November 10, 2004
Update from MTA Public Hearings
I hope that everyone is beginning to recover from the results of the presidential race.
We all fought harder than we've ever fought to elect John Kerry, but we always said that even a Kerry win wouldn't solve all of our problems. With George Bush's victory, the onus for change falls to us at the local level, and it's with that thought that I'd like to renew the discussion of issues in Manhattan and across New York City in this blog space.
As many of you know, the MTA recently floated a plan to raise fares and cut service as part of an attempt to fulfill its five-year capital plan.
This week the MTA is holding hearings in the City (and on Long Island and in Westchester) to hear public comments on its recent proposed fare hikes, booth closings and service cuts. Yesterday, I attended the Manhattan session at El Museo del Barrio.
The crowd was animated and angry, and justifiably so. Last year, we suffered the largest hike in history of the transit system, and the MTA's original proposal to raise 30-day MetroCard fares to $84 (from the current $70) certainly knocked me off balance when I first read about it. Fare revenues – the amount we all pay the MTA to ride – already account for over half of operating funds expended; this is much more than in other cities' systems.
The MTA does deserve praise for some of its accomplishments. The MTA renovated numerous stations, trains are largely clean (or at least, cleaner), and run decently overall. Safety improvements are underway, and long-term planning for infrastructure improvements like the
2nd Avenue subway are progressing, even if their funding remains uncertain.
But these accomplishments do not override the fact that serious problems remain. There is too little oversight and accountability of the agency, and its finances are still too obscured and difficult for the elected officials and the public to determine where money is spent. Management staffing could be less expensive, and service could still be more frequent and regular on many lines.
The other half of the problem rests at the feet of the Governor. The truth is that there is an enormous shortfall (to the tune of over $10 billion) between what the MTA has proposed for its capital budget and for which it has secured funding. This remaining money is contingent on state and/or city funding, both of which have declined consistently over the last decade. This is a dire fiscal situation.
New York City's transit system carries 84% of all State mass transit riders, but receives only 63% of state transit aid. (And don't forget that overall New York City sends much more money to Washington, and to Albany, than we receive back. Addressing this discrepancy must be a top priority for the City.) The MTA has borrowed huge amounts of money to sustain itself in the wake of State cuts, but this is not a sustainable or desirable strategy for the future. The State must step in and help.
The MTA must cut wasteful spending, the State MUST begin contributing more money, and here in the City we need to find innovative new ways to ensure that our transit system remains clean, safe, on-time and that we can progress with much needed improvements like the 2nd Ave. Subway.
I welcome your comments and ideas on this front.
I also recommend visiting the Straphangers Campaign to learn more about this issue.
John Arceci, Director of Policy, E4M
Posted by John at November 10, 2004 2:48 PM
November 3, 2004
Don't Walk Away
am as disappointed as you are by the outcome of the Presidential election.
My campaign staff and I have been dedicated to electing John Kerry, and we have all been spending a lot of time working towards this goal. From Ohio to Pennsylvania to Florida and here in New York, we have registered voters, knocked on doors, made phone calls and raised money. We've all worked hard, and so have you.
I was in Florida the last few days, and monitored polls for the entire day yesterday.
Turnout was good where I was, and Democrats were energized. But in the end, it simply wasn't enough.
I'm disappointed that I couldn't watch John Kerry deliver a victory speech this afternoon.
I'm disappointed that younger voters, who have so much to lose under another Bush Presidency, didn't show up to vote in the numbers we'd all hoped.
And I'm disappointed by the passage of antigay constitutional amendments in all eleven states where they were on the ballot.
But John Edwards said it best in his remarks today:
"'You can be disappointed, but you cannot walk away."
So take time to be disappointed. But don't walk away.
There is simply too much to be done. We need to build new affordable housing, fix our schools, expand public transit, make Manhattan more accessible for the disabled, create new jobs, ensure full equality for ALL New Yorkers and so much more.
With sadness, but also optimism for the future,
Brian
Posted by John at November 3, 2004 2:49 PM
October 26, 2004
7 Days to Make History
We are down to the wire. The popular vote is split more or less evenly between Bush and Kerry, and polls in the pivotal swing states are close. Each and every vote matters, and each and every one of us here in New York can make a difference.
John Kerry won’t solve all our problems, he has said so himself. There is much that we will need to do here at home, and all of us here at Ellner for Manhattan are committed to those fights.
But we need John Kerry in the White House, and we must all do everything we can from now until Election Day to ensure his victory.
