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By David Freedlander 8/17/12 2:46pm

letters

on August 17, 2010 in New York, New York.

Stringer Claims Victory As NYCHA Ousts Board Members

Yesterday, city officials announced that two boards of the New York City Housing Authority would step down after The Daily News  has launched a withering investigation into NYCHA’s slowness to move on repairs and to properly spend money it has been allocated and the City Council held a withering hearing.

And today, Manhattan borough president Scott Stringer claimed victory.

Last week, I released a comprehensive report documenting problems in New York City’s public housing, and proposed major reforms, including a complete overhaul of the Housing Authority’s management structure,” he wrote an email to supporters. “Yesterday, we got action for NYCHA’s 650,000 residents:  the City of New York said it would adopt my recommendations.” Read More

By David Freedlander 8/14/12 1:26pm

letters

nadler_0

Nadler: It Ain’t All About Simpson-Bowles

West side Congressman Jerry Nadler joined two of his Democratic congressional colleagues in a letter to the Commission on Presidential Debates urging them to broaden their perspective beyond deficit-cutting in this years Barack Obama-Mitt Romney debates.

Specifically, they note that the Bowles-Simpson plan, the bi-partisan plan to reduce the deficit that collapsed in part when it was rejected by both Mr. Obama and Paul Ryan, was insufficient in its scope since it dealt only with deficits and not with rebuilding infrastructure or increasing American competitiveness.

“As you know, the Simpson-Bowles plan centers on reducing our national debt while doing little to nothing to help our other priorities, such as investments in infrastructure, education, research, and other areas necessary to promote future economic growth and national competitiveness,” Mr. Nadler wrote in the letter that was co-signed by Mike Honda of California and Jan Schakowsky of Illinois. “In addition, the Simpson-Bowles plan asks seniors, the middle class, and military personnel to sacrifice more, while those with the most are asked to do even less to help in our recovery….We urge the Commission not to bias the debate by focusing on one particular set of proposals, but, instead, to put forward a series of presidential debates where the candidates can engage in a robust debate about their vision for the future free from steering by questioners.” Read More

By David Freedlander 8/10/12 12:11pm

letters

johnliu

Liu Calls On NYPD To Allow Sikh Cops to Wear Religious Gear

City Comptroller John Liu wrote a letter to Mayor Mike Bloomberg today calling on Hizzoner to overturn existing New York Police Department policy and permit Sikh officers to wear their traditional turbans and beards.

“The attack in Wisconsin reminds us that intolerance still rears its ugly head today, “Mr. Liu wrote. “Sikhs have felt alienation and distress over the past decade since September 11. In the wake of the Wisconsin killings, which have shocked the national conscience, our City can enact meaningful inclusion of this community by changing NYPD rules to allow Sikhs to serve without having to forsake their turbans and beards.”

Mr. Liu noted that the Washington D.C., police department recently changed its rules to allow Sikh officers to wear religious garb and pointed to a recent City Council law that requires workplaces to foster supportive environments for religious practices. Read More

By David Freedlander 6/29/12 3:22pm

letters

carl-paladino

Carl Paladino to Al D’Amato: ‘You Are A Spineless Fraud’

Tell us what you really think, Carl.

Carl Paladino, the 2010 Republican nominee for governor, forwarded to friends and supporters a rather over-the-top email he sent to Al D’Amato, the last Republican to serve in the U.S. Senate and one of the gray eminences of the GOP.

Writes Mr. Paladino:

Al, keep your nose out of WNY politics or I will expose your underbelly. You are a spineless fraud and you’re going down with Skelos. Did you have fun at Andrews $50k party?  You are such a low life parasite.  It’s all about money and you could care less about the people and republican principals.  What are you going to do when I tell the people that you were the prime mover of Andrew’s gay marriage bill so he could pound his chest as the most powerful governor the state has ever known and you could have access as a lobby for the big buck clients you extort.  Read More

By David Freedlander 5/30/12 4:30pm

letters

skin-cancer

Doctors Ask For Dean Skelos’ Help In Keeping Kids Out Of Tanning Salons

The American Cancer Society and a group of 150 health professionals sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos with a simple message: Don’t let our kids grow up to be the Tanorexic Mom.

A bill, which would ban the children under the age of 18 from frequenting tanning salons, is now before the full Senate, having passed the Assembly and the Senate health committee.

