State Senator Elect Hiram Monserrate Arrested

Hiram Monserrate

(New York) Today State Senator Elect Hiram Monserrate, known for being in the “gang of four” Democratic State Senators who would not vote to name Democrat Malcom Smith Majority Leader, was in jail. He was arrested early Friday on charges of assault.

The person injured was his girlfriend Karla Giraldo, 30. She suffered lacerations near her left eye. Police sources say the injury was a result of a beer bottle.

Monserrate was a former NYPD officer himself and now finds himself on the other side of the badge being charged with felony assault. In an ironic turn of event while on the city council he procured $100,000 for a program to help women protect themselves from domestic violence.

His office could not be reached for comment.

Bailout to save the MTA

MTA Subway Map

Last week a panel composed of current and former MTA employees including former MTA chairman Richard Ravitch unveiled a plan to save the MTA from a fiscal disaster.

Due to the recession the MTA isn’t able to get money from Albany or even the city to bridge the difference between income and expenses. The MTA would need $2.5 Billion to get out of this hole. Many people were expecting a rate hike as usual from the $2 it is now.

This panel however came up with various ideas to save the MTA and help alleviate riders from higher fare hikes than expected despite a general perception poor service. Listed below are the different recommendations the panel has proposed.

What Term Limits? City Council votes to extend term limits.

So it happened, the city council enthusiastically overturned the will of the people. There’s not much to say at this time, the people will not be muzzled like this and every single one of these members who voted to pass this travesty of a bill should be kicked out of office.

I strongly urge you to write your council member and let them know how you feel. The only way our council members are held accountable is by hearing from us. If they voted no, let them know that we’ll support them for ensuring our voice was heard. If they voted yes, let them know that they lost your vote and respect.

Here below is a list of the council members and how they voted, parties are not shown simply to show that this mockery of democracy has no party.
Addabbo-N
Arroyo-Y
Avella-N
Baez-Y
Barron-N
Brewer-N
Como-N
Comrie-Y
De Blasio-N
Dickens-Y
Dilan-Y
Eugene-N
Felder-Y
Fidler-Y
Foster-Y
Garodnick-N
Genanro-N
Gentile-N
Gerson-Y
Gioia-N
Gonzalez-Y
Ignizio-N
Jackson-Y
James-N
Katz-Y
Koppell-Y
Lappin-N
Liu-N
Viverito-N
Martinez-Y
McMahon-N
Mealy-Y
Mendez-N
Monserrate-N
Nelson-Y
Oddo-N
Palma-N
Quinn-Y
Recchia-Y
Reyna-Y
Rivera-Y
Sanders-Y
Seabrook-Y
Sears-Y
Stewart-Y
Vacca-Y
Vallone-Y
Vann-Y
Yassky-Y
Weprin-N
White-Y

Your voice, their vote: City Council to vote on term limits

Thursday, October 23, 2008. That is the day when the city council will vote on a bill which would extend term limits and allow Mayor Bloomberg to run for another term. It will also allow some on the city council to run again.

In another recent development Peter Vallone has sided with the billionaire mayor. He claimed it was a decision he had to make and did it for the best interests of New Yorkers. This despite a new Quinnipiac poll showing 89% of voters say term limits should be decided by referendum. While 51% of voters are straight out opposed to extending term limits.

A friend of College Democrats and all New Yorkers Dave Kerpen will be leading his group New Yorkers for Our Vote to Count to city hall on Wednesday at 5:30pm to rally and show the city council that the people have spoken.

As fair and balanced as I try to be, this is something where the people have voiced their opposition to this turn of events. I encourage all of you to join Dave and tell the City Council where they can put this bill.

Quinn says no to term limits. Not on my watch.

Recently New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn said something about term limits. It was her statement on overturning the referendum on term limits which caused much anger.

She cites a “global economic crisis that has led to unprecedented challenges for our City. Indications are, those challenges will continue to grow more severe.”

Ford on bailout

I’m sure this city has been through worse before. From a city which came near all out bankruptcy to which we had to appeal to then President Ford. We might all remember his reply as shown by the New York Daily News front cover.

Stonewall riots

We have also been through times of discrimination which have at times caused riots in the streets. New Yorkers came together in those times to support their fellow New Yorkers.

9/11 is a time when New Yorkers made it through a tough time. We didn’t need continual leadership through what I can say without a doubt was the most emotional moment in our history. We’ve made it through wars, depressions, recessions, and violence. Don’t give me this bull about an unprecedented crisis.

Would President George W. Bush get away with trying to extend his term due to the current crisis? Surely Mayor Bloomberg has done great things for this city but we can not go backwards.

What are your thoughts on the issue?

Shenanigans!!!

I call Shenanigans!!!

Something reeks and it’s not my dirty laundry this time.

It’s time for another installment of Shenanigans. This time we have Elizabeth Crowley under the microscope.

Elizabeth Crowley is cousin to Joseph Crowley a Queens Congressman. Her parents have both been City Council members, and two of her sisters serve on local school boards and community boards. She is the creation of a political machine. However she says she’s not your typical politician.

She does have a point, this memorial weekend at the parade while the typical politicians were sitting at home watching the parade and not campaigning out of respect, Elizabeth and her staff were flooding the streets with flyers and literature.

Now your typical campaign is qualified in some previous political office, she is not your typical politician because she doesn’t believe you need any of that “Political experience” to serve in office.

Typical politicians usually have some money in the bank to run for office. She isn’t your typical politician because she stills owes $56,257 from her previous campaign. Typical politicians don’t start campaigns in debt. While other typical politicians can’t run for office if they owe money, she’s not the typical campaign so she can run, I mean why not when your cousin is a congressman?

Typical politicians get endorsements then tell everyone about them. Not Crowley! She received the endorsement of the Lesbian and Gay Democratic Club of Queens then on Friday, May 23rd she told the Queens Tribune that she was against gay marriage. She didn’t put their logo on her literature and completely disregarded them, now would a typical politician do that?

Typical politicians usually distance themselves from people who might be viewed as bad when they run. Not Elizabeth! Hell she was in a relationship with convicted criminal Brian McLaughlin who by the way, was married at the time. A typical politician might care about having an affair with a married person, not Elizabeth!

Typical politicians when asked who the worst council man was would probably answer “the one who raped the grandmother” Not Elizabeth, especially when he’s an adviser to your campaign!

No it turns out she’s not your typical politician at all when you look at it. She’s just a run of the mill, well connected latte sipping elitist.