City Hall - September 19, 2011 by City Hall News

Vol. 5, No. 15

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September 19, 2011

New York City's Next Generation of Political Leaders Pg. 6 Andrew Schwartz/DreamstimeÂŠ/Joey Carolino

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UPFRONT A Mosque Message For New York The Submission imagines a city torn by religious tension BY HOWARD WOLFSON

my Waldman’s new novel, The Submission, is last year’s mosque controversy on steroids—a smart, supercharged look at what would have happened if an American Muslim had been chosen to design the 9/11 Memorial. Opponents of the design quickly label it an “Islamic garden” and a “martyrs’ paradise,” and form an organization to derail it. Liberals rally around the architect. And Waldman’s characters—memorial panel members, politicians, family members of 9/11 victims, reporters and everyday New Yorkers—try to make sense of the conflict and the issues at stake. Twenty-four years ago Tom Wolfe’s The Bonfire of the Vanities captured a city riven by racial conflict. Today Waldman places religion—not race—atop New York City’s fault line. While racial tensions still exist, most New Yorkers would agree race relations have improved since Wolfe imagined Reverend Bacon leading protests outside City Hall. Yet Waldman portrays a city in which a different sort of tension is just as easy to inflame—and exploit. In utterly believable scenes of incivility, The Submission raises the same questions that drove the mosque controversy: What does it mean to be an American? Who

“owns” Ground Zero? What is the best way to honor the victims of 9/11? And how, in 21st-century New York, do these issues get resolved? The Submission is hardly optimistic on this score. Politicians are either venal or ineffective (in a rare false note, Waldman depicts a Democratic governor as a jingoistic immigrant basher); journalists and newspapers are irresponsible; the values that divide us have far more power than those that unite us. Like Bonfire of the Vanities, The Submission is a reporter’s novel full of incisive observations about New York’s complicated interplay of media and politics, especially in the wake of

9/11. Waldman, a former New York Times reporter, has covered both New York City and the Middle East, and it shows: If Bonfire barely acknowledged a world outside the five boroughs, The Submission knows New York City is a city of immigrants, deeply connected with events that take place across oceans and around the world. Politics taints nearly everything in the book, even romantic entanglements and family relationships. No private sphere is safe—the controversy literally rips a child and mother apart. Even grief and mourning are corrupted. In one of the book’s saddest and most powerful scenes, a child’s small monument to a lost parent is carelessly

ruined by an opponent of the design. Yet an epilogue of sorts suggests that time can be a healer: that controversies erupt, sell newspapers, inflame passions, enhance careers and end careers, and then subside like a summer storm as calmer heads prevail. The opening of the 9/11 memorial last week validates Waldman’s ending. After all the controversies—Who should speak? What was the proper role for religious leaders at the ceremony?—we are left with the enduring images of family members gently tracing the names of the departed in moments of private grief. Howard Wolfson is deputy mayor for government affairs and communications for the city of New York.

By The Numbers 120,000 110,000

113,025

112,205

100,000 90,000

98,983

Total votes for Republican candidate: Total votes for Democratic candidate:

The Republican win in the Ninth Congressional District last week was a long time coming—Republicans didn’t even ﬁeld candidates there in 2006 or 2008. Here’s how the numbers shifted this decade.

80,000 70,000 60,000

67,011

158,476

60,737

144,632

50,000

51,117 45,649

40,000

92,435

30,000

45,451

31,698

43,129

120,583

51,177

110,140

20,000

30,000

10,000 0

30,0000

30,000

33,816 29,688

63,504 30,000

30,000

8,378

2000

2002

2004

2006

2008*

2010

2011**

* 2008 opponent was from Conservative party ** 2011 results are incomplete and do not include absentee ballots

The Month Ahead (Sept. 19–Oct. 14) “Financial Incentives in Public Policy” conference, hosted by NYU Wagner Center

Bronx Councilman Larry Seabrook’s trial begins Scarlett Johansson headlines fund-raiser for Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer at the Jane Hotel

Karen and Dennis Mehiel hold fund-raiser for Rep. Jerrold Nadler

Queens Rep. Gregory Meeks’ birthday

Fund-raiser for the Empire State Pride Agenda in Albany at home of Matthew Baumgartner

Queens Assemblywoman Arevella Simotas’ birthday

Queens Assemblywoman Grace Meng’s birthday

Staten Island Councilman Vincent Ignizio’s birthday

Mayoral aspirant Tom Allon speaks to Government Affairs Professionals breakfast at the Penn Club

Brooklyn Councilman Charles Barron’s birthday

Rooftop fund-raiser for Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, featuring Mark Ruffalo

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SEPTEMBER 19, 2011

Burgatory

lands over his wireless, climbed to the highest point in Marble Hill, planted a Bronx flag and announced he claimed the neighborhood in the name of his borough. Residents ignored him. But in 1984 a Marble Hill resident tapped as a potential juror in a murder case tried to get out of jury duty by saying she was a resident of Bronx congressman. If you live County and therefore ineligible in Marble Hill and you’re for service in a New York County called to jury duty, you court. The murder case never went go to Manhattan. If you anywhere, but the presiding judge go to housing court, you combed over old maps and eventuhave to go to Manhattan ally decided that Marble Hill was housing court,” Dinowitz This map shows Marble Hill more than 100 years ago, when it was still isolated from the Bronx by Spuyten indeed a part of the Bronx. The said. resulting uproar led then Assem“This,” he added, “is Duyvil Creek. blyman John Brian Murtagh to the really bizarre thing.” The neighborhood has an 11-building the Hudson River to send goods upstate. sponsor a resolution declaring Marble complex of public houses, known as the In 1912 Bronx County was created, and Hill part of Manhattan forever. (The Marble Hill Houses, represented by three a year later Spuyten Duyvil Creek was legality of this is still questionable.) “I think it should be annexed into the times the number of elected officials filled in, effectively joining Marble Hill to Bronx,” said Dinowitz, who conceded he any normal housing project might lay the Bronx. It wasn’t much of a problem until 1939 wasn’t militant about the issue. “I don’t claim to. One building is in City Councilman Oliver Koppell’s district, three when, in a publicity stunt, Bronx Borough want to send out a Bronx army to conquer are in Fernando Cabrera’s and the other President James Lyons, perhaps having the rest of Marble Hill.” lnahmias@cityhallnews.com seven are in Ydanis Rodriguez’s district, heard too much about annexation in other Dinowitz noted. Even electeds themselves are confused. “I think of the 11 buildings in “It’s amazing what you can learn on a hot August day from snow in December.” Marble Hill Houses—I am not —Hank Sheinkopf told the Daily News on the mayor’s hurricane preparations. sure, but I think I have about six of them. Jeff Dinowitz has “There’s no question in my mind that of all the candidates, he sees Chris Quinn one, and José Rivera has three,” as far better for the city of New York.” —Former Mayor Ed Koch tells The New said Assemblyman Guillermo York Times who Bloomberg will back in 2013. Linares, who not only represents Marble Hill but also lives “It was a big mistake. I can only tell you it was an enormous misunderstanding. there. It just got out of control.” —Margaret Goldsmith, wife of the former deputy In 1891, Darius G. Crosby, a real estate broker, chrismayor, tells the New York Post about her husband’s arrest. tened the area just south of the swampy Spuyten “What had been a signature issue for Bloomberg may not be the legacy issue Duyvil Creek as Marble Hill, he hoped it would be.” —Political consultant Bruce Gyory, to the Times, presumably for the purpose on the mayor’s record on education. of selling more houses. The area was known “I do have an appreciation for shtick. It draws attention to the race and for the Inwood marble, the makes the mundane newsworthy.” —Bob Turner, to the Times. bedrock on which the area was built. “He just wants to retire when this term is up, and spend more time with In 1895, city engineers his wife, and enjoy himself. It’s a right he’s earned.” —An insider tells the Post dug a canal beneath Marble Hill to connect the Hudson about Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz’s future. and East rivers, obviating Our morning email roundup, City & State First Read, delivers a summary of each the need for waterway shippers to travel the extra 25 day’s political and government headlines before 7 a.m.—and the best New York miles down the East River, quote of the day. If you’re not reading quotes like these, you’re missing out. Sign up around the Battery and up at cityhallnews.com/first-read.

Manhattan’s Marble Hill neighborhood is sort of in the Bronx, but sort of not, too BY LAURA NAHMIAS

arble Hill, a 52-acre domeshaped neighborhood at the northernmost tip of Manhattan, has an identity crisis. It is part of New York County and the borough of Manhattan but is physically part of the Bronx. It has a Bronx area code (718), a Bronx zip code (10416) and Bronx services (police, schools and sanitation). But it elects officials from Manhattan and adamantly refuses to bow to the fateful accident that conjoined it to the Bronx in the first place. “If you go up to an average resident in Marble Hill, chances are they won’t know who exactly represents them,” said Assemblyman Jeff Dinowitz, who represents part of the neighborhood. And who could blame them? Part of Marble Hill is in the Bronx, part is in Manhattan, and at least one school, John F. Kennedy High School, is half in the Bronx and half in Manhattan, straddling the line that divides them. “Most of Marble Hill votes for Scott Stringer for borough president, not Ruben Diaz. For most people, Charlie Rangel is their congressman, but for some residents, Eliot Engel is their

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CITY HALL

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he latest census figures show New York has 4,617,307 residents under 40 years old. Only 40 of them can fit on our annual list of Rising Stars. So what does it take to make the cut? It helps to have made a difference already. Our list includes people who have run for office and people who are running offices; people who are making policy and people who are shaping the consensus behind it; people who deliver the news and people who make the news; those who raise their voices the loudest and see results. It helps to be full of potential: The 162 Rising Stars from our first five years are a who’s who of New Yorkers who have emerged as today’s leaders—serving in New

York, Albany and Washington, directing the city’s growth and driving the debate over how it happens. And it helps to have already made a mark across multiple fields. This year’s Rising Stars may have started as coffee fetchers and junior staffers and campaign aides, but they have risen to become chiefs of staff and foundation directors and key consultants. Still, narrowing more than 250 nominations down to 40 Rising Stars wasn’t easy. We could have easily filled another issue with energetic young New Yorkers who will undoubtedly shape the city in the years to come— and we expect many of this year’s finalists to rise to the top next year. And that’s not counting candidates like

BEN KALLOS Executive Director, New Roosevelt Initiative Age: 30

hen Ben Kallos goes to bed each night, he asks himself whether he made the world a better place than it was when he woke up. In between, he tries to meet that lofty standard. Kallos founded the Open Government Foundation, posting state legislation online and shining a light on lawmakers’ votes. Another website he created helped over 50,000 New Yorkers verify their voter registration. And in one of his proudest—and more partisan—accomplishments, he helped mobilize voters to oust the scandal-tainted Pedro Espada Jr. from the State Senate. “I don’t do it for the recognition but because it’s the right thing to do,” said Kallos, who traces his commitment to

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SEPTEMBER 19, 2011

Profiles by Laura Nahmias, Chris Bragg, Jon Lentz, Andrew J. Hawkins and Adam Lisberg. Photos by Andrew Schwartz. Ede Fox, chief of staff to Brooklyn Councilman Jumaane Williams, who would have been on our list had she not turned 40 a few months ago. Our special thanks go to City Clerk Michael McSweeney and his staff at the Marriage Bureau in Manhattan, who graciously let us photograph our Rising Stars in front of the City Hall backdrop (above) where the city’s couples mark their marriages. It’s tough to top the happiness of a newlywed, but seeing the crop of smart, accomplished and ambitious Rising Stars who are busy shaping New York with their best years ahead of them makes us mighty happy about the future.

public service to his elementary education at Rabbi Arthur Schneier Park East Day School. “While I was there, they taught me some important Jewish values. One of the most important values is tikkun olam, a Jewish value and concept that you have to repair the world,” Kallos explained. “That was ingrained in me as a child.” Kallos nurtured his career during stints with Sen. Chuck Schumer, former Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, Assemblyman Jonathan Bing and Mark Green, the former public advocate. Now at the New Roosevelt Initiative, Kallos’ job is to ensure New York’s Legislature is “the best in the nation.” His organization is “one of the few places you get to focus on redistricting and fiscal responsibility, and those sorts of esoteric issues, so we can actually get New York where it needs to be.” How did your past jobs get you to where you are now?

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“Working with Mark Green, we came up with one hundred ideas to make New York City better, and a whole bunch of them were adopted by Mayor Bloomberg, which was great.” What will your business card say in five years? “It would hopefully just say ‘Benjamin J. Kallos, public servant.’” If you weren’t in politics, what would you be doing? “I would be doing law and Web design, and I’d be working in my spare time doing public policy consulting, and working with nonprofits and the Democratic Lawyers Council to make sure that we had better laws.” What would the title of your autobiography be? “Tikkun Olam: How I Used the Law, Technology, Politics and Public Policy to Make the World a Better Place.”

