Letter to the Editor: Queens Center Mall Should Pay Living Wage by David M. Quintana - Leader-Observer

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Dear Editor:

On Saturday May 21^st, I attended a Town Hall meeting at St. Paul the Apostle Church in Corona with hundreds of others to demand that the owner of the highly profitable Queens Center Mall, the Macerich Company, give back to the community by transforming the publicly subsidized mall from a poverty wage center into a responsible development for workers of Queens.

Among those participating in the event were elected officials: NY State Senator Jose Peralta, NY Assembly Member Francisco Moya, NY Assembly Member Jeffrion Aubrey, and New York City Council Members Julissa Ferreras and Daniel Dromm.

The meeting was hosted by Make the Road New York (MRNY), Queens Congregations United for Action (QCUA), the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU) and the Retail Action Project (RAP)

In exchange for the more than $100 million in tax breaks Macerich receives, a growing community, labor, clergy coalition is pushing to hold the Queens Center Mall owner accountable to the public by requiring retailers to pay a living wage with benefits, respect workers' rights to organize a union without threats or intimidation, and provide space for community services

The owners of the mall receive tens of millions of dollars in subsidies from our tax dollars and what does the community receive in return? Absolutely nothing.

Retail is one of the areas where the largest number of jobs are being created, and it is past time for retail workers to receive a living wage and be able to unionize without being threatened by their employers. It shouldn’t even be a question for the Queens Center Mall, one of the most profitable malls in the country (profits of $876 per sq foot) to become a living wage center and not a poverty wage one,

Many people who work at the mall barely make the minimum wage. As everyone knows, it’s not possible to live on such a low salary here in Queens, much less support a family.

I feel it's important that when we talk about economic development in our community, we should be talking about jobs that provide economic stability, jobs that can support a family and not part-time jobs with poverty wages and no benefits. Macerich should be made to require union neutrality from its retailers, so employees can decide whether or not to organize a union without fear of threats or retaliation.

A living wage bill is being debated in the NYC Council which would require businesses that receive tax breaks or City subsidies to pay their workers a living wage of $11.50 an hour without benefits or $10 an hour with benefits.

I would urge anyone reading this letter to contact their City Council member and tell them that they should vote to pass a living wage law in New York City. I believe it is a moral imperative that if someone works full-time they should be able to support their family and feed their children. Thank you.

Sincerely,

David M. Quintana

Ozone Park, NY

Senator Gianaris: No Tax Help for Big Electric by Rebecca Henely > YourNabe.com

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State Sen. Michael Gianaris (D-Astoria) condemned a bill passed in the Senate Monday to give tax abatements to power generators, saying it would provide them with an unfair tax benefit.

“I think they’re trying to use the excuse of rate payer relief to give a tax break to their friends in the energy industry,” Gianaris said of the Senate Republicans, all of whom voted for the bill along with three Queens Democrats.

Gianaris has been critical of potential increases to electric rates. The bill, sponsored by state Sen. George Maziarz (R-Newfane), offers property tax abatements to power generators on the grounds that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission did not take into account the increased peak demand expected from New York City between 2011 and 2014 when setting the tax benefits for the power generators. The bill has been sent to the state Assembly, but has not been passed.

Maziarz did not respond for comment by press time Tuesday evening.

Gianaris, who supports a bill by Sen. Andrew Lanza (R-Staten Island) that would prevent FERC’s increase in energy capacity prices for power generators from being passed on to city residents, said Maziarz’s measure would give a windfall to the energy industry and Lanza’s bill should have been passed instead.

FERC had originally planned to increase capacity prices to offset city property taxes, even though the city already offers property tax credits to power generators. Mayor Michael Bloomberg, U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Gov. Andrew Cuomo have come out against FERC’s decision.

“The last thing we want to do is be giving money away to an industry that’s experiencing record profits,” Gianaris said.

The Senate has not passed Lanza’s bill. The Staten Island senator also voted for Maziarz’s bill.

In addition to the Senate Republicans, seven Democrats voted for Maziarz’s legislation, including state Sens. Joe Addabbo (D-Howard Beach), Jose Peralta (D-East Elmhurst) and Toby Stavisky (D-Whitestone). State Sen. Shirley Huntley (D-Jamaica) was excused from voting.

Monserrate, Ousted State Senator, Seeks Assembly Seat by Stephen Ceasar - NYTimes.com

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Hiram Monserrate, who three months ago failed to regain the State Senate seat he had lost after being convicted of misdemeanor domestic assault, is again running for office, this time for a Queens Assembly seat.

Mr. Monserrate filed nominating petitions on Tuesday to be placed on the ballot in the Democratic primary in September for the 39th Assembly District seat, Board of Elections officials said on Wednesday.

Mr. Monserrate, a former police officer and city councilman, is running for a seat representing parts of western Queens. It was left vacant when José R. Peralta was elected to Mr. Monserrate’s old Senate seat.

In October, Mr. Monserrate was convicted of recklessly injuring his companion, Karla Giraldo, after dragging her through his apartment’s lobby.

