Category: Finance

NGLCC: New York City to Become Largest City in America   to Recognize LGBT-Owned Businesses

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New York City to Become Largest City in America
to Recognize LGBT-Owned Businesses

Historic agreement between NYC Dept. of Small Business Services
and National LGBT Chamber of Commerce, five years in the making


January 19, 2021
Washington, D.C. – The National LGBT Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC), the business voice of the LGBT community, is proud to announce that New York City Small Business Services (SBS) has approved a measure to include NGLCC Certified LGBT Business Enterprise® (Certified LGBTBE®) suppliers in contracting and procurement opportunities, as well as capacity building and educational programs from small businesses, throughout the city. For LGBT citizens of New York City, this inclusive policy provides fair and equal access to economic development programs that drive innovation, create jobs, and promote economic growth throughout the city.
“Thanks to the leadership of NGLCC, Mayor Bill de Blasio and the NYC Department of Small Business Services– especially Commissioner Jonnel Doris and Deputy Commissioner Dynishal Gross– LGBT entrepreneurs in New York City will now have the opportunity to create jobs and develop innovations that benefit all who live there. New York City has a legacy of leadership in promoting inclusivity at every level of public life. Now, history has been made here in New York City, and this victory for inclusivity has once again proved our core values that ‘diversity is good for business’ and that ‘if you can buy it, a certified LGBT-owned business can supply it.’ We are excited to see LGBTBEs in every field, from construction to catering and everything in between, help grow the economy of New York City and beyond as M/WBEs and EBEs,” said NGLCC Co-Founder & President Justin Nelson.
New and Current NGLCC Certified LGBTBE® suppliers can utilize their existing certification to meet a majority of criteria needed to be certified by NYC’s Department of Small Business Services (SBS). The additional information required will be submitted via electronic addendum provided when a supplier begins the online application with the City of New York. Learn more at nglcc.org/nyc. 
“Equity of access and inclusion are at the core of the work we do at SBS,” said Jonnel Doris, Commissioner of the NYC Department of Small Business Services. “A diverse vendor pool makes a stronger New York City, and we are excited to maximize the inclusion of LGBTQ certified firms into the City’s certification process. We look forward to our continued partnership with the NGLCC.”
This policy makes New York City the next city to intentionally include LGBT-owned businesses in municipal contracting and procurement opportunities, a best practice of the private sector and of an ever-growing number of states and municipalities. Thanks to the advocacy of NGLCC and its state and local affiliate chambers, New York City follows in the footsteps of large cities like Chicago, Orlando, Nashville, and more as inclusive leaders throughout the United States. 
NGLCC wishes to thank Congressman Ritchie Torres for introducing a New York City Council bill to push this issue forward, which was first raised by Councilmember Daniel Dromm and members of the LGBTQ Caucus.
“LGBTQ-owned businesses in NYC will finally have equal access to city economic development programs thanks to this historic agreement,” said NYC Council LGBT Caucus Chair Daniel Dromm. “When it comes to establishing and growing businesses, LGBTQ entrepreneurs face many significant and manifold challenges. I am pleased that these business owners who were once excluded from sorely-needed contracting and procurement opportunities will be able to participate. I have worked alongside Congressmember Ritchie Torres and the NGLCC to sounds the alarm and raise awareness of this effort which is ultimately about fairness and equity. Thank you to SBS for stepping up and agreeing to this partnership. It will impact the lives of thousands of New Yorkers in a meaningful and lasting way.”
In August 2019, at the 2019 NGLCC International Business & Leadership Conference in Tampa, FL, openly LGBT Mayor Jane Castor announced an executive order to include Certified LGBTBE® suppliers in her city. This order followed Mayor Eric Garcetti’s historic announcement to do the same in Los Angeles just days before, as well as Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s resolution to do the same in her city. In 2018 and early 2019, NGLCC won the inclusion of Certified LGBTBE® suppliers in Orlando, FL; Nashville, TN; Baltimore, MD; Jersey City, NJ; and Hoboken, NJ, while also advancing statewide bills in New York and New Jersey. Currently, California, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania also include Certified LGBTBE® suppliers in city procurement, along with major cities like Seattle, Newark, Columbus, and Philadelphia. Many of America’s largest cities and states are working closely with NGLCC to complete LGBTBE inclusion in 2021. 
“While we have a long way to go for LGBT equality in the nation, NYC has always had a strong and growing network of NGLCC Certified LGBTBE® suppliers and LGBT-owned companies. We hope this resolution in NYC will encourage more cities to proactively include the LGBT community for the optimum social and economic health of their cities. Collectively, LGBT-owned businesses contribute to the $1.7 trillion dollars that the LGBT business community puts into the national economy. Progressive and inclusive leadership, like that of New York City, will ensure greater access to the American Dream for every American,” said NGLCC Co-Founder & CEO Chance Mitchell.

