City & State NY_12192016

This year’s “EUREKA!” moments in New York politics

BOROUGH 50:

The most influential leaders in the BRONX

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CIT YANDSTATENY.COM @CIT YANDSTATENY December 19, 2016 - January 2, 2017

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City & State New York

December 19, 2016 – January 2, 2017

EDITOR’S NOTE / Contents

MICHAEL JOHNSON Editorial director

For the past two years, I have had the great pleasure of being the executive editor and then editorial director of City & State. With a team of passionate, intelligent and creative journalists, editors and designers, we published more than 80 magazines and special publications with in-depth and important journalism. It is with mixed emotions that I write that this will be the last issue with my name on it. I leave behind colleagues I truly love and whom I have no doubt will continue the excellent and award-winning work we have done under my watch.

In this final issue of the year, our Editorial Board did something new. Instead of honoring the people who dominated news coverage, we chose to highlight the ideas we believe will make our society better. While it’s often easier or more sexy to focus on personalities or the horse race of elections, in the end the garden of democracy is watered by innovative ideas. We hope lending our endorsement to a handful of plans, proposals and bills will do a small part to promote them further in the public discourse.

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BOCHINCHE & BUZZ The latest gossip from Gerson Borrero

2016’S BEST IDEAS

Whether they were enacted or not, here are the year’s most exciting concepts.

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CELEBRATING MOME

16.

BRONX BOROUGH 50

Meet the community leaders who make the biggest impact in the borough.

This sponsored section offers an in-depth look at the evolving Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment.

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CityAndStateNY.com

December 19, 2016 – January 2, 2017

LAST WEEK’S HEADLINES CARRIÓN CARRIES ON The heat was too much for New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio’s children’s services commissioner. The longtime public servant announced she was stepping down just a day before the city and state released dueling reports that both pointed a finger squarely at Gladys Carrión’s ACS for the September death of 6-year-old Zymere Perkins. Just the latest big-name departure in a tough year for City Hall.

BACK& FORTH A Q&A with former Senate Majority Leader

JOE BRUNO

C&S: WHY DID YOU WRITE THE BOOK? DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU HAD TO CLEAR UP THINGS ABOUT YOUR LEGACY? JB: It’s not where you start in life, but what you accomplish in life and where you end up with your career. That’s the message I was trying to deliver, because when you read the book you’ll find out that where I started with my life, I would have been the most unlikely child or teenager or anybody to succeed ...

And then when the prosecutors tried to make a career of putting me in prison, I wanted to document that. Because what happened to me in my life – and I know everybody that’s accused says it’s unfair – but it was unfair. All the way from the beginning to the end.

C&S: YOU LEFT THE LEGISLATURE IN 2008. HOW HAS IT CHANGED SINCE YOU LEFT? HAS IT CHANGED FOR THE BETTER OR THE WORSE? JB: I’m not there so I can’t tell you, but what I read and what I hear and what I view, it’s pretty chaotic. And it seems more dysfunctional. But you know, maybe that’s because I thought that when we were there we were doing it right.

C&S: WHAT DO YOU LOOK BACK ON AS YOUR BIGGEST ACHIEVEMENT FROM YOUR TIME IN THE CAPITOL? JB: I think the greatest bill I did was the no-smoking bill. I think that has saved literally thousands, tens of thousands of lives. And I know it has saved billions of dollars since we passed the bill (in 2003). ... When I brought that bill to my conference, I had eight votes. I needed 32. I had eight. Two months, three months later, when I brought it to the floor, I had a unanimous conference, to their credit.

ALL TALK, NO ACTION Who killed the special session? Gov. Andrew Cuomo said it was Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan, Flanagan said it was Cuomo – and rumor has it the two got in a screaming match. What may have been a long shot at the beginning of the week seems all but dead, and things like upstate Uber, ethics reform, and – most of all – a lawmaker pay raise will have to wait.

CHALLENGERS STEP UP The week it leaked that grand juries are looking at de Blasio’s fundraising, the first round of 2017 mayoral candidates are stepping up. NIMBY-ish state Sen. Tony Avella, 2013 also-ran Sal Albanese, and D-list celebrity private eye Bo Dietl aren’t likely to steal votes from the mayor, but they won’t be afraid to criticize.

Across the aisle, eyes are on City Councilman Eric Ulrich to give a Catsimatidis alternative.

THIS WEEK’S EVENTS

DEC. 31 11:59 p.m. - Service on the Second Avenue Subway is set to begin. The MTA and Gov. Andrew Cuomo are “cautiously optimistic” the end-of-the-year deadline will be met, but had not yet provided an official opening date with two weeks left in the year. Second Avenue and 96th Street, Manhattan.

JAN. 4 12 p.m. - The New York City Council holds the “Charter Meeting.” While the Council sets its own schedule for subsequent meetings, the city charter requires “the first meeting in each year shall be the Charter Meeting, and shall be held on the first Wednesday after the first Monday of January at noon.” Council Chambers, City Hall, Manhattan.

Upcoming events: Planning an event in the next few weeks that our readers should know about? Submit details to editor@cityandstateny.com. We’ll pick the most interesting or important ones and feature them in print each week.

THE

Kicker

“I DON’T LIKE SAYING IT, BUT I’VE GIVEN UP. … I’D RATHER WORK ON SOMETHING THAT I CAN GET DONE THAN JUST SCREAM AND SAY, ‘OH, WELL.’” - state Sen. Simcha Felder on his failed attempts to create an education investment tax credit benefiting private and parochial schools, via the Daily News Get the kicker every morning in CITY & STATE’S FIRST READ email.

Sign up at cityandstateny.com.

City & State New York

December 19, 2016 – January 2, 2017

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DID YOU MISS IT?

Technology is changing how nonprofits perform day-to-day work, store information, advertise and fundraise. Over nine sessions, attendees at New York Nonprofit TechCon 2016 learned how to adopt emerging digital tools to streamline and grow their organizations.

Carriage Trade Insurance Agency Principal and Co-founder Michael R. Jakob; Lutheran Social Services of New York Executive Director of Information Technology Thomas Dewar; Teach for America Senior Managing Director Paul Chernick; and Grassi & Co. General Counsel Guido Gabriele

Claudio Nunez, CTO of Nonprofit Solutions Network, and Natasha Pallan and Braden Listmann of the Center for NYC Neighborhoods

WEEKLY PODCAST WITH REP.

NYDIA VELÁZQUEZ

After 24 years in Congress with a district spreading across Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens, Nydia Velázquez has established herself as a power broker with a strong voice on New York City issues.

But her influence extends beyond the five boroughs, as far as Washington, D.C., Cuba and her native Puerto Rico.

ALISON GARBER

“Shelly Silver and I didn’t have the best political relationship. Basically, he enabled Vito Lopez as the chairman of the Housing Committee and was a big supporter of his politics. And you know what happened there. Vito Lopez was my political enemy. He saw me not as a partner in government, but as someone who really didn’t fall in line. … I represented progressive politics. Vito represented old party machine politics.”

Bart Louwagie, CIO of PARC, The Arc of Dutchess and The Arc of Ulster-Greene

Patricia L. Batista, Evaluation and Program Manager, McSilver Institute for Poverty Policy and Research, NYU

“I think that you become a better candidate when you face a primary. I’ve been facing primaries for the last four terms and I’m still standing. (Bill de Blasio) should not be afraid of a primary. … People are going to evaluate him based on the political promises that he made and where he is today on addressing those campaign promises.

Universal pre-K, building more affordable housing and things like that resonates among progressives and the base of the Democratic Party in New York City.”

Listen, subscribe and review this week’s podcast by searching for “New York Slant” on iTunes, Stitcher, Soundcloud or your favorite podcast app.

Have photos from an event you’d like to see here? Send them to features@cityandstateny.com.

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CityAndStateNY.com

December 19, 2016 – January 2, 2017

WON’T WAIT (WON’T RETIRE, EITHER)

GLADYS CARRIÓN

Despite the spin coming out of the ejecutivo wing of City Hall, New York City Administration for Children's Services Commissioner Gladys Carrión is not waiting for her replacement to be found before she says adiós.

The attorney and career public servant’s last day will be by the end of January.

In fact, a well-sourced City Hall insider told B&B that Carrión has some time due and may soon be leaving the big mangó for some R&R. Despite what some have mistakenly reported, Carrión is also not retiring. Asked why it's been reported that she is, the bochinchero said: "The mayor didn't want Gladys to leave.

Saying that she's retiring doesn't make it look like another key person in the administration is just walking out on them at this crucial moment.”

Yeah, eso and now there's no way a qualified, sane and competent pro is going to come into the ACS mess in a reelection year, working for a mayor who is facing multiple probes. Good luck with that, Señor Mayor.

SOS NO-SHOWS The collective enojo at Gov. Andrew Cuomo among state legislators is such that if they were a volcano, there’d be lava flowing through the Capitol.

His machinations on the legislative pay increase, his openly favoring Uber and his push to call the legislators back for a special session in December are among the many reasons our source says they're "really pissed off at him."

Several legislators have expressed to B&B that they're even considering not attending the governor’s State of the State and budget dog-and-pony show. One of the legislators expressed frustration that they don’t even know the exact date for “Andrew’s show.” (The dates that have been floated are Jan. 10 and 12.)

“There’s a lot of us that are sick of his games and threats,” one exasperated legislator told B&B in a telephone conversación.

“It’s becoming more difficult to stand by him.”

Veremos who shows up and who is really fed up.

ANDREW CUOMO

City & State New York

December 19, 2016 – January 2, 2017

WRIGHT OUT OF PUBLIC VIDA … FOR NOW! Buzz in Harlem is that Assemblyman Keith Wright will stay out of politics for the foreseeable future. While the bochinche was that the current chair of the Committee on Housing would run for Inez Dickens’ 9th Council District seat, parece que that’s not happening.

Come January, Keith will be headed to the private sector.

Señora Dickens will be the new assemblywoman representing the 70th. Buena suerte to both.

KEITH WRIGHT

WHAT DOES MMV WANT? The buzz among some of the city’s busiest bochincheros is all about what the City Council speaker will do in 2017.

B&B has spoken to one knowledgeable bochinchero about Melissa Mark-Viverito’s future, and the word is that the she doesn't know what she's doing next. Absent a President Hillary Clinton, the speaker could run for another elective post. Pero, that doesn't seem to be in the cards.

In the meantime, there’s already buzz about who MMV endorses for her current speaker seat.

One of the wannabes told B&B they are hopeful to get the backing.

From what we hear, I suggest that this person no se siente en hielo waiting for the nod from Melissa. Because we fear that if they do sit on ice, their nalgas are going to freeze over waiting.

MELISSA MARK-VIVERITO

2 MORE MAYORAL WANNABES …

NOT!

The “mayoralty bug” must be in the air in the Big Mangó.

B&B has been getting tips from bochincheros about folks who are either talking to people or already polling their chances if they challenge de Blasio in a Democratic primary. The most buzz is about not-so-well-known politicos or people who think they know politics. Amateurs!

B&B spent last week chasing two somewhat credible bochincheros’ tips. One even had the person polling to see if they had a shot. Both turned out to be duds. … or are they?

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CityAndStateNY.com

December 19, 2016 – January 2, 2017

2016’S BEST IDEAS From grounded policies to pie-in-the-sky fancies, these are the year’s “Eureka!” moments in New York politics By the City & State Editorial Board

December 19, 2016 – January 2, 2017

City & State New York

When historians look back at 2016 and read the media’s coverage of U.S. politics, they will likely be overwhelmed by horse race analysis and alarming campaign rhetoric. What they will struggle to find is meaningful discussion about the complex issues that significantly impacted our citizens, or any bold plans to tackle the most troubling issues facing our city, state, country or planet.

We at City & State set out to do our small part to fight back against this trend.

Through a series of discussions, we decided to highlight several of the best ideas put forth, promoted or passed in 2016. Our focus was mostly on ideas impacting New York City or New York state, but we also cast our net wider to find ideas we thought were worth praise or further examination.

Where possible, we gave deference to ideas generated by elected officials in positions to champion their cause. But we also turned to concepts put forth by advocacy groups, think tanks, and even the media.

We considered several dozen ideas in our deliberations, but landed on six that address unique concerns facing our society. They touch on education, mental health, equity for the poor and reforming government, and our selection serves as an endorsement of either the specific policies and proposals or the goal they seek to achieve.

The following is our list of 2016’s very best ideas.

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CityAndStateNY.com

December 19, 2016 – January 2, 2017

Right to counsel bill

T

O BE A low-income tenant in an increasingly gilded and unaffordable city, such as New York, is to confront constant anxiety that you could suddenly find yourself without a roof over your head.

With property owners and their lobbyists systematically trying to strip tenants’ rights, beginning with the neutering of state rent-regulation laws, this palpable fear is still a harsh reality, with almost 22,000 evictions last year out of more than 300,000 cases brought to New York City Housing Court, punctuated by the confusion those

tenants face when fighting unscrupulous landlords with far better resources.

To the city’s credit, they are acutely aware of this problem, with Mayor Bill de Blasio increasing funding in this year’s budget to bolster legal services, and the city’s Office of Civil Justice noted that more than 70 percent of low-income tenants in New York City go without lawyers in housing court.

A bill proposed by Councilman Mark Levine of upper Manhattan would go much further in solving this problem.

Levine’s right to counsel bill would make New York City the first jurisdiction in the country to guarantee lawyers in eviction cases for low-income residents, or those making below 200 percent of the federal poverty line ($23,760 annually for a single person; $48,600 for a family of four).

The bill has gained widespread support in the Council and from tenants’ rights advocates, with good reason. A Legal Aid Society study found that tenants with lawyers have a far lower chance of getting evicted.

The main obstacle for Levine in getting his

bill to the Council floor for a vote is cost: an estimated $200 million, according to a report by an independent advisory firm.

However, the additional cost to the city was offset by an estimated $300 million in savings by keeping thousands of families off the streets or in homeless shelters. The bill may also deter landlords from going through the eviction process. Many housing advocates agree that landlords use the threat of eviction as an intimidation tactic because tenants can’t afford the legal process. The guarantee of effective legal representation for tenants would change that and save the city money by alleviating the burden on an already backlogged court system.

De Blasio has praised the idea in theory, and previously said that the federal government should pick up the tab, which seems unlikely given the philosophy of President-elect Donald Trump. But at a time when the mayor is gearing up for re-election, the passage of the right to counsel bill would bolster his progressive credentials and could motivate tenants to go to the polls in November 2017.

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City & State New York

December 19, 2016 – January 2, 2017

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Public Defense Mandate Relief Act

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HEN NEW YORK conservatives talk about the pressing need for localities to have “mandate relief,” the typical targets are areas like property taxes, pensions, and welfare programs.

The basic philosophy is that these “unfunded mandates” take tax dollars from localities and limit their ability to provide basic services or invest in projects. It’s a sometimes reasonable argument that doubles as a proxy for a libertarian-esque desire to shrink government as much as possible.

But there are sensible mandate relief policies that don’t involve the demonization of public servants and low-income New Yorkers. One such proposal stands out this year – the Public Defense Mandate Relief Act introduced by Democratic Assemblywoman Patricia Fahy – a common sense bill that would reform public defense services statewide and also alleviate the financial burden of providing that service. The ballooning cost of maintain-

ing a public defender program caused five New York counties to successfully sue the state for reimbursement in 2014.

Fahy’s bill, which passed the Assembly in 2016 before meeting its demise in the state Senate, would transfer the responsibility for funding of public defense from the counties to the state over a seven-year period. It would require the state to reimburse localities for legal services, a response to the state’s recent initiative to raise the income threshold for free legal services to individuals making under $47,000 a year. The bill would also authorize the state Office of Indigent Legal Services to ensure that poor people accused of crimes are given effective legal representation when they can’t afford a lawyer.

