Helicopters Matter

Via DNA Info:

City councilmembers are pushing ahead with their fight to end noisy tourist helicopter rides, introducing a bill Thursday that would ban the sightseeing flights in New York City. Several councilmembers including Margaret Chin, who represents Lower Manhattan, as well as the Upper West Side's Helen Rosenthal, and Brooklyn's Carlos Menchacha, proposed the legislation, which would squash the use of tourist helicopters that some call unbearably loud and persistent. "The Council finds that there is significant noise pollution caused by the dozens of sightseeing helicopters operating daily from heliports owned by the city," the bill reads. "The heliports used by sightseeing helicopters are near water which carries the sound of those helicopters and significantly disrupts the daily lives of city residents who live and work near the heliports or across the East River."

They might want to rethink their name.

UPDATE: I should have mentioned that the above was a full-page ad in yesterday's New York Daily News.

New York City Council LGBT Caucus Backs Boycott Of Gay Hoteliers

Posted yesterday to the Facebook page for the boycott of hoteliers Ian Reisner and Mati Weiderpass:

STATEMENT - LGBT CAUCUS - NEW YORK CITY COUNCIL

"Owning businesses that cater to the LGBT community comes with a heightened level of responsibility. For the proprietors of the OUTnyc and Fire Island Pines, hosting anti-LGBT politicians like Senators Ted Cruz and Ron Johnson in their home - for whatever reason - was the height of irresponsibility. We hope that the events of the last week send a message to businesses that serve our community: you cannot make money from our community and support those who don't support our basic civil rights."

LGBT Caucus - Council Members Daniel Dromm (Queens), Corey Johnson (Manhattan), Carlos Menchaca (Brooklyn), Rosie Mendez (Manhattan), Ritchie Torres (Bronx), James Van Bramer (Queens)

‪#‎BoycottFIPOut‬

New York City Council Speaker Seeks To Decriminalize Some Petty Offenses

The New York City Council is contemplating decriminalizing the six petty offenses listed above in a poll by the Wall Street Journal.

New York City Council’s speaker and lawmakers are discussing amending the city’s code to make six low-level offenses civil violations, rather than criminal offenses. However, the plan to decriminalize these low-level violations has sparked intense debate among state and city officials about how these so-called quality-of-life offenses should be treated by police and the courts. The city has long had a “broken windows” philosophy of policing, in which low-level crimes are aggressively pursued in hopes of deterring more serious ones. The offenses under consideration for decriminalization include public consumption of alcohol, bicycling on the sidewalk, being in a park after dark, failure to obey a park sign, littering (the offense used for public urination) and turnstile jumping.

NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton is strongly opposed:

Bratton released a 41-page report that finds arrests for numerous types of misdemeanors fell in the first quarter of 2015 compared with the same period a year earlier. Meanwhile, the NYPD has seen an increase in the number of desk appearance tickets it gives for misdemeanor arrests versus making defendants go before a judge for an arraignment. That number was 41 percent last year, the highest over the 14-year period dating to 2000. The report suggests that quality-of-life policing and misdemeanor arrests "forestall felony crime." Enforcement actions of all kinds have been declining in New York City in what Bratton has called the "peace dividend." "None of this means we can't explore alternatives to misdemeanor arrests," he said. "We can and we are doing so. We can be more considered and more considerate. We can be more respectful and more respected, and we will be." Bratton said the city was a "mess" in the 1970s and 80s when quality-of-life crimes were neglected. What brought the city back, and what Bratton said he is doubling down on now, is so-called broken windows policing.