Read more here.

NY1 Noticias: Destina Concejo $28.4 mdd a programas de asis­tencia mi­gra­toria

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By Joaquin Torres

Originally published by NY1 Noticias on October 4, 2020.

Nercy Cruz se hizo ciudadana hace cinco años y dice que, en aquel entonces, le costó trabajo juntar el dinero para los abogados y el trámite.

Tambien asegura que no se imagina cómo lo haría si fuese hoy que tuviera que realizar ese trámite.

“Eso me costó dinero en ese tiempo. Imagínese ahora en este tiempo, es más duro y sobretodo sin trabajo que estamos”, detalla Cruz.

Este recuerdo cobra relevancia ahora que el Concejo de la ciudad anunció que destinará $28.4 millones de dólares para los programas de asistencia migratoria.

Esto a pesar de los recortes presupuestales que han tenido que realizar debido a la pandemia.

El concejal de Brooklyn, Carlos Menchaca, compartió su opinión al respecto: “Estoy orgulloso que la ciudad de Nueva York esté comprometida a financiar los servicios críticos que necesitan nuestros vecinos inmigrantes”.

Cerca de $16 millones serán destinados al programa para ayudar legalmente a personas que enfrentan procesos de deportación; mientras que $4 millones irán para menores que llegaron a este país sin la compañía de un adulto.

Poco más de $3 millones se asignarán al programa Citizenship Now, que ayuda a migrantes a convertirse en ciudadanos, mientras que más de $2.5 para el pago de la cuota de aplicación para migrantes que no tengan recursos.

Esta es ayuda necesaria, especialmente, ante el intento del gobierno federal de aumentar la cuota de aplicación de la ciudadanía en más de $500 dólares.

Mientras que el concejal de Queens, Daniel Dromm compartió al respecto: “Nosotros queremos ahora ayudarlos porque los fees ahora son muy altos, siempre están levantando los fees. Tienen que hacer un choice entre comprar alimento para la familia o pagar los fees para inmigración”.

Por su parte, el senador Schumer anunció que se destinarán $750,000 dólares de fondos federales a esta misma causa.

Este dinero llegará a organizaciones pro-inmigrantes como The Legal Aid Society, Caridades Católicas y Brooklyn Defender Services, entre otros.

Esta ha dado algo de esperanza a algunos migrantes en Brooklyn: “Como estamos con esto del coronavirus está bueno porque varias familias les beneficia, les beneficia porque ahorita todos estamos sin trabajo”, expresó un vecino.

Visite la página de NY1 Noticias con nuestra cobertura especial sobre el coronavirus: Brote del Coronavirus

Leer más aquí.

Law360: NYC Mayor Rejects Property Tax Hike As Budget Gap Looms

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By James Nani

Originally published by Law360 on September 10, 2020.

New York City’s mayor on Thursday said he wouldn’t consider hikes in property tax to help the city deal with a looming budget hole, despite it being one of the few taxes the city controls without permission from state leaders.

“So many people have been hurt by the coronavirus crisis, lost their jobs,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said. He added, “We are not raising property taxes in New York City.”

Speaking with reporters, Democratic Mayor Bill de Blasio said he didn’t support property tax increases, saying that they would be “absolutely horrible” and city residents couldn’t afford them. Property taxes are the city’s largest and most stable revenue source, comprising about 45% of its tax revenue, and is among the few taxes the city unilaterally controls.

“So many people have been hurt by the coronavirus crisis, lost their jobs. So many families stretched thin. We are not raising property taxes in New York City,” de Blasio said.

In June, the city projected a two-year revenue loss of $9.6 billion caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, and while it passed a budget in the summer for the current 2021 fiscal year that city lawmakers and the mayor said bridged the gap, the city projects a $4.2 billion budget gap for the 2022 fiscal year.

