12 minute read
Career/Business
her extremism will be rejected at the ballot box.”
Smikle still believes that the seat will be a conservativeleaning one regardless.
“It’s still a lot more conservative than Bill de Blasio,” Smikle said when discussing the former mayor’s political ideology. “It’s gonna be hard for a lot of that progressive rhetoric to resonate in that congressional seat.”
So why is de Blasio looking to run for Congress?
“For the same reason that I am not a giraffe,” said political strategist Hank Sheinkopf. “A horse is only as good as it runs and I know how to be human and he knows how to be a giraffe, i.e. the only thing that he’s done really well in his life is being an elected official or involved in politics.”
Rose made waves in a 15second campaign ad in 2020 calling de Blasio the worst mayor in the history of New York City. Smikle told the AmNews that he thinks de Blasio wants to hurt Rose’s chances of getting back to Washington, but it could clear the lane for Malliotakis.
“His entrance into the race definitely hurts,” Smikle said. “It hurts Democrats’ chances of taking back the seat by, you know, splitting the vote. And even though I think Max Rose is a great candidate, standing up for Black Lives Matter in many ways cost him his seat.”
De Blasio not taking a step back from the public eye before eyeing a political run of any kind is a bad idea in Sheinkopf’s eyes. But he believes that the mayor is addicted to campaigning.
“He’s won upset elections [and] keeps winning upset elections,” Sheinkopf said. “And therefore, that makes him an expert at really doing one thing. He does not have much skill at much else. That’s the problem.”
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and stated that “a possible shooting tragedy was avoided.”
Now, school safety agents are in front of the virtual gun with activists lumping them in with cops. But they themselves don’t carry guns.
The COVID-19 pandemic has produced many crises. How City Hall handles the public school system will be a major plus or minus for New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ tenure.
Here’s one of those crises. Former mayor Bill de Blasio’s desire to transfer control of school safety agents from the New York City Police Department to the Department of Education starting this year. He eventually backed off due to pressure from entities such as the United Federation of Teachers.
The DOE (then known as the Board of Education) originally transferred control of the school safety agents to the NYPD in 1998. However, safety agents don’t carry guns.
According to Teamsters Local 237, currently, there are approximately 2,000 fewer School Safety Agents than in recent years. The primary reason for this shortage, according to union officials, is due to the “previous group of NYC Council Members determining that as part of the ‘defund the police’ sentiments sweeping the nation, they would cancel the class of SSA trainees”—and advocated replacing them with social workers and guidance counselors.
“There were a number of school safety agents that retired,” said Floyd.
Floyd pointed out a recent incident at Susan Wagner High School in Staten Island where a student was pistol-whipped and said that this is the reason that school safety agents are needed. But there are some blurred lines. School safety agents don’t carry guns. What could’ve been prevented?
While the safety agents train with the New York City Police Department, they stop the minute guns come into the picture, a spokesperson said.
According to police statistics, there are 17,519 civilian service members (MOS) in their ranks. As of Jan. 5, 48.4% of MOS’s are Black. Among School Safety Agents, going by rank and title, 71.23% are women. Among all women SSA’s, 69.97% of them are Black.
But agents have been trapped between their work and the so-called “defund the police” movement that ratcheted up since the death of George Floyd in 2020.
Davids wants school safety agents back where they belong. She said that the lack of school safety agents is a “disaster waiting to happen.”
“General criminal behavior spills over into the schools,” Davids said. But she also said that school safety agents are no different from traffic guards.
New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams said that there can be a balance of both issues: creating a safe environment while working on the issues at hand.
“There are a variety of paths the Department of Education should pursue to transition away from policing-based infrastructure in our public schools,” said Williams, in an emailed statement. “We must address the causes of violence in schools at their root through healing and community-centered schools with the right balance of prevention and accountability.”
