The local paper for the Upper er East Side A VOICE V THAT HEALS <Q&A, P. 21 <Q&
WEEK OF AUGUST
14 2014
OURTOWNNY.COM
OurTownEastSide @OurTownNYC
Summer in the City
FACING OFF IN ASSEMBLY RACE
ASSEMBLYMAN JOINS EAST SIDE LAW FIRM Assemblyman Dan Quart has joined the law firm of Gonzalez, Saggio and Harlan, LLP, which represents governmental entities and individuals in litigation, employment, environmental, corporate, energy, and education law. Quart represents the 73rd Assembly District on the Upper East Side and is a member of the Assembly’s Insurance, Judiciary and Corporations Committees. Since 2002, Quart has served as a volunteer for the Housing Division of the Legal Aid Society, providing free representation for low-income tenants in eviction proceedings. In 2003, New York State Chief Judge Judith Kaye awarded him the Pro Bono Publico Award as one of New York City’s top pro bono attorneys.
POLITICS Assembly candidates on the Upper East Side debate one another at Lenox Hill Neighborhood House BY DANIEL FITZSIMMONS
UPPER EAST SIDE Our Town and Citizens Union joined forces Monday to host a Democratic Primary debate for residents in the 76th Assembly District on the Upper East Side. The event drew a sizeable crowd, exceeding the capacity of the auditorium at Lenox Hill Neighborhood House on East 70th St., where the debate was held. Residents in the district – where any candidate needs to take an almost default stance on certain issues in order to be viable – were curious to see how the four Democrats would distinguish themselves. All are opposed to the marine transfer station, and all talked about the need to keep seniors on fixed incomes in their homes. They all agreed that campaign finance reform would be a priority if elected to Albany, and that the district needs more schools. But different issues appeared to be closer to different candidates. For Gus Christensen, an ex-Wall Streeter turned progressive, closing the income gap was high up on his list. This includes, he said, raising the minimum wage and creating a more progressive tax code. “These are the things that drove me to public service and the things I want to work on in Albany,” said Christensen. Ed Hartzog, a lawyer and two-term Community Board 8 member, brought almost every issue in the district back to the need for campaign finance reform. “We need to get money out of [elections], that’s the root of the problem.” Hartzog also talked about the need to take on big projects in the district, like finishing the East River Esplanade, and increasing the amount of green space. David Menegon, an Army veteran and Xerox executive, said in the short CONTINUED ON PAGE 4
In Brief
SECOND AVE. SUBWAY GETS PHASE 2 FUNDING
AN AFTERNOON OF MEMORIES, VIA THE 4 TRAIN BY LENORE SKOMAL The Bronx Bombers drew two fresh fan faces at a recent afternoon game, thanks to a promise my husband and I made to my sister, their mother, to create memories, not wrapping paper waste, this past birthday season. The boys, age 9 and 10, still live in the wondrous world where they’re the only inhabitants, visited inconveniently by adults. Patience is non-existent at that age—the magical belief is that everything should unfold at the asking.
After what truly did feel like a decade-long Metro-North ride into the city from Connecticut, but was really an hour and a half, the 4 train to Yankee Stadium provided a much-needed change of scenery. The few times we’ve taken the subway with these kids, novelty prompts them to treat the stanchions like stripper poles— amusing some straphangers and clearly annoying others. The zombie majority, however, ears cupped with headphones attached via umbilical cords to smartphones, stare blankly at some curious point in the distance, oblivious to the boys’
attempts to shimmy up the poles. Luckily, the press of the other packed Yankee-capped sardines forced them to stay stick still and plant all feet on the floor so I didn’t have to nail them there. While these athletic boys have boundless energy, the one activity they hate more than waiting is walking. I was reminded on this subway trip, in a reprimanding tone, of the afternoon I forcemarched them from the east side of Central Park to the west. “We don’t want to have to walk 10 miles
CONTINUED ON PAGE 4
MTA chairman and CEO Tom Prendergast said at a state assembly hearing last week that the transit agency plans to include funding for the second phase of the Second Avenue Subway construction in its upcoming fiveyear capital plan, the blog Second Avenue Sagas reported. Prendergast reportedly stated that the MTA will allocate $1.5 billion in its 2015-2019 plan for construction of Phase 2 of the subway line. This accounts for about a third of the estimated cost, and the federal government is expected to contribute a majority of the rest of the expected budget. The second phase of the massive project will connect the Q train to the Lexington Avenue line and MetroNorth at 125th Street. Jewish women and girls light Shabbat candles every Friday evening 18 minutes before sunset. Friday August 15 – 7:35 p For more information visit www.chabaduppereastside.com.