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From the Daily News:

It's like 2009 all over again: Mayor Bloomberg is buying almost $1 million worth of campaign-style TV ads featuring him as a bold leader fighting for New York.

"Everyone knows these are tough times. Mike Bloomberg's solution is built on our core values," an announcer intones. "Independence - not for the special interests, but for all New Yorkers."

The ad features summertime images of the mayor talking with business people and schoolchildren, intercut with school buses and construction crews - all of which was left over from campaign footage his admen shot in 2009 but never used.

The mayor's advisers say he's pushing back against a $3 million union ad campaign advocating a "millionaire's tax" on the rich instead of deep cuts in the state budget.

Avella refuses parking placard

From Bayside Patch:

State Sen. Tony Avella, D-Bayside, may be spending a lot more time in his car.

Avella says he has cut up a special placard he was issued by the State, which would have given him special privileges to leave his car in “no-parking” zones and at unpaid meters.

The lawmaker’s office said he was troubled by the wording on the parking placard: “This vehicle is on official police business.”

“Elected officials using placards stating that they are on official police business is flat-out wrong,” said Avella. He believes the phrase must be immediately changed.

"We should have to experience the same parking dilemmas that every citizen of this City and State face on a day-to-day basis,” Avella said. “By experiencing these problems we develop a better understanding of the transportation issues facing our constituency.”

Fight your tickets online

From Crains:

One small technological step for government may be a giant leap for aggrieved New Yorkers: Now you can upload evidence online when fighting parking tickets and other violations.

For several years, residents and small businesses have been able to dispute tickets online but unable to upload evidence to support their arguments. That meant that only incorrectly written tickets could be dismissed.

Now, those accused of violations can prove their case in court without having to leave their home or office. Mayor Michael Bloomberg and City Council Speaker Christine Quinn announced the new service at a press conference Monday.

“It's less work for us and less work for the citizens of this city,” Mr. Bloomberg said. “It's a win-win.”

No more having to dash out to a city finance center during your lunch break to convince a judge that your car wasn't parked in a bus stop or driving through a red light. No longer will businesses have to close shop for an afternoon to argue that the dirty sidewalk is someone else's responsibility.

Online hearings will allow New Yorkers to submit supporting materials, such as photos or other documents, with their written defense. Each case is reviewed by an administrative law judge, who will rule on parking tickets by email within 10 days and within a month for tickets that come under the purview of the Environmental Control Board.

Hidden pond has weird name

Letter to Gov. Andrew Cuomo re: Personal Income Tax Surcharge

March 9, 2011

Hon. Andrew Cuomo
The Capitol
Albany, NY 12224

Dear Governor Cuomo:

The Queens Civic Congress is a coalition of more than 100 of Queens’s major neighborhood based civic groups that represent thousands of tenants, condo and co-op owners and homeowners living in every part of the Borough. QCC is the only borough-wide group of its kind in New York City.

QCC recognizes that the State is facing almost intractable fiscal challenges and that the 2011 and 2012 budgets must include painful cuts that all New Yorkers will feel. But your cuts in education, health and social services are aimed squarely at the middle class and the working poor who could not possibly duplicate the services they will lose. The cuts in aid to New York City, especially to education, health and social services, would further exacerbate the budget’s deleterious effects on children, teens, the elderly and families.

The Queens Civic Congress has studied the effects of the executive budget on the State, City and on Queens in particular. We have concluded that the 2011-2012 budget must include
Revenue enhancements. QCC urges you to include retention of the Personal Income Tax Surcharge (PITS) in this year’s budget.

When the stakes of letting Wall Street fall were too high, taxpayers bailed out the banks and much of the financial service industry. Lower Manhattan has since largely recovered and companies that risked middle class families’ pensions and mortgages are once again making profits. Meanwhile, middle class families in Queens and across the State continue to struggle. Jobs have not rebounded. Foreclosure signs and abandoned homes deface our streets. Classrooms are packed to the brim. Tuitions at public universities have soared. Services to families and the elderly are being decimated.

44% of New York City’s wealth is in the hands of the top 1% of income earners and yet they only contribute 1/3 of the tax base. Our representatives in Washington, Albany and City Hall are asking us to sacrifice. But our neighbors have been sacrificing for years, and continue to do so through increased prices, wage freezes, MTA hikes and various user taxes and fees. QCC believes the wealthiest New Yorkers should pay their fair share through the extension of New York State’s Personal Income Tax Surcharge.

By implementing this modest revenue generating measure, you can keep the State from failing its citizens.

Sincerely,

Patricia Dolan
President

As predicted...

From the Daily News:

Queens residents may not love the idea, but the City Council is undeterred: A 6-1 committee vote this afternoon cleared the way for the full council to rename the only free route out of their borough as the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge.

Just last Friday, a Quinnipiac University poll found 70% of Queens residents -- and 64% of New Yorkers overall -- opposed to the renaming.