CITY HALL

JASON GOLDMAN

JENNA LAPIETRA

Legislative Representative, United Federation of Teachers Age: 27

New York City Health and Public Service Business Development Director, Accenture Age: 39

ome say the United Federation of Teachers has the most politically potent membership of any union in the city. Jason Goldman aims to make the union’s political reach even longer. “I think we can replicate our success politically across the rest of the country,” he said. “We can expand further as we help our colleagues in the AFT nationally.” At the young age of 27, Goldman has already impressed his more seasoned union colleagues with his initiative and innovative thinking. While a student at SUNY Albany, he interned for the unionfriendly State Sen. Diane Savino, who represents his home borough of Staten Island. After graduation, he worked for the New York State United Teachers union, before heading back to the city to join the UFT. Upon arrival, he formed a tightly knit group with UFT Legislative Director Paul Egan and Bridget Rein, a lobbyist for the union. “He is a well-known and respected political operative at City Hall with great relationships with both sides of the aisle,” Egan said of Goldman. He is currently working on a modernization program within the union, with the goal of updating the voter database and streamlining operations. Goldman says he wants to elevate the UFT’s political operations in preparation for the 2013 mayoral election—and to have a huge impact on that race. “We’re hoping to be the differencemaker for whomever we come out and support,” he said.

DANIEL MASSEY Title: Labor Reporter, Crain’s New York Business Age: 35

s one of New York City’s top labor reporters, Danny Massey brings personal experience to his coverage. Before getting a master’s degree in journalism, he spent two years doing communications for organizing and legislative campaigns at 32BJ, the property service workers’ union. Labor issues were even a central part of his childhood; his dad was a longtime member of the United Federation of Teachers and his mom a dedicated 1199 member who once worked with George Gresham, now the health care union’s president. “Some of my earliest memories are actually 1199 rallies,” Massey said. “My mom was on strike seemingly every summer. It was sort of a different era,

CITY HALL

How did your past jobs get you to where you are now? “They helped give me the background and the experience necessary to be prepared for the upcoming fights. My experience at the state, federal and local level has helped prepare me for what looks to be a very tumultuous time in labor.” What will your business card say in five years? “I like to go to Atlantic City a lot, but I’m not good with predicting. Five years from now? I don’t know where I’ll be. Hopefully, I’ll still be at UFT.” If you weren’t in politics, what would you be doing? “I’d probably go into law.” What would be the title of your autobiography? “Whatever It Takes.”

though perhaps sort of similar to what we see today.” These days he breaks news for Crain’s on labor battles with Walmart and Target, wrangling over a living-wage bill and countless union standoffs, strikes and settlements across the city. “It helps me in my coverage today, because there are not a lot of people that understand the role of unions in society and why they’re important,” Massey said. “And for whatever anybody thinks about them, it’s important to have someone who understands how they work and why they’re necessary.” The path to his current job has been anything but direct, however. Over the years he dabbled in sportswriting, reported on immigrants for a Queens newspaper, produced documentary films and even moved to South Africa to write a book about Nelson Mandela. How did your past jobs get you to where you are now?

n the midst of one of the biggest expansions of green spaces in New York City, the Bloomberg administration is facing the accompanying task of how to find the money to maintain it all. That’s where Jenna LaPietra comes in. Accenture offered to help identify potential strategies, such as expanding the city’s current parks partnership program. LaPietra played a big role in getting her firm to sign on to help out—and to provide its services free of charge. “The ability to maintain those spaces is always a challenge, so we helped them look at ways that they would be able to maintain that legacy and make sure that in perpetuity those places would remain green and beautiful with an ever-shrinking pool of resources,” LaPietra said. “Accenture is very committed to the city, and we recognize there are places and times you have to give something back.” As a Rutgers University undergrad LaPietra was quite active in student government, even lobbying at the state and federal level on student issues, though her big love is the development of the public realm, a topic she studied while getting her master’s degree in urban planning at Rutgers. All of her experiences since then, from redeveloping the South Street Seaport to a stint as an independent real estate consultant, have built on that foundation, including her current job at Accenture. “We are always looking to be helpful

to the city and bring ideas of ways to become more efficient and creative and innovative in their thinking,” she said. How did your past jobs get you to where you are now? “I started out as an urban planner working for a consulting firm, but then I moved on and worked at the Port Authority for four and a half years on the World Trade Center project and really fell in love with the public service aspect.” What will your business card say in five years? “I would say that I hope I’m still participating in public service somewhere.” If you weren’t in politics, what would you be doing? “I’d be a race-car driver, Formula One.” What would be the title of your autobiography? “Looking Up.”

“I have a variety of jobs that have all tangentially been related to journalism. A lot of them have been in journalism. If you look at them all together they might make sense. If you just looked at them separately you might think this kid has no idea what he’s doing.” What will your business card say in five years? “‘Second baseman, New York Mets.’ ” If you weren’t in politics, what would you be doing? “I could own a Thai restaurant. I could announce Mets games. I think I’d probably be doing something to shed light on things that need to be illuminated.”

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What would be the title of your autobiography? “Keeping Score.”

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FO RTY U N D ER FO RTY SEPTEMBER 19, 2011

JAN FEUERSTADT

COREY JOHNSON

Managing Director, CGK Partners and The Movement Group Age: 36

Chairman, Community Board 4; Director of Programs, Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) Age: 29

ake a look at Jan Feuerstadt’s résumé and you might confuse it for a list of New York’s top Democratic leaders. Earlier in her career she worked for Andrew Cuomo, then a promising young housing secretary in the Clinton administration. Feuerstadt has since notched several wins as a consultant on political campaigns for prominent state Democrats, including Keith Wright’s run to head the New York County Democratic Committee and Kirsten Gillibrand’s election for an open Senate seat last year. And at CGK Partners she worked closely with Charlie King, who handed over the reins to Feuerstadt when he became the executive director of the state Democratic Party. But it is her tireless work ethic and connections to lesser-known state Democratic Committee members that make her an invaluable political operator in New York. Her job, which also includes governmental consulting, keeps her constantly on the fly—in and out of meetings, on conference calls, zipping up to Albany and back. “I’d say on the governmental side it’s incredibly rewarding,” she said. “It really affects people, it affects jobs and that’s definitely very exciting to me.” How did your past jobs get you to where you are now? “My senior year of high school, I had to do 40 hours of community service. I grew up in Long Island and Pat Halpin

was the county executive [of Suffolk County] at the time, and I worked within his offices. It kind of turned me on to politics.” What will your business card say in five years? “I think I’m going to still be in the same business. I’m always doing different things. I love what I do. I’m focused. I’m a team player. I’m a problem solver, and I like to work really hard.” If you weren’t in politics, what would you be doing? “I like crisis management, so maybe I would take on corporate crisis management. I work very well under pressure.” What would be the title of your autobiography? “26 Hours.”

DREW WARSHAW Chief of Staff, Port Authority Executive Director Chris Ward Age: 30

or three years Drew Warshaw poured all of his energy into rebuilding the World Trade Center. And as Port Authority Executive Director Chris Ward’s right-hand man, he logged countless hours to get the site ready by the 10th anniversary of 9/11. “That has been the hardest challenge of my life, and easily the most rewarding,” Warshaw said. “It’s such a giant agency. The Trade Center alone can suck up 100 percent of your time, and there are a lot of things to do here.” Warshaw joined the Port Authority in 2006, less than two years after starting a job in Albany with then Gov.

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SEPTEMBER 19, 2011

orey Johnson, New York City’s youngest community board chair, has a record of being way ahead of his time. If his name sounds familiar, it may be because he was “a gay poster child” for the first half of the last decade, after coming out to the world at age 18 in a cover story in The New York Times. As the captain of his Middleton, Mass., high school football team, Johnson found acceptance that was seen as a stark counterpoint to the antigay violence that made headlines just a year earlier with the murder of Matthew Shepard. Johnson spent the year after high school traveling the country on a speaking tour, then several months in Rio, before starting at George Washington University. After so much excitement, he and college mixed like oil and water. He came back to New York and worked on Mark Green’s bid for mayor, Carl McCall’s bid for governor and Howard Dean’s bid for the presidency. What all of the candidates had in common, Johnson said, was forward-thinking politics. “Ever since I was a kid, I’ve always been deeply interested in community service, public policy and organizing,” he said. Somewhere in all of that campaigning he found time to co-host a daily political talk show on Sirius radio, and in 2005 was elected to Community Board 4. When he isn’t working on housing issues there, he’s the commissioner of the New York City Gay Football League. Johnson also has a day job. He works on LGBT issues for GLAAD, including a recent antibullying campaign in coordina-

tion with World Wrestling Entertainment. How did your past jobs get you to where you are now? “My own experience in coming out led me to political campaigns and really informed my decision to get involved with the community that I lived in.” What will your business card say in five years? “I don’t know. I’m absolutely committed to being active in public service and that could take any number of forms. I’m not sure what it will say in five years, but I know it will involve advocacy, public policy—and it will be in New York City.” If you weren’t in politics, what would you be doing? “I’d be doing sort of what I’m doing now, which is working to advance equality for LGBT people, both locally and nationally.” What would be the title of your autobiography? “Something along the lines of Never Giving Up.”

Eliot Spitzer. His work for both bosses taught him how complex government can be; that many issues aren’t black-and-white; and that many policies don’t end up as simple triumphs or failures. “Until you realize that if you move one thing, you have to anticipate how it’s going to impact everything else, you’re not going to be able to be very effective at managing,” he said. “I think the Trade Center exemplifies that.” Warshaw, who got hooked on policy issues like campaign finance reform at Cornell University, believes in the great potential for government—provided it’s steered in the right direction. “If you can somehow fix the process, you might have an impact on the outcomes,” he said.

that was as good an experience as I could have had to prepare me for a job with the kind of public scrutiny, pressure and shades of gray that come with working at the Port Authority.”

How did your past jobs get you to where you are now? “I worked before this on the second floor in Albany for the governor, and

What would be the title of your autobiography? “Are you serious? I’m not that important.”

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What will your business card say in five years? “I think this has been the greatest job that I could have dreamed of, but these things don’t last forever, so I can’t tell you where I’m going to be in five years.” If you weren’t in politics, what would you be doing? “Playing backup guitar behind Neil Young. Certainly, given that I don’t know how to play guitar, it probably wouldn’t happen, but that’s what I’d want to be doing.”

CITY HALL

AUDREY GELMAN Press Secretary, Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer Age: 24

New Yorkers Need Living Wage Jobs

ew York native Audrey Gelman is a ferocious advocate for Scott Stringer. To wit: On a vacation in Los Angeles, she’s still up at 5 a.m. managing a release from the borough president’s office. In a year on the job she has risen from deputy press secretary to press secretary proper, helping Stringer get space in the papers as he gins up his campaign to become mayor in 2013. Gelman also gets her own headlines—profiles in the New York Post note she’s the youngest press secretary in the city, with some unusual extracurricular activities: She will guest-star in an HBO series airing this winter and has modeled for DKNY. Gelman got her start in politics as an intern in the war room of the Hillary Clinton presidential campaign at age 20. She left Oberlin College to work on the campaign with some of the country’s most famous political operatives, including future Deputy Mayor Howard Wolfson. “I grew up watching the War Room documentary, and there I was in the flesh. It was the opportunity of a lifetime,” she said. Gelman brought what she learned on the Clinton campaign to Stringer’s office. She had to be diplomatic and speedy. She learned to live without a lot of sleep. “Your objective going to work every day is to do everything you can to elect the principal that you work for,” Gelman said.

NOW! Too many working New Yorkers are currently living in poverty. “On the Clinton campaign I was thrown right into the belly of the beast. But it was the best experience I’ve ever had in my life.”

The City Council can change that.

Pass the Fair Wages for New Yorkers Act!

What will your business card say in five years? “‘Deputy Press Secretary to the Mayor of New York City.’”

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If you weren’t in politics, what would you be doing? “I don’t know what else I’d be doing. I’ve always known I wanted to work in politics.”

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How did your past jobs get you to where you are now?

What would be the title of your autobiography? “The Little Gelman That Could.”

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• Create good jobs that will allow struggling households and families to live in dignity • Restore faith in the role that government can play in the lives of working people • Enact popular legislation that will address the urgent economic needs of New Yorkers

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The Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU), UFCW, is proud to play a leading role in the Living Wage NYC Coalition. This diverse and growing coalition includes many thousands of New Yorkers who are urging the New York City Council to pass the Fair Wages for New Yorkers Act.

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NYC FO RT Y U N DER FO RT Y For more information visit: www.livingwagenyc.org CITY HALL

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SEPTEMBER 19, 2011

SOCRATES SOLANO

DAVID LOMBINO

District Representative, Ofﬁce of Congressman Charlie Rangel Age: 36

Executive Vice President for External affairs, New York City Economic Development Corporation Age: 33

ith his boss frequently in Washington, Socrates Solano helps serve as Rep. Charlie Rangel’s eyes and ears back in his Harlem district. That can include everything from hearing out constituents at town hall meetings, dealing with their issues with the postal service or helping immigrant families. Solano cut his teeth working as deputy director of technology from 1999 to 2001 for then-Sen. Hillary Clinton, then worked for City Council Speaker Peter Vallone Sr. and Speaker Gifford Miller from 2001 to 2003. Before joining Rangel’s office in 2007, Solano worked as a criminal-justice coordinator for the Doe Fund, a nonprofit that helps the homeless get off the streets and recently released inmates reintegrate into society. Solano said he has often leaned on Rangel as he has learned to navigate the needs of the complex district the congressman has served for three decades. The advice has even included Rangel’s tips on how to properly wear a tie, Solano said. “He’s really my mentor,” Solano said. “He shows me how to present things to people, how to discuss things in a certain way.” How did your past jobs get you to where you are now? “At the Doe Fund I empowered men to reclaim their lives. I witnessed firsthand the plight of those who ultimately test their realities against policies government puts into practice.”

What will your business card say in five years? “‘Speaker for the less fortunate.’ I’m very passionate about homeless issues and public safety.” If you weren’t in politics, what would you be doing? “Public administrator for a nonprofit.” What would be the title of your autobiography? “The Greater Good: Lessons I’ve Learned in Life.”