The Ellner for Manhattan team and friends (nearly 20 of us!) went door to door in Coatesville, Pennsylvania this past weekend, bringing swing voters to Kerry and ensuring that those who already support Kerry remember to vote on November 2nd.
It was a great day, and there are many more opportunities over the next seven days to make that pivotal difference.
October 26-29
Spend your evenings phone-banking with ACT Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday nights at locations throughout the city.
Help Downtown for Democracy and VoteMob enter the final round of voter contact information in anticipation of the push for the final weekend’s get-out-the-vote efforts. With over 20,000 new voter contacts in the last month alone there’s a lot of data to go through. Volunteer any day of the week for 2 hour or longer shifts, anytime from 9am to 9pm at the D4D offices, 181 N.11th St., in Williamsburg, conveniently located by the L train. Email volunteer@downtownfordemocracy.org for more info.
Or become a Precinct Partner with MoveOn, and work from home in conjunction with field workers on the ground in swing states to get out the vote. Only requires 5 hours this week, and the people you talk with could be the ones who swing the election! Click here to sign up.
The Final Weekend
Spend Saturday canvassing in key suburban areas outside Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with the New Democratic Majority and make sure that the Keystone State goes blue on November 2nd. Buses leave at 8am on Saturday October 30th and return around 7:30 that evening. Please bring $10 in cash to help offset the cost of the trip. Bag lunch and training are provided. RSVP to spowell@newdemmajority.org, soon – busses fill up fast!
The good folks over at Driving Votes have three trips to Philadelphia, one leaving Saturday, one leaving Sunday and another leaving on Monday, and all returning after the polls close on election day. See here for more details.
Or get on the bus to Ohio with Downtown for Democracy and spend your weekend canvassing and convincing voters in Columbus, Toledo or Dayton that John Kerry is their man. (And attend the best party in the State of Ohio!). One bus leaves from N. 11th and Bedford in Williamsburg the evening of Thursday October 28th and returns Sunday night, and another leaves Friday October 29th and stays through election day, returning the morning of November 3rd. Email getonthebus@downtownfordemocracy.org to reserve your spot today.
Can’t leave the city? Phone bank to newly registered young voters with D4D, from noon onwards Saturday and Sunday, locations in Downtown and Midtown Manhattan and Brooklyn. Email volunteer@downtownfordemocracy.org for more info.
Or use your weekend cell phone minutes with Democracy in the Park, calling voters in neighboring swing states. Although, cold weather has chased them indoors, these guys and gals, who have already called nearly 100,000 voters, will be working all weekend at neighborhood restaurants on the Upper West Side, in the East Village, around Union Square and in Brooklyn.
And On Election Day
Vote early in the morning and get on the bus with Citizen Action to go work in Pennsylvania for an intense and exhilarating day. Buses are FREE, and leave at 9:30AM from various locations in Manhattan. Email: ElectionDayBus@CitizenActionNY.org.
If you can’t leave town, but can give up a few hours during the workday, then phone bank with ACT or Downtown for Democracy at locations in Manhattan. Volunteers will be making tens of thousands of calls throughout the day to make sure that every last Kerry supporter has made it to the polls.
And finally, if you’re a lawyer, consider traveling to Florida to monitor the polls with Brian himself on Election Day. Email ryan@brianellner.com for details.
Other Ways to Get Involved
Sign up for DL21C’s new VoterX project. VoterX allows you to sign up as a Team Captain and establish networks of your friends who are not likely voters. Once a Network is established, you can contact each of the members of your Network with a click of one button - you can send articles, political cartoons, or any other type of political persuasion that suits you. And on Election Day, you can remind your Network to vote – it’s an easy way to keep everyone you know informed as to what’s important, and there’s nothing more powerful than a few friends coming along.
Sign up for Voter Call, a co-project of Res Publica, True Majority, November 2 Campaign, and the National Council of Churches. VoterCall provides a simple way for individuals anywhere to make a huge difference - placing brief phone calls to encourage low-income, minority and young voters to go vote. Call from the privacy and comfort of your own home even!
And as always, if you can’t spare any time, write a check. Every little bit goes a long way.
Thank you again for everything you do! Looking forward to working together to elect John Kerry and John Edwards on November 2nd!
Brian and the entire Ellner for Manhattan Team
(P.S. And don’t forget to join us this Thursday, October 28th for an event to learn more about Ellner for Manhattan. Click here for more info.)