Still, Queens council members Elizabeth Crowley, Daniel Dromm and Julissa Ferreras voted for it today, as did James Vacca of the Bronx, Melissa Mark Viverito of Manhattan and Vincent Gentile of Brooklyn.

The only objection came from Queens Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer, who said that while he likes the former mayor, his constituents are unanimously opposed to changing the name.

Look at the pretty guns!

Haven't had a caption event for awhile. Be my guest. This one comes from the Queens Tribune.

Hearing today for another Ridgewood historic district

From the Times Newsweekly:

The Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) will hold a public hearing later this month regarding the proposed creation of Ridgewood’s fourth landmark district, the Times Newsweekly has learned.

Paul Kerzner, president of the Ridgewood Property Owners and Civic Association (RPOCA), and a spokesperson for the LPC informed this paper that the hearing will take place on Tuesday morning, Mar. 22, at 11:30 a.m. at the LPC’s public meeting room located at 1 Centre St., Ninth Floor North, in lower Manhattan.

As noted, the session will focus on the proposed creation of the Central Ridgewood Historic District— carved out of an area of the Ridgewood spanning about 40 blocks—which would institute landmark status to approximately 940 brick rowhouses built during the early 1900s. The district is generally bounded on the north by Madison Street, on the south by 71st Avenue, on the east by Fresh Pond Road and on the west by Forest Avenue.

The proposed district also includes homes in a second area bounded by Catalpa and 70th avenues between Forest and Onderdonk avenues.

Another boy for Melinda

From the Queens Tribune:

Former Councilwoman Melinda Katz recently welcomed a second child into her life. Hunter Charles Katz was born nearly three months premature at Weill Cornell Medical Center on Feb. 24. The good news was tempered by the loss of Hunter’s twin.

“Most of my friends knew that I was pregnant with twins,” Katz said in a phone interview Tuesday. “It was a difficult pregnancy for a bunch of reasons. But in the end I gave birth to one beautiful little baby boy. The other one unfortunately did not survive.”

As for Hunter, you can attribute the name to ex-football player Fred Dryer for acting in one of Katz’s favorite TV shows – “Hunter,” which ran from 1984 to 1991.

Young Hunter was born at 3 lbs 3 oz, and as of Tuesday morning was up to 3 lbs, 14 oz., and expected to come home from the hospital in the next few days.

As Gatemouth put it: "New Litter for Katz Department: People we've already forgotten about are still reproducing. Is this timed to make us forget about the Hevesi sentencing?"

Miss Heather visits 'Polish Paradise'

From NY Shitty:

For starters, this is without argument the largest pot hole yours truly has ever laid eyes upon.

Well then it sounds like a trip to Willets Point is in order. But seriously folks, how can a public area in NYC's 'next great neighborhood' be left in such condition?

Robert Scarano profiled by the Times

From the NY Times:

Some wonder, if what he was doing was so blatantly illegal, why Scarano met with approval for so long. Robert LiMandri, the commissioner of the buildings department, said he had “no information that indicates that there was any sort of corruption” and that no employees were disciplined. Rather, he contended, the department was overwhelmed by a “frenzy” of building activity, and it relied on Scarano’s representations, which were often voluminous and confusing. At the time, the department had no way to punish him for lying. In 2007, though, state legislators, inspired by complaints about scofflaw architects, passed a law that allowed tough sanctions. “We really needed this stick to be able to say to people, look, there are no more cat-and-mouse games,” LiMandri said. The department created a new Special Enforcement Unit, focusing on Scarano as an initial target.

The city brought a new prosecution, a complicated case involving adjoining properties and supposed double counting of zoning rights, but then, in late 2008, a seemingly unambiguous bit of trickery dropped into investigators’ laps. Scarano was seeking a routine approval for a commercial building, which could not be occupied as long as an electrical pole was sitting in the middle of a new driveway. The architect submitted a curious photo of the building: shot from an off-center angle, it gave the appearance that the driveway was no longer obstructed. When the city sent an inspector to the site, he saw the pole hadn’t actually been moved.

Van Bramer to vote "no" on bridge renaming

Council Member Van Bramer's Queensborough Bridge Letter
But has he lobbied the rest of his colleagues to also vote no? My money's on no. AM-NY says the bill is expected to pass.

There's still time to sign the petition and call your local council member.

Bryant High School to close?

SHOCKING NEWS: City Council members are corrupt!

From the Daily News:

More than a dozen City Council members have skirted laws, bent rules or used their positions to benefit themselves, a Daily News probe has found.

A three-month investigation found Council members who dodged taxes, violated the city's housing and building code, circumvented regulations to get cheap housing and, in one case, even ignored criminal bench warrants.

As part of the probe, The News reviewed thousands of pages of records regarding judgments, liens, tax history, property ownership, building and housing code violations, campaign finance and financial disclosure.