Yesterday the speaker of the City Council claimed that her plan is backed by Hillary Clinton:

Hillary Clinton's criminal justice speech Wednesday provided fodder for the debate over decriminalizing minor offenses in New York, with City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito claiming to have Clinton in her corner while Mayor de Blasio insisted he would keep up enforcement against quality-of-life offenses. Mark-Viverito quickly embraced Clinton's call for "alternative punishments for low-level offenders" and suggested it places the leading presidential contender on the side of her push to decriminalize violations like public drinking and turnstile jumping. "Secretary Clinton today laid out the type of progressive vision on criminal justice reforms the City Council is fighting for in New York City," she said in a statement. "From finding alternative punishments for low-level offenses which will help keep people out of jails like Rikers Island, to adding more officers to the street in order to strengthen police-community relations and foster more trust, Secretary Clinton today articulated a bold vision."

New York City Councilman Fernando Cabrera Praises Uganda's Anti-Gay Laws

Andres Duque writes at YouTube:

In a 30 minute video posted on January of 2014 New York City pastor and Councilmember Fernando Cabrera addressed viewers from Uganda and praised their draconian anti-gay laws for lowering HIV transmission. He also said the United States should have an "department of ethics" such as the one that launched the extreme attacks against the Ugandan LGBT community.

RELATED: Cabrera represents the Bronx and is running for the New York state Senate. The Gotham Gazette wrote about him last month:

City Council Member Fernando Cabrera's run for the state Senate in the Bronx's 33rd district, a seat currently held by Sen. Gustavo Rivera, is becoming more complicated by the minute. Cabrera, a Democrat challenging Rivera in September's primary, has expressed interest in joining the Independent Democratic Conference if elected and appears to have its members' support. However, IDC leader Sen. Jeff Klein, also of the Bronx, recently said that he would have a "litmus test" for any candidate the IDC might support. Based on his conservative stances on reproductive rights and marriage equality, Cabrera appears likely to fail such a test.

Cabrera is a conservative Democrat and pastor at New Life Outreach International. He has ties to the Family Research Council, which was recently labeled a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center for insisting that gays and lesbians should be imprisoned. According to records from Westchester County and the New York City Board of Elections, Cabrera switched his registration from Republican to Democrat when he moved to the Bronx in 2007, yet continued to vote in the 2008 Republican presidential primary. Cabrera enjoys support from Sen. Ruben Diaz and from the conservative Democratic base in the Bronx that backs both legislators.

The primary is Tuesday.

NOM Fumes After Gay NYC Councilman Slams Chick-Fil-A Expansion Plans

"We don’t need bigots coming to New York City. They are not welcome here unless they can embrace all of New York’s diverse community, including the LGBT community. We don’t need bigoted people even keeping their opinions to themselves. They need to wake up and see reality." - Gay NYC Councilman Daniel Dromm (D-Queens), speaking last week to the Huffington Post about Chick-Fil-A's plan to "aggressively expand" into urban markets. Last month Chick-Fil-A CEO Dan Cathy announced that he'll be shutting up about gay marriage, doubtlessly in order to smooth the expansion process.

Yesterday NOM president Brian Brown went nuts about Dromm's brief statement.

"These remarks are outrageous and intolerant, and sadly seem to be part of a trend developing in the public debate surrounding this issue. When Dan Cathy's pro-marriage views were first reported in 2012, we saw mayors and city councils saying similar things—it was a disgraceful circus then, and it is now. What Dromm has effectively said here is that anyone who believes in marriage as the union of a man and a woman is unwelcome in New York City. His remarks, coming amidst a climate of such unseemly attacks on pro-marriage people as we saw with the Mozilla controversy last week, simply reinforce a growing manifestation of hostility and intimidation in the public square toward folks with traditional values. Christians and others are now, it seems, going to be considered guilty of 'thought-crimes' and threatened with all manner of reprisals simply for holding their beliefs."

NOM is demanding a "formal apology" from the entire New York City Council. Good luck with that!

