WFP Challenges Bloomberg To Debate

Now that the courts have all but given the final go-ahead to Bloomberg for his re-election run, it is time for the candidates to make their case to the people on why they should be, or continue to be Mayor of New York City. So far media mogul turned mayor has spent more money on advertising than most people make in a lifetime. $7.5 million in ads, yet no debate. So the Working Families Party is calling him out on it.

From The Working Families Party:

In times like these, we need a real race for Mayor.

The NYC mayoral contest is already overloaded with 30-second TV ads and 15-second sound bites. Mayor Bloomberg alone has spent more than $7.5 million on advertising.

If it's not too soon to spend that kind of money, then it's not too soon to start engaging directly with the people of New York City on the issues that matter to us.

Candidates Bill Thompson and Tony Avella have accepted our invitation to the Amsterdam News / El Diario-La Prensa / Working Families Party debate. Mayor Bloomberg is the only one we're waiting on.

Go on and sign the petition so that Mayor Bloomberg realizes that the city is not going to just re-elect him because of his wealth. New Yorkers need to hear concrete ideas and a discussion between the people that seek to implement those ideas. At this critical time in our city, we must have a real discussion, not an ad war.

Rangel Fails To Endorse Dems Over Bloomberg

Yet another sign of Democratic disunity in New York was on display yesterday when the ethically-challenged Congressman Charlie Rangel couldn't manage to side with his party for the upcoming mayoral election. Rangel is known for blowing off the press in regards to his own corruptive nature, but this is the first I've heard of him blowing off the Democratic party.

From The Daily Politics:

At separate events today, two Democratic heavyweights - Rep. Charlie Rangel and former President Bill Clinton - were effusive in their praise of Mayor Bloomberg, and although both stopped short of endorsing his re-election outright, they didn't announce support of his opponent, Comptroller Bill Thompson, either.

Rangel, a veteran Harlem pol and dean of the congressional delegation, said he is not ready "at this time" to take sides in the mayor's race, despite the fact that Thompson is vying to become only the second African American to hold the post in the city's history.

The DN's Erin Einhorn reports from a Harlem affordable housing announcement that Rangel said Bloomberg has "done a great job," but also added: "Having the comptroller being prepared to be able to run, I think, is totally unfair and the way that term limits have been removed."

Asked point-blank whether he has decided who he will back, Rangel said: "Not yet, no."

So with Bill Clinton at his side, Rangel took out a figurative pistol and shot Thompson in the foot, while the former President looked on without comment. As much as I would hope that Rangel could endorse Thompson (or even Avella) on his own and show that he cares about his local party, the disloyality goes much deeper than just one Harlem Congressman. What we need is leadership and currently, there is none.

Wherefore Art Thou Congressman Weiner?

Since the news of the term limits extension bill died down, so has the energy of Congressman Weiner's will to be mayor of New York City. I remember him being at City Hall every single day and now we hardly ever see him out in public unless it's in D.C. People were beginning to wonder whether he was still running (technically he hadn't declared but it was quite obvious what his intention was late last year).

I guess know we have a better idea of where he's at:

In a statement to supporters, Weiner wrote: "At the beginning of the summer when Congress takes a break, I will look at the lay of the land again and try to determine the best political course."

A Weiner campaign adviser said afterward that nothing has really changed on their end, since the letter to supporters echoes what Weiner has been saying publicly for months.

But it did seem to be part of an incremental retreat.

Yes, yes it does seem that way.

One less candidate in the race spells bad news for Bloomberg and good news for Thompson, who has been out and about, vigorously campaigning for mayor. Likewise, Weiner's departure would be good news for Tony Avella, since this would make the primary a two-way race and not with him on the side of the Congressman and the Controller.

Battle To Ban Carriage Horses In NYC Heats Up

Activists and horse carriage drivers have been at it for a while now, but today they are facing off at City Hall with legislation to ban the industry at stake. Quite a few cities have done away with horses pulling carriages already and in my opinion, it would be great if we'd follow their lead. Passions are high on both sides and it can clearly be seen by the amount of people at City Hall today.

From PolitickerNY:

At the start of a Council hearing on a proposed bill to ban the carriage horse industry, a collection of about 20 people stood outside the gates in consternation. They had been told that the hearing room was full.

"We're all in this together," said a distraught Pamela Seri, owner of a vegan restaurant on the Upper West Side. "This has to stop. They can't go on like this anymore." The hearing room inside was indeed packed, with PETA-sticker-sporting horse lovers and carriage horse drivers themselves.

