Aqueduct Firm Hires Ozone Park Groups by Anna Gustafson - Queens Chronicle -

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The general contractor for the new Aqueduct racino in South Ozone Park awarded three construction bids totaling more than $51 million to groups from Ozone Park, Resort World New York said this week.

“Queens needs revenue, and for this reason, we are fully committed to awarding construction bids to as many local businesses as possible,” Michael Speller, president of Resorts World New York, said in a prepared statement. “This casino will fill two crucial needs. Not only will Resorts World New York create a tremendous facility that will generate considerable revenue for Ozone Park, New York City and New York state, but the casino will also help revitalize and ultimately stabilize Queens’ businesses and economy.”

Speller said they have focused on hiring locally, including bringing jobs to businesses owned by minorities and women, to build what is now known as the Resorts World New York racetrack casino.

Tutor Perini, the general contractor, awarded a $25.1 million contract to WDF Inc. to provide heating, ventilation and air-conditoning work; a $19.2 million contract to Five Star Electric; and $6.8 million to WDF for plumbing.

“We are just so excited that Resorts World New York is following through on its promises to Ozone Park businesses,” said Larry Roman, chairman and CEO of WDF Inc. “At at time when Queens so desperately needs revenue, it is a blessing to have such a great project for so many of our local businesses to work on. Ozone Park is home to some of the finest construction businesses in the world, and for that reason I have no doubt that Resorts World New York is going to be a first-class facility that will benefit the entire region.”

The announcement comes about a week after Tutor Perini announced that more than one-third of their subcontractors are certified as a Minority or Women Owned Business Enterprise.

Tutor Perini has so far awarded $135 million to subcontractors in the greater New York City area.

The gaming facility at the race track, the city’s first casino slated to open its doors this summer, is expected to employ more than 900 people and generate at least $300 million in annual state revenue, according to officials with franchise operator Genting New York.

There are more than several hundred people now working at the site. The first phase of the three-stage project will include 1,600 video lottery terminals and a central bar.

Andy Disses Vito! Cuomo’s New Housing Czar is No Fan of Lopez • The Brooklyn Paper

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Gov. Cuomo slapped Brooklyn Democratic Party boss Vito Lopez, picking a longtime rival of the powerful Assemblyman to run the state’s housing agency.

Cuomo nominated Assemblyman Darryl Towns (D–Bedford-Stuyvesant) last week to run an agency in charge of affordable housing — Lopez’s passion — in an effort to antagonize him.

He also believes that the cancer-stricken Lopez’s career as a housing advocate and lawmaker, in its fifth decade, is winding down, sources familiar with the appointment said.

Once he takes over the agency next month, Towns will control the funding spigot for affordable housing projects — including Lopez’s political base, the Ridgewood Bushwick Senior Citizens Council, which received four contracts worth $811,000 last year.

Lopez (D–Bushwick) has exerted tremendous influence over the state’s Department of Housing and Community Renewal over the years — he orchestrated the appointment of a former staffer, Deborah Van Amerongen, as its commissioner in 2007.

Publicly, everyone is playing nice — but Cuomo is known to be wary of Lopez. As attorney general, Cuomo led the audits into the Lopez-founded Ridgewood Bushwick Senior Citizens Council, investigations that briefly caused the state to freeze funding to the nonprofit.

Lopez has called allies in Albany to complain about Cuomo’s appointment of Towns, said one source, and Towns recently told one public official that he “hated” Vito and was willing to work with insurgent political clubs who opposed him.

The bad blood stems from more than a decade of political brinkmanship between the Towns family and Lopez’s clique.

Lopez recruited and ran former Councilman, now state senator, Martin Dilan against Towns in an Assembly primary 1998 and 2000 — even though Dilan was once Towns’s campaign manager.

And about three years ago, Lopez demanded that pharmaceutical giant Pfizer fire its lobbyist, Karen Boykin-Towns, Towns’s wife, because the company did not set aside the property of its former headquarters for affordable housing.