Instead of property tax hikes, the mayor said he’s pushing state leaders to allow the city to borrow about $5 billion that would be used over two fiscal years and paid back over a 30-year term. But groups like the Citizens Budget Commission have said the city should be allowed to borrow for operating expenses only as a last resort and then only with strict oversight and tight conditions.

Meanwhile, the city has forecast that its revenues would decline by more than $5.6 billion in the 2021 fiscal year, $3.2 billion in the 2022 fiscal year and $2.6 billion in the 2024 fiscal year. The City Council over the summer approved an $88.19 billion budget for the current fiscal year that began July 1.

New York City’s financial plan projects $30.7 billion in property tax collections for the current fiscal year and $31.8 billion in the 2022 fiscal year. New York City has four different property tax classes, each with their own rates ranging from 10.694% to 21.045%.

De Blasio’s statement was met with kudos from Kathryn Wylde, president and CEO of the Partnership for New York City, which is made up of city business leaders. She told Law360 that increasing property taxes would be a bad idea in the current economic climate. The group has endorsed cutting tax subsidies, ending regional tax incentive competition and eliminating commercial rent taxes on some businesses in light of the economic hit caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It is heartening that the mayor recognizes that increasing property taxes during an economic crisis is a bad idea,” Wylde said. “These are taxes that are passed along to residential and commercial tenants who are pretty universally struggling right now.”

A spokesperson for de Blasio’s office declined further comment.

De Blasio’s push to borrow as opposed to increasing property taxes comes as the state and counties are hurting when it comes to tax revenues. New York counties have asked state leaders for a slew of tax changes to help them recover from the economic fallout caused by the pandemic, including more local power to tax and the legalization and taxation of cannabis.

Meanwhile, the state is facing what Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s administration has estimated as $14.5 billion in revenue declines and potential state cuts in local spending.

Cuomo’s office didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment on Thursday. But while Cuomo has resisted for months calls to increase taxes on the wealthy, he’s softened slightly on that talk in the last few days, saying if the federal government refuses to provide federal aid to states and localities, increasing taxes would be a possibility, along with cuts, borrowing and offering state employees early retirement.

The offices of state legislative leaders didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment. The office of New York City Council Speaker Corey Johnson, a Democrat, didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.

But City Council Finance Chair Daniel Dromm, a Democrat, told Law360 he agreed with the mayor that property taxes shouldn’t be increased, saying he’s always been opposed to increasing them except in the more extreme circumstances.

“Raising property taxes is regressive. It is never a good idea to put struggling New Yorkers in a position to pay more taxes, especially during a pandemic,” Dromm said. “We should be taxing the income of the over 100 billionaires and other wealthy people who live in New York so that the city and state can continue to function.”

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Queens County Politics – Showdown Over Tax Lien Sale Continues

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By Clarissa Sosin

Originally published in Queens County Politics on September 11, 2020

Mayor Bill de Blasio blew off a New York City Council Finance Committee hearing on Thursday discussing the city’s tax lien sale, a sign of the administration’s frustration over attempts to stall the sale.

The no-show by the mayor comes after local lawmakers spent weeks pressuring him to not go forward with the tax lien sale.

“This would have been an excellent opportunity for the administration to explain the rationale behind this policies and clear up any confusion that may have arisen as a result of the shifting plans,” said City Councilmember Daniel Dromm (D-Elmhurst, Jackson Heights), Chair of the Finance Committee, at the start of the hearing. “Unfortunately the administration has chosen not to send anyone to provide testimony or answer any of our questions.”

The hearing was about a resolution supporting legislation in the Assembly and Senate that, if passed, would postpone the city’s tax lien sale until after the coronavirus pandemic ends.

The mayor’s office did not respond to requests for comment for why they did not send a representative to the hearing.

The effort to delay was led by a contingent of elected officials from Southeast, Queens, which has three of the five city council districts with the most properties listed for the sale. The sale would disproportionately affect homeowners of color at the time when they are already struggling because of the pandemic, the lawmakers said. Their concern is primarily for small homeowners with one to three family homes, who make up around half of the list.

The mayor stood firmly by the sale date, which was supposed to take place last Friday, Sept 4. But, Governor Andrew Cuomo swooped in last minute with an executive orderpostponing it until after Oct. 4 with the option to postpone it longer. Minutes later, the mayor issued his own statement announcing that the sale was rescheduled for September 25, more than a week before the executive order allows.