He was sentenced to three years’ probation and ordered to perform 250 hours of community service, participate in a yearlong counseling program and pay a $1,000 fine.

The Senate expelled Mr. Monserrate in February. The following month, he was handily defeated by Mr. Peralta in a special election for his former seat.

In the September primary, Mr. Monserrate will face Francisco Moya, a government affairs official for Cablevision. Mr. Moya has considerable support among New York Democrats and has the endorsement of the Working Families Party.

Doug Forand, a spokesman for Mr. Moya’s campaign, said that Mr. Monserrate’s history made him unfit for public office. “His continued insistence on being taken seriously as a candidate is both delusional and offensive to the voters,” Mr. Forand said.

Calls to Mr. Monserrate and his staff were not returned.

Petitioning's Sign of Times - Scramble's on for Ballot Spot by Lisa L. Colangelo - NY Daily News

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GATHERING signatures on petitions is the first, and sometimes toughest, task for political candidates.

They have less than six weeks to knock on doors, visit train stations and scour shopping centers to fill petitions to secure a place on the September primary ballot.

Petitions must be submitted to the Board of Elections by July 15, but the endurance test doesn't stop there.

Insurgent candidates without party backing must fight off inevitable court challenges to the validity of signatures - a method favored by incumbents and party leaders to avoid primary battles.

"You have to get at least four times the amount of signatures required," said Lynn Nunes, a Democrat running against state Sen. Shirley Huntley in the 10th District primary. "Anything less and you leave yourself vulnerable."

Election law requires Assembly candidates to gather 500 signatures and state Senate candidates to collect 1,000 between June 8 and July 15.

Bob Friedrich, who wants to run against Assemblyman David Weprin in the Democratic primary, said he is targeting registered Democrats in the 24th District.

Assembly candidate Steve Behar, a Democrat and one of six candidates vying for the 26th District seat being vacated by Ann Margaret Carrozza, said he believes the whole petitioning process should be reformed.

"There should be some system where over a year or so you collect a smaller number of signatures and it's audited by the Board of Elections," said Behar, a lawyer from Bayside.

Carrozza's decision not to seek reelection has Republicans and Democrats scrambling. Queens Democrats have endorsed Ed Braunstein, a legislative assistant to Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver. Queens Republicans tapped lawyer Vince Tabone, who is also executive vice president of the Queens GOP.

The crowded field also includes former Assemblyman John Duane and lawyer Elio Forcina on the Democratic line and a second GOP candidate, retired city Police Officer Rob Speranza.

Assemblyman Michael Gianaris' bid for state Senate opens his western Queens seat in the 36th District. Aravella Simotas, Jeremiah Frei-Pearson and John Ciafone - all lawyers - are planning to run in the Democratic primary.

State Sen. Jose Peralta's former Assembly seat in the 39th District is also up for grabs, sparking a possible primary battle between disgraced former state Sen. Hiram Monserrate and Francisco Moya, a community leader backed by the Queens Democratic Party.

In Assembly District 38, Democratic incumbent Mike Miller is expected to face off with education advocate Nick Comaianni.

Anthony Miranda, executive chairman of the National Latino Officers Association, plans to run against Democratic Assemblyman Jeffrion Aubry in the 35th District.

Two Democrats are looking to oust state Sen. Toby Ann Stavisky in the 16th District. Retired scientist and lottery winner Isaac Sasson has promised to use his own deep pockets to counter any petition challenge. Lawyer and businessman John Messer is also eying the seat.

Hiram Monserrate Leading Movement Of Allies Running For A Variety Of Positions In Queens by Andrew Hawkins - City Hall News

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Hiram Monserrate is back. And this time, he's brought friends.

In addition to Monserrate’s alleged campaign for José Peralta’s old Assembly seat, a slate of aides, confidants and beneficiaries of the former lawmaker’s are running this year for a variety of positions—Assembly, district leader, state committee.

Local operatives see a vengeful effort orchestrated by Monserrate to claw his way back into power. But Monserrate allies say the number of people associated with him who are running this year is pure coincidence, dismissing claims of conspiracy as distracting from the issues.

“They want people to believe in the boogie man, but there’s no boogie man,” said Anthony Miranda, a former staffer of Monserrate’s who is running a primary campaign against Assembly Member Jeff Aubry in a district adjacent to Peralta’s.

Miranda co-founded the Latino Officers Association with Monserrate when both served on the police force in the ’90s. The two successfully sued the NYPD for discrimination, and later, when Monserrate ran for district leader, Miranda was at his side in support. They planned to take Northwest Queens by storm, running Monserrate for City Council and other candidates for district leader and State Senate, several people familiar with their efforts say. They did succeed in getting Monserrate elected to the City Council, making him the first Latino in elected office from Queens.

Calls to Monserrate, along with several e-mail requests seeking comment, went unanswered.

Miranda is not the only former member of Monserrate’s camp seeking office this year. Jim Galloway, president of the Lefrak City Merchants Association, is running for county committeeman. Monserrate has been a supporter of the small community group, and Galloway has in turn been one of Monserrate’s most vocal supporters.

