What about Elmhurst Hospital, Senator Schumer and Senator Gillebrand?

Queens Chronicle 

Four Queens hospitals that have been designated as “hot spot” care providers during the COVID-19 crisis will begin receiving more than $21.8 million combined from the federal government to offset unreimbursed expenses or lost revenue due to the pandemic.

The funding is part of more than $680 million allocated to 86 New York State hospitals in a new $10 billion relief package. U.S. Sens. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) said in a joint press release on Saturday that the money is in addition to $4.3 billion secured for frontline hospitals in April; and that the new funding should begin this week.

Flushing Hospital Medical Center is in line for $11,265,905. St. John’s Episcopal Hospital in Far Rockaway will receive $8,700,257. Jamaica Hospital Medical Center qualifies for $1,128,335. NYC Health + Hospitals/Queens in Jamaica will receive $760,265.

NYS Pavilion getting some love from the Feds

From the Times Ledger:

The restoration effort of the New York State Pavilion at Flushing Meadows Corona Park will receive more than $16 million in federal funding, according to U.S. Sens. Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand.

As announced on Nov. 26, the cash infusion will be used to repair and replace several electrical units at the World’s Fair Park and other areas which were severely damaged during Hurricane Sandy in 2012.

“The World’s Fair Pavilion is an enduring icon and it should be preserved and promoted for current and future generations,” Schumer said. “Now the pavilion is being restored and these federal funds will be used to repair damaged caused by Superstorm Sandy and help yet another community asset recover after the storm.”

The $16,468,030 grant was provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency to the New York Office of Management and Budget and will be used for repairs at the pavilion as well other storm-damaged areas of the park.

NYPD plans to use drones

From NBC 4:

Law enforcement agencies across the U.S. are filing FAA applications to use drones for surveillance but civil rights groups are concerned about a lack of regulation.

In January, NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly said he would be interested in using drones for monitoring crowds and large demonstrations. But Kelly’s idea of a drone is not the Predator that most Americans picture. During a sit-down interview at Manhattan’s 92nd Street Y, Kelly reportedly said he would consider using a small drone similar to a remote-controlled airplane equipped with a camera.

Small drones, even tiny ones – the size of hummingbirds – seem to be under consideration by dozens of other police agencies too.

The I-Team reviewed hundreds of pages from FAA drone applications filed by police departments, sheriff’s offices, the FBI, and educational institutions – most of the applicants are researching drones that can be launched right from a person’s hand. This interactive map plots which public and nonprofit entities have so far applied to used drones.

Police and civilian use of drones, also known as Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), was made possible last year when President Barack Obama signed a law opening the skies to UAVs by September 2015.

Several New York lawmakers, including Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, joined a “drone caucus” supporting the legislation.

Female pols are pathetic feminists

From the Daily News:

Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-Manhattan), who earlier this year received a “Fearless Trailblazer” award from the Feminist Majority Foundation, issued a statement praising Silver for acting “decisively” to punish Assemblyman Vito Lopez after an ethics committee found he’d sexually harassed two staff members.

Maloney’s statement made no mention of the secret $103,080 settlement Silver cut to resolve an earlier harassment case against Lopez — or his decision to initially bypass the Assembly ethics committee — but it did laud his handling of the matter.

“The Speaker’s actions send a clear and unambiguous message that sexual harassment will not be tolerated in the New York State Assembly,” Maloney said.

The $103,080 was apparently just a part of the secret settlement. An Albany source confirmed a New York Times report Wednesday that two women involved were also paid $32,000 from Lopez personally, plus salary and benefits from the state.

Maloney’s endorsement of Silver stands in contrast to her long record as an advocate for women’s issues. She’s usually one of the first to condemn the mistreatment of women.

But Silver is one of the city’s most powerful figures and it’s hard to run for office without his support.

Even as he issued an apology this week for the coverup, the voices that would typical bash such behavior were notably silent.