While certainly not as sexy as some of the other big ideas, the state of public defense in New York has been a focus of groups like the New York Civil Liberties Union. The state’s public defense system was described as an ongoing crisis in an extensive 2006

Our Perspective Reduced Transit Fare Would Help Get Low-Wage Workers Moving

By Stuart Appelbaum, President, Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, RWDSU, UFCW

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orking people in New York City face yet another MTA fare hike next year – and this time it could go up to $3 per ride. It’s just one more challenge workers in New York will face as the price of just about everything continues to rise higher and higher. Recent history has seen MTA fares rising at an alarming rate, and the trend figures to continue.

That’s why we support a proposal from the Community Service Society and the Riders Alliance to subsidize a half-fare MetroCard for the working poor. It would benefit 800,000 New Yorkers struggling at or below the federal poverty line by putting more money in their pockets for necessities including food, rent, and the electric bill.

According to the Community Service Society, 25 percent of working-age, lowincome New Yorkers often cannot afford the current fare, transit expenses eat up more than 10 percent of poor families’ budgets. Bus and subway fares are soaring – rising 45 percent between 2007 and last year – six times faster than average income in New York City. And that doesn’t even take in to account the MTA’s recently announced plan to raise fares next year.

Those eligible for the proposed halffare plan would save more than $700 a year, a large amount of money for the working poor and other low-wage workers in various industries across the city, including thousands upon thousands who work in retail.

report by former Chief Judge of the New York Court of Appeals Judith Kaye, with inadequate resources, a lack of communication with the attorneys and defendants, and eligibility standards that keep poor people from getting good counsel.

While the bill’s final passage ultimately fell short, here’s hoping the Legislature will resurrect it in the 2017 legislative session.

It’s rare to find a mandate relief bill with bipartisan support, and with Fahy doing her part, it’s on her Republican Senate sponsor, Deputy Majority Leader John DeFrancisco, to push it across the finish line.

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Similar proposals have already been implemented in San Francisco, Seattle and London and they are gaining popular support in Boston, Denver and here in New York City. Advocates note that the cost of the program to the city would amount to a miniscule 0.3 percent of the city’s annual budget – far outweighed by the benefit for working families. This proposal, supported by some 30 organizations representing lowwage workers and transit advocates, also has garnered editorial support from news organizations including the New York Times and the Daily News.

The proposed half-fare plan would save low-income workers more than $700 a year, a large amount of money for the working poor.

Implementing this proposal will help hundreds of thousands of working-poor New Yorkers get moving again toward a path to the middle class.

We support it and will work toward making it a reality.

www.rwdsu.org

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CityAndStateNY.com

December 19, 2016 – January 2, 2017

“Fair Fares” campaign

S

OME OF THOSE people asking for a swipe at the subway station could just be trying to get to work.

According to Community Services Society’s Unheard Third survey, one in four low-income working-age New Yorkers in the “most transit-dependent city in the nation” often cannot afford bus and subway fares. With MTA fares likely to go up again in 2017, poverty alleviation nonprofit CSS partnered with straphanger advocacy group the Riders Alliance in April to call for half-priced MetroCards for low-income New Yorkers – and a big idea was born. So far, more than 24 advocacy, legal, labor and community-based organizations have signed on to the “Fair Fares” campaign.

Momentum is growing. In October, CSS released a letter to Mayor Bill de Blasio asking for funding to be included in his fiscal year 2018 executive budget to support the measure. CSS estimates that, if implemented, the city would owe the MTA about $200 million in lost fare revenue.

New York transit riders between the ages of 18 and 64 living in households with incomes at or below the federal poverty level ($24,300 for a family of four) would save up to $700 a year. The letter was signed by 27 City Council members, New York City Public Advocate Letitia James, City Comptroller Scott Stringer and 26 organizations.

De Blasio should think long and hard about heeding their call if he wants to keep his job. According to CSS survey results, 62 percent said they would be more likely to vote for a mayoral candidate who promised to make half-price fares available to low-income riders and the proposal was particularly popular with blacks and Latinos who identified themselves as Democrats.

It’s not necessarily an innovative idea, as similar proposals have been successful in cities, such as San Francisco and Seattle, and are under consideration in Boston and Denver. But with most jobs based in Manhattan and the bulk of affordable housing being built in the outer boroughs, it certainly would have a big impact on commuters.

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City & State New York

December 19, 2016 – January 2, 2017

Thrive NYC

D

URING A WEEKEND in May, some 1,000 faith communities in New York City took part in the first Weekend of Faith for Mental Health.

It was a particularly significant milestone within African-American churches where mental illness is too often a third rail charged by long outdated beliefs that spiritual – not chemical – imbalances are the primary cause of the disease. But it was also a significant milestone on the Mental Health Roadmap, a package of 54 initiatives costing $850 million over four years and spearheaded by New York City’s first lady Chirlane McCray. This project dares to take a heavily stigmatized illness affecting one in five New Yorkers and make it a topic of discussion from senior citizen centers to synagogues to City Hall.

The plan of action, announced in January 2015, also includes efforts to address substance abuse disorders influenced in part by her own family’s struggle to meet the needs of their daughter Chiara, who suffered with anxiety, depression and addiction. It is strikingly comprehensive – driven in part by necessity since there was not much of a framework in place. It in-

cludes 23 new initiatives – like starting an NYC support line for individuals in crisis and convening a mental health council – many of which are already underway or on schedule to be rolled out.

Rikers Island is overflowing with those who’d be better served in psychiatric hospitals than prison cells, and many communities facing a flood of individuals reentering society after serving sentences meted out by disastrous drug laws pursued in the wake of a crack epidemic that was badly framed as a crime epidemic instead of a public health one. This is a big idea whose time has certainly come.

The first lady seemingly has considerable pull: Mayor Bill de Blasio announced in January that every Thrive NYC initiative was funded in the Fiscal Year 2017 preliminary budget. And now, McCray is taking the concept nationwide with the Cities Thrive Coalition, an effort to build a national network of more than 300 cities to advocate for mental health reform; more than 70 mayors have signed on so far. Let’s hope the trend continues. This initiative is bound to leave an indelible mark on New York City’s government, its people and perhaps the whole nation.

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Congratulations to the Butler Associates Team For Outstanding Client Results this Year Strategic Communications and Messaging

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Tom Butler: (212) 686-4600 tbutler@butlerassociates.com www.ButlerAssociates.com facebook.com/ButlerAssociatesPublicRelations/ Twitter: @ButlerPR

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CityAndStateNY.com

December 19, 2016 – January 2, 2017

Let voters decide on term limits

I

N THE RECENT back and forth over a potential special legislative session in Albany, an intriguing idea was promoted by Gov. Andrew Cuomo to put the idea of term limits before the voters in a constitutional amendment. There are thoughtful and reasonable arguments on both sides of the issue of term limits. Those who support the idea will say that bringing new people into the process leads to better ideas and less corruption. Those opposed will argue that simple act of limiting terms is actually taking rights away from voters by limiting their choice. Others will say having long-serving members brings a sense of institutional knowledge that makes government work better.

We are not taking a side on this debate.

But we are supporting Cuomo’s move to put this issue before voters to let them decide and we encourage the Legislature to strongly consider moving this idea forward. Sure, they may lose out on long-term job security, but the sheer logistics of passing this measure through constitutional amend-

ment would make sure that they would have roughly a decade to prepare for the change. Plus, giving voters some say would surely gain them back some much-needed goodwill, considering both the Assembly and state Senate’s favorability ratings were under 50 percent in the Siena College Research Institute poll this month.

Cuomo’s plan would propose changing lawmakers terms from two years to four years and then limiting them to two terms, so they can only serve eight years total. Republican state Sen. Joe Griffo and Democratic Assemblyman Mickey Kearns have a similar bipartisan bill that would leave the terms at two years, with a maximum of six terms, or 12 years of service total. Again, there are positives and negatives on both of these ideas. Extending the terms to four years could allow lawmakers to spend less time fundraising, but it also takes power away from voters to change the Legislature more frequently.

The bottom line is that voters deserve a shot to weigh in on either option, or a similar alternative.

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Free college tuition

T

HE IDEA OF providing free education for students through college makes sense in the modern world because it has become necessary to have a post-secondary degree in the competitive professional workforce. During the 20th century, our government and the people felt it was necessary to provide free education through 12th grade so that students were prepared for the world and the workforce, right? Well today, it’s clear that a college education is a basic requirement for many young workers.

Democratic presidential candidate U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders ran a very successful campaign with this very issue a key component of his platform. In the end, he lost.

But campaigns are about more than just the horse race. They are a dialogue with the people about our priorities and aspirations and when losing candidates bring forward an idea worth exploring then our country’s leaders should not dismiss it.

In the campaign, Sanders took a lot of

criticism over his plan to pay for free college tuition. Simply put, he wanted to tax Wall Street speculators. That sounds nice in a campaign, but is likely far more complicated and politically messy in practice.

Finding and guaranteeing funding for any big idea is usually an ugly process. It is not a valid excuse for leaders in Washington D.C. to dismiss a good idea simply because it is going to be hard to implement. That is just cowardice.

Others will say the private sector has provided ample opportunity for our youth to go to college. But the reality is that these

methods force many poor and middle-income youth to choose a path that leads to massive debt, while their wealthier counterparts are spared such a burden. This perpetuates inequality in our society. Further, some of our best and brightest youth are left behind, leaving our country with a deficit in intellectual capital.

Our youth deserve better. Free college tuition is one way to give all children a fair shot at a pathway to prosperity. And that is a fundamental tenet of the American dream, which, sadly, millions of people feel is now out of reach.

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City & State New York

December 19, 2016 – January 2, 2017

A few more good ideas City & State’s editorial board discussed several dozen ideas before landing on the six we highlighted in this section. But several other ideas received votes, and at times passionate pleas, from our team.

Here are a few of them.

Closing Rikers: The push to shut down the jail has gained a lot of public momentum this year and politicians are starting to take some action to make this a reality, but there is still no clear plan forward on the issue.

Build the BQX: The idea of an aboveground tram connecting the most vibrant waterfront communities in Brooklyn and Queens is a good one, if for no other reason than it would give straphangers a muchneeded alternative transportation option to get between the two boroughs.

Home-Stat: Making an effort to actually count and track the homeless in New York City is daunting, flawed, and some could argue, it is possibly even politically suicidal. But it is the right thing to do and the city should be applauded for launching the program.

Paid family leave: One of the signature achievements of Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the state Legislature this year was passing the Paid Leave Law, which, starting in 2018, will give all employees, men and women, 12 weeks of paid leave to care for a new child, a sick relative or to help families of active military service. It’s legislation long overdue.

Penn Station redesign: In September, The New York Times editorial board asked architect Vishaan Chakrabarti to redesign Penn Station as a towering structure of glass that would be an iconic structure in the city, while also accounting for needed transportation upgrades.

President-elect Donald Trump reappointing U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara: On this, PEOTUS made the right call by keeping the public corruption crusader on the job.

The City & State Editorial board members are Editorial Director Michael Johnson, Opinion Editor Nick Powell, Editor-at-large Aimee Simpierre, Editor-at-large Gerson Borrero, and President and CEO Tom Allon.

GATEWAY PROJECT OFFERS TRUMP A DEFINING OPPORTUNITY

By Denise Richardson

Of the many questions that now face the nation there is little doubt that the incoming administration is going to make infrastructure investment a top domestic policy priority. It’s in Trump’s DNA to build and the country desperately needs an infusion of dollars into its roads, bridges and tunnels.

Once he takes office an immediate focus should be on approving a defining project that shows how to put federal infrastructure money to work in the most effective means possible. That project should break ground right here in New York with the Gateway Program – a plan to, among other things, create a desperately needed new commuter rail tunnel under the Hudson between New York and New Jersey. This project would strengthen a fragile northeast rail system that powers a multi-trillion dollar northeast economy and would immediately set the tone for Trump’s next four years.

While critics will point to the challenge of paying for its $24 billion price tag, the groundwork has already been prepared for funding Gateway.

The Obama Administration has agreed to have Washington pay for half the project, and New York and New Jersey would cover the other half. Sources of funding continue to be identified, with a positive step occurring recently when the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey committed more than $300 million toward the rebuilding of a new Portal North Bridge.

Furthermore, the creation of the Gateway Development Corporation (GDC) established an entity whose purpose is to cut through bureaucratic red tape, streamline the project and save considerable money. Interim Director John Porcari has become a forceful champion for the project and is committed to identifying the additional funding sources needed – including ideas such as a per passenger fee that creates a sustained revenue source.

The GDC needs to approach the new administration with an understanding that Gateway must move quickly with engineering and environmental reviews buttoned up and ready to be part of Trump’s First Hundred Days agenda. They also need to assume that just because Trump is a native New Yorker it doesn’t make him an instant advocate of this critically needed project as other regions in the country will be making equally urgent demands on funds and Oval Office attention.

Mr. Trump’s decision to select Elaine Chao as the new U.S. Transportation Secretary should also be viewed as a positive development. Her knowledge of how to get things done in Washington will be essential for leveraging all the federal funding programs that could be used for the project.

But the merit alone won’t ensure fast track approval by a Trump White House. We have already seen President-elect Trump’s tweeted anger at Pentagon programs that are over budget and woefully delayed. If we expect a greenlight for Gateway then its advocates better have a construction management structure ready to pass a very strict review by someone who not only knows what questions to ask but what those answers need to be.

New Yorkers who have seen Trump’s management style over the decades would want to give his administration’s team a “heads up” that a President Trump is going to insist on solutions, not excuses, when it comes to addressing job creation, economic growth and reinvestment in America. Gateway can be a strategically effective part of that agenda as this is a project of national importance with the means to impact every facet of America’s economy. Failure is not an option.

Denise Richardson is Executive Director of the General Contractors Association of New York.

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City & State New York

December December19, 19,2016 – January 2016 – January2,2,2017 2017

When we launched our Borough 50 series this summer, our goal was to identify some of the most influential people in each borough with a clear focus on the impact they have on the residents of each of the five counties. Our goal was twofold: first, to give positive recognition to people who have significant and lasting impact on the lives of residents; and second, to give outsiders a sense of what makes each borough tick.

In compiling our final Borough 50, focusing on the Bronx, it was clear the borough has a unique structure, with much of the power and influence centered around elected officials who have a lot of sway in New York City and the state. The people close to these officials, or who partner with them often, rose to the top of our list.

In some cases, powerful community organizations also carved out space. But, fundamentally, the influencers in the borough work within a strong political and governmental institution, which is increasingly rare in a time when public trust of institutions is waning.

With economic and living conditions improving and millions of dollars being invested in the borough, there may yet be a case for the benefits of these old political structures.

A quick recap of the rules: No elected officials allowed on the list, and we limited our selections to those who live in the borough. Now, without further ado, the Bronx Borough 50.

— MICHAEL GARETH JOHNSON, editorial director

MANDRITOIU

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#1

December 19, 2016 – January 2, 2017

#2

#3

GEORGE GRESHAM

JOSEPH KELLEHER

STANLEY SCHLEIN

President, 1199 SEIU United Healthcare Workers East

President, Simone Metro Properties

Attorney

When it comes to business and development in the Bronx, few are as prominent Joseph Kelleher. As president of Simone Metro Properties, he oversees the construction of medical facilities throughout the borough. The company’s signature facility is the massive residential, commercial and medical campus called Hutchinson Metro Center. The facility is one of the most visible signs of the borough’s growth.

Kelleher also promotes business throughout the borough as the Chairman of the Bronx Chamber of Commerce, which is headquartered at the Hutchinson Metro Center. He is quick to defend the borough against any lingering stigma that the Bronx is an unsafe place to live. He often partners with politicians to promote any issue that would improve the borough, from helping veterans to tackling the economic impact of domestic violence or simply helping people find work through job certification fairs.

