The local paper for Downtown wn WHAT TO DO THIS WEEKEND, OUT AND ABOUT, < P. 10
WEEK OF JULY
14-20 2016
LEADERSHIP CHANGES AT CB1 Colleagues praise Catherine McVay Hughes’ tenure as chairwoman as downtown’s population, and challenges, multiplied BY MADELEINE THOMPSON
Community Board 1’s chairwoman, Catherine McVay Hughes, declined to run for another term but will remain on the board another two years. Photo: Madeleine Thompson
After four years as chairwoman of Community Board 1 — a crowning achievement to her nearly two decades of service on the board — Catherine McVay Hughes’ tenure ended on June 30. Hughes decided not to run for a third term as chair, but will be staying on as board member for at least another two years. Arguably her biggest project has been the rebuilding of her 1.5-squaremile district, which includes Ellis, Governors and Liberty Islands, after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11. Based on the reports completed by Community Board 1 to keep accurate population figures, the area had about 20,000 residents before 9/11 and half as many
afterward. But their most recent population estimate from this past February counts 70,000 people as CB 1 residents, a significant increase by any measure. “We’re the fastest growing residential neighborhood in the city if not the country,” she said. At the New York Public Interest Research Group, where Hughes worked for about 10 years in the 1980s and 90s, she worked on issues such as lead poisoning prevention that became all the more useful after the health consequences of 9/11 on survivors and emergency workers came to light. “It was really important that those that responded and put their lives at risk had the resources and the medical care that they had earned,” she said. “As we approach the 15-year anniversary, we’re in a very good place.” Pat Moore, who joined the board after her home was destroyed by the 9/11 attacks serves as the chair of the
CB 1 Quality of Life Committee, called Hughes “ubiquitous.” “She’s everywhere at the same time,” Moore said. “How she did it I have no clue.” Moore credited Hughes with developing a good relationship with various agencies that were needed to cooperate on the rebuilding efforts after 9/11. Hughes, whose professional background is in engineering and environmental health, started out as a co-chair and then chair of the board’s Financial District committee. She also spent seven years as chair of the World Trade Center Redevelopment Committee before serving as the board’s vice chair for six years and chair for the last four. “It was something that gave an opportunity for an everyday person to get engaged in quality of life issues,” said Hughes, who has lived in
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NYC PROTESTS POLICE SHOOTINGS NEWS Demonstrations follow a violent week across the country BY WILLIAM MATHIS
Hu nd red s of demon st rators marched through the streets of New
York last week in a third night of protests against shootings of black men by police officers in Louisiana and Minnesota. The protesters marched up Broadway from lower Manhattan, paused for speeches in Union Square, then marched to Times Square and around
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Demonstrators at a protest march in Union Square. Photo by Jere Keys via flickr Downtowner
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FOR HIM, SETTLING SMALL CLAIMS IS A BIG DEAL presided over Arbitration Man has three decades. for informal hearings about it He’s now blogging BY RICHARD KHAVKINE
is the common Arbitration Man their jurist. least folks’ hero. Or at Man has For 30 years, Arbitration court office of the civil few sat in a satellite Centre St. every building at 111 New Yorkers’ weeks and absorbed dry cleaning, burned lost accountings of fender benders, lousy paint jobs, and the like. And security deposits then he’s decided. Arbitration Man, About a year ago, so to not afwho requested anonymity started docuhe fect future proceedings, two dozen of what menting about compelling cases considers his most blog. in an eponymous about it because “I decided to write the stories but in a I was interested about it not from wanted to write from view but rather lawyer’s point of said Arbitration view,” of a lay point lawyer since 1961. Man, a practicing what’s at issue He first writes about post, renders and then, in a separatehow he arrived his decision, detailing blog the to Visitors at his conclusion. their opinions. often weigh in with get a rap going. I to “I really want whether they unreally want to know and why I did it,” I did derstood what don’t know how to he said. “Most people ... I’d like my cases the judge thinks. and also my trereflect my personalitythe law.” for mendous respect 80, went into indiMan, Arbitration suc in 1985, settling vidual practice
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MANHATTAN'S APARTMENT BOOM, > PROPERTY, P.20
2015
In Brief MORE HELP FOR SMALL BUSINESS
The effort to help small seems to businesses in the city be gathering steam. Two city councilmembers, Robert Margaret Chin and Cornegy, have introduced create legislation that wouldSmall a new “Office of the within Business Advocate” of Small the city’s Department Business Services. Chin The new post, which have up told us she’d like to would and running this year, for serve as an ombudsman city small businesses within them clear government, helping to get through the bureaucracy things done. Perhaps even more also importantly, the ombudsman and number will tally the type small business of complaints by taken in owners, the actions policy response, and somefor ways to recommendations If done well, begin to fix things. report would the ombudsman’s give us the first quantitative with taste of what’s wrong the city, an small businesses in towards important first step fixing the problem. of for deTo really make a difference, is a mere formality will have to the work process looking to complete their advocate are the chances course, velopers precinct, but rising rents, -- thanks to a find a way to tackle business’ is being done legally of after-hours projects quickly. their own hours,” which remain many While Chin “They pick out boom in the number throughout who lives on most vexing problem. said Mildred Angelo,of the Ruppert construction permits gauge what Buildings one said it’s too early tocould have the 19th floor in The Department of the city. number three years, the Houses on 92nd Street between role the advocate She Over the past on the is handing out a record work perThird avenues. permits, there, more information of Second and an ongoing all-hours number of after-hours bad thing. of after-hours work the city’s Dept. problem can’t be a said there’s with the mits granted by nearby where according to new data jumped 30 percent, This step, combinedBorough construction project noise Buildings has data provided in workers constantly make efforts by Manhattan to mediate BY DANIEL FITZSIMMONS according to DOB of Informacement from trucks. President Gale Brewer offer response to a Freedom classifies transferring they want. They knows the the rent renewal process, request. The city They 6 “They do whatever signs Every New Yorker clang, tion Act go as they please. work between some early, tangible small any construction on the weekend, can come and sound: the metal-on-metal or the piercing of progress. For many have no respect.” p.m. and 7 a.m., can’t come of these that the hollow boom, issuance reverse. owners, in business moving The increased beeps of a truck has generto a correspond and you as after-hours. soon enough. variances has led at the alarm clock The surge in permits
SLEEPS, THANKS TO THE CITY THAT NEVER UCTION A BOOM IN LATE-NIGHT CONSTR NEWS
A glance it: it’s the middle can hardly believe yet construction of the night, and carries on full-tilt. your local police or You can call 311
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