The local resolution supporting the state level legislation was introduced by City Councilmember Adrienne Adams (D-Jamaica, Richmond Hill, Rochdale Village, South Ozone Park), one of the lawmakers who led the push to get the sale postponed past the Sept. 4 date.

“Are we left to believe that the administration intends to move forward in violation of the governor’s order?” Adams said in her testimony during the hearing.

In response to questions about when the tax lien sale would be taking place, and whether or not the administration thought there was ample time to do outreach to property owners and purge the list of properties that shouldn’t be on it, a representative from the Department of Finance said that the executive order was being carefully examined.

Messaging online about the date of the tax lien sale is unclear.

As of Friday afternoon, the 311 portal about the tax lien sale said that debts must be paid off by Sept. 24, indicating that the sale will take place on Sept. 25. The Department of Finance’s website also says that debts must be paid by Sept. 24 but it also acknowledges the governor’s executive order prohibiting tax lien sales before Oct. 4.

“I think the governor’s executive order takes precedent,” said Assemblymember David Weprin (D-Richmond Hill, Fresh Meadows), the sponsor of the Assembly bill, in an interview before the hearing. “It just seems unfair during the pandemic at all that we should be having any tax lien sale.”

The city needs funds but the amount the sale will raise is minimal compared to the damage it will cause the small property owners who’s liens are on the list, he said later in the hearing.

Attorney General Letitia James said that she saw the way tax lien sales destroy communities during her time in the city council. If the sale goes on before the Oct. 4 deadline, she’ll stop it.

“If any city moves to sell liens before that date, my office will take immediate legal action to enforce the executive order,” she said.

In the meantime, Senator Leroy Comrie’s (D-Briarwood, Cambria Heights, Hollis, Hollis Hills, Hillcrest, Jamaica, Jamaica Estates, Jamaica Hills, Kew Gardens, Laurelton, Queens Village, Rosedale, South Jamaica, Springfield Gardens, St. Albans) office planning for what they said is the worst case scenario –– that the sale happens on Sept. 25. They and the other electeds are doing as much outreach as they can so property owners can settle their debt with the city or enter payment plans before the sale date.

“We’re trying to do everything we can to inform as many people as we can,” Comrie said.

Read more here.

NY Daily News: Activists’ billion-dollar blunder: The aftermath of the NYPD cut brokered by Mayor de Blasio and the City Council

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Organize — but do it strategically. (Barry Williams for New York Daily News)

By Errol Louis

Originally published in the NY Daily News on July 2, 2020

The biggest mystery of the battle to cut $1 billion from the NYPD is why Mayor de Blasio and the City Council wasted so much time chasing an arbitrary number in the first place, with a level of haste that threatens to cause real peril in the working-class neighborhoods where shootings and violent crime are always lurking.

It would have been infinitely wiser to tell activists that New York’s liberal government is prepared to meet legitimate demands for police reform — but will not, and cannot, override the equally pressing need to make sure neighborhoods remain safe.

This would not be popular with the protesters. But guess what? Council members, acting in good faith, wound up getting subjected to name-calling and harassment anyway, as anyone could have predicted.

Members of the Democratic Socialists of America made a show of picketing the homes of Council leaders who had already committed to cutting $1 billion from the NYPD, demanding that they triple the number to $3 billion (approximately 50% of the agency’s budget), something no sane legislator would consider.

“They were screaming ‘either you come down or we will come up’ to your apartment,” Councilman Danny Dromm told the Queens Post, noting that the group had never asked for a conversation or meeting. Two protesters slipped past the front buzzer and began banging on the door of his apartment before getting thrown out by the building porter.

“It cost the Democratic Socialists validity in the eyes of most of my constituents,” Dromm said.

In Brooklyn, Councilwoman Laurie Cumbo — another supporter of the $1 billion cut — says hundreds of DSA protesters harassed her at her home, led by state Senate candidate Jabari Brisport, shouting demands through a bullhorn for a $3 billion cut.

Cumbo answered the DSA demonstration with her own protest at Brisport’s home. “You did that because you knew I was vulnerable,” said Cumbo, according to Kings County Politics. “You knew that you could do that because I was with a 2-year-old. You did that because you thought that I was alone, but I came here today to let you know that I am not alone.”

Council Speaker Corey Johnson got the full goon-squad treatment from his activist “allies,” who protested outside his boyfriend’s apartment building and spattered the front with red paint.

