BY MARY JANE MUSANO
There has been much chatter
about a relatively new organization
called Open New York.
They have some unacceptable
opinions regarding housing.
June 2021 was the fi rst time
they endorsed candidates and
candidates from our community
received their endorsement.
In order to receive their
endorsement you must agree
100% on every question they
ask. No room for negotiation.
As I read through the questions,
I was stunned at the racist
ideas put forth. In our community
we all work together. I
thought of how our community
has come together to defeat
the Bruckner upzoning. I am
so proud of how every community
came out to help. We joined
hands.
People from every background
and from every economic
level worked together for
a common purpose. Even Democrats
and Republicans joined
to lend us their support. This is
how it should be and we should
scream from the mountaintops
that here, it will never change.
We must fi ght all efforts to pit
us against one another. Remember,
united we stand, divided
we fall.
The following are the questions
you must agree with 100%
to receive an endorsement from
Open New York:-Do you believe
the city must adopt less restrictive
zoning in the wealthiest,
whitest neighborhoods in order
to facilitate residential integration?
If yes, how would
CIVIC CENTER
Waterbury-LaSalle
Association
you encourage this as a council
member?-Open NY has proposed
a rezoning of SoHo and
NoHo, which if enacted would
produce nearly 700 deeply affordable
homes in the wealthiest
and whitest neighborhoods
in the city, along with 2,800
market rate rentals. The affordable
units are critical towards
any goals of creating an
equitable city, and the market
rate units would reduce the
number of affl uent households
driving up rents in gentrifying
neighborhoods. Do you support
a mixed-income housing
focused rezoning of SoHo and
NoHo along the lines of what
Open NY has proposed?-Rezonings
have historically been focused
on working class, POC
neighborhoods, offering those
neighborhoods long overdue investments,
which they should
have received, as an incentive
to accommodate the city’s
growth. Meanwhile, wealthy
neighborhoods have been allowed
to refuse housing growth
and maintain their amenities
and receive a lion’s share of
government investment and attention.
Open NY believes this
dynamic must change, with rezoning
of SoHo and NoHo as a
fi rst step in the right direction,
and intends to propose and support
A Throggs Neck resident at a recent rally protesting the development
proposal for the Foodtown site on Bruckner Boulevard.
Photo Adrian Childress
rezonings and other policy
proposals that would change
this dynamic. Would you join
a caucus that both works to rezone
wealthy neighborhoods
(that have infrastructure and
amenities) for higher density,
mixed-income housing; invest
in lower-income neighborhoods
to fund deeply affordable
housing and infrastructure
improvements? Would you
support legislation that would
further these goals?-One of the
major impediments to creating
affordable housing in wealthy
neighborhoods is member deference,
a city council norm in
which council members defer
to the opinion of the local
member, rather than voting
by their own values on the rezoning
in question. Would you
vote for a rezoning that would
create new mixed-income
housing in a wealthy, high opportunity
neighborhood over
the objections of the local
member?-The saga of temporary
shelter in the Lucerne Hotel
— and other shelter hotels
— has highlighted the ability
of well-heeled New Yorkers to
oppose the siting of the most
needy in their neighborhoods.
Would you support homeless
shelters, temporary or permanent,
being sited in your district
regardless of neighbors
objections?-Would you support
legislative changes that
encourage the creation of Accessory
Dwelling Units, both
citywide and in your district?-
Would you support legislative
changes that would bring
basement apartments into legal
regulation?– Would you
support legislative changes
that encourage the conversion
of hotels into permanent
housing?-Would you support
ending parking minimums for
new housing citywide?-Do you
pledge not to support a downzoning
in your district?-Would
you support eliminating single
family zoning citywide?
This means eliminating regulations
that make it illegal to
build even two or three family
homes)
Well, there you have it. I
want you to mull this ridiculousness
over. Pick out the
false statements. Meditate over
how unhealthy these mandates
would make our city.
Having this information, I
hope you will ask every candidate
if they have been endorsed
by Open NY. If you agree that
Open NY’s policies will hurt
our city then please consider
pulling your support from any
candidate endorsed by them
unless they rescind the endorsement
they received.
