May
14
Category Archives: Community
Apr
04
Governor’s Office Mishandled New Appointment of Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation President
I am incredibly disappointed in the way the governor’s office announced the appointment. The lack of transparency is glaring. They should have worked together with the community and the RIOC board to find a new president.
RIOC has been understaffed and without direction for too long, and the community has suffered because of it. If Ms. Indelicato is confirmed by the RIOC board, I sincerely hope that she will bring the experience and leadership that Roosevelt Island needs.
For full article, please visit: http://rooseveltislander.blogspot.com/
Apr
02
With Latest Public Corruption Scandal Assembly Member Kellner Calls for Passage of the Public Corruption Prevention and Enforcement Act
As a legislator, it truly saddens me to see public officials in the news for yet another corruption scandal—and I can only imagine how it makes everyday New Yorkers feel. It seems there is a never-ending tide of graft and corruption, which reinforces the perception that all lawmakers are crooks.
If the allegations released today are proven true, it is yet another embarrassment for New York State. As public servants, we need to take action to prevent this kind of activity from happening and provide the strictest of punishment for public officials who abuse their positions.
Three years ago, I introduced the Public Corruption Prevention and Enforcement Act (PCPEA) in the hopes that New York would no longer be synonymous with scandal and once again recognized as having public integrity. The PCPEA enacts a duty of faithful public service. The PCPEA expands the crime of defrauding the government to punish any and all corrupt schemes involving public servants and others who seek to abuse the operation of government in any way, and it makes sure that public bribery is treated just as harshly as it is treated in the private sector.
It is time that lawmakers work together to enrich the lives of New Yorkers instead of their own wallets. If we want to eliminate the culture of corruption, we need a law that makes clear that public officials must serve the public first and foremost. Now is the time for the immediate debate and passage of the Public Corruption Protection and Enforcement Act.
For a complete description of Bill A2113, please click here or see below.
Public Corruption Protection and Enforcement Act details:
Enacts a Duty of Faithful Public Service: Incredibly, there’s no such duty on the books today. The Joe Bruno scandal showed what a glaring hole this is. If we want to eliminate the culture of corruption, we need a law that makes clear that public officials must serve the public first and foremost.
Punishes Corrupt Schemes to Defraud the Government: Currently, the law only punishes schemes to defraud government agencies of property, services, or resources. The PCPEA expands the crime of defrauding the government to punish any and all corrupt schemes involving public servants and others who seek to corrupt the operation of government in any way.
Reforms Criminal Bribery Statutes: The bill takes action to ensure that bribery of apublic official is punished just as seriously as completed bribes, and it makes sure that public bribery is treated in the same way as bribery in the private sector.
Reforms the Member Item Process: The bill creates new standards and prohibitions for community projects grants, which are commonly known as “member items.” Among other protections, it stops lawmakers from funneling taxpayer money into shady nonprofits that don’t even provide real services, but in which they or their relatives have a financial interest.
Enhances Financial Disclosure for State Officials: As it stands, the clients that legislators represent in private practice are hidden from public view. While this makes sense in a few instances — such as when the clients are involved in family court cases, where they have a reasonable expectation of privacy — there’s no reason why most of lawmakers’ private clients shouldn’t be disclosed, just as they are in other states. This bill will allow the public to monitor the sources and values of outside income earned by our elected officials.
Strengthens Campaign Finance Rules: Up until n ow candidates have legally been allowed to get away with disguising loans intended for campaign use as personal gifts—allowing them to circumvent campaign contribution limits. This bill closes that loophole.
Nov
20
A New Front in the Fight Against the East 91st Street Marine Transfer Station
I am proud to announce that I am the lead plaintiff with Councilmember Jessica Lappin and Asphalt Green on a new federal lawsuit against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the City to stop the construction of Mayor Bloomberg’s ill-conceived East 91st Street Marine Transfer Station.
When Superstorm Sandy hit on October 29th, the area around the East 91st Street Marine Transfer Station flooded, damaging Asphalt Green’s facilities – with waters reaching as far as First Avenue. This new reality of frequent extreme weather should be a wake up call for the Bloomberg administration and the City Council – that building a Marine Transfer Station in Flood Zone “A” is a disaster in the making.
Our new lawsuit exposes the fact that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers violated the requirements of the Federal Clean Water Act along with its own guidelines in granting the final permit necessary to begin construction on the East 91st Street Marine Transfer Station. The Army Corps of Engineers cut corners in issuing its permit in July. They failed to thoroughly evaluate all possible alternative sites, the true long term environmental impact on this densely populated residential neighborhood and whether constructing a Marine Transfer Station at East 91st Street is truly in the public interest. That puts our community, and the tens-of-thousands of people who use Asphalt Green each year, at risk.
In June, I sued Mayor Bloomberg and the City Council in State Supreme Court to stop the East 91st Street Marine Transfer Station. While that lawsuit is ongoing, this new lawsuit will give us yet another avenue to finally stop the construction of the East 91stStreet Marine Transfer Station.
Below you may find my press release announcing the lawsuit and a copy of the lawsuit itself.
Aug
23
Assembly Member Kellner’s Statement on Bombshell Federal Report about Wildlife Mitigation at Airports
New York, NY – Assembly Member Micah Z. Kellner (D-Upper East Side/Yorkville/Roosevelt Island) released the following statement today in response to the audit report issued by the US Department of Transportation’s Inspector General.
“Yesterday, the federal government agreed that the East 91st Street Marine Transfer Station is a danger to all New Yorkers. The bombshell report by the Inspector General of the US DOT is in stark contrast with the FAA’s assertion that it has done everything possible to reduce bird strikes against airplanes. This report leaves no doubt that marine transfer stations – like the one proposed at east 91st street – attract birds and leads to more bird strikes. Clearly, allowing the East 91st Street MTS to go through would create a greater risk of bird strikes. Three years ago, a bird strike disabled an airplane after it left one of New York’s runways. Thankfully, the skills of Captain Chesley Sullenberger turned what could have been a major disaster into the Miracle on the Hudson. But not every pilot can be a Captain Sullenberger. By building East 91st Street MTS, we are inviting another incident and New York may not be as lucky as we were on that January day.
The FAA, Mayor Bloomberg and Speaker Quinn have refused to recognize the danger that the MTS plays by its proximity to our airports. This DOT report should serve as a wake up call that lives will be put at risk if the MTS is allowed to go forward. Why the Mayor would want to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to put lives at risk is beyond reasonable comprehension.”
Assembly Member Kellner serves as the lead plaintiff in a lawsuit against the construction of the East 91st Street Marine Transfer Station.
The US DOT Inspector General’s report is available at http://www.oig.dot.gov/sites/dot/files/wildlife%20report.pdf