REP. EDOLPHUS 'ED' TOWNS’ STATEMENT ON THE DEATH OF OSAMA BIN LADEN

“For all the innocent victims who perished on 9/11; to every person who has endlessly grieved for someone they lost on that fateful day; for every 9/11 responder who died as a hero—as well as scores of others who continue to suffer physical and emotional after-effects; to all of our military personnel who have lost their lives on the front lines in the battle against terrorism and tyranny, and for those who continue to engage the terrorists in the fight for freedom, I say quite simply this: justice delayed—but not denied”.

Statement of Congressman Gregory W. Meeks on the Capture and Killing of Osama bin Laden

As a New Yorker and as a Member of Congress who visited Ground Zero days after the 9/11 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center, who witnessed the carnage and smelled death and destruction emanating from the ruins, it is difficult to find words that fully express my appreciation of our military personnel and intelligence professionals who brilliantly and successfully accomplished the mission which led to the killing of Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad, Pakistan. The courage, skill, confidence and capability with which they carried out this assignment are magnified by the degree of difficulty involved.

By the same measure, I would like to convey my gratitude to President Barack Obama for his fortitude. Considering how much could have gone wrong and the consequences of failure, one can only imagine how lonely it must have been to take such a decision. Yet, our president discharged the commitment he had repeatedly made to the American people, and above all to the families and friends of the 9/11 victims, with singular fortitude and determination. The nation salutes you, Mr. President, and your entire national security team.

At the same time, I urge my constituents and all Americans to take seriously the president’s caution to remain vigilant. It is especially important at such an extraordinary moment of success to absorb the fact that the struggle against terrorism and extremism continues. There is more to be done. But, as President Obama said, there is nothing that we Americans cannot achieve together as “one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”

Schumer: ‘Thunderous Strike For Justice’ by Elizabeth Benjamin - Capital Tonite

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Senator Charles Schumer’s statement on Osama Bin Laden’s death.

“This is a thunderous strike for justice for the thousands of my fellow New Yorkers — and citizens from all over the world — who were murdered on 9/11. It took close to ten years, but the world’s most wanted terrorist has finally met his deserved fate. New York’s heart is still broken from the tragedy of 9/11, but this at least brings some measure of closure and consolation to the victims and their families.

“This is a massive accomplishment for the countless military and intelligence personnel who have been urgently dedicated to this task for the past decade. Because Bin Laden’s evil dogma has poisoned the minds of so many others, we cannot let up in the war on terror. This successful mission sends a definitive message to those who would test the resolve of the people of the United States of America: do not doubt our resolve; if you do us harm, we will find you, we will mete out justice, and we will prevail.”

News Alert: Osama bin Laden Is Dead, U.S. Official Says - NY Times

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Osama bin Laden has been killed, a United States official said.

President Obama is expected to make an announcement on Sunday night, almost ten years after the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

Read More:
http://www.nytimes.com?emc=na

Mark Weprin Leads Property Tax "Revolt" at City Hall

left to right: Bay Terrace President Warren Schreiber, Senator Toby Ann Stavisky, Council Member Mark S. Weprin, and Assemblymember David I. Weprin lead a “tax revolt” at City Hall against outrageous real property tax assessment increases.

New York City Council Member Mark S. Weprin (D-Oakland Gardens), founder of the City Council Co-op and Condo caucus, stood with Senator Toby Ann Stavisky, Senator Tony Avella, Assemblymember Edward C. Braunstein, Assemblymember Grace Meng, Assemblymember David I. Weprin, Council Member Daniel J. Halloran, Council Member Peter Koo, co-op shareholders, and co-op board members and presidents from Eastern Queens to protest the outrageous increases in real property tax assessments on co-ops and condos. They called on Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Department of Finance Commissioner David M. Frankel to rescind the increases because they are arbitrary, inconsistent, and unfair.

“These increases cannot stand,” said Council Member Mark S. Weprin. “As an official who represents tens of thousands of co-op and condo residents, I will continue to fight for tax equity.”

The rally and property tax “revolt” took place in advance of City Council Finance hearings to be held on Monday, May 2 at 10 AM at 250 Broadway. At that time, Council Members will call on Commissioner Frankel to explain how he can justify the increases or rescind them immediately.

Since the New York City Department of Finance (DOF) released its real property tax assessments earlier this year, there has been considerable and well-justified angst on the part of Queens co-op and condo boards. When DOF changed the valuation methods, some co-ops saw their valuations rise by as much as one hundred fifty percent, at a time when property values are basically flat. DOF later agreed to limit increases to fifty percent.

“I am a shareholder in a co-op where valuation skyrocketed one hundred forty-seven percent this year, and then DOF decided to cap increases at fifty percent, for this year only,” said Senator Toby Ann Stavisky. “Fifty percent is totally arbitrary and is still a very large increase on middle class families.”