Posted by John at October 26, 2004 2:51 PM
October 22, 2004
The Final Push to Victory
We are down to the wire. Today’s AP poll has the popular vote split evenly between Bush and Kerry, and polls in the pivotal swing states are close. Each and every vote matters, and each and every one of us here in New York can make a difference.
John Kerry won’t solve all our problems, he has said so himself. There is much that we will need to do here at home, and all of us here at Ellner for Manhattan are committed to those fights.
But we need John Kerry in the White House, and we must all do everything we can from now until Election Day to ensure his victory.
Get on the Bus this Saturday!
Tomorrow (Saturday) the Ellner for Manhattan Team and Friends will get on Kerry-Edwards buses bound for Pennsylvania. Email ryan@brianellner.com to hop on board. All expenses paid by E4M!
If you can’t leave town, give a few hours to call undecided voters. Phone bank with ACT, or use your weekend cell phone minutes with Democracy in the Park. Or become a Precinct Partner with MoveOn.
October 25-29
Spend your evenings phone-banking with ACT, or helping Downtown for Democracy and VoteMob enter the final round of voter contact information in anticipation of the push for the final weekend’s get-out-the-vote efforts.
The Final Weekend
Go to Pennsylvania with New Democratic Majority and make sure that the Keystone State goes blue on November 2nd, or get on the bus to Ohio with Downtown for Democracy and canvass and convince voters in Columbus, Toledo or Dayton that John Kerry is their man. (And attend the best party in the State of Ohio!)
And On Election Day
Vote early in the morning and get on the bus with Citizen Action to go work in Pennsylvania for an intense and exhilarating day. Buses are FREE, and leave at 9:30AM from various locations. Email: ElectionDayBus@CitizenActionNY.org.
If you can spare a bit more time, vote absentee and travel to Ohio from Friday October 29th through Election day with Downtown for Democracy, to assist their GOTV efforts aimed at young voters throughout Central Ohio. Email: volunteer@downtownfordemocracy.org.
And, if you’re a lawyer, consider traveling to Florida to monitor the polls with Brian on election day. Email ryan@brianellner.com for details.
And as always, if you can’t spare anytime, write a check. Every little bit goes a long way.
Thank you again for everything you do!
Brian and the entire Ellner for Manhattan Team
Posted by John at October 22, 2004 2:52 PM
October 20, 2004
Brian on Preservation
Today Brian attended a press conference to help publicize needed reforms at the City's Landmarks Preservation Commission, and submitted the following testimony to a City Council Oversight Hearing on the Commission which occurred later today. Brian believes that economic development must be balanced with the need for preserving our City’s unique history and character, and we’ll be rolling out a more detailed preservation policy in the coming months.
Don’t forget to join the entire Ellner for Manhattan team and friends on the bus to Pennsylvania this Saturday!
John Arceci, Director of Policy
Brian's Statement:
“I want to thank the Committee and the Chair for the opportunity to testify today. Today you’ll hear about numerous systemic issues plaguing the Landmarks Preservation Commission, all of which can and must be remedied. I want to briefly highlight three issues that I find particularly distressing.
“First, the Commission clearly needs increased funding from the City. A budget of just over 3 million dollars is insufficient to staff and support an organization to research and review thousands of properties throughout five boroughs.
“The City fails to recognize that there is a disastrous inverse relationship between institutional support and public need. From St. Aloysius and across Harlem, to Chinatown, to the Upper East Side, there is a clear and compelling need for a Commission that will vigorously and ably pursue preservation. This under-funding and subsequent under-staffing makes fulfillment of even the Commission’s basic duties difficult, jeopardizing timely and effective preservation and opening the door to demolition.
“Secondly, we need more transparency from the Commission itself. The public must be an equal partner in these discussions and today’s hearing is a good start. The decisions made on preservation affect our City’s neighborhoods and the quality of life of their residents. The Commission’s processes must be transparent, open and responsive to public participation – from the selection of commissioners, to the consideration of Certificates of Appropriateness, to the set of criteria upon which preservation decisions are based.
“Along these lines, and following comments from former LPC Chair Gene Norman, we must never let owner opposition become the sole basis for the denial of a designation hearing. Sadly, when the value of historic preservation goes head to head with the value of the quickest and highest sale, we can see that preservation efforts don’t stand a chance.
