3 Queens lawmakers blast city for shelter spending
QUEENS WEEKLY, FEB. 24, 2019
BY JENNA BAGCAL
Northeast Queens
officials are seeking financial
transparency
from Mayor Bill de Blasio
as the fight against
the College Point shelter
continues.
State Sen. John Liu,
Councilman Paul Vallone,
and state Assemblyman
Dan Rosenthal gathered
in front of the proposed
site at 127-03 20th Ave.
on Feb. 14 and asked that
the mayor disclose a full
financial breakdown of
the costs of the men’s
shelter proposal.
At the Feb. 11 budget
hearing in Albany, de Blasio
ensured that the city
is doing everything in its
power to reduce costs to
house the homeless population.
According to the
city’s budget director, the
Department of Homeless
Services (DHS) budget
is $2.1 billion, with $1.25
billion going toward the
sheltering of 61,000 homeless
individuals.
“That equates to roughly
$20,000 for a homeless
person being sheltered,”
Liu said.
The lawmakers argued
that the numbers reported
by the city’s budget director
did not add up to the
numbers DHS reported
back in December at a
town hall meeting. DHS
Commissioner Jackie Bray
reported that the shelter
project would cost about $9
million to house 200 homeless
men each year. She
said that the cost would
cover housing each shelter
resident in addition to
shelter services, employee
salaries, maintenance
and transportation.
“That equates to $45,000
per bed. That is far out of
line with the citywide average
of $20,000; in fact, it’s
more than double what the
city’s paying,” said Liu.
“Once again, the city’s
approach to the homelessness
crisis falls short of the
mark,” Rosenthal added.
“Not only is the proposed
College Point shelter an
ill-advised decision for the
community and our vulnerable
populations, it is
fiscally irresponsible.
According to information
from DHS, the cost
to house the 200 homeless
men would be far less
than $45,000 a year. Rent
for the property would be
$2.8 million, which equals
about $14,200 per person
per year.
Since the beginning of
the shelter conversation,
opponents have criticized
the building’s landlord,
David Levitan of Liberty
One Group, for his lack of
transparency when filing
the permits for the building.
Vallone said that Levitan
never used the word
“shelter” and indicated
that there were only going
to renovate the inside of
the building.
“The testimony this
week from the mayor just
further amplified the conversation
we’ve been having
as to our opposition to
any owner making a sale
for profit on the backs of
communities,” said Vallone.
“By David Levitan’s
own admission, he profits
about a thousand dollars
per homeless person
per month. It seems that
business is good.”
The officials added that
they would continue working
with local civic and
advocate groups including
A Better College Point and
the College Point Civic and
Taxpayers Association.
“The unity is there and
we will help any of the
groups,” said Vallone. “Any
way you can oppose it, we’ll
be there. There’s so many
different branches of that
opposition but we will help
that opposition.”
TimesLedger reached
out to the mayor’s office and
is waiting for a response.
Reach reporter Jenna
Bagcal by e-mail at jbagcal@
qns.com or by phone at
(718) 224-5863 ext. 214.
BY ROBERT POZARYCKI
One of the most wide-open
races in New York City history
will be decided Feb. 26,
as voters head to the polls for
the special election to choose
the next public advocate.
Seventeen candidates
qualified for the ballot in the
nonpartisan contest to fill the
seat vacated by state Attorney
General Letitia James,
who resigned on Dec. 31,
2018. Mayor Bill de Blasio ordered
the Feb. 26 special election,
which will determine
who will occupy the public
advocate’s office for the rest
of 2019; another election will
be held in November to determine
who will serve out the
remainder of James’ public
advocate term, which expires
in 2021.
Because it’s a nonpartisan
race, none of the political
parties can nominate a
candidate, though they may
choose to endorse someone.
Each of the 17 candidates
had to secure their own petitions
and ballot lines with
party-neutral names like
“For the People” or “Equality
for All” or “Community
Strong.” Many of these candidates’
campaigns have
received matching funds
from the city’s Campaign
Finance Bureau.
The public advocate
serves as the city’s ombudsman,
an official designated
to be a link between city
government and the people it
represents.
The public advocate is recognized
as a non-voting member
of the City Council, but
has the authority to create
and introduce legislation.
Moreover, the public
advocate is the first in the
line of mayoral succession,
meaning that the public advocate
would become mayor
should Bill de Blasio vacate
the office.
The Campaign Finance
Bureau’s website
has the biographies and
short videos of each candidate
on the ballot in
the Feb. 26 special election.
Here’s the list of
the candidates in order
of their ballot position,
with their ballot names
in parentheses:
- Former City Council
Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito
(Fix the MTA)
- Assemblyman Michael
Blake (For the People)
- Attorney Dawn Smalls
(No More Delays)
- City Councilman Eric Ulrich
(Common Sense)
- City Councilman Ydanis
Rodriguez (Unite Immigrants)
- Assemblyman Daniel J.
O’Donnell (Equality for All)
- City Councilman Rafael
Espinal (Livable City)
- Assemblywoman Latrice
Walker (Power Forward)
- City Councilman Jumaane
Williams (It’s Time
Let’s Go)
- Assemblyman Ron Kim
(No Amazon)
- Coding and civics teacher
Benjamin Yee (Community
Strong)
- Attorney Manny Alicandro
(Better Leaders)
- Investigative journalist
Nomiki Konst (Pay Folks
More)
- History professor and author
David Eisenbach (Stop
REBNY)
- Attorney Jared Rich (Jared
Rich for NYC)
- Community consultant
Anthony Tony Herbert (Residents
First)
- Helal A. Sheikh (Friends
of Helal) (editor’s note: This
candidate did not provide
information or a video to
the CFB)
The public advocate special
election is open to all
registered voters in New
York City. Polls are open
Feb. 26 from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.;
the winner of the contest
will be sworn in as public
advocate upon certification
of the results.
(From l. to r.) State Assemblyman Daniel Rosenthal, state Sen. John Liu and City Councilman
Paul Vallone. Photo by Jenna Bagcal
Here’s all 17 candidates running for public advocate
File photo
link
link
/qns.com
