Newsletters

Spring is finally here, and the days are getting a little bit longer and warmer.

This month, I held budget hearings; fought against the marine transfer station; advocated to make it easier for parents to return to the workforce; demanded better bus service; worked to prevent sky-high zoning in our neighborhoods; and more. There are many more updates in the email below.

I hope to see you at First Friday tomorrow morning from 8-10 a.m. at my district office to discuss these issues and more. 

In April, you are empowered to vote on how to spend $1 million in our neighborhood this month. To pledge to vote, find voting times and see the projects on the ballot, please visit BenKallos.com/PB

Sincerely,

Ben Kallos

Table of Contents
1. Participatory Budgeting: You Decide How to Spend $1 Million
2. Fighting Against the Marine Transfer Station
Education
3. Fighting for Public Schools
4. Supporting our Schools
5. School Crossing Guards
6. Council Member for a Day
7. Summer Reading Challenge
8. Chess in the Schools
9. NYC FIRST Robotics Regional Competition
10. Student Voter Registration Day
Jobs
11. Helping Parents Get Back to Work
12. Funding Life Sciences in New York City
13. Raise the Wage!
Affordable Housing
14. Fighting Against Overdevelopment
15. Protesting Church Closings
16. Real Affordability for All
17. Extending Rent Laws
18. Rent Rollback
19. Assisting Tenants
20. Funds for NYCHA
21. Affordable Housing Opportunity
Transportation
22. Better Bus Service
23. Ferry Service
A Better Budget
24. Progress at the Board of Elections
25. NEW City Records Portal
26. Oversight Hearings
Environment
27. NYLCV Perfect Score and Green Construction
28. Food Justice
29. Roosevelt Island AVAC System Tour
Community
30. OTTY Awards
31. Honoring Big Brothers Big Sisters
32. Celebrating Easter in the Community
33. Save Small Business
34. Community Board 8
35. Three Alarm Fire
36. Free Tax Assistance
37. Mount Vernon Hotel Museum
38. Free Senior Fitness Class
39. Asphalt Green Big Swim at Asphalt Green AquaCenter
Civic Technology and Participation
40. Increasing Participation: Absentee Ballot Tracking & Same Day Registration
41. New Age of Civic Tech
42. Senior Cyber Citizens
43. DemocracyOS
44. NYU GovLab Course
Office Updates
45. Ben in Your Building
46. PlaNYC Community Ideas
47. Summer Youth Employment
48. Here to Help
49. City Council Interns
50. Legislative Corner
51. In the Neighborhood
52. City Council Events
53. Mobile District Hours
54. Community Events

Ferry service is coming to the East Side, according to an announcement made by the Mayor during his State of the City speech last month -- including a "nerd boat," connecting the East Side, Roosevelt Island and Astoria, which I have long advocated for.

The Vision Zero Pedestrian Safety Plan for Manhattan was released, a comprehensive plan for the DOT, NYPD, and other agencies that I contributed to through my "Livable Streets" initiative.

When it is complete, will you be taking the ferry? Write me a note and let me know your plans.

To top it off, I celebrated my birthday this month, and Valentine's Day with my wife. All in all, it has been a great February -- and it is shaping up to be a great March. Please join me this month at First Friday, Policy Night, a housing legal clinic, or a participatory budgeting expo. With all these options, I hope to see you soon!

Sincerely,

Ben Kallos

Table of Contents

1. Fighting the Marine Transfer Station
2. Ferry Service on the East Side
3. Vision Zero Pedestrian Safety Plan
4. Participatory Budgeting - You Decide How to Spend $1 Million
5. Net Neutrality Won
6. Protecting New Yorkers
7. Towing Transparency Bill
8. Protecting Public Schools
9. State of the District
10. Helping the Homeless
11. Meetup
12. Online Tracking of Absentee Applications and Ballots
13. Free Broadband for NYCHA Residents
14. City Council Bill Drafting Unit
15. Whole Foods Opening
16. CIVITAS East River Esplanade Vision Plan
17. Fighting for Affordable Housing
18. Civic Tech Town Hall at CodeAcross NYC
19. LGBT Center Ribbon Cutting
20. Ribbon Cutting at New Urban Justice Center Home
21. Jewish People's Choice Awards
22. CitiBike Expansion
23. Standing Against Anti-Semitism with Chief Rabbi of France
24. Learning from World Cities
25. Affordable Housing 
26. FREE Senior Fitness Class
27. Free Legal Housing Clinic
28. Free Course on Civic Tech at NYU
29. Teaching about Government
30. Luce Leaders Awards
31. Civil Service and Labor Hearing 
32. Here to Help
33. City Council Interns
34. Legislative Corner
35. In the Neighborhood
36. City Council Events
37. Community Events

