BROOKLYN MEDIA GROUP MARCH 9 - MARCH 15, 2018 15
NYCHA RESIDENTS NEED HELP NOW
Every year, city elected officials
put out a list of “The worst landlords
in New York City.” Surprisingly,
NYCHA is left off that list.
With close to 400,000 residents,
NYCHA has more tenants than
some major cities around
the country. Thousands
of these residents
live in my district
spanning 20 different
developments, 14 of
which are in Brooklyn.
When there are
heating outages,
mold complaints
and the possibility
of a lead paint crisis,
BY STATE SENATOR
DIANE SAVINO
one would think the city would
rush to fix the mistakes. Unfortunately,
this has not been the case,
even after a tour last year with
colleagues, and the buck needs to
stop here.
Last Monday, my colleagues in
the Independent Democratic Conference
and I released a report entitled
“The New Flint.” Some called
the comparison irresponsible – yet
my colleagues and I outlined the irresponsible
neglect at the expense
of my constituents, and thousands
of others around the city.
In our survey, we found that
79 percent of NYCHA residents
across the city who responded had
lead paint found in their homes;
however nothing had been done to
mediate the issue. Eighty percent
surveyed responded that their
children have not been tested for
lead.
In response, my office and others
have collaborated to provide
residents with free lead testing
through March.
In our survey, we found 54
percent of residents who called
for repairs are still waiting for
NYCHA to complete the work. We
proposed that NYCHA be overseen
by an independent monitor as well
as give the City Council greater
oversight of the agency. Less than
a week after exposing this report,
we passed this legislation in
the Senate.
Additional reforms
that we proposed include
allowing 311 to
take calls for better
transparency and
assistance.
Government
must work better
for the hundreds
of thousands of
our working class
neighbors. NYCHA residents have
been demanding immediate action;
frankly, they are right.
All of NYCHA’s board members
appointed by the mayor have
shown their inability to manage
the agency. A small coat of bleach
from a spray bottle to cover up
potentially harmful mold is not
an acceptable remedy.
Not a week goes by in which
my office is not contacted about a
heat outage or emergency repair
needed. In turn, we have to hunt
down appropriate staff to have the
problem addressed in a reasonable
manner.
We can do better, the city can
do better, because our NYCHA
residents deserve better. We have
a long way to go, but I am glad
that the Independent Democratic
Conference is leading the way to a
better housing stock for New York
City.
State Senator Diane Savino
represents the 23rd Senate District
in Staten Island and Brooklyn, including
portions of Sunset Park, Bay
Ridge, Bensonhurst, Dyker Heights,
Gravesend, Sheepshead Bay, Coney
Island and Brighton Beach.
BK SNAPS
LION DANCE IN
BENSONHURST, 2018.
Photo by Bonita Lei
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THE HOT TOPIC
STORY: West End Bakery has closed after 100 years in operation
SUMMARY: West End Bakery, 8517 18th Avenue, recently closed after 100 years
in operation. The bakery, known for its cakes, cookies and Italian pastries, was
a local staple that suffered a downgrade in quality in the years up to its closure,
which was preceded by a change in ownership, according to neighborhood residents.
Our readers were quick to react to another local business biting the dust.
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