Backyards Not Bonuses - New York Communities for Change

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New York Communities for Change

Not the Way Forward: Jumaane Williams from New York Communities for Change on Vimeo.

Despite the fact the only a fraction of homeowners who sought help received a permanent mortgage modification from JP Morgan Chase, the bank's CEO, Jamie Dimon, just received a $17 million dollar bonus.
Clearly, Chase is out of touch with the consequences the financial industry's reckless practices continue to have in our communities.


Yesterday, NYC Council Member Jumaane Williams kicked off a campaign by New York Communities for Change in rockstar fashion!


Cheered on by fellow Council Members and dozens of NYCC protesters, Williams stormed JP Morgan Chase’s Park Avenue branch. Protesting the bank's awful record on helping families who are facing foreclosure and haven't received assistance with their mortgages, Williams closed his Chase account.

Can you continue our fight against Chase and pitch in $17? That's just 1/1,000,000 of Jamie Dimon's bonus.

In the coming weeks, many other elected officials, clergy members and unions will follow suit, drawing attention to Chase’s terrible record on modifying mortgages of distressed homeowners in New York.

Council Members Williams, Melissa Mark-Viverito, Mathieu Eugene and James Sanders were the first on the scene, but this is only the beginning.

Just 6 percent of NY homeowners who sought help have received a permanent mortgage modification from JP Morgan Chase - the other 94 percent have been denied or are in limbo. 


That’s a shocking number when their CEO just received a $17 million bonus!
Please help us take this campaign to the next level by contributing $17 dollars.


It might seem like a small amount (just 1/1,000,000th of Jamie Dimon’s bonus!), but it will go a long way in helping us make sure that everyone who googles Chase will see the truth about their lending practices.

Click here to chip in.

Wills Prepares His Council Agenda by Ivan Pereira - Queens Campaigner

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Ruben Wills campaigns outside PS 223 in southeast Queens on election day. Photo by Christina Santucci

In the week since he won the special election to the southeast Queens City Council seat, Ruben Wills said he has been hard at work at making sure his constituents’ voices are heard when he enters City Hall.

The councilman-elect for the 28th Council District, which includes the neighborhoods of Jamaica, South Ozone Park, Richmond Hill and Rochdale Village, said he has been visiting with community leaders and constituents to hear their concerns and work on his agenda.

“It is just starting to settle in because we have been working, working, working,” Wills said of his Nov. 2 victory in the non-partisan election. “I haven’t had the chance to absorb it and smile.”

Wills, 39, filled the seat that suddenly opened up when Councilman Thomas White died Aug. 27.

The Democratic former aide said he already has a plan to help the district and has starting working on implementing plans for the community. He has met with the borough president and Aqueduct Race Track developer Genting New York about the jobs that will be created by the racino project.

He is also talking with the principals and parents of PS 30 and PS 40 in Jamaica, PS 147 in Cambria Heights and IS 231 in Springfield Gardens, which are slated for closure by the city.

“The education agenda is something that I have been working out. This is not a one-sided thing. It’s not just about if you have a child in the school. You can have a nephew or neighbor in the school and it affects them, too,” he said.

Wills said he also has long-term plans for the other problems that have been crippling the neighborhood. He is looking into drafting legislation that would curb the foreclosure problems in southeast Queens and has spoken with the NYPD’s chief of community affairs to see what can be done to stop the growing cases of violent crime and murders in the area.

Wills said the best solution was for law enforcement and residents to work together to combat crime.

“We want to let people know what’s going on with the gangs so we can discuss ways on the best possible solution to deal with it,” he said.

Wills won with 31.17 percent of the total vote and beat out Nicole Paultre-Bell, Albert Baldeo, Allan Jennings, Charles Bilal, Harpreet Singh Toor and Martha Taylor Butler, who had 436 votes, or 4.06 percent, according to unofficial results from the city Board of Elections.

Wills said that as of Monday the only challengers who had contacted him were Toor and Baldeo, both of whom congratulated his victory. He did, however, get congratulatory phone calls from U.S. Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-Jamaica) and Councilman James Sanders (D-Laurelton), who both endorsed Paultre-Bell during her campaign.

Wills, who was endorsed by former bosses state Sen. Shirley Huntley (D-Jamaica) and Councilman Leroy Comrie (D-St. Albans), said his years of work and trust with the community is what led to his victory.

“I had the confidence of the most important people in the community: the voters,” he said.