EMILY ARSENAULT State Director, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand Age: 33

hen the banks of New York’s rivers and creeks overflowed this month, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand was there to and help coordinate the response. With her were several of her D.C. staffers with expertise on agriculture and crisis management. And running the whole show was Emily Arsenault, the senator’s state director. This was no surprise. Arsenault is the type of hands-on personality who thrives on the front lines. Whether organizing for unions like 1199 SEIU or political candidates like John Hall and Eric Schneiderman, she knows the surest way to win a fight is to be down in the trenches where the real work gets done. “New York is at the forefront of what is going to happen in our country,” she says. Growing up in a union family

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avid Lombino’s first day at the city’s Economic Development Corporation was a memorable one, mainly because it coincided with the collapse of Lehman Brothers. The implosion had dire repercussions for the nation’s economy, but Lombino, fresh off The New York Sun’s metro desk, saw a silver lining. “There was a time when job creation wasn’t so front-and-center in the conversation,” he said. “But I think it’s moved front-and-center, and that makes what we do more relevant.” A recovering journalist who once had aspirations as a foreign correspondent, Lombino is now charged with explaining EDC-supported development projects to the public, as well as peeling back the curtain on an agency once known for shunning public input. That requires him to stay on top of multimillion-dollar projects like the city’s efforts to build an applied-research campus within the five boroughs or the ongoing efforts to open and expand the waterfront to commercial and real estate development. Like many working in and around the administration, Lombino has a deep, resounding love for his hometown. And as a top official within the agency charged with growing and expanding the city’s economy, Lombino knows the power of a well-placed sports metaphor. “On good days, we’ll play more offense than defense,” he said. “We’ll play defense vigorously, but I’ll always prefer offense.”

in rural southern Minnesota, Arsenault always knew she wanted to live and work in New York City, and finally came in 2004 to work for 1199 and the Greater New York Hospital Association’s Healthcare Education Project. She then took some time off to work on a series of political campaigns: She took a job as political director for the AFL-CIO’s Change to Win project. And after 2008 she was hired by then State Sen. Eric Schneiderman to run his campaign for attorney general. After Schneiderman’s victory in a nailbiting four-way primary, Arsenault spent a brief turn in the AG’s office before moving over to Gillibrand’s office. Now she manages all nine state offices and some 30 staffers. And even though chatter has already started about Gillibrand’s presidential ambitions, Arsenault says she’s just happy to be part of the team. “I’ve never worked for a woman before,” Arsenault says. “She does really good work to advance women in politics.”

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How did your past jobs get you to where you are now? “A newsroom is a lot like government, except in government the elbows are even sharper, and everyone wears a tie.” What will it say on your business card in five years? “Unclear, but it will definitely have a New York City area code on it.” If you weren’t in politics, what would you be doing? “With any luck I’d also be doing something helping to build and develop New York City and keep it competitive on the world stage.” What would be the title of your autobiography? “The Art of the Spiel.”

How did your past jobs get you to where you are now? “My past jobs were a lot of work, the kind where you really need to go all-in. Working with organizers from labor, advocacy groups and nonprofits teaches you a lot.” What will your business card say in five years? “State Director for Senator Gillibrand.” If you weren’t working in politics, what would you be doing? “My life is my work. I used to play the piano. I used to love music and theater. I don’t think I would have a career in it.” What would be the title of your autobiography? “Those who know me well, including my younger sister, were surprised to learn that I hadn’t authored the recent book called ‘Bossypants.’

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ANTHONY CONSTANTINOPLE Senior Vice President, Constantinople & Vallone Consulting, LLC Age: 34

The team at

BerlinRosen congratulates

nthony Constantinople knows a few things about family values. As a senior vice president at a firm started by his father and his uncle, Peter Vallone Sr., Constantinople says the secret to working in a family business is total honesty. A graduate of Fordham Law School, Constantinople at first specialized in corporate finance law and filings for the Securities and Exchange Commission. He took a job in private practice, where he worked out of an office with 1,500 other attorneys. Needless to say, class size matters. “In that position, it seemed like it was more scrivener-type scenario, where I was drafting documents, not really finding big solutions,” he says. In 2003, he expressed his dissatisfaction to his father, Tony, who responded that his own firm was looking to hire someone. The timing was perfect. At the time the firm had 12 clients; today it has 35. And while other similar firms handle government relations and campaign consulting, Constantinople & Vallone only handles government relations. On any given day, Constantinople is helping nonprofits, after-school programs and affordable-housing developers navigate the twisting paths of government regulations. And while he doesn’t have any immediate plans to run for office, he does recognize the importance of staying involved in one’s community. “I don’t want to get ahead of myself,” he said, adding that a spot on his local community board would be a good start.

our colleague “I want to have a say in my community.” How did your past jobs get you to where you are now? “I use my legal degree a lot; in particular, we spent a lot of time in law school forming concise and strong arguments, and that is hugely important. You go to see an elected official, and you have a certain amount of time to make them see where your client is coming from.”

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Dan Levitan on being named a 40 Under 40 Rising Star.

What will your business card say in FORT Y U N DER FO RT Y five years? “‘Managing director of the Rome, Italy office of Constantinople & Vallone.’”

FO RT Y U N DER RT Y in politics, If you FO weren’t working what would you be doing? “I’d most likely be an attorney. But my dream job would be running a travel company, to bring people to Italy, show them how important Italian culture is.”

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CONGRATULATIONS

What would be the title of your autobiography? “A Short History of Constantinople.”

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FO RT Y U N DER FO RT Y FO RT Y U N DER FO RT Y OUR HEARTFELT CONGRATULATIONS TO SOUTH ASIAN COMMUNITY LEADER

DILIP CHAUHAN ON HIS SELECTION TO “CITY HALL RISING STARS 40 UNDER 40” AWARD FOR HIS VISIONARY AND OUTSTANDING COMMUNITYRELATED WORK, AND FOR MAKING ELECTED OFFICIALS MORE AWARE OF THE SOUTH ASIAN COMMUNITY. New York Indian Political Action Committee WWW.NYINPAC.COM

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SEPTEMBER 19, 2011

JOHANNA GREENBAUM

Congratulations W Anthony for Being Chosen a “Rising Star”

Counsel and Deputy Chief of Staff, Deputy Mayor for Economic Development Robert Steel Age: 30 hen it comes to land use and zoning, Johanna Greenbaum is a selfprofessed “dork.” Open spaces, new parks, waterfront locales—all these things send Greenbaum’s heart aflutter. The opening of the second section of the High Line last June was a special thrill, she says. “Every New Yorker is interested in the built environment,” she says. “Some more than others.” While studying American history and literature at Harvard, Greenbaum developed her love for cities and planning. Her postcollege life started at the Economic Development Corporation, followed by the Department of Housing Preservation and Development. While there, she attended law school. But affordable housing was her true interest. She helped design a homelessness-prevention pilot program from start to finish. She was hired by then Deputy Mayor for Operations Edward Skyler to help oversee the Department of Environmental Preservation. And when Robert Steel was hired as deputy mayor of economic development, he brought Greenbaum over to help manage his real estate, development and transportation portfolio. She’s now in the process of streamlining internal operations in hopes of making the office, and thus the city, run more smoothly. “Nothing I do here is a drag,” she says.

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“Practicing law gave me great technical skills in zoning, landmarks and an understanding of private-sector development that helps me think of creative solutions in this role. Ideally I would like to be able to continue to move between the public and private sectors, because both are valuable and provide depth and insight into the other.”

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What will your business card say in five years? “‘Rising star.’ ”

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If you weren’t working in politics, what would you be doing? “The mayor is one of my idols, but so is Jay-Z. So maybe I’ll be counsel and deputy chief of staff to him.”

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From All of Us at

How did your past jobs get you to where you are now?

What would be the title of your autobiography? “Uncoachable.”

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JESUS GONZALEZ

JULIE WOOD

Community Organizer, Make the Road New York Age: 26

Deputy Press Secretary, Mayor’s Press Ofﬁce Age: 29

esus Gonzalez wasn’t able to pull off a miracle in the Brooklyn Assembly special election to replace Darryl Towns, but he did end up making quite a name for himself. The first-time candidate pulled out 32 percent of the vote on the Working Families Party line in the three-way race ultimately won by Rafael Espinal—and turned what could have been a sleepy Assembly race into a brawl. “I went door-to-door in this Assembly district, and people said it was the first time they had ever seen a candidate or elected official there,” Gonzalez said. A native of Bushwick, Gonzalez got his start with Make the Road New York at the tender age of 12 and has continued working on issues like promoting better relations with the police and immigrant rights. Gonzalez’s candidacy also energized Brooklyn reformers and the labor movement, and that could pay dividends in the 2013 elections when their candidates have the luxury of running on the Democratic line. And Gonzalez could well again be a candidate in the future. Gonzalez may have come in second place, but his run was not in vain. “I think this has motivated the incumbent candidates to work a bit more too,” Gonzalez said. How did your past jobs get you to where you are now? “As a young person I began organizing against injustice in the community and felt we need not to play the victim but to organize young people and

MORGAN PEHME Executive Director, New York Civic Age: 33

organ Pehme is a jack-of-alltrades in his job running New York Civic, the good-government group founded by former Parks Commissioner Henry Stern. One day Pehme is putting together a networking event for the reform-minded, the next an investigative grant for reporters, and the next a “Candidate College” for potential political professionals. Pehme’s career has also been eclectic. He has worked as managing editor of the Queens Tribune, as an adjunct professor of journalism and film at St. John’s, running his own reform-minded blog, The Brooklyn Optimist, and working as a political consultant for reform-minded candidates, before joining New York Civic. Though Pehme’s job mostly brings him in contact with political professionals, he

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educate our peers on the issues.” What will your business card say in five years? “In five years, I will still continue to work for a just community. This is a spiritual commitment.” If you weren’t in politics, what would you be doing? “I don’t know if there’s anything else I’d want to be doing, but beyond this, maybe something in the arts—creating films that apply to social conditions.” What would be the title of your autobiography? “If There’s No Struggle, There’s No Progress (a quote by Frederick Douglass) or Let’s Be Realistic, Let’s Do the Impossible” (Che Guevara).

hen Julie Wood was a consultant at the Global Strategy Group, the firm partnered with Learn NY, a nonprofit with close ties to the Bloomberg administration. While the partnership pushed successfully to renew mayoral control over the city’s schools, Wood also got to work directly with Learn NY’s Geoffrey Canada, a hero of hers ever since she read his book in high school. “It was great to be able to work with him on that,” Wood said. “Now, actually being part of the administration and getting to work with DOE on some of the things they’ve been doing to improve our schools, I would say that has been gratifying.” Wood, who is credited as having the rare combination of being both ambitious and nice, has risen quickly, jumping from Global Strategy Group to the Economic Development Corporation to becoming one of Mayor Bloomberg’s top press secretaries in May. Wood traces her interest in politics to her Massachusetts upbringing. “It’s sort of a New England thing to be interested in local politics and town meetings and that whole thing,” she said. “Then I went to Georgetown, so in D.C. that’s what people talk about.” However, as a die-hard Boston sports fan, she long had her heart set on being a sportswriter. “Then I changed over, but politics and sports have a lot in common,” she said. “They’re both about keeping score.”

“My last job before this was at Economic Development Corporation, where I was the press secretary. So I had an opportunity to work with the administration and work with the folks in the mayor’s press office. That’s what made me familiar with the mayor’s vision and priorities and messaging, and those types of things.” What will your business card say in five years? “I think that I’m going to say ‘@juliewood,’ my Twitter handle. I think that’s the way things are looking.” If you weren’t in politics, what would you be doing? “Ideally I would be a sportswriter at The Boston Globe. I grew up in Boston, and I was the sports editor of my college newspaper, so that’s what I thought I was going to do.”

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How did your past jobs get you to where you are now?

says he never loses sight of the organization’s ultimate goal. “We’re trying to make good government sexier,” he said. “We’re not just dealing in the realm of political wonks.” How did your past jobs get you to where you are now? “I was working with the New Kings Democrats, and Henry Stern really enticed me to give up professional political consulting. Henry is such a great warrior for good government.” What will your business card say in five years? “ ‘Renaissance Man.’ ” If you weren’t in politics, what would you be doing? “Writing books and making movies.” What would be the title of your autobiography? “The Book of Morgan.”

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What would be the title of your autobiography? “Wood by Wood.”

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LUPE TODD

DILIP CHAUHAN

Vice President, George Arzt Communications Age: 38

South Asian Community Leader Age: 39

upe Todd has been busy in 2011. As the campaign spokeswoman for Councilman Ruben Wills, Todd was on the front lines of a hotly contested City Council campaign in southeast Queens. Meanwhile, Todd also does communications for Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries, himself a rising star who is mulling a primary run for Congress. Despite all the pressures, which also include work for for-profit and nonprofit clients, Todd said her approach is to always keep a healthy respect for the press. “I really do try never to lie or spin,” Todd said. “If all people ever hear is spin, they’re never going to take you seriously. And it’s wellknown to people that work with me that I really do respect the work of journalists.” Always quick with a zinging oneliner or some juicy off-the-record information, Todd cut her teeth as communications director for then Buffalo Councilman Byron Brown, went to the press shop of former Speaker Peter Vallone Sr., then left for Dan Klores Communications. That was followed by a high-profile stint in New Jersey working as spokeswoman for Newark Mayor Cory Booker. Now Todd works for Arzt, the veteran former New York Post reporter. Todd said the two have a strong relationship. “He gives me a lot of freedom and recognizes where my strengths are,” Todd said. How did your past jobs get you to where you are now?

