The local paper for the Upper East Side
WEEK OF AUGUST JOURNALISTS ARE NOT THE ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE ◄ P.8
16-22 2018
LIFE AND LOSS IN THE CLUB SCENE POLITICS One was founded in May, the other dates to the 1950s — and the birth of the new political club has placed its hallowed older rival in peril BY DOUGLAS FEIDEN
The MTA has a plan that, within five years, would expand accessibility such that customers be no more than two stations away from an accessible station. Photo: Jeremy Weine
SUBWAY INACCESSIBILITY IS A BURDEN FOR MANY TRANSPORTATION The elderly and those with young children are also at a disadvantage BY NATASHA ROY
Julie Maury didn’t feel safe taking the subway alone until the Second Avenue station was revamped — and even then, she has only taken three subway rides by herself. The 36-year-old is wheelchair-bound, and relies on the buses. Each use of public transportation is an ordeal. “To rely on the bus system heavily like I do, I have to start out an hour or maybe two hours in advance if I want
to go somewhere, whereas a friend without a wheelchair may have to start out 15 minutes in advance because they have access to the subway, where I don’t,” Maury, who lives on the Upper East Side, said. New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer last month released a report detailing the lack of accessible subway stations across Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx and Queens. According to Stringer’s office, 51 percent of neighborhoods don’t have American Disabilities Act-accessible subway stations. A majority are located in Brooklyn, the Bronx and Queens.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 5
OurTownEastSide
O OURTOWNNY.COM @OurTownNYC
Crime Watch Voices NYC Now City Arts
It isn’t every day that a new Democratic political clubhouse springs into existence on the Upper East Side. Rarer still, the East River Democratic Club has swiftly moved to position itself as a force to be reckoned with in city and state electoral politics. Its emergence has also delivered a political body blow to one of the Silk Stocking District’s most venerable clubs. The Lenox Hill Democratic Club has suffered multiple defections, losing both leaders and members to the upstart over the past three months. “We searched for greener pastures,” said Alec Hartman, the 32-year-old president of the new club and a former member of its storied rival. “But this isn’t only about Lenox Hill,” he quickly added. “We believe there’s a better way to do things than the status quo.” Based in the 76th Assembly District — which runs from 61st Street to 92nd Street east of Third Avenue with some cutouts — the club overlaps much of the territory of both Lenox Hill and the Four Freedoms Democratic Club, which itself arrived on the scene in 2014. The traditional club model can involve multi-hour meetings, a modest dues structure, an unfocused agenda and a fair amount of bickering. By contrast, the East River Democrats pledge 90-minute meetings, free membership, a succinct agenda and a dose of civility and accountability. “We thought we could do better in terms of organization, timeliness and
3 8 10 12
Restaurant Ratings Business Real Estate 15 Minutes
14 16 17 21
Three of the leaders of the new created East River Democratic Club, all of them defectors from the Lenox Hill Democratic Club, gather petition signatures on the East Side. From left to right, Patrick Bobilin, Josh Kravitz, AJ Handler and Bobilin’s dog, Ghostface. Photo: Patrick Bobilin effectiveness,” Hartman said. Indeed, those qualities were in evidence at a co-working space on East 86th Street on August 9 when the club convened its second membership meeting and passed the first resolution in its three-month-old history. By a show of hands, members voted to endorse Zephyr Teachout’s candidacy in the Democratic primary for state attorney general — while also criticizing the frontrunner, Public Advocate Letitia (Tish) James, for taking big bucks from real estate interests she’d have to regulate as AG. “A lot of people in this room have knocked on doors,” said Jill Eisner, an
East Side Democratic district leader and ex-member of Lenox Hill in the discussion preceding the vote. “By endorsing her, our club will become her ground troops.”
CONTINUED ON PAGE 19
Jewish women and girls light up the world by lighting the Shabbat candles every Friday evening 18 minutes before sunset. Friday, August 17 – 7:33pm. For more information visit www. chabaduppereastside.com
We deliver! Get Our Town Eastsider sent directly to your mailbox for $ $49 per year. Go to OurTownNY.com or call 212-868-0190