Wills Outraises Paultre-Bell by Ivan Pereira - YourNabe.com

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Ex-Huntley staffer nets near $51K in race for White council seat

Ruben Wills has a major financial lead over Sean Bell’s fiancee, his chief rival for late City Councilman Thomas White’s vacated seat, who has raised roughly $6,000 for her bid, campaign finance records show.

Although major groups and other elected officials, such as the Rev. Al Sharpton, City Councilman James Sanders (D-Laurelton) and U.S. Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-Jamaica), have been throwing their support behind Nicole Paultre-Bell, only 15 individuals have given her money for her campaign, according to the city Campaign Fiance Board.

Wills — who has the backing of his former boss, state Sen. Shirley Huntley (D-Jamaica); Councilman Leroy Comrie (D-St. Albans); and state Assemblywoman Barbara Clark (D-Jamaica) — has the financial backing of 157 contributors and is the only candidate in the race to receive matching public finds, campaign finance records show.

So far, he has collected a total of $50,921, with the largest donation of $1,375 from Local 1182, the union that represents traffic enforcement agents, according to campaign finance records. Wills has spent more than $7,000 on his campaign, with the largest outlays going to former state Sen. Martin Connor, who has been paid $1,500 to act as his attorney, according to the records.

Paultre-Bell, was given the green light to appear on the Nov. 2 ballot by a city Board of Elections judge last week, following a challenge to her petitions by Wills.

So far, she has received more than $6,000 in contributions, with the largest donation coming from New Jersey physician Christopher Kyriakides, who gave her campaign $1,350, Campaign Finance Board records show. All of her other donations are from single individuals and her attorney, Sanford Rubenstein, so far, according to the records. Paultre-Bell has spent $3,185 for her bid as of this week, including $3,000 to Oakland Gardens resident Jesus Ocasio to help with her signature petitioning, according to the Campaign Finance Board.

Albert Baldeo, who ran unsuccessfully for White’s seat in 2005, has more than $46,000 in his campaign coffers, with $27,000 coming from loans and nearly $4,000 coming out of his own pocket, according to the board. So far he has spent more than $19,000 on his current bid for office, including $3,350 to a political voter file vendor known as Prime New York for voter data, campaign finance records show.

Alan Jennings, who held the seat until he was censured by the City Council and forced out in the 2005 Democratic primary, has raised more than $7,000, with the largest contribution coming from a retired Jamaica resident named Norma Taylor, who gave him $1,375, campaign finance records show. He has spent more than $4,276 on his bid, including $590 that was given to Omar McClain for help in gathering petition signatures.

Harpreet Toor has raised more than $9,000 for his campaign, including a $1,001 donation from South Richmond Hill resident Prem Singh, based on the records. He has spent more than $6,000 on his campaign, including a $2,000 expenditure for voter data from the New York Public Affairs Group.

Charles Bilal has raised a total of $370 from $10 donations from 37 individuals, according to campaign finance records. He has not listed any expenditures for the race, campaign finance records show.

Although the city Board of Elections lists Martha Butler as a candidate for the race, there are no campaign finance listings for her as of press time Tuesday.

Pols, Union Leaders Decry Bus Service Cuts by Michael Cusenza -Queens Chronicle

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Queens Borough President Helen Marshall, civic and union leaders and representatives of several elected officials Thursday rallied outside Borough Hall on Queens Boulevard to protest impending service cuts to several bus routes.

According to Daneek Miller, president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1056, which represents drivers and mechanics in MTA New York City Transit’s Queens bus division, the cuts are slated for June 27 and will affect the Q14, Q15, Q24, Q26, Q30, Q31, Q42, Q48, Q74, Q75, Q76, Q79, Q89, QM22, QM23 and X51.

“We’re at a pivotal point,” Miller said. “Do not devastate this economy and this borough any more than already has been done.”

Marshall outlined the crucial role buses play in Queens, especially in areas where subway service is minimal or nonexistent. She also said the cuts fly in the face of environmental responsibility.

“Isn’t it true that we’re encouraged to take public transportation?” Marshall asked. “Well, where is it? We need additional bus lines. Don’t cut — give us more.”

Donovan Richards, deputy chief of staff to City Councilman James Sanders Jr. (D-Laurelton), said public transportation in Far Rockaway already is “dismal,” before noting that MTA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Jay Walder was raised in the Rockaways and should be mindful of how integral buses are to the borough.