Last year, Williams said during a city council hearing on public safety that “the NYPD currently assigns over 5,000 School Safety Agents and almost 200 uniformed NYPD Officers to New York City schools who are empowered to detain, arrest, and issue court summonses to students and are often the first point of contact when there is an issue.” He said that these actions help conduct a school-to-prison pipeline. This year, Williams put the gloves back on for school safety agents. “As always, the public advocate is committed to dialogue about how best to achieve this, and maintains School Safety Agents, who are predominantly Black and Brown women who care about our city’s children, must be respected and reflected in any just transition, with a model that protects the employment of thousands of New Yorkers.”
The AmNews contacted a principal to speak on this matter. They agreed but reneged on the interview after speaking with their superintendent.
Davids directed the AmNews to Quiann Simpkins, a school safety agent from East Flatbush. Simpkins, who works at a Coney Island school, wished people displayed more nuance when it came to the concept of law enforcement handing over the safety agents’ reins to the Department of Education after being swept up by ‘defund the police.’
“Most of our job description and details are geared toward children and those communities with respect,” said Simpkins. “You see the stories all around the country of officers getting aggressive with children. We don’t carry guns. We’re here to literally protect the kids and maybe act like a surrogate mother or father… more mother.
“The things that we do are to keep that school building, those school perimeters, those school grounds safe,” she continued. “That’s what our job is. To protect it, to keep it safe, and to make sure that that instruction is being able to be given, you know, freely and peacefully without anybody negatively impacting upon the educational process. We don’t criminalize children.”
See SCHOOL on page 29
Invitation to Prequalify and to Bid
Rehabilitation and Flood Mitigation of the New York Aquarium, Brooklyn, NY: Turner Construction Company, an EEO Employer, is currently soliciting bids for the Rehabilitation and Flood Mitigation of the New York Aquarium from subcontractors and vendors for the following bid packages:
BP #057– Existing Conditions Scan to BIM Services (Bid, Payment & Performance Bond Required)
BP #053 – Security/Fire Watch Services (Bid, Payment & Performance Bond Required)
BP #058 – Temporary Sanitary Facilities (Bid, Payment & Performance Bond Required)
BP #047 – Tile Flooring (Bid, Payment & Performance Bond Required)
BP #049 – Mirrors & Glazing (Bid, Payment & Performance Bond Required)
Only bids responsive to the entire scope of work will be considered and, to be successful, bidders must be prequalified by Turner. Certified M/WBE and Small Business (13 CFR part 121) companies are encouraged to submit. In order to receive the bid packages, potential bidders either (1) must initiate the prequalification process by submitting a Subcontractor/Vendor Prequalification Statement to Turner, or (2) must be prequalified based on a prior submission to Turner. (Note: Prior prequalification submissions that remain current will be considered as previously submitted or may be updated at this time.) All bidders must be prequalified by the bid deadline: March 7th, 2022 and initial submission of a prequalification statement not later than March 7th, 2022 is strongly encouraged. All bidders must have an acceptable EMR, and will be subject to government regulations such as 44 CFR and Federal Executive Order 11246. Successful bidders will be required to use LCP Tracker compliance verification software. Note that while this is a New York City prevailing wage project, union affiliation is not required for BP #057, #053, #058, #0447 or #049.
A Webcast about the above Bid Package/s will be held on February 11, 2022. Attendance is optional for all; the Webcast is designed to assist potential M/WBE subcontractors/vendors. Link: Please join this meeting from your computer, tablet or smartphone.
