Our Town Downtown - October 3, 2019

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The local paper for Downtown BROADWAY’S FINE-FEATHERED FRIENDS ◄ CITY ARTS, P.12

LEAD REPORT SLAMS CITY AGENCY HOUSING Comptroller’s investigation charges that multiple missteps left thousands of children exposed to the toxin. BY EMILY HIGGINBOTHAM

Former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, seen here introducing Donald Trump at a 2016 campaign event in Iowa, has cemented his role as the president’s loudest and most combative supporter. Photo: Iowa Public Radio Images via Flickr

The city failed to conduct lead inspections in private buildings where a govern-

ment agency knew thousands of children who tested positive for elevated levels of the toxin in their blood were living — leaving others vulnerable to exposure, according to a new investigation. Using city data from 2013 to 2018, Comptroller Scott Stringer released a report last week finding that the Department of Housing Prevention and Development (HPD) did

not perform lead inspections in 9,671 buildings that housed 11,972 children who had blood levels above the federal action level. According to Stringer, although the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene had collected data on the location of children with elevated blood levels, that information was never shared

WEEK OF OCTOBER

3-9 2019

INSIDE

MIRACLE ON THE MEER Central Park’s northern realm will receive an urgently needed $150 million capital investment. p. 15

CONTINUED ON PAGE 20

A TALE OF TWO RUDYS?

WHAT WOULD YOU WAIT IN LINE FOR?

PERSONALITIES

Let's face it: everyone in Manhattan does it. p. 8

policy issue. Nor was it much discussed around the water cooler. Not exactly. The sneering But City Hall had just figure at the heart of Trump banned residents from ownWorld bears an uncanny ing them as domestic pets, resemblance to the ex-mayor deeming them feral, unhyand his unbridled furies. With gienic and menacing to chilone exception: No New Yorker dren because of their sharp will ever forget how Giuliani teeth. broke the mold after 9/11. Naturally, this being New York, the ferret-rights community was livid. And one BY DOUGLAS FEIDEN advocate, “David from Queens,” took his umbrage The year was 1999, and the topic was ferrets. It was hardly the utmost public- CONTINUED ON PAGE 6

WHEN THE METS TAUGHT A LESSON Recalling how the lovable losers rose up in 1969. p. 13

HOW TO BUILD YOUR NEST EGG Comptroller Scott Stringer, with Deputy Comptroller for Audit Marjorie Landa, announcing the results of his investigation into the city’s handling of lead inspections. Photo: Susan Watts, Office of the NYC Comptroller

A financial advisor’s tips about investing for retirement. p. 16

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SPRING ARTS PREVIEW

WEEK OF APRIL

< CITYARTS, P.12

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 a lay point of view,” lawyer since 1961. Man, a practicing what’s at issue He first writes about post, renders separate a in and then, how he arrived his decision, detailing Visitors to the blog at his conclusion. their opinions. often weigh in with get a rap going. I to “I really want unthey whether really 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 indiArbitration Man, 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 actions the owners, policy response, and somefor ways to recommendations If done well, begin to fix things. report would the ombudsman’s quantitative give us the first with taste of what’s wrong the city, an small businesses in towards important first step problem. the xing fi of deformality for To really make a difference, process is a mere complete their will have to to are the work course, the advocaterising rents, precinct, but chances-- thanks to a velopers looking 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 lives on who problem. Angelo, vexing most said Mildred construction permits gauge what Buildings one of the Ruppert 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 on the Over the past 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 Every New Yorker clang, tion Act tangible signs go as they please. work between early, and some come metal-on-metal can construction any small sound: the or on the weekend, have no respect.” the piercing of progress. For many can’t come p.m. and 7 a.m., the hollow boom, issuance of these business owners, that moving in reverse. as after-hours. The increased beeps of a truck has generto a correspond and you 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

Newscheck

for dollars in fees ated millions of and left some resithe city agency, that the application dents convinced

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