The Daily News surveyed nearly two dozen female office holders — including some of New York’s most vocal lawmakers — and most either did not return calls or offered tepid excuses about needing more information.

Other women, including Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, issued vague statements praising the mea culpa Silver issued Tuesday.

Gillibrand prefers killing over humane goose control methods

From Metro:

It’s open season on Canada geese, if Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand has her way.

Today, the day after a plane in Westchester County had to make an emergency landing after two geese struck its windshield, Gillibrand introduced legislation that she vows will “cut the bureaucratic red tape” and allow “for the swift removal of Canada geese” around the city’s airports.

In the past, geese have been removed by being rounded up, stuffed into crates and gassed to death by agents with the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

For the past two years now, the USDA has culled geese within a seven-mile radius of John F. Kennedy and LaGuardia airports. Under a plan supported by Mayor Michael Bloomberg, USDA agents killed 1,509 wild geese in parks throughout New York City and 167 more in Long Island in 2010. Last year, 575 geese were killed.

But they’ve been unable to get into one area that is the main home of the birds: The Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, a 9,000-acre estuary and bird sanctuary that surrounds JFK’s runways.

The refuge is maintained by the National Park Service, and the federal government has been resistant to allowing USDA agents in there until it can complete an environmental impact study.

Gillibrand’s proposed legislation would not only allow agents into the preserve, but it would also require them to kill the birds during their June and July molting season.

“That’s when their new flight feathers are coming in and they can’t fly,” said Edita Birnkrant, the New York Director of Friends of Animals. “They get them when they’re flightless. They pen them and they can’t fly away.”

Adults and goslings alike killed

Geese are nesting right now, said Birnkrant, so it’s both adult geese and goslings that will be killed under Gillibrand's plan.

Birnkrant called Gillibrand’s suggestion to kill more birds “ a kneejerk reaction that won’t work.”

“We can’t get rid of every bird in the city and deciding to slaughter them is counterproductive,” she said. “Wildlife repopulates itself. Even if they do kill the geese, more will come back to these areas because it’s an attractive place to live.”

Birnkrant proposes using bird radar technology, which she said the Air Force uses. She said it detects flocks of birds, and pilots either delay take-off or maneuver around the birds. She also suggested modifying the birds’ natural habitat in Jamaica Bay Refuge, such as planting dense grass and shrubs and replacing the Kentucky bluegrass that grows there. That grass, she said, "is like candy to the geese."

Bill would end federal eminent domain aid

From the Daily News:

A proposed federal law could hinder the city’s bid to revamp Willets Point, business owners there are hoping.

But a city official said the bill, which would discourage municipalities from taking private property for economic development, could also squash future unrelated revitalization projects.

Willets Point United, a vocal group of stakeholders there, has long contended the city’s use of eminent domain to take their land for a mixed-use development is unfair and unethical.

“Does this sound like it should be happening in America?” attorney Michael Rikon said to an applauding crowd gathered around him at a Sunoco gas station in Willets Point on Thursday.

The bill, dubbed the “Private Property Rights Protection Act of 2012,” would cut federal funding to government agencies that use their power of eminent domain for economic development — putting the city’s plans for Willets Point in jeopardy. Eminent domain was traditionally used for public projects such as hospitals and schools, but the U.S. Supreme Court has taken a more sweeping interpretation of what constitutes a “public” project.

The group wants U.S. Sens. Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand to support the bill, which was approved by the U.S. House of Representatives on Feb. 28, but is pending Senate approval.

The act would also prohibit the federal government from using eminent domain for economic development.

Meanwhile, a similar bill is making its way through the state legislature, said state Sen. Tony Avella, a Willets Point United supporter.

Turner vs. Gillibrand for Senate seat

From NY 1:

Republican congressman Bob Turner announced plans Tuesday to challenge Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, who is running for re-election as New York's junior senator.

