PHOTO: Gentile Presents Innovative Library Proposal with Speaker Quinn

By on April 4, 2013  Schools & Libraries
Apr 042013
 
(Photo courtesy of William Alatriste via Councilman Gentile's office).

(Photo courtesy of William Alatriste via Councilman Gentile’s office).

City Councilman Vincent Gentile was recently joined by council speaker and mayoral candidate Christine Quinn to announce a new library program meant to improve citizens’ access to city government.

“I was proud to join City Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn early this morning to present a new, innovative proposal for a citywide system of “Mini City Halls” inside our libraries that will serve as a one-stop shop for New Yorkers seeking help navigating access to important programs and services,” said Gentile, who serves as the Libraries Subcommittee Chairman, in a press release. “Libraries play a tremendous role in the communities they serve so turning them into ‘Mini City Halls’ is a no-brainer. This innovative proposal will help to better meet the needs of New Yorkers by making government more accessible. I thank Speaker Quinn, my Council colleagues and the New York Public Library system for their dedication to the people of New York City.”

Support Grows For Speed Cameras In City Council, State Assembly Approves Budget Bill That Includes Pilot Program

By on March 15, 2013  Featured story, Politics
Mar 152013
 
A traffic enforcement camera (Image source: Wikipedia Commons).

A traffic enforcement camera (Image source: Wikipedia Commons).

Red light cameras have become a familiar presence on certain heavily-trafficked intersections of New York City. Now, in the aftermath of several gruesome and fatal crashes, both state and city officials are increasingly supporting the introduction of cameras to punish drivers who endanger others by speeding.

A recent experiment by local reporter Will Bredderman showed that many, if not most, Bay Ridge drivers speed – And data provided by the advocacy group Transportation Alternatives shows similarly high numbers of speeders in other neighborhoods.

And while traffic enforcement via candid camera has raised both ethical and legal questions, supporters of automated speed enforcement devices say they are crucial for improved public safety on city streets Continue reading »

Council Passes Fine Relief For Street Vendors But Not Brick-And-Mortars; Gentile Asks, “Does that seem fair to you?”

By on March 1, 2013  Business
Mar 012013
 
These posters shamed Council Speaker and Mayoral candidate Christine Quinn into enacting legislation lowering the maximum fine for street vendors. But Bay Ridge Councilman Vincent Gentile says brick-and-mortar retailers face the same problems. (Photo source: The Street Vendor Project)

These posters shamed Council Speaker and Mayoral candidate Christine Quinn into enacting legislation lowering the maximum fine for street vendors. But Bay Ridge Councilman Vincent Gentile says brick-and-mortar retailers face the same problems. (Photo source: The Street Vendor Project)

On Wednesday, the City Council approved a bill that would reduce the maximum fine given to street vendors for blocking the sidewalk in half from $1,000 to $500. The bill – introduced over two years ago but spent most of that time languishing in committee – moved quickly through the Council in the past two weeks after the Street Vendor Project publicly shamed Council Speaker Christine Quinn into action. Quinn is the leading candidate for Mayor in this September’s Democratic primary, according to a poll released yesterday by Quinnipiac.

Bay Ridge Councilmember Vincent Gentile stood nearly alone in opposition, casting one of only three “no” votes against 44 in favor. Gentile has long held the view that street vendors have played by rules that grant them preferential treatment, while traditional brick-and-mortar stores have had to contend with a hostile tax and regulatory environment, and that bills such as this exacerbate the double-standard.

“Earlier this month, a small business owner in my district was fined $1,000 when her $30 pet grooming license expired,” Gentile said in a written statement. “Does that seem fair to you?” Continue reading »

Councilman Gentile Votes To Move Power Lines Underground

By on February 11, 2013  News
Feb 112013
 

The following is a press release from the office of City Councilman Vincent Gentile:

CITY HALL – At yesterday’s Stated Meeting, Councilman Vincent J. Gentile joined his colleagues led by Council Speaker Christine Quinn to authorize a study into the feasibility of burying overhead power lines underground in order to keep New Yorkers safe during severe weather emergencies. Continue reading »

Gentile Sponsors Legislation To Protect Unemployed From Job Discrimination

By on January 24, 2013  Business
Jan 242013
 

Big_4_Hits_36_A_-_NoHelpWanted-You'reUnderArrestFrom Huffington Post:

In a current job posting on The People Place, a job recruiting website for the telecommunications, aerospace/defense and engineering industries, an anonymous electronics company in Angleton, Texas, advertises for a “Quality Engineer.” Qualifications for the job are the usual: computer skills, oral and written communication skills, light to moderate lifting. But red print at the bottom of the ad says, “Client will not consider/review anyone NOT currently employed regardless of the reason.”

