20 THE QUEENS COURIER • NOVEMBER 25, 2021 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
City Council speaker candidates weigh in on parks and outdoor spaces
BY MORGAN C. MULLINGS
editorial@qns.com
@QNS
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 member-elect 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 are
the highlights:
The 1% rule
Th is 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,” Brannan
said.
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 specifi c park or project is extremely
diffi cult.
Brewer noted that just putting bathrooms
in a park can cost upwards of $1
million, and the process is very fl awed.
In her response, she said, “I mean, a lot
of fi rms 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 fi ght
for are oft en started long aft er the Council
members leave offi ce. “We have to maximize
our dollars in the way that you
know that benefi ts 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 green space: 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,
fi ve 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 diff erent 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,”
Brannan said. Getting approved for and
fi nding the money to execute outdoor
dining space was made signifi cantly 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. “Th e 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 eff ects
of fl oods, but admitted that there isn’t
much that can be done without signifi cant
fi nancial 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 aff ected. Powers noted that the
last few weather events exposed weakness
in City Hall, that “we don’t have agencies
ready or capable.”
Th e 51 members of the NYC Council
will vote for speaker in January.
Richards launches ‘Civics in the Classroom’ student engagement initiative
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
cmohamed@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
To teach students about the importance
of civic engagement in their communities,
Queens Borough President Donovan
Richards announced the launch of “Civics
in the Classroom” at Bayside High School
on Tuesday, Nov. 16.
Richards and Bayside High School
Principal Tracy Martinez hosted a discussion
with hundreds of students about the
importance of voting, being involved in
one’s community and much more.
Th e Civics in the Classroom initiative
supplements existing curriculum by connecting
with high school students across
the borough about civic engagement.
Richards says he hopes to not only educate
students about civic engagement, but
also empower them to be the change-makers
the city and country needs.
“Th e youngest among us are courageously
leading nationwide movements
around systemic discrimination, gun violence,
voting rights, climate change and
more, giving us all so much hope for the
future of our society,” Richards said. “But
there are still far too many young people
who are unaware of their power or unsure
of their place in our city.”
Th e initiative is led by Richards’ Civic
Engagement Coordinator Tim Chubinidze.
Civics in the Classroom will visit one
Queens high school each week and include
interactive presentations and quizzes about
the roles of local and citywide elected offi -
cials’ offi ces, how to address quality-oflife
issues through city government and
the signifi cance of civic involvement. Th e
initiative will continue aft er NYC schools’
Th anksgiving recess.
Meanwhile, Richards’ Civic Engagement
Committee, made up of dozens of community
stakeholders, has been active throughout
the year.
On behalf of the borough president, the
committee has sponsored various public
facing events such as three separate
ranked-choice voting training sessions this
spring and a virtual redistricting town hall
this fall, as well as regular tabling appearances
across Queens to meet with borough
residents in their own communities.
School administrators who would like
more information or wish to participate
in the borough president’s Civics
in the Classroom initiative can contact
Chubunidze via info@queensbp.org.
File photo
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