It comes just days before the state's Republican Party is set to hold its convention in Rochester, where Turner will be battling with other candidates for the party's nomination.

The announcement also comes as his district seat faces elimination, fueled by the battle between the state legislature and a federal judge over district lines.

In a statement, Turner said, "There is serious work to be done to get this economy back on track, and I will not walk away from that work now. I will run for the Senate, and I will run to win."

Turner, a freshman who inherited the congressional seat vacated by Anthony Weiner, is considered to be a rising star who may draw a lot of support from the national Republican Party.

Postal service gets reprieve

From the Times Ledger:

Elected officials from Queens announced Tuesday an agreement had been reached with the U.S. Postal Service to delay the closure of all postal facilities, including the mail sorting facility in College Point, for at least five months.

U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) said she and 14 senators from other states arrived at an agreement with U.S. Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe and Thurgood Marshall Jr., chairman of the U.S. Postal Service board of governors, to put a moratorium on all closings until May 15.

The announcement was greeted with enthusiasm by U.S. Reps. Joseph Crowley (D-Jackson Heights) and Gary Ackerman (D-Bayside), who also said that they would still fight to keep the office open even after the five months end.

NY's 2 Senators against development at St. Albans VA

From the Daily News:

A Queens congressman said a bill he wrote to block private development at the St. Albans veterans facility stands a good chance in the U.S. Senate.

Rep. Greg Meeks said his proposal, hailed by community activists and overwhelmingly passed last week in the House of Representatives, has backing from both New York senators.

Veterans and civic groups oppose a government plan to renovate the St. Albans center and lease some space for housing and stores. They rejoiced last week when the House approved Meeks' bill, but they said they still need support from Meeks and Sens. Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand.

A Schumer spokesman confirmed Schumer supports the bill.

A Gillibrand spokesman declined comment, but Meeks said Gillibrand is "very supportive."

Electeds call for repair of Navy Yard structure

From HDC Blog:

February 28, 2011

The Honorable John McHugh
Secretary of the Army
1400 Defense Pentagon
Washington, DC 20301-1400

Dear Secretary McHugh:

We are concerned about the historic structures of national significance on the Admirals Row site at the Army’s former Brooklyn Navy Yard in New York. Admirals Row is a six-acre section of the property which was vacated in the mid-1970’s but has remained in federal control. We ask that you ensure quick action to allow emergency stabilization of the Timber Shed and Building B in advance of the planned property transfer, while also completing the transfer expeditiously. These historic structures are severely deteriorated and in need of emergency repairs and stabilization if they are to be saved.

The National Guard Bureau (NGB) has identified these two buildings on the site to save. However, due to agency constraints is unable to perform the needed work on the Timber shed. The potential and likely purchaser, the Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation (BNYDC), which controls the remainder of the Yard, has communicated their willingness to undertake that work, but has been unable to obtain the necessary agreement from the Army Corps of Engineers and the NGB. The BNYDC has successfully executed other building preservation efforts at the yard, and is the designated agent of the City of New York to which the property is slated for transfer, by an act of Congress.

It is disappointing to see these historic structures further deteriorate while their preservation is held up by administrative processes. The 1853 Timber Shed is the last remaining of its type in the country and Building B would be the only one of the row buildings preserved. Understanding that the Department of the Army takes its responsibilities for historic preservation seriously, the current delays are surely the result of well-intentioned actors. However, the urgency of the situation needs to be addressed. We understand that two million dollars of federal funding has been identified for preservation of this property. We applaud that level of commitment by the Department of the Army, and ask that while the transfer paperwork is being completed, all efforts be made to hasten the site access by BNYDC to perform the urgent stabilization work on these two historic structures.

Sincerely,

Charles E. Schumer, United States Senator
Kirsten E. Gillibrand, United States Senator
Edolphus “Ed” Towns, United States Representative
Nydia Velázquez, United States Representative

How dare she challenge a hand-picked candidate!