Enraged, Towns confronted Lopez in Albany demanding an apology, according to several sources.

“They argued, they confronted each other in the hallways, and Towns said, ‘What’s up with that and my wife? You crossed a boundary. How dare you?’” said a source.

Towns later said that Lopez’s demand was “an attack on the corporation,” not on his wife. Boykin-Towns was later promoted.

Debra Feinberg, a Lopez spokeswoman, said that chatter over the appointment of Towns does not change the essential fact that “Assemblyman Vito Lopez has been an outspoken voice in Albany in advocating for restorations and increases in allocations for affordable housing programs in the budget. He looks forward to working closely with Assemblyman Towns … and hopes that by working together, well-established and vital programs continue to be able to be funded throughout the state of New York.”

It’s almost as if Towns put out the same statement.

“Assemblyman [Lopez] and I have a history of being very successful when we work together,” said Towns. “There have been times when we have differed on opinions.”

"The Tax Cut Bill" (Video) by Richard D. Wolff - Truthout.org

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Richard Wolff is Professor of Economics Emeritus at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst and currently a Visiting Professor at the Graduate Program in International Affairs of the New School University in New York. He has a PhD in Economics from Yale University as well as degrees from Harvard University (history BA) and Stanford University (economics MA). Wolff has authored or co-authored 10 books and over 50 scholarly articles and 75 popular articles. His recent work has concentrated on analyzing the causes and alternative solutions to the current global economic crisis.

His documentary film on that crisis, Capitalism Hits the Fan, can be previewed at www.capitalismhitsthefan.com. He also published a book of essays on the current crisis in 2010 entitled Capitalism Hits the Fan: the Global Economic meltdown and What to Do About it. Detailed information on and copies of his many writings, audios and videos of his media interviews, lectures, and classes, and his speaking schedule are all available at his website: www.rdwolff.com.

Rep. Weiner Calls On Republicans to Defund Their Health Care Plans

Although a few GOP tea-baggers have opted not to take the government run health care the vast majority of Republican members of Congress have opted to receive the very health benefits they are refusing to let other American buy into. Far too many of them are getting way with being hypocrites. It's good to see Weiner calling them out. As he says, "this is your chance, don't blow it."

Central Park Director and Other New York City Park Execs See Pay Jump By Isabel Vincent and Melissa Klein - NYPOST.com

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Maybe money grows on trees in Central Park.

Douglas Blonsky, the head of the Central Park Conservancy, got a 20 percent raise, bringing his salary to $433,940, according to the nonprofit's just-released tax filings for 2009-10.

Several other directors also raked in the green.

• Debbie Landau, the head of the Madison Square Park Conservancy, got a $15,000 raise in 2009, plus a bonus of $20,000, bringing her salary to $200,000 during a year in which the conservancy's revenue declined by $246,715.
• Aimee Boden, the head of the Randalls Island Sports Foundation, got a 6 percent hike from $166,274 to $176,200 -- including a $15,000 bonus -- in 2009. The city pays $126,609 of her salary and the nonprofit pays the rest.

The directors of some groups earn more than Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe, whose salary is $205,180.* Bryant Park Corp. Director Daniel Biederman's salary for the year ending June 30, 2008, was $220,027, up from $210,374 a year earlier. He also earned $220,027 as head of the 34th Street Partnership.

"Blonsky oversees 843 acres. Our parks commissioner oversees 29,000 acres. It doesn't make sense," said Geoffrey Croft, president of NYC Park Advocates, a watchdog group.

The bulk of Blonsky's raise of $73,766 came from a $69,400 payment for accumulated vacation time, said Kari Wethington, a spokeswoman for the conservancy.

The Madison Square Conservancy refused to comment on Landau's raise. The group also employed Landau's sister, Maggi, with Landau paying her $125,000, plus a $12,500 bonus in 2009. She has since left.

The city Parks Department in 2009 began paying the bulk of Boden's salary for running Randalls Island, the location of Icahn Stadium and dozens of athletic fields. The Parks Department said it upped her salary to be more in line with her work.

