Thursday, October 17, 2013

The Voice of Voters re: "Married" to Bill DeBlasio....................A Joint Memoir from Some Ex-Constituents

CG CORD Newsletter 10/17/2013

The Voice of Voters

Hello from CORD!

We heard from many readers---regarding our recent piece, "Married" to Bill DeBlasio....................A Joint Memoir from Some Ex-Constituents
co-published with PMFA yesterday.

Not everyone wanted their comments published, but here is one from: Joe from Carroll Gardens.  Please read on:

"Can recall many years ago, getting a sepia-toned mailing of an old Italian immigrant and how a Bill DeBlasio reflected on that heritage etc etc

I thought his name sounded so much like Dibrienza that many of the older folks might just get confused in the voting booths?

Years later, I recall a local paper (believe the reporter was Eric Enquist now with CriansNY) saying his DeBlasio name was actually Warren Wilhelm am that a German ancestry at that time, decades ago would have made it a far harder climb into the political ranks.

He hadn't officially changed his name until a year before running for public Advocate -- which meant that each election he ran in an AKA which is against NY State law. You have to sign your real name - and attest to any AKAs, which would mean he was fraudulently identifying himself? This law prevents anyone from running as Martin Luther King Jr. Etc - but didn't slow down a Bill DeBlasio (whose wife also worked at the Board of Elections).

Today, we can google and discover that despite DeBlasio's new narrative of why/how/when he changed his name -- his own mother was using the Wilhelm name in 1988 when she published her book (covered by the NY Times). So if She was using it - and his brothers still are - what's the weight of his new story?"


"Joe from
Carroll Gardens"
 
We encourage all of our District 39 neighbors to send your comments and/or your Bill DeBlasio experiences to cgcord@gmail.com.
If you would like your comments published, please give us express permission in your email to do so.


CORD!
 
For more information:

10/16/2013  "Married" to Bill DeBlasio....................A Joint Memoir from Some Ex-Constituents
http://carrollgardenspetition.blogspot.com/2013/10/married-to-bill-deblasioa-joint-memoir.html 

10/16/2013  "Married" to Bill DeBlasio....................A Joint Memoir from Some Ex-Constituents
http://pardonmeforasking.blogspot.com/2013/10/married-to-bill-deblasioa-joint-memoir.html


9/29/2013  Gowanus Canal to Mayoral Hopefuls DeBlasio and Lhota: "STAND BY ME!!"
http://carrollgardenspetition.blogspot.com/2013/09/hello-from-cord-tomorrow-epa-is.html
(Note:  As of today's writing, we have had no response from the mayoral candidates)

9/7/2013  Questions for Christine Quinn AND all the NYC Mayoral Candidates 
http://carrollgardenspetition.blogspot.com/2013/09/questions-for-christine-quinn-and-all_7.html



Wednesday, October 16, 2013

"Married" to Bill DeBlasio....................A Joint Memoir from Some Ex-Constituents

"Married" to Bill DeBlasio....................A Joint Memoir from Some Ex-Constituents

