Halloween Howl at Carl Schurz Park
October 26, 2009
I had a wonderful time MC’ing the small dog contestants in this year’s Halloween Howl, a fabulous tradition that I look forward to — and which grows bigger and better — each year. The event benefits the Carl Schurz Park Conservancy. The ASPCA showcased a number of dogs in need of adoption at the event. If you are interested in opening your home to a new member of the family, consider adoption, visit the ASPCA of NYC at 424 East 92nd Street.
TLC Central Dispatch is Failing to Provide Adequate Services to Wheelchair Users
October 23, 2009
Central Dispatch was launched as a two-year pilot program in July 2008 to match scattered wheelchair users looking for a taxi with a limited number of accessible taxis. I was –and remain– very supportive of the concept of the program; I wrote an Op-Ed in the New York Post saying so “(The City Needs Cabs For All” – December 5, 2007). In my article, I raised concerns about how Central Dispatch was being structured—and sadly many of my gripes have proven to be very real problems.
After receiving a number of complaints from wheelchair users who told me that the program was not working a few months into the pilot, I conducted a study between December 2008 and January 2009 to determine how well the two-year pilot program was meeting its own goals and the needs of our city’s 60,000 wheelchair users. I blogged about the results of that study early last summer (“STRANDED: How the TLC is Failing Wheelchair Users,” June 7, 2009).
On October 22nd, I was pleased that NYC Council Transportation Committee Chair John Liu held an oversight hearing to examine how well Central Dispatch is meeting its goals and serving wheelchair users. I gave testimony at that hearing, a copy of which can be downloaded from the Publications page of my blog.
Ultimately, until there are more accessible taxicabs it will remain challenging for the TLC to provide the excellent customer service that wheelchair customers deserve to receive. That is why I sponsor a bill with State Senator Tom Duane (A.7842/S.4861) to mandate that after June 30, 2011, taxi owners may put only accessible taxicabs into service when replacing vehicles that have reached their TLC-mandated retirement age.
Making the Case for Submetering Reforms
October 20, 2009
Residential submetering of electricity is a practice with significant implications to tenant protection, consumer protection, and environmental conservation. But despite the high stakes, it is an issue that has received relatively little attention. While submetering has proliferated under the political radar, changing the lives of low- and middle-income tenants, few attempts have been made to address the issue systematically.
Earlier this year I blogged about five bills that I introduced to reform submetering in New York State. Last week, I was pleased to be offered an opportunity to discuss my legislative efforts at the New York State Bar Association’s Eleventh Annual Institute on Public Utility Law held in Albany.
10.16.09 IPUL Sub Met Ring Leg Remarks
A Grand Opening for Roosevelt Island Bank Customers
October 2, 2009
Assembly Member Kellner with Amalgamated CEO Derrick Cephas and Branch Manager Kathy Lasri, cutting the ribbon to open the bank’s new Roosevelt Island branch.
On October 1st, I was proud to join Amalgamated Bank President and CEO Derrick Cephas, as well as Borough President Scott Stringer and a number of other distinguished guests, to mark the grand opening of Amalgamated’s new branch on Roosevelt Island. The opening marks the beginning of a new era of community banking for island residents — a secure replacement for the New York National Bank branch that closed this summer.
In July, I posted about how I worked with Assembly Banking Committee Chair Darryl Towns to ensure that the State Banking Department designated the island’s new Amalgamated branch as a Banking Development District (BDD) branch. This means that $10 million in public funds have been deposited with the new branch, providing the security it needs to serve as a reliable long-term bank for Roosevelt Islanders. Thanks to the BDD designation, as well as support from State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, City Comptroller William C. Thompson, Jr., the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation, and other stakeholders, island residents will continue to have a convenient location to do their banking for many years to come.
I am pleased to have been able to help make the new branch a reality, and I would like to extend a warm welcome to branch manager Kathy Lasri and her team as they become part of the Roosevelt Island Community.
- Via @MicahKellner + @MMViverito NYPD, never sensitive to Trans NYers, but if these allegations true its beyond the pale http://t.co/UGWWI9Tn
9 hours ago from ÜberSocial for BlackBerry
