In the District
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Read Council Member Garodnick's Summer 2009 newsletter.
Read Council Member Garodnick's Environmental Resource Guide for information and local government resources to help you live a greener lifestyle.
Council Passes Gennaro-Garodnick Bill to Encourage Innovation
It will soon be easier for City agencies to fasttrack green technologies, following a unanimous vote by the City Council on Intro 77.
The bill — which Council Member Garodnick co-sponsored with Council Member Jim Gennaro, and which Speaker Quinn highlighted in her State of the City speech — creates a "Green Team" to promote cooperation among the many City agencies that must approve new advancements in sustainability, to ensure that they do not die a slow death as they move through the regulatory maze. It also creates a new division in the Department of Buildings whose sole purpose will be to streamline approvals for building innovations.
"This is a forward-thinking bill that will not only work with technologies on the market today, but also those that we can't even anticipate right now," Council Member Garodnick said. "It will aid innovators, help open the market to green-collar jobs, and allow New York City to be on the cutting edge."
March 3
Garodnick: NYPD-CCRB Agreement Is Only First Step
Council Member Garodnick issued a statement responding to an agreement announced by the Police Department and Civilian Complaint Review Board that wouuld let the CCRB prosecute some of the police misconduct cases that it substantiates:
"The best way to maintain New Yorkers' confidence in the police would be to grant the CCRB the full power to prosecute misconduct cases. The Board substantiates hundreds of complaints a year, which often go nowhere. Making the CCRB fully independent would ensure that our civilian complaint review process has the balance and credibility that New Yorkers deserve.
"Today's agreement shows important progress; now the details must be worked out to finish the job. For this reform to work, today's agreement must be one that the Police Department cannot simply abandon at a later date. The NYPD should not dictate the terms for prosecuting its own officers. Ceding that authority to the CCRB will make the system work better for New Yorkers, improve transparency and even save taxpayer dollars."
Council Member Garodnick iis re-introducing a bill in the City Council to give the CCRB full authority to charge and prosecute officers accused of misconduct.
February 19
Garodnick's Tenant Fair Chance Act Becomes First Law Passed by New Council
The Tenant Fair Chance Act — a bill authored by Council Member Garodnick to bring transparency to reports used against renters who have been in Housing Court — became the first law passed by the City Council in the new term which began last month.
The Tenant Fair Chance Act would assist renters in ensuring that their tenant history is accurately reflected in the reports that landlords use to screen tenants.
Today, any tenant who goes to Housing Court is likely to be listed in screening reports compiled by private companies and sold to landlords looking to vet prospective renters. But because these reports often lack any meaningful detail, tenants who went to court to assert their rights against their landlord may find themselves listed alongside others with bad credit or a history of non-payment — and they usually have no idea that a screening report is even being used and that they may be on it.
February 11
Garodnick, Schumer Lead Stuyvesant Town Rally to Preserve Affordability
Council Member Garodnick and U.S. Senator Charles Schumer, along with their elected colleagues, led hundreds of Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village tenants in a rally to insist that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac—as the largest creditors who now effectively control the property—ensure a seamless transition to new management, provide adequate building maintenance, and preserve long-term affordability for renters.
“Preserving affordability is Fannie and Freddie’s core mission—there are 25,000 tenants who are watching to make sure they don’t cut and run on us now,” said Council Member Garodnick. "This property must be owned by tenants, or an entity that is partnered with the tenants, who will keep this property affordable to middle-class people today and into the future."
January 31
Garodnick Visits Madison Ave. Businesses in Wake of Jewelry Store Shooting
One day after the daytime robbery and fatal shooting of a 71-year-old employee at the R.S. Durant jewelry store on Madison Avenue, Council Member Dan Garodnick visited neighboring merchants, along with Inspector James Murtagh, the commander of the 19th Precinct; and Matt Bauer, president of the Madison Avenue Business Improvement District.
“After the shocking violence of last week’s crime, I thought it was important to meet with other merchants on the avenue, to offer our support,” Council Member Garodnick said. “I want them to know they have all the resources of my office, the NYPD, and the BID available to them. This was a tragic crime that will not soon be forgotten, but together with the police, we will work to keep this area safe.”
January 28