There is a term that is often thrown around in politics to describe influential people who have been in positions of power for a long period of time. They say they “know where all the bodies are buried.” While there is a naturally negative connotation to that phrase, it can also be viewed as a badge of honor. That is the paradox that is Stanley Schlein.

Some see him as a cynical person protecting people in power. Others see him as an encyclopedia of institutional knowledge of party politics. One thing no one can deny is that he wields power and influence in the Bronx. In 2005, Schlein told The New York Times that he is “not a politician. I’m a technician.” Well, his technical expertise has helped craft deals that shape the look of the Bronx, advance or stifle politicians careers and has landed him as member of Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie’s inner circle.

There is no union in New York City or the state as powerful as 1199 SEIU. With hundreds of thousands of members who are informed, politically active, and understand the true power of action, the union has been a dominant force for decades. As the president of the union for nearly 10 years, George Gresham has solidified himself as a soft-spoken but fierce fighter for his members. An early supporter of Bill de Blasio, the union has benefited from the mayor’s investment in health care and passage of policies like pre-K and paid sick leave. Gresham, a long-time resident of the Bronx, also has a lot of sway with Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who was quick to cut a deal with 1199 SEIU and the powerful Greater New York Hospital Association upon taking office, bringing them into the decision-making process on lowering costs for health care as opposed to just proposing budget cuts, a mistake his predecessors made.

WE CARE FOR NEW YORK City & State New York

December 19, 2016 – January 2, 2017

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The 400,000 healthcare workers of 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East

Celebrate all of the

Bronx Power 50!

We look forward to working together for quality healthcare, good jobs and social justice for the Bronx community.

QUALITY CARE AND GOOD JOBS FOR ALL

1199SEIU.org @1199SEIU

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#4

December 19, 2016 – January 2, 2017

#5

#6

FERNANDO FERRER

JOSEPH McSHANE

CAMILLE JOSEPH

Co-Chairman, Mercury

President, Fordham University

Vice President of Government Affairs for New Jersey and New York City, Charter Communications

The former borough president and city councilman remains a power broker in the Bronx. He is a vice chairman at the Metropolitan Transit Authority and was instrumental in making sure new money was included for building the new Metro-North stations in the recent capital plan. He also sits on the CUNY Board of Trustees. In both cases, he was appointed to the positions by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, showing his close ties to the powerful governor.

Fernando Ferrer’s decades of experience in government working on developing affordable housing and bringing business to the Bronx has made him an asset in his current role at Mercury. The co-chairman at the top public affairs and government relations consulting firm has parlayed his urban planning expertise and close relationships into an effective advocate for many clients looking to do business in the city.

Since before the Civil War, the Fordham University campus on Rose Hill has been a beacon of intellectual excellence, as well as an economic driver, for the borough. The Rev. Joseph McShane has been president since 2003, but also served as dean of Fordham College at Rose Hill for six years in the ’90s. He has been a consistent voice for creating a diverse community and has been an outspoken advocate for helping undocumented immigrant students receive access to college. Recently he joined with 70 other college presidents asking for the continuation of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. He also created national waves for blocking College Republicans from inviting Ann Coulter to speak on the campus, saying her “hateful rhetoric” is “aimed squarely at the darker side of our nature.” He then encouraged the group to invite a less provocative conservative scholar to speak.

It is still unclear what impact the recent Charter Communications takeover of Time Warner Cable, one of the 25 biggest companies in New York City, will have. But one thing is clear, Charter have hired a well-connected veteran of New York politics to head up their government affairs. Camille Joseph has worked on countless campaigns, including for President Barack Obama and U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand. She also served as Deputy Comptroller in Scott Stringer’s office.

She has a track record as a fighter for increasing diversity in the corporate world, promoting equal pay for women and building partnerships in communities with targeted investments to help them grow. In a changing world, where laws are often slow to adapt to emerging technologies, Joseph’s political connections are sure to help the media giant navigate the bureaucracy.

City & State New York

December 19, 2016 – January 2, 2017

#8

#7

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#9

PAUL DEL DUCA

MARLENE CINTRON

NUNZIO DEL GRECO

Chief of Staff, Office of the Bronx Borough President

President, Bronx Overall Economic Development Corp

President and CEO, Bronx Chamber of Commerce

Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. landed at No. 37 on our 2016 Albany Power 100 list, and No. 24 on our 2016 New York City Power 100 list. Taking nothing away from the borough president, it’s fair to say one of the biggest reasons he has been able to build his powerful profile is because of the constant and thoughtful guidance of Paul Del Duca, his chief of staff. He is literally the right hand to Diaz, involved in all aspects of governing as well as political strategy. It is safe to say every major decision that Diaz has made as borough president has been vetted by Del Duca. Their close relationship was never more evident than when Diaz publicly supported same-sex marriage in 2013, citing Del Duca’s marriage to his partner as a main influence on him changing his personal and political position.

When Marlene Cintron took over as president of the Bronx Overall Economic Development Corporation in 2010, the borough was reeling from the financial collapse. Roughly seven years later, the Bronx is booming and Cintron’s work at BOEDC is a large part of the success. The unemployment rate is lower than it has been in a decade. Crime is at a 50-year low and the housing market is booming like it never has before. Cintron doesn’t hesitate to tout this success, often appearing on television or being quoted in newspapers about the borough’s success. One key to her success is her deep connections to both the private sector and government, working for Merrill Lynch, Citibank, as well as serving as the executive director of the Puerto Rican and Latino Caucus in the state Senate. She is also a member of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s New York City Regional Economic Development Council.

When Nunzio Del Greco took over as the president and CEO of the chamber about a year ago, he outlined an ambitious goal: to make it one of the most successful organizations in New York City. A year later, he is still approaching the job with the same passion as he works to grow membership and find ways to work collaboratively with companies, nonprofits, and other organizations to drive economic growth in the borough.

The Italian-born wine lover has a long history in the Bronx, serving as the head of the Bronx-Manhattan North Association of Realtors for nearly 30 years before eventually landing at the chamber. In his time at the association of Realtors, he increased membership tenfold, expanding the organization into Manhattan and significantly growing its financial profile and impact on the community.

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December 19, 2016 – January 2, 2017

#10

STEVEN M. SAFYER President and CEO, Montefiore Medical Center

For more than 130 years Montefiore has been a landmark of the Bronx, providing care to millions of people. The teaching hospital remains one of the best health care facilities in the New York City metro area. Since 2008, Steven Safyer has been in charge of the facility, helping it grow dramatically to include 10 hospitals and more than 200 ambulatory care centers, most of them in the Bronx. Under his leadership, the hospital also strengthened its ties with the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, one of the premier medical research schools in the country.

Before becoming president and CEO, he served in a variety of roles at the hospital, including more than 20 years of service as a physician, clinician, chief medical officer and a senior vice president. He is also a member of the politically powerful Greater New York Hospital Association and has recently served as chairman.

Proud to join the ground-breakers.

The obstacle-tacklers.

The paradigm-shifters.

Charter is proud to be a part of City & State’s Bronx Power 50 Awards.

Congratulations to our Vice President of Government Affairs Camille C. Joseph and all the honorees.

City & State New York

December 19, 2016 – January 2, 2017

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#11 ANTHONY PEREZ

#12 SANDRA LOBO-JOST

#13 JOSÉ LUIS CRUZ

#14 LARRY SCOTT BLACKMON

Arguably the biggest power center in the Bronx is the Democratic County Committee, where most of the borough’s elected officials have been repaid for their loyalty. But Anthony Perez is among a crop of young activists working to shape the party. Still in his 20s, he has solidified himself as fierce advocate for residents and progressive policies. A former staffer at the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City, he now focuses solely on the Bronx, dedicated to increasing participation in the party and connecting voters to services.

Redeveloping the Kingsbridge Armory into a world-class ice rink has been a battle in the Bronx for years, in part because of community organizing by Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition and their president Sandra Lobo-Jost. In 2013, the coalition negotiated a groundbreaking agreement giving the community tremendous say in the project, a testament to their power. As the borough continues to grow, it is clear that the coalition will have a say in what that growth looks like going forward.

When it comes to CUNY campuses in the Bronx, Lehman College is the gold standard. The campus serves roughly 12,000 students, but is also a community center.

The institution houses the BronxNet television facilities and includes a top performing arts school. José Luis Cruz only took over as president in August, but already has pledged to build on the college’s history by expanding its reach and turning the school into a place of upward mobility for residents of the borough and beyond.

There have been a handful of high-profile projects in the Bronx in recent years, but none more impactful than FreshDirect’s move to Port Morris. The online grocer giant opened its facility this year, bringing hundreds of jobs to the neighborhood. As vice president of community and government affairs, Larry Scott Blackmon works with the community to address concerns and highlight the positive impact of the facility.

The veteran of city government also works to build partnerships with nonprofits like the Food Bank for New York City and City Harvest.

Executive Director, Bronx Democratic County Committ

President, Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition

President, Lehman College

VP of Public Affairs, FreshDirect

FreshDirect

Congratulates

THE 2016 BRONX POWER 50

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December 19, 2016 – January 2, 2017

#15 JENNIFER RAAB

#16 CHARLES MOERDLER

#17 RAUL RUSSI

#18 LEWIS GOLDSTEIN

This Riverdale resident is a tour de force in the higher education world. For the past 15 years, she has been president of Hunter College – a gem of the CUNY system – expanding the academic excellence and moving aggressively to upgrade facilities with several large-scale projects. Often recognized as one of the most powerful women in New York City, she is also half of one of the most powerful couples in the city as wife to prominent New York Post columnist Michael Goodwin.

In the Bronx, Charles Moerdler is probably most influential for the power he wields over Community Board 8. The prominent lawyer has deep connections in government including a close relationship with Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who appointed him to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority board. Over the decades he has also held key positions on several agencies, from the New York City Housing Authority to the Dormitory Authority State of New York, often having a powerful voice on land use issues throughout the city and particularly in the Bronx.

The Acacia Network is the largest Puerto Ricanfounded organizations in the state, promoting healthy neighborhoods through a litany of services to the community. As CEO, Raul Russi handles the dayto-day operations of the massive organization. Russi understands the needs of communities on a granular level. It’s something he learned as a police officer in Buffalo, where he was shot in the line of duty. He is also the former New York City probation commissioner and former chair of the New York State Parole Board.

Lewis Goldstein has dedicated more than two decades of his life to promoting rights and respect for the LGBTQ community and the disabled. From his start as the first openly gay man elected to be a party official in the borough, he has worked his way up the Bronx Democratic County Committee to his current position as vice chairman, where he serves as an ardent advocate for policies of inclusion. He was also an early supporter of Mayor Bill de Blasio and remains a conduit to get important issues in the Bronx in front of City Hall.

#19 JOHN BONIZIO

#20 LORRAINE CORTÉSVÁZQUEZ

#21 GARY AXELBANK

Host and Senior Producer of BronxTalk, BronxNet

#22 DANA CAROTENUTO RICO

Any politician, activist or advocate with a message for residents of the Bronx has a few media outlets that they can turn to, but their top choice has to be BronxTalk.

For more than 20 years, the public affairs call-in talk show has tackled the toughest and most intriguing issues facing the borough from policing to housing to economic development and, of course, politics. As host and senior producer, Gary Axelbank has his finger on the pulse of the borough, providing thoughtful insight and keeping elected officials honest.

As chief of staff for the leader of the state Senate’s Independent Democratic Conference, Dana Carotenuto Rico’s influence is significant.

But you cannot underestimate the power she wields in the district for state Sen. Jeff Klein. With Republicans holding a narrow majority in the state Senate, the IDC will likely still wield a lot of influence, which should translate to good things for the Bronx neighborhoods Klein represents and where Carotenuto Rico has dedicated her life to serving.

President, Hunter College

General Manager, Metro Optics There are few people doing as much to promote the growth of business in the Bronx than John Bonizio.

A small business owner himself, he has worked tirelessly to develop the now vibrant Westchester Square Business Improvement District. He has now set his sights on launching two more BIDs in the North Bronx. His work has caught the eye of several prominent politicians, including Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie and Mayor Bill de Blasio, which will only help his mission of promoting economic growth in the borough.

Partner, Stroock & Stroock & Lavan

Senior Vice President, Corporate Relations and Government Affairs, EmblemHealth The former New York secretary of state now advocates for improving access to quality care for people throughout the region. Lorraine Cortés-Vázquez has always worked to improve people’s lives, whether it was at the city Department for the Aging or AARP or in her current position. She also sits on the CUNY Board of Trustees, which is fitting, considering she co-founded the CUNY/ SUNY Model State Senate Session Project at the Somos el Futuro conference.

CEO, Acacia Network

Vice Chairman, Bronx Democratic Party

Chief of Staff, Office of State Sen. Jeff Klein

City & State New York

December 19, 2016 – January 2, 2017

#23 WILMA ALONSO

Executive Director, Fordham Road BID

#24 MARRICKA SCOTTMcFADDEN

There is no business improvement district more impactful on the Bronx than the Fordham Road BID. Since it was formed in 2005, Wilma Alonso has been its executive director, shaping the nonprofit into a force that promotes business and community development in this booming area. Under Alonso’s leadership the BID has become a central institution for the community and one of the biggest shopping destinations in the entire city.

Marricka Scott-McFadden spent a decade as Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie’s chief of staff, worked on dozens of Democratic campaigns, including those of U.S. Sens.

Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli.

She even ran all elections in the borough for a short time as Deputy Chief Clerk for the city Board of Elections. Now a vice president at Mercury, she continues to impact the lives of Bronx residents through her work at the prominent public strategy firm.

Vice President, Mercury

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#25 ADOLFO CARRIÓN

#26 DEIRDRE SCOTT

The former borough president and onetime mayoral candidate appears to have settled nicely into private sector life as a consultant and executive vice president at the Stagg Group, a real estate development firm. But, he remains a prominent voice on issues related to the borough and as a frequent guest on NY1’s “Wise Guys.” Carrión is often floated as a potential candidate for several offices, from Congress to mayor, adding to his influence.

When it comes to promoting the arts in the Bronx, you can’t find a better cheerleader than Deirdre Scott. For more than seven years, she led the Bronx Council on the Arts, speaking passionately about the infusion of new culture into the borough. Her decades of experience working at some of the nation’s finest museums made her a perfect fit for the BCA. Now, she is heading up a special fund to support cultural programming in the South Bronx and Central Brooklyn funded by The Rockefeller Foundation and supported by the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.

Executive Vice President, Stagg Group

Former Executive Director, Bronx Council on the Arts

Congratulations!

Raul Russi, CEO, Acacia Network, Inc. & those recognized as The Bronx Power 50!

Acacia Network’s mission is to partner with our communities, lead change, and promote healthy and prosperous individuals and families.

Connect With Us 300 East 175th Street, Bronx, NY 10457 • Phone: 718-299-1100 • AcaciaNetwork.org •

Dian

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CityAndStateNY.com

#27 DEAN MEMINGER

December 19, 2016 – January 2, 2017

Founder, Eisland Strategies

#29 CAROL ROBLESROMÁN

Over the past two decades, there have been few journalists more prominent and professional when it comes to covering the Bronx, or criminal justice issues throughout the city, than Dean Meminger.

The Bronx native is as connected as any reporter when it comes to the movements of the NYPD. Before he took on that beat, he was NY1 & rsquo;s go-to reporter for coverage of the Bronx, joining the 24-hour cable news giant after cutting rhis teeth at the local BronxNet TV.

The longtime New York City councilwoman remains a prominent figure in the borough. She is still active in the powerful Benjamin Franklin Reform Democratic Club, where most Riverdalearea politicians pay homage.

She also serves as vice chairwoman for the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce. In her 22 years on the City Council, she was a fierce advocate for rent control and keeping the cost of living in the city down.

While her 2001 bid to become the first female Bronx borough president came up short, her dedication and service to the borough still continues today.