The following is a press release from the office of City Councilman Vincent Gentile:

CITY HALL – Tomorrow the New York City Council will pass legislation providing a private cause of action for those unlawfully discriminated against on the basis of being unemployed – the first law of its kind in the nation.

Intro 814-A will prohibit employers from using a person’s employment status in a hiring decision and from posting job advertisements that require applicants to be currently employed. The bill has the strong support of City Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn and Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer as well as the National Employment Law Project, which is a national advocacy organization for employment rights of lower-wage workers. Continue reading »

Gentile Stands In Solidarity With ConEd Workers, Commends Speaker Quinn For Demanding Solution, End To Lockout

By on July 12, 2012  News, Politics
Jul 122012
 

Image of Con Edison building courtesy of Stig Nygaard.

The following is a press release from the office of City Councilman Vincent Gentile:

COUNCILMAN GENTILE STANDS IN SOLIDARITY WITH UWUA LOCAL 1-2; COMMENDS SPEAKER QUINN FOR DEMANDING CONED FIND SOLUTION TO LABOR DISPUTE

BAY RIDGE– Struggling with its first work stoppage in nearly three decades, while desperately trying to keep the electricity grid running during a July heat wave, ConEd has deployed 5,000 of its managers to stand in for the nearly 8,500 unionized workers who were dismissed on July 1 after contract talks broke down.

At least three managers have already been seriously injured trying to do the work of regular field workers while services such as meter readings and customer service walk-in centers have almost all been completely shut down.

Earlier today, Speaker Christine C. Quinn released a letter calling on ConEd to resume negotiations with UWUA Local 1-2 without the lockout. The letter urges ConEd to place the protection of New Yorkers as its highest priority and resolve the dispute without further delay.

“Let me be clear. Your actions do not have my support,” Speaker Quinn writes Continue reading »

Bloomberg’s Last Tango: City’s annual “Budget Dance” ends on a good note for Bay Ridge

By on June 27, 2012  Featured story, Politics
Jun 272012
 

Image source: digitizedchaos via Flickr.

What has been referred to by a skeptical New York media as the annual “budget dance,”  a choreographed clash which begins every year with Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s threats of austerity – cutting jobs, closing firehouses, the discontinuation of after-school programs, followed by posturing from city council members and program directors, with all roads leading to an inevitable happy ending – ended this week.

As Mayor Bloomberg’s last year in office passes its halfway point, many – in both the press and in politics – are weighing the pros and cons of this yearly ritual. Continue reading »

Local Council Members At Masbia Soup Kitchen

By on November 22, 2011  News
Nov 222011
 
Photo courtesy Office of Domenic Recchia

Photo courtesy Office of Domenic Recchia

The City Council paid a visit to the Masbia soup kitchen on Coney Island Avenue in Flatbush yesterday, including local Council members Mike Nelson (right), Domenic Recchia (second from right), and David Greenfield (second from left). They are joined in this photo by Jumaane Williams (third from… either direction I guess) and Speaker Christine Quinn (left).

As a brief aside: I don’t really put myself in positions where I’m going to meet a lot of politicians, yet I’ve met three of the people in this picture – Recchia, Greenfield, and Quinn. As you can probably tell from the picture, Recchia is kinda a tall dude. But Greenfield? Also pretty tall. And it doesn’t strike me as obvious in this picture. I think he must be standing in some sort of depression in the floor. But, I digress.

I haven’t checked with Masbia to see if the info is still current, but they have a call for volunteers posted on their web site. The dates are this Wednesday and Thursday. For more info, click here.

Anyone have plans to volunteer anywhere in South Brooklyn this Thanksgiving?