Community Board 6 District Manager Frank Gulluscio also appealed to Walder’s roots and said the cuts aren’t all that surprising.

“Queens has been shortchanged forever — across the board,” Gulluscio said.

Elkanah Reed, aide to Councilman Mark Weprin (D-Oakland Gardens), said that while Weprin understands the MTA must balance its budget, “we need all sides to be represented so we can meet the needs of the Queens community.”

Miller said the agency and Walder “refuse to exercise other options that would avert these cuts,” including reallocating federal stimulus funding to operations.

“Instead, they chose to balance their books on the backs of working people who depend on these bus lines each day,” Miller said.

A spokesman for the MTA said the agency had no comment on the rally.

Thursday’s assemblage came two weeks after a rally in Little Neck to save the Q79, which may be eliminated entirely. Henry Euler, First Vice President of the Auburndale Improvement Association, said he relies on the neighboring Q76, a route also facing cuts.

“It really is necessary to maintain those north-south lines,” Euler said.

Miller concluded the rally by comparing the MTA to a family unit.

“I understand that, at times, families can be dysfunctional,” Miller said. “But as the head of the family, Jay Walder should act more responsibly.”

Council Progressive Caucus: Fat Cats Should Sacrifice Too by Frank Lombardi -The Daily Politics

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Ten of the 12 members of the City Council’s new Progressive Caucus held a tax-the-rich press conference shortly after Mayor Bloomberg gave his private budget briefing this morning to elected officials.

Their theme: Everybody’s being asked to sacrifice -- except the fat cats of Wall Street and well-off New Yorkers. They called for higher tax hikes on Wall Street profits and on New Yorkers earning above $500,000 a year.

Leading the tax-‘em bunch was Brad Lander (D-Brooklyn), who did most of the talking. Others included Margaret Chin (D-Manhattan), Daniel Dromm (D-Queens), Julissa Ferreras (D-Queens), Melissa Mark-Viverito (D-Manhattan) , Annabel Palma (D-Bronx), Diana Reyna (D-Brooklyn) , Ydanis Rodriguez (D-Manhattan), Deborah Rose (D-Staten Island and James Sanders Jr. (D-Queens).

While they downplayed the notion that they’re part of a mini-revolt, it’s unusual to have so large a segment of the Council speak up in unison on a budget this early in the process. The Council doesn’t usually reach a budget agreement with the mayor until mid-June, after prolonged behind-the-scene budget negotiations with Council Speaker Quinn’s finance staff and the councilmembers on the budget negotiating team.

Lander said the speaker was aware of the press conference, but deflected a question on whether she approved: “You’d have to ask her,” he said.

“We have to speak out,” one member of the caucus said of the move to inject the issue of tax increases into the troubled budget picture, indicating that some of them think Quinn has been too closely allied with the mayor on many issues, including the city budget.

Council insiders scoffed at the action by the progressive caucus, nearly half of whom are first-time members elected last year with the help of the Working Families Party. They said there’s not enough support for taxing Wall Street and wealthier residents among the majority of the 51-member Council. “They won’t happen,” said one.

Working Families Party Hit List by Sal Gentile - City Hall News

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The Working Families Party is gearing up for the 2009 City Council elections—and getting ready to pick a fight with anyone who voted to extend term limits. There are a few Council Members who seem especially vulnerable, according to political insiders, either because they would make for potential examples or because their voting records have rubbed the WFP the wrong way:


Alan Gerson: The WFP proved that it had a formidable ground operation in lower Manhattan when it helped put Daniel Squadron over the top in his primary challenge to 30-year incumbent Marty Connor in September. Gerson was known as a good-government type until his vote on term limits, making him an especially appealing target. And the WFP has experience going up against Gerson: the party endorsed one of his opponents, Rocky Chin, in 2001. He came within 700 votes then, and the Chinese-American community—which also went for Squadron this year—has only grown as a political force since then.

David Yassky: The WFP has already targeted Yassky once this year, with mailers in his district urging constituents to contact his office about term limits. Their point person—and the only WFP member on the City Council—Letitia James has been openly coordinating with some of Yassky’s potential opponents on her lawsuit against the mayor’s bill. And the WFP has proven its strength in North Brooklyn, where its progressive and labor-friendly issues resonate especially well.


