In This Issue
President's Report
Club Meeting Preview:
The Governor's Proposed
FY 2024 NYS Budget
TPID-Endorsed Candidates for the June 27 Primary
Petitioning for the June Primary Starts Now -- and Runs Through March
Vote for the 2023 TPID Board of Directors
Three Parks to Local Officials: Reject Spot Re-Zoning on Broadway. Build Affordable Housing Instead.
Tell Lawmakers to Pass the Single-Payer New York Health Act (NYHA)
Make Your Voice Heard! Vote for Your Budget Choices March 25 - April 2
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STAY HEALTHY!
STAY SAFE!
For the latest official information on the coronavirus, click here
or text COVID to 692-692
To see the percentage of the residents in our area who have been vaccinated, click here. (data updated daily)
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ONLINE CLUB MEETING via ZOOM
Wednesday, March 8, 2023, at 8:00 pm
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The FY 2024 NY State Budget
WHAT'S AT STAKE FOR
NEW YORKERS
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NYS Senator
Brad Hoylman-Sigal
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Chair, Committee on Judiciary
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Director of Economic
and Fiscal Policies
Center for New York City Affairs
The New School
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Also:
Nominees for
2023 TPID Board of Directors
To see profiles of the nominees, click here.
Electronic ballots will be emailed to eligible voters following the meeting.
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Join the meeting from your computer, tablet or smartphone. Click here
You may also either click on the link below or paste it
into your browser:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82706519908?pwd=ZkdaNldMT2s2Z21vV2JBQ2p6NEpFdz09
If you are asked for a PASSWORD, enter:
287770
You may also join by using your phone to dial in.
Meeting ID: 827 0651 9908
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AGENDA
7:45--8:00 pm: Log On / Dial in
8:00 pm: Call to Order
Speaker: NYS Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal
Questions and Answers
Speaker: James Parrott
Questions and Answers
Nominees for 2023 TPID Board of Directors
District Leader Report
State Committee Report
Adjourn
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President's Report
By Lorraine Zamora
Great news! This April, Three Parks will hold its first in-person Club meeting since the spring of 2020! Ever since the Covid pandemic descended upon us in 2020 and we started meeting online, the Three Parks board has checked NYC’s Covid stats regularly. We feel that April will be a good time to get together in person once again. The meeting location and other details will appear in the next edition of this newsletter. Of course, we advise everyone, despite what we may hear to the contrary, to continue to be cautious and wear masks. We’ll have them on hand for you, just in case.
Before then, however, our March 8 Club meeting will once again be on Zoom. We’ll be focusing on the status of the FY 2024 New York State budget and hearing from State Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal, who represents our local 47th State Senate District and is head of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and from James Parrott, Director of Economic & Fiscal Policies at the Center for NYC Affairs at The New School....
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See You Soon!
Three Parks Will Hold an In-person
Club Meeting in April.
We look forward to seeing you soon
at our first in-person Club meeting
since 2020!
Watch the next issue of this newsletter for location
and other details.
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Club Meeting Preview
The Governor’s Proposed FY 2024 NYS Budget: What It Means for Affordable Housing, MTA Funding, the Arts, Minimum Wages and More
By Wendy Diller
The state budget negotiations for fiscal year 2024 are underway in Albany. At our March Club meeting, the speakers will discuss the progress of negotiations and what the budget could mean for priority issues like affordable housing, the future of the MTA, the arts, minimum wages, and so on.
The deadline for finalizing the state budget is April 1, and lobbying in Albany has been intense.
Here’s a primer on key hot button issues in the Governor’s proposals for the upcoming year, from the perspective of left-of-center and progressive Democrats. While controversies typically surround the budget process, this year’s discussions are particularly fraught, given the high stakes and unusually uncertain economic outlook in New York State. The sheer size of this year’s budget and the Governor’s delicate relationship with state legislators add to the tensions. As New Yorkers enter unusually uncertain and opportunistic times, we all have a stake in the outcome,
It’s useful to note that, by all accounts, the Governor’s proposal is fiscally and politically conservative, reflecting a fairly negative view of NYS’s economic outlook for 2023 and later years. In a move that is somewhat controversial even among progressives, she is proposing to set aside roughly $9 billion in additional rainy day funding -- an amount that would be added to $8.7 billion that is already in the fund.
It is worth noting that about half of the state’s operating revenues of about $125.2 billion is expected to come from personal income taxes in FY 2024, and 19% will come from business taxes – the remainder comes from sales taxes (17%) and other assorted taxes. The operating funds, as in years past, are used to fund education (30%), healthcare, namely Medicaid (25%); higher education (9%); mental hygiene (8%); transportation (5%), social welfare (4%), and debt service (3%). About 17% would go to assorted programs like economic development, parks, the environment, and elected officials.