Gail Goode filed petitions containing over 45,000 signatures at the State Board of Elections in Albany Monday, making her an official candidate for the United States Senate. In an interview afterwards on Politics Tonight with Liz Benjamin, the candidate shared her outlook on the race ahead:




“New Yorkers have a right to a Democratic primary,” said U.S. Senate Candidate Gail Goode. Goode built an organization of citizens to collect over 45,000 signatures from registered Democrats, who agreed with her mission to give voters of the Empire State a choice for Senator in this year’s Democratic Primary. Goode has been a tough lawyer and advocate for the people of the City of New York. As a Deputy Borough Chief in New York City's Tort Unit, Gail has tried and supervised hundreds of cases defending hardworking people and saving New York taxpayers millions in litigation costs. As a former Assistant District Attorney, Gail prosecuted career criminals who committed violent crimes against New Yorkers. Noting that Gillibrand was appointed by Gov. David Paterson, Goode said, “I agree with Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer who said before he took himself out of the race that “voters have an expectation for a Senate seat held by Kennedy and Moynihan, that there will be a discussion of these issues through the electoral process.”

“It is clear that all kinds of pressure was brought to bear on several potential candidates to make sure that Governor Paterson’s appointee, Senator Gillibrand, did not have a serious opponent this year,” said Gail Goode. Even Robert Kennedy and Hillary Clinton who came from outside the State to run here in New York, had opposition. Goode thinks New Yorkers are paying a very heavy price for the field being cleared for the Senator simply because those working for her do not believe she can defend her very weak and inconsistent voting record in a competitive election.

Goode said: “The backroom pressure to push out potential challengers has robbed the ability of New Yorkers to put pressure on their Senate candidates to address their needs rather than the special interests and lobbyists that run congress and contribute to the Gillibrand campaign.”

Goode believes that the American Democratic process and a real discussion on issues and ideas will defeat the millions that Gillibrand will spend on her campaign, donated by lobbyists and special interests that control what happens in Washington. Goode’s concern for the danger facing our nation in electing yet another candidate who is controlled by Washington special interests runs so deep that she has spent her life savings on petitioning to gain ballet access. “Senators who say anything to get elected but do the bidding of the lobbyists have caused the BP oil spill, the Wall Street crash and many of the other serious problems facing our country,” Goode charges.

Video from Capital Tonight.

Gillibrand vs. gangs

From the Times Ledger:

Gang activity and drug use in Queens have been rising over the last couple of years, according to U.S. Sen. Kristen Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), and the elected official has some plans in Washington to curb the problem from different angles.

In a conference call Tuesday afternoon, the senator said she was appalled at the statistics her office discovered on the number of gangs operating in the state and wanted the federal government to step in. The problem is expected to get worse since children and teens will be looking for an outlet during the summer months and a rough economy will not give them safer options, according to the senator.

There are as many as 22,000 gang members and 670,000 New Yorkers are suffering from substance abuse that is directly related to gang activity, according to Gillibrand.

Queens has the second-highest number of substance abuse cases with more than 163,000 and is tied with the Bronx for the second-highest number of gang members — between 2,500 and 3,500 members, the senator said. Brooklyn had the highest number of people with substance abuse problems, more than 200,000, and gang members — between 3,500 and 10,000, according to Gillibrand’s data.

Gillibrand said the gangs have been targeting children as young as 13 to be the eyes and ears of the groups for their illegal operations.

Oh, for Christ's sake!

From the NY Times:

Could another media mogul be looking to make a splash in New York politics?

Mortimer B. Zuckerman, the real estate tycoon and publisher of The Daily News, is considering a bid for the Senate seat now held by Kirsten E. Gillibrand, according to two people told of the discussions.

Mr. Zuckerman regards Ms. Gillibrand as vulnerable to a challenge and is hoping that, at a time of economic tumult and political unrest, his background as an outsider to government, and his record as a business executive, will appeal to the state’s electorate, these people said.