At issue are two bills: one, spearheaded by Councilman Tony Avella, to ban horse carriages outright, which has been in the works for several years as the anti-carriage movement has bubbled up around the legislative fringes. The other, proposed by Councilman David Weprin, would raise the price of a carriage ride from $34 per half hour to $54 and impose other regulations for the health of the horses.

Of course, the newly minted teamsters are backing Weprin's bill. Perhaps that is because even with new regulations, they'll probably be left unenforced, just as the current ones are. Studies have shown that the agencies meant to police the horse carriage industry have failed again and again. The truth of the matter is, that despite the half-truths and lies spread by the people who work with these horses, it is cruel and inhumane for these creatures to ferry people around Midtown Manhattan. There are much better ideas that we can all get behind, such as utilizing classic cars to take people around the park that would provide just as many jobs as the horse industry does.

UES Fundraiser For Tony Avella Tonight!

That's right boys and girls, tonight on the Upper East Side the one and only outspoken Tony Avella will be the guest of honor in support of his bid to be our next Mayor. After eight years of the reprehensible Giuliani and several under plutocratic Bloomberg, New York City needs a progressive at the helm and overall, Tony is that guy. While other candidates are asking for a grand or two, all that is requested to attend tonight is a mere twenty-five dollars (or as much as you want up to the limit).

Via Evite:

THE REVOLUTION STARTS.......NOW!

Join your fellow Progressives!

Meet and greet Councilman Tony Avella, Candidate for Mayor 2009, at a fundraiser party on December 2nd from 6:00 to 8:00 PM, 2008.

Suggested Contribution: $25/person minimum. Make your check payable to Tony Avella 2009 and send to Tony Avella 2009 PO Box 570052 Whitestone, NY 11357.

Payment accepted at door.

Council Member Tony Avella is a fighter for our city who stands up for what is right. He has spoken forcefully against an extension of term limits, fought against over development while assuring landmark preservation in our communities, and advocated for reform and more transparency in city government. Tony leads the way in the City Council in supporting animal welfare issues, including a ban on the inhumane horse-drawn carriage industry and support for humane education and pets in housing. He has been a fighter on veterans' issues and benefits. And he is committed to keeping New York City taxes as low as possible. Tony Avella is dedicated to ensuring strong and vibrant communities and better quality of life and he stands for issues that matter for real New Yorkers. He truly is a public servant and a tireless advocate for us all.

Light Refreshments & Cash bar

Joann Robertozzi, an upcoming singer, actress, producer and one part dynamo of an exciting trio, Tre Bella, will perform. They just finished a very successful engagement at the Showboat Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City. And they have just finished recording their first CD.

Yeah, you can give more than $25 and if you are already busy tonight but want to help, check out his website and donate! Even if you can't spare a few dollars, give some time by signing up here. While the 2008 grassroots work is almost done, there will be plenty to do in 2009 and New York needs as much progressive activism as we can get. Supporting Tony is a good way to start.

Tony Avella Continues His Quest To Rid NYC Of Horse Carriages

Tony Avella showed up at an Eastside event last night to protest the use of horse-driven carriages in New York City. The idea to ban them for the inhumanity of the practice has been around for a while, but progress has been slow. Organizers put together a video to make dual use of the word "blinders" to inform tourists and locals alike and shocked the most friendly crowd. Though no one is really sure if anything got done.

From The NY Observer:

In a small theater on East Third St. at around 8:00 p.m. on Sept. 26, you wouldn’t have wanted to be a carriage-horse driver.

It was a benefit screening of Blinders: The Truth Behind the Tradition, which documents the alleged abuses of the horses that ferry tourists around Central Park in hansom cabs. Before the film had even started, organizers ejected a driver for threatening to disrupt the event, and a sympathizer was thrown out when he showed his pro-carriage colors during the question-and-answer session afterward.

But you wouldn’t have minded being city councilman and long-shot mayoral candidate Tony Avella, who has been making political hay out of the issue ever since the untimely death of Spotty the horse in 2006.

Playing to a crowd of several hundred adoring Eastsiders after the screening, the white-haired Councilman said, “Speaker Christine Quinn just goes along with what the mayor wants.”

For those that followed the issue, Quinn and 45 others on the Council have remained mum, most likely out of deference to the Mayor, who promotes NYC for everything and anything. Our city has so many great attractions for the tens of millions that pass through here every year, but the carriages do not have to be a part of it. One thing is for sure that as long as Bloomberg is Mayor, nothing will change.

Of course there are on-going talks about alternatives, but so far I haven't seen any proof that there is any hope of movement in the near future. However, with enough pressure we'll be able to join other forward-thinking cities across the world...probably even before the MTA can build the 2nd Ave. subway.