Bill Donohue Has The St. Patrick's Sadz

"There is a growing contempt for tolerance and diversity in the homosexual community, and among their supporters, especially in New York. The latest example is the ruling by the New York City Council Speaker banning an official City Council presence, banner, and Sergeant-at-Arms in this year’s march. When a government agent prohibits the celebration of St. Patrick’s Day, a tradition that has been honored for hundreds of years, it is an obscene exercise in censorship. The St. Patrick’s Day Parade does not permit pro-life activists to march under their own banner, but that hardly makes this Catholic event anti-life; it simply means this is not a day that centers on abortion. Ditto for gays: it is not about them. They are the only ones who are feigning exclusion (gays can march, just so long as they blend in like everyone else)." - Catholic League blowhard Bill Donohue, who thinks those hundreds of group that march behind their own banner are "blending in."

RELATED: This Sunday, Queens will host the LGBT-inclusive St. Patrick's Day For All Parade. Irish activist and drag personality Panti Bliss will march in the parade. The grand marshal will be openly gay and openly HIV+ former New York state Sen. Tom Duane. Mayor Bill De Blasio, who announced his boycott of the main parade earlier this month, will march in Queens.

NYC Council To Boycott St. Patty's Parade

"St. Patrick's Day has traditionally been a day when everyone can be Irish. Unfortunately, in New York City the Hibernians seem to have disavowed that old Irish tradition and have not allow LGBT people to march in the 5th Avenue St. Patrick's Day parade under their own banner for more than 20 years. In Ireland, not only do gay groups march but they often win awards for the best contingent. The Hibernians must return to their Irish roots and heritage, become hospitable and allow LGBT groups to fully participate. Enough is enough. I am extremely proud that the NYC Council under the leadership of Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito has taken a strong stand against bigotry and will not participate in the parade until LGBT people are treated equally." - Openly gay NYC Councilman Patrick Dromm (D-Queens), via press release.

RELATED: This Sunday, Queens will host the LGBT-inclusive St. Patrick's Day For All Parade. Irish activist and drag personality Panti Bliss will march in the parade. The grand marshal will be openly gay and openly HIV+ former New York state Sen. Tom Duane. Mayor Bill De Blasio, who announced his boycott of the main parade earlier this month, will march in Queens.

NEW YORK CITY: Christine Quinn Signs Off As Speaker Of The City Council

"Dear friends, I'm writing today to say thank you, and wish you a Happy New Year. Thank you to each and every one of you who came to committee hearings or town hall meetings, who sent emails, who made phone calls. Thank you for lending us your ideas and making your voices heard, for playing a part in shaping the city we love so very much. And thank you for helping make the greatest city in the world even greater. As I think back on my eight years as City Council Speaker, and my fourteen years as a member of the Council, I can't help but feel grateful, humbled, and proud of all we accomplished together.

"We helped thousands more families find affordable homes, and thousands more students get full day pre-kindergarten. We created good middle class jobs, passed some of the strongest environmental protections in the nation, and helped New Yorkers lead longer and healthier lives. Though we are ending this chapter of our work together, the story of New York City is still being written every day in every corner of the five boroughs. I look forward to continuing to fight by your side in the months and years ahead, to give every New Yorker even greater opportunity, to find innovative solutions to our biggest challenges, and to ensure that our best days are always ahead of us." - Christine Quinn, in a press release issued on her last day as speaker and member of the New York City Council.

Gay Vs Gay For NYC Council

When I ran into attorney and activist Yetta Kurland at the Stonewall Inn two weeks ago, she told me she hadn't yet decided on whether to challenge Community Board 4 chairman Corey Johnson in the race to succeed Christine Quinn as Chelsea's representative on the New York City Council. Today we learn Kurland is in. Via Gay City News:

In 2009, Kurland took on Quinn, who had then been speaker for four years, and earned a third of the vote in a three-woman race, holding the incumbent to just over 50 percent. Since then, Kurland’s visibility has remained undiminished –– tackling issues like the closure of St. Vincent’s Hospital and the rights of Occupy Wall Street participants to hold their ground in Zuccotti Park, and also hosting a weekly radio show on WWRL AM 1600. In announcing her candidacy, Kurland evoked her now familiar combatively progressive tone. Saying New York, her home for the past two decades, is “the greatest city in the world,” she warned, “We’re heading toward becoming a place where only the richest can afford to live and where our public resources are being converted into private profit.”