https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetupjoin/19%3ameeting_NDJmNmIxYjktODNiOC00NjZjLTllZDMtZjhhMDdjNDUwNmM5%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3 a%2220e27700-b670-4553-a27c-d8e2583b3289%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%22732a90ce-24b7-42eb-bf78-d638e2a629ac%22%7d
To obtain further information about contracting opportunities and/or the prequalification package and bid solicitation package/s, please contact Dolores Wooden, lspangel@tcco.com 646-842-1659. The date for the virtual public opening at the Turner Construction Company office located at 375 Hudson Street, New York, New York, is March 8th, 2022 9 AM Link: Please join this opening meeting from your computer, tablet or smartphone. https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetupjoin/19%3ameeting_MDI0Mzk3MWUtYmE0Mi00Y2MxLTg0ZmQtYWIyYWMyNjgwZjli%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b %22Tid%22%3a%2220e27700-b670-4553-a27c-d8e2583b3289%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%22732a90ce-24b7-42ebbf78-d638e2a629ac%22%7d
SEAVIEW TOWERS
331 BEACH 31ST STREET, FAR ROCKAWAY, NY 11691 • MITCHELL-LAMA RENTAL
TWO, AND THREE BEDROOM RENTAL APARTMENT WAITING LIST IS BEING OPENED Mitchell Lama Rental Charges and Income Guidelines: Sec. 236/ PBV Rental Charges and Income Guidelines:
Bedroom Size Rental Charge*
Income Limits Min - Max 35%-60% AMIs
Two BR $1,611 $55,235 - $77,340 Three BR $1,861 $63,806 - $88,800
Bedroom Size 236 Rental Charge*
Income Limits Min - Max 50%-60% AMIs
Two BR $1,959 $48,330 - $77,340 Three BR $2,487 $55,830 - $88,800 *Based upon the number of persons in household. Subject to change.
OCCUPANCY STANDARDS:
TWO (2) BEDROOM: No fewer than three persons, a brother and a sister who are both adults, or a parent or guardian with at least one child. THREE (3) BEDROOM: No fewer than five (5) persons, parent(s) or guardian(s) with two children of the opposite sex, a household of three adults with one child where at least one adult is the parent or guardian of such child, or a household of one parent or guardian and his or her three children shall occupy a three-bedroom apartment.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: (FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH ANY OF THE FOLLOWING WILL RESULT IN DISQUALIFICATION)
• Applicants can only be on one waiting list at a development. If applicants have the right family composition, they can apply to more than one lottery. However, if they are selected for more than one lottery, they will have to choose which waiting list they prefer. • Applicant must be at least 18 Years Old at the time of the lottery. • Preference will be given to documented veterans selected in the lottery. • Applicants must be financially responsible. • Any applicant that does not have the proper family composition will automatically be disqualified. • ONE REQUEST ONLY PER APPLICANT. Any applicant placing a duplicate request will not be entered into the lottery. An applicant can only submit a paper entry or an on-line entry. If applicants enter on-line and also mail in a letter or postcard, they have submitted a duplicate request and will not be eligible for the lottery. • Applications are not transferable. • An applicant whose name is selected in a lottery cannot be included in the family composition of any other applicant who is selected in the same lottery for that particular housing company development.
Failure to comply will result in the disqualification of both applicants.
Additional Information:
Waiting list will be established by a limited lottery. There will be a limit of 200 applicants drawn from the Two Bedroom Lottery. There will be a limit of 100 applicants drawn from the Three Bedroom Lottery. HOW TO APPLY: ONLINE You can now apply to a lottery online through Mitchell-Lama Connect. Applying is fast, easy and you will be able to check the status of your entry to see if you have been selected. To apply on line go to: https://a806-housingconnect.nyc.gov/nyclottery/lottery.html#ml-home
BY MAIL
Mail Post Card or Envelope by regular mail. Registered and Certified Mail will not be accepted. Clearly print your full first and last name, current address and last 4 digits of your social security number and the bedroom size lottery that you wish to apply for. If you do not include the last 4 digits of your social security number or fail to indicate the bedroom size lottery, you will not be entered into the lottery. Mail post card or envelope to:
Seaview Towers Two Bedroom Lottery P.O. Box 991 114 John Street New York, NY 10038 Seaview Towers Three Bedroom Lottery P.O. Box 1043 114 John Street New York, NY 10038 DEADLINE: Requests must be received by: March 3, 2022.
