How To Spend One Million Dollars: Neighborhood Residents Brainstorm At Participatory Budgeting Assembly

Councilman Brad Lander of the 39th Council District

What to do with a $1 million dollars? That was the question yesterday evening as many in the community gathered at PS 59 to take part in a neighborhood assembly hosted by Councilman Brad Lander to discuss and to identify neighborhood needs.

What is participatory budgeting? It is a process by which members of the community directly decide how to spend part of the public budget. The idea was first developed in Brazil in 1989 and is now used in many municipalities around the world.

Here in the United States, only the 49th Ward in Chicago has implemented the idea. In 2011-2012, four New York City Council districts are taking part in a pilot initiative, each setting aside at least $1million dollars of their discretionary funds. The 39th Council District, which goes through Cobble Hill, Carroll Gardens, the Columbia Waterfront, Gowanus, , Park Slope, Windsor Terrace, Kensington and Borough Park, is one of those four.

"This is real grass-roots democracy," Brad Lander told the assembly last night. "We are trying something new. This is a way to work together, identify what your community needs and turn the ideas into real projects."

After a presentation on participatory budgeting, there was a short Q & A session. Those in attendance then broke out into groups to come up with capital project ideas.

Afterwards, each group reported back the results.

Here are just some of the ideas for our own community:

*Green roofs for school

*Traffic calming measures on Hicks Street

*Art installation under the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway

*School playground bubbles for winter recess

*Nature refuge along the Gowanus Canal

*Accessible meeting space for community groups in Carroll Gardens library's basement

*And last but not least, most groups mentioned the needs for more garbage and recycling bins on busy commercial strips like Court Street and Smith Street.

It is always a good thing when residents get together and involved. Participatory budgeting does give the community a stake and encourages the democratic process. However, $1 million dollars out of the $3 million discretionary fund available to our Councilman is not very much at all, especially when split between the 8 neighborhoods (and Prospect Park) in the district.

One has to wonder if the money will just be enough to buy a few new public garbage cans for each of those neighborhoods. Not that it would be a bad thing and I don't mean to sound cynical, but last night seemed a bit silly and a bit like a re-election effort.

Nevertheless, I encourage everyone to get involved in the process by click here or by contact Councilman Brad Lander's office here.

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Take Part In The 39th Council District "Reduce Your Use" Challenge

I don't know about you, dear Reader, but I have gotten a lot more conscious about how much electricity I use in my home. However, I know I can do more to lessen my carbon footprint.

That is why my family will take part in Councilman Brad Lander's "Reduce Your Use" challenge to the constituents in the 39th Council District. It starts in August.

Read more about it below and sign up by filling out the form here.

Challenge You to

Reduce Your Use in the 39^thDistrict!

There are many quick and easy things you can do to bring down your family’s electricity usage – from switching to compact florescent light blubs (CFLs), to buying energy efficient appliances, to unplugging power charges when they aren’t in use.

We want to help as many people as possible to make these kinds of changes.

Our competition begins on August 1^st

Simply fill out the online survey at www.surveymonkey.com/reducetheused39

Or, contact Michael Curtin at 718-499-1090 or mcurtin@council.nyc.gov

We will send you monthly updates with who has saved the most energy, and with tips to further green your home!

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Disappointed? Yes! Regretful? No! The Day After The Primaries

Last night, with the Skaller Campaign

A very tired, but ever gracious, Josh Skaller

Josh Skaller with his campaign manager, Chris Owens

Josh Skaller addressing his volunteers

Kelly Skaller with baby Selah

The Day After The 39th District Primaries

First, let me say that I am of course disappointed that Josh Skaller did not win in the democratic primaries last night, as you no doubt already know. But in no way am I regretful for supporting his candidacy. And after spending last evening with him, after listening to the speech he gave to his very tired (and sunburned) campaign volunteers, I am more convinced than ever that he was the right man to represent us in the City Council.
It has been my incredible pleasure to get to know Josh. He ran his campaign with honesty, grace and clarity. He motivated his volunteers with his clear, unwavering message that our neighborhoods belong to us and that the City Council has to represent its citizens, not special interests.
I hope that Josh will continue to be a strong voice for change. We need him, be it in the fight against Atlantic Yards, in the fight for the Gowanus Canal Superfund designation or in the fight to preserve our brownstone neighborhoods.

To all of you friends and readers, some of whom I got to meet personally yesterday, thank you for taking the time to listen to my impassioned speeches about Josh. And most importantly,
thank you for supporting and voting Josh.

And to Josh, his lovely wife and children, I hope you get some rest, spend some time together as a family and then...plan the next campaign.

For Home Page, click Pardon Me For Asking

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Josh Skaller Is The One!

Skaller Campaign literature

Josh Skaller supporters talking to neighbors in Carroll Gardens

Josh Skaller

As many of you know, my husband Glenn and I helped organize the 39th Council District Dazzle Me Forum back in April with members of CORD and others. It was a great opportunity to get to know the candidates who are running in our district to replace outgoing Councilmember Bill DeBlasio.

After the event, we, as a group of involved Carroll Gardeners, decided that we would support one of the candidates if, and only if, we could all agree on the same person. So, after meeting with each democratic candidate individually to hear about their positions on many issues regarding our neighborhood, we all came to the same conclusion. We unanimously decided to back the one candidate who impressed us with his clear vision for our neighborhood and the changes needed in the City Council to make it accountable to the people it represents.

This candidate is Josh Skaller.

We felt that Josh best shared our concerns for our neighborhood, was incredibly forthcoming about his agenda, was willing to take on the hard issues in the City Council as well as provide this district with more communicative and transparent representation.

If you have not made up your mind, take a look at Josh Skaller's web site and watch the video below. Josh is the best man for the job.