Tony Avella Comes Down On The Right Side Of Term Limits

Mayoral candidate and Councilman Tony Avella is known as a reformer and agent of change in the New York City Council. On the issue of term limits though, he wants things to remain the same unless of course the voters decide to do things differently. While no one wants to explicitly repeal the law, they are more than a few that are thinking of extending it. Avella's bill would put an end to that type of talk.

From The NY Daily News:

Council Speaker Christine Quinn is being put on the spot with warring term limits bills.

A bill by Bronx Councilman Oliver Koppell calls for allowing term-limited incumbents to run next year for a third, four-year term.

A second bill, from Queens Councilman Tony Avella, would bar any change without a voter referendum.

"If they write the bill for Koppell, they better damn well write mine [too]," said Avella.

With a little bit of legislative maneuvering, Koppell's bill can be sidelined while either Avella's can be adhered to or both could be discarded. Of course, the way things pan out has a lot to do with the politics that both currently term-limited Speaker Quinn and Mayor Bloomberg decide to do.

Quinn - who as speaker has the power to keep a bill that is written and presented to the Council from coming to a vote - and Mayor Bloomberg insist that they have yet to discuss changing term limits.

Bloomberg stoked the flames this week by vowing to veto any bill repealing term limits, but said he would "think long and hard" about legislation permitting term-limited incumbents, like himself, to run again.

Also facing limits are 34 Council members, including Quinn, who once opposed changing the law but now refuses to say if she would permit a vote on the matter.

Quinn, Koppell and Bloomberg probably wanted this to float in under the radar but it didn't work out that way for them. Now the question is how much public pressure has to be exerted before they back off from trying to change the will of the voters. If legislation is passed in this matter, Avella's bill is one that reflects the spirit of the original term limits law, not Koppell's attempt to tweak it so he and others can stay in office another four years.

Tower Crane Collapse Shouldn't Have Happened, Building Plans Violated Code

It wasn't that long ago when a tower crane fell on several buildings in the Turtle Bay neighborhood, killing seven and injuring many more. It was a terrible tragedy and a giant wake-up call for city legislators who are finally realizing that the Department of Buildings is not keeping up with its obligation to keep construction sites safe. There are too many sites with greedy developers and not enough inspectors to make sure everything is legit. Yet for the soaring high-rise on 2nd Avenue and 52nd Street, the Department of Buildings didn't even bother to check (or care) to make sure the plans for the tower were copacetic for the area.

From The NY Times:

Under direct and often withering questioning by council members at the hearing of the Housing and Buildings Committee, called to review crane safety and inspection, Ms. Lancaster said the building under construction had been approved “not in accordance with the zoning regulation.”

“Wow,” said Councilwoman Jessica S. Lappin, whose district includes the site of the crane collapse. “You’re telling me this building should never have been approved in the first place?”

“That is correct,” Ms. Lancaster replied.

Other Councilmembers equally expressed their displeasure:

“We’re not Chicken Little,” said Councilwoman Rosie Mendez. “We’re saying the sky is falling because the sky is falling.”

Councilman Tony Avella said, “I don’t trust your agency to give me the correct time of day.”

It is a travesty that it has to come to public grillings by City Hall to make Lancaster and the DoB accountable for their neglect for the people of New York's safety. Something must change and change quickly, before the next "accident."

Tony Avella Gives Quinn A Piece Of His Mind

Every single candidate running for Mayor thus far has some sort of personality. Certainly Marty Markowitz is up on the top of the list for his outgoing behavior. Weiner is "Congressman," Quinn plays the "Speaker" and Catsimatidis is the "grocer" (I'm missing a few but thats o.k. for now). If any one of these candidates can be put next to the "reformer" label, it would be Tony Avella. Tony announced his candidacy last month and has vowed to fight hard despite the lack of large sums of special interest money. In an upcoming interview he is bringing that fight to Quinn and addressing the scandal that has enveloped her office.

From The NY Daily News:

Queens Councilman Tony Avella has some more sharp words for his potential 2009 Democratic mayoral primary opponent, Council Speaker Christine Quinn, and her handling of the ongoing slush fund scandal in this Sunday's News Forum interview with WNBC's Gabe Pressman.

Avella, who has formally announced his candidacy (whereas Quinn has not), calls the practice of parking taxpayer cash with phantom organizations to be used at a later date "a disgrace," alleging that the subsequent doling out of those dollars (some of which went to the Donna Reid Fund and were misspent) was done "to promote political agendas."

