Garodnick Goes Green

To the Editor:
New York City took a quantum leap in its efforts to combat climate change, for which we owe Council Member Dan Garodnick a tremendous debt of gratitude.

The “Greener, Greater Buildings Plan,” which the City Council passed Dec. 9, will improve energy efficiency in existing buildings, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, lower energy costs and create thousands of green-collar jobs. It is, quite literally, the most forward-thinking green buildings plan adopted by any large city in the country. Read more

COUNCILMAN, CARTOON GET VOTES

In a landslide vote, cartoon billionaire and nuclear power magnate C. Montgomery Burns beat Council Member Dan Garodnick in this year’s mayoral race—in write-in ballots, that is.

Of the 300 write-in ballots cast, the cartoon nuclear energy titan from The Simpsons won the most, with 25 votes.

Garodnick, who was on the ballot for re-election, only received four write-in votes for mayor.

“Since Council Member Garodnick secured an impressive four votes for mayor, people have naturally begun to ask him about his political future,” quipped Garodnick’s spokesperson, Dan Pasquini. “He is weighing his options, but does not relish a head-to-head match-up with cartoon billionaire C. Montgomery Burns, whose formidable war-chest and proven vote-getting ability clearly make him a very strong candidate.”

Garodnick did manage to edge out former President Bill Clinton, who received three votes.

HELP FOR DEBTORS

New Yorkers with consumer debt may be interested in a new piece of legislation introduced by Council Member Dan Garodnick that would prevent process servers from getting paid without notifying those who are being taken to court. Currently, if a “process server”—a person who gives legal notice—fails to deliver court papers to someone being sued for debt, and the individual does not show up to court, the judgment is automatically decided against the debtor. That can result in a sinking credit rating, frozen bank accounts and garnished wages for the debtor.

“They’re only learning they were sued after they have lost,” Garodnick said. “The reason it’s a surprise is because in many cases, they were never served a summons.”

The bill would require independent process servers to post a $10,000 bond or to work for a licensed debt-collecting law firm. Process services that falsely cook up reports that claim they properly served those in debt will lose their bond and license.

GARODNICK WANTS FOOD CART REGS

With the proliferation of illegal food vendors getting busted in front of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, a tourist-heavy piece of real estate for carts, new regulations will be introduced.

Council Member Dan Garodnick is spearheading a new, clearer set of rules for food vendors, who are accused of clogging the sidewalk.

“The city needs rules it can enforce, rules with teeth,” Garodnick said in a statement. “We cannot have a situation where vendors operate as they please, and tickets from the police are treated as a small cost of doing business.”

Garodnick announced his bill in front of the Met with West Side Council Member Gale Brewer, Borough President Scott Stringer and Harold Holzer, the Met’s senior vice president for external affairs.

The legislation would create a centralized vendor bureau to give and renew licenses and enforce current laws, and it allows the Environmental Control Board, which doles out violations, to give stiffer fines for repeat offenders. The law would also create new regulation for food trucks, which obey the same laws that manage smaller food carts.

EVICTING DANGEROUS NYCHA TENANTS

In the wake of a recent pit-bull attack on police officers investigating a complaint, elected officials are advising tenants in the Stanley Isaacs Houses how they can voice their viewpoints during the eviction of a problematic resident.
Tenant Milagros Martinez, the pit bull’s owner, released the dog when cops knocked on her door in the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) complex on July 8. She already had two eviction notices because of failure to pay rent and having an unregistered dog. However, Martinez was allowed to return to her home after a court ruled that she could pay rent with money provided by the Human Resources Administration.
“We have contacted the city’s Human Resources Administration to request information about assistance given by the agency to the tenant who let the dog loose,” said Assembly Member Jonathan Bing said during Community Board 8’s July 15 full board meeting.
Officials are trying to determine whether the administration was aware of Martinez’s criminal records and the eviction proceedings against her.
“Hard-working, law-abiding NYCHA tenants feel that the law is protecting the troublemaker tenants over them,” said Council Member Dan Garodnick in a statement. “Many believe that they will get sent a 10-day legal notice the moment they are a day late on their rent, while known problem tenants, conducting illegal activity, are allowed to stay indefinitely.”
On July 13, both Bing and Garodnick attended a meeting convened by residents of the Isaacs Houses, on First Avenue between 91st and 93rd streets, to discuss the incident.
Meanwhile, tenants are getting organized to make sure that those residents who face eviction proceedings and have criminal records are removed from the hosing complex. Garodnick is helping tenants draft a letter to submit to the court to allow them to participate in the case against Martinez. Bing is working with the Housing Authority to figure out a way to expedite the eviction process for potentially dangerous tenants. He is also reintroducing a bill that would forbid persons with criminal records to own dogs that are considered dangerous.