When it comes to fighting for women and girls, there are few people who have as much impact as Carol Robles-Román. The former deputy mayor has a record of successfully battling human trafficking and domestic violence through policy initiatives. Now, she runs Legal Momentum, a national organization focused on promoting gender equality.

Robles-Román’s passion for the defense of the abused in her home borough serves as a ballast for her ever-growing compassionate mission.

Jeff Lynch’s resume reads as a who’s who of prominent politicians in the Bronx, even though he’s now at the city’s Department of Transportation. He served as New York City Councilman Jimmy Vacca’s chief of staff, worked on Bill de Blasio’s 2009 campaign for public advocate and ran New York City Councilman Ritchie Torres’s 2013 campaign.

Lynch also holds close ties to the borough’s big power brokers – Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, Borough President Rubén Díaz Jr. and state Sen. Jeff Klein.

#31 JOHN DeSIO

#32 MICHAEL BENJAMIN

#33 MARIANNE ANDERSON

#34 DIANNE JOHNSON

John DeSio is more than just a communications guy for powerful borough president Ruben Diaz Jr. He is one of his fiercest defenders and biggest cheerleaders for his boss. And he shows the same passion in his dedication to serving the people of the Bronx, helping residents with the simplest requests to the most complicated. He is full of energy and moves around a room like he was a politician himself, chatting with everyone and making sure he doesn’t miss anything important, which is why he is a trusted part of Diaz’s inner circle.

The former Assemblyman has a different take than most traditional Democrats. Since leaving the state legislature at the end of 2010, his voice has been a refreshing check on policy proposals put forth by those in power. Always a threat to return to public service, Benjamin seems content now in his role as a thought leader and well-connected politico who has his finger on the pulse of the Bronx, if not the whole city.

One way to know someone is truly from the Bronx is when they seamlessly weave into the conversation that Pelham Bay Park is the biggest park in New York City. It’s almost 1,000 acres bigger than the second-largest park and three times the size of Manhattan’s Central Park – true Bronxites will tell you it is also the best. Born and raised in the Bronx, Anderson has been the park’s administrator since 2008, but her love of Pelham Bay Park was evident long before in her writing, including several books that demonstrate her knowledge and love for this jewel.

While Catholic Charities is active all over New York, it is particularly busy in the Bronx. The organization has a host of programs to help the homeless, or to protect and provide for children, and Dianne Johnson is involved in much of that work. Before joining, she had an impressive resume of serving the less fortunate with work at the Salvation Army, Women in Need and Housing+Solutions. A Bronx resident for more than a decade now, she is also active in the community.

Criminal Justice Reporter, NY1

Director of Communications, Office of the Bronx Borough President

#28 JUNE EISLAND

Editorial Board member, New York Post

President and CEO, Legal Momentum

Administrator, Pelham Bay Park

#30 JEFF LYNCH

Assistant Commissioner, New York City Department of Transportation

Director for Community Outreach Services, Catholic Charities Community Services

Dianne and David_City and State_Final_Layout 1 12/15/16 4:19 PM Page 1

OF THE City & State New York

December 19, 2016 – January 2, 2017

Providing Help. Creating Hope.

CATHOLIC CHARITIES OF THE ARCHDIOCESE OF NEW YORK

Congratulates

AND

CITY & STATE’S BRONX POWER 50

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December 19, 2016 – January 2, 2017

#35 ETHAN GETO

#36 STEPHEN JEROME

#37 AVI WEISS

#38 THOMAS A. ISEKENEGBE

This Bronx native runs one of the city’s top lobbying and media strategy firms, helping pave the way for development projects throughout the five boroughs. His close ties to Mayor Bill de Blasio no doubt help him wield influence to help his clients shape the city and the borough. Before launching his private firm, he got his start as a top aide to former Bronx borough president and state Attorney General Robert Abrams.

Stephen Jerome is as much a part of the Bronx as he is a part of Monroe College.

He’s been associated with the college for 50 years, but has spent his entire life living and working in the borough. In addition to running the private college, he has also held positions with the Bronx Chamber of Commerce, the Fordham Road Area Development Corporation and he plays an active role in the community volunteering his time and talents in various ways, including with neighborhood improvement programs.

For decades, Avi Weiss has been an outspoken advocate on social issues and a fierce supporter of preserving Jewish history. But he has also been one of the most progressive rabbis in America, founding a concept called Open Orthodoxy that, among other things, allows for more intellectual openness and a larger role for women. His stances have made him a controversial figure nationally, but revered by the members of the Hebrew Institute of Riverdale. He stepped away from a leadership role last year, but his impact on the community is still evident.

It’s been a little over a year since Dr. Thomas A. Isekenegbe took over as president of Bronx Community College, and he has already made a clear impact on the campus’ 11,000-plus students. Part of his core mission is to promote volunteer work by the students as well as partnerships with institutions and businesses in the borough. But upholding the school’s academic record is his first priority. And with a new $50 million quadrangle this year, the school seems positioned for great things with Isekenegbe at the helm.

Partner, Geto & de Milly

President, Monroe College

Rabbi in Residence, Hebrew Institute of Riverdale

President, Bronx Community College

HUNTER COLLEGE CONGRATULATES PRESIDENT

JENNIFER J. RAAB CUNY TRUSTEES

FERNANDO FERRER LORRAINE A. CORTÉS-VÁZQUEZ FORMER TRUSTEE

CAROL ROBLES-ROMÁN AND

LEHMAN COLLEGE PRESIDENT

JOSÉ LUIS CRUZ

City & State New York

December 19, 2016 – January 2, 2017

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#39 MARISSA SOTO

#40 BRIAN G. ANDERSSON

#41 LAURA GUERRIERO

#42 JUAN ANTIGUA

When it comes to influence in the Bronx, much of it rests in prominent politicians and the powerful Democratic County Committee. The principal at Soto & Associates, Marissa Soto is the counsel for both the county committee and the county’s executive committee. But that’s not all she does. The Bronx native is also a leader in the Puerto Rican Bar Association, an outspoken advocate for the territory and immigration issues, and is on the boards of several Bronx-based nonprofits that focus on improving the lives of children in the borough.

Few people know as much about the history of the Bronx than Andersson.

That’s not hyperbole, he is literally a historian of the borough as well as the former commissioner of the New York City Department of Records. Over the past four decades he has been a tireless advocate for preserving the borough’s past, as well as sharing it with residents and the world. Andersson helped establish the Jonas Bronck Center in Sweden, a tribute to the explorer for whom the borough is named.

A majority of New Yorkers, especially outside of Manhattan, say they get their news from their local papers.

Which is why the Bronx Times and Bronx Times Reporter is an important and influential source of information, and why Laura Guerriero makes our list.

The local weekly, part of the citywide Community News Group, is where many people find out what’s happening around the block and is a target destination for politicians hoping for photo ops that put them in a positive light with their constituents.

Juan Antigua has been a progressive activist from an early age, helping nonprofits with organizing efforts when he was in high school. Later, he worked on the campaign of upstart City Councilman Ritchie Torres to help him win his seat in 2013 and then served as his deputy chief of staff. Antigua is Bronx through and through, but now in his role as New York City political director of the Working Families Party, he is bringing his skill and ability to organize and mobilize people to a larger platform, helping shape progressive policy across the city and state.

Principal, Law Offices of Soto & Associates

Director of Community Outreach, Woodlawn Cemetery

Publisher, Bronx Times

NYC Political Director, Working Families Party

Congratulations to the City & State Bronx Borough Power 50 and especially to our colleague Brian Andersson.

The Woodlawn Cemetery Webster Ave. & East 233rd St., Bronx, NY 10470 718-920-0500 • www.thewoodlawncemetery.org

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CityAndStateNY.com

#43 NANCY CARIN

December 19, 2016 – January 2, 2017

Executive Director, Business Outreach Center Network

#44 HOWARD BRUCE NEUFELD

The hip new thing in business is startup incubators, and it is no different in the South Bronx, where a state-of-theart co-working space, BXL Business Incubator, is helping dozens of entrepreneurs get off the ground. The facility offers micro-financing, tech assistance, legal help, business planning advice, and office space to help startups grow. As executive director of Business Outreach Center Network, Nancy Carin’s vision of improving economic opportunities for low- and moderate-income communities that help make BXL a reality.

The Bronx Jewish Community Council is one of many organizations dedicated to helping the less fortunate in the borough, and they have been doing it well for more than 40 years. Led

by Howard Bruce Neufeld, the BJCC serves more than 12,000 people each year, of all backgrounds and religions, with a particular focus on helping seniors through outreach, providing transportation and a focus on treating mental health problems.

President, Bronx Jewish Community Council

#45 HECTOR SOTO

#46 MOUHAMED KABA

Most Hostos Community College students taking a class on criminal justice with Héctor W. Soto probably don’t realize that the tall, personable, soft-spoken and charismatic 69 year-old Puerto Rican has been a constant in the civil rights trenches for over four decades. As an attorney, he has been involved in countless cases involving police oversight, accountability, and community relations in the Bronx and beyond. He was also the first executive director of the New York City Civilian Complaint Review Board in the 90s.

Mouhamed Kaba landed on our radar after dozens of readers sent us nominations highlighting his work. There is a growing population of African immigrants in the Bronx and for many assimilating to the borough and country can be difficult if you don’t get some help from public servants like Kaba. In his time at the Mayor’s office, he organized the first Bronx African Community Town Hall, has played an active role in IDNYC and the ActionNYC program, which provides free immigration legal services.

Assistant Professor of Public Policy and Law, Hostos Community College

Community Associate/ Bronx Organizer, Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs

Start hiring now on New York’s highest-quality job site!

C&S Careers helps hundreds of job seekers and employers find the right fit every day.

http://careers.cityandstateny.com

City & State New York

December 19, 2016 – January 2, 2017

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#47 BOB KAPPSTATTER

#48 LUIS DIAZ

#49 DAVID SHUFFLER

#50 ANTHONY AND PAUL RAMIREZ

For decades Bob “Kappy” Kappstatter would fill the pages of the Daily News with the most important developments in the Bronx, including detailed accounts of the political machinations that are a stalwart of Democratic county politics. After leaving the tabloid, he did a short stint as editor of the Bronx Times, continuing his legacy as one of the most prominent and influential journalists in the borough. Now a consultant, it’s hard to find someone who can better explain how politics is played in the Bronx.

The former Assemblyman has been in charge of the county court system since 2009. While his pick was a shock to some in the powerful Democratic party establishment at the time, the connected politico has now settled into the lifetime position running one of the busiest court systems in the city. Tens of thousands of jurors or potential jurors come through the court system each year as the number of cases continues to grow, even if the number of judges does not, making delays a constant concern for Luis Diaz and his team.

As head of Youth Ministries for Peace and Justice, David Shuffler has been a leader of several movements to improve the lives of residents. He has been active in the creation of parks, a tireless advocate for the South Bronx Greenway, as well as a spiritual leader and organizer. The mission of YMPJ is to prepare young people to be prophetic voices for peace and justice, and in his role, Shuffler is doing that on a daily basis with a focus on political education and the power of grassroots activism.

These entrepreneurial brothers have already made their mark on the borough and they are not even 40 yet. Their parent company Mainland Media has successfully created a niche as the brand experts on The Bronx, marketing themselves as an authority on the borough’s diverse communities and unique character. Their successful store selling From The Bronx products like T-shirts and their launch of the Bronx Beer Hall seem like just the start of their ambition to promote the borough and help its residents.

Consultant

Bronx County Clerk

Executive Director, Youth Ministries for Peace and Justice

Founders, Bronx Beer Hall / Mainland Media

With great pride, Congratulations to our MCNY Masters in Public Affairs & Administration Alumni Professor Larry Scott Blackmon & Marricka Scott-McFadden

BRONX COMMUNITY LEADERS mcny.edu

Bring together New York’s top government and business leaders for engaging policy discussions and networking opportunities.

EVENT OPTIONS INCLUDE:

POLICY DISCUSSIONS AWARD CEREMONIES COCKTAIL RECEPTIONS PANEL DISCUSSIONS Align your organization with the decision makers and award-winning content that make every CITY & STATE EVENT a must-attend!

For more information on CITY & STATE’s event sponsorship opportunities, visit cityandstateny.com/events or contact our sales team at events@cityandstateny.com

PUBLIC and LEGAL NOTICES / CityAndStateNY.com

December 19, 2016 – January 2, 2017

PUBLIC & LEGAL NOTICES DECEMBER 19, 2016 — JANUARY 2, 2017

For reservations and rates please email: legalnotices@ cityandstateny.com or call

212-268-0442, ext. 2039 Notice of Formation of 215 MOORE STREET MEZZANINE LENDER LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 11/10/16.

Office location: NY County.

SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207, regd. agent upon whom and at which process may be served. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Qualification of SREF PIV IV, LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 11/29/16.

Office location: NY County.

LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 10/26/16. Princ. office of LLC: Savanna Asset Management, LLC, 430 Park Ave., 12th Fl., NY, NY 10022. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served.

SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co. (CSC), 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543, regd. agent upon whom and at which process may be served. DE addr. of LLC: c/o CSC, 2711 Centerville Rd., Ste. 400, Wilmington, DE 19808.

Cert. of Form. filed with DE Secy. of State, Div. of Corps., John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901.

Purpose: Any lawful activity.

NOTICE OF FORMATION of Moke America, LLC. Arts of Org filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) 12/7/16. Office loc: NY County. SSNY designated agent upon whom process may be served and shall mail copy of process against LLC to principal business address: 209 East 62nd Street, NY, NY 10065. Puprose: Any lawful act.

Notice of Qualification of ARTMATR, LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 11/08/16.

Office location: NY County.

LLC formed in Colorado (CO) on 09/21/16. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served.

SSNY shall mail process to the CO addr. of the LLC: 410 17th Ste. 2200, Denver, CO 80202. Cert. of Form. filed with CO Secy. of State, 1700 Broadway, Ste. 200, Denver, CO 80209.

Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Formation of Lerin Consulting LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with NY Dept. of State on 9/22/16. Office location: NY County. Sec. of State designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: c/o CT Corporation System, 111 8th Ave., NY, NY 10011, regd. agent upon whom process may be served.

Purpose: all lawful purposes.

Notice of Formation of Plate & Glass, LLC filed with the SSNY on August 23, 2016. Office: New York County. SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to the LLC, 82 Irving Place, 1B, New York, NY 10003. Purpose: any lawful act or activity.

Notice of formation of Minyworldwide LLC Arts of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 11/08/16. Office location: NY County.

SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served.

SSNY shall mail process to :The LLC, 200 Riverside Blvd ste 26E, New York, NY 10069. Purpose: any lawful activity.

Notice of Formation of Frontline Digital LLC Art. of Org. filed with SSNY on September 15, 2016.

Office: New York County.

SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to the LLC, 7 East 14th Street, #812, New York, NY 10003.

Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

Notice of Qualification of SREF IV REIT, L.P. Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 11/29/16.

Office location: NY County. LP formed in Delaware (DE) on 10/26/16. Princ. office of LP: Savanna Asset Management, LLC, 430 Park Ave., 12th Fl., NY, NY 10022. SSNY designated as agent of LP upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co. (CSC), 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. Name and addr. of each general partner are available from SSNY. DE addr. of LP: c/o CSC, 2711 Centerville Rd., Ste. 400, Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of LP filed with DE Secy. of State, Div. of Corps., John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Formation of LUCKY US PROPERTY PARTNERS, LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 11/22/16. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 250 West St., Unit #10J, NY, NY 10013. SSNY designated as agent of llc upon whom process against it may be served.

SSNY shall mail process to Eric J. Kramer at the princ. office of the LLC. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Formation of Alan H Goldberg, CPA, PLLC filed with the NY Secretary of State of New York on June 28, 2016.