“If he becomes the State Assembly person for that district, those people will have a jewel,” Galloway said. “It’s unfortunate what happened to him, his girlfriend. You know the rest.”

Terry Lewis—a self-ordained minister, former staffer during Monserrate’s Council and Senate days and all-around gadfly—is said to be running for district leader against James Lisa, whom Monserrate himself ran against over a decade ago. Hayden Horshen, who once worked for both Monserrate and his Council-successor Julissa Ferreras (and was fired by both), is said to be running against District Leader George Dickson.

Neither Horshen nor Lewis could be reached for comment.

On the other side of the coin is Peralta and his self-styled “unity team,” which includes Aubry, Assembly Member Michael DenDekker, Francisco Moya (who would be the candidate running against Monserrate for Peralta’s old Assembly seat), and Council Member Daniel Dromm and Ferreras, who are both seeking district leader positions.

A recent addition to Peralta’s unity team is Jessica Ramos, an organizer at District Council 37, who once worked for Monserrate but had a falling-out with the former senator. Ramos was running for district leader against former Council Member Helen Sears (who nearly became the Republican candidate in the special election to succeed Monserrate in the spring). But she has since been persuaded to abandon that effort and run for an open seat in another district.

Monserrate critics who claim to be familiar with his campaign style said that his efforts usually start out as a team effort, but usually end up with the singular mission geared just to elect Monserrate himself.

“Everyone who’s run with him, it always starts with ‘we,’” said one Queens official, “and it always ends up with ‘I’m the only one with a shot at this.’”

Aubry, who faces Miranda in this year’s primary, said he has never known Monserrate to bow down, even when the odds are clearly staked against him.

“He is a very driven individual,” Aubry said. “Even in the face of reality, he’s driven.”

Jackson Heights Neighbors Band Together to Win Car-Free Street Expansion by Noah Kazis - Streetsblog New York City

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Jackson Heights residents and Council Member Daniel Dromm (bottom left) marched to Queens Community Board 3 to call for expanding the car-free 78th Street Play Street. Photo via Jackson Heights Green Alliance

Nearly 200 Jackson Heights residents marched on their community board last Thursday night to support the expansion of car-free public space in their neighborhood. That feat of organizing helped win the approval of Queens Community Board 3 for a summer-long 78th Street Play Street, reversing the stance of the board's transportation committee.

The play street debuted in the summer of 2008, but up until this year, it's only been in effect on Sundays. Now the street will be free from traffic for the entire months of July and August.

The play street occupies the block of 78th between Northern Boulevard and 34th Avenue, functioning as an extension of the heavily-used Travers Playground, which many parents in the neighborhood say is overcrowded during hot summer months. "We've got to find creative ways to increase the green space in the neighborhood," said Dudley Stewart of the Jackson Heights Green Alliance. "We're second to last in city districts as far as green space is concerned." Jackson Heights residents have used the play street for activities from chalk painting and ball games to learning to ride a bike.

Extending the play street to last through the summer was one of the planks in Daniel Dromm's campaign for City Council last fall. "Without him, it would have been almost impossible to have this happen," said Stewart. Since taking office, Dromm has leafletted neighbors and commissioned a traffic study on the play street. The summer-long extension also enjoyed support from City Council Member Julissa Ferreras, Assembly Member Michael DenDekker, Senator Jose Peralta, and U.S. Congressman and Queens Democratic Party Chair Joe Crowley.

Even so, the transportation committee of Community Board 3 voted against extending the duration of the play street, claiming that it would bring crime and noise to the neighborhood after dark, eliminate parking spaces, and block emergency vehicle access.

After that setback, local activists decided that they'd have to make a big push to convince the full board to overturn the committee's recommendation. Stewart told supporters to meet at Travers Park last Thursday before walking over to the board meeting. "I was expecting 30 people, 50 at the most," he said. "When 150 or 200 people arrived, it was just a wonderful spectacle." The crowd marched to the board meeting, chanting and singing the whole way.

It was an unprecedented display of neighborhood activism, said Stewart, who is a community board member himself. "It's never happened," he said. "It's unheard of in this district."

The marchers, many of whom were children, spoke to the board, and their testimony, along with some revisions to the plan to allow emergency vehicle access, helped win a 27-9 vote in favor of the extended play street. The plan now requires a formal go-ahead from NYCDOT, which, along with the health department, has spoken strongly in favor of the plan. FDNY and NYPD have also endorsed the extended play street.

What's next for the livable streets activists of Jackson Heights after this impressive victory? According to Stewart, open space remains the area's greatest need. If the summer-long play street is a success, he said, "We're going to try and work very hard to make it a permanent expansion to the park." Stewart also proposed looking for similar locations elsewhere in the neighborhood where summertime play streets could be put in place.

NYS Senator Jose Peralta Swearing in Ceremony Today...

Newly elected NYS Senator Jose Peralta (13th SD) takes the oath of office today in the senate chamber...(Video)