A sampling of progressive budget priorities includes:
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Minimum wage indexing: The Governor’s proposal to tie minimum wage increases to inflation has too many limitations and flaws.
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Asylum funding for NYC: The Governor’s proposal of nearly $1 billion in state funding to aid NYC’s efforts to shelter and support asylum seekers is too little. That said, both the city and Governor believe the federal government must step in with more.
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MTA: The state proposes a number of actions to support the MTA, which is facing significant budget gaps. Progressives have mixed views on these.
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Education and affordable housing: These funding proposals are less controversial, although there are differences on policy issues, such as charter schools and raising tuition at SUNY. Progressives also oppose a state proposal to cut spending on an emergency rental assistance that offered support to low-income renters during COVID.
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Economic development: The governor's budget offers a series of tax credits and incentives targeting certain industries (film, agriculture, the Micron semi-conductor manufacturer deal), but progressives selectively see some of these as giveaways to corporations that are ineffective in creating new jobs in local communities.
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TPID-Endorsed Candidates for
the June 27 Primary
Here are the candidates whom Three Parks has endorsed for the June 27 primary:
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Gale Brewer
Council Member,
District 6
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Shaun Abreu
Council Member,
District 7
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Democratic District Leaders
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Civil Court Judge
Dana M. Catanzaro
Judicial Delegates
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Delegates
Alan Flacks
Elizabeth Kellner
Aaron Mendelsohn
Josh Pepper
Deborah Thomas
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Alternate Delegates
Sam Bartos
Elaine Hazzard
Susan Maderer
Stephanie Tegnazian
Doug Whelan
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We will petition to put all of these candidates on the ballot, and we will campaign for them in the primary. |
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Petitioning for the June Primary
Starts Now -- and Runs
Through March.
TPID will start petitioning for this year's June Primary the first weekend in March and will continue through the end of the month. Voters' signatures are needed to get all TPID-endorsed candidates for City Council, District Leader, Civil Court Judge, County Committee, and judicial delegates on the ballot for the June 27 primary.
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Three Parks will host sidewalk petitioning tables,
weather permitting, as follows:
Starts: Sunday, March 5
Followed by:
Saturdays and Sundays, March 11/12, 18/19, 25/26
Time: 1:00 to 3:00 PM each day
Where: 104th Street & Broadway, NW corner
Be sure to check the TPID website petitioning page before visiting the table in case of last-minute changes
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Volunteers are needed for petitioning. If you can volunteer, please contact Three Parks by clicking here. Volunteers can pick up petitions at the 104th Street table. To arrange petition pick-up at other times, call Lorraine Zamora at (917) 348-5136.
Petitioning is critical. If candidates do not get the requisite number of signatures, they can not get on the ballot. And if they are not on the ballot, they cannot get elected or re-elected, even if they are incumbents.
Three Parks petitions for endorsed candidates every year, and as a result of those reliable efforts, the Club earns the candidates' attention to our local issues and concerns.
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Vote for the 2023 TPID Board of Directors
Voting for the 2023 TPID Board of Directors will take place following the March 8 online club meeting. At the meeting, you will hear a brief presentation by each candidate. Eligible voters can then vote electronically during a set time period following the club meeting. Instructions and schedules for voting electronically are posted on the Endorsement Voting Procedures page of the Three Parks website.
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Make Sure You Are Eligible to Vote!
In order to vote to endorse candidates and for the Board and officers, you must be a member of Three Parks Independent Democrats. Also, your dues must be current for the year in which the endorsement vote is held. In addition, you must have attended, as a member, at least one Club meeting in the six months prior to the endorsement vote. For new members, membership becomes effective one month after dues payment. For more information, click here.
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Candidate Profiles
To view profiles of the candidates for the 2023 TPID
Board of Directors, click here.
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Three Parks to Local Officials: Reject Spot Re-Zoning on Broadway. Build Affordable Housing Instead.
Throughout the past year, Three Parks has been urging rejection of a plan currently under consideration by the NYC Department of City Planning and by Community Boards 7 and 9 that would re-zone two sites on Broadway between 109th Street and 110th Street to permit construction of apartment towers up to 24 stories tall. At recent meetings with City officials, we have continued to express our opposition to the plan and our support for construction of affordable housing on the sites instead. The two sites are under the jurisdiction of Community Board 7. Read our recent letter to the Department of City Planning here.