Kurland has released a list of 65 prominent local activists who support her campaign. Johnson issued his own lengthy list of backers in August.

DISCLOSURE: Johnson is a personal friend and my name appears on his list. However I also quite like Yetta Kurland.  I don't live in their district and therefore cannot vote for either.

Openly Gay NYC Council Candidate Corey Johnson Rolls Out Huge List Of Backers

Manhattan Community Board 4 (Chelsea) chair Corey Johnson has published a 500-name list of backers in his campaign for City Council. Politicker reports:

West side City Council candidate Corey Johnson can safely be claimed the early front-runner in the race to replace Christine Quinn, having already maxed out in fundraising and now rolling a rather impressive list of over 500 neighborhood leaders who he says back him for the seat. “Our campaign is moving into a new phase of excitement,” Mr. Johnson said. “The support from grassroots leaders and activists is overwhelming. Together, we can work together for more affordable housing, stronger schools with smaller class sizes, economic and social justice, and the intangible quality of life elements that are so essential the city we love.”

DISCLOSURE: Johnson is an acquaintance of mine and my name appears in the portion of the list for supporters who live outside his district.

NEW YORK CITY: Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer First Gay Elected Official To Marry

NYC Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer (in the dark shirt), who represents Queens, will become the city's first openly gay elected official to marry since it became legal in June. The Sunnyside Post reports:

Last Monday at a Puerto Rican restaurant, Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer was presented with an engagement ring and a marriage proposal from his long-time partner. Van Bramer, despite being caught off guard, said “yes” and is now scheduled to marry Sunnyside Gardens resident Dan Hendrick next summer. The pair have been in a relationship for more than 12 years. “It did catch me by surprise even though we had talked about getting married for years,” Van Bramer said. “I was at a conference and marriage was not on my mind that day.”

Van Bramer says his mother wept with joy at the news. He was elected to the City Council in 2009 after a decade as an administrator for the Queens Public Library. Prior to that he was a reporter for Gay City News.

Christine Quinn Holds NYC Speaker Post

Today openly lesbian NYC Council Speaker Christine Quinn was re-elected by a near unanimous vote of her fellow council members.

There wasn't much doubt about the outcome, but the vote got rowdy as supporters of her only challenger, Charles Barron, who got one vote, yelled things like "sell out," after many of the votes were cast. On hand for the event right now are former speakers Peter Vallone Sr., and Gifford Miller. Quinn stood calmly as vocal Barron supporters left the balcony during her acceptance speech. One woman leaving asked loudly when Quinn would get "indicted" for "that slush fund," a financial scandal last year.

Quinn's acceptance speech can be found at the above link. And the Bloomberg juggernaut rolls on....

Christine Quinn To NY Senate: It's Time To Stand Up For All Families

NYC Councilman Charles Baron Will Attempt To Unseat Speaker Quinn

NYC Councilman Charles Baron is gunning to unseat Speaker Christine Quinn, saying it's long overdue for the city to have a person of color in the job, perhaps overlooking that the openly lesbian Quinn is also a minority.

"I would be an excellent speaker," Charles Barron, the Democratic councilman from Brooklyn said today, and if another person of color doesn't run against Christine Quinn in January, he will. "We need someone to be a check on the Mayor, not a deputy mayor," he said over the phone Thursday afternoon, pointing out that the speaker and the chairs of the two most powerful committees, land use and finance, have been "exclusively white."

After Tuesday's election, whites are now a 27-24 minority in the 51-member City Council, a first for NYC. According to Baron, if the black city council members "band together," Quinn's ouster is assured. Four council members, including Quinn, are openly gay -the most ever.