Newsletters

It has been six months since I became your City Council Member. In these six months, we have built a stronger community together. Through it all, the City has become more fair and compassionate, thanks to measures such as:

• Expanding Senior Citizen Income Exemption (SCRIE); 
• Funding Universal Pre-K; and
• Paid sick leave, all of which I was proud to support and advocate for.

 I have also been fighting to improve our neighborhood and city as a whole:

• As Chair of the Governmental Operations Committee of the New York City Council, I have taken on waste and corruption;
• Introduced legislation to make our often cynicism-inducing government more transparent.
• Took the fight against the Marine Transfer Station to another level; and
• Protected our neighborhood by prioritizing safe streets, healthy food, safe construction, science education and affordable housing.

Now, I want to hear from you: Have you received assistance from our office? Have you and I gotten the chance to meet? Have you been happy with the direction of the City and the advocacy I've taken on? Please reply with your feedback and ideas.
 
This is just the beginning. I hope you'll take a chance to share your feedback at this six-month stage so we can continue to grow, learn and build a better neighborhood together.
 
Sincerely,

Ben Kallos

Last week, I celebrated 100 days representing you in the New York City Council. In just this short time, I have already been able to achieve many of the promises made before I took office. With a few well on their way, it seems that they weren't promises but plans.

You can see for yourself by reading my policy book, but here are a few items from the book that we've been able to accomplish by working together:

• I was front and center in the movement that won $300 million in pre-kindergarten funding for New York City with to make us a nationwide leader by giving every child a fair start;
• I am committing millions in funding to support Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) education in our schools;
• Stop and frisk reform has become a reality; and
• I co-sponsored the bill to expand paid sick leave to half a million New Yorkers so we can all be healthier.

There is still much more to do. I am more committed than ever to taking on the challenges and seizing on the opportunities that face our neighborhood and city.  As your Council Member, I am taking on the tough fights on your behalf:

• I am fighting the marine transfer station on 91st Street every day, reorienting the debate to focusing on increasing recycling and reducing waste citywide;
• I am protecting residents from unsafe construction and being kicked out of their affordable housing;
• I am bringing accountability to city agencies, from the Board of Elections to community boards;
• I am advocating for ferry service for Roosevelt Island; and
• I am working to provide educational support outside the classroom by supporting community learning schools.

And I am proud to maintain an attendance record of 100% -- because you deserve a representative that shows up!

This April, you can vote on how to spend $1 million in your neighborhood. This program, participatory budgeting, has been piloted with great success in many neighborhoods around the world and here in New York City.

It has been a busy month of budgeting, oversight and advocacy on your behalf. As always, my office is a space for you to meet your needs and interact with the major issues in your neighborhood. Scroll to the bottom of this newsletter for events from my office and the community. 

For those of you celebrating this month, I wish you a joyous Easter or Pesach, a chance to celebrate the beliefs we hold dear. As we gratefully welcome the spring, let's renew our spirit of engagement and work together on the issues that face our community.

Sincerely,

Council Member Ben Kallos
District Five: Upper East Side, Midtown East, El Barrio and Roosevelt Island
 

After two months in office, I am working around the clock to ensure you have the services you need, while also fighting to expand pre-K to all children, open up government for public participation, fight the marine transfer station slated to be built in our neighborhood and ensure all New Yorkers have the services they need.  

Dear Friend,

I hope you are staying warm and dry as we face another winter storm.  New York City is expected to get up to a foot of snow, with a winter storm warning in effect until 6AM on Friday. My office is your resource to make sure you stay safe and that your city keeps on working for you in spite of the conditions outside.