Avella declined to place too much blame on the Bloomberg administration, allowing only that the mayor's people "should have been looking into what the Council was proposing, adding:

"The blame really sticks with the speaker and the central staff. When you think about it, the speaker hired these individuals. She can fire them at a moment's notice with no reason whatsoever. If she told them not to do this, why would they continue to do it? It just doesn't add up."

No Tony, it doesn't....and Quinn still hasn't answered why she didn't fix this problem from the start.

A Solution For The Horses Of Central Park

Many tourists who come to New York love to see the horses that pull antique carriages around the Central Park area. It's romantic and charming sure, but when you are in town for a short time, people don't see the abusive nature of this trade. Horses have been killed because of the hectic atmosphere on the border of the park and Midtown. Horses are also mistreated not only by certain individual owners but by the very nature of what they are being made to do. Thankfully though, City Councilman Tony Avella has something to offer in its place.

From The Gothamist:

A plan is afoot to have horse drawn carriages around Central Park replaced by environmentally friendly classic cars, like the Ford Model T. The carriage horse business has come under increasing scrutiny recently as an outdated and cruel practice. Several incidents where horses were killed or injured after bolting in city traffic have galvanized opponents and some politicians to ban the use of horses in New York City. Technology remains a barrier, according to the Post.

One option would be the classic replicas that run on propane and hydrogen currently shuttling tourists around San Francisco. But Nislick said the coalition would prefer electric cars with zero emissions - technology that may not be available until 2010.

Councilman Tony Avella is interested in the possible substitution of cars for horses. He's already proposed a bill to ban horse drawn carriages in the city. Carriage owners insist that their animals are well cared for and think that a car ride won't have the same appeal as a carriage ride. Spokeswoman for the Horse and Carriage Association, Carolyn Daly, told the Post "No one wants to replace clip-clop, clip-clop with chitty chitty bang bang."

The Horse and Carriage Association can make all the noises they want, but the truth remains that their profession is inherently cruel to the animals who are forced to pull people around the park. These people need to stop whining and let the horses be cared for in a way that is actually caring. Despite their claims, anyone that passes by them around Central Park South can see the truth of what they are trying to pull. Putting classic cars into practice is a novel and refreshing idea that is good for both man and horse.

Tony Avella Wants Clean Money In NYC

Unlike other politicians in New York that think clean money means having it laundered, Councilman Tony Avella wants to see election reform here in Gotham. Avella is somewhat of a renegade compared to the other 50 members, and consistently advocates for meaningful reform, even if it has a small chance of passing. Yesterday however, he stood up with election reform proponents (myself included) on the steps of City Hall in order to get a bill ready for the Mayor and Council to consider.....and pass.

From The Daily News:

Queens Councilman Tony Avella, the underdog 2009 mayoral hopeful who views the fact that he has raised less money than his opponents as a badge of honor, today unveiled a Clean Money, Clean Elections bill that would provide a full public financing (at the taxpayers' expense) for candidates for city office.

(And yes, this is part of the revolution).

Avella argues that the current partial public financing system is failing because many candidates opt out in order to avoid spending limits.

The system as it exists also relies too heavily on bundlers and special interest donors, the councilman said, (albeit less so since the campaign finance reform signed into law by Mayor Bloomberg, which is being challenged in federal court).

Avella denounced his fellow citywide candidates (particularly a certain Council Speaker) for accepting too much special interest cash, particularly from developers.

"They're not contributing just for the sake of it, they're contributing because they want something," Avella said. "I tell people when they give to me, they're not getting any favors."

I asked Avella whether he would accept contributions from developers and he responded: "It's not going to happen." He later amended that to: "If there were no strings attached, yes," allowing that there are some "good developers who try to work with the community."

That said, there are some people from whom Avella said he would never accept campaign cash - Donald Trump, for example.

The Daily News doesn't sound too hopeful in her post about this having a chance to happen but that doesn't mean this is over before it starts. The Mayor himself ran on a theme that he couldn't be bought and his support on this issue what kick things into high gear. Of course at the moment he is rather busy with passing congestion pricing, so we'll have to check back next week after the Council is finished with that 'little' matter.

Come Stand Up For Clean Elections In NY Today!

At high noon on the steps of City Hall you can be part of the action and see the efforts made by Citizen Action as Councilman Tony Avella joins us to propose a truly clean elections system here in New York, both as a state and here in the city. There has been a lot of hard work involved in getting just to this point, but with the help of many New Yorkers that have not heard the call, we can help enact real reform right here, right now.

