Cobble Hill

Running (and organizing) for our schools

Posted on May 4, 2012

What a blast! Last Sunday, hundreds of kids, parents, and teachers from more than three dozen schools came out for the Fifth Annual Brooklyn PTA 5k Run for Schools. Donations are still coming in, but we already know that the race raised more than $10,000 for the first time! Read more »

Remarks upon receiving Landmarks Conservancy Award

Posted on April 30, 2012

New York City Councilmember Brad Lander
Chair, New York City Council’s Landmarks Subcommittee
Remarks for Landmarks Conservancy’s Lucy G. Moses Award
Wednesday, April 26, 2012 Read more »

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Video: Smart growth stories

Smart Growth America
04/25/2012

Where does change come from? Who comes up with the ideas and proposals needed to reinvigorate neighborhoods?

Ask New York City Councilmember Brad Lander and he’ll tell you.

“The community.”

Read more »

Watch the video.
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Put safety first at PS 29

Posted on April 23, 2012

Councilmember Brad Lander's letter to the NYC School Construction Authority regarding asbestos abatement work planned while school is in session.

Ms. Lorraine Grillo
President and Chief Executive Officer
New York City School Construction Authority
3030 Thomson Avenue
Long Island City, NY 11101

Dear President Grillo:

I am writing to strongly urge the School Construction Authority to suspend asbestos abatement work (and other work affecting air quality) at P.S. 29 in Brooklyn until the 2011-2012 school year is over. Asbestos is a known carcinogen, and the lack of clarity, transparency, and discussion about asbestos abatement at P.S. 29 is of great concern. Read more »

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Michael Buscemi's Tribeca Film Fest flick pays rueful homage to Brooklyn's B61 bus

New York Daily News
04/18/2012

It’s a hated Brooklyn bus line - and now it’s a movie.

Actor Michael Buscemi has written and directed a wry little love note to the slow-poke B61 bus, with a Red Hook stop serving as the sole setting for “B61,” which premieres Friday at the Tribeca Film Festival. Read more »

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What does it mean to put students first?

Posted on April 17, 2012

Sign up for the PTA 5k and help fundraise for Brooklyn PTAs.

 

More than just about anything else we do in New York City government, our public schools reflect a shared commitment to our city’s future. For me, our schools are a place of real civic magic, where our kids learn to be tomorrow’s innovators, leaders, writers, engineers, teachers, and citizens. I love spending time in classrooms, at after-school arts programs, and at PTA meetings.

So I’m proud to again be a sponsor of the Brooklyn PTA 5k run, on Sunday, April 29th at 9 AM, in which students, parents, teachers, principals, and friends come together to raise money collectively for our schools. I hope you’ll register now to join us this year. This is one of the few events I’m aware of anywhere in the city where PTAs raise money together, across schools, with an eye toward equity.

Please sign-up today. Read more »

The Voters Speak: Yes to Bathrooms

New York Times
04/06/2012

The bathrooms won.

Last week’s Metropolitan cover article, “Putting In Their 2 Cents,” chronicled an experiment in participatory budgeting, in which residents of each of four City Council districts decided how to spend roughly $1 million of their council member’s budgets for neighborhood improvements. Voting on the proposals ended last Sunday, and votes were tallied last week. Read more »

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Audio: Participatory Budgeting Winners

The Brian Lehrer Show
04/03/2012

Four city council districts let constituents decide how to allocate some funds. Brad Lander, Brooklyn City Councilman (D 39), and Alexa Kasdan, director of research and policy for the Community Development Project at the Urban Justice Center, review the results. Plus Christine Petro, Windsor Terrace resident, and George Sanchez, Cobble Hill resident, talk about their projects that received funding.  Read more »

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And the winning projects are …

Posted on April 2, 2012

Wow! This weekend, more than 2,200 of you came out and took part in what the New York Times called “revolutionary civics in action” – NYC’s first experiment with a new form of hyper-local democracy, participatory budgeting.

I was deeply heartened by the energy that so many of you have put in since we launched the effort last fall, attending brainstorming meetings, joining delegate committees, and voting on the final slate of projects.

And now, I am proud to announce the winning projects from the vote:

  1. Renovation of two dysfunctional bathrooms at PS 124 ($150,000, 958 votes)
  2. Innovative community composting system near Gowanus Canal to turn 1 ton/day of food waste into soil ($165,000, 919 votes)
  3. Planting 100 new trees on blocks throughout the district with few or no trees ($100,000, 767 votes)
  4. New technology for PS 130 and PS 154 ($140,000, 758 votes)
  5. Repairing Prospect Park pedestrian paths to prevent flooding, and adding trash cans in the park ($205,000, 648 votes)
  6. Repairs and safety improvements at the dangerous Prospect Expressway/Church Avenue pedestrian crossing ($200,000, 606 votes)
  7. New books and equipment for the Kensington public library to enhance the branch’s use for meetings, storytelling, rehearsals, and small performances promoting Kensington's cultural diversity ($80,000, 582 votes)
    Read more »