Cobble Hill

Brooklyn Electeds Statement on LICH Settlement

Posted on February 24, 2014

BROOKLYN -- Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez, State Senator Daniel Squadron, Assemblywoman Joan Millman, and City Councilmembers Brad Lander, Steve Levin, and Carlos Menchaca released the following statement in response to the settlement agreement reached today regarding Long Island College Hospital (LICH):

"We've long urged SUNY and the State to agree to a new, more open RFP process for LICH, to make sure our community and all of Brooklyn have the best possible healthcare outcome. Read more »

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Brooklyn Elected Officials Respond to SUNY on LICH

Posted on February 1, 2014

BROOKLYN -- Today, Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez, State Senator Daniel Squadron, Assemblywoman Joan Millman, and Councilmembers Brad Lander, Steve Levin, and Carlos Menchaca sent the following letter to State University of New York (SUNY) Chairman Carl McCall regarding Long Island College Hospital (LICH): Read more »

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Brooklyn Elected Officials' Statement on LICH

Posted on January 29, 2014

BROOKLYN -- Today, Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez, State Senators Daniel Squadron and Velmanette Montgomery, Assemblywoman Joan Millman, Public Advocate Letitia James, and Councilmembers Brad Lander, Steve Levin, and Carlos Menchaca released the following statement regarding Long Island College Hospital (LICH): Read more »

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What to know before it snows

Posted on January 2, 2014

If weather predictions are correct, we are in for a lot of snow this evening and tomorrow. I wanted to share what I know about city services to help you prepare.

My staff has been in communication with the Sanitation garages in our district. They have begun salting our streets and are preparing to plow once the snow starts. When many of us will be at home and warm, Sanitation and many other City workers will be on the streets keeping us safe. Thank you to each of them. Read more »

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What We're Thankful For

Posted on November 22, 2013

It’s easy to be cynical about Thanksgiving – to get lost in excesses of turkey and pumpkin pie and “black Friday” consumerism.  The holiday’s history is complicated (as my daughter, who is studying Westward Expansion, keeps reminding me), rooted in a moment when our young country was disenfranchising Native Americans who were already here. Read more »

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We want your ideas

Posted on September 18, 2013

Two years ago, we tried something new. New Yorkers were given the power to decide how to spend tax dollars on projects in their neighborhood.

That idea, Participatory Budgeting, has been a huge success. Thousands of neighbors have given ideas, joined committees to develop proposals, and come out to vote. Based on your votes, we’ve funded 15 projects. And, even more importantly, we’ve seen a new excitement for local democracy. The New York Times called it “revolutionary civics in action.” And now participatory budgeting has spread to nine City Council districts across the city. Read more »

Civil Disobedience to Defend our Hospital

Posted on July 24, 2013

Today, I was arrested while standing up to the illegal closure of Long Island College Hospital.

With LICH nurses and other workers from SEIU 1199 and the New York State Nurses Association, the National Action Network, and other community members, we blocked traffic to draw attention to the increasingly dire situation at the hospital.

Civil disobedience was central to many important struggles in our nation’s history, including in the civil rights movement. But the decision to risk arrest for what is right is not something I take lightly. Read more »

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Call Governor Cuomo - don't close our community hospital!

Posted on July 19, 2013

Brooklyn needs LICH and Governor Cuomo’s support is essential. He oversees the Department of Health and SUNY, the two agencies that are putting LICH’s future in question.

We need you to call on Governor Cuomo to urge the Department of Health to reject SUNY’s closure plan, immediately stop the closure of all departments, and require SUNY to continue operating the hospital until a new provider is identified.

Call Governor Cuomo at (518) 474-8390. Read more »

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Great steps forward for the G train

Posted on July 18, 2013

If you’re like me, you’ve often had to make the “G train shuffle,” sometimes with your kids or packages in tow. Because G trains are shorter than the platform, and stop in different locations, somehow I’m never in the right place when the train arrives.

Thanks to smart advocacy and hard work by advocates and elected officials, the “G train shuffle” will soon come to an end. And we’ll see other much-needed improvements to the G (aka the “Brooklyn Local”) as well. Read more »

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