Extending Municipal Voting Rights to Legal Immigrants in NYC - IVote.org

Local Elections Matter! from I Vote NYC on Vimeo.

For more info about the campaign visit the IVote NYC website...

The NYC Voting Rights Restoration Act of 2010 (also known as Intro 410) was introduced into the NYC Council on November 18, 2010. The main sponsor is Daniel Dromm (D-25), who is the Chair of the NYC Council Immigration Committee. At least a fourteen other co-sponsors have already signed on, (co-signers:Daniel Dromm , Gale A. Brewer, Helen D. Foster, Letitia James, Brad S. Lander, Annabel Palma, Ydanis A. Rodriguez, Deborah L. Rose, Jumaane D. Williams, Rosie Mendez, Julissa Ferreras, Melissa Mark-Viverito, Diana Reyna, Larry B. Seabrook) who heads the NYC Council Government Operations Committee, which has authority over election related legislation.

Text of the legislation can be found here..

Chair of the City Council Immigration Committee, Daniel Dromm (D-25) says:

“It is time for our evolving democracy to embrace voting rights in local elections for all residents. We are all stakeholders in our community and should have a say in important local issues. In the words of the Revolutionary patriots who put their lives on the line for the freedoms we enjoy today, ‘No taxation without representation.’ ”

The Coalition to Expand Voting Rights continues to work with legislators and community partners to win passage of this legislation in 2011.

Invest $500K In Brooklyn Navy Yard, Get A Green Card by Jaya Saxena - Gothamist

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Is this for real..?

Shirt translation - "I have a green card"

To help finance its $125 million project, the Brooklyn Navy Yard is hoping to lure investors with the tantalizing prospect of permanent residency. The EB-5 visa can be awarded to up to 10,000 foreigners who invest $500,000 to $1 million in American businesses and projects. Once the investors can document that their investments created at least 10 jobs, they are granted green cards. Robert Lieber, deputy mayor for economic development told the Wall Street Journal, "This is a real interesting and clever way to provide financing."

The Yard's expansion is expected to create about 2,800 "green" jobs. The city will pay for $81 million in upgrades, but they're relying on investors to cover the rest of the projects, like the development of the new Green Manufacturing Center. The EB-5 program began in 1990, and has been growing in popularity, issuing 4,218 visas last year to mostly Asian investors. In 1992 Congress approved a measure that would let regional centers organize the investments, and New York's regional center has made the Brooklyn Navy Yards its first investment.

The project was chosen because of the high unemployment rate in the area, which meant a better chance for job creation. Bed-Stuy currently has a 14.8% unemployment rate, and Fort Greene's in 9.9%. Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corp president Andrew Kimball said, "This program is raising money for New York City and Brooklyn the way that Congress intended it to."