Speaking of a study by researchers at the Yale School of Public, the letter states:

The authors stated that indoor tanning was strikingly common in the study of young skin cancer patients, especially women, which they concluded may be the reason why 70% of early-onset BCCs occur in females. Also, the authors concluded that reducing indoor tanning could translate to a meaningful reduction in the incidence of both melanoma (which accounts for the majority of death from skin cancer) and BCC. Another study published this month in the Journal of Clinical Oncology followed 70,000 women for 20 years and found increased risk for all three types of skin cancer associated with tanning bed use before age 35. Read More

By David Freedlander 1/23/12 5:49pm

letters

GabrielleGiffordsGetty-269x300

Pre-SOTU, Bloomberg Pushes Obama on Guns and Giffords

President Barack Obama is set to deliver his annual State of the Union address tomorrow night, and Mayor Mike Bloomberg would like to revisit a theme from last year’s speech–the tragic shooting in Tuscon which killed six people and injured Congresswoman Gabby Giffords.

In a letter to the president, Mayor Bloomberg writes, “This week will mark Congresswoman Giffords’ last days in Congress before she steps down to focus on her truly inspiring recovery…[W]e hope that you will take the opportunity to address her departure, and the causes of it, in your State of the Union Address tomorrow.”

The letter is co-signed by Tom Menino of Boston, who is, along with Hizzoner, head of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns coalition. Gun control advocates have been stymied in recent years but how little these kinds of tragedies have moved the needle in favor of stricter laws. The last time meaningful gun control seemed at hand was after a series of random shootings in the mid-90′s.  Read More

By David Freedlander 1/23/12 11:07am

letters

Soldier Killed

In Wake of Army Private’s Death, Gillibrand, Velazquez Call For Oversight of Hazing

Today  Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez (D-NY) joined two California House Democrats–Judy Chu and Mike Honda–to call on the U.S. Army to review how the department tracks its hazing and harassment incidents and implements anti-hazing training.

The letters comes after the death of Danny Chen, a 19-year-old Private from Manhattan’s Chinatown who committee suicide after undergoing near-daily hazing and physical abuse.  ”Last month, Senator Gillibrand called on the Defense Department for a system-wide review of bullying and mistreatment after another New York City based soldier,  Marine Pvt. Hamson McPherson, Jr., of  Staten Island committed suicide, allegedly due to hazing. Read More

By David Freedlander 12/29/11 1:55pm

letters

Ed Koch Comes Out (Mostly) Against The Living Wage Bill

The New York Times came out in favor of a living wage bill earlier this week,  and today Ed Koch sent a message to his email list outlining his own thoughts on the bill.

In short, the former mayor is against it, even though he favors an increase in the minimum wage.

“I would support a national law creating a minimum wage of $10 plus benefits or $11.50 per hour without benefits, or any other reasonable increase for those at the minimum wage level.  But I would do so only if it applied to all states, not simply to New York City,” he writes.  Read More

By David Freedlander 12/15/11 1:33pm

letters

NYPD-Data-Breach-2

King, Turner Push Back On NYPD Criticism

Yesterday three members of Congress circulated a “Dear Colleague” letter expressing their disapproval of reports that the NYPD was spying on Muslim and calling for the Department of Justice to investigate.

Write Reps. Judy Chu and Mike Honda of California and Bobby Scott of Illinois:

According to reports, since 2002, the NYPD has engaged in conduct that has singled out Muslims for police contact – stops and investigations – based upon their race, ethnicity or national origin.  This surveillance allegedly included targeting mosques, student groups, restaurants and even motorists in both NYC and outside the NYPD’s jurisdiction.  The NYPD has reportedly been collecting information on U.S. citizens without probable cause and electronically storing this information and has a database of Muslims in the NYC area.  The NYPD has also reportedly been crossing state lines without the knowledge of states that they entered to conduct this operation. Read More

By David Freedlander 11/01/11 9:01am

letters

nadler_0

Nadler Welcomes Romney To New York

Ken Langone is hosting a major fundraiser for Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney at the Conrad Suite of the Waldorf-Astoria on Park Avenue today.

And late last night, west side Congressman Jerry Nadler sent a letter to the former Massachusetts governor, welcoming him to our fair city and asking him why he, in Mr. Nadler’s words, “so consistently put the needs of working- and middle-class people last?” Read More