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The Paper of Record for Greenwich Village, East Village, Lower East Side, Soho, Union Square, Chinatown and Noho, Since 1933
May 19, 2016 • $1.00 Volume 86 • Number 20
‘I’ll get the lead out,’ ‘Heavy Metal’ Toledano tells pols, Health Dept. BY YANNIC R ACK
E
mbattled East Village landlord Raphael Toledano claims he is finally cleaning up his act, taking steps to limit lead dust exposure in his buildings after pressure from local elected officials led the city to announce it would inspect 20 of the real estate mogul’s tenements for the dangerous substance.
Meanwhile, tenants in one of his buildings recently definitely cleaned up — namely, on a harassment lawsuit filed against the young mogul, reportedly winning a $1 million settlement. A representative for the tenants said she was not at liberty to provide details. As for the lead issue, the toxToledano continued on p. 10
Hoylman is onboard with car-free 14th St. for L job...maybe more BY YANNIC R ACK ocal leaders are demanding that the city close 14th St. to cars during an upcoming L train shutdown that could last up to three years. In addition, they potentially even want to keep the critical crosstown thoroughfare bike-and-bus exclusive after the subway is up and running again.
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The ideas were pitched during a town hall organized last week by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to inform straphangers about plans to temporarily limit L train service starting in 2019. The event drew a few dozen local residents, who sat scattered about the spacious auditorium. L TRAIN continued on p. 8
Bingo! She turns 100!.....page 15
Photo by Jonathan Alpeyrie
Outside Mount Sinai Beth Israel’s Linsk y Pavilion, at E. 16th St. and First Ave.
Beth Israel on life support? Hospital is closing: Nurses BY LINCOLN ANDERSON
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ollowing The Villager’s bombshell online report last Friday that Beth Israel Hospital could be sliding toward closing, the mayor and local politicians quickly sounded off. They expressed their deep concern over the unthinkable possibility — that Manhattan could lose its lone remaining large full-scale hospital south of 28th St. Prominently citing The Villager article, on Tues., May 17, a phalanx of eight local politicians wrote a joint letter to Kenneth Davis, president and C.E.O. of Mount Sinai Health System. “We want to express our
grave concern about the possibility of losing inpatient services at the Mount Sinai Beth Israel Hospital campus,” they wrote. They noted that the article follows previous reports last fall that Davis and First Deputy Mayor Anthony Shorris met to discuss “plans to shrink Beth Israel,” and that the politicians, too, have been receiving calls from Beth Israel staff worried about staff levels being reduced. “Beth Israel has been a constant presence and resource for the entire city, and the East Side of Manhattan in particular,” the eight politicians wrote. “Any downsizing or closure of Beth Israel threat-
ens to further strain an already overburdened network of healthcare providers in Manhattan, reduce healthcare options and curtail services in the immediate neighborhood, and eliminate jobs.” The letter was signed by City Councilmembers Daniel Garodnick, Rosie Mendez and Corey Johnson, Congressmember Carolyn Maloney, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, state Senator Brad Hoylman and Assemblymembers Brian Kavanagh and Richard Gottfried. Although Gottfried’s and Johnson’s districts don’t include the hospital, they are the Hospital continued on p. 6
A farewell salute to ‘Peace Pentagon’...............p. 19 Ephemera Project may be here to stay..............p. 30 www.TheVillager.com