“I’ve wanted to go into PR since I was 14 or 15. I’m very fortunate to have always been able to do it.” What will your business card say in five years? “‘President.’ Whether of the United States or otherwise, it will say ‘President.’” If you weren’t in politics, what would you be doing? “Playing classical piano or professional basketball. I played ball in college, and play seven musical instruments.” What would be the title of your autobiography? “Big Show” (Jeffries’ nickname for Todd).

ilip Chauhan has earned the ear of a number of elected officials in Queens and beyond who want to know what’s going on in the city’s burgeoning South Asian community. Chauhan’s work includes everything from helping recent immigrants navigate the bureaucracy of the Department of Buildings to getting the community more involved in the electoral process to working to ensure a South Asian district is created when district lines are redrawn next year. Chauhan, who lives in Flushing, has worked as the outreach coordinator to that community for several campaigns—including John Liu and Tom DiNapoli’s—and was recently appointed the political advisor to the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin, a national organization. In 2007 he proved his fund-raising prowess, raising $50,000 for the New York AIDS Walk, and says he may one day be interested in running for office himself. “The South Asian population is growing, but it sometime gets ignored,” Chauhan. “I want to make sure we change that.” How did your past jobs get to you where you are now? “I learned a great deal from campaigns and was able to parlay this experience into additional work as an event planner and community liaison.”

MARIA DOULIS Senior Research Associate, Citizens Budget Commission Age: 30

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s a senior researcher for a high-profile budget watchdog, the Citizens Budget Commission, Maria Doulis believes numbers and data points only tell part of the story. “History provides us with a sense of understanding of where we are now,” she said. “And hope for lessons for the future.” At CBC, Doulis is in charge of crunching the city’s budget, as well as pensions, health insurance and the capital budget. The watchdog, which is more businessfriendly than other think tanks, distills the city’s spending and revenue data into facts and figures that can easily be under-

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What will your business card say in five years? “‘Honorable.’ I want to be an elected official.” If you weren’t in politics, what would you be doing? “I’d be a real estate entrepreneur offering boutique services, while at the same time helping the community through an NGO.” What would be the title of your autobiography? “South Asian Community Leader or Political Activist.”

stood by all. Doulis is also pursuing her degree from New York University’s Wagner School of Public Service. A native of Astoria, Doulis moved to Washington to earn her master’s in public administration. But even for someone as into politics and government as Doulis, living in Washington proved to be a bit much. “Sometimes I was just like, ‘Wow, I would like to have a single conversation about something not political,’ ” she said. Doulis says the city’s spending on pensions and worker benefits is quickly becoming unsustainable. But given the strength and political influence of public sector unions, changing that will be a heavy lift, she says. “New York will always be a labor town,” Doulis said. “The question is how you work with

labor to make the changes.” How did your past jobs get you to where you are now? “I’ve always worked for nonprofits that have focused on policy and government. Coming to CBC was a natural transition from that.” What will your business card say in five years? “It might say ‘Director,’ it might say ‘Professor.’ Hopefully it says ‘Doctor.’ ” If you weren’t working in politics, what would you be doing? “I think I’d be a journalist. The questions are essentially the same: ‘What’s the story?’ ” What would be the title of your autobiography? “Just a Girl From Queens.”

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FRANKLIN MORA Director of Business Services, Queens Economic Development Corporation Age: 26

or the past three years, Franklin Mora’s job at the Queens Economic Development Corporation has been to help business ideas go from conception to reality. Of course, the past three years have not exactly been the easiest ones for small businesses, making it even more important that their business models be finely honed. That’s where Mora comes in. “You have to help people understand the risks involved, and what might not work,” said Mora. “Over time you develop trust, and an understanding that it’s not rejecting the ideas; it’s making them more realistic.” Originally from Washington Heights and the son of Ecuadorian immigrants, Mora got his start in the finance world at the country’s largest microfinancing firm, Accion New York, before moving briefly into the private sector at a large media company, then to the Queens EDC. The EDC works closely with the Queens Borough President Helen Marshall’s office, as well as other city and state agencies, to provide expertise and grants for small-business owners. Mora says that in a single day, everyone from a barber to an auto repairman to a restaurateur, to a printing-press operator will come seeking his advice on everything from their business plan to social networking. “It’s very gratifying to help entrepreneurs take an idea and actually grow it into an idea from the bottom up,” Mora said.

How did your past jobs get you to where you are now? “At Accion New York, the largest microfinancing company in the country, I worked as a loan consultant for start-up small businesses.” What will your business card say in five years? “‘Small business go-to guy and builder of social enterprise.’ ” If you weren’t in politics, what would you be doing? “I may want to work in the privatesector side of economic development instead of the nonprofit side.”

Our Trustees Congratulate Senior Research Associate

What would be the title of your autobiography? “Changing Perspectives, But Sticking to the Cause.”

Maria Doulis

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On This Well Deserved Honor.

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Kenneth D. Gibbs Chairman

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SEAN BARRY

TANISHA EDWARDS

Executive Director, VOCAL-NY Age: 29

Chief Counsel, Finance Division of the New York City Council Age: 33

ean Barry was not a wellbehaved kid. “I got kicked out of school when I was 16,” he said. “I got into a lot of trouble growing up.” For Barry, rebellion took the form of local activism in his Maryland hometown. “When I was growing up, the most exciting sort of modern-day social movement was AIDS activism,” he said—especially the kind of dramatic activism being practiced by groups like ACT UP. Barry may have been a troubled kid, but after transferring from a local community college to the University of Maryland, he learned so quickly he graduated at 19. Inspired by the dramatic protests during the early 2000s against the World Trade Organization, the World Bank and IMF, Barry sought a more active role in international activism. Globalization seemed to him almost too abstract a problem to tackle. “A very concrete thing that I got interested in was access to medicines for people living with AIDS, and how trade policies could create barriers to affordable medication,” he said. That led to years in South Africa fighting the AIDS epidemic before he turned back to New York and VOCALNY, formerly the New York City AIDS Housing Network, which stages protests related to issues around AIDS housing and the risk factors for AIDS that disproportionately impact the poor, the disabled and communities of color. Barry, whose Irish immigrant grandparents came to New York, said the city feels like the perfect place for the work he wants to keep doing. “I think that for someone who was doing international activism for a long time and sort of likes a big stage to have a policy impact, New York is an analogous place, in a way,” he said.

G How did your past jobs get you to where you are today? “After I came back from South Africa, I helped start the Student Global AIDS Campaign, and then I worked with the Global Fund to Fight AIDS. But all this time I was working with people who have AIDS overseas without really being rooted in the community in the United States. NYCAHN was and is the only group that does grassroots community organizing around HIV issues in the United States, so when the former director transitioned out, I leaped at the chance to come here.” What will your business card say in five years? “‘VOCAL-NY,’ I hope. I hope it would say ‘Community Organizer.’ ” If you weren’t in politics, what would you be doing? “I’d probably be sailing boats or climbing mountains. People think New Yorkers are all urban, but we’re close to water and mountains.” What would be the title of your autobiography? “Pissing Into the Wind: A Progressive in the Cuomo Era.”

CHRIS COFFEY Director of External Affairs, Mayor’s Ofﬁce of Media and Entertainment Age: 31

hris Coffey hadn’t even graduated from George Washington University when he first went to work for Michael Bloomberg, and after a decade of behindthe-scenes roles in New York, he’s still on the mayor’s team. He started as an intern with the mayor’s company, Bloomberg L.P., at its Washington office, where he helped set up its A-list party after the White House Correspondents’ Dinner—and hit it off with consigliere Kevin Sheekey, who was laying the groundwork for his boss to run for mayor. Coffey found himself one of the first employees of Bloomberg’s improbable mayoral campaign, and the stunning victory gave him entrée to a series of jobs that showed him how New York works, from the

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rowing up black and female in Queens, Tanisha Edwards was struck by the overwhelming support New York City offered through its many social welfare programs. “Seeing what a program can do for someone or even a family that just needed a little bit more help is something that just made me love this city,” Edwards said. “I always knew I wanted to be in a situation where I could provide the most help to the greatest number of people, and the best way I saw that was through public service.” After Syracuse University, that appreciation for public service led her to DC 37’s Albany office, where she monitored and summarized bills on pensions, collective bargaining and cost-ofliving adjustments. She quickly decided to apply to law school at Rutgers University. “That’s because I was working in the legislative body dealing a lot with the senators and the Assembly members there and I thought to myself, ‘The biggest way to effectuate change is through legislation,’ ” she explained. Now at the Council’s finance division, she is responsible for writing all tax- and budget-related legislation, much of which involves translating Council members’ general ideas into concrete legislative language. Edwards has been a key player on such issues as the living wage bill, and was indispensable in finalizing the 2012 city budget, which avoided teacher layoffs and averted proposed fire company closures. How did your past jobs get you to

mayor’s advance team to his press shop to the Community Affairs Unit. “The government side is fulfilling what the political side offers,” Coffey said. “When you’re able to work for a mayor who goes out and makes really bold promises and looks long into the future, it gives you an opportunity when you go into government to try to fulfill those promises, and not to just think about next week.” After a stint at Bloomberg Television, Coffey worked on video and digital strategy for the mayor’s 2009 reelection, and he now puts those skills to work at the city’s reorganized office managing and promoting New York City’s media initiatives, especially those led by Chief Digital Officer Rachel Sterne. “She’s been able to bring the privatesector experience and energy. She works as hard as anyone and is out there meeting with people and doing terrific things, and I’m happy to help be part of it,” Coffey said. “Whether it’s making New York the number one digital city in the world or

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where you are now? “I guess you could say it started when I was 21 years old in DC37’s legislative office in Albany.” What will your business card say in five years? “‘Judge Edwards.’” If you weren’t in politics, what would you be doing? “If I had tons of money in the bank, I’d just do volunteer work. I volunteer for the Children’s Aid Society. The girls I mentor have run into some sort of trouble, and I know from growing up in New York City, particularly as a minority woman, it’s very easy to go either way in life unless you have clear direction.” What would be the title of your autobiography? “Defining Moments.”

making New York have as many TV shows and films as possible, I’m the luckiest guy ever, because I get to do all this stuff.” How did your past jobs get you to where you are now? “I’ve been privileged to work for the mayor ten years this past June. You get to learn a lot about how different parts of city government work.” What will your business card say in five years? “It will be a digital card. And I’ll let you know in 844 days.” If you weren’t in politics, what would you be doing? “Maybe a minor-league pitcher for the Cyclones? Trying to be on the cast of Glee, I guess.” What would be the title of your autobiography? “Coffey Talk.”

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RESHMA SAUJANI Deputy Advocate of Special Initiatives, Executive Director of the Fund for Public Advocacy Age: 35

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y now, Reshma Saujani’s life has been examined and reexamined: child of political refugees fleeing Uganda, a lucrative career in the financial sector, a stint bundling donations for Democratic candidates like Hillary Clinton, an uphill run for Carolyn Maloney’s congressional seat. “I had ideas I wanted to put out into the world,” she said. “I felt like there was a dearth of leadership.” She lost the race in 2010, but Saujani says she’s back on track toward making a difference. Today Saujani is doing something she feels is more important than anything she has done yet. As a top aide to Public Advocate Bill de Blasio, and executive director of the Fund for Public Advocacy, Saujani is involved in multiple projects, from surveying immigrant small-business owners about city-provided technological and legal services to mentoring girls from low-income neighborhoods to help them get more involved in computers and technology. Perhaps more important, she is charged with raising money to help subsidize de Blasio’s seriously cash-strapped office. And there are bigger projects to come. Saujani says she is preparing next year to launch a new program through the public advocate’s office that aims to promote public-private partnerships to improve government services. “I’m a political entrepreneur,” said Saujani, who added that contracting government services will lead to a bigger role for the private sector to fill that gap. “That’s the future of government.”

Director of the Office of the President Planned Parenthood Federation of America New York, New York Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) is seeking a Director of the Office of the President to manage and coordinate fast-moving projects and teams with the highest-level view of the strategic direction of PPFA.

How did your past jobs get you to where you are now? “I think coming from a private-sector background has been tremendously helpful, both being able to use the skills I learned there to create programs, and to use the resources and relationships I’ve built over the last decade.” What will your business card say in five years? “‘Political entrepreneur.’ ” If you weren’t working in politics, what would you be doing? “I’d be a teacher. I’d teach failure. I spend a lot of time talking and teaching about taking risks and embracing failure. I believe in failing first and failing hard. Life isn’t your successes but a culmination of your failures, and we don’t talk about them. And it makes young people, especially young women, risk-averse.”

The Director of the Office of the President (OOP) will: • build and leverage key relationships with internal and external stakeholders in support of the President. • facilitate a clear flow of information to and from the President and the senior management team. • manage the staff and budget of the OOP.

Planned Parenthood provides family planning and reproductive health care services, education, and information to millions of women, men, and young people each year in partnership with its 84 affiliates and more than 800 health centers nationwide. For full job description, please visit http://grossmansolutions.com/DirectorOOP.pdf

Apply online at www.plannedparenthood.org. Email search@grossmansolutions.com with any questions.

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What would be the title of your autobiography? “A Woman Who Doesn’t Wait in Line.”