He would be the latest boldface name to weigh a run for the seat this fall; a former Tennessee congressman, Harold E. Ford Jr., is mulling a primary run against Ms. Gillibrand, a fellow Democrat, and will make a decision in the next few weeks.

The discussions were preliminary, the two people cautioned, with many details of a possible candidacy yet to be worked out. They spoke on condition of anonymity because the talks were meant to be private and Mr. Zuckerman had not made up his mind.

Mr. Zuckerman is considering whether to commission a poll to test the viability of a candidacy, one of the people said.

A Zuckerman spokesman, Ken Frydman, declined to address any discussions that Mr. Zuckerman might have had about a Senate run, or any plans to conduct a poll.

Mr. Frydman said Mr. Zuckerman was unavailable for comment on Friday afternoon, but he added in a statement that the publisher “is not interested in running for public office.”

Mr. Zuckerman, 72, has long sought a national platform. He has cut a wide swath through the media landscape, buying and selling magazines like The Atlantic and writing a regular column for U.S. News & World Report, which he owns.

Though not currently enrolled in a party, he is known as a Democrat. But if he ran for the Senate, it would very likely be as a Republican or independent so he could avoid a costly primary.

And the NY Post is all giddy about this idea.

No more media moguls running NYC, ok?

Gilly wants temporary protected status for Haitians

From the Village Voice:

It took an earthquake, but the U.S. government is finally stopping its regular deportation of Haitians back to their homeland.

But it's only for now. Offers to Haitians of the coveted Temporary Protected Status — "given to certain immigrants in the United States who cannot safely return to their countries because of armed conflicts, natural disasters or other emergencies," as the Miami Herald notes — are not in the cards. Haitian activists have continually pressed for such status — way before the devilish earthquake — because theirs is such a dangerous country.

From Politico:

In her letter to Obama, Gillibrand said temporary protected status is "needed because there is no way to safely return Haitian citizens to their country" and continued by outlining precedent for such action. "The United States granted TPS to Honduras and Nicaragua in 1999, following Hurricane Mitch, and to El Salvador in 2001, following several earthquakes.

"Haiti clearly meets the criteria for TPS designation, and extending it would be one way to help address this catastrophe, as well as alleviate additional burdens on American assistance workers," the letter concluded.

Bloomberg afraid of Obama's bank tax plan

From the NY Post:

Mayor Bloomberg said yesterday that President Obama's plan to slap a tax on banks is aimed squarely at the city's lifeblood and could turn Manhattan into a crumbling wreck like Detroit.

Bloomberg warned that the plan could bring about the collapse of the city's financial sector and starve New York of revenue it needs to provide basic services.

"And if you want to see what happens to a city when their major industry fails, just take a look at Detroit," which has been reeling from the collapse of the auto industry.

"I'm very concerned that we don't drive business overseas. London became a financial center when we increased regulation here," he said, adding, "I certainly hope our legislators in Washington will fight to protect our industry here."

But the early indications weren't clear.

Sen. Charles Schumer, an Obama supporter who typically champions Wall Street, is for the bank-tax proposal.

"While we await the details of the president's proposal, the original rescue legislation clearly required that financial institutions that benefited from [the bailout] would contribute additional funds until taxpayers were fully repaid. The point of that provision was to put taxpayers first, and I agree with that," Schumer (D-NY) said.

Kirsten Gillibrand, Schumer's New York Democratic colleague, said, "While the administration's approach is far better than some proposals, such as taxing financial transactions, our focus should be on making sure that banks are lending to small businesses and spurring immediate job creation."

This week's political news roundup

Councilmember Simcha Felder is being appointed Deputy Comptroller by Comptroller John Liu. The Daily News explains that this move by Johnny is to help position him for a mayoral run in 2013. (Of course, Johnny still has 4 years in which to mess up and resign in disgrace.)

