The local paper for Downtown WEEKWEEK OF DEC.-JAN. OF THE WOW PARADE ◄ CITY ARTS, P.12
DECEMBER
26-1 262019
GEN Z ON THE BALLOT POLITICS
They’re young and they’re eager to serve. How two political neophytes from Manhattan became candidates for elected office. BY CECE KING
Robert W. Snyder, the new Manhattan borough historian, addresses some 200 community activists, neighborhood leaders and local historians at the Fire Museum on Spring Street for a Dec. 3 reception. Photo courtesy of Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer’s office
MEET YOUR NEW MANHATTAN HISTORIAN URBAN LIFE
Robert W. Snyder is taking on one of the city’s most interesting and quirky posts BY DOUGLAS FEIDEN
His first vivid memory of Manhattan came as a threeyear-old in the late 1950s when he visited the city from suburban New Jersey with his family and entered an apartment building in Washington Heights – an experience he found “scary.” But Robert W. Snyder, the Bronx-born historian, scholar, researcher, academic, journalist, editor and author or co-author of five non-fiction books, all of them about New York City, quickly
From Alexandria Ocasio Cortez to Julia Salazar, New Yorkers have followed the national trend of voting young people into office. But as New York County Democratic Committee Chair, and former New York State Assembly Member, Keith Wright points out, the
“energy, excitement, and electricity” that young people bring does not outweigh the fact that politics “is made from the bottom up.” Wright recommends anyone interested in running for office first learn the process by working for an elected official or attending precinct council and community board meetings. Wright, who emphasized that “there is no educational prerequisite, no vocational prerequisite” for politics, chose to work for then Borough President David Dinkins rather than enter the political fray right after law
school. “Politics is a blood sport,” Wright warned, and “the hardest folks to impress are the folks in your community when you’re asking them for their vote.” As Wright sees it, what qualifies someone for public office is simple and unrelated to age: “Passion, intelligence and commitment to their community.” With that in mind, Straus News spoke to two of New York’s youngest political hopefuls, Ellie Pfeffer, 19 and Cameron Koffman, 22, about their campaigns and their approach to politics.
DEADLY TERRACOTTA AND SIDEWALK SHEDS
Falling debris kills architect Erica Tishman and focuses new attention on city scaffolds. p. 6
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overcame those fears. In fact, he wrote a 2015 book about the Heights, “Crossing Broadway,” and is co-author most recently of “All the Nations Under Heaven: Immigrants, Migrants and the Making of New York,” published by Columbia University Press. A former special projects researcher at Newsday, he’s currently working on a biography of legendary newspaper columnist Murray Kempton. Now, Snyder, 64, is taking on one of the most interesting, unpaid and quirky posts the city has to offer: Manhattan borough historian. Appointed by Manhattan Borough Presi-
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INSIDE
SEEKING SAFER STREETS
Amid a growing sense of unease, UWS residents, elected officials and experts hunt for solutions to homelessness. p. 7
THANK YOU, ELI
A NYC fan bids farewell to a great Giants quarterback. p. 8
FIGHTING FOOD INSECURITY AT CUNY Cameron Koffman, 22, launches his campaign for the New York State Assembly. Photo: Courtesy of Martin Rather
City Council Speaker Corey Johnson announces a $1 million pilot program to help community college students get the meals they need. p. 20
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WEEK OF APRIL
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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 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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