Office Location: New York County. SSNY designated agent upon whom process may be served and shall mail copy of process against PLLC to principal business address: 14 Penn Plaza, Ste. 1315, New York, NY 10122. Purpose: To practice accounting or any lawful activity.

Fish in the Hand Productions, LLC filed with SSNY 9/13/16. Office loc: NY Co. SSNY designated agent upon whom process may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: US Corp Agents, 7014 13th Ave #202, Brooklyn, NY 11228. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

Notice of Qual. of 548W22 Funding LLC, Auth. filed Sec’y of State (SSNY) 9/9/16. Off. loc: NY Co. LLC org. in DE 8/26/16.

SSNY desig. as agent of LLC upon whom proc. against it may be served.

SSNY shall mail copy of proc. to NRAI, 111 Eighth Ave., NY, NY 10011, the Reg. Agt. upon whom proc. may be served. DE off. addr.: 160 Greentree Dr., Ste. 101, Dover, DE 19904.

Cert. of Form. on file: SSDE, Townsend Bldg., Dover, DE 19901. Purp: any lawful activities.

Notice of Qualification of A&E QUEENS PORTFOLIO III MGMT, LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/31/16.

Office location: NY County.

LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 09/13/16. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served.

SSNY shall mail process to the LLC, Attn: Maggie McCormick, 1065 Ave. of the Americas, NY, NY 10018. DE addr. of LLC: Corporation Service Co., 2711 Centerville Rd., Ste. 400, Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with State of DE, Secy. of State, Div. of Corps., 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Qualification of AssuredPartners OF PENNSYLVANIA, LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/26/16. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Pennsylvania (PA) on 09/27/16. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served.

SSNY shall mail process to c/o Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543.

PA addr. of LLC: 1301 Grandview Ave., Ste. 400, Pittsburgh, PA 15211.

Cert. of Form. filed with Pedro A. Cortes, Secy. of the Commonwealth, 401 N. Street, Rm. 206, Harrisburg, PA 17120.

Purpose: Any lawful activity.

NOTICE OF QUALIFICATION of FGMK, LLC. Authority filed with Secy. Of State of NY (SSNY) on 4/7/2016. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in IL on 11/17/1994.

SSNY designated agent upon whom process may be served and shall mail copy of process against LLC to principal business address: 2801 Lakeside Drive, Third Floor, Bannockburn, IL 60015.

Certificate of LLC filed with Secy. Of State of IL located at: 213 State Capitol, Springfield, IL 62756.

Purpose: any lawful act.

Notice of Qualification of Allegany Wind Energy, LLC. Authority filed with NY Dept. of State on 10/31/16. Office location: NY County. Princ. bus. addr.: 11101 W. 120th Ave., Ste. 400, Broomfield, CO 80021. LLC formed in DE on 10/28/16. NY Sec. of State designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: c/o CT Corporation System, 111 8th Ave., NY, NY 10011, regd. agent upon whom process may be served. DE addr. of LLC: 1209 Orange St., Wilmington, DE 19801.

Cert. of Form. filed with DE Sec. of State, 401 Federal St., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: all lawful purposes.

223A MALCOM X BLVD LLC. Art. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 04/09/15.

Office: New York County.

SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to the LLC, c/o Alon Karasenty, 312 East 30th Street, PH2, New York, NY 10016.

Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

Notice of Formation of 515 Wilson Avenue LLC, Art. of Org. filed with Sec’y of State (SSNY) on 10/11/16.

Office location: NY County.

SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to NRAI, 111 Eighth Ave., NY, NY 10011, the Reg. Agt. upon whom proc. may be served. Purpose: any lawful activities.

Notice of Formation of Galilean Technologies LLC. Arts of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 7/26/2016.

Office Location: NY County.

SSNY designated agent upon whom process may be served and shall mail copy of process against the LLC to principal business address: 511 47th Ave, Ste 8H, LIC, NY 11101 Purpose: any lawful act.

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT A LICENSE, SERIAL #1298843, FOR WINE & BEER HAS BEEN APPLIED FOR BY THE UNDERSIGNED TO SELL WINE & BEER AT RETAIL UNDER THE ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE CONTROL LAW AT 176 2ND AVE NEW YORK, NY 10003.

NEW YORK COUNTY, FOR ON PREMISE CONSUMPTION. LA MERIDIANA I LTD.

CITYANDSTATENY.COM

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Notice of Formation of Airplane Mode LLC. Art. of Org. filed with the Secy.

Of State of NY (SSNY) on October 5, 2016.

Office: NY County. SSNY designated agent upon whom process may be served against LLC to: 200 E. 69th St. 26A NY, NY 10021. Purpose: Any lawful act.

Notice of Qualification of OMNICHANNEL SOLUTIONS, LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 11/14/16. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 10/06/16.

SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served.

SSNY shall mail process to c/o Moses & Singer, Attn: David Lee Kovacs, 405 Lexington Ave., 12th Fl., NY, NY 10174. DE addr. of LLC: c/o Corporation Service Co., 2711 Centerville Rd., Ste. 400, Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State, Div. of Corps., John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St. Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901.

Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Qualification of SPT Ivey 61 Emerald MOB LLC. Authority filed with NY Dept. of State on 11/14/16.

Office location: NY County.

Princ. bus. addr.: 591 W. Putnam Ave., Greenwich, CT 06830. LLC formed in DE on 10/24/16. NY Sec. of State designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: CT Corporation System, 111 8th Ave., NY, NY 10011, regd. agent upon whom process may be served. DE addr. of LLC: 1209 Orange St., Wilmington, DE 19801.

Cert. of Form. filed with DE Sec. of State, 401 Federal St., Dover, DE 19901.

Purpose: all lawful purposes.

Notice of Qualification of IOWN LLC. Authority filed with NY Dept. of State on 10/28/16. NYS fictitious name: IOWN1 LLC. Office location: NY County. Princ. bus. addr.: 51 Madison Ave., 31st Fl., NY, NY 10010. LLC formed in DE on 1/26/16. NY Sec. of State designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: CT Corporation System, 111 8th Ave., NY, NY 10011, regd. agent upon whom process may be served.

DE addr. of LLC: 1209 Orange St., Wilmington, DE 19801. Cert. of Form. filed with DE Sec. of State, 401 Federal St., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: all lawful purposes.

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CityAndStateNY.com / PUBLIC and LEGAL NOTICES

Notice of Formation of PIONEER EATS, LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/31/16. Office location: NY County.

SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served.

SSNY shall mail process to Scott Schindler, 203 E. 4th St., Apt. 9, NY, NY 10009. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Formation of NEW YORK CWB, LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/31/16. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served.

SSNY shall mail process to the LLC, 515 Madison Ave., Ste. 1118/35, NY, NY 10022. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT A LICENSE, SERIAL #1297812, FOR WINE & BEER HAS BEEN APPLIED FOR BY THE UNDERSIGNED TO SELL WINE & BEER AT RETAIL UNDER THE ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE CONTROL LAW AT 200 E 39TH ST NEW YORK, NY 10016.

NEW YORK COUNTY, FOR ONPREMISE CONSUMPTION. EAST 39 REST INC. Notice of Formation of Mizuho America Leasing LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with NY Dept. of State on 12/1/16. Office location: NY County. Sec. of State designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to the principal business address: MHCB America Holdings, Inc., 1251 Ave. of the Americas, NY, NY 10020, Attn: Toshiaki Yasunaga. Purpose: all lawful purposes.

Notice of Qualification of BROOKFIELD PREMIER REAL ESTATE PARTNERS L.P. Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/17/16. Office location: NY County. LP formed in Delaware (DE) on 07/05/16. Princ. office of LP: Brookfield Pl., 250 Vesey St., 15th Fl., NY, NY 10281-1023. SSNY designated as agent of LP upon whom process against it may be served.

SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co. (CSC), 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543.

Name and addr. of each general partner are available from SSNY. DE addr. of LP: c/o CSC, 2711 Centerville Rd., Ste. 400, Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of LP filed with Secy. of State, State of DE, 401 Federal St., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

ALSI PROPERTIES LLC. Art. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 05/06/14. Office: New York County. SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served.

SSNY shall mail copy of process to the LLC, c/o Shimon Itah, 184 5th Ave, Fl 3, New York, NY 10010.

Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

Notice of Qualification of SPT Ivey 95 Crystal Run MOB LLC. Authority filed with NY Dept. of State on 11/15/16. Office location: NY County.

Princ. bus. addr.: 591 W. Putnam Ave., Greenwich, CT 06830. LLC formed in DE on 10/24/16. NY Sec. of State designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: CT Corporation System, 111 8th Ave., NY, NY 10011, regd. agent upon whom process may be served. DE addr. of LLC: 1209 Orange St., Wilmington, DE 19801.

Cert. of Form. filed with DE Sec. of State, 401 Federal St., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: all lawful purposes.

ElleMad129st, LLC. Art. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 09/08/16. Office: New York County. SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to the LLC, 1930 Broadway, Apartment 22F, New York, NY 10023. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

Notice of Auction Sale is herein given that Access Self Storage of Long Island City located at 2900 Review Avenue, Long Island City, N.Y. 11101 will take place on WWW. STORAGETREASURES. COM Sale by competitive bidding starting on December 26, 2016 and end on January 19, 2017 at 12:00 p.m. to satisfy unpaid rent and charges on the following accounts: Contents of rooms generally contain misc. Household goods and other effects. #139 - Jamaal Parham, #232 - Shakia Burke, #518Fayza Hassanien, #1509Kerriann Reynoso, #2433 - Lisa “Leola” Durant, #2463Robert Hoyte, #3708-5 - Timothy Cusick, #43191- Quinsessa Harriso n, #4437-4 & 4400 - Michio Ryan, #4438-2 - Daniel Photos.

The contents of each unit will be sold as a lot and all items must be removed from the premises within 72 hours.

Owners may redeem their goods by paying all rent and charges due at any time before the sale.

December 19, 2016 – January 2, 2017 Notice of Qual. of 548W22 Mezz Funding LLC, Auth. filed Sec’y of State (SSNY) 9/9/16. Off. loc: NY Co. LLC org. in DE 8/26/16.

SSNY desig. as agent of LLC upon whom proc. against it may be served.

SSNY shall mail copy of proc. to NRAI, 111 Eighth Ave., NY, NY 10011, the Reg. Agt. upon whom proc. may be served. DE off. addr.: 160 Greentree Dr., Ste. 101, Dover, DE 19904.

Cert. of Form. on file: SSDE, Townsend Bldg., Dover, DE 19901. Purp: any lawful activities.

SALUSBURY AND CO., LLC Art. Of Org. Filed Sec. of State of NY 11/23/2016.

Off. Loc.:New York Co. SSNY designated as agent upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY to mail copy of process to The LLC., 215 West 88th St., #11E,New York, NY 10024.

Purpose:Any lawful act or activity.

Notice of Qualification of LONGSIGHT STRATEGIC ADVISORS LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 11/15/16. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 10/25/16.

SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served.

SSNY shall mail process to c/o Corporation Service Co. (CSC), 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543.

DE addr. of LLC: CSC, 2711 Centerville Rd., Ste. 400, Wilmington, DE 19808.

Cert. of Form. filed with DE Secy. of State, Div. of Corps., John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901.

Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Formation of FIFTH AVENUE ENDOCRINOLOGY OFFICES, LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 11/14/16.

Office location: NY County.

Princ. office of LLC: 1080 Fifth Ave., Ste. 1A, NY, NY 10128. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC at the addr. of its princ. office. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

REDWOOD ROAD FUNDING LLC. Art. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 03/22/16. Office: New York County. SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to the LLC, c/o Hirshmark Capital LLC, 15 West 26th Street, Suite 901, New York, NY 10010, which is also the registered agent address.

Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

STORAGE Midtown Moving & Storage Inc. will sell at Public Auction at 810 East 170 Street, Bronx NY 10459 at 6:00 P.M. on Jan. 10, 2016 for due and unpaid charges by virtue of a lien in accordance with the provisions of the law and with due notice given all parties claiming an interest therein, the time specified in each notice for payment of said charges having expired household furniture & effects, pianos, trunks, cases, TV’s, radios, hifi’s, refrigerators, sewing machines, washers, air conditioners, household furniture of all descriptions and the contents thereof, stored under the following names: -POLIC GLENN/HOLLEY STEVEN -YUREK MUSTAFA -MANNING JOHN -KEITH MONIQUE -ENGLAND DAVID -CORDERO JOSE/CORDERO DONNA -VALENTIN BROMBERG -BARBEE MALCOLM -BROWN JOSEPH -BAZILLE FRITZ -CAMILLES RICOT -DAVIDSON LINDSEY -DALEY DAMION -DJMARE AWA -FIGUEROA JACKELINE -GUZMAN CLAUDIO -GOODING HAROLD -JAMES JASON/GREEN ANDRE/BECKLES SHAUN/HOLMES BARRON -KOMLAN ANATO -MONTANEZ NILDA -MIZHQUIRI CLAUDIO -MAINA FELIX -REDA MICHAEL -NORWOOD ALBERT -PERRY, JR. MELVIN -LIPNICK GERARD -ROSELLO ELENORA -SHEPPARD KEVIN -SICARDO RICHARD -THOMAS SIMONETTI -VEGA NILSA -WATSON KAREN -LOPEZ FREDDIE -CRENSHAWN SHIYION -DOE JOHN/DOE JANE -HARRAWAY RODNEY -PORTLETTE NORMADINE -ROUNDTREE EVELYN -SMITH MICHELLE/THOMP -WEST KWAME -BERMUDEZ RAY C. /FERNANDEZ ARIANNY -BIBERGAL JENNIFER -DONOVAN KEVIN -DUMONT IVETTE -GUITY MARLENE -JOSE MONISOLA -JOSIAH SHANARA -LUCAN ESMOND -NUNEZ PATRICIA -PIETER ANTHONY -SMARGUNOR GRIGORIY -STONE MICHAEL/ DOE JOHN/JANE -SOPHINDO DELBERT -STUKES, JR., SURVIVING SPOSE OFALFREDIABRINSON, DECEASED TENANT OF RECORD WILLIAM/ BRINSON ALIZE -TAMEN KATHLYN -WARD SHARON/LYONS LATEEFAH -ADAMS SHAREESE -ADAMS JESSICA -LISA BEAL -BOWMAN DASHEENE/JOHN DOE/JANE -CRIANZA ANACELI -CABAN JASMIN -EXUM BRANDEN -KNIGHT BRUCE -NUNEZ JANIRYS/MAY JISELLE -DAVID STATEN Notice of formation of Global Internet Marketing LLC. Arts of Org filed w Secy. Of State of NY (SSNY) on 11/17/2016.

Office location: NY County.

SSNY designated agent upon whom process may be served and shall mail copy of process against LLC to principal business address: 25 W 81st St., #3A, NY NY 10024.

Notice of Formation of Topflight Technologies, LLC. Art. of Org. filed with SSNY 11/22/2016.

Office: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served.

SSNY shall mail copy of process to the LLC: 225 Broadway, Ste 2700, NY, NY 10007. Purpose: Any lawful activity or purpose.

PUBLIC NOTICE New York City Dept. of Consumer Affiars Notice of Public Hearing Notice is hereby given, pursuant to law, that the NYC Department of Consumer Affairs will hold a public hearing on WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 28TH, 2016 at 2:00 P.M. at 42 Broadway, 5th floor, on a petition for BIG DADDY’S II LLC to MODIFY AND CONTINUE TO MAINTAIN, AND OPERATE an unenclosed sidewalk cafe at 1596 2ND AVE in the Borough of Manhattan for a term of two years.

REQUEST FOR A COPY OF REVOCABLE CONSENT MAY BE ADDRESSED TO: DEPT. OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS, 42 BROADWAY, NEW YORK, NY 10004 ATTN: FOIL OFFICER Notice of Auction Sale is herein given that Citiwide Self Storage located at 4555 Pearson Street, Long Island City, N.Y. 11101 will take place on WWW. STORAGETREASURES. COM Sale by competitive bidding starting on January 9, 2017 and end on January 19, 2017 at 12:00 p.m. to satisfy unpaid rent and charges on the following accounts: Contents of rooms generally contain misc.