If this plan passes over community opposition, Three Parks calls for 50% affordable housing units on the site. NYC landlords are holding more than 80,000 rent-stabilized apartments off the market. Requiring them to rent these units will do far more to ease the housing crisis than will up-zoning in our neighborhood. See our email on this subject to Community Board 7 Land Use Committee here.
In 2005-2007,Three Parks fought and won a campaign in the Board 7 area in order to, in our words, “stop irresponsible development and protect our remaining affordable housing." That achievement should not be compromised or rolled back.
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Mollie Bailey
Three Parks mourns the loss of longtime Club member Mollie Bailey. She is survived by her sister, Club member Margaret Collins.
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Tell Lawmakers to Pass the Single-Payer New York Health Act (NYHA)
By Erlend Kimmich
Three Parks has long supported the enactment of the proposed single-payer New York Health Act (NYHA), which promises to bring quality healthcare to all regardless of income, employment status, or documentation. Currently the bill remains stalled in committee in both the NYS Senate and Assembly. The Campaign for the New York Health Act is planning actions in support of the bill this spring, and Club members are encouraged to participate.
The lead sponsor in the NY State Senate is Sen. Gustavo Rivera (D-33rd Senate District; NW Bronx). He is the Chair of the Senate Committee on Health. In the Assembly, the new Chair of the Assembly Committee on Health is Assembly Member Amy Paulin (D-88th Assembly District; south-central Westchester). Paulin has stated her support for the NYHA, but she says it will not move without union support. The UFT, which used to support the bill, and DC37 are both currently opposed to it, so Paulin and Rivera have their work cut out for them to amend the bill to address the concerns of union brothers and sisters.
Meanwhile, health care costs are constantly climbing, as are the profits of the insurance companies....
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Make Your Voice Heard! Vote for Your Budget Choices March 25 - April 2.
By Judy Wood
Council Member Gale Brewer is offering voters in the 6th Council District a voice in how $1 million will be spent in the district for various improvement projects. There are a various choices ranging from education to security to transportation and to parks. The specifics can be viewed online on Gale’s website, on Patch, and on other sites. Each voter gets to choose up to three projects on the ballot, with the decision based on the numbers.
Voting begins Saturday, March 25, and runs through Sunday, April 2, in many locations in the district. There are no eligibility requirements for voting; anyone who wants to cast a ballot should and can do so. However, you must live in the 6th Council District to vote.
I hope that Three Parks voters will turn out in large numbers as we have done in the past.
If you want to volunteer to help at a poll site during the week of March 25, call Gale Brewer’s office at 212 873 0282. If you want to do a table, ballots can be picked up at the office on Friday afternoon at 583 Columbus Ave., but please call ahead.
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Wednesday, Mar. 8, 8:00 PM
Three Parks Club Meeting
Wednesday, Mar. 22, 8:00 PM
Three Parks Board Meeting
Wednesday, Apr. 12, 8:00 PM
Three Parks Club Meeting
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Wednesday, Apr. 26, 8:00 PM
Three Parks Board Meeting
Wednesday, May 10, 8:00 PM
Three Parks Club Meeting
Wednesday, May 24, 8:00 PM
Three Parks Board Meeting
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Don't Miss Out!
Renew Your Three Parks Membership Now
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Renew online by clicking here.
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Renew by mail by printing out and returning the membership form at the end of this newsletter.
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The opinions expressed in this newsletter are those of the authors of the articles and are not necessarily representative of Three Parks.
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President
Lorraine Zamora
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District Leader
Cynthia Doty
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State Committee
Daniel Marks Cohen
Lynn Thomas
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Read more about our grassroots activities.
Follow us on Facebook/Meta here
Follow us on Twitter here
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Read the February Newsletter here
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Print, cut out, and mail this form.
2023 MEMBERSHIP FORM
New Member __________ Renewal __________
Membership Category(check one)
Individual ($25) __________
Family: two adults in the same household ($40) __________
Low Income ($15) __________ Low Income Family ($20) __________
Sponsor ($50) __________ Patron ($100) __________
Name _____________________________________________ Date __________________________
Address ____________________________________________________ Apt. # _______________
City _______________________________________ State ____________ ZIP _________________
Phone (Home) ________________________________ (Cell) ____________________________
Email _______________________________________________________________________________
Please pay your dues with a check, money order or via PayPal by following this link to the Three Parks website. Please make out all checks to Three Parks Independent Democrats.
Mail to: Three Parks Independent Democrats
Cathedral Station, P.O. Box 1316
New York, NY 10025
Attention: Treasurer
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