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SEPTEMBER 19, 2011

ROGER SCOTLAND

DAN LEVITAN

President and CEO, Southern Queens Park Association Age: 39

Senior Associate, Berlin Rosen Age: 28

What would you do if you weren’t in politics? “I wouldn’t say I’m involved in politics. I think I’m in community service. The problem with politics is that people see it as celebrity versus service.”

etting Dan Levitan to talk about himself is like trying to squish a camel through a needle’s eye. As a wunderkind spokesman for the Working Families Party, and now as a consultant at Berlin Rosen, his job is to speak effectively for others. He’s so good at this sort of client-spokesman Vulcan mindmeld that Capitol Tonight reporter Liz Benjamin once called his ability to channel former boss Dan Cantor “uncanny.” Levitan said he’s never not been a political animal. “Even in elementary school, I would politicize Sesame Street,” he admitted. The Hoboken native organized his first major union campaign in his junior and senior years at the University of Maryland, where he helped 1,000 of the university’s employees in AFSCME negotiate better employment conditions. He’s worked for the Communications Workers of America and for 1199 SEIU. For the latter he traveled to Seattle and New Mexico, setting up the first branch of SEIU at the University of New Mexico Albuquerque Hospital. Levitan said his work for Berlin Rosen brings him into contact with the same progressive politicians and unions he’s always known he wanted to work with and for. In between election cycles, he serves the firm’s union clients with yearround campaigns. “There are really, really smart people who work at Berlin Rosen and are incredibly good at what they do. There’s a lot to learn here,” he said.

What would be the title of your autobiography? “I Did My Best.”

How did your past jobs get you to where you are now? “I was the communications director

oger Scotland almost wasn’t a college basketball star. As a teenager growing up in East New York, Brooklyn, Scotland was a talented player—a liability in a neighborhood where kids fought violently over team spots, the coveted positions many saw as the best road to success in life. When Scotland was 16, another kid tried to stab him on the basketball court with a corkscrew. He moved to Queens. He got involved with the community organization SQPA, where he met social workers, police officers and mentors, and he ended up at Bard College, leading his varsity basketball team to a championship. That break informed everything he’s done since, he said. “Any young person I come across who is worthy of support, I give it to them,” Scotland said. “I make sure they have the chance and the opportunity I’ve had.” Scotland took a circuitous route to his current position at SQPA. He enrolled in an American history PhD program at Columbia University, and worked in the Bloomberg administration on programs that would become part of the mayor’s recently announced Young Men’s Initiative. He’s a relentless cheerleader for every neighborhood he’s lived in and every organization he’s been involved with, but he came back to SQPA because it was the place he’d gotten his own break. “I see the inequity of the educational system. It’s a shame that there’s one afterschool program, and someone would try to kill someone over the slot on the basketball team,” Scotland said. “I’m trying to rebrand what’s cool, so you don’t

have to define yourself by athletics.” How did your past jobs get you to where you are now? “I’ve done everything from housing development to youth services. I’m the bastard child of human services and economic development. When SQPA became open, I thought it was a great opportunity to bring all aspects of my professional experience to bear on—and benefit—my community.” What will your business card say in five years? “Hopefully just ‘Roger.’ I’ve never really looked for a job. I just go wherever my work leads me.”

VALERIE BABB Director, Charter Parent Action Network Age: 39

alerie Babb likes to talk. Whether she’s chatting with charter school parents about how to improve public relations for the education reform movement, or with elected officials about the needs of charter school families, or on the radio at 90.3 FM, Babb’s gift of gab has helped earn her a reputation as someone who can work a crowd into a frenzy, or quietly consult with parents, teachers and politicians behind-the-scenes. A native Harlemite, Babb grew up in a self-described “revolutionary” household. Her grandfather, an ex–Black Panther, ran twice—and lost—for a Board of Education seat. Out campaigning for her grandfather on the streets of her neighborhood is where Babb got her first taste of community organizing. After a few stints in marketing and business development, Babb took a

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job with the Rev. Calvin O. Butts’ Abyssinian real estate development nonprofit. “That was the first place where I really got to understand city politics and interact with elected officials,” she says. “How the community and local officials being engaged could really produce some positive results.” She joined the education reform movement soon after, accepting a job with the New York City Charter School Center. But Babb’s first encounter with school reform happened much earlier, when as a teenager her parents pulled her out of her gang-ridden high school and placed her in a safer alternative school. She credits the choice her parents made with setting her on the right path. Today Babb navigates the treacherous waters of education policy, working with charter school administrators, parents and elected officials to improve relations in the community. The current debate surrounding education is fierce, she admits, but she is up to the task. “I think one of the mistakes we’ve made in the charter industry is not communicating

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at the Working Families Party, and before that, a union organizer. I worked with some incredibly smart and talented people in both jobs. I’d say I learned from the best, but that would imply that anything rubbed off.” What will your business card say in five years? “Will there be business cards in five years? Mine already have a QR code, which seems like the death rattle of paper.” If you weren’t in politics, what would you be doing? “Science. Everyone in my family, including my wife, has some sort of PhD. I’m the disappointment.” What would be the title of your autobiography? “Flacks don’t write autobiographies, they write other people’s autobiographies, so mine would be probably be Bob Master: Ten Grumpy Phone Calls That Changed the World.”

before there’s a problem, and that’s something we’re doing more of now,” she said. How did your past jobs get you to where you are now? “I think the kind of dedication, persistence and perseverance at Abyssinian really shaped me for this role I have now. We fed 10,000 people in one day. I developed walking pneumonia, but I got it done.” What will your business card say in five years? “It’ll be ‘Executive National Director,’ because I want to take the program national. And ‘Great mom and superwife.’” If you weren’t working in politics, what would you be doing? “I’d be a radio talk-show personality. Or a stand-up comedian.” What would be the title of your autobiography? “Female Soldier.”

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KATE DEMPSEY

MICHAEL COPPOTELLI

Director of Budget and Operations, Center for Economic Opportunity Age: 33

Chief of Staff, Assemblyman Lou Tobacco; Adjunct Professor of Political Science at College of Staten Island Age: 27

any people pick up habits and advice from their grandfathers. Kate Dempsey is no exception—even though her grandfather was exceptional. “There’s no question his career in public service has affected me—a commitment to serving the public and being interested in what you could do to help,” she said. Dempsey’s grandfather was Hugh Carey, who served as governor of New York from 1975 to 1982 and was widely praised for his handling of the fiscal crisis in the late ’70s. Dempsey says Carey, who died this summer, encouraged her to join organizations like the Peace Corps and AmeriCorps, where she gained an appreciation for community building and development. After studying and working in farflung places like the Dominican Republic and Ecuador, Dempsey got a full-ride scholarship to the University of Pennsylvania, where she earned her graduate degree in governmental administration. She knew she would ultimately end up in New York, so she concentrated on how government agencies and nonprofits function. Landing a job at the mayor’s Center for Economic Opportunity allowed Dempsey to see projects like Jobs Plus—which aims to raise wage levels for residents of public housing—from beginning to end. “To me, this is everything I’ve done in my career, everything I want to continue to do in my career, all coming together,” she said.

“I

How did your past jobs get you to where you are now? “The community work that I’ve done has given me a good perspective on what it’s like on the ground, doing the work and making everything happen.” What will your business card say in five years? “It’s likely the word ‘operations’ will be in there somewhere. Maybe COO of something.” If you weren’t working in politics, what would you be doing? “Documentary filmmaker about New York City history.” What would be the title of your autobiography? “According to my sister, my autobiography should be titled ‘Are You Going to Finish That?’ She’s right—I eat everything.”

PRISCILLA GONZALEZ

Director, FORT Y U N DER FO RT Y Domestic Workers United Age: 33

riscilla Gonzalez owes it all to her mother. When young Priscilla was growing up in West Harlem, her mother, Marcia, worked low-wage jobs cleaning homes and taking care of children, while pushing her daughter into afterschool programs that showed her a world of colleges and possibilities. “I had really few prospects for getting out of our neighborhood, but I was lucky,” she said. After graduating from Barnard College and the London School of Economics, Gonzalez came back to New York and took a job organizing public school parents for the Center for Immigrant Families—but found herself trying to help her mother. As a child, she sometimes helped her mom clean houses, and grew up watching her be mistreated by bosses who withheld wages and wouldn’t pay her medical

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always thought of myself as being an educator someday. I certainly didn’t see myself doing this,” Michael Coppotelli said. “One thing led to another, and here I am.” Coppotelli was assistant to the principal at St. Joseph by-the-Sea High School in Staten Island in 2007 when a friend called to see if he would be interested in working on Lou Tobacco’s Assembly campaign. He figured, why not? “I like excitement. I like a challenge,” he said. “Not to be conceited, but to me, once I achieve something, I’m like, ‘Okay, what’s next?’” Tobacco won his special election in March of that year, and Coppotelli found himself hooked on government and politics. He satisfies both by running Tobacco’s operations, while also loaning himself out regularly for political campaigns on Staten Island and beyond—from Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s 2009 reelection to Nicole Malliotakis’ Assembly victory last year to Phil Goldfeder’s Assembly victory in Queens last week. “Growing up, I was always interested in government,” Coppotelli said. “If you can get involved and help people and improve the life of people in your community, I enjoy doing that. Some days it’s a job, but it really is my passion.” He still satisfies his educational urge by teaching at the College of Staten Island—where he is younger than some of his students—but keeps thinking of new goals for himself. “I wouldn’t mind being the body man

bills when she was hurt on the job. Now, she found there were no laws to protect her mom, but there was a group, Domestic Workers United, trying to pass one. “I wanted to do community work, and at the same time my mother was going through this situation,” Gonzalez said. “I volunteered after work and on weekends, and slowly started to help the organization build a base of Latina members.” She started volunteering in 2003, joined the staff as lead organizer in 2008 and became director in 2009. Last year they achieved a landmark victory: Gov. David Paterson signed the Domestic Workers Bill of Rights into law, giving basic labor protections like time off and overtime pay to housekeepers, nannies, cooks and other household workers who are exempt from federal labor law. “The Bill of Rights was a historic first step in establishing a floor in an industry where there was no floor,” Gonzalez said. “This is a local movement which has gone national and international.”

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for a presidential candidate,” Coppotelli said. “If you said, ‘Michael, pick one job you’d want to do in the next campaign cycle’—body man for the Republican nominee, that sounds good to me.” How did your past jobs get you to where you are now? “Great mentors. I had great people that allowed me to learn by doing.” What will your business card say in five years? “My name. That’s what makes me who I am. I’m not defined by my job or what I do.” If you weren’t in politics, what would you be doing? “I have my administrator’s license, so I hope I would be an assistant principal.” What would be the title of your autobiography? “From Sea to Shining Sea.”

How did your past jobs get you to where you are now? “All the jobs I’ve had have been helping to improve conditions for the most marginalized people in our society, and that commitment to changing the status quo brought me ultimately to Domestic Workers United.” What will your business card say in five years? “I don’t know what it will say. I envision myself always working with immigrant women workers.” If you weren’t in politics, what would you be doing? “Something in the arts. I get a lot of inspiration from this work, and I feel like the arts—acting and dancing—have also played that role in my life.” What would be the title of your autobiography? “The Little Engine.”

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RACHEL GOODMAN Chief of Staff, City Councilman Brad Lander Age: 31

f you thought overseeing one political campaign was tough, try six. That’s what Rachel Goodman had to do while at the Working Families Party, where she helped oversee the labor-backed party’s 2009 sweep of the City Council. And even though she was born and raised in the Bronx, Goodman decided her next job would be as chief of staff to up-and-coming Brooklyn Councilman Brad Lander. Right off the bat she noticed that the inner workings of city government lack the fast pace of an urban political campaign. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. “I’m used to the campaign lifestyle, where you build something up and break it down in the span of six months,” Goodman said. “And here it can take six months to get a meeting scheduled.” After two years at a political consulting firm in Washington, D.C., Goodman cut her political teeth working on Anthony Weiner’s 2005 run for mayor, where she helped build the congressman from an underdog candidate into a household name. (And she prefers to leave her memories of Weiner at that.) While at Lander’s office, she was instrumental in the creation of the City Council’s Progressive Caucus, which has been forceful in pushing for a more fair and transparent budgeting process. She also helped oversee the support for the Prospect Park West bike lane, which came under assault from some boldface community names. Unlike many in government, Goodman says she has zero interest in running for office. Her other passion is food and restaurants, which she cultivates through her blog, Michelin Understars.

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What will your business card say in five years? “I definitely plan to still be with Brad.”

If you weren’t working in politics, what would FO RT Y U ND E R FO RT Y you be doing? “I’d be a food critic for The New York Times.”

How did your past jobs get you to where you are now? “There was a pretty direct line from doing campaigns around the country to working at the WFP, which

What would be the title of your autobiography? “Long Walk Across the Gowanus.”

