The local paper for the Upper East Side SALUTE TO NURSES ◄ P.8
WEEK OF MAY
7-13 2020
SO MANY LAWSUITS, SO LITTLE TIME
POLITICS Brian Stokes Mitchell singing from his apartment. Photo: Stephan Russo
‘THE IMPOSSIBLE DREAM’ COMES TO AN END VIEWPOINT
Brian Stokes Mitchell’s nightly singing kept the West Side’s spirits up - until the crowds got too big BY STEPHAN RUSSO
The days grow long as New Yorkers continue to stay in place awaiting the reopening of our city. If you walk outside, there is a sense of abandonment and despair. The streets are empty, stores are closed, the passing busses have few passengers, and the presence of masked walkers creates an eerie atmosphere. Yet since the COVID-19 pandemic hit the city full force, every night at 7 p.m. sharp, people peer out their
windows and scream, clap and cheer in honor of the doctors, nurses, grocery workers, delivery people, EMS paramedics and police who have been the heroes in responding to this crisis. Nowhere in the city has the celebration been more festive than on the West Side of Manhattan at 98th Street and Broadway. I know this because I have a bird’s eye view out my window facing Broadway. Around 6:45, people start to gather on the street, police cars appear, a Mt. Sinai ambulance parks in front of Lenny’s Bagels and the honking of passing cars begin. Because when the clock chimes 7, a window will open on the fifth floor of the building on the northwest
Assembly Members file legal challenges to determine candidates on June ballot BY EMILY HIGGINBOTHAM
Two incumbent New York State Assembly members representing the Upper East Side have taken legal challenges against the Board of Elections to the Manhattan Supreme Court — one attempting to reinstate their name on the ballot and the other attempting to disqualify their opponent from the race. On Tuesday, a judge will give a decision in each lawsuit being brought respectively by Assembly Members Dan Quart and Rebecca
No matter who you are, no matter the wealth or connections of your family, the law still applies to you.” Assembly Member Dan Quart
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Seawright. The two cases involve separate legal issues, but both will determine who appears on the ballot come June. Quart, who is simultaneously running for reelection in the 73rd District and to become the next Manhattan District Attorney, is arguing that Cameron Koffman, his opponent, did not maintain residency in New York the five years prior to his candidacy, as the state’s law requires. Koffman, 22, the greatgrandson of real estate tycoon Samuel LeFrak, grew up on the Upper East Side and recently graduated from Yale University. Quart says that since Koffman registered to vote and voted in Connecticut during his college years, he essentially became a Connecticut resident. “As a simple matter of law, Mr. Koffman — who voted in four general elections in Connecticut, though not in the primaries because he wasn’t a Democrat in 2015, 2016, 2017, or 2018 — is ineligible to run for office,” said Quart about his suit. Additionally, Quart said the fact that Koffman registered to vote in New York in October 2017, and then voted in
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A 'FAR LIGHT' SOLUTION? Scientists at Columbia Medical Center say a safer form of ultraviolet light could disrupt airborne coronavirus transmission. p. 7
Assembly Member Dan Quart. Photo courtesy of Dan Quart
Connecticut one month later, amounted to voter fraud. He said Koffman shouldn’t be excused because of who is family is. “The bigger issue at play here is this: no matter who you are, no matter the wealth or connections of your family, the law still applies to you,” said Quart. “This may come as a surprise to Mr. Koffman but he can’t pick and choose which laws he wants to abide by. Any candidate for public office who doesn’t believe the law applies to them — like our lawless President, like Mr. Koffman — sets a dangerous precedent that undermines the rule of law and our constitution.”
“I Paid My Taxes Here” Koffman has rejected Quart’s argument outright, saying Quart’s suit is a “mani-
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ET TU, ANDREW? Cuomo omits the arts from New York State’s recovery plan. p. 6
BREWER DISTRIBUTES MASKS TO NEW YORKERS IN NEED On Friday, Manhattan Borough President Gale A. Brewer received and distributed 50,000 face masks donated by the Greater New York Automobile Dealers Association (GNYADA). p. 2
Jewish women and girls light up the world by lighting the Shabbat candles every Friday evening 18 minutes before sunset. Friday, May 8 – 7:42 pm. For more information visit www.chabbaduppereastside.com.