Newsletters

What a month!

Between some blockbuster Supreme Court decisions, the city budget passing, a rent freeze triumph, the DEC finally opening up its comment period on the ill-conceived 91st Street Marine Transfer station and the announcement of a long-planned bike safety blitz, it all seemed to come together in June.

In July, we will hold a forum on superscrapers and how we can fight them as well as one on local jobs to repair NYCHA. I hope you will join us.

Now that July Fourth is just around the corner, I am looking forward to celebrating our country's progress with family and friends. I will proudly watch the fireworks knowing that healthcare is protected for those most in need and LGBTQ Americans can marry who they love. (Speaking of fireworks, they will be taking place over the East River this year, and should be visible from both the East Side and Roosevelt Island.)

How will you celebrate July Fourth? As always, feel free to send me a note letting me know your plans. Happy Independence Day, and have a great month!

Sincerely,

Ben Kallos

Table of Contents
1. Calling on the DEC to the Stop the MTS
2. We Won a Rent Freeze
3. Bike Safety Blitz
4. Fighting Superscrapers
5. Celebrating Marriage Equality
6. A Win for Landmarks
7. Jobs Forum for NYCHA and Low-Income Residents
8. LegislationLab
9. Improving Quality of Life
10. A Budget for all New Yorkers
11. Participatory Budgeting for Roosevelt Island and Lexington Houses
Education
12. Annual Public School Sotheby's Art Show
13. Council Member for a Day
14. Fighting Pesticides with PS 290
15. Meet our Newest Community Board Members
16. Graduation Speeches
Transportation
17. Safer Sidewalks for Seniors and Disabled New Yorkers
18. Citi Bike Locations and Safety
Community
19. Cornell Tech Groundbreaking
20. Tour of Roosevelt Island with Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul
21. Second Avenue Subway Progress
22. Second Avenue Shopper App
23. 125 Years of Park East and 85 Years of Rabbi Arthur Schneier
24. Roosevelt Island Lamppost Dedication
25. Street Fairs
26. Adopt-A-Planter
27. Cooking with Kallos
Upgrading Government
28. Where's my FiOS?
29. Fighting Corruption at the Board of Elections
30. Intellibins
31. Insourcing IT jobs
32. Getting Laws Online the Right Way
33. Personal Democracy Forum
Office Updates
34. Legislative Corner
35. Summer Reading Challenge
36. In the Neighborhood
37. Summer Interns
38. Here to Help
39. Mobile District Hours
40. Ben in Your Building
Community Resources
41. Free Summer Meals
42. Affordable Housing
43. Bike New York
44. City Council Events
45. Community Events

This year's budget will make life easier, better and safer for New Yorkers of all backgrounds, now and in the future. Right here on the East Side and Roosevelt Island, I have prioritized funding worthy projects, schools and nonprofits that will strengthen our community.

This month we fought and won some big and small victories. None of these victories could have happened without a strong partnership between the community and my office. What we can accomplish working together represents so much more than what I can accomplish alone. 

I worked with the Sutton Area Community organized around stopping a 900 story superscraper and won a resolution in support from Community Board 6; fought alongside parents on Roosevelt Island in a citywide coalition to restore funding for summer programs for thousands of children; and saw Zero Waste adopted in the City's long term plan, something I have advocated for with the community since before my election. Zero Waste will make the already obsolete garbage dump even more so when we send no trash to landfills in 2030. None of these fights are over, but together we can win.

Will you join the fight? Meet me for First Friday, lead the change at Policy Night, or organize neighbors for Ben in Your Building, so we can mobilize for victory!

Have a happy, healthy June.

Sincerely,

Ben Kallos

Table of Contents
1. Fighting Superscrapers
2. Fighting the Marine Transfer Station
3. Winning Back Funding for Summer Youth Programs
Education
4. Pesticides in Parks
5. Fighting Child Hunger: Lunch for Learning and Breakfast After The Bell
6. Crossing Guards and School Safety Agents
7. Debate Tournament at Julia Richman Educational Complex
Community
8. Roosevelt Island Law Enforcement Explorers
9. Roosevelt Island Town Hall and Restoring Funds
10. Shop Second Avenue
11. Construction at 89th and 1st
12. Fighting Identity Theft
13. Preserving Landmarks
14. Cyber Bullying
15. Fourth of July Fireworks
16. UES Historic Districts Scavenger Hunt
17. Jewish Heritage Month
18. NY Cares Day of Service
19. Street Fairs
20. Adopt-A-Planter
Affordable Housing
21. Calling for a Rent Freeze in 2015
22. Rally to Strengthen Rent Laws
23. 5% Reduction in Street Homelessness
24. $33 Million for NYCHA In District
Transportation
25. Vision Zero: Year One
26. Safe Biking
27. Citi Bike Locations
Upgrading Government
28. Internet Week
29. Getting Money out of Politics
30. GovTech Profiles
31. $70 million Broadband Pledge
32. Transparency Commission
33. Civic Hall Law Day
Office Updates
34. Summer Reading Challenge
35. SUNY Albany Communications Department Commencement
36. Honoring The Nation for 150 Years
37. Celebrating the Arts with the Tank
38. Central Park Medical Unit New Ambulances
39. Celebrate Israel
40. In the Neighborhood
41. Summer Internship with New Hours Available
42. Here to Help
43. Ben in Your Building
44. Legislative Corner
Community Resources
45. Affordable Housing
46. Bike New York
47. Free Assistance with Life-Planning Documents
48. New York Council for the Humanities Reading & Discussion Program
49. Tree Census
50. City Council Events
51. Community Events

The results are in for participatory budgeting!