Household goods and other effects. #2B06Samuel Eskenazi, #4J45Donna LaBassiere, #4R35Marion Miller, #4Y23-Peter Choimanenophan, #6P12AJohanna Peterson, #7R54Juan Davila, #8R33Bernard Bastin.

The contents of each unit will be sold as a lot and all items must be removed from the premises within 72 hours.

Owners may redeem their goods by paying all rent and charges due at any time before the sale.

Notice of Qualification of CBI Services, LLC. Authority filed with NY Dept. of State on 12/9/16.

Office location: NY County. Princ. bus. addr.: 2103 Research Forest Dr., The Woodlands, TX 77380. LLC formed in DE on 12/7/16. NY Sec. of State designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: CT Corporation System, 111 8th Ave., NY, NY 10011.

DE addr. of LLC: 1209 Orange St., Wilmington, DE 19801. Cert. of Form. filed with DE Sec. of State, 401 Federal St., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: all lawful purposes.

PUBLIC and LEGAL NOTICES / CityAndStateNY.com

December 19, 2016 – January 2, 2017 PUBLIC NOTICE New York City Dept. of Consumer Affiars Notice of Public Hearing Notice is hereby given, pursuant to law, that the NYC Department of Consumer Affairs will hold a public hearing on WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 28TH, 2016 at 2:00 P.M. at 42 Broadway, 5th floor, on a petition for SWEETGREEN NEW YORK LLC to ESTABLISH, MAINTAIN, AND OPERATE an unenclosed sidewalk cafe at 311 AMSTERDAM AVE in the Borough of Manhattan for a term of two years.

REQUEST FOR A COPY OF REVOCABLE CONSENT MAY BE ADDRESSED TO: DEPT. OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS, 42 BROADWAY, NEW YORK, NY 10004 ATTN: FOIL OFFICER Notice of Qualification of BROOKFIELD PREMIER REAL ESTATE PARTNERS POOLING LLC. Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/17/16. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 08/30/16. Princ. office of LLC: Brookfield Pl., 250 Vesey St., 15th Fl., NY, NY 10281-1023. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served.

SSNY shall mail process to c/o Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: 2711 Centerville Rd., Ste. 400, Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State of the State of DE, 401 Federal St., Dover, DE 19901.

Purpose: Any lawful activity.

NOTICE OF FORMATION of Ambros LLC. Arts of Org filed with Secy of State NY (SSNY) 08/26/16.

Office loc: NY County.

SSNY designated as agent upon whom process against it may be served.

The PO address to which SSNY shall mail a copy of any process against LLC is: US Corp Agents, Inc. 7014 13th Ave, Ste 202 Brooklyn, NY 11228.

Principal bus addr of LLC: 167 E 90th St, 5c, NY, NY 10128. Purpose: any lawful act or activity.

Notice of Formation of Kiki Industries LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with NY Dept. of State 10/31/16. Office loc: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to 64 E 11th St, 1204, NY, NY 10029. Purpose: any lawful activities.

PAYSAGE HOLDINGS LLC, Authority filed with the SSNY on 12/02/2016.

Office location: NY County. LLC formed in DE on 12/10/2015. SSNY is designated as agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: C/O Raich Ende Malter & Co. LLP, 1375 Broadway, 6th Fl, NY, NY 10018. Address required to be maintained in DE: 160 Greentree Dr., Ste 101, Dover DE 19904.

Cert of Formation filed with DE Div. of Corps, 401 Federal St., Ste 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any Lawful Purpose.

Notice of Qualification of BLA Partners, LLC. Authority filed with NY Dept. of State on 12/5/16.

Office location: NY County.

Princ. bus. addr.: 199 Main St., Ste. 226, Burlington, VT 05401. LLC formed in DE on 11/22/16. NY Sec. of State designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: c/o CT Corporation System, 111 8th Ave., NY, NY 10011, regd. agent upon whom process may be served. DE addr. of LLC: c/o The Corporation Trust Co., 1209 Orange St., Wilmington, DE 19801.

Cert. of Form. filed with DE Sec. of State, 401 Federal St., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: all lawful purposes.

Notice of Formation of SCHUMANN BURGHART LLP. Arts of Org filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/18/2016.

Office location: NY County.

SSNY designated agent upon whom process may be served against LLP to principal business address: 143 Duane Street, #3, New York, NY 10013. Purpose: any lawful act.

BRIGHTLANE LLC Art. Of Org. Filed Sec. of State of NY 8/22/2016. Off. Loc.: New York Co. SSNY designated as agent upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY to mail copy of process to The LLC, c/o PC Sekar, 555 Doughty Blvd., Inwood, NY 11096. Purpose: Any lawful act or activity.

Notice of Formation of 234 East 23rd Street Duplex, LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 05/27/16. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served.

SSNY shall mail process to: The Company, 270 Park Avenue South, NY, NY 10010. Purpose: any lawful activities.

PUBLIC NOTICE New York City Dept. of Consumer Affiars Notice of Public Hearing Notice is hereby given, pursuant to law, that the NYC Department of Consumer Affairs will hold a public hearing on WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 28TH, 2016 at 2:00 P.M. at 42 Broadway, 5th floor, on a petition for KAS CAFE LLC to ESTABLISH, MAINTAIN, AND OPERATE an unenclosed sidewalk cafe at 3412 36TH ST in the Borough of Queens for a term of two years.

REQUEST FOR A COPY OF REVOCABLE CONSENT MAY BE ADDRESSED TO: DEPT. OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS, 42 BROADWAY, NEW YORK, NY 10004 ATTN: FOIL OFFICER Notice of Formation of 486 Dune LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 12/02/16.

Office location: NY County.

SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served.

SSNY shall mail process to: c/o CT Corporation System, 111 Eighth Ave., NY, NY 10011, also the registered agent upon whom process may be served. Purpose: any lawful activities.

Notice of Formation of Just A Kiss Pictures, LLC filed with NY Secy. of State (SSNY) 9/15/16.

Office location: NY County.

SSNY designated agent for process service.

SSNY shall mail process to US Corp. Agents, Inc. 7014 13th Ave. Ste. 202 Brooklyn, NY 11228.

Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Formation of JR Harvest, LLC. Articles of Org. filed with Secy of State of NY (SSNY) 11/30/16.

Office loc: NY County.

SSNY designated agent upon whom process may be served and shall mail copy of process against LLC to principal business address: 350 W 42nd St, #44A, NY, NY 10036. Purpose: any lawful act.

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT A LICENSE, SERIAL # 1299048 FOR LIQUOR, WINE, & BEER HAS BEEN APPLIED FOR

BY THE UNDERSIGNED TO SELL LIQUOR, WINE, & BEER AT RETAIL UNDER THE ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE CONTROL LAW AT 1089 BROADWAY BROOKLYN, NY 11211.

KINGS COUNTY, FOR ON PREMISE CONSUMPTION. TAVERN 1089 CORP

Notice of Qualification of GTW Partners L.L.C. Authority filed with NY Dept. of State on 7/5/07. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in DE on 5/31/07.

NY Sec. of State designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: c/o National Registered Agents, Inc. (NRAI), 875 Ave. of the Americas, Ste. 501, NY, NY 10001. DE address of LLC: NRAI, 160 Greentree Dr., Ste. 101, Dover, DE 19904. Cert. of Form. filed with DE Sec. of State, 401 Federal St., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: all lawful purposes.

JTRE 1177 NOMAD LLC, Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 05/27/2016.

Office loc: NY County.

SSNY has been designated as agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: Morris Terzi C/O JTRE, PO Box 1705, NY, NY 10150. Purpose: Any Lawful Purpose.

Notice of Qualification of Parlor Game Productions, LLC. Appl. for Auth. filed with NY Dept. of State on 7/22/16. Office location: New York County. NY Sec. of State designated agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served, and shall mail process to the LLC, c/o CT Corporation System, 111 8th Ave, New York, NY 10011. DE addr. of LLC c/o Corporation Trust, 1209 Orange St, Wilmington, DE 19801.

Cert. of Form. filed with DE Sec. of State, 401 Federal St., Dover, DE 19901 on 9/8/15.

Purpose: any lawful activity.

PUBLIC NOTICE New York City Dept. of Consumer Affiars Notice of Public Hearing Notice is hereby given, pursuant to law, that the NYC Department of Consumer Affairs will hold a public hearing on WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 28TH, 2016 at 2:00 P.M. at 42 Broadway, 5th floor, on a petition for SWEETGREEN NEW YORK LLC to ESTABLISH, MAINTAIN, AND OPERATE an unenclosed sidewalk cafe at 1321 1ST AVE in the Borough of Manhattan for a term of two years.

REQUEST FOR A COPY OF REVOCABLE CONSENT MAY BE ADDRESSED TO: DEPT. OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS, 42 BROADWAY, NEW YORK, NY 10004 ATTN: FOIL OFFICER Constantia Capital LLC, Arts. of Org. filed with SSNY 11/28/16. Office loc: NY County. SSNY designated as agent upon whom process against LLC may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: c/o Roy Ferguson, 40 Harrison St, Apt 23E, NY, NY 10013.

Purpose: Any Lawful Purpose.

Notice of Formation of CLTC Designs LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 12/09/16. Office location: NY County.

SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served.

SSNY shall mail process to: 475 Park Avenue South, Ste. 920, NY, NY 10016.

Purpose: any lawful activities.

Notice of formation of OPTIMAL LABORATORIES, LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the Sect’y of State of NY (SSNY) on 11/2/2016.

Office located in NY County. SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served.

SSNY shall mail process to: 1299 First Ave., NY NY 10021. Purpose: any lawful act.

Notice of Qualification of DILMUN PROPERTIES LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 12/09/16. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 10/17/16. Princ. office of LLC: 767 Fifth Ave., 8th Fl., NY, NY 10153. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served.

SSNY shall mail process to the LLC at the princ. office of the LLC. DE addr. of LLC: 2711 Centerville Rd., Ste. 400, Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of the State of DE, Corp. Dept., Loockerman & Federal Sts., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Formation of XHANA LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 11/17/16. Office location: RICHMOND County.

SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: LEGALINC CORPORATE SERVICES INC., 1967 WEHRLE DR., STE. 1-086, BUFFALO, NY 14221, also the registered agent upon whom process may be served. Purpose: any lawful activities.

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT A LICENSE, SERIAL # 1297793, FOR WINE & BEER HAS BEEN APPLIED FOR BY THE UNDERSIGNED TO SELL WINE & BEER AT RETAIL UNDER THE ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE CONTROL LAW AT 628 HUDSON ST NEW YORK, NY 10014.

NEW YORK COUNTY, FOR ONPREMISE CONSUMPTION. HUDSON CAFÉ INC. Notice of Formation of DIGITAL RARITY, LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 08/17/16. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 120 Wall St., NY, NY 10005. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Martin H. Kaplan, Esq. at the princ. office of the LLC. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

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CityAndStateNY.com

December 19, 2016 – January 2, 2017

Congratulations To JULIE MENIN and the NYC MAYOR’S OFFICE OF MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT on 50 years of Creativity and Prosperity

City & State New York

December 19, 2016 – January 2, 2017

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SPONSORED CONTENT

HOW NYC BECAME A

MOTION PICTURE MECCA Stories by GABE PONCE DE LEÓN

ALI GOLDSTEIN/FX

D

ecades before Hollywood became synonymous with the silver screen, New York City was the cradle of the nascent film industry. By the onset of the Great Depression, however, movie production had migrated west, where it would remain until Mayor John Lindsay, 50 years ago, established an office whose raison d’être was rebuilding the motion picture industry in the city of its birth. “(The mayor) moved in circles where he knew a lot of people in the cultural world, and particularly in the theater world,” explained James Sanders, editor of “Scenes of the City: Filmmaking in New York.”

“I think the theater people whom he knew socially told him that they were struggling in New York because they were losing actors and talent to California, and couldn’t afford to live only on theater,” he said.

The new agency, known then as the Mayor’s Office of Film, Theatre and Broadcasting, was established, first and foremost, to streamline the filming process and be a one-stop shop for location permitting. The mayor also created a specialized police unit to deal with the logistical complications that can crop up when shooting on location. Previously, New York – like many cities – had viewed film crews as little more than a nuisance.

Lindsay sent a letter to city agencies asking them to cooperate with filmmakers.

The mayor, who himself cut the figure of a leading man – and even appeared in a couple of films – made a point of visiting film shoots and saying hello to everyone, according to Sanders. “The producers re-

FRANK LANGELLA, KERI RUSSELL AND MATTHEW RHYS IN “THE AMERICANS.” SET IN WASHINGTON, D.C., THE SHOW IS FILMED IN NEW YORK, THANKS TO ATTRACTIVE TAX CREDITS.

ally felt like there was somebody on their side,” he said.

Despite a few hiccups along the way – an early 1990s boycott by Hollywood studios, for one – film and TV has ex-

ploded into a nearly $9 billion industry that employs 130,000 New Yorkers.

Small businesses are responsible for a large portion of that workforce, as are blue-collar professionals in fields such as lighting, set and costume design. The industry also helps the city attract top talent to its universities and maintain its position among the world’s leading tourist destinations.

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CityAndStateNY.com

In the wake of 9/11, the Mayor’s Office of Film, Theatre and Broadcasting made a major push into the digital age, wooing production companies with a host of online resources: a catalog of searchable images to aid location scouts, a listing of city assets available for free and information about the sunrise. The Made in NY program offered new branding opportunities for films and TV shows shot in New York, which could gain free media on bus shelters and subway stations.

Coupled with tax credits designed to keep the local industry competitive, those initiatives paved the way over the past decade for the construction of three major studio complexes. The addition of that studio space in Brooklyn and Queens has coincided with a golden age of television. Having attained a critical mass of studio space, craftspeople and actors, it can save producers money to film in New York despite the city’s overall higher costs. Not long ago, the bulk of a film set in New York might have been shot in Canada. Now, New York perpetrates its fair share of “cheating,” with films and TV series set elsewhere – such as the popular spy thriller “The Americans” – now shot primarily in the city and its suburbs.

In 2010, the Mayor’s Office of Film, Theatre and Broadcasting merged with NYC Media, the largest city-owned broadcasting entity in the country, to form the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment. Among its assets are six local cable TV stations and a radio station.

December 19, 2016 – January 2, 2017

WHEREAS NOT SO LONG AGO THE BULK OF A FILM SET IN NEW YORK MIGHT HAVE BEEN SHOT IN CANADA, NOW NEW YORK PERPETRATES ITS FAIR SHARE OF “CHEATING,” WITH FILMS AND TV SERIES SET ELSEWHERE – SUCH AS THE POPULAR SPY THRILLER “THE AMERICANS” — NOW SHOT PRIMARILY IN THE CITY AND ITS SUBURBS. With the appointment of Julie Menin as commissioner in February, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the agency’s expansion into other industries: music, advertising, publishing, digital content and real estate (as it relates to the creative industries), while pushing to open access in all media sectors to underrepresented groups.

“We really are thrilled about the tremendous growth we are seeing within the various portfolios, and the opportunity to launch important initiatives and increase the opportunity and access,” Menin said.

Under Menin, the agency has rolled out new programs in a number of sectors, hoping to build upon its historic success in the TV and film industry, which now serves as a model for other cities.

“Every city in the world wants to figure out new ways to have economic activity and development, and it’s usually pretty hard to get a new industry started,” Sanders said. “This is a case where you have to say the actions that the government took really made a difference.”

