an ovation that was completely impromptu and genuine, and really spoke to just how much the Dean campaign helped revitalize the party.
Throughout the convention, there was a lot of talk about “America,” an attempt to define what we mean when say “we want our country back.” From the stirring national debut of Barak Obama proclaiming the belief in one America, united more than divided by ideology, to John Edwards’ recalling once and again the stark reality of the two Americas in which we live and to which any unifying ideology may soon succumb.
The Rev. Al Sharpton concluded his speech with a touching story about Ray Charles’ rendition of America the Beautiful, which really brought together the entirety of the discourse, the belief in something greater than ourselves, the belief in the genuine goodness and beauty of this country that we still haven’t lost completely to any partisan divide.
And then, Thursday night, John Kerry gave the speech of his life, rousing the crowd to their feet with an indictment of the Bush administration and a vision for a new tomorrow.
Beyond the Fleet Center, there were policy briefings, fundraisers and plenty of parties. And, I’m happy to report that many people I spoke with at events there, particularly people from New York, were already familiar with Brian’s campaign.
All in all, it was a remarkable week. However, I was deeply disturbed to learn while away that Governor Pataki, in one of the most shameless vetoes of the year, if not his career, had rejected the compromised minimum wage bill that the legislature sent him last week. As most of you know the minimum wage in New York State is tied to the Federal minimum wage of $5.15 an hour – this bill would have raised it to $7.15 over a few years, following numerous other states, particularly in the Northeast which have raised their rates to no adverse economic effect.
Perhaps the Governor thought Democrats wouldn’t be paying attention last week. Well, unfortunately for him, we were.
This is too important to New Yorkers across the state, but particularly here in the City. Even $7.15 is far from a living wage, but it is a step in the right direction, and offers some relief to those struggling to get by.
The Working Families Party has spent over half a decade fighting for this increase, and we are too close to let it slip away.
Please visit their website, tell all your friends, contact your State Senator. The GOP in the State Senate needs to know we’re all paying attention, or they won’t override Pataki’s veto. This is the most important struggle right now for New York's families.
John Arceci
Posted by John at August 2, 2004 3:03 PM
July 23, 2004
On the Eve of the Convention
Last week, 49 United States Senators decided that it was in the nation's best interest to enshrine discrimination into our Constitution.
And, yesterday, 233 members of the House voted for the so-called Marriage Protection Act (MPA) which prevents the Courts - even the United States Supreme Court - from hearing challenges to the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). DOMA, as most of you probably know, says that no state need recognize a same-sex union performed in another state.
The Constitutional Amendment died in the Senate, and the MPA will likely meet the same fate.
But, even though this legislation dies, it is still destructive. It's continuing a politics of division that affects the very heart of what America should be. It also encourages discrimination and fosters an environment in which the harassment of gay youth in our schools is tolerated. We must stop this madness; it is an issue of basic human rights, and we cannot wait.
Although neither John Kerry nor John Edwards support equality in marriage, we can be sure that they will stop this hateful Republican campaign intended to divide Americans. In the run up to the convention, I encourage everyone out there to contribute what you can to Kerry-Victory 2004 as a sign of support.
Brian Ellner
Posted by John at July 23, 2004 3:04 PM
July 17, 2004
Friends of the High Line
On Wednesday I attended the Friends of the High Line ("FHL") Summer Benefit Party. It is clear from the turnout that New Yorkers are starved for more park space and that Manhattan residents support historical preservation. (Perhaps we learned our lesson from the destruction of the old Penn Station.)
The Highline is the old elevated railway that runs from 34th St, through Chelsea down to the Meatpacking district, and the FHL is the leading group advocating its development as a reuse public park.
I have been an ardent supporter and advocate for this reuse project since its inception in the 1990’s, and have testified as School Board President before the City Council for its preservation. (At the time, there were many strong interests, including Mayor Giuliani, advocating for the High Line’s destruction.)
It's thrilling to see FHL come so far, and to view the four finalists for the redevelopment of the High Line, all of which offer unique and compelling visions for what will become a treasured public space. This presents an opportunity for us to look closely at Manhattan's parks, how they're run, and how we can ensure they're survival amidst rampant development and budget cuts.
There are more than 1,700 parks across the five boroughs. With a few exceptions, these parks do not have endowments, and are thus dependent on the fluctuations of tax revenue.
We know that every park can succeed, becoming a safe, clean and compelling public space, (one great example is Morningside Park and its transformation) that new parks can be built, but we must guarantee steady funding and guard them during crises. And we must remember that every park is important to its community. A park does not have to be Central Park to benefit the City. Parks are New Yorkers' backyards and we are committed to nurturing them.
Brian Ellner
Posted by John at July 17, 2004 3:05 PM
July 15, 2004
Thank You!
First, a special thank you to everyone who has helped our campaign over the last two months.
I'm happy to report that we had an incredible filing today with the City's Campaign Finance Board, reporting over $76,000 in contributions in only two months. We qualified for the City match (4-1 on the first $250 anyone contributes), which brings our two-month total to over $240,000.
We raised this money without the help of any fundraising events because I did not want to hold any until the start of the Democratic National Convention. I encourage everyone to attend at least one Kerry/Edwards event in New York over the next few weeks. That is the election of our lifetime.
I also want to tell you that we raised about half of our money online, even though our website has only been up for a month.
Thank you so much to everyone who contributed, and please continue to spread the word about our campaign. Our primary is less than 14 months away and we need to continue the momentum to bring a new voice and vision to City politics.
The other great news is that the Federal Marriage Amendment failed to pass the Senate, and is effectively dead in that body this year. But, the struggle is far from over. The House could raise the issue in the Fall, to say nothing of the fact that 49 United States Senators - including three Democrats - still voted to enshrine discrimination into our country's most sacred document. I will continue to fight against any attempts to limit civil and human rights and I look forward to our ultimate victory for true equality for all Americans.
Thank you again to everyone who helped us reach both of these milestones.
Brian Ellner
P.S. Our first fundraising event will be on July 26 - the first night of the Democratic convention - on the Upper West Side. You can sign up to come here.
Posted by John at July 15, 2004 3:05 PM
July 13, 2004
Stop the Amendment!
On Wednesday the United States Senate will vote on whether to amend the United States Constitution to deny same sex couples marriage rights. This is a despicable attempt by the far right to distract the American public from the Bush administration's failures in Iraq and domestically.
The Federal Marriage Amendment is the biggest threat in a long time to not only the LGBT community, but to civil rights for all Americans. There is simply no excuse for any Senator to vote to write discrimination into the document that represents the very fabric of our Nation.
While it looks likely that the amendment will not have enough support to pass - our Senators must hear from us, and hear just how much this matters to all Americans.
Call the Capitol Switchboard at 202-225-3121 and ask for your Senator's offices. (In New York, Senators Clinton and Schumer.)
Tell them that you oppose the amendment, and tell them that you will never support, vote or contribute to any Senator - from any party - who would vote for this hateful and un-American amendment.
Also be sure to sign MoveOn.org's petition against the amendment.
Our voices will be heard, and together we'll not only stop the amendment, we'll hold those who vote for it accountable.
Brian Ellner
Posted by John at July 13, 2004 3:06 PM