And while the Council's 51 members - one of whom is under indictment - routinely make laws on everything from smoking in public to recycling trash, The News found many have a history of ignoring the letter of the law.

Confronted by the News, several Council members admitted they'd made mistakes in judgment and promised to rectify them.

"There is no excuse," said one.

"To me, my integrity means a lot," said another.

Wow, who would have thought? One of them is a slumlord! Of course, Quinn and Bloomberg played defense after these tidbits were revealed. My favorite Daily News revelation was about Ruben Wills having 2 outstanding arrest warrants.

Outstanding, sir! But then again, he was out there campaigning in full view, his whereabouts fully known. So what does this say about law enforcement that they failed to pick him up, especially when this happened?

Racino on the fast track

From the NY Post:

By late summer, New Yorkers seeking to spend the day gambling won't have to risk taking a bus to an out-of-state casino.

Resorts World NY, the planned Aqueduct slots casino, yesterday announced a three-month speedup in development -- with 2,500 video-lottery terminals up and running by late summer.

The accelerated timetable comes days after a Bronx bus crash on I-95 killed 15 passengers returning from Mohegan Sun in Connecticut.

The original Aqueduct plan had called for 1,600 video-lottery terminals in time for the grand opening and the other 2,000 by spring 2012.

Also, a skybridge will link the racino to the A-train station by year's end.

"If you're coming from Chinatown, all you have to do is get on the A train," said Assemblywoman Audrey Pheffer (D-Queens), whose district includes Aqueduct in Ozone Park.

Cracking down on parking placard abuse

From the Queens Chronicle:

Parking placard abuse among public employees is a huge problem in downtown Jamaica, impeding commerce and frustrating shoppers who circle for what seems like forever to find a spot. But legislation that aims to curb the illegal activity is drawing big support from Queens City Council members, and the sponsors hope it will come up for a vote by early spring.

On Feb. 2, City Councilman Dan Garodnick (D-Manhattan) introduced a bill which would require parking placards to have a barcode, making it easier for traffic enforcement agents to confirm their validity. It is before the Transportation Committee.

“The bill was introduced on the council floor a couple of months ago and it peaked my interest,” said City Councilman Danny Dromm (D-Jackson Heights). “I had been seeing news reports about placard abuse and heard stories about how people were copying them when they have no right to use them. I think the bill is a good first step to make sure that placards are valid and used appropriately.”

When contacted by the Chronicle this month all 14 Queens City Council members said they are in favor of the bill with the exception of Elizabeth Crowley (D-Middle Village), who remains undecided, and Eric Ulrich (R-Ozone Park), who did not respond to repeated requests for comment.

“The council member is going to wait until the hearing before she decides how she will vote,” Crowley’s chief of staff, Lydon Sleeper, said in an email.

City and state in billboard war

From the Daily News:

The GOP-controlled state Senate wants the state to take over the licensing of billboards in the five boroughs - potentially stripping millions of dollars from the city.

"That's a sizable amount of money, about $15 million, that could be added to the [state] coffers," said state Sen. Martin Golden (R-Brooklyn).

Golden said the little-noticed billboard provision - tucked in a budget resolution adopted by the Senate this week - is a way to circumvent the city's overly restrictive zoning codes and allow more revenue-generating signs.

Bloomberg administration officials slammed the proposal as an "unwarranted intrusion" on the city's zoning authority.

"Illegal advertising signs would remain in locations where they do not belong, perpetuating visual pollution and esthetic harms," Bloomberg aide Micah Lasher told senators.

Sales tax exemption for cheap clothes

From Fox 5:

New York state is bringing back its sales tax exemption on clothes and shoes, but it will be for items costing only half as much as under previous exemption periods.

Clothes and shoes costing less than $55 per item will be exempt from the state's 4 percent sales tax from April 1 through March 31, 2012. The state's prior sales tax exemption was for clothes and footwear selling for less than $110 per item. That exemption will be restored on April 1, 2012.

Dutch Kills ramble

Click photo for story.

Purse snatch murderers caught

From the Daily News:

Three teens wanted in the fatal Queens stickup of a young wife shot in front of her hubby were nabbed after they struck again on St. Patrick's Day, cops said Sunday.

Two of the accused robbers, Corey Brown and Ian Green, both 17, were charged with murdering Rabia Mohammed, 23, of Hollis, Queens.

Mohammed and her husband were walking near their home about 9 p.m. last Sunday when three men wearing hooded sweatshirts approached them and ordered her to hand over her purse.

Mohammed refused. As she and her husband were struggling with the hooded crooks, two gunshots ripped into her torso, killing her, police said.

Brown, of Brooklyn, and Green, of Queens, were busted for a gunpoint robbery on St. Patrick's Day - along with a third teen, Tiyquon Hodges, police said.