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City & State New York

December 19, 2016 – January 2, 2017

CONGRATULATIONS ON

5O YEARS! PROUD SUPPORTER OF

The Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment

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CityAndStateNY.com

December 19, 2016 – January 2, 2017

A NEW ERA FOR

MOME

Commissioner JULIE MENIN expands the office’s reach to music and more

I

n her first year as commissioner of the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment, Julie Menin has been responsible for guiding the agency into a new era, with an expanded portfolio of industries to cover. One of those new industries is music, and it did not take long for Menin, who assumed her post in February, to broadcast a clear signal of her office’s revamped mission, and bold new ambition. In November, reports surfaced

“BRINGING (THE GRAMMYS) BACK WILL PROMOTE NEW YORK’S GLOBAL CULTURAL LEADERSHIP.” that the city was engaged in advanced negotiations to bring the Grammys back to New York after a 15-year hiatus.

The ceremony figures to generate an economic benefit of around $200 million for the host city. And then there’s the buzz attendant to producing one of the most watched television events in the world.

Menin has many new fans in the industry.

“Julie has done wonders,” said Jim Claffey, the president of International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees Local 1.

“We have hundreds of members who will benefit from her hard work if the Grammys

City & State New York

December 19, 2016 – January 2, 2017

come back to New York. Our members will benefit and New York’s whole economy will benefit greatly.”

“Julie has been working on this for a while, and when she asked me to help I had to say yes,” said Kathy Wylde, the president of the Partnership for New York City, a powerful business advocacy group. “The Grammys are something many of our members care about a lot and bringing it back to New York will promote New York’s global cultural leadership.”

With the addition of music, as well as advertising, publishing, digital content and real estate (related to the creative services industry) to a portfolio that already included TV, film and theater, MOME now represents industries that account for 385,000 jobs in the city – more than the financial and insurance industries combined. Not surprisingly, Menin has had to rethink how the office can fulfill its mission, implementing strategies that capitalize on synergies between the city’s creative sectors. At the same time, she’s helped champion Mayor Bill de Blasio’s ethos of inclusion and access into new spheres.

Menin has spearheaded five initiatives targeting the underrepresentation of women in media fields, including a $5

million fund for film and theater projects by and about women. By offering hundreds of free movie screenings and theater performances throughout the city, Menin has sought to increase access to the arts in all five boroughs. She has also unveiled the Made in NY Writers Room mentorship program geared toward young writers of diverse backgrounds, an initiative aimed at diversifying the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, and a $1 million grant to The City University of New York’s Graduate School of Journalism to support training for the city’s 350 community and ethnic media outlets.

“We want to make sure that those outlets have the best possible tools to compete in a tough media environment,” said Menin, who prior to working in government created and hosted an interview program (“Give and Take”) on NBC. Last month, MOME rolled out NYC Film Green, a voluntary certification program for productions that meet a set of sustainability criteria.

“With both the women’s initiative and the environmental initiative, we are the first government agency in the country to do programming of that nature,” Menin said.

Prior to joining MOME, Menin served as

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commissioner of the city’s Department of Consumer Affairs, where she carried out a number of high-profile initiatives, including the paid sick leave law, an earned income tax credit outreach campaign (which returned $260 million to low-income New Yorkers), and, last month, a pilot program, designed to increase the number of low-income students with access to higher education.

Before she entered public service, Menin founded and ran Wall Street Rising, a nonprofit promoting economic development in lower Manhattan. She spent a decade working on the redevelopment of lower Manhattan and is widely credited for her leadership of that community in the wake of 9/11.

Even as MOME has broadened its sights, the TV and film industry continues to surge. Last year, 336 movies were shot in the city, along with 52 scripted TV series in the 2015-16 season – both all-time highs.

With other cities eager to follow in New York’s footsteps, the TV and film sector has grown increasingly competitive, and Menin acknowledges that the city must remain proactive in order to retain its edge. Though one key advantage, the commissioner pointed out, her hometown will never cede.

“There’s no city like New York,” she said.

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CityAndStateNY.com

December 19, 2016 – January 2, 2017

MORE THAN JUST

MOVIES

MOME works with a diverse array of artists and storytellers to bring their visions to life

JOAN MARCUS

T

he creative process is about forming associations, connections where previously none existed.

Creative sectors, likewise, thrive on connectivity, reinvent themselves and expand within rich, diverse ecosystems.

In business, diverse teams that embrace multiple perspectives are known to deliver the best results. Industries, by extension, are stronger when they draw on deep, diverse pools of talent. Their appeal to consumers is broader; so too is the distribution of the economic benefits they generate.

Diversity is critical, therefore, to the enduring economic power of a company, industry, or city.

In the words of Julie Menin, the commissioner of the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment, “Our differences are what make our culture more vibrant, more beautiful, and more dynamic – and having greater diversity in media and entertainment creates more compelling stories for all of us to enjoy.”

At MOME, Menin has made a point of promoting diversity throughout the media and entertainment world. Her first year at the agency coincides with its 50th anniversary. The spectrum of media and entertainment has dramatically grown, and transformed, over the past half century.

Historically, live stage dominated the entertainment scene. In the late 19th century, the stretch of Broadway delineating the Theater District became one of the first electrically lighted streets in the country.

Thus the nickname, the Great White Way, was born.

Today, we don’t usually associate theater with cutting-edge technology, but the stage has a knack for reinvention. Just be-

cause it has not endured the same level of technological disruption that other fields have does not mean the medium has stagnated. In fact, the use of special effects projected as scenery and new lighting techniques now create magical experiences for audiences in ways that weren’t previously possible. “Ghost The Musical” and “Finding Neverland” are recent standouts in that regard.

But for some, the enduring allure of the live stage may to be connected to the temporary respite it offers from the digital whir engulfing our daily lives.

“Theater is not only an escape, but an opportunity to be in a room with a couple thousand people – and that night won’t ever happen again,” said Charlotte St. Martin, president of The Broadway League.

THE CAST OF “A BRONX TALE,” WHICH OPENED THIS MONTH. MOME RECENTLY LAUNCHED A PROGRAM, ACCESS BROADWAY, WHICH PROVIDES FREE BROADWAY TICKETS TO NYCHA FAMILIES.

According to St. Martin, it’s not just the production value that’s kept pace with the times. A generation ago, most Broadway shows fell into just a few categories, such as musical or comedy. Today, there really is something for everyone. The arrival of Disney, for instance, brought more kids and families to the theater. And an increasing number of productions, such as “Hamilton,” employ nontraditional casting or reinvent genres in ways that appeal to new audiences.

While other media and entertainment industries seem to face a steady stream

December 19, 2016 – January 2, 2017

City & State New York

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Manin-Mayor's M&E ad_Layout 1 11/21/16 2:19 PM Page 1

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CityAndStateNY.com

December 19, 2016 – January 2, 2017

Theatre Business Managers Paul F. Dean, Jr. Kevin McGar ty Treasurer Rober t McDonough

Financial Secretary Anthony Manno

®

President James J. Claffey, Jr. Vice President Adam Braunstein Board of Trustees Michael A. Caffrey Frank Lazar to Eileen Macdonald

Television Business Managers Edward J. McMahon III Rober t Nimmo Secretary Rober t C. Score

Administrative Secretary Edmond F. Supple, Sr.

Replacement Room Chairperson Daniel Thorn

1-212-333-2500 • 1-800-745-0045 • w w w. i a t s e l o c a l o n e . o r g T.P.U.

LOCAL ONE I.A.T.S.E.

Affiliated 1893 -Organized 1886

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City & State New York

STEVE MCNICHOLAS

December 19, 2016 – January 2, 2017

of threats to their business model, Broadway’s greatest challenge – cost – has remained constant over the years. Broadway has the highest-paid theatrical employees in the world. According to St. Martin, it costs at least between 30 and 50 percent more to produce a show in New York than London. “There is no question that our prices continue to rise because the costs continue to rise,” she said.

To open the doors of world-class theater to New Yorkers who might otherwise be priced out, MOME recently launched a program, Access Broadway, which provides 100 free tickets to NYCHA families every month. “Broadway in the Boros,” another Menin initiative, brings Broadway performances to public parks in all five boroughs.

Despite the considerable investment they represent for many theatergoers, Broadway tickets continue to sell, in fact, more than ever before. This past season was the most attended in history, with 13.2 million tickets sold. That’s more than the 10 New York and New Jersey professional sports teams combined. It was also the highest-grossing season ever, with $1.37 billion in ticket sales. Last year, Broadway contributed more than $12.5 billion to the city’s economy, and supported some 89,000 jobs ranging from actors and musicians to electricians and stagehands. That figure doesn’t include the small businesses, restaurants and hotels that benefit from, or depend upon, the sector.

“There was a Macy’s before there was a Garment District,” Andy Kozinn, president of Saint Laurie Merchant Tailors, a highend tailoring business that provides wardrobes for TV, film and Broadway productions. “The manufacturing was done and rolled on racks up the street to the retail floor,” he said.

Kozinn was not always in costume tailoring, but fearing a slump in his high-end ready-to-wear business, he capitalized on an opportunity, one just outside his door.

“Our pivot to serve the entertainment industries has kept us in business and kept real manufacturing jobs in New York,” he said.

Beyond Midtown’s still-electric glow, off-Broadway continues to develop the new concepts and products that sometimes find their way uptown – and beyond.

“We definitely take risks,” said Adam Hess, president of the Off-Broadway

League. “People here are going to be the first to see something before it makes it big time on Broadway or elsewhere.”

As Hess explains it, off-Broadway is where artists, even celebrities such Daniel Craig, go to “really develop chops.” And it’s a two-way street, with off-Broadway serving as a feeder into Broadway, film and TV. Broadway, of course, attracts its own share of Hollywood headliners – A-list actors, as well as directors and producers.

47

“In New York there are so many industries that you can make documentaries for, health care and retail and manufacturing,” she said. “So much of the print media is headquartered in New York, and their websites use video – even radio stations need video now.”

The availability of corporate gigs helps Graeber pursue her “passion projects,” which currently includes a film about the women behind “The Wizard of Oz.”

“STOMP” WAS AMONG THE SHOWS FEATURED IN MOME’S “BROADWAY IN THE BOROS” INITIATIVE, WHICH BRINGS BROADWAY PERFORMANCES TO PUBLIC PARKS IN ALL FIVE BOROUGHS.

“I don’t think there has ever been a time when there was more crossover and synergy between film, theater and television,” St. Martin said.

That crossover is so substantial, in part, because there’s never been a better time to work in film in New York. And that’s not just the byproduct of new soundstages, or hit TV series like “Girls,” box office blockbusters like “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows,” which are now shot locally. The full range of opportunities are available to local filmmakers, who have more options for earning a living than their counterparts in one-industry towns.

Carey Graeber is an independent documentary producer, who has made films for outlets such as MSNBC and public television. But Graeber, the founder of Great Plains Productions, also produces independent not-for-broadcast films for nonprofits, manufacturers and corporate clients, such as Pfizer Inc.

Though well aware of how good the times are for a filmmaker in New York, Graeber believes there is room for improvement.

Why, for instance, should it be more difficult for women to access funding than men?

Why are less than a quarter of crew members female? Across the board the numbers are skewed: only a fifth of writers are female, and the percentage of directors and cinematographers is in single digits.

“We find more women working in roles that are further away from the heart of the process: script supervisors, hair and makeup, costume work,” Terry Lawler, the executive director of New York Women in Film & Television, said.

To help open up that pipeline, Menin recently rolled out a package of women’s initiatives, including a script-writing competition and production project inviting New York City writers to submit pilot scripts for an episodic series spotlighting stories by, for, or about women.

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CityAndStateNY.com

December 19, 2016 – January 2, 2017

CENTER

OF THE

CENTER

AT THE

STAGE

UNIVERSE For 50 years, the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment has helped Broadway thrive and grow as the cultural core of the Big Apple.

@TheBwayLeague |

BroadwayLeague

BroadwayLeague.com

E

City & State New York

December 19, 2016 – January 2, 2017

In partnership with Brooklyn Workforce Innovations, MOME has prepared over 600 low-income New Yorkers for entry-level jobs on film and television sets, through the Made in NY Production Assistant Training Program.

Through the Made in NY Media Center, MOME supports emerging storytellers working at the intersection of media and tech, art, gaming, and new forms of digital journalism. The Center, which is operated by the Independent Filmmaker Project, provides training in film, TV, web content, as well as new technologies, such as virtual reality. Joana Vicente, the executive director of the IFP, sees independent film as “an incubator for talent, both behind and in front of the camera.” The medium that can be more personal, and resonant, taking greater risks aesthetically, politically, and culturally.

“It’s a big world and a lot of different people living in it. It’s important that the stories that are told reflect that diversity and that people from all different backgrounds are participating in the making of those stories,” said Vicente, who has produced more than 40 films. “It only adds to a richer culture of film and films that are made. So I do think it’s important that the more the industry reflects the outside world, the stronger it will be.”

Some people believe that independent films can play a role in overcoming intolerance. “It’s so important for us to come together and understand that there is no ‘other,’” said Katha Cato, who directs the Queens World Film Festival, which last year screened 144 films from 23 nations – not to mention 29 filmmakers from the borough.

For all the disruption caused, breakthroughs in digital technology have had a democratizing effect. Young filmmakers with few resources can create content and showcase their work at the growing number of film festivals in the city.

With the proliferation of digital platforms, the big question for emerging filmmakers is no longer: Can I get my film out there? But rather: How can I build an audience for my film?

“All the other barriers have been lifted,” Vicente said.

The Digital Millennium Copyright Act was written in the late ’90s. “There was no YouTube. Those regulations are in serious need of an upgrade,” said Tino Gagliardi, president of Associated Musicians of Greater New York, American Federation of Musicians Local 802. “Think of all the different content-providing technologies developed since that legislation was written.”

“I DON’T THINK THERE HAS EVER BEEN A TIME WHEN THERE WAS MORE CROSSOVER AND SYNERGY BETWEEN FILM, THEATER AND TELEVISION.”

49

Even in down times, New York musicians have more options to fall back on.

Many shuttle between gigs, whether teaching, subbing on Broadway, or performing — CHARLOTTE ST. MARTIN, president of The Broadway League in clubs or at events.

For a while, Labriola struggled to find New York is a cultural capital, and its music scene – whether opera, Broadway, work. Eventually, he landed a job in the jazz clubs or live shows – is a vital part of gaming industry, creating music and designing sound for casino games, slot mathat. But due to high costs and incentives chines, and online gaming suites. His emdangled by other states, iconic recording ployer, High 5 Games, is located at One studios have closed shop, or left town World Trade Center and offers a good salalong with many artists and technicians.

“You’d hear about friends and col- ary with benefits.

“Out of the blue, this producer friend leagues heading to LA, and then Nashville, where records were being made. Commer- calls me and asked me to put some tracks together,” Labriola recalled. “I sent him cials were moving to Canada,” recalled Art Labriola, a Grammy- and Emmy-winning some stuff, and next thing I know I have an actual job job.” musician and composer. “Kids animated New York is generally not thought of us TV, a pretty steady gig if you wanted it, was a major player in the game industry. Other going to Canada and South Korea. Session cities – San Francisco, Austin, Montreal – work ended as the studios closed their big orchestral spaces. And all this was hap- are bigger hubs. But New York does have a track record of innovative game developpening before the digital onslaught.” ment and a robust indie scene.

Last month, Gov. Andrew Cuomo vetoed Whether in audio design, writing, animaa music production tax credit bill, approved tion, voice acting, or virtual reality, there is by the state Legislature, to stem the flow of production out of New York. Proponents of already significant crossover between games and other entertainment fields. For the legislation argued it would benefit the that reason, advocates for the local game more than 100,000 New Yorkers who work industry find the potential tantalizing. They in the sector.

“Musicians come to New York, and live believe New York can become an industry in New York, because it is the cultural capi- leader, provided the political will is there.