James Sanders: The WFP essentially made Sanders a City Council Member in 2001, when he failed to get the backing of the Queens Democratic Party. But Bertha Lewis, the national chief organizer for Acorn and a leader in the Working Families Party, publicly called him out in The New York Times in September for his prolonged indecision on the term limits issu. He was also a target of the WFP’s term limits mailers, and once he voted for the bill, one of his main opponents—Marquez Claxton, who has won the endorsements of some of Sanders’ fellow council members—began courting the WFP.

Darlene Mealy: Mealy is another Council member who owes much of her success to the WFP. She defeated a much more established candidate, former Assembly Member William Boyland, in 2005 with the WFP’s strong organizational support. But she made herself one of the most public figures in the term limits debate when she came out strong against the mayor’s bill—only to reverse herself, and cross the WFP, in the final vote. The WFP may want to make an example out of her as well.

Kendall Stewart: Stewart was viewed as vulnerable even before he voted for the mayor’s term limits bill, after the indictments of two of his staffers on charges of fraud and embezzlement. That ethics cloud crippled his campaign for State Senate this year, in which he was defeated by Sen. Kevin Parker, who won the WFP endorsement. Stewart’s district is two-thirds black, and the WFP is particularly strong in the predominantly black communities of Brooklyn. Stewart has shown difficulty raising money and institutional support, so the WFP may see him as an easy target. Not to mention that one of his opponents—Rodrick Daley, a teacher—is a member of the United Federation of Teachers, which also opposed the mayor’s bill.

Larry Seabrook: Before term limits were extended, Seabrook’s Northern Bronx seat had already attracted one of the more crowded fields in the city. He was one of the more prominent players in the behind-the-scenes drama that unfolded over term limits, reportedly helping convince Darlene Mealy to change her vote. The WFP has never backed Seabrook, and may look to make inroads in his district, which is predominantly black. Plus, Seabrook has attracted a lot of criticism for his financial dealings over the years—he was fined by the campaign finance board for abuses of campaign funds, and was implicated in the slush fund scandal for his use of discretionary funds. He has not been charged.

Helen Sears: Should she run for re-election, Sears will face two well-established challengers who have said they will go ahead with their campaigns regardless of the term limits extension. Daniel Dromm, a longtime gay rights activist and teacher, was expected to get the backing of the Queens Democratic Party before term limits were extended. And Alfonso Quiroz has raised a sizeable war chest for his Council campaign. Sears has kept a fairly low profile in the Council, and the demographics are changing in her district—there are growing Hispanic and Asian-American communities there—both of which might make her a prime target for the WFP, should it back one of her opponents.

Councilman Stable After Car Accident by Sahsa Austrie - Queens Tribune

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Councilman James Sanders (D-Laurelton) sustained serious injuries in a motor vehicle accident Saturday, but is expected to make a full recovery.

He was released from the intensive care unit this week at New York Presbyterian Hospital.

“By the grace of God I am alive today,” Sanders said in a press release. “I am receiving excellent care by the hospital staff.”

Sanders and two other men were returning from a visit to the Pocono Environmental Education Center in Pennsylvania when, according to the release, a sudden downpour of rain caused the driver to lose control and the vehicle to crashed and rolled. According to the release, the trip was to scout a possible site for a planned retreat for youth leadership training.

Donovan Richards, Sanders’ district manager, and Mike Duvalle, a member of the South Ozone Park Civic Association, were in the SUV with the councilman.

“The car was totaled,” Richards said. “I don’t know how we made it out.”

Richards said the car rolled over about three times and flipped over the median. According to the release, the three were traveling on a highway near Newburgh in Orange County. They were first transported to St. Luke’s Hospital in Newburgh.

Richards said he received eight stitches and is still in pain. He said Duvalle, the driver and owner of the SUV, was uninjured.

Richards said the extent of Sanders’ injuries weren’t confirmed, but speculated the councilman had a few sprains and possibly, a broken collarbone.

Andrea Sanders, the councilman’s wife, said she is relieved Sanders is out of intensive care.

“It’s been very rough,” she said.

Andrea said the community support has been stellar.

“I have to do a thank you,” she said. “The community has been absolutely wonderful.”

She added although Sanders is in a lot of pain, she is expecting a full recovery.

“He is getting better,” she said.

His colleagues in the City Council are also hoping for a full recovery.

“My prayers go out to him,” Councilman Tom White (D-South Ozone Park) said. “I hope he gets out of it.”