Newsletters

Friend,

I hope you had a great Thanksgiving and are looking forward to the December Holidays. Please join me and my staff at our District Office for our annual Holiday Party this coming Tuesday, December 6, from 5pm to 7pm.

Many have reached out to me following this year’s Presidential Election results. As with all situations, we will move forward as we have on countless issues over the last three years, together. While some want to build walls, we must build connections by organizing communities in our buildings, block, neighborhood, borough, city, and state. Whether you want to focus on public education, access to reproductive health, affordable housing, public transportation, the environment, protecting our immigrants, or another issue, we are here, as always, to support and empower you.

As covered by The Wall Street Journal, the East River 50s Alliance and I helped obtain a stop work order on the demolition job connected to the proposed 950-foot Sutton Superscraper. We also formally submitted our rezoning proposal, the next big step towards capping the height of buildings in the Sutton Area at 260 feet. As Co-Chair of the East River Esplanade Taskforce with Congress Member Carolyn Maloney, I worked with the City and Friends of the East River Esplanade to open the East 90th Street Pier Park.

As we celebrate the holidays, I reflect on how thankful I am to be your Council Member and for our partnership in making our community a better place. Whatever you need, whether it is a free menorah or help with housing, we are here to help.

Sincerely,

Ben Kallos
Council Member

P.S. First Friday is December 2nd and Policy Night is December 13th. Also be sure to RSVP for my State of the District event on Janaury 22, 2017 at Memorial Sloan Kettering. 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Holiday Party
2. Stop Work Order Issued at Sutton Tower
3. 90th Street Pier Opens as Park to Public
4. Improvements to the Mayor’s Management Report
5. Proclamation for Heroic Firefighters
6. New This Month: Land Use and Landmarking Clinic with Historic Districts Council

ELECTION 2016

7. The Presidential Election
8. Long Lines on Election Day
9. Homeless Outreach to Encourage Voting
10. Registering as an Organ Donor Gets Easier and Disenfranchised Incarcerated Voters Get Absentee Ballots

TRANSPORTATION

11. Bike Safety Program Reels in Results
12. Protecting Tenants from 2nd Avenue Subway Displacement

HEALTH & SAFETY

13. Universal Free School Lunch
14. Obamacare Signup
15. Preparing for Emergencies
16. Free Smoke Detectors, Preventing Home Fires
17. Medicare Enrollment Event

HOUSING

18. Eastside Task Force for Homeless Outreach Meets to Make a Difference
19. Supreme Court Denies Appeal to Remove Landmark
20. Advocacy Protects NYC’s Integrated Communities from Proposed HUD Policy
21. Tenants & Neighbors Protecting Our Affordable Housing
22. Landmarks50 Alliance Luncheon
23. Protecting affordable Housing on Roosevelt Island

EQUALITY

24. Supporting Pay Equity for Female City Employees
25. National Women’s History Museum
26. Language Access

COMMUNITY

27. Apply for Kindergarten
28. Public Service Award from NCJFE and Blue Card Dinner
29. Annual Thanksgiving Turkey Giveaway
30. Constituent Spotlight: “Madam Secretary” Goes Green
31. Pre-Turkey Day Shred-A-Thon
32. Junior Tennis League and Meeting with Parents
33. Welcoming Windward
34. Goodwill Ribbon Cutting Ceremony
35. In the Community

OFFICE UPDATES

36. Legislative Corner
37. Progressive Caucus: 15 Priority Bills Passed
38. Free Legal Clinics
39. Here to Help
40. Mobile District Hours
41. Ben in Your Building

EVENTS AND RESOURCES

42. City Council Events
43. Government Meetings
44. Community Boards
45. New York Police Department
46. Neighborhood and Tenant Association
47. Community Events for Kids
48. Community Events for Adults
49. Resources Funded in Part by My Office

Vote Today: Election Day

Today is Election Day and you can vote at the polls from 6AM to 9PM. 
Verify You Are Registered to Vote: https://voterlookup.elections.state.ny.us/ 
Find Your Poll Site: https://nyc.pollsitelocator.com/search 
Remember your Assembly District and Election District to skip the line at the front door and go straight to get your ballot and vote.

Frequent Issues on Election Day:

• Name not in the book? Vote by affidavit ballot and register to update your voter registration, do not leave without voting.
• Machines aren't working? Get a paper ballot anyway and cast it in the emergency ballot box, your ballot will be fed into the machine and counted later when it is working.
• Don't Have ID? No problem. You don't need a driver's license or municipal identification to vote, just your signature. You can wear whatever you want covering any part of your body. If you are a first time voter just bring the letter you received from the BOE confirming your registration and reminding you to vote (or a utility bill, bank statement, paystub, government check or other government document with name and address).