“The vandalism of where my significant other lives and the ringing of his buzzer at all hours of the middle of the night — he’s not a public figure. I am,” Johnson said. Explaining his role as leader of the legislature, Johnson pointed out: “Many members did not want this level of cuts. Some members, of course, wanted more cuts. I wanted more cuts. I was trying to find consensus.”

It goes without saying that the bullying tactics of DSA activists proved to be hopelessly self-defeating: They didn’t change a single mind or vote, and didn’t affect the final budget by a penny.

State Sen. Julia Salazar, who was elected with DSA help, rebuked the protesters who harassed Dromm. “Do you believe that invading someone’s privacy is effective and strategic?” she tweeted. “It clearly backfired here and didn’t elevate black leadership. The stakes are high for the movement for black lives and they always have been in this country. That doesn’t justify unstrategic organizing.”

What we know for sure is that plucking a number like $1 billion out of the air is no way to transform the NYPD.

“Over the next few years, we would figure out what a transition looks like that is safe and effective, and it would have to be proven,” Mayor de Blasio told me shortly before the budget vote. Not a popular response, but the right one.

True reform will require data, expertise and strategic plans as New York develops new approaches to public safety. It’s not the kind of question that can be answered with slogans shouted through a bullhorn.

Louis is political anchor of NY1 News.

Read more here.

CBS New York: Budget Battle Between De Blasio, City Council Heats Up As Mayor Again Warns Of 22,000 City Worker Layoffs

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By Marcia Kramer

Originally published on June 26, 2020 by CBS New York.

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – The budget battle between Mayor Bill de Blasio and the City Council is heating up after the mayor threatened to block over $1 billion for good works and social programs.

CBS2’s political reported Marcia Kramer has the story.

It was only a year ago that City Council members applauded  the mayor for reaching a budget deal that included $1.1 billion for a vast network of charities and nonprofits that they view as critical to their communities — money for food pantries, seniors, LGBTQ outreach, domestic violence and cultural groups. It’s a social safety net needed more than ever during this pandemic.

City Council finance chair Daniel Dromm says the mayor’s budget  proposal includes no money – zero dollars – for these groups.

“We are very, very angry and we are determined because of our anger not to back down from our demands to protect the safety net,” Dromm said.

David Greenfield, himself a former city councilman, is head of the MET Council — which funds a multitude of social programs for seniors, the food insecure, the poor.

“If the mayor defunds these council initiatives it will be the greatest mistake of his entire career because he will be hurting literally hundreds of thousands of struggling New Yorkers and people who are about to lose their homes… seniors… women who are being abused,” Greenfield said. “To essentially punish the poorest people during this pandemic is just reprehensible.”

David Kilmnick is the executive director of LGBT Network.

“The mayor needs to step up to the plate and realize the nonprofits are doing the work. We are on the front lines 365 days a year,” Kilmnick said.

The mayors press secretary defended the move.

“This is not business as usual. We are not going to be doling out bags of cash. We need to find savings so we can keep people at work,” said Fredi Goldstein.

She was referring to the mayor’s threat  to lay off 22,000 people.

“We have not seen city layoffs  like this since the 1970s fiscal crisis,” de Blasio said.

David Greenfield says cutting the discretionary funds during the pandemic  would be like “You have a four alarm fire and the mayor says, middle of the fire, I’m recalling the firefighters.”

The deadline for a budget agreement is Tuesday.

The mayor said he is negotiating with lawmakers in Albany to allow New York City to borrow. He added that no help seems to be coming our way from the federal government.

“The president’s been missing in action on the stimulus. I have spoken to him about it multiple times. I have appealed to him publicly. I have appealed to Senator McConnell. The Republicans are not moving. Let’s be clear. I spoke to Senator Schumer about this recently. Donald Trump has not said a word in favor of a stimulus that would truly help cities and states. Senator McConnell has not scheduled a vote. Let’s get real here. They know there’s a crisis. It has gotten worse, in fact coronavirus is surging around the country. They are doing nothing. They are choosing to do nothing,” he said.

De Blasio said the city’s decision to paint Black Lives Matter on a street near Trump Tower has “no bearing on the stimulus because he’s done absolutely nothing about the stimulus either way.”

The mayor also called on state lawmakers to make sure those people who can’t afford to pay rent can instead use a payment plan to avoid evictions.