BIAS ATTACK VICTIM SPEAKS OUT

Joseph Holladay, the victim of a hate crime during Pride Week, spoke through tears at a July 1 press conference with the Anti-Violence Project of New York City.

On Saturday, June 27 at 4:15 a.m., a group of five or six men approached Holladay in front of 529 E. 85th St., between York and East End avenues. The group allegedly robbed and repeatedly struck Holladay, who is gay, using a silver pistol while shouting anti-gay slurs. A friend of Holladay’s, John Jerome, heard the commotion outside his apartment and found Holladay lying on the sidewalk, severely bleeding. Holladay, now recovering after being hospitalized, shared his experience at the conference.

“They beat me hard and unconscious leaving me lying in a pool of blood,” he said. “I did nothing to these people except be who I am.”

A second attack, which occurred on June 28 on East 84th Street, is also being investigated as a hate crime.

The Anti-Violence Project also used the press conference to present a new study that pointed to 2008 as one of the most violent years against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people in the last decade. Although the total number of incidents had decreased from the previous year, the severity of crimes committed against LGBT individuals increased, showing a 67 percent increase in murders and an increased use of weapons in assault cases.

After hearing of the attack, two district attorney candidates—Richard Aborn and Cyrus Vance, Jr.—proposed a new hate crimes bureau.

City and state officials present at the conference, including Assembly Members Dick Gottfried and Micah Kellner, and Council Member Jessica Lappin, condemned the attack and gave their support to Holladay.

Gottfried said anti-gay government policies are to blame for violence against Holladay and other LGBT individuals.

“It’s clear that when our government says you’re not fit to be in the military or be part of the institution of marriage, that it sends a powerful message that this group of people are something less than us,” Gottfried said.

Council Member Dan Garodnick also released a statement in the wake of the attacks.

“When one of our neighbors is targeted for a vicious beating or any indignity strictly on the basis of their sexual preference, we are all victimized,” he said. “When the safety and the commitment to tolerance in our community are challenged by those who would use violence and intimidation, we all suffer.”

LIGHTS OUT FOR 86TH ST. DUANE READE

At the request of Council Member Dan Garodnick, the Department of Buildings issued a violation to the Duane Reade at 125 E. 86th St. for its illuminated marquee.

The marquee is a leftover from the days the building was home to a movie theater. The illuminated sign was considered illegal but was not caught because it fell under a self-certification policy.

Garodnick wanted the sign removed because illuminated signage creates an unfair competitive advantage for other businesses and clutters the streetscape, he argued. In May, Garodnick and fellow East Side Council Member Jessica Lappin allocated $215,000 to the East 86th Street Merchants & Residents Association for “beautification” of the East 86th Street corridor.

“The 86th Street corridor is a valuable part of the East Side, but it is in need of a facelift,” Garodnick said in a statement. “Implementing more demure signage that meets the city’s requirements will improve the appearance of this area and make it even more attractive for shoppers.”

COLOR-CODING PIPES

Council Member Dan Garodnick announced a bill that would establish uniform color-coding for standpipe and sprinkler systems so that they are not accidentally damaged and rendered inoperable.
The legislation would prevent situations similar to the Deutsche Bank Building fire of 2007, where two firefighters were killed because the building’s standpipe had been mistakenly cut during demolition.
“The immense sadness that our city felt that day was compounded by frustration that what caused these men to lose their lives could have so easily been avoided,” Garodnick said in a statement.
Under this initiative, standpipes would be painted red while sprinkler pipes would be painted green.