City Council Speaker candidates weigh
in on parks and outdoor spaces
Caribbean Life, NOVEMBER 19-25, 2021 35
By Morgan C. Mullings
Four of the six candidates
for NYC Council speaker
joined in an online forum
Nov. 17 focusing on the city’s
green spaces.
City Council Members Justin
Brannan (D-Brooklyn),
Francisco Moya (D-Queens),
Keith Powers (D-Manhattan)
and Carlina Rivera (D-Manhattan)
and Council Memberelect
Gale Brewer (D-Manhattan)
participated and the
conversation centered on new
approaches to funding and
improving parks and other
outdoor spaces in each borough.
Here is the highlights:
The 1% rule
This topic has been brought
up in mayoral forums as well,
with mayor-elect Eric Adams
committed to giving 1% of
the city’s budget to parks. It
is currently allotted about
0.5% of the budget, compared
to other cities that use
1% as a baseline and spend
much more percentage-wise.
All four attendees agreed that
this is the way to go.
“I think if we could do
more, we would. You have
to baseline it,” said Brewer,
speaker from her recent experience
as Manhattan borough
president.
“We’ve had decades and
decades of mayors being just
cavalier about gutting the
Parks Department budget,
and dedicating just 1% of the
city’s budget to parks would
bring us closer to the more
generous funding levels in
the past,” said Brannan.
Rivera brought up an equity
lens that reminded forum
attendees that not everyone
has access to parks, and when
they do, many need repairs.
“Our parks are only
enjoyed by a privileged few
and too many communities
get left behind on money and
priorities. And that’s something
that I’ve been working
on with my colleagues, especially
in some of our outer
boroughs,” Rivera said.
The procurement process
All the candidates said the
procurement of funds and
capital to get projects done
for a specific park or project
is extremely difficult.
Brewer noted that just
putting bathrooms in a park
can cost upwards of $1 million,
and the process is very
flawed. In her response, she
said, “I mean, a lot of firms
will not bid with the city of
New York because it takes so
long. So the question is, can
you pay people faster so that
they will bid and then the
procurement process would
be faster?“
Moya also said that because
the process isn’t streamlined,
projects they fight for
are often started long after
the council members leave
office. “We have to maximize
our dollars in the way that
you know that benefits the
most number of New Yorkers,
with a particular focus on
the underserved areas,” Moya
said. As a council member for
the 21st district, he serves
a neighborhood with one of
the lowest amounts of greenspace:
Jackson Heights.
“We can actually put
money in the budget right
now to make sure that we’re
doing the maintenance on
the parks and that way we
can save ourselves for three,
five years,” Powers added.
Open streets and outdoor
dining
As supporters of the outdoor
dining programs instituted
during the worst of the
pandemic in NYC, the candidates
all had different views
on how to maintain it safely.
Brewer was not available for
this portion of the debate,
but the other three gave their
opinions.
“I think it really comes
down to making sure that
our small businesses are not
going to get subtly blindsided
if we decide to start monetizing
the outdoor dining,” said
Brannan. Getting approved
for and finding the money to
The City Council Chambers at City Hall.
execute outdoor dining space
was made significantly easier
during COVID-19, but businesses
are not sure how long
that will last, he said.
Rivera wrote the legislation
that originally proposed
the emergency open streets
program in 2020, and she
believes that it is time to
make them permanent. “We
made it central to our legislation
that any community
that wanted it where it’s
appropriate, could have an
open street, and they would
have access to city support
and resources. And that way
we can ensure equity and
access,” she said.
Powers also said that continuing
the open streets and
outdoor dining programs is
essential. “The hospitality
industry is going to continue
to be impacted by the lack
of folks who are visiting the
city,” he said.
On prioritizing people and
transit over cars, Brannan,
Rivera and Powers support
Transportation Alternatives’
25 by 25 plan to repurpose
25% of street space. Moya did
not give a clear yes or no, and
Brewer was not on the call to
answer.
Climate resilience
Resilience is bound to be
a topic of conversation in
the council because of Hurricane
Ida’s lasting impact
on several neighborhoods in
Queens, Brooklyn and even
Manhattan. All of the candidates
at the forum supported
the development of a climate
resiliency plan for the whole
city. Brewer said that maintaining
the sewage system is
key to mitigating the effects
of floods, but admitted that
there isn’t much that can
be done without significant
financial investment. “We
do need to work with the
Department of Environmental
Protection on what we can
do for storing more rainwater
so that it doesn’t end up in
the rivers,” Brewer said.
Rivera said that climate
change can also be treated
as a housing issue because of
the basement apartments and
homeowners that are affected.
Powers noted that the last
few weather events exposed
weakness in City Hall, that
“we don’t have agencies ready
or capable.”
The 51 members of the
NYC Council will vote for
speaker in January.
City Councilmember Francisco
Moya.
Council Member Keith Powers.
City Council Member Justin
Brannan. Jason Jamal Nakleh