“If you can not pay the rent, we’ve got to make sure you’ve got a roof over your head. You should not be evicted. If you can pay the rent, of course you should pay the rent. Because you know what? The building owners need to keep the buildings up, they need to pay bills too. A lot of them are struggling as well,” de Blasio said.

The mayor lauded the fact the New York City is on track for Phase 3 reopening as of July 6.

The city estimates 50,000 workers will return under Phase 3, which will bring back nail salons and spas. Restaurants will be able to return with indoor dining at 50% capacity.

Small businesses that may need help or guidance reopening are urged to call the city’s Small Business hotline at (888) SBS-4NYC or can CLICK HERE.

WEB EXTRA: See The Mayor’s Presentation Slides (.pdf)

New York City will be opening up an application process for restaurants to have outdoor dining on an entire block closed to traffic as part of the city’s open streets initiative.

The city’s daily indicators all continue to be below thresholds, meaning the city is “holding the line” in the battle against COVID-19.

Read more here.

CBS New York: Mayor, City Council Miles Apart On Solving Fiscal Crisis; 22,000 Jobs At Risk, ‘Literally Every Agency’

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By Marcia Kramer

Originally published by CBS New York on June 26, 2020

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – Calls to cut the NYPD budget come as the city faces a $10 billion budget gap, and Mayor Bill de Blasio and City Council have just five days to solve the fiscal crisis.

The streets could get dirtier. There could be fewer firefighters on trucks and possible cuts in the classroom. None of those include de Blasio’s threat to layoff 22,000 people.

Facing the June 30 budget deadline, the mayor and City Council are far apart on how to solve the coronavirus fiscal crisis.

The council wants to cut the fat, slashing agency budgets by 5-7%. The mayor wants $1 billion in union givebacks, or he’ll take an ax to the workforce.

“We’re really in a jam,” said de Blasio.

CBS2 political reporter Marcia Kramer asked him where the job cuts could come from.

“Literally every agency and I hate saying that. I’m not saying that with anything but pain,” said de Blasio.

Council finance chair Daniel Dromm told CBS2 that cutting the NYPD budget is just one example of how far apart the two sides are.

“He wants a 0.4 percent cut for the NYPD and he wants a 32 percent cut to the Department of Youth and Community Development,” said Dromm.

Dromm said the 0.4 percent cut amounts to just a few hundred million dollars – not anywhere near the $1 billion in cuts the police reformers and council are asking for.

“The mayor is stalling. The mayor needs to step up to the plate,” said Dromm.

Labor leaders, meanwhile, are fuming over de Blasio’s call for union givebacks to forestall layoffs.

They called it a slap in the face in light of the sacrifices made by teachers, health care workers and others during the coronavirus pandemic.

“Maybe we should look at the mayor’s own personal stuff and see who he’s been hiring and what he’s doing,” said Michael Mulgrew, president of the teachers union. “I don’t hear him talking about a four to eight percent cut from his own staff. Maybe you should look there first.”

The mayor said he wants Albany to give him the power to borrow money to avoid layoffs and painful service cuts – something Gov. Andrew Cuomo has been reluctant to approve.

Read more here.

NY Post: De Blasio should cut ‘fat’ from budget before laying off city workers, critics say

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Mayor Bill de Blasio. Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images

By Carl Campanile, Nolan Hicks and Bruce Golding

Originally published by the NY Post on June 24, 2020.

Mayor Bill de Blasio has plenty of ways to trim his $87 billion budget proposal without resorting to municipal layoffs, critics said Wednesday.

“There is lots of fat in the proposed budget that the council has identified for the mayor,” Finance Committee Chairman Daniel Dromm (D-Queens) said.

“He refused to work with us on implementing these ideas.”

Dromm, who accused de Blasio of threatening layoffs as a way of “pushing his own agenda,” said the city could “cut $700 million in NYPD overtime, delay new recruits and through attrition reduce the force by 2,000.”

“There’s also some fat in the [Department of Education’s] proposed budget. The mayor should be looking at central administration staff which has increased tremendously over the years,” Dromm said.

“Additionally, the council has asked the mayor to reduce every agency’s budget by 5 to 7 percent. That should be done before laying off people.”

Maria Doulis of the Citizens Budget Commission said de Blasio should strike deals with the city’s labor unions so workers pay for a share of their health insurance and other benefits, as is standard practice in the private sector.