I hope you are staying warm! The temperatures have dropped and snow has begun to fall, so if you need city services, please contact 311 and my office. The good news is that Staten Island Chuck did not see his shadow on Groundhog Day. Let's hope he is right, and that we are due for an early spring.

My birthday is coming up this week, and I am happy to reflect on the past year. If you have not already seen my year in review newsletter, please have a look. I was also honored to be profiled after one year in the City Council in Our Town.

I look forward to seeing you at my "State of the District" this Sunday. If you have not reserved your seat, please RSVP.

Below, you can read about protecting tenants, increasing youth participation, helping the homeless through the annual HOPE street survey, protecting our schools, a CitiBike Expansion forum, lowering the cost of college, a new course I am teaching for free at NYU, and more.

You will also see how I celebrated Martin Luther King Day. What did you do to commemorate the day? Write back to this newsletter and let me know!

Sincerely,

Ben Kallos

Table of Contents

1. Fighting the Marine Transfer Station
2. State of the District
3. Public School Funding
4. Helping the Homeless
5. Citi Bike Forum
6. Free Course at NYU
7. Winter Snow
8. Honoring Our Officers
9. Martin Luther King Day
10. Tenant Blacklist
11. Free CUNY
12. E-Hails in New York City 
13. Youth Vote
14. Better Bus Service
15. Church Closings in the District
16. Protecting Privacy and Security
17. Fighting for Affordable Housing
18. Digital Democracy
19. Women’s Issues Committee Hearing: HPV and Choice
20. Honoring Big Brother Big Sister
21. Youth on Community Boards
22. Remembering Teri Slater
23. IDNYC
24. Dental Van
25. One Year In
26. Free Senior Fitness
27. Here to Help
28. City Council Interns
29. In the Neighborhood
30. City Council Events
31. Community Events

It has been one year since I began serving as your City Council Member. I am deeply proud of the work we have done together and excited for the road ahead. Though there certainly have been difficult times, especially in recent days and months, it is time for our city to come together in mourning of those we have lost and with resolve to move forward.

I look forward to meeting you at an upcoming event--or perhaps my holiday party tonight, 12/23, from 4-7p.m. at my District Office at 244 East 93rd Street. You can RSVP atBenKallos.com/Events.

If you would like to compare my goals with actions over the past year, please have a look at my 2013 Policy Book. I am proud of these achievements--but I know there's much, much more to do. Thank you for your support this year. I am looking forward to the next three.

Sincerely,

Ben Kallos

Happy New Year!

A new year brings new hope, opportunity for growth, and the optimism that the next year will improve upon the last. Thank you for an incredible past year, and here's to an even better 2015 as we build on the progress already made. Please join me as I report to you on the "State of the District" on February 8, 2015. RSVP to attend.

Also, please consider joining your community board. If you are interested in joining a community board, please apply today! As a former community board member,I know that joining the board is a great way to get involved in your neighborhood. Applications close on January 30th.

Whether they be personal desires or wishes for the good of our community and our city, I would like to hear your thoughts about what 2015 holds. What are your New Year's resolutions?