Our affair with Bill DeBlasio began sometime in 1999 when he became our School Board Representative.
We were attracted to his drive, his enthusiam and yes, even his ambition. He flirted with us--we responded.
The marriage was consummated when we elected him our Council Member in 2001. He married each of us...all of the men, women and children of District 39.
He appeared to be quite the catch---well-spoken, attentive, an engaged conversationalist who seemed to listen with every fiber of his being. He was tall, handsome, charming---He was a Democratic representative in a Democratic demographic--he had ties with a former President and was an advisor to a potential one---The honeymoon had begun. We were willingly seduced and felt very lucky.
We were unaware then, that we did not even know his real name.
It was not long before we learned that his style of representation was very different to what we had become accustomed to. He was not readily available by phone--he was rarely in his office and there were intermediaries that we were told to deal with instead of him.
It seemed like he was never home.
This was a very different type of commitment---one this corner of the 39th had  certainly never seen before.
Four years into our relationship, we renewed our vows, but it became clear that Bill had set his sights on much greener, much larger pastures. All of the signs were there and of course, conflicts arose.
Developers seemed to be targetting our community. High rise, out of context apartment buildings tearing the fabric of our historic brownstone neighborhood--changing our surroundings faster than our infrastructure or current environment could possibly accommodate.
What did our Champion DeBlasio do?
Then, in April of 2009, the filthy Gowanus Canal was miraculously nominated to the National Priorities List--an event that any faithful partner would have cheered....instead
Our Bill declared that the Canal "was not that dirty" and proceeded to support the New York City Plan which scoffed at the facts and scientific findings of the EPA.
Perhaps if this had been the last of our disappointments, our relationship and inevitable parting could have been more pleasant. He was now the certain Public Advocate to Be and he had more than one foot out the door.
 Bill moved on to his Public Advocate position--where his tenure left us, to put it politely, unsatisfied. The EPA vs the City of New York battle raged over the Gowanus Canal's future, and our Bill, our neighbor, our former partner and most importantly,  OUR PUBLIC ADVOCATE, had not one word to say about the environmental/public health hazard coursing through the heart of his former district.
Throwing his hat into the Mayoral race at the end of the Public Advocate gig, was not a surprise. We did find him predictable and ever self serving.
It may come as a surprise to you that Bill can deride the worst landords in New York City on one hand and accept their money with the other...but it does not surprise us.
One day Charter Schools must go--next day--they can stay if they pay rent--next day they won't be pushed out if they can't pay......all too familiar to us.
Bill tells a tale of two cities combined with the I am Robin Hood stance. It is a catchy platform--who would not fall in love iwth someone who professes to better the lives of the poor, champion the underserved and better educate our children while taxing the rich?
However, this same Robin Hood, this same equalizer, this former partner of ours has also publicly characterized himself both a progressive and a fiscal conservative. We suppose it depends on who is in the audience at the time.
It seems as though Bill is counting on the fact that New York is still a Democratic city--and what he says will not really be measured or remembered.
He is wrong.
After all these years, we can say that we know the man known as School Board Member Bill DeBlasio. We remember the man known as Councilman Bill DeBlasio and we experienced the man known as Public Advocate Bill DeBlasio.
We have seen the many shades of Bill and we know what a relationship with Bill DeBlasio might bring. Now, he is courting you.
Published jointly by CORD and Pardon Me for Asking

We encourage all of our District 39 neighbors to send your comments and/or your Bill DeBlasio experiences to cgcord@gmail.com.
If you would like your comments published, please give us express permission in your email to do so.

Friday, October 4, 2013

To Repeat: Monday was a MONUMENTAL Day in CG/Gowanus!

                                   CG CORD Newsletter 10/04/2013          

Hurricane Sandy Floods Gowanus Canal to Bond St. 10/2012  Photo c. Triada Samaras

Hello from CORD!

We could not have said it better ourselves:

Monday 9/30/2013 was a MONUMENTAL day for Gowanus/Carroll Gardens and there is so much to celebrate!

With the the EPA's ROD/Record of Decision announced on Monday, the final plan to clean the highly contaminated Gowanus Canal is now public record.

"After 150 years of environmental abuse, which turned it into one of the most contaminated bodies of water, there is a plan to remediate the 1.8 mile toxic canal, and that plan has just been written into law" 
LINK
http://pardonmeforasking.blogspot.com/2013/09/a-monumental-day-for-gowanus-epa.html

This event did not happen in a vacuum.

CORD would especially like to thank the EPA, whose tireless persistence and passion led to this decision.  The following extraordinary people must be noted:

EPA Region 2 team including EPA Regional Manager, Judith Enck;  Walter Mugdan, EPA Region 2's Director of the Division of Environmental Planning and Protection, Christos Tsiamis, EPA Region 2 project manager for the Gowanus Canal, Brian Carr, EPA Region 2 lawyer, and Natalie Loney, EPA Region 2 Community Involvement Coordinator.
In addition we would like to mention Bob Percersepe and the folks in the EPA/ Washington, DC office.