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SEPTEMBER 19, 2011

LINCOLN RESTLER

YURIJ PAWLUK

State Committeeman and District Leader, 50th Assembly District Age: 27

Senior Advisor and Counsel, Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Linda Gibbs Age: 32

incoln Restler made headlines last year in a race for an unsalaried district leader position in Brooklyn, which he won by 120 votes as the reform candidate. The race was widely seen as a proxy for the larger struggles between Brooklyn’s two political camps: Brooklyn’s Democratic Party, headed by Vito Lopez, and the reformers who oppose him. Restler, a Brown University graduate, is just 27. But he has made himself ubiquitous since the race last year, turning a typically lower-rung position into a bully pulpit to weigh in on all matters Brooklyn. “We need to implement systemic reform to create a more real democracy in our city and our state,” he said, “and we need good people with strong progressive values, representing our communities, to realize that change.” His decision to run for office came out of working with the New Kings Democrats, which grew from canvassing efforts for the Obama campaign in 2008. The Obama campaign confirmed what he already thought about government in action, he said. “Meeting so many hundreds of people who’d never thought about politics before and working with them and realizing that we could make a difference and could actually have an impact on what happened, that’s what inspired me to take on a leadership role,” he said. “Last year was my first endeavor at elected office,” Restler said, but no one expects it to be his last. Smart money has him running for a bigger office before he reaches his third decade.

Like a seasoned politician, Restler would neither confirm nor deny it. How did your past jobs get you to where you are now? “My experience doing community and political organizing in New Kings Democrats laid a great foundation for an opportunity to be a leader within the Brooklyn Democratic Party.” What will your business card say in five years? “‘State Committeeman and District Leader.’ Five years is two reelections away.” If you weren’t in politics, what would you be doing? “The position of district leader is highly lucrative in that it contains no salary, so I’d be doing my day job, which is working as the director of the New York City Employment Training Coalition.” What would be the title of your autobiography? “Al Franken Looks Like Me!”

DEBRA-ELLEN GLICKSTEIN Director, Resident Economic Empowerment and Sustainability, New York City Housing Authority Age: 32

hen Debra-Ellen Glickstein was a young aide to then Councilman Eric Gioia working in the Queensbridge Houses, she was struck that her fellow college graduates had so much help navigating society but public housing residents had so little. “At Wesleyan there were careercounseling offices; there was financial planning,” she said. “People had resources. And I want to help everyone have that chance.” So she cofounded the East River Development Alliance, which by 2007 offered financial counseling, job training and other programs to more than 2,000 public housing residents a year, and lured

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urij Pawluk is a details man. It’s a skill he says he honed over more than a decade spent working for strong mentors like Deputy Mayor Linda Gibbs and State Sen. Jim Alesi, who gave the Rochester native his start as an intern at age 18. “That was my first foray into the political world,” Pawluk said. “I caught political fever, and I’ve been at it ever since.” Working for Gibbs, Pawluk oversees a sprawling agency that cares for some of the city’s most vulnerable populations. Where he and Gibbs seem to overlap ideologically is in their willingness to experiment—a necessity for the city as agencies try to share information with one another. After graduating from Cornell University, Pawluk got his start in city politics working at the Human Resources Administration in August of 2001. A few days after he started, he found himself coordinating emergency relief efforts to aid victims of the 9/11 attacks. “I was 22 years old,” Pawluk said. “I like to say it was baptism by fire.” Pawluk has spent the years since working with community-based and nonprofit organizations, managing federal money, going to law school and working at the Department of Justice before returning to New York City government. In his free time, he likes to wander neighborhoods like City Island, trying restaurants and taking photographs. “Taking pictures is similar to going around neighborhoods or working on policy,” he said. “When you stop to frame a shot, it helps you see your surroundings in a whole new way.”

a credit union to Queensbridge to help residents get control of their financial lives. Glickstein stepped away from day-today control of the organization in 2007 and planned to go to business school to learn tools that would let her create opportunities in poor neighborhoods. Instead she was lured to the New York City Housing Authority, which wanted to break out of its old thinking on how to help residents learn job and life skills. “The board created this new office to think more broadly about how we could help residents increase their earnings and assets,” Glickstein said. “It’s the culmination of a lot of things I had done. I had been working on these issues for fifteen years.” Instead of just offering training and employment classes, for example, NYCHA now partners with other city agencies and nonprofit groups with similar goals, more experience and greater resources. “I’ve always been very interested and very committed in trying to figure out the best ways to make opportunities in low-income neighborhoods,” Glickstein said. “This is

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How did your past jobs get you to where you are today? “I’ve had this wealth of experience in various government agencies in the nonprofit sector. But I think the most consistent thread is that individuals, especially when they’re first starting in government, can really benefit from having strong mentors.” What will your business card say in five years? “‘Legislator,’ ‘Nonprofit executive director’ or ‘University administrator.’ Whatever I’m doing, I hope to still be making a difference.” If you weren’t in politics, what would you be doing? “Teaching college political science classes, trying to land a gig as an extra in Mad Men or working as a professional fast-food critic.” What would be the title of your autobiography? “It’s a toss-up between The Secret’s in the Dough: Reflections on Pierogies and Policymaking, and From Buffalo Wings to Bialys: An Upstate Boy Navigates New York City Politics.”

really a shift in the way of thinking about it. We don’t have to do everything. We can’t do everything. We don’t have enough money. Given our very limited resources in this work, what can we bring to the table?” How did your past jobs get you to where you are now? “I spent eight years before this job working in public housing neighborhoods, thinking about ways to expand economic opportunity.” What will your business card say in five years? “Probably ‘Founder.’ ” If you weren’t in politics, what would you be doing? “I would be launching cooperative businesses in public housing neighborhoods.” What would be the title of your autobiography? “You Can’t Steal Second Base With Your Foot on First.”

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NICK CURRAN

JUAN MANUEL BENITEZ

Brooklyn Director, Rep. Michael Grimm Age: 39

Political Reporter/Anchor, NY1 Noticias Age: 37

ick Curran’s experience as a staffer on Capitol Hill gives him a leg up in his work for Rep. Michael Grimm, but he’s quite happy to put that experience to use in New York City these days. In Washington, Curran was surrounded by other people in the political class. In Brooklyn, where he lives with his wife and two children, he is surrounded by regular people from all walks of life. “Everybody knows that New York is better than D.C., but don’t tell my wife, because she’s from D.C. originally,” he joked. More than that, living and working in the city and among Grimm’s constituents affords far more opportunities to really help people out. For example, on the day before Tropical Storm Irene hit the city, Curran and his boss were driving around the district for meetings on how to prepare for the storm. When they drove past an elderly man waiting at a bus stop after the buses had been shut down, they pulled over, picked him up and drove him to his brother’s nursing home so the two could be together during the storm. Curran has also been effective on a larger scale, thanks to his knowledge of the local political scene, his experience as a legislative staffer and the personal touch he brings to his interactions on the job. Earlier this year he helped persuade the Army Corps of Engineers to stay put at Fort Hamilton, an army base in Brooklyn, instead of relocating to Manhattan.

JOAN VOLLERO Deputy Director of Communications, Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. Age: 30

rom TV cartoons to TV news, from news producer to press secretary, from politics to crime, Joan Vollero’s career keeps turning toward the next thing she can learn. At this rate, she joked, she’ll complete the circle by working next on a TV crime show. Vollero produced children’s anime cartoons for two years after graduating from Tufts University, then got a master’s degree in journalism from Northwestern University, got hired at NY1 and started learning New York City from the ground up. “I worked pretty much every shift at the beginning, spending my mornings working for Pat Kiernan,”

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“The congressman and I put in a lot of time making sure that didn’t happen, and recently we succeeded and they decided they didn’t want to leave,” Curran said. “We were pretty enthused about that.” How did your past jobs get you to where you are now? “I started out clerking for the House Transportation Committee. Then I got a job as a legislative assistant for Rep. Sue Kelly and I kind of worked my way up in her office to deputy chief of staff.” What will your business card say in five years? “‘Grimm for _____.’ ” If you weren’t in politics, what would you be doing? “Freelance writer/hobo.” What would be the title of your autobiography? “The Map Is Not the Territory.”

she said, referring to the venerable NY1 anchor. Two years in, she became a producer for NY1’s must-watch political show Inside City Hall and began meeting the elected officials and operatives who drive New York politics. Curious about life on the other side of the media, she went to work for Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer’s press office. She joined Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr.’s press shop last year, where some highprofile cases like the failed prosecution of Dominique Strauss-Kahn have put her through a wringer some press secretaries never see in their entire careers. But Vollero is eager to tell the story of Vance and the more than 500 prosecutors under his command. “He is ethical, principled and innovative,” she said. “The diversity in our caseload is incredible. This

uan Manuel Benítez got his dream job in 2005 when he launched Pura Política, a pioneering political news show for Spanish-language viewers. At the time, Fernando Ferrer was the Democratic challenger to Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and there was a real possibility New York City could elect its first Latino leader. Ferrer lost, but Benítez got to create perhaps the first political programming for Latinos across the city. “I love it,” he said. “I got to create and develop the whole idea—the name, the segments. They gave me a lot of freedom here at NY1 to create the show and to have fun with it.” The hour-long talk show, which includes debates and interviews with both Spanish- and English-speaking politicians, airs every Friday evening. “I love my job just because to get to ask questions—whatever questions I want—to very important people is a lot of fun,” he said. Benítez first got interested in politics as a kid growing up in his native Spain when he tagged along with his father, who used to travel to nearby towns during a run for that country’s Senate. Years later he came to the U.S. on a scholarship to study international affairs and media at Columbia University. Since then he’s pursued another passion, teaching, as an adjunct journalism professor at CUNY. And he’s also made his mark another way: A Juan Manuel sandwich is available for purchase at Bowery Kitchen at Chelsea Market.

being Manhattan, we get everything from pickpockets to hundred-milliondollar securities schemes. This is my favorite job to date.” How did your past jobs get you to where you are now? “NY1 should be a prerequisite for anyone who wants to work in city politics or city government. What will your business card say in five years? “Producer of TV crime show.” If you weren’t in politics, what would you be doing? “It would be interesting to step into the shoes of an ADA for a day— maybe an ADA who’s on trial.” What would be the title of your autobiography? “Everything I Know About Politics I Learned From Bob Hardt.”

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How did your past jobs get you to where you are now? “I interned at the UN and at many news organizations. I also used to work for Hispanic Market Weekly and I used to do freelance for some documentaries for the Discovery Channel when I was in D.C.” What will your business card say in five years? “‘Reporter and Professor.’ You might be an anchor, you might be a host, you might be an executive at a media company, but I do want to reclaim the title of reporter no matter what I do in my life.” If you weren’t in politics, what would you be doing? “Teaching.” What would be the title of your autobiography? “We’ll Do It Live!”

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NOAH BUDNICK

JOSHUA BOCIAN

Deputy Director, Transportation Alternatives Age: 34

Advisor, Manatt, Phelps and Phillips Age: 37

oah Budnick’s enthusiasm for biking started in high school, when he founded a bike club to get out of gym class. His interest in public policy began in college, when he studied sustainable development in thirdworld countries. His job at Transportation Alternatives, an advocacy group, brings together both the cycling and the policy. “I keep the lights on, keep the ship sailing straight and try to keep people happy,” said Budnick, who oversees operations, media and political strategy. “To make sure that we’re getting the most effective results, I try to spend a lot of time talking to people in my office and making sure they’re talking to each other and coordinating their efforts.” The group’s campaigns include a citywide bike-share program, which is close to getting off the ground, and the Rider Rebellion, a push for lower transit fares and better service that puts “the public back in public transit.” “That’s exciting to me: working with people around the city, helping them get where they want to go,” Budnick said. “New York is big, crowded and complicated. We all cooperate with each other all the time—whether we want to or not—and the way of life that this creates amazes me to no end.” How did your past jobs get you to where you are now? “I had worked at a similar group, the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy, which is like Transportation Alternatives but works on sustainable

transportation in developing countries. We shared office space with Transportation Alternatives, and I volunteered for them.” What will your business card say in five years? “‘Consigliere.’ It’s Italian. It means counsel, like a political advisor.” If you weren’t in politics, what would you be doing? “My interest has evolved into thinking about the entire built environment, and how that affects how we live our lives every day and the quality of people’s lives. I’d definitely be in New York City working on these issues.” What would be the title of your autobiography? “I don’t know what it would be titled, but it might start by talking about how I was born in a cabin in Vermont. And that just makes me chuckle because of all the folklore about Lincoln being born in a log cabin.”

he story of how Joshua Bocian got involved in politics starts with getting laid off from the consulting firm McKinsey in the first week of September 2001. After New York City was attacked the next week, he found himself adrift and looking for his career to take a more meaningful direction. After a few months off, he decided he wanted to be in politics. It so happened the fall elections had created major turnover at the City Council, where 38 seats went to new members because of termlimits laws. Bocian sought a job with then freshman Councilwoman Gale Brewer, who represents the Upper West Side of Manhattan. “The person who hired me actually was Brian Kavanagh, who is now the Assembly member for the district,” Bocian said. He spent four years with Brewer, one of the Council’s most active members, before signing on with then Assemblyman Scott Stringer in his bid to become Manhattan borough president. For Bocian, the years he spent in city government before he became a lobbyist at Manatt were essential to doing his new job well. “I understand the land-use process and the budget process and am able to take that experience and use it for the benefit of the clients,” he said. How did your past jobs get you to where you are today? “Having that government experience, understanding how the city works, how the bureaucracy works, how the agen-

CHRISTOPHER HAHN Vice President for Government and Public Policy, Tonio Burgos & Associates Age: 39

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SEPTEMBER 19, 2011

n his free time, Christopher Hahn moonlights as an improv comic. Hahn says that’s the perfect preparation for his frequent guest spots as a commentator on Fox News. “There’s a lot of smart people who can’t string two sentences together,” Hahn said. “Doing comedy is what makes me good on Fox.” A Long Island native and a lawyer by training, Hahn spent five years as the Long Island director for Sen. Chuck Schumer, whom Hahn described as “brilliant.” The job included dealing with everything from homeland security to environmental issues. He then served as deputy to Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi—the highest appointed job in the huge county—followed by a stint as president and CEO of the United Way of Long Island. Hahn has spent the past year working for Tonio Burgos & Associates, where he advises clients on how to navigate complex local and federal bureaucracies, drawing on knowledge from both

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cies work.” What will your business card say in five years? “I honestly don’t know. I’m having such a good time doing this that I’m not sure I’ve thought five years out.” What would you be doing if you weren’t in politics? “I’d probably be selling something, probably something Internet-related. So much of politics is salesmanship.” What would be the title of your autobiography? “You May Be Right. I May Be Crazy.”

the public sector and nonprofit worlds. “Over the past six years, I’ve really developed a diverse portfolio,” Hahn said. How did your past jobs get you to where you are now? “I’ve been volunteering for local campaigns and involved in Democratic politics since I was 16. I ran for local office in the Suffolk County Legislature right out of college.” What will your business card say in five years? “I just hope it says ‘employed.’ ” If you weren’t in politics, what would you be doing? “I’d be an improv comic. I’m part of a troupe out in Long Island, and if I could make more than twenty dollars a night, that’s what I’d be doing.” What would be the title of your autobiography? “Truth in Politics, a reference to the book Truth in Comedy, the bible of improvisational comedy.”