From The Daily Gotham:

Join Council Member Tony Avella and me on Tuesday, March 25, at noon, on the steps of City Hall. Council Member Avella will be announcing the "Clean Money, Clean Elections" (CMCE) bill that he is sponsoring in the City Council. The more support we can get, in the form of people coming out, the more initial impact we'll make.

CMCE will virtually eliminate private fundraising for candidates. It will truly level the playing field for candidates who don't have access to big money. It will reduce the lower of lobbyists who use big campaign donations and bundling to gain access to our elected officials. In short, CMCE will make our elected officials responsible to constituents, not special interests.

This will be an enormous uphill battle. Entrenched special interests, and the politicians in their pockets, will fight tooth and nail to maintain the current system. They'll call it "the best in the country," without a shred of evidence to back that claim up. They'll put legislative hurdles in our path.

That post would be from Dan Jacoby, one of the key citizen backers of this legislation. It is immensely important to him to see real reform in New York, as it is to myself. I hope we will get a huge turnout today, so come one, come all and see citizen action in progress!

Councilman Avella Speaks Out Against Tibet

If you had to put the adjective "reformer" next to a noun like "New York City Councilmember," you would likely come up with Tony Avella. Tony has fought against the horse drawn carriages in Central Park and now he is appealing to the corporate sponsors of the Olympics based here in New York to boycott the Beijing summer games. Many people have heard about Steven Spielberg dropping out of his Olympic role, well now NYC's Avella is engaged and will be participating in today's protest against the Chinese government for their atrocities perpetrated on the Tibetan people as well as commemorating the anniversary of the 1959 uprising.

From The Gothamist:

City Council member and probable 2009 mayoral candidate, Tony Avella, is the latest politician to ask for America's withdrawl from the Beijing Olympics if China will not grant Tibet independence. Under China's rule for over 50 years, Tibet has made no headway, even with the support of human rights groups, activists...and Richard Gere. When we interviewed Robert Thurman, co-founder of the Tibet House, earlier this year he touched on the Olympics, saying:

The thinking is that if you give them a big P.R. thing to do like the Olympics, they won’t want people to see how they’re beating up the Falun Gong or whatever it is they’re doing lately. This is a fallacious concept but within that it’s true that the Chinese are trying to clean up their act so they won’t be embarrassed during the Olympics. Unfortunately, what the Chinese consider ‘cleaning up their act’ is to wipe out people who might do human rights protests; they don’t mean stopping the human rights violations.

Today a rally in Manhattan is taking place commemorating the anniversary of the 1959 uprising against China. Avella is in attendance and will most likely use this event to introduce his resolution, which demands New York City-based corporate sponsors boycott the 2008 Olympics, and that the International Olympic Committee move the games from Beijing. He stated, "That's the only thing that will make them do anything — international pressure."

If we were able to boycott the 1980 Olympics, we can do it in 2008. Bush may not care about the plight of the Tibetan people enough but many Americans certainly do, especially when they resonate with what the citizens of Tibet want.

Thank you Councilman Avella for the principled stances you take and to show you our support, I'd like to ask anyone who is free at 11:30 AM on Thursday, March 13th 12 PM Friday March 14th to show up at the steps in front of City Hall to help him in his other quest, for clean elections here in New York. I'll be telling you about it again, so if you forget today don't worry.

Central Park Carriage Rides No More?

When it comes to romance and New York City, some locals and many visitors think of a carriage ride in the park before anything else. Who knows how many marriage proposals have been made on those horse-drawn wooden carriages? Though many people see it as a vehicle for romance, animal rights supporters see it as something much different. If you have ever walked down Central Park South, or around the entrance for Tavern on the Green and looked closely at the horses, they seem to be the saddest souls in the city. Now Councilman Avella is trying to do something about it.

From The Daily News:

Horse-drawn carriage rides through Central Park will become a thing of the past if a Queens lawmaker has his way.

Councilman Tony Avella (D-Queens) is introducing a bill next month that seeks to ban the carriage rides, arguing they promote animal cruelty and aren't safe.

"It is time to put this industry out to pasture," said Avella, explaining that attempts to regulate the industry have been fruitless.

Patrick Byrne, who operates out of Central Park Carriages, said, "Let the market decide if we should be in business, not a publicity-seeking councilman."

Damn, that a nasty (but expected) response from one member in the industry. Besides seeing sad eyes and hearing from Avella, is there anything written or reported about the carriage industry and how they treat their horses?

You bet there is.

If this bill does not pass, take the words Patrick Byrne to heart, stop thinking of those carriages as romantic and realize what those horses go through...then vote with your wallet and walk away. There are dozens, if not hundreds of other things in New York that you can do to be romantic.