A spokesman for Bryant Park Corp. and the 34th Street Partnership, a Business Improvement District, said the boards of both groups believe Biederman's "salary is justified given the renaissance that both districts have undergone."

Crowley Hosts Local Black History Month Event with Guest of Honor U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder

Nearly 1,000 7^th Congressional District Residents Join in Event to Honor Local African-AmericanLeaders for Their Service to Their Community

2011 Honorees Include State Assemblyman Jeffrion Aubry and State Committeewoman Barbara Brown

Special Guest of Honor U.S. Attorney General Eric H. Holder, Jr. and Congressman Crowley

On Thursday, February 17^th, Congressman Joe Crowley (D-Queens, the Bronx) hosted a Black History Month event with special guest The Honorable Eric H. Holder, Jr., U.S. Attorney General. Nearly 1,000 7^th Congressional District residents gathered at the Dreiser Loop Auditorium in Co-op City to hear Attorney General Holder speak and to honor two local community leaders, State Assemblyman Jeffrion Aubry and State Committeewoman Barbara Brown.

Holder, who was raised in Queens and is the first African-American to serve as the U.S. Attorney General, spoke to his vision for a more equitable future based on the lessons of our shared history.

“Black History Month is a time to pay tribute to the rich history of African-Americans and to look ahead to ways we can all work together to build stronger communities and a stronger nation,” said Congressman Crowley. “As a son of New York, a product of our city’s schools and community, and a history maker in his own right, Attorney General Holder is truly an inspiration to us all and I am honored to welcome him to New York’s 7^th Congressional District for this very special and meaningful event.”

left to right, event honoree State Assemblyman Jeffrion Aubry, Attorney General Holder, event honoree State Committeewoman Barbara Brown, and Congressman Crowley

During the event, Crowley recognized two outstanding community leaders as this year’s honorees: State Assemblyman Jeffrion Aubry and State Committeewoman Barbara Brown. Crowley acknowledged Assemblyman Aubry’s tireless efforts to improve the way we treat drug addiction and his 18 years of service to the people of Queens as a member of the State Assembly. Highlighting her lifelong dedication to her community, Crowley recognized Committeewoman Brown for her role as a social activist and community advocate, and for her commitment to serving residents and families of the Bronx.

“What makes our country great is the strength of our communities and the values of civility and virtue that all of this year’s honorees have dedicated their lives to,” said Crowley. “Assemblyman Aubry, Committeewoman Brown, and our guest of honor, Attorney General Holder, have each made a lifelong commitment to improving their communities and to promoting compassion and understanding in their neighbors,” said Crowley. “Their efforts serve as a guiding light as we work together to build a better future for all.”

Attendees at the event were treated to performances by local talent including the Tillers Liturgical Dance Ministry and the Combined Choir, both of the Antioch Baptist Church of Corona. The invocation was led by Rev. Dr. Robert A. Smith Jr., Church of the Savior, and the benediction by Rev. Sheldon E. Williams, Co-op City Baptist Church.

Crowley has hosted an annual Black History Month event every year since 2000. To read Congressman Crowley’s remarks from this year’s Black History Month event, please click here.

Congressman Crowley is the seven-term representative from the 7^th Congressional District of New York, which includes sections of Queens and the Bronx. He is a member of the powerful Ways and Means Committee and serves as a Chief Deputy Whip in the House of Representatives.

Wisconsin Budget Repair Bill Protest on Vimeo

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Part One...

Wisconsin Budget Repair Bill Protest from Matt Wisniewski on Vimeo.
Three days of footage (Feb 15-17) from the Madison, WI protest against the SB11 budget repair bill. Mgwisni@gmail.com

Part Two...

Wisconsin "Budget Repair Bill" Protest Pt 2 from Matt Wisniewski on Vimeo.
Two days of footage (Feb 18-19) from Madison, WI protest against the SB11 "budget repair bill." Thanks to Michael-Bryan Byers-Dent for the song inspiration. Mgwisni@gmail.com