CITY HALL

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September 19, 2011

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ISSUESPOTLIGHT

AGING

he baby boom generation is about to get a new label: senior citizen. Over the next 20 years, New York City will experience a surge in residents over age 65. The city hopes to attract retirees and keep residents in place as they age, even as it battles budget constraints in caring for the elderly population it already has. In the following pages, we look at the city’s plan for its older adults, talk to experts about the city’s successes and missteps in caring for seniors and learn what leading voices in the aging field think must happen if Gotham is going to be ready for its own graying residents.

When it comes to aging policy, is the city getting any wiser? BY LAURA NAHMIAS

he stooped woman hustling through the Sunnyside senior center’s main hall at lunchtime is Gertrude McDonald, age 95. She’s spent most of her adult life in politics, as an aide to former state Sen. George Onorato, and as the first woman from Queens to run for the state Assembly in a Democratic primary, back in 1968.

“It’s a safety net that’s always been tattered, but now I think there’s a gaping hole.” “That was a time when women were still just licking the backs of stamps,” she said. But McDonald’s latest political role is slightly more accidental. She is one of the 3,500 members at Sunnyside, one of more than 200 city senior centers that have found themselves fighting the city, state and federal governments for money to provide core services to seniors— services that aren’t mandated, but are seen as a safety net for New York’s elderly. Since 2008, city budget cuts, combined with state and federal reductions, have bled $55 million from the Department for the Aging (DFTA). Cuts to case management, home-care contracts and adult day programs are among those advocates say are the most severe. “The irony is, it’s this tiny department, but it affects the lives of hundreds of thousands of seniors,” said Bobbie Sackman, director of public policy at the Council of Senior Centers and Services. The most recent budget cycle, in which cuts were proposed and then partially restored by the City Council, is typical of the way the DFTA has been cut during the Bloomberg era. Cuts are blamed in part on the recession, on DFTA’s funding structure (money for DFTA is related to the city’s tax levy)

CITY HALL

Adrian Susmano

The Aging City

and on federal dollars that haven’t grown to meet demand. The cuts come at a time when the city’s elderly population is preparing for a population boom: New Yorkers over 65 are expected to grow as a group from 1.3 million to 2 million by 2030, an almost 50 percent increase. “Save the senior centers!” McDonald said as she walked past Judy Zangwill, Sunnyside’s executive director. The center runs a $200,000 operating deficit every year, Zangwill said—and it’s getting worse as the population grows and funding grows ever more scarce. “It’s a safety net,” she said, “that’s always been tattered, but now I think there’s a gaping hole.” The city’s planning for older adults is dual-pronged, said City Council Aging Committee Chair Jessica Lappin. “First…there are the seniors who are more frail and vulnerable, who really depend on us for care Gertrude McDonald is using her and support,” Lappin said, noting knowledge of politics to ﬁght for senior BRONX that about 302,000 of the city’s elderly centers. • Home to 14% of city’s 60+ elderly (182,123) residents are considered poor. They • Percent living in poverty: 31 comprise 23 percent of the total • Percent foreign-born: 35 elderly population and are growing, as MANHATTAN national poverty levels climb with each • Home to 20% of city’s 60+ year of recession. These are the people elderly (268,063) for whom city-funded programs like • Percent living in poverty: 34 senior centers and Meals on Wheels • Percent foreign-born: 35 are necessities. The other story is that of more mobile, wealthier people—“the majority of older New Yorkers, who are active, engaged, who we want to keep here in the city,” Lappin said. “How do we think and plan QUEENS as a city for them as well?” • Home to 30% of city’s 60+ elderly (387,418) It’s a question that already has an • Percent living in poverty: 26 answer, at least in theory. • Percent foreign-born: 53 For the past decade the city has begun warming to its STATEN ISLAND changing older-adult demo• Home to 6% of city’s 60+ elderly graphics. By the year 2030 New (76,008) York will have more people • Percent living in poverty: 22 over 65 than school-age chil• Percent foreign-born: 24 BROOKLYN dren, according to the most • Home to 30% of city’s 60+ elderly (396,436) recent U.S. Census statistics. • Percent living in poverty: 38 In 2007, armed with this knowl• Percent foreign-born: 49 edge, Mayor Michael Bloomberg rolled out a plan in coordination with the New York Academy of Medicine called Age-Friendly NYC. It is a series of 59 initiatives Joey Carolino Source: NYC’s DFTA and HHS Adminstration on Aging meant both to address dire need in

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SEPTEMBER 19, 2011

Adrian Susmano

the city’s growing elderly population and to improve quality of life for seniors overall, through transportation improvements, increased interagency cooperation and pilot programs in volunteering and information technology. The plan’s ambitious scope—to help the city serve as both safety net and retirement destination—seems now at least partly a product of the rosier economic time it was conceived in, advocates said. Its major victories have been in small efforts, traffic safety improvements, cultural opportunities and increased access to technology for seniors. “‘Age-Friendly NYC,’ it has good intentions,” Zangwill ventured, cautiously. “To me, one priority would be to sufficiently fund these services like senior centers in order to deem it an age-friendly city.” The Bloomberg administration points to the mayor’s announcement of 10 new innovative senior centers as a bright spot in this year’s especially gloomy budget process. Only two are new structures, with the other eight being revamps of already existing facilities, to provide increased health and technology services and cater to populations that are underserved, like the visually impaired and the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender elderly. But the budget also cut DFTA’s funding for case management by 15 percent, bringing the ratio of clients to social workers up to 90:1. That kind of ratio leads to issues with what clients and politicians alike refer to as “quality of care”—placing burdens so great on caseworkers that the possibility of negligence and accidents rises. The city has to cut everywhere, said DFTA spokesman Chris Miller. The federal government hasn’t increased funding for aging programs in years, and the state cut funding to the city this year too. However, this summer the City Council and the mayor agreed to baseline $14 million for senior centers next year, a step that ensures that money for centers

The country’s 85+ population increased from 4.2 million in 2000 to 5.7 million in 2010, and is expected to grow to 6.6 million in 2020. There are 3.4 million people over 65 in New York State. Moninca Guzman, Sunnyside’s development director, looks on as Rosalba Rodriguez displays her quilts. makes it into the budget to begin with, Lappin said—though it can still be cut later. “I really hope this baselining is a commitment to working together in a more productive way,” Lappin said. “Department for the Aging is so barebones. Everything they do, at this point, is core service. Any cuts to case management, to the centers, to Meals on Wheels—it’s very direct service.” Meanwhile, centers like Sunnyside have given up on the budget dance and are changing the way they do business, providing services for a fee and seeking outside revenue. That could mean changing programs to meet the wants of private funders, but it’s the cost of doing business, Zangwill said. In one of Sunnyside’s activity rooms, Rosalba Rodriguez, a former resident of the neighborhood who had moved to

Micah Kellner, Assemblyman, Upper West Side

Q: What are some challenges the city faces as it cares for its growing elderly population? MK: Our senior population continues to grow in New York, and we need to be a more senior-friendly city. Having an accessible taxi fleet is one of the things we must do. I don’t know what rhyme or reason came from Mayor Bloomberg’s office for not pushing for more accessible taxis. I think he wanted to get an outer-borough plan, and he was prepared to do anything. I think that trumped all else. I think this mayor has claimed he’s a manager-mayor, and in many ways he’s done quite well—and in other ways, this one in particular, he has not taken the long view that we can use existing infrastructure to do things better on behalf of seniors. We think [an accessible taxi] will go a long way in not only providing better services to our seniors but also reducing costs. Right now Access-A-Ride, which a lot of seniors take, is costing the state and the city SEPTEMBER 19, 2011

Elder population: In 2009, more than 39.6 million people 65+ live in the United States. The country’s elderly population is growing quickly because of baby boomers. The country’s 65-andover population increased from 35 million in 2000 to 40 million in 2010, and is expected to grow to 55 million in 2020.

Woodhaven three years earlier to be near her son, said she took two buses daily to come back to the center. Her loyalty was there, and so was her quilting partner, Marta Calle. They both learned to make quilts at Sunnyside. Asked what she might do if the center went under, Rodriguez paused to consider the question, and spoke in Spanish. Monica Guzman, the center’s bilingual development director, threw back her head and laughed, and then translated. “It’s not going to happen,” she said. “No si tiene fe en Dios,” Rodriguez added softly. Guzman translated: “She said, ‘Not if you have faith in God.’ ” lnahmias@cityhallnews.com

VOICES

NEW YORK CITY AS A WHOLE

$472 million this year. And 80 percent of Access-ARide seniors aren’t even wheelchair users.

Nancy Wackstein, Executive Director, United Neighborhood Houses Q: What are some challenges the city faces as it cares for its growing elderly population? NW: The elderly population is just as diverse as the general population, although there is a greater likelihood that older people will be poorer, as so many live on fixed incomes. Therefore their continued ability to afford food, housing, utilities and other costs, which tend to be higher in the city than in the rest of the country, is certainly a concern. In addition, as the state and the city move to implement substantial cuts to Medicaid-funded home care, the ability of older adults who need this type of publicly subsidized in-home assistance to obtain it as they become frail or disabled will become more and more difficult. As a network of neighborhoodwww.cityhallnews.com

The greatest number of the state’s elderly, 1.3 million people, is concentrated in New York City. That is equivalent to 13.4 state’s total population.

% of the

That is a 7.8% increase between 1999 and 2009. In 2009, New York ranked 10th out of the 50 states in high poverty rate among its elderly. In 2009, over half of the country’s elderly population were concentrated in just 11 states. New York State has the 3rd largest population of people over 65 in the country, although the growth in its elderly population year-to-year is among the slowest compared with other states. Source: NYC’s DFTA and HHS Adminstration on Aging

based providers, UNH believes strongly that older people who want to stay in their homes and communities as they age should be supported in all possible ways. Access to caseworkers, in-home assistance and conveniently located senior centers are among the services that will make “aging in place” possible. The challenge at all levels of government will be to find adequate funds to support these essential services.

Q: What is New York City doing well to prepare for the expected growth in its older population? NW: We were pleased that the city came up with an “Age-Friendly NYC” plan a couple of years ago, and pleased that UNH staff and member agencies were asked to participate in formulating that plan. This was a good blueprint that both assessed current levels of need and catalogued the types of services the growing population of older New Yorkers will require going forward. However, continued budget cuts to the Department for the Aging since that document was released raise real concerns about the city’s ability and commitment to implementing many of those recommendations.

CITY HALL

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JUSTICE

The Detective Investigators’ Association of the City of New York (DIA) represents a unique segment of the law enforcement community — District Attorney investigators — who are employed by the five District Attorneys’ and the Special Narcotics Prosecutor.

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Recent events have threatened the ability of the District Attorneys to retain our most qualified investigators. The City of New York and the District Attorneys are ignoring their obligation to Detective Investigators by refusing to meet at the bargaining table to work on a successor deal to a long-expired contract. Collective bargaining plays a critical role in defining the workplace. It affects working conditions, recruitment, and retention strategy. It is a staple for any democratic society.

the District Attorneys have provided all other employees, they refuse to Detective Investigators. The District Attorneys have taken the extreme measure of hiring private counsel to fight the union. This is not a prudent use of public

Even though the District Attorneys have funds.” provided raises for all other employees, they refuse to bargain with Detective Investigators. The District Attorneys have taken the extreme measure of hiring private counsel to fight the union. This is not a prudent use of public funds. Such actions have no place in a City with such a proud tradition in labor relations. New York is not Wisconsin, Ohio, or New Jersey. The shortterm effects have already been felt — morale is at an all-time low and the most seasoned Detectives are already starting to leave. The long-term effects will truly be devastating. Our Detectives are the primary investigative arm of the District Attorney. The criminal justice system, the community, and the City cannot afford to lose Detective Investigators under any circumstances.

The City of New York and the District Attorneys CANNOT continue to shirk their responsibilities. We deserve justice.

