Carroll Gardens

Our City's budget, and our values

Posted on July 1, 2013

Last week was a busy one at City Hall. We passed two important police reform bills (more on those here), overrode the mayor’s veto of legislation that will guarantee paid sick days for a million more New York workers, and we passed the City’s FY2014 budget, for the fiscal year that begins today (for good measure, we also passed a bill to “save brunch,” which had apparently become threatened due to an outdated law).

In budget negotiations, we were able restore the essential public services proposed for cuts by Mayor Bloomberg. Libraries will keep their full hours. Low-income families will keep their childcare. Our neighborhood firehouses, parks, and pools will remain open. You can access all the details of the City’s FY2014 budget here, and on those areas where the Council focused on restorations and additions here. Read more »

The power of our students’ imagination

Posted on June 30, 2013

With the end of each school year, I am moved by what extraordinary places our public schools are.  To me, there is no better celebration of democracy than a fifth grade graduation: rooted in the idea that every single student has the potential to achieve their goals and has the right to get a real opportunity to try, that equality and diversity matter, and that we get there by organizing ourselves together, in shared, common, public schools. Read more »

More Steps Toward a Greener NYC

Posted on June 12, 2013

A cleaner environment starts at home – by reducing waste and saving electricity – but it also requires taking action together.

Environmental sustainability has been a priority for me at the City Council and in our neighborhoods. I’ve fought for a cleaner Gowanus Canal, reduced cruise ship pollution on our waterfront, greener building and zoning codes, and expanded recycling.

But Hurricane Sandy was a wake-up call that the realities of climate change are here, and we have to do more. Please join me this summer as we take steps for a greener New York City. Read more »

Great news: SUNY withdraws plan to close LICH!

Posted on April 26, 2013

Statement of NYC Council Speaker Christine Quinn, Members Brad Lander & Stephen Levin

“We are relieved and happy to learn that SUNY Downstate Medical Center withdrew its proposal to close Long Island College Hospital. This is an incredible victory for Downtown Brooklyn and its residents. Read more »

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DOE to replace PS 146 lights to prevent PCB exposure

Posted on April 15, 2013

Thanks to the activism of parents, New York Communities for Change, and elected officials, DOE has agreed to replace the light fixtures at the Brooklyn New School (PS 146) and MS 448. 

After leaks were discovered in the school's light fixtures last year, parents rallied to have the fixtures replaced. Light fixtures installed decades ago can leak toxic PCBs, a health risk for students. Read more »

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And the winning projects are...

Posted on April 8, 2013

What a weekend!

Yesterday, we wrapped up our second Participatory Budgeting vote - the culmination of a process that empowers New Yorkers to decide how tax dollars are spent on projects in their neighborhoods. Read more »

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Unveiling the PB ballot

Posted on March 29, 2013

Which projects will get your vote? The 2013 Participatory Budgeting ballot is here, with great projects that will invest in building a better neighborhood for us to share.

And next week, we will be kicking off the Participatory Budgeting Vote, with early voting Tuesday through Thursday and voting locations in your neighborhood on Saturday and Sunday (April 6th and 7th). The projects that get the most votes will be funded in this year’s City budget. Read more »

New Computers and Pedestrian Safety on Carroll Gardens Budget List

DNA Info
03/21/2013

COBBLE HILL AND CARROLL GARDENS — Renovated school bathrooms and new computers at Carroll Gardens Library  are some of the projects that could become a reality through City Councilman Brad Lander’s participatory budget program.

The program allows the community decide how to spend $1 million of Lander’s discretionary budget for public improvements.

Last fall, the several local committees brainstormed over ideas and narrowed them down based on use, feasibility and expense, since each project has a $500,000 limit. Read more »

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What starts in PB doesn't always end in PB

Posted on March 21, 2013

Participatory Budgeting update from Neil Reilly, District Committee Member and former Transit Committee Delegate

Through patience and persistence, bringing real change to our neighborhoods is possible through Participatory Budgeting—even when a project doesn’t fit the budget or scope of PB! Read more »

Participatory Budgeting Offers Chance to Vote for Livable Streets Projects

Streetsblog
03/18/2013

Eight city council members have put a portion of their discretionary capital funds up for a vote as part of an exercise in participatory budgeting, which allows residents to decide how the money will be spent in their own neighborhoods. Votes in each district are approaching soon, and there’s an opportunity to support livable streets projects.

The participating council members are David Greenfield, Brad Lander, Stephen Levin, and Jumaane D. Williams of Brooklyn; Dan Halloran, Eric Ulrich, and Mark Weprin of Queens; and Melissa Mark-Viverito of Manhattan. Each has put up $1 million in discretionary capital funds, with residents submitting ideas that will appear in early April on a final ballot, open to district residents age 16 and older.

In Lander’s district, stretching from Cobble Hill to Borough Park, there are five projects related to pedestrian safety and livable streets Read more »

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