April 28, 2005
Parks for the Public
Yesterday's New York Times broke a story about the Parks Department's efforts to limit public gatherings on the Great Lawn in Central Park to six events of no more than 50,000 each year.
This move stems from last summer's lawsuits by United for Peace and Justice and other groups over the City's decision to not allow RNC protests to occur in the park, though the City maintains that this has been the informal policy for years. No Council approval would be necessary to formalize the new rules.
Six events over the course of the summer might seem like a reasonable number, but four of these are already reserved each year for the New York Philharmonic and the Metropolitan Opera. The remaining two are up for grabs for other organizations, but would have to take place during a period from mid-August to early-September.
I urge you to read some of the press about this issue, and let us know what you think the City should do. How do we balance the need to prevent the Great Lawn from turning back into a dust bowl with the need to ensure a diversity of public gatherings and performances.
In other parks news, last Wednesday was Parks Advocacy Day, and New Yorkers for Parks organized a 500 person delegation of parks advocates to lobby for increased funding for our City's Parks. It was a wonderful day, and also coincided with the launch of a new campaign – Parks1 – that seeks to make New York's parks #1 in the nation. We've always said that parks are New Yorkers backyards and in need of more funding – particularly funding that doesn't fluctuate from year to year.
So tell us what you think about the Central Park proposal, and check out the Parks1 campaign and get involved in strengthening our Borough!
John, E4M Policy Director
Posted by John at April 28, 2005 2:19 PM
April 19, 2005
The Face of the Housing Crisis
Sunday's New York Times featured a tremendous (and highly recommended) article that puts yet another face on our City's growing housing crisis.
David Chen and Ruth Fremson have created a photo-essay, documenting the growing numbers of seniors who are taking roommates, sharing rooms with strangers or neighbors, or who are at risk of homelessness. The majority of these seniors are people on limited and/or fixed incomes – the people whom are hardest hit when the cost of housing rises very high, very fast.
Chen writes that:
"Such partnerships are typically accidental, although sometimes anticipated. They can be fleeting or fixed for years. Sometimes, all it takes is a sudden slip on the stairs, and a hospitalization, draining finances and options. Sometimes, all it takes is an eviction notice from a landlord who wants to ride a hot real estate market."
At the time of the 2000 census there were upwards of 9,000 households with seniors boarding together, and that number is almost certainly much higher now. As the average cost of an apartment climbs further upwards (over $1.27 million last month in Manhattan) and an entire generation of baby boomers begins to become seniors, this is not a crisis that is going to disappear without intervention.
From using inclusionary zoning to ensure that we build affordable housing, including units dedicated for seniors, to using the Battery Park City Authority revenue stream for it's intended purpose (building new affordable housing for City residents), to increasing the income-eligibility for the Senior Citizen Rent Increase Exemption (SCRIE), Brian is fully committed to ensuring the rights of all seniors, regardless of income, to safe, accessible and affordable housing.
If you have any thoughts or experiences on this issue, please email us or post a comment below.
John, E4M Policy Director
Posted by John at April 19, 2005 2:20 PM
April 8, 2005
A Busy Day
On Wednesday Brian and the E4M team participated in two very important events. Early in the day we attended Homeless Youth Lobbying Day at City Hall, where Brian called for the Council to allocate an additional $2.5 million targeted to programs for homeless LGBT youth. I've included a portion of the press release below so you can see some of what Brian said. Special thanks to Councilmember Alan Gerson and his Chief-of-Staff Dirk McCall for putting together this tremendous day!
Later that morning, Brian joined scores of community members in submitting testimony to the City Planning Commission calling for more attention to be paid to the need for mandatory, permanent affordable housing in the West Chelsea rezoning plan.
Please email me at john@brianellner.com if you want to learn more or find out how to help on these pivotal issues.
John, E4M Policy Director
ELLNER FIGHTS FOR HOMELESS GLBT YOUTH AT CITY COUNCIL LOBBYING DAY
Citing an egregious lack of services for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) homeless youth in New York City, Brian Ellner urged the City Council today to approve a $2.5 million budget request made by Councilmember Alan Gerson.
Currently, Covenant House receives all of the City's Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD) funds, yet GLBT youth, who comprise 40% of the City's young homeless population, report a consistent pattern of violence and harassment there. This budget request would allocate $2.5 million for services that will keep GLBT homeless youth safe and off the streets.
"It is terrific that more gay and lesbian young people have the courage to come out across America. But a sad side effect is that many of them are rejected by their families and wind up in big cities like New York, where homelessness is too often the result. There are only 22 shelter beds and 10 transitional beds for GLBT homeless youth in New York, and that is unacceptable," said Ellner.
Posted by John at April 8, 2005 2:22 PM
April 1, 2005
April Fools?