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— John M. Fleming, President September 19, 2011

EXPERT ROUNDTABLE AGING Lilliam Barrios-Paoli, Commissioner of New York City’s Department for the Aging Q: Is there a growing divide between the elderly poor and older New Yorkers who are wealthier? LBP: I think the main issue is not with poverty in New York City; it’s that we have a very large number of seniors who were immigrants, many of whom came here already as seniors following their own children. They’re not eligible for Social Security or Medicare or Medicaid, or any of the safety-net programs that we have built for other seniors. So that large proportion of seniors who are immigrants is mainly the group of seniors who tend to be poor. Those seniors, while not eligible for those things, are eligible for many of the programs the city provides. So in that sense we build our own safety net. Q: What is New York City doing well to prepare for the expected growth in its older population? LBP: There’s a series of initiatives we’ve undertaken, like trying to make the streets friendly for them. On wide avenues it’s very difficult to cross the street, so they have built medians where seniors can stop and rest. We have benches that have been provided. We have age-friendly districts we’re trying in East Harlem and the Upper West Side, and merchants have begun to put chairs and benches outside their businesses. We have an initiative with school buses; when the school buses aren’t being used for children we use them to take seniors on shopping trips, especially for fresh fruits and vegetables. We’re trying something called “silver alert” for seniors who have dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. Q: What are some challenges the city faces as it cares for its growing elderly population? LBP: The most challenging thing for

seniors is housing. Federal money has dried up for HUD’s 202 program, but the city has something called SCRIE, which is a very good benefit for seniors. It works like the Section 8 vouchers, in that it is a rental subsidy. Seniors can avail themselves of that. But, you know, housing is challenging. Some seniors have lived in the same apartment for 30 or 40 years, and it was great when they were young, but now it’s a third-floor walk-up, and that’s a challenge.

Q: How does the growth in people deciding to retire to New York City reflect changing prevailing wisdom regarding aging? LBP: In the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, people thought of retirement as moving out of the urban center that they lived in. Maybe the weather was better, in their minds—but they realized that those communities can be unidimensional, can be less interesting in the long run, and they’re away from their families, and driving becomes more problematic as they become older. Coming back to New York if you’re from here—your family may be more available, and health care is much better than in Florida or Arizona or traditional retirement places. It is the cultural capital of the world, not to mention the fact that if you have the means you can pick up the phone and have any kind of food delivered to your doorstep. Other places you may get pizza if you’re lucky, but here you can get anything in the world, and that is so much different. Bobbie Sackman, Director of Public Policy at the Council of Senior Centers and Services Q: Is there a growing divide between the elderly poor and older New Yorkers who are wealthier? BS: Of course. There’s a growing divide between poor and low-income New Yorkers and rich New Yorkers of every age,

and the elderly are just going to experience that more, because they have little or fewer opportunities to bring in new income. And what we’re seeing is the city redefining what they feel is an acceptable minimum standard of care. And you could start out as a middle-income senior, and if you live long enough and don’t win the lottery, you can outlive your resources in a lot of ways.

Q: What are some challenges the city faces as it cares for its growing elderly population? BS: The biggest challenge, whether you call the city, the mayor’s office, or other partners in the community and the government, is there’s no plan for the aging population. The other departments, they have these things called trend factors, to help them make determinations. That’s how

Lilliam Barrios-Paoli

Bobbie Sackman

Q: What is New York City doing well to prepare for the expected growth in its older population? BS: They began funding this innovative senior-center program, which was originally our idea. Where 10 programs across the city will receive additional funding to create new programs, to show what a senior center could do if they have adequate funding. Eight are existing programs, and two will be brand-new centers, one for lesbian and gay seniors, and one for the visually impaired. The idea behind this was to provide new funding to allow for creative programming and flexibility of budget and regulations, and to show through outcomes down the road how a senior center is positive in somebody’s life. And the mayor had promised during his campaign that he would fund these centers; he was hoping it would be [done].

the city makes decisions about school overcrowding, for example. They don’t look at trend factors for the aging. People are aging; we have these statistics…what is the plan? There is no plan.

VOICES Gale Brewer, New York City

Councilwoman

Q: What is New York City doing well to prepare for the expected growth in its older population? GB: I think one area where there is a good focus is: There’s a lot more opportunities for exercise and programs. Twenty years ago you had senior centers, and that was about it. If you had a lot of money, you could go to a fancy club. But now the senior centers, the naturally occurring retirement communities—even places like the JCC and the YWCA—there’s just tons of activities,

SEPTEMBER 19, 2011

from exercise classes that are now considered very hip to go to for the seniors to dance. I mean, you can’t believe how many dance classes there are. Lots are low-cost. The city is doing that well. We’re also working hard on making the streets safer. When I say “safer,” it’s the lights, pedestrian ramps, better sidewalks, more benches. It’s actually good for everybody.

Q: What are some challenges the city faces as it cares for its growing elderly population? GB: The biggest challenge is the housing, and I’m sure you hear that from everybody. Affordable housing is a huge problem. And for the frail elderly, there just isn’t enough support. Those are the two greatest www.cityhallnews.com

Scott Amrhein, President, Continuing Care Leadership Coalition, an affiliate of the Greater New York Hospital Association Q:

Is there a growing divide between the elderly poor and older new Yorkers who are wealthier? SA: This seems to ring true for all populations in New York City, including older people. It is especially important, therefore, to ensure that low- and moderate-income older people have real long-term care options in the community or in nursing homes and other residential settings. We have some of the best

challenges. We have lots of classes, as I said, but for very active elderly there’s a real challenge, which is they still want more to do: a job; high-quality, challenging volunteer work. People have worked their whole lives, and they’re trying to find the right mix to remain engaged. There’s not enough for them to do. Hunger is a huge issue too. Low dollar amounts for food stamps combined with New York City’s fingerprinting requirement for food-stamp eligibility means a lot of seniors end up just not doing the program. A lot of them are going hungry. When I have events, I always have food, and seniors just end up taking a lot of it home. These are people on fixed incomes, not even the neediest or poorest.

CITY HALL

and most innovative providers of longterm care (LTC) in New York City—and this is especially the case in the not-forprofit sector—yet at the same time we’ve seen a damaging pattern of repeated payment cuts to these programs over the past several years, and this has placed an immense burden on programs that are now struggling to maintain a high level of care. For any older New Yorker, support for a stable LTC sector that provides real options both in the community and in the inpatient setting is necessary.

Scott Amrhein

Q: What is New York City doing well to prepare for the expected growth in its older population? AS: We have been involved in and are highly supportive of the Age-Friendly New York City initiative, which is developing a plan for New York to become a retirement destination of choice. Already it’s not uncommon for New Yorkers who initially moved south for their retirement to return to New York when they face health-care issues and are seeking to access the high quality health-care services available here. With all of the resources available here—from health care to culture to opportunities for social engagement— I believe that the city is in a strong position to prepare for the future by playing a role in connecting older New Yorkers to those resources and opportunities, and by helping to sustain and further develop a world class health-care system with real LTC options. There is so much our society can learn from the wisdom of our elders. It would be a shame to lose that opportunity for New York City. Council Member Jessica Lappin, Chair of the Aging Committee

Q: Is there a growing divide between the elderly poor and older new Yorkers who are wealthier? JL: Unfortunately, the number of Americans living below the poverty level is the highest it has even been. This recent financial crisis has taken a severe toll on our country, and has hit poor and middle-class people the hardest—regardless of their age. With the growing economic divide in mind, it’s important for us to remember that a society is judged by the way it treats its most vulnerable. We have an

CITY HALL

obligation to protect and care for the older New Yorkers at both ends of the economic spectrum. That’s why the City Council has fought so hard over the last few years to restore critical funding for Meals on Wheels, home care, senior centers and other vital services. And this year we were successful in not only restoring funds but getting $14 million baselined in future budgets for these core programs.

Q: What is New York City doing well to prepare for the expected growth in its older population?

Jessica Lappin

JL: The City Council, mayor and the New York Academy of Medicine have collaborated on a wonderful initiative called AgeFriendly NYC. This plan looks at the basic infrastructure of New York City, in areas like housing, transportation and parks. It examines what we can do to make this city a better place to live and grow old. Age-Friendly NYC went straight to older constituents and asked them what they want in their communities. Based on their input, the city will be adding more benches at bus stops, connecting seniors with continuing-education classes and working with business owners to make their space more accommodating to older customers. Q: What are some challenges the city faces as it cares for its growing elderly population? JL: How we keep our aging housing stock affordable and accessible. That’s key to keeping seniors here in New York City. Q: How does the growth in people deciding to retire to New York City reflect changing prevailing wisdom regarding aging? JL: This is a wonderful place to live—regardless of your age. We have a vast public transportation network, the world’s best cultural institutions, and hospitals and health care providers that can’t be beat. And today’s older adults are more active and engaged than ever. They volunteer, take classes, exercise and take advantage of what the Big Apple has to offer. It doesn’t surprise me that more young families are choosing to stay here. Or that older Americans want to retire in this vibrant, diverse city. www.cityhallnews.com

Dream Deferred A status update on New York’s AgeFriendly NYC plan By Laura Nahmias

he 2007 comprehensive plan Mayor Bloomberg unveiled to address the city’s older population has 59 goals. But while some of the plan’s initiatives are unqualified successes, others have been placed on a permanent back burner because of the ailing economy. One of the initiative’s early successes, advocates and city politicians say, is a program called ‘Safe Streets for Seniors.’ For older adults, moving around a city like New York can be daunting. For more than a decade, seniors made up a disproportionate number of motor vehiclerelated pedestrian fatalities, according to Councilwoman Gale Brewer. In 2008 the Department for the Aging partnered with the city Department of Transportation to identify dangerous intersections in 25 neighborhoods and spruce them up. The program has already cleaned up curbs and extended walk times at street lights in seven neighborhoods, the DOT says. Part of the program’s success is its broader appeal, said City Council Aging Committee Chair Jessica Lappin, who expanded the program into a bill passed this year requiring the NYPD to make traffic-fatality statistics more accessible online. “One of the things you realize,” Lappin said, “is that if a senior can’t get across the street, then a mom pushing a baby carriage probably can’t either. And that’s where we’ve had success, creating a broader coalition.” Advocates are also excited about the city’s Silver Alert system, which the City Council signed into law this year. It’s like an Amber Alert for seniors who go missing because of Alzheimer’s disease or any type of cognitive impairment. The city’s arts community has been especially welcoming to older New Yorkers, as institutions like the Museum of Modern Art sponsor afternoons for people with Alzheimer’s to walk the collections undisturbed by other guests. Cultural institutions have collaborated on a guide to discounted events for seniors, and last year representatives from more than 50 museums and arts groups met with seniors in the basement of Lappin’s synagogue to brief older adults on free and discounted arts opportunities. In many cases, the city has pushed businesses to make small changes that can make neighborhoods more friendly to seniors, like installing benches outside restaurants and making menu fonts larger. “It’s about noticing the little things you just wouldn’t think of,” said Brewer, whose Upper West Side district is one of the city’s two agefriendly pilot districts where the city is enhancing efforts to accommodate the older crowd. Bigger things have proven harder—such as housing policy. Finding an apartment or place to live is hard for everyone in New York, but it can be even harder for older adults because of potential physical limitations and vulnerability to predatory lenders and landlords, advocates said. The Age-Friendly NYC Plan promised to push for more funding for federal Housing and Urban Development 202 programs, a rental subsidy that helps fund affordable housing for low-income older adults. But that seems unlikely for the foreseeable future, the city admitted in a spring report on the status of the program. In other instances the Bloomberg administration seems to have directly contradicted its own goals. “A goal to strive for in the future is assuring that all taxis purchased for use in the city are wheelchair-accessible,” the plan states. Yet when the final design for the city’s “Taxi of Tomorrow” was unveiled late this spring, it did not include wheelchair accessibility, an issue the Department for the Aging says it is working on with the Taxi and Limousine Commission. “I think the program was originally well-intentioned,” said advocate Bobbie Sackman. “The problem is, the council—when you have $55 million dollars in cuts over three years, how do you put together these kinds of age-friendly initiatives, when you’re also making these giant steps backwards?” lnahmias@cityhallnews.com SEPTEMBER 19, 2011

SUBSTANDARD HOTELIER SAM CHANG... NOw UNDER INvESTIGATION fOR pRICE fIxING Building violations and failure to pay taxes are now trumped by the latest investigation for PRICE FIXING. INTERCONTINENTAL HOTEL GROUP AND HOLIDAY INN:

IT’S TIME TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR SAM CHANG’S SHAMEFUL TRACK RECORD ✓ Owes $132,000 in unpaid taxes according to ABC7 ✓ McSam Hotel Group LLC • Investigated in CT for price fixing and the practice of “call-arounds,” violating CT’s antitrust and unfair trade practices act ✓ Tritel Construction (Sam Chang 50% owner) • Accumulated over 207 serious building violations ✓ EMC Contracting (Tritel Subcontractor) • Sued by New York State for unfair, racially-biased wages

✓ Sheraton at 370 Canal Street • Stopped by New York Department of Buildings three times and then sold unfinished ✓ Hyatt Union Square • Stopped by New York Department of Buildings for safety violations and then sold unfinished ✓ Signed contract with NYC Building Trades in 2007 to build 99 Washington Street with Union Contractors • Reneged on this signed contract

✓ Element Hotel at 311 West 39th Street • Construction work forced adjacent building evacuations

Sam ChaNG IS Now buIldING a holIday INN at 99 waShINGtoN StREEt. Downtown’s redevelopment doesn’t need Sam Chang, and New York deserves better. Demand that Sam Chang build with quality contractors who pay fair and equitable wages.

Quality • Safety • Opportunity BUILDITUNION.COM