It has been a busy month between that and gearing up for a fight on the luxury mega-tower planned for Sutton Place. 

I hope to see you at First Friday tomorrow morning to discuss it all (as a reminder, it is from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. at my District Office at 244 East 93rd St. RSVP online.) You can also join the Attorney General's office and me on May 5th on preventing identity theft. RSVP. There will also be a Roosevelt Island Town Hall on the 21st.

This April, New Yorkers celebrated holidays with their loved ones, or simply celebrated spring. I enjoyed a Passover Seder with friends and family. How did you celebrate the spring or the holidays?

I hope to hear from you soon.

Sincerely,

Ben Kallos

Table of Contents

1. Participatory Budgeting
2. Fighting the Marine Transfer Station
3. Let in the Light, Not the Superscrapers
4. Passover Seder
5. 50th Anniversary of the Landmarks Law
Education
6. Free School Meals
7. Safety for Schoolchildren
8. Debt-Free College
9. Better Subsidized Childcare
10. Council Member for a Day
Jobs
11. Fighting Corruption Through the Civil Service
12. Fair Treatment for Airport Workers
13. Fight for $15
14. Small Business Hearing
15. Budget
Community
16. Fire at East 78th Street
17. Community Board Appointments
18. 81st St Bridge
19. Establishing Friends of Ruppert Park
20. The Big Swim
21. Adopt-A-Planter
22. Tree Census
23. Cherry Blossom Festival
24. Hack Roosevelt Island
25. ASC Ribbon Cutting
Civic Technology and Participation
26. Register to Vote with Your Lease
27. CityCouncil2.0
28. CUNY Law Panel
29. Open Standards With Carl Malamud
30. Open Government Leaders Around the World
31. Five Borough Tech Tour
32. GovLab Class
Office Updates
33. Ben in Your Building
34. Here to Help
35. Summer Internship
36. Legislative Corner
37. In the Neighborhood
38. City Council Events
39. Mobile District Hours
40. Community Events

Spring is finally here, and the days are getting a little bit longer and warmer.

This month, I held budget hearings; fought against the marine transfer station; advocated to make it easier for parents to return to the workforce; demanded better bus service; worked to prevent sky-high zoning in our neighborhoods; and more. There are many more updates in the email below.

I hope to see you at First Friday tomorrow morning from 8-10 a.m. at my district office to discuss these issues and more. 

In April, you are empowered to vote on how to spend $1 million in our neighborhood this month. To pledge to vote, find voting times and see the projects on the ballot, please visit BenKallos.com/PB

Sincerely,

Ben Kallos

Table of Contents
1. Participatory Budgeting: You Decide How to Spend $1 Million
2. Fighting Against the Marine Transfer Station
Education
3. Fighting for Public Schools
4. Supporting our Schools
5. School Crossing Guards
6. Council Member for a Day
7. Summer Reading Challenge
8. Chess in the Schools
9. NYC FIRST Robotics Regional Competition
10. Student Voter Registration Day
Jobs
11. Helping Parents Get Back to Work
12. Funding Life Sciences in New York City
13. Raise the Wage!
Affordable Housing
14. Fighting Against Overdevelopment
15. Protesting Church Closings
16. Real Affordability for All
17. Extending Rent Laws
18. Rent Rollback
19. Assisting Tenants
20. Funds for NYCHA
21. Affordable Housing Opportunity
Transportation
22. Better Bus Service
23. Ferry Service
A Better Budget
24. Progress at the Board of Elections
25. NEW City Records Portal
26. Oversight Hearings
Environment
27. NYLCV Perfect Score and Green Construction
28. Food Justice
29. Roosevelt Island AVAC System Tour
Community
30. OTTY Awards
31. Honoring Big Brothers Big Sisters
32. Celebrating Easter in the Community
33. Save Small Business
34. Community Board 8
35. Three Alarm Fire
36. Free Tax Assistance
37. Mount Vernon Hotel Museum
38. Free Senior Fitness Class
39. Asphalt Green Big Swim at Asphalt Green AquaCenter
Civic Technology and Participation
40. Increasing Participation: Absentee Ballot Tracking & Same Day Registration
41. New Age of Civic Tech
42. Senior Cyber Citizens
43. DemocracyOS
44. NYU GovLab Course
Office Updates
45. Ben in Your Building
46. PlaNYC Community Ideas
47. Summer Youth Employment
48. Here to Help
49. City Council Interns
50. Legislative Corner
51. In the Neighborhood
52. City Council Events
53. Mobile District Hours
54. Community Events