“They haven’t been aggressive enough in cutting the budget and really rising to the fiscal crisis caused by the coronavirus,” she said.

“This is a multi-year problem that requires long-term solutions and aggressively getting ahead of the problem.”

Read more here.

CBS NY: After 28 Shootings In 72 Hours, De Blasio Says ‘We Are Not Going To Allow Gun Violence To Continue To Grow’

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By CBS New York

Originally published on June 22, 2020

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – The last week in New York City has been like the wild west.

Astonishing statistics show a 342 percent increase in shootings last week – 53 compared to 12 in 2019.

They also show a 414 percent jump in the number of people shot – 74 compared 14 in 2019.

CBS2’s Marcia Kramer reports Mayor Bill de Blasio is vowing not to let the city slip back into the bad old days of gun violence, but the demand for cuts to the NYPDbudget has some wondering if officers have abandoned proactive policing.

MORE: Latest NYPD Crime Statistics Show Increase In Murders, Shootings, Burglaries

Police said there were a total of 28 shootings with 38 victims in 72 hours over the weekend.

Officers responded to eight shootings Friday, 18 on Saturday and two more Sunday.

De Blasio acknowledged the warmer months typically bring more violence, and said some of the shootings have been linked to gangs and retaliations.

“In the beginning of the year, we saw an uptick in crime and shootings. We saw some leveling off for a few months in the beginning of the coronavirus crisis. Now, we’ve seen something very troubling in recent weeks,” the mayor said Monday.

The numbers put the mayor between a rock and a hard place in terms of balancing public safety and police reform.

Kramer asked de Blasio how the violence impacts his budget negotiations with the City Council, which is calling for a $1 billion cut from the NYPD.

“I think, Marcia, it’s really important to remember, job one is always to keep people safe,” said de Blasio.

The mayor said the NYPD’s annual “Summer All-Out” initiative is adding hundreds of officers to streets in neighborhoods with upticks in gun violence, and Cure Violence crisis management groups will also increase their coverage in those areas.

“We are not going to allow gun violence to continue to grow in this city. We’re not going to go back to the days when there was so much violence pervading our communities,” he said. “We’re going to use new strategies and approaches in policing, new strategies and approaches at the community level. We’re going to do whatever it takes to fight back gun violence.”

The mayor specifically mentioned the Bronx and Brooklyn North.

But, some are left wondering why the spike in shootings is happening now.

Former NYPD Chief of Department Joseph Esposito told Kramer it’s because proactive policing is not happening and that anti-police demonstrations have taken a toll.

“They’re all looking over their shoulders and in the back of their mind, whether consciously or subconsciously, they’re saying, ‘Why should we bother? We don’t get the support. Why should we bother?’” said Esposito.

MORE: Over 1,200 Complaints About Illegal Fireworks Reported Across NYC In Just 14 Days

City Council Finance Chairman Daniel Dromm called the increase in shootings “suspicious.”

“It makes me wonder exactly what’s going on with the NYPD. Same as with the fireworks. I mean, is there no enforcement? Are they slowing down? What is happening gives me great concern,” said Dromm.

The councilman said it won’t stop the City Council from seeking to cut $1 billion from the NYPD’s $6 billion budget and earmarking the money for social services.

The budget is due on June 30.

Read more here.

Newsmax: Future of NYC’s Small Businesses Post-Pandemic Remains Uncertain

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By Marisa Herman

Originally published by Newsmax on June 16, 2020.

As New York City comes out of coronavirus lockdown, many small business owners say they are not sure if they will financially be able to reopen, Politico reports.

Tenants have missed months of rent payments and some are not sure they will ever recoup enough money to repay their debts. From mom-and-pop shops to bars, the small business sector provides more than 3 million jobs.

“Everyone loves small businesses,” New York City Council Member Brad Lander told Politico. “It’s the kind of thing that rhetorically brings right and left together, but it hasn’t converted into effective political power or leverage.”

City officials have told business owners to ask the federal government for help.

“The scale of this crisis simply requires the resources of the federal government,” said Jonnel Doris, commissioner of the city’s Department of Small Business Services, during a recent City Council hearing.

“While we continue to hope that much of that need be met by the federal government . . .  hope isn’t a plan,” Council Member Daniel Dromm said at the same hearing.

So far there has not been any response from the Trump administration on how to help small business owners stay afloat, according to Politico.