Please contact my office to report complaints that I can use to improve the Board of Elections.


Home Fire Prevention

The New York City Fire Department and the American Red Cross will host a home fire prevention event in my district office with those attending able to schedule a FREE smoke detector and carbon monoxide sensor installation in their home ahead of the holidays and winter season.

Fire Safety
Free Smoke & Carbon Monoxide Detector Installations 
Thursday, November 10, 6pm - 8pm 
District Office, 244 East 93rd Street
RSVP


Emergency Preparedness & Free Go Bag Kits

Please join me at the next meeting of the East 79th Street Neighborhood Association for a presentation by CERT Upper East Side and the Office of Emergency Management to learn how to put together your own Go Bag Kit and how to join your local Community Emergency Response Team (CERT).

Emergency Preparedness:
Free Go Bag Kits & How to Join CERT
at the East 79th Street Neighborhood Association Monthly Meeting
Thursday, November 17, 6pm - 8pm
Upper East Side Rehabilitation and Nursing Center
211 East 79th Street, New York, NY
*Limited Supply of Free Go Bags Kits, Attendance and RSVP Required
RSVP


Medicare Open Enrollment

Please join me and the Medicare Right Center to learn more about Medicare benefits, the fall open enrollment period and programs that help pay Medicare costs.

Medicare Open Enrollment
Thursday, November 17, from 9:30am to 11am
Stanley Isaac's Neighborhood Center, 415 East 93rd Street
RSVP


Shred-A-Thon

I am proud to sponsor shred-a-thons by The Upper Green Side with Council Member Garodnick so you can shred your documents that contain personal information and protect your privacy and identity. You bring the paper and the giant shredder truck turns it into microbits while you watch!  You can also bring compost, eyeglasses, corks, batteries and cords. 

Shred-A-Thon
Sunday, November 20, 10am - 2pm 
92nd Street Green Market (at First Avenue)
RSVP

Autumn is here, leaves have fallen, and Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur have come and gone giving me some time to reflect and recharge ahead of what will be a busy November.

My thoughts and prayers are with those affected by the two fires that occurred on the Upper East Side in October. On November 10, my office will host a fire prevention event with the help of the New York City Fire Department and the American Red Cross. RSVP

While we continue to push for improvements to the M15 and M79 buses, I was proud to support the launch of a new app that shows you how bunched your bus is and how fast (or slow) it runs. Visit BusTurnaround.NYC

We also made progress in the fight against hunger by making access to government programs easier through Automatic Benefits. A national collaboration between the United Stated Department of Health and Human Services, Intuit, and my office will give the public a free “Benefit Assist” tool to identify what benefits those in need qualify for.

On November 8, Americans will turn out for the general elections, please make sure you go out and vote. The polls will be open from 6am. to 9pm. Make sure you know your poll site. Policy Night will take place Tuesday the 15th to avoid a conflict with Election Day.

I hope you had a safe Halloween and I wish you a happy Thanksgiving.

Sincerely,

Ben Kallos
Council Member

PS. Reminder First Friday is on the 4th and Policy Night is Tuesday the 15th due conflict with Election Day

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New York City’s Fiscal Year 2017 budget of $82.1 billion comes with funding increases to many programs that residents have come to rely on. This year’s budget has initiatives I am proud to have fought for, including:

• $38.5 million added to Summer Youth Employment Program budget to fund 60,000 summer jobs for the city’s youth, 72 of which worked with Council Members of the Progressive Caucus
• $4.9 million in additional funds for the Emergency Food Assistance Program, which increased funding for the purchase of food for those in need by over 40 percent

Programs I voted in favor of include:

• $1.8 million in base lined funding for 1,400 seniors currently on waitlists
• $16 million for 3,223 additional elementary school after school seats for a total of 6,600
• $17.5 million to fund 26,000 after-school seats for middle-school youth in School’s Out NYC
• $43 million in base lined funding to improve libraries
• $10 million for cultural organizations
• $22 million in base lined funding for District Attorneys, to create Alternatives to Incarceration Unit, reduce gun-related and other violent crimes
• $2.5 million for Vision Zero education and outreach

To stay on top of the work I am doing and opportunities to have a say in our community, please sign up to receive our monthly newsletter at BenKallos.com/Subscribe

Sincerely,

Ben Kallos
Council Member, District 5

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