We will be discussing some
of these issues at our next meeting.
Please join us on Sept. 28 at
7:30 p.m. at the First Lutheran
Church on Hollywood and
Baisley avenues.
We have asked some candidates
to join us so that you
will be able to hear their platforms
and in doing so cast an
educated vote in November. We
have also asked the new pastor
of the First Lutheran Church,
Dawn Morello, to join us.
We hope to see you at our
next meeting. Bring your
neighbors with you.
BRONX TIMES REPORTER,36 SEPT. 24-30, 2021 BTR
BY ARCHDIOCESE OF NY DRUG
ABUSE PREVENTION PROGRAM
As students return to school,
families may need additional
support as their children transition
back to in-person learning.
Here are some helpful tips for
parents and caregivers to review.
• Establish the importance
of routines.
• Mealtime generally at
the same time/place every
evening.
• Reduce screen time, especially
at night.
• Refreshers on reading,
math, and other skills
they had but may have
forgotten.
• Prepare your child for
the new school year:
• Show them that you are
looking forward to a new
school year.
• Begin modeling and
practicing self-regulation
skills.
• If possible, involve them
in school supply shopping.
• Discuss positive things
about returning to the
school building.
• Encourage them to
share their thoughts
about returning to
school.
• Speak about ways to
stay safe throughout the
school day.
• Brain-storm about how
to handle anxiety about
being back in school.
Model self-regulation in your
family: Self-regulation is the
act of managing thoughts, coping
with big emotions, adapting
and responding to one’s environment
appropriately. It is taught
through interaction with child
and caretaker, as the caretaker
promotes and models healthy behaviors
and coping skills. This is
called co-regulation.
Self-regulation helps you and
your child cope with challenging
feelings, stressors and decisions
to be made together. It promotes
wellbeing across the lifespan and
is important, as it allows children
to do well in school, with
peers and at home.
For a full list of helpful tips
and additional resources, please
visit Adapp.org.
CIVIC CENTER
Throggs Neck Home
Owners Association
BY JOE MONDELLO
Hello Samuel H. Young
members, SAL, boosters,
friends and families.
Hope everyone is well.
Our September general Post
meeting was held this past
Saturday. It was attended by
Legionaries, the SAL and
Boosters. A small handful
showed up, but it will get better.
We went over the Post operations
and building needs.
One of the main concerns
is membership. Not enough
coming in to support the
Post. This is an overall problem
with many organizations
today. Even churches are
lacking attendance.
Blame it on the pandemic.
People are still staying away,
staying home and staying
safe. Just keep us in mind,
when you’re ready the doors
are open. We also mentioned
at the meeting that we are behind
on some of our Post duties,
especially getting out
the membership cards. So to
those members who are reading
this, please be patience.
We have reached out into
the Bronx County organization
for assistance. Our next
Post meeting will be back
on schedule, fi rst Saturday
of each month, which will
be Oct. 2. Meeting time is at
1 p.m. Cmdr. Bill Franklin
is looking forward to greeting
you. Oct. 3 marks the
103rd anniversary of our
name sake Samuel H Young,
a WW1 solider killed 1918 in
France in the battle at the
Hindenburg line. Our movie
night “Under the Stars and
Stripes” program is going
well. Join us for “Godzilla vs.
Kong” on Saturday, Sept. 25
at 8 p.m. This is a free community
event sponsored by
Councilman Mark Gjonaj
and the Westchester Square
BID. Bring your chairs and
blankets.
In closing, a poem by John
Donne, “No man is an island,
Entire of itself; Every man
is a piece of the continent, A
part of the main. If a clod be
washed away by the sea, Europe
is the less,
As well as if a promontory
were: As well as if a manor of
thy friend’s. Or of thine own
were. Any man’s death diminishes
me, Because I am
involved in mankind.
And therefore never send
to know for whom the bell
tolls; It tolls for thee.”
The phrase “no man is an
island” expresses the idea
that human beings do badly
when isolated from others
and need to be part of a community
in order to thrive.
Join the American Legion.
For God and Country.
CIVIC CENTER
Samuel Young
Post 620
/Adapp.org
