In the District
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Read Council Member Garodnick's Summer 2010 newsletter, The Fourth.
Read Council Member Garodnick's Environmental Resource Guide for information and local government resources to help you live a greener lifestyle.
Garodnick Applauds Court Ruling on Rent Overcharges in Stuyvesant Town
Council Member Garodnick applauded a court decision that ruled that the Roberts v. Tishman Speyer case – which ruled that landlords may not deregulate apartments in buildings that receive J-51 tax benefits – applies retroactively, meaning that Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village residents can seek damages for rent overcharges.
“This is a moment of relief and celebration for the thousands of tenants whose apartments should never have been deregulated, and who never should have been forced to pay market rents to stay in their homes,” Council Member Garodnick said. “The harm done to Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village residents extends years into the past, and this victory will help ensure that they can be made whole for their landlords’ flouting of the law.”
November 3
Consumer Affairs Committee Explores Fan-Friendly Measures for Online Ticket Purchases
The Consumer Affairs Committee, chaired by Council Member Garodnick, held an oversight hearing on business practices that may hinder fans from getting a fair shot at buying in-demand tickets at their original, face value. The committee also explored fan-friendly measures to give greater flexibility to ticket buyers and bring transparency on the actual number of tickets available for sale at a given event. The hearing came just weeks after the band Radiohead played a pair of rapidly sold-out shows in New York City whose ticket sales generated a number of complaints.
Fans are set up for frustration because the number of tickets available for purchase may be only a fraction of those distributed through other channels, including pre-sales and “artist hold-backs,” a tactic used by some stars to sell their own tickets on the secondary market for greater than face value. Evolving technology has also changed the industry. In some cases, automated “bots” buy up tickets the instant they are released. Fans may also have no reasonable option to purchase a ticket for another person as a gift, to transfer the ticket or even to sell it for less than face value.
“Fans deserve to buy tickets in a marketplace that is fair and transparent,” Council Member Garodnick said. “There may be ways to level the playing field, let fans know what they’re up against, and restore some of the rights of transfer that ticket buyers always had, and that’s the clear public interest that we’re after.”
October 28
Garodnick, East Side Colleagues Call on DOE to Alleviate Overcrowding at P.S. 116
East Side elected officials from every level of government joined together in urging the Department of Education to seek out appropriate locations to alleviate severe overcrowding at P.S. 116 by “incubating” P.S. 281 at a temporary location before it opens in September 2013.
The move would open P.S. 281, now under construction at the former Con Edison Waterside site, a year early, starting with just a kindergarten class. Doing so would free up space at P.S. 116, where “lunch” begins around 10:00 a.m. to accommodate all the students. The elected officials continue to press the DOE for action.
October 20
Elected Officials Keep Up Fight to Reopen Ruppert Playground
Council Member Garodnick was joined by Upper East Side colleagues, as well as Speaker Christine Quinn, in calling on the Related Companies to reopen Ruppert Playground. They also spoke to the Mayor’s administration to continue to seek an agreement that would allow the playground to remain undeveloped. Related recently announced that it plans to construct a 35-story residential building with a state-of-the-art cancer treatment center in the ground floor at the site.
October 16
Mayor, Garodnick, East Side Colleagues Announce Agreement on East Side Waterfront
Mayor Bloomberg, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, Senator Liz Krueger, Assembly Member Brian Kavanagh and Council Member Garodnick jointly announced a historic Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that provides a framework for the United Nations to make a substantial investment in its New York City campus, while also creating a source of financing for a long-awaited East River Esplanade between 38th and 60th Streets and additional park space.
“What we accomplished in this agreement has eluded the East Side of Manhattan for generations,” said Council Member Garodnick. “This deal is creative, it is historic, and most importantly, it will yield a huge amount of open space for all New Yorkers to enjoy."
The agreement was the product of cooperation between the community, local elected officials, and the City, which was made possible by state legislation passed in June.
For the full statement of Council Member Garodnick, Senator Krueger and Assembly Member Kavanagh, as well as details on the MOU, visit www.eastsideopenspace.com.
October 5