That leads me to my final point. We all know that there are moments when the concern of a few becomes a cause for many, and we have reached that point with the Edward Durrell Stone building at 2 Columbus Circle. From groups like Landmarks West, to former Commission chairs, to Herbert Muschamp at the New York Times, a chorus is rising, for preservation yes, but also simply for a fair hearing. A hearing is not too much to ask, and I would like to add my voice to this chorus, and urge the Commission to immediately set a Designation Hearing date for 2 Columbus.
“I am not confusing a hearing with actual designation. No one here today is. But it is important that the City and other property owners move beyond thinking of these hearings as a roadblock or a resistance, but as an opportunity to weigh the merits of each particular case, an opportunity to consider more than just the bottom line, and an opportunity to reach a decision that is reasoned and responsible.
“A hearing will not guarantee the preservation of 2 Columbus or any other property, but in granting a hearing the Commission will have at least saved itself from doing unnecessary damage to both its reputation and to the fabric of landmark law itself. History has been unkind to those who rush to destroy, and the lesson of places like Penn Station must guide us.
“As the City enters a period of intense development, it is important to remember that preservation is vital to New York’s unique identity. All of us here today share a common goal: helping the Landmark Preservation Commission best realize its mission: identifying and protecting our City’s treasured architectural history, timely and transparently designating landmarks, and improving interaction with the individuals and communities affected by its decision-making processes."
Posted by John at October 20, 2004 2:53 PM
October 14, 2004
A Clean Sweep for Kerry
John Kerry continued his strong showing in the last of the Presidential debates last night, besting George Bush in the arena of domestic policy.
Domestic Policy is not George Bush's strong suit.
Bush is the first President since Herbert Hoover to lose jobs during his administration.
Well over 42 million Americans are without health insurance - millions more than when Bush took office.
A record budget surplus has turned into a record budget deficit on Bush's watch.
We could go on and on but we won't. John Kerry said it all last night.
What we know, now more than ever before, is that America, New York and Manhattan need John Kerry.
Of the two men on stage last night only one recognizes the problems plaguing our city, and only one is committed to working with us to solve them.
Under a Kerry administration, homeland security dollars will flow to truly at-risk areas like New York City. Kerry won't play politics with our lives.
Under a Kerry administration we will create new jobs, and level the discrepancies that exist between the unemployment rates of whites and those of blacks and Latinos.
Under a Kerry administration, every child will have health insurance, and working Americans will have more choice and access to the care they need and deserve.
Under a Kerry administration the constitutional right to privacy will be protected, and a women's right to chose guaranteed.
And under a Kerry administration we will open new frontiers of scientific research in the realm of stem cells and beyond.
John Kerry won't solve all our problems, he has said so himself. There is much that we will need to do here at home, and all of us here at Ellner for Manhattan are committed to those fights. What John Kerry will do is address the needs of the majority of Americans, rather than cater to the desires of the wealthiest one percent. New Yorkers will do better. We'll all do better.
Senator Kerry performed exceptionally over the course of the debates, and proved once and for all - to wary Democrats and to undecided swing voters - why he is clearly the man best suited for the presidency.
He's done his work, and now its time for us to do ours.
Please join me and the Ellner for Manhattan team over the coming weeks. Get on the bus to Pennsylvania on Oct. 23, or hop on the buses of groups like New Democratic Majority, Citizen Action and Downtown for Democracy. Phone bank with ACT, or use your weekend cell phone minutes with Democracy in the Park. If you're a lawyer, join me in Florida on election day to monitor the polls. And if you can't do any of these things, write a check to ensure that Kerry's message is heard loud and clear in the swing states. We can't afford to do nothing between now and November 2.
See you on the campaign trail, and looking forward to a Kerry-Edwards victory on November 2!
Brian
UPDATE: If you are interested in joining us on 10/23 in PA, email Ryan by 10/20. [suggestion promoted from comments]
Posted by John at October 14, 2004 2:54 PM
October 7, 2004
Chose to be Involved
Last night's Vice Presidential debate wasn't a resounding victory for John Edwards. Nor was it necessarily the most compelling television.
But the choice we all face couldn't have been more clear:
Fear or hope.
Misleading or honest assessments of the problems we face.
More of the same or a new beginning.
To borrow a line: This country can't take another four years.
I encourage everyone who's been so supportive of our campaign to pull out all the stops for Kerry-Edwards from now until November 2nd.
Write a check, get on a bus for the weekend, join people in the park making calls to undecided voters.
And be sure to watch your email boxes for information about how you can join me over the next three weeks to help ensure John Kerry's victory on November 2nd.
Brian
Posted by John at October 7, 2004 2:55 PM