Furthermore, numerous others worked diligently over many months/years to make sure the Gowanus Canal would receive a full and comprehensive cleaned up and CORD would like to mention several elected officials including: State Senator Velmanette Montgomery, Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez, other community leaders, and many others including the Gowanus Canal CAG/Community Advisory Group;

To read the EPA’s Record of Decision for the Gowanus Canal or for more information on the canal, go to: http://www.epa.gov/region02/superfund/npl/gowanus/ or visit EPA’s document repository located at the Carroll Gardens Library at 396 Clinton St. in Brooklyn, New York.

CORD!

Thursday, October 3, 2013

After great success, "Participatory Budgeting" dates for October!

Hello from CORD
This just in from Councilman Lander's Office:






Dear Community,

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.

Neighborhood Assemblies
Monday, October 7th
6:30 PM
PS 230
1 Albemarle Rd.
(at McDonald Ave.)
RSVP here
Thursday, October 10th
6:30 PM
Old First Reformed Church
729 Carroll St. (at 7th Ave.)
RSVP here
Tuesday, October 15th
6:30 PM
Carroll Gardens Library
396 Clinton St. (at Union St.)
RSVP here
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.

The third year of Participatory Budgeting is starting up. We have another $1 million and need your great ideas. The whole process depends on the participation of you and your neighbors.

Please bring your project ideas to one of the neighborhood assemblies in October. RSVP here for a neighborhood assembly near you. Even if you don't have an idea to submit, please come to be part of the conversation or to learn more about how you can support the process.

This year there will be more ways to give your ideas than ever. In addition to the big “neighborhood assemblies,” we will also have more targeted meetings for seniors, teens, and in other languages. If you want to have a conversation about project ideas with your community group, church, or block association, please invite us! Just send an email to lander@council.nyc.gov.

Feel free to send in your ideas by email, phone, or in the mail. Soon, we will launch a website where you can post your ideas and see your neighbors’ suggestions.

Want to relive the excitement? Check out this award winning video about Participatory Budgeting in New York City.

The projects you voted for are already having an impact in our community. This summer, many streets in our district were greener thanks to new street trees funded through Participatory Budgeting. And in Kensington, residents are showing that they understand that the participation doesn’t end when the project is completed - they built tree guards and organized tree care days to keep their neighborhood foliage safe and healthy. Click here for a list of all projects that have been funded through Participatory Budgeting, and where they stand on the road to completion.

Brad

PS: We are going to need a lot of help with the assemblies and the whole process. If you would like to volunteer, either to help spread the word about the assemblies or to facilitate one of the breakout groups at an assembly (or if you can help with something else), please email me at lander@council.nyc.gov.

Serving the neighborhoods of Cobble Hill, Carroll Gardens, Park Slope,
Windsor Terrace, Borough Park, and Kensington
456 5th Avenue, 3rd Floor * Brooklyn, NY 11215 * 718-499-1090

CORD HISTORY:

With the "Protect Our Homes" petition, CORD was formed in May, 2007. This petition arose as an overwhelmingly negative response to the coming of the over-sized 360 Smith Street Development at the corner of Smith Street and Second Place (Aka Oliver House; aka 131 Second Place). This petition, which had well over three thousand signatures, led to a new zoning text amendment in summer of 2008.

To: Our Elected Officials, Community Leaders, The MTA:
(MAY, 2007)

We the undersigned Carroll Gardens homeowners and residents, are appalled by the "as of right" ruling which allows owners and developers to erect buildings in our neighborhood with no regard to the impact they will present to our quality of life and the value of our homes........

http://www.petitiononline.com/mod_perl/signed.cgi?crlgrdns