Best wishes to you and your loved ones in the new year,

Ben Kallos

Table of Contents

1. Fight Against the Marine Transfer Station
2. Hail a Yellow Cab on Your Phone
3. Join Your Community Board
4. Bike Safe
5. Commission On Public Information and Communication
6. Early Vote
7. Downsizing Victory
8. Celebrating the Holidays
9. Proclamation for Carol Tweedy 
10. Fracking Banned in New York State
11. Honoring the East 79th Street Neighborhood Association for 30 Years of Service
12. Fighting for a World Class Education
13. Local Progress Conference
14. Equality for Women in FDNY
15. Universal Broadband Advocacy Continues with Hearing on Comcast Merger
16. Honored by Labor Press
17. Carl Schurz Literary Landmark
18. Ben in Your Building
19. Mayor's Management Report
20. Free Senior Fitness Class
21. Here to Help
22. Become an Intern
23. In the Neighborhood
24. City Council Events
25. Neighborhood Events

Dear Neighbors,

I hope you had a happy Thanksgiving and are looking forward to a joyful winter holiday season. It is approaching one year since I became your city Council Member, and I could not be more excited to continue our work together. 

If we have not yet met in person, let's not let a full year go by. On December 23, I will host a holiday party at my office from 4-7pm. I hope you can make it! Or, please join me at First Friday on December 5th from 8am-10am at my district office at 244 East 93rd Street. The event is open to all. Additionally, I am happy to come to you. For more details, look below or feel free to call me.

Today is Giving Tuesday, a day to celebrate the pleasure of giving back. Whether through Giving Tuesday or volunteering at your favorite causes, how do you give back to the community? I look forward to hearing from you.

I wish you happy holidays surrounded by friends and loved ones.

Sincerely,

Ben Kallos

Dear Friend,

During an eventful and at times difficult year, it can be hard to find time to pause, reflect and give thanks. Thanksgiving provides an opportunity to be thankful for our blessings and the community surrounding us. If you are interested in volunteering this month, please contact my office, so I can help connect you with volunteer opportunities in the district.

I am thankful for the opportunity to serve. You may have heard me at community events mention the amount of time I have left in office (as of today, 3 years, 1 month and 23 days!). The reason I place so much emphasis on the time left is that every moment is a valuable one that I hope to use to improve our neighborhoods and city.  What are you most thankful for?

I wish you a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Sincerely,

Ben Kallos

Dear Neighbors,

It has been my pleasure to represent you in the City Council since January. Over the past nine months, my favorite moments have been the ones spent together in the community, such as inauguration, First Fridays, policy nights, cooking demonstrations at the Green Market and community events. If you have an event you would like me to attend, please send over an invitation. I will try my best to be there. 

Since the New Year, we have taken great strides towards greater opportunities for all New Yorkers with:

• 50,000 universal pre-k seats, and more to come;
• Paid sick leave;
• More affordable apartments;
• $35 million in funds for the East River Esplanade;
• Steps to make streets safer through Vision Zero; and
• A stronger fight against the Marine Transfer Station.

There is more to do, but the progress is encouraging. Please contact me with any thoughts, questions, requests for assistance or ideas for a better city. Here are just a few ways you can reach me:

Phone: (212) 860-1950 
Email: BKallos@council.nyc.gov
Website: www.BenKallos.com
Twitter: @BenKallos 
Facebook: Facebook.com/BenKallos
In person: 244 East 93rd Street 

I look forward to working together.
As always, I am at your service.

Sincerely,Council Member Ben Kallos

Dear Friend,

This is a busy month for all of us, with no sign of slowing down. I hope you will join me at a community event this month:
 

• First Friday
• Policy Night
• Senior Health Fair
• Bike Safety forum with NYPD
• Town Hall
• Three Participatory Budgeting Neighborhood Assemblies
• Free Legal Housing Clinic
• Mobile hours
• and more!

Details for all are in this newsletter or at BenKallos.com/Events.

To those observing, I hope you had a happy Rosh Hashanah and wish you a meaningful Yom Kippur.

I look forward to seeing you at one of this month's events, or saying hello if we run into one another in the neighborhood.

Sincerely,

Ben Kallos

 Dear Friend,

As we head back to school, I wish you and your families a seamless transition back into the swing of the school year. This is a busy and exciting time. I am happy to help you find the right city resources, from after-school programs to universal pre-k to academic support. As ever, please contact my office by email or phone at 212-860-1950 for assistance.

Over summer vacation, we were hard at work. The fight against the marine transfer station continued, key transparency reforms became law, benefits to seniors and disabled residents expanded and my push for safer streets continued. As we move into the school year, I will be working on keeping our schools strong and continuing the fights we've already begun.

Here's to a great start.

Sincerely,

Ben Kallos