“I think games tend to get sidelined a littal of the world,” Gagliardi said. “Musicians tle bit,” said Jess Haskins, co-chairwoman come here for the opportunity to perform of the New York City Chapter of the Interwith the most talented artists and be part of national Game Developers Association. the most creative community in the world.

We need to make sure those opportunities “They don’t have the same cultural weight, which is something that’s changing.” sustain their ability to make a living.”

But its annual growth rate of 4.8 percent For her part, Menin supported the tax credit bill and, early in her tenure as com- outperforms more established entertainmissioner, made clear her intent to bolster ment industries. Digital games are now a $78.6 billion global industry. The market New York’s standing as a music capital. In spearheading the effort to bring the Gram- for virtual and augmented reality – whose profile grew with the launch of Pokémon mys to the city, she said, “Hosting the 60th anniversary of the Grammys in New York GO – is expected to grow to $2.6 trillion by 2035, which is why MOME funds programCity would be not only a marquee music ming in those areas through the Made in event, it would provide $200 million in NY Media Center and NYC Media Lab. direct and indirect economic benefit to So, will the game sector, still flying our city. New York City has a rich history of hosting the Grammy Awards and our somewhat under the radar in this town, finally break out? agency, which now includes music within “We have the numbers,” Haskins said. its portfolio, is delighted at the prospect “There are a lot more game developers in of bringing it back after an absence of 15 New York than many people realize.” years.”

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CityAndStateNY.com

December 19, 2016 – January 2, 2017

NEW YORK ?

WHY

Film-friendly incentives help the Empire State lure big-budget productions

F

or all its iconic sights, creative might and international cache, New York was just a backwater for film production not so long ago. In 1966, Mayor John Lindsay began to flip the script, establishing the Mayor’s Office of Film, Theatre and Broadcasting. But to the average 20-something who came of age when an endless variety of internships and entry-level positions – whether with an indie producer, state-of-the-art soundstage, or one of their many supplier businesses – have been available, it may seem natural

RUPERT FRIEND, CLAIRE DANES, F. MURRAY ABRAHAM AND MANDY PATINKIN IN “HOMELAND.” THE SHOW’S PRODUCTION AND SETTING BOTH RECENTLY SHIFTED TO NEW YORK CITY.

that New York should have a place among the world’s film capitals. The truth is that public policy has done a lot to spur the local industry.

Enacted in 2004, the Empire State Film Production Tax Credit was a major turning point. When that credit was expanded, in 2008, from 10 to 30 percent of qualified

“below-the-line” production expenses – with upstate projects eligible for an additional 10 percent rebate – business really started to boom. Last season, a record 52 scripted series were produced in New York City – an increase of nearly 80 percent over a span of three years. Over the past decade, the local film and television industry has grown 53 percent.

In a cultural capital with so many innate advantages, why is an incentive program, worth up to $420 million a year in credits, so crucial? The reason is fairly simple: Film production, by nature, is a more portable business than most. And production companies, like government agencies, come under budgetary pressure. Before the majority of U.S. states began offering some form of tax credit, rebate, or grant, producers would head to Canada, where a favorable exchange rate coupled with tax incentives could cut their costs in half.

Now, an intense competition for film production plays out on a global field. In addition to Canada, Great Britain, Australia and New Zealand have rolled out incentive packages of their own.

Even Hollywood, the once unrivaled powerhouse, felt the squeeze. In order to stanch the flow of big-budget films and TV series to places offering more attractive packages, California ramped up its incentive program in 2014, more than tripling the annual cap on tax credits from $100 to $330 million. The early reports on the employment and economic impact have been positive, and the revamped program has already enticed a half dozen major television series to relocate to California.

Two of those series – “Scream Queens” and “American Horror Story” – were plucked from Louisiana, a state that had recently curtailed its incentive program.

As any former screen star can attest, in the movie business one good run is no guarantee of longevity. While New York no doubt boasts advantages in brand and backdrop, it’s also hampered by a very pronounced disadvantage: higher costs than other cities.

Today, film and television is a nearly $9 billion industry that employs 130,000 New Yorkers, and in order to ensure stability, and to keep that foundation of stable jobs in place, the industry is now asking for a 10-year tax credit extension, prior to the 2019 expiration of the current program.

Studies have shown that tax credits produce an economic stimulus that snowballs, providing a boost not only to film-related industries, but to supplier

JIM FISCUS/SHOWTIME

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JIM FISCUS/SHOWTIME

City & State New York

December 19, 2016 – January 2, 2017

businesses as well. Film production also contributes to neighborhood commerce – dry cleaning, catering and car services, delis and restaurants.

Across a wide spectrum of fields, from lighting to set, costume, and sound design, small- and medium-sized businesses are responsible for a large portion of the film-related workforce. “These are good jobs,” said Cecilia Friederichs, national business agent of United Scenic Artists, Local USA 829, IATSE, a labor union representing designers, artists and craftspeople. “This is the kind of job that I believe people are trying to create – solid middle-class jobs. We have more than doubled (since 2006) the number of people doing them in my local.”

For every major studio there are any number of family-owned businesses in the film industry. Maria Stewart, for one, grew up in the business. Her father worked in special effects at NBC, and her mother in its prop department. Her parents eventually purchased the business of one of the studio’s suppliers. Today she and her siblings run two companies: Mutual Hardware, which sells materials needed for theater rigging, and Alcone, which provides makeup to the professional industry. The business hit a rough

spell in the 1990s when film production was fleeing the state. When the tax credit took effect, however, Stewart was able to double her staff to more than 50.

It’s the “magic of production,” she said, which draws people to film. “People move to New York with a dollar and a dream, and if there is no dream anymore that would really be a shame,” she said. “We felt that in the 1990s when people were taking their productions elsewhere, but not everybody can pick up their family and move. What are they going to do?”

Other benefits derived from film tax credits – in marketing and tourism, for instance – are harder to measure. How can you quantify the impact of television series such as “Law and Order,” “Sex in the City” and “Girls”? Film shoots, celebrity sightings, tickets to “The Tonight Show” are now part and parcel to the New YorkCity experience.

In launching the Mayor’s Office of Film, Theatre and Broadcasting, it’s worth remembering that Lindsay was not only concerned with resuscitating the local film sector; the mayor was hoping to support the theater folks who were struggling with the exodus of talent to California.

Back then, Lindsay took the long view.

Elite talent, after all, is drawn to exciting

51

industries. Exciting new businesses, in turn, follow the talent.

“We’re keeping production that would have moved to Toronto,” said Terry Lawler, the executive director of New York Women in Film & Television. “We’re keeping people that would have left, and who knows what incredible creative contribution they might make? Government can’t really pick winners in this business, but it can provide a space for a lot of new ideas to grow.”

While traditional economic engines like finance and legal services have stalled in recent years, many creative sectors have picked up the slack. These are industries, moreover, which have always held a special allure for youth – same as New York City. More than just a city, New York is a symbol of possibility, of what can happen when a critical mass of dreamers come together.

So what is the next big thing? And where will it be born? Nobody knows for certain, but by making a commitment to the creative minds of the future, New York is stacking the deck in its favor. Whenever that next big thing arrives, there’s a good chance it will serve as the economic driver providing prosperity to future generations of New Yorkers.

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CAN

CityAndStateNY.com

TWO

December 19, 2016 – January 2, 2017

PLAY

Music, game industries hope to someday see their own tax incentives

M

ore than a decade after its passage, it’s hard to dispute that the Empire State Film Production Tax Credit has had a transformative effect – on the industry it targeted, for sure, but on New York City as well. Now other entertainment sectors that face similar challenges are hoping the state will also demonstrate a commitment to them. Those hopes were dashed last month when Gov. Andrew Cuomo vetoed a bipartisan bill, modeled after the film and television program, that would have earmarked a $25 million tax credit for each of the music and game industries.

Like film and television, those industries have been forced to contend with the problem of “runaway production,” triggered by competing states and countries that dangle lucrative incentives.

According to the Center for an Urban Future, music production employment in New York City declined by 28 percent between 2003 and 2013. The Empire State Music Production Tax Credit would have helped halt and reverse the flight of music production to cities like Los Angeles, New Orleans, Nashville and Toronto.

“New York was once the epicenter for music production and we have lost much of this business to other states’ aggressive tax incentive programs. We need this business back,” Assemblyman Joseph Lentol said after the bill, which he co-sponsored, was approved by the state Legislature in June.

The tax credit bills, which were passed in conjunction, received overwhelming bipartisan support in the Assembly (11824) and Senate (60-2).

The legislation would have created a baseline 25 percent credit on qualified expenditures, with upstate counties eligible for an additional 10 percent. The

City & State New York

December 19, 2016 – January 2, 2017

music bill would have covered productionrelated expenditures such as the salaries of session musicians, as well as programmers, engineers and technicians, and studio rental fees.

New York Is Music, a coalition of more than 200 organizations, analyzed data from recording sessions of top-selling albums between 1999 and 2014 and concluded that New York’s share of those projects had declined nearly 50 percent.

In the rapidly growing video game sector, meanwhile, New York has produced some cutting-edge indie work, but thus far had trouble sustaining a more robust ecosystem that includes largescale developers, due in large part to the city’s high costs of doing business and the absence of any incentive programs. In recent years the local game sector has seen studios shut down and move operations, with strong competition coming from north of the border, where Montreal has aggressively courted developers.

“There’s a large community here that wants to make games, wants to have bigger studios,” said Jess Haskins, cochair of the of the International Game Developers Association New York City chapter. “We have all of the ingredients

53

“THERE’S A LARGE COMMUNITY HERE THAT WANTS TO MAKE GAMES, WANTS TO HAVE BIGGER STUDIOS. WE HAVE ALL OF THE INGREDIENTS FOR THAT REALLY SUCCESSFUL LARGE-SCALE ECOSYSTEM.” – JESS HASKINS, International Game Developers Association New York City chapter co-chair

for that really successful large-scale ecosystem.”

New York’s share of the $28.4 billion game industry is around one percent.

Digital games are now a $78.6 billion global industry.

The tax credit bill was one of 72 that Gov. Cuomo vetoed right before the signing deadline.

“I fully support the music and digital gaming industries,” the governor, who has frequently touted the success of the state’s film tax credit, wrote. “However, the Legislature has passed a bill that creates two new tax credit programs totaling $50 million, without any accompanying funding.”

The bill’s backers intend to renew their push in the 2017 legislative session.

■

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CityAndStateNY.com

December 19, 2016 – January 2, 2017

The Broadway Association proudly salutes

On celebrating 50 years of continued growth within New York’s entertainment sector

Cristyne L. Nicholas Chairman

Dennis Swanson Chairman Emeritus

www.broadwayassociation.org

COLUMBIA PICTURES/PHOTOFEST

Commissioner Julie Menin & The Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment

The Film Business Works in New York Because the Film Business Works for New York

The film and television industry is a key driver of the City’s economy, contributing nearly $9 billion in revenue and 130,000 jobs. Productions throughout the five boroughs spend money at local businesses on lumber, clothing, location rentals, food and many other needed items.

Melba Wilson Melba’s Restaurant and Catering, Owner “I take care of the film industry week in and week out. They know what they want and it’s got to be good.”

Mukaram Taherlay Jamali Garden, Co-Founder “Since working with film and television, we’ve grown our business and become a daily destination for set designers.”

Caroline Bell Cafe Grumpy Owner

“Our first big order was from a film shoot and they came in right before close and ordered 75 drinks, probably more drinks than we sold the entire week.

It was incredible. Without that business we couldn’t have opened our second store.”

Hear from these small business owners and others at nyc.gov/mome /madeinny @madeinny @madein_ny

56

CityAndStateNY.com

December 19, 2016 – January 2, 2017

Proud Supporters of

The Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment

Congratulations on 50 Years!

Picture by SKY TECH ONE

www.silvercupstudios.com

December 19, 2016 – January 2, 2017

City & State New York

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58

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CITY & STATE NEW YORK MANAGEMENT & PUBLISHING Chairman Steve Farbman, President/CEO Tom Allon tallon@cityandstateny.com, Vice President of Strategy Jasmin Freeman, Comptroller David Pirozzi dpirozzi@cityandstateny.com, Business & Sales Coordinator Patrea Patterson, Junior Sales Associate Cydney McQuillan-Grace cydney@cityandstateny.com

Who was up and who was down last week

LOSERS WAYNE SPENCE Members of the Public Employees Federation have a new deal. The second-largest public sector union in the state will get 2 percent raises for the next three years, but more importantly their health care costs are not going up. The deal was apparently very popular among the members with more than 95 percent of members backing it.

OUR PICK

OUR PICK

WINNERS

Another week, another stream of contestants on the reality show playing out at Trump Tower. The biggest winner seemed to be Kanye West, who got an unexpected meeting with the president-elect. The loser though? Trump Grill, which Vanity Fair said “could be the worst restaurant in America.” At least our losers can breathe a sigh of relief that they weren’t caught up in that circus.

ALICIA GLEN Perhaps New Yorkers should call Glen deputy of political donors. A Daily News story found that half of the meetings or calls the New York City deputy mayor for housing and economic development took with non-City Hall staff were with people who hosted fundraisers, gathered campaign donations or contributed to a nonprofit promoting her boss’s agenda.

THE REST OF THE WORST

LOUIS CIMINELLI

CARMEN FARIÑA

JOSEPH EMMINGER

2,000 jobs retained in supervisor’s town of Tonawanda

EVENTS - events@cityandstateny.com Events Manager Lissa Blake, Senior Events Coordinator Alexis Arsenault, Events and Marketing Coordinator Jenny Wu

Vol. 5 Issue 48 December 19, 2016 - January 2, 2017

This year’s “EUREKA!” moments in New York politics

MICHAEL A. FEDORKO

Port Authority officers caught hiding out in break rooms and missing patrols

HERMINIA PALACIO

KEITH JACKSON

SHALOM LAMM, KENNETH NAKDIMEN, VOLVY SMILOWITZ

Rochester photonics deal sure to please ON Semiconductor CEO

ADVERTISING Vice President of Advertising Jim Katocin jkatocin@ cityandstateny.com, Account/Business Development Executive Scott Augustine saugustine@cityandstateny.com, Event Sponsorship Strategist Danielle Koza dkoza@ cityandstateny.com, Account Executive Danielle Mowery dmowery@cityandstateny.com

string of bad headlines, including autistic boy leaving school unnoticed

CONSTANCE MALCOLM

NYPD to hold internal trial for officer who killed her son, Ramarley Graham

SLANT Slant Editor Nick Powell npowell@cityandstateny.com, Editor-at-Large Gerson Borrero gborrero@cityandstateny. com, Slant Columnists Nicole Gelinas, Bruce Fisher, Richard Brodsky, Karen Hinton PRODUCTION - creativedepartment@cityandstateny.com Creative Director Guillaume Federighi, Senior Graphic Designer Alex Law, Graphic Designer Kewen Chen, Junior Graphic Designer Aaron Aniton, Digital Content Coordinator Michael Filippi, Multimedia Director Bryan Terry

THE BEST OF THE REST Buffalo School Board’s suit alleging withholding info, funds to be dismissed

EDITORIAL - editor@cityandstateny.com Editorial Director Michael Johnson mjohnson@ cityandstateny.com, Senior Editor Jon Lentz jlentz@ cityandstateny.com, Managing Editor Ryan Somers, Albany Reporter Ashley Hupfl ahupfl@cityandstateny.com, Buffalo Reporter Justin Sondel jsondel@cityandstateny. com, City Hall Reporter Sarina Trangle strangle@ cityandstateny.com, Web/Engagement Editor Jeremy Unger, Editorial Assistant Jeff Coltin, Copy Editor Eric Holmberg

stuck shouldering burden of ACS fallout

indicted on charges of bribing non-residents to register to vote

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Sign up for the email, cast your vote and see who won at cityandstateny.com.

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