Video Credit: NBC New York

Don't Forget To Vote In The Primaries on September, 15th 2009

For Home Page, click Pardon Me For Asking

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Transportation Alternatives To Host 39th District Council Debate Tonight

Josh Skaller

Gary Reilly

John Heyer

Bob Zuckerman

Brad Lander

The Democratic primaries are just days away now, so if you don't yet know which 39th District Council candidate you will vote for, this is a great opportunity:

From The Park Slope Neighbors :

Transportation Alternatives is hosting a debate among the candidates vying for the City Council seat in the 39th Council District, currently held by Bill de Blasio.

The debate will take place at PS 321,
on 7th Avenue between 1st and 2nd Streets in Park Slope,
Tuesday, August 18th, at 7 p.m.

If you're a voter in the 39th District, or just interested in or concerned about city transportation policies, we urge you to attend.


For Home Page, click Pardon Me For Asking

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City Council Candidate Josh Skaller Collects 10,000 Signatures And Collects Maximum Contributions

Congratulations to Council Candidate Josh Skaller! His campaign just submitted 10,000 nomination petition signatures, days before the deadline. That is an impressive number. The signatures were collected with the help of a group of dedicated volunteers all over the district, who showed their commitment to Josh's campaign by spending hours talking to friends and neighbors about the candidate.

From the Skaller campaign:

Skaller Collects 10,000 Signatures And The Maximum Contribution Dollars:
"I am the candidate to deliver real reform"

Not a lot of things come in groups of 10,000.
Lakes in Minnesota. Game show winnings. Josh Skaller petition signatures.
Skaller, the reform Democratic candidate for City Council, led the field in the 39th District by collecting over 10,000 nominating petition signatures - a powerful display of grassroots might.
"We have the largest grassroots campaign in Brooklyn, and we are mobilizing," Skaller said. "People signed my petitions because they believe in my message. They've had it with the slush fund culture and the developers-first, community-second mentality of a billionaire-driven city government.
"They support my campaign because they believe in reform, and they know I am the candidate to deliver real reform."
A whopping 155 New Yorkers served as witnesses for Skaller's signatures. As an organizer of Brooklyn for Barack, Skaller's grassroots ethos has defined his campaign. The Skaller campaign has over 200 volunteers and more individual donors than any Brooklyn-based City Council campaign.
"People are getting involved in my campaign who have never been involved in a local political campaign before," Skaller said. "They see what's happening in City Hall and they want to make a difference in their own neighborhoods."
The Skaller campaign collected over 11,000 signatures, but chose not to claim over 1,000 signatures from voters who live outside the 39th District.
"Our momentum grows with each passing day," Skaller said. "Each day, community members come on board our campaign. I have personally knocked on over 5,000 doors. I have put myself in position to win this election by going one voter at a time."
Skaller was the first candidate in the race to reject money from developers, who often spend big dollars on New York City's political campaigns. Skaller's donations have come largely in small amounts from neighborhood residents.
"We need a government that invests in what makes our City the greatest city in the world - New Yorkers," Skaller said. "That means funding schools instead of boondoggles like Atlantic Yards. It means funding transit so fares don't keep going up, and helping small businesses so that our neighborhoods keep the charm that makes them so unique."
In Carroll Gardens, community members rallied around Josh Skaller due to his early and strong support for a Superfund designation of the Gowanus Canal by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
"I'm looking forward to working with Josh to clean up the Gowanus and pursue sensible development in Brownstone Brooklyn," said Carroll Gardens resident Glenn Kelly, a member of the Carroll Gardens Coalition for Respectful Development who carried petitions for Skaller. "He is the most qualified and experienced candidate who is in sync with us on all of the issues."
Skaller, a community activist, is running in the 39th District, which includes all or parts of Park Slope, Carroll Gardens, Borough Park, Kensington, Windsor Terrace and Cobble Hill.
"We need development that respects the needs of the community, and a City Council more concerned with the community than the wallets of developers or their own political fortunes," Skaller said.



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39th Council District Candidates React To IND Endorsement

I wish I could have been a fly on the wall at last night's Independent Neighborhood Democrats' vote to endorse John Heier as the club's candidate. Their endorsement of the most conservative contender in the race to replace Councilman Bill DeBlasio seems to be an indication that they are a bit out of touch, to say the least. Below are the statements released by candidates Josh Skaller and Bob Zuckerman after the IND vote.

Statement From City Council Candidate Josh Skaller Regarding IND Endorsement

"It is sad that a majority of IND's voting membership insulted many IND members and community residents by choosing to support a conservative Democrat for City Council who opposes Superfund relief for the Gowanus Canal and whose opinions on choice and marriage equality are confusing, at best. The residents of the Boerum Hill, Carroll Gardens and Gowanus communities want progressive leadership committed to reforming City government and unafraid of marriage equality, a woman's right to choose and a real, federally-supported clean-up of the Gowanus Canal. That is why organizers of a recent candidates' forum decided to endorse my campaign for City Council. I welcome grassroots support from all over the 39th Council District, but I will always prefer the support of community residents whose perspectives are free from the developer dollars and entrenched business interests."


Statement From City Council Candidate Bob Zuckerman Regarding IND Endorsement

“I am deeply troubled that the Independent Neighborhood Democrats decided to endorse a conservative candidate who is anti-choice and anti marriage equality. This club is in danger of becoming an irrelevant voice because of its endorsement process over the last few years. IND is made up of many wonderful and smart people who are committed to the progressive values it was founded on over thirty years ago. But the actions of some have continued to tarnish the progressive reputation of this club and it saddens me to think, as last night’s vote demonstrated, it’s no longer independent or reform.”

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