Doug Biviano
Ask State Assembly Candidate Doug Biviano about himself, and the first thing he’ll say is he’s a P.S. 8 parent who was born and raised in Brooklyn. Then, almost as if to prove it, he’ll ask the waitress at Heights Café to bring him a Brooklyn Brewery beer. (more…)
Brooklyn Heights resident and NYS Assembly candidate Doug Biviano has written an Op-Ed piece for the Brooklyn Paper:
Brooklyn Paper: Coupled with the state’s arcane election law, it is virtually impossible for challengers to win. Legally complicated by design, election law is used by the incumbents to throw hundreds of challengers off the ballot, resulting in 98 percent being re-elected no matter how bad of a job they are doing, no matter how badly they hurt us and the state.
Assemblywoman Millman is directly responsible for this crisis in democracy because she chairs the Assembly’s Election Law Committee, the sole chairperson who has the power to affect real reform, yet she has done nothing of substance and has not been held one bit accountable, not even for her $12,500 lulu. But has the broken election law that Millman protects knocked off challengers with the skills to fix this state? Yes.
NYS Senator Daniel Squadron writes a counter-point to Biviano:
Brooklyn Paper: So, how can we fix it? Can it even be fixed?
After 18 months in the Senate, I know that it can.
The truth is, despite ongoing frustration — on the budget, campaign finance reform, housing, buses and subways, and other issues — I do believe the senate has already achieved some important victories. We passed comprehensive ethics reform out of the legislature, including my bill to close the “Bruno Gap,” making it illegal for public officers to use government resources for outside, for-profit business.
We implemented rules reform to improve the legislative process, including a more equitable allocation of resources and a greater ability for rank-and-file members to get bills voted on in committees and before the entire house. And these procedural changes have been matched by some significant policy successes, including reform of the Rockefeller Drug Laws, new oversight of public authorities, a green jobs program, and the bill I sponsored to federalize 21 public-housing developments and bring in hundreds of millions of dollars in federal aid.
Something really did come “off” after yesterday’s news that the BHA hadn’t been filled in about the Economic Development Corporation’s reported plan to curb tourist helicopter noise over Brooklyn Heights. (more…)
BHB photo by C. Scales
BHB reader Drew Burchenal is flippin’ mad about the constant flow of tour company helicopters flying over Brooklyn Bridge Park and Brooklyn Heights every day. We recently proposed a 4 hour quiet period and no night flights and Mr. Burchenal asks for at least reduction in flights in his letter if not a total ban. The BHA also seeks a total ban. (Our final proposal will be based on your input so please go here to discuss.)
In a letter to State Senator Daniel Squadron, City Councilmember Steve Levin and others, Burchenal says, “The helicopters zoom right overhead like a scene out of Apocalypse Now. This community has worked for 20 years to get that park going and Mayor Bloomberg, with the help of the NYC Economic Development Corporation, ruined the whole atmosphere with the stroke of a pen.”
He also created a YouTube video of the crazy helicopter traffic to bolster his case. Read his full letter and see the video after the jump. (more…)
Yesterday, NYS Senator Daniel Squadron took to the floor in support of the state’s ultimately failed bill in support of marriage equality.
“It’s such a small bill, just a couple of pages,” he said. “But it’s a very powerful bill.” Squadron goes on to describe his recent marriage, which he described as the “most powerful and moving experience in my life.” In the end, the bill was voted down 38-24.
Squadron sent out this e-mail to his supporters: (more…)
The Brooklyn Heights Association met with the Economic Development Corporation and the Federal Aviation Administration Friday (10/30) to voice its concern over the planned increase in tourist helicopter flights over the area. BHA Executive Director Judy Stanton tells the Brooklyn Paper they left the meeting with a “lot less than expected.”
Brooklyn Paper: A decade of complaints about the existing noise led to the Oct. 30 meeting with the Economic Development Corporation, the Federal Aviation Administration, the Brooklyn Heights Association, state Sen. Daniel Squadron (D-Brooklyn Heights), Councilman David Yassky (D-Brooklyn Heights) and Assemblywoman Joan Millman (D-Carroll Gardens). But all that the chopper opponents learned at the confab was that there is very little accountability where helicopters are involved.
“We came out of the meeting with a lot less than we expected,” said Judy Stanton, executive director of the Brooklyn Heights Association.
But Squadron was happy to have been at the table, seeing it as a first step towards trimming non-essential tourist flights.
“We’re working on ending the lack of government oversight of the helicopter business,” he said. “The best way to do this will be to have helicopter companies, the EDC and the FAA at the table.”
Below: BHB/Scales; Above: BHB/Portlock
Now that the Albany legislative coup is over, our man (formerly “kid”) in the State Senate, Daniel Squadron, can finally focus on his wedding.
This weekend, Squadron will marry his longtime girlfriend, Liz Weinstein, who works in the mayor’s Office of Operations. Daniel and his staff have been very, very tightlipped about any further details surrounding the event, other than to say it’s happening and it’s happening in Manhattan.
But this much we know: Squadron was on the floor of the Senate, voting on 135 bills until 2 am Friday morning, less than 48 hours before his wedding. (more…)
We called NYS Senator Daniel Squadron this morning to get his thoughts on yesterday’s state senate coup, and spokesman John Raskin says Squadron is in conference with his Democratic colleagues and can talk later this afternoon. We will keep you posted.
UPDATE: Squadron’s chief of staff, John Raskin, just sent us this statement:
“As you know, Senator Squadron supports a Democratic State Senate because it is a vital component of reaching the most important goals in our community and our city. This is no time to retreat on such long-held priorities as investing in education, improving public transportation, and creating a more transparent and accountable state government.”
This morning on The Brian Lehrer Show, State Senator Daniel Squadron spoke about why he wants to bring a residential parking permit system to New York City. Jay Rowell, deputy director of the Chicago City Clerk’s office, and Judson True, spokesperson for the San Francisco Municipal Transit Authority, discuss how it works in their cities–and whether it’s a moneymaker.
Read about the plan to bring residential parking permits to New York in the Brooklyn Paper and Second Avenue Sagas.
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