The local paper for Downtown wn FALL EDUCATION PREVIEW, < P. 11
WEEK OF AUGUST
18-24 2016
A PLATFORM FOCUSED ON BATTERY PARK CITY NEWS Gigi Li wants to open up the authority that runs the neighborhood BY MADELEINE THOMPSON
Gigi Li, standing at left, is running for the State Assembly’s 65th District, which covers Lower Manhattan and parts of the Lower East Side. Li, a Democrat, is chairwoman of Community Board 3. Photo: Madeleine Thompson
Standing directly in the stifling sunlight on a recent morning, Community Board 3 Chair Gigi Li described her four-point plan to improve Battery Park City. Li is a Democrat running for the State Assembly’s 65th District, which covers Lower Manhattan and parts
PUTTING MY BEST FOOT FORWARD BY ASIA HORNE
Ever since I was 3, my parents have always set high goals and aspirations for me. Some were attainable, such as scoring 100 on my tests or learning how to ride a bike. Others, though, were more of a challenge. “I have no doubt in my mind that one day, you will be playing in Carnegie Hall and will end up at Juilliard or an Ivy League,” my dad said. The more challenging goals constantly played in my mind, especially as I was learning to play the violin, viola and piano. For the first seven years of my life, music was one of my consistent activities. I advanced quickly through the books and became a good instrumentalist. Alongside playing multiple instruments, my parents had me participate
in other activities, such as dance classes, gymnastics, ballet and the like. In the end, music seemed to be the only endeavor that wasn’t just a phase, but also a passion. It stuck with me. When I was 8 years old, I attended St. Joseph’s School-Yorkville. To keep me active and to help integrate me into the new school, my parents suggested I attend one of the after-school programs. I had many options to choose from, but decided that I wanted to play soccer. At St. Joseph’s School-Yorkville, the recreational soccer program was called “Super Soccer Stars.” The program taught me all of the fundamentals of the sport. After a few classes my coach came up to me and said, “Have you ever played before, because you
of the Lower East Side. Li is the first candidate, though not the first elected official, to campaign on a platform of increasing community representation in the Battery Park City Authority. “We stand here today to say enough is enough,” she said. “Residents of Battery Park City built this neighborhood and should have material input into planning processes and decisions. Plans moving forward must be community-driven and that includes guaranteeing at least three residents on the Battery Park City Authority.” Since the beginning of the year, the BPCA has come under fire from several offices because all of its members
save one do not live in the area they represent. In January, State Senator Daniel Squadron and Assemblywoman Deborah Glick introduced legislation in each of their houses requiring the majority of board members to be drawn from within Community Board 1. “Battery Park City has changed; the Battery Park City Authority should change with it,” Squadron said at the time. “It’s a fundamental value that communities should have a say in the decisions affecting them.” At the BPCA’s meeting last month, he again urged them to allow for direct
are pretty good?” I said that I had not. He asked for my dad’s phone number and then dismissed me. I didn’t think anything of his request, but I soon realized that moment would change my life forever. My dad spoke to me that night and told me that my coach had called. He broke down their entire conversation to me and explained how the coach asked me to play on the official Super Soccer Star team. I was ecstatic and eager to start. I joined the team the following year, and to my surprise, had only boys as teammates. I wasn’t at all fazed to be on what was otherwise an all-boys team — if anything it made me stronger. We practiced and had games at the field house in Chelsea Piers. I found my place on the team as a right-sided defender or central defender. Through my two years on the team, I perfected my skills and learned to be more adept
with the ball. When I turned 11, my parents decided to move me to an all-girls team called Asphalt Green. On that team I met many great people and had reached the next step of soccer: traveling. Our league had games in Westchester and New Jersey. We were decent, but more importantly I was glad to finally play against more skillful players. During the winter months, I played in dozens of indoor scrimmages, playing against teams from all over New York and New Jersey. In one particular game, we played the Manhattan Soccer Club, the best team in New York. At just 11 years old, these girls were fast and skilled. They were amazing. In this game, I made sure I played my best. Although I stopped a majority of their attempts to score goals, we lost by one. At the end of the game, the
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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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