Former Comptroller William Thompson has declared his intention to run for mayor again. (Maybe this time he'll expand his campaign to white and Asian neighborhoods as well as black and Hispanic ones.)

Public Advocate Bill DeBlasio is going to push the civic-minded to community organize. (The idea is that you'll do the work so he won't have to.)

Queens Council neophytes have declared their New Year's resolutions and have new ideas. (Danny Dromm really wants to help day laborers. Taxpayers seem to rank a lower priority.)

Following in the footsteps of Hillary Clinton, another southern carpetbagger is considering running against Senator Kirsten Gillibrand.

And last, but certainly not least...

Barry Grodenchick, former Assemblyman and Parkside Group lobbyist, has been appointed Deputy Queens Borough President. (Even though his role in the illegal lobbying that Claire Shulman's group did with regard to the Willets Point land grab is certainly going to be examined by authorities.)

Chuck won't be told what to do

From the Daily News:

New York's famously garrulous senior senator, Chuck Schumer, got busted Wednesday for calling a female flight attendant the B-word aboard a US Airways flight from New York to Washington on Sunday.

Schumer was sitting next to protege Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, gabbing away on his phone, when a flight attendant told him to shut it down.

Schumer turned off his phone, and then argued with the attendant that he was allowed to talk while the cabin door is open. He lost.

He then muttered his complaint about the flight attendant to Gillibrand.

He apologized yesterday.

Big-name Dems line up against Hiram

From 1010WINS:

New York's two U.S. senators called Monday for fellow Democrat Hiram Monserrate, the state senator convicted last week of misdemeanor assault against his girlfriend, to resign his seat.

Sen. Charles Schumer, of Brooklyn, said Monserrate "should do the right thing" for New York and his constituents and step down. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, a Hudson Valley congresswoman appointed to fill the vacancy left when Hillary Rodham Clinton was named secretary of state, said if Monserrate doesn't resign immediately state lawmakers should move to expel him.

"Domestic violence has no place in our society, and certainly has no place in the state Legislature," Gillibrand said. "We must take a hard line against violence toward women in our society."

Calls to Monserrate and his attorney were not immediately returned Monday.

Hiram is also having trouble raising money to pay for his wedding, his attorney fees and his next campaign...

Carolyn bows out of senate race

From the NY Post:

Rep. Carolyn Maloney has decided not to pursue a challenge against appointed Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand in the 2010 Democratic primary, just weeks after her advisers were quoting saying she was definitely in the race, The Post has learned.

Maloney released a statement detailing her intentions, in which she gave her reasons for not running -- but did not say she was supporting Gillibrand should she face another challenger.

Defenders of democracy?

From the NY Times:

Politicians are always prattling on about the glories of democracy. They boast about how they got rid of those nasty smoke-filled back rooms, where sebaceous party hacks used to select the candidates, and replaced them with primaries and with openness.

Truth is, politicians hate primaries. Those who are in command do, anyway. They go out of their way to knock off anyone who opposes their preferred candidates, apparently in the belief that matters of such weight cannot be left to lesser mortals, sometimes known as voters.

In this regard, New York Republicans and Democrats are equal offenders. The state Republicans under Gov. George E. Pataki worked hard to shut out any challenge to their designated favorites in the state’s presidential primaries... Party bosses would have gotten their way, too, had the courts not intervened and said, uh-uh.

With Ms. Gillibrand, the Democratic desire to eliminate democratic competition is especially striking because not a single voter has had a chance to pass judgment on whether she belongs in the United States Senate.

It’s not just that she was appointed. The man who named her, Gov. David A. Paterson, was not elected to his own office. It’s a double whammy, intensified for some New Yorkers by Ms. Gillibrand’s — how to put it — demonstrated flexibility on certain core issues.

And Carolyn Maloney herself is not exactly a defender of democracy in this regard, either.

Photo from the Daily News