I wish I could say that Thursday was April Fool's Day, and that the MTA's vote to give Hudson Yards to the Jets was just a prank. But it wasn't, and the MTA's Board did indeed vote unanimously to award the Jets the right to build at Hudson Yards – despite the fact that their bid was significantly lower than rival Cablevision.
I was at the hearing all morning, and while the vote is disappointing (though not unexpected) this fight is still far from over.
There will be legal challenges to the MTA's decision, and the State's Public Utilities Control Board and still has to vote on the deal.
This means we have to turn up the heat that much more. If you haven't already signed Brian's petition at www.ManhattanPriorities.com do it right now! A strong statement from thousands of community members will go a long way to telling the Mayor that a stadium at the intersection of the Lincoln Tunnel and the Port Authority is the wrong choice for Manhattan.
Meanwhile news broke Friday that the average price of an apartment in Manhattan has risen to $1.21 million as of last quarter. That's a 23% jump from the previous quarter, and an enormous change since just last year when Brian started his campaign.
Building a stadium subsidized by nearly $1 billion in public money while the cost of housing rises astronomically and more and more people are forced from their homes is not the vision of Manhattan we all share. We're working for change, for new leadership, because Manhattan's priorities aren't being addressed.
John, E4M Policy Director
Posted by John at April 1, 2005 2:23 PM
March 30, 2005
Thank You!
Our deep thanks go out to the hosts of Wednesday's fundraiser: Otho Kerr, David Fredericks, Kenneth Green, Dennis Hranitzky and David Tufts - who also lent his beautiful home for the occasion.
The event was wonderful and attended by over 100 supporters. As you can see above, one of those supporters was San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom who came as our special guest and spoke very kindly about Brian and the need for new and energetic leadership in the Democratic Party.
Thanks again to all the hosts, and to everyone who attended.
After that event, Brian went on to give a very strong performance at the Gramercy Stuyvesant Independent Democrats Borough President Forum. From the West Side to the East Side, Brian's message is really resonating.
The Ellner for Manhattan Team
Posted by John at March 30, 2005 2:26 PM
Preservation, D-Day on the West Side, and Exciting News
Brian spoke last night at a gathering of the City's top preservationists about the importance of preserving our City's rich architectural history. As a native New Yorker, this issue has particular resonance for Brian, and he's been active on it for a long time – he testified before the City Council Oversight Hearing on the Landmarks Preservation Commission last fall and has frequently called for the City to follow due process and hold a hearing on preserving 2 Columbus Circle to name just a few examples.
Last evening he spoke on the dire need to increase funding for the Landmarks Preservation Commission (the agency has a paltry budget of $3.5 million for the entire City) and restructure its appointee system so that the Mayor does not appoint all eleven members. He also talked about the need to engage a younger generation in these struggles, undertake a comprehensive borough-wide study of potential landmarks and historic districts and pursue innovative public/private partnerships.
We'll be releasing a preservation policy over the next few months, and in the interim, if you're as committed as Brian is to preserving Manhattan's neighborhood then get involved!
While we're on the topic of preserving neighborhoods: the MTA board meets tomorrow morning to vote on which bid to accept for Hudson Yards.
Come make your voices heard Thursday morning before work! A West Side Stadium is not a Manhattan Priority!
(Email me at john@brianellner.com, and I'll let you know where and when.)
John, E4M Policy Director
Posted by John at March 30, 2005 2:25 PM
March 25, 2005
Thank you to everyone for making Tuesday night's kick-off gala a tremendous success!
Thank you in particular to Diane Von Furstenberg for providing such a beautiful space and giving such a kind introduction to Brian. Also special thanks go out to Ed Filipowski and everyone at KCD, DJ Billy Pfieffer and all the wonderful hosts and volunteers for making the evening such a smashing good time.
400 people attended, including Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, Mark Green, Barry Diller, Zac Posen, Tim Gunn, Lela Rose, Nanette Lapore, Florent Morellet and many, many others...
Congresswoman Maloney spoke eloquently about the struggle against the Bush administration in Washington, and what we can do to work for progressive change here at home. At a time when our President is pushing an anti-gay amendment to enshrine discrimination in the U.S. Constitution, Congresswoman Maloney is leading the fight to extend equal rights, working to pass the Equal Rights Amendment, and we were honored to have her at the event.
Mark Green made some poignant (and witty) remarks about how Brian is up to the challenge of running for Borough President, and up to the challenges he will have to face when victorious. He also spoke about how great it was to work with Brian when Mark was Public Advocate and when running for Mayor.
The event raised well over $50,000 (we'll let you know about a final figure soon), and all of it will help spread Brian's message. We couldn't have done it without you.
Thank you again for everything you do.
The Ellner for Manhattan Team
P.S. We want to ask you to do one thing more: take a brief moment and sign our petition against the West Side Stadium at www.ManhattanPriorities.com. Together we can stop this stadium – but we have to make our voices heard!
Posted by John at March 25, 2005 2:26 PM