It has also been reported that a computer glitch at DOF was responsible for some of the unusually high assessments.

“The failure of DOF to recognize its mistakes for three months, only to ultimately blame all of its failures on a computer glitch, is simply unacceptable,” said Assemblymember Edward C. Braunstein. “It's time for DOF to abandon its effort to balance New York City’s budget on the backs of co-op owners in Queens.”

"Our ongoing fiscal recovery depends on our neighbors being secure in their homes and able to afford their groceries and medications,” said Assemblymember Grace Meng. “This plan doesn't allow for that; it's simply pickpocketing."

“The City’s formula for valuing these properties doesn’t add up,” said Council Member Daniel J. Halloran. “This is just a hidden co-op tax on my constituents.”

Council Member Peter Koo said, "DOF stated that a computer glitch is the cause for a one hundred forty-seven percent tax assessment increase for co-ops and condos in Queens. This is an unacceptable answer, and whatever glitch occurred should be corrected and assessments re-evaluated.”

"DOF was caught red-handed using commercial properties to value residential co-ops,” said Bob Friedrich, President of Glen Oaks Village Owners. “The Presidents Co-op Council, an affiliation of fifty co-op Board Presidents in Queens, is calling for an independent investigation and is preparing to file a lawsuit if these flawed valuations are imposed."

“Co-ops and condos represent a last bastion of middle class housing in New York City,” said Warren Schreiber, President of Bay Terrace Cooperative, Section One. “As property taxes continue to rise, many long-time residents could be forced from their apartments.”

There may also be a need to correct the underlying issue with legislation at the state level.

"I have introduced legislation to reclassify certain property held in cooperative form," said Assemblymember David I. Weprin. “This will better reflect that the units are primary residences, not investment properties.”

NYS Comptroller Tom DiNapoli: Economic Recovery Uneven Across New York State

New York State has taken the first steps down the road of economic recovery, but that recovery has been slow going and uneven across the regions of the State, according to a report issued today by New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli.


“The recession didn’t hit New York as hard as other states,” DiNapoli said. “But there’s still a lot of pain. Our economic recovery is headed in the right direction, but the road out of recession is still winding and potentially perilous.”


“The recovery so far has been a mixed bag. Private sector employment is up while public sector employment is down. Home values in the major metropolitan upstate areas rose sharply in the fourth quarter of 2010, but have begun to decline again in the New York City metropolitan area. Rising oil and gas prices, disruptions due to the crisis in Japan, and
low consumer confidence could hold back economic activity. Our economy is improving, but the pace of the recovery is clearly slower than we’d like.”


New York’s Gross State Product grew at an annual rate of 2.2 percent during 2010, after two consecutive years of decline. Economic output in all metropolitan areas rebounded in the past year, with Ithaca leading the way with a 3.3 percent change, followed by the Mid-Hudson Valley at 3.1 percent, Buffalo at 2.9 percent and Rochester and the Utica-Rome regions at 2.4 percent. IHS Global Insight predicts that the Gross Metropolitan Products of most New York cities will slow during 2011.


Job losses during the recession were less severe in New York State (3.8 percent) than in the nation (6.1 percent). Despite this, New York State lost nearly 336,700 jobs. Overall, unemployment in New York State doubled during the recession, and by March 2011 had only eased to 8 percent from a recent peak of 8.9 percent in September 2009. DiNapoli
noted that private sector employment, led by tourism, health services and education, grew by 95,100 jobs during 2010 and by another 27,600 jobs in the first quarter of 2011. Public sector employment declined by 28,200 jobs (1.9 percent) between December 2009 and March 2011.


Personal income rose by 4.1 percent during 2010, the second-highest rate of growth among the states behind only New Mexico, which reflects modest job growth and higher Wall Street bonuses. Wall Street, which earned $27.6 billion in 2010, the second-best year on record, has regained 9,700 of the 28,200 jobs the securities industry lost during the
recession.


Home values in the downstate region have begun to decline again and foreclosures will continue to hold down prices. Home values in the New York City metropolitan area peaked in May 2006 and fell by more than 20 percent through April 2009. Between October 2009 and February 2011, home values in the New York metropolitan area fell by 4 percent.
However, median home values in the five major upstate metropolitan regions rebounded strongly in the fourth quarter of 2010 over their values in 2009 with Binghamton (15.6 percent) leading the way, followed by Buffalo (14.3 percent), Syracuse (7.9 percent), Albany (7.6 percent) and Rochester (5.2 percent).


While the share of mortgages that are at least 90 days delinquent eased to 3.6 percent in the fourth quarter of 2010, the share of mortgages in the foreclosure process has continued to rise, reaching 5.2 percent in that same time period.


For a copy of the report visit: http://www.osc.state.ny.us/reports/economic/nys_econ_rpt2-2012.pdf

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