Not Only for High Holy Days
“Don’t let it be one day of remembering in a year of forgetting,” we say about Mother’s and Father’s days. But ditto for other holiday/holy days, like the High Holy Days, which are now officially over. We need all the help possible in taking the high road, which also requires (ouch!) some repentance.
Now, don’t turn off, we’ll focus mostly on government’s sins of omission, like giving over-drinking a pass. It is our fervent hope for Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum to openly war against this awful dependence, which took her daughter-in-law’s life. George W. Bush should speak about how his wife, Laura, intervened and got him to stop. Read more
SURVEY: 2nd AVE BIZ NEEDS HELP
It’s no secret that small businesses have been hurt by work on the Second Avenue subway, but a new survey details the toll that construction is taking.
The survey of 59 business owners, released by Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum’s office, found that construction is leading to closings, staff cuts and reduced hours of operation.
Half of the respondents said that financial support from the government is necessary to stay afloat.
To save these businesses, Gotbaum suggests setting up an emergency grant program, suspending the sales tax for businesses inside the construction zone and getting the city to negotiate with banks to provide no- or low-cost loans.
Most legislation to provide help, however, has never been signed into law. Gov. David Paterson vetoed a bill that would create a state grant program, citing costs. And Mayor Michael Bloomberg successfully lobbied the State Senate Republicans to kill legislation that would provide landlords of small businesses property tax abatements for renegotiating leases with lower rent.
“It’s inexcusable to allow neighborhood establishments to go under because of a government project,” Gotbaum said in a statement.
Barbara D’Antonio, co-founder of Second Avenue Business Association, said financial help is necessary for businesses to weather construction for a project whose deadline has been pushed back repeatedly.
“I hope that the businesses get funding and support,” D’Antonio said, “unless the city feels it can sustain the closure of all these businesses.”
Who Is the Next Public Advocate?
There is bad news and good news for public advocate candidates Eric Gioia, Bill de Blasio and Norman Siegel. Mark Green is favored to win the post he held from 1994 to 2001, according to a May 13 poll. But nearly a third of the city’s registered Democrats are unsure which candidate they will support in the Sept. 15 primary, and there are still many months of expensive campaigning to go before any one candidate can be declared the front-runner. Read more
THE DISAPPEARING CITY
For once, I had some time to kill the other day, so I wound up at the Museum of Natural History, looking for the old Indian canoe in the south entrance hall. It’s just one of those things you expect will always be there if you grow up in the city. I remember peering over the side when I was small to see if any of the 17 plaster warriors inside were wearing P.F. Flyers as my brother claimed (they weren’t). When my own kids were small, I’d take them to see it on rainy days. And, of course, in Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger was savvy enough to use it as a symbol for a child’s anxious yearning Read more
DONATE THE DONATIONS
To the Editor:
Concerning “Extend Term Limits For 2009” (editorial, Oct. 16), it would be the height of arrogance for anyone, including Mayor Bloomberg, Comptroller Thompson, Public Advocate Gotbaum, Council Speaker Quinn, Council Finance Chairperson Weprin, along with other Council members and Borough Presidents, to claim that overturning term limits is necessary because only they have the insight to run our city. With more than 8 million Big Apple residents, incumbent elected officials hardly have a monopoly on the knowledge or wisdom needed to manage City Hall. Read more
FOOD STAMP INCREASE
New federal provisions, slated to go into effect on Oct. 1, increase the minimum amount of food stamp benefits-and Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum wants to make sure New Yorkers know about it. Gotbaum gathered with other activists on Sept. 29 to raise awareness about the improvements and encourage New Yorkers, especially immigrants with children, to apply.
“During these uncertain financial times, food stamps are more needed than ever. Not only do we need to spread the word to immigrant communities that food stamps are available for their children, but we need to work to break down the barriers that keep parents from applying,” Gotbaum said. “These new federal regulations should help low-income families put food on their tables, but we still have a lot of work to do fighting hunger in our city and helping immigrant families and their children.”
The government is expected to direct $7.8 billion over the next 10 years toward food stamp benefits.
GOTBAUM ONLINE
Wired New Yorkers can check in on Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum’s new blog. Launched on Labor Day, the introductory blog post said this will be an extension of Gotbaum’s duties as public advocate. The second blog post from Sept. 2 is about back-to-school season and her visit to three schools in Washington Heights. This was an introduction to her concerns about overcrowding and pushing for smaller schools throughout the city. Readers are encouraged to leave comments and start a dialogue on the blog, aptly titled Public Advocate’s Corner, http://www.publicadvocatescorner.com
