Newsletters

Ben Kallos
Council Member

 

Ben Kallos
Council Member

Ben Kallos
Council Member

P.S. Happy Valentines Day, and don't forget to vote in the special election on February 26th for New York City Public Advocate.

Ben Kallos
Council Member

P.S
First Friday is deferred in January as I hope residents RSVP for our State of the District, Sunday, January 13 at 1pm.

Dear Neighbor,

In this season of thanks, I am grateful for the historic number of New York City residents who came out to the polls and voted yes on all three ballot questions.

With this result, we fundamentally changed New York City elections, which will now rely less on big money from special interest donors and hand more influence to everyday New Yorkers. Ballot questions 2 & 3 will increase citizen engagement and open up community boards to more New Yorkers.

During the recent snowstorm, I had to intervene in rescuing a school bus that took more than eight hours to bring children receiving special education home from school. This shows how important legislation I authored is that would equip all City school buses with GPS, so parents can locate their kids when the bus doesn't show up, especially in a citywide emergency.
 
Our bike safety program continues to get results with pedestrians and cyclists alike safer from collisions with one another and life-threatening motor vehicles.

If you are interested in the rich immigrant history of our neighborhood you can watch an educational video funded in part by our office, complemented by a book we hope will become a best seller.

The New York Times praised the ethics reforms I authored and passed in 2016, limiting the City Council's outside income, eliminating additional pay for chairing committees, as an example for Albany to follow.

Please join me at our Annual Holiday Party on December 13, 5pm-7pm at my district office. Join us for light refreshments as we catch up and take time to review 2018.

Sincerely,

Ben Kallos
Council Member

P.S. Everybody loves Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer - especially me!

Mobile District Hours
12/13 & 12/28, 11AM – 2PM

Sincerely,

Ben Kallos
Council Member


HEADLINES

1. Vote Tuesday and Flip Your Ballot
2. Tracking School Buses with GPS to Make Children Safer
3. 72 Proposals to Change Our City
4. Protecting Public Health From Legionnaires & Dirty Water Towers
5. $336,000 in Funding for Security Cameras on the Upper East Side
6. Roosevelt Island Breaks Ground on New Library
7. Denouncing Hate Groups on the Upper East Side

OVERDEVELOPMENT

8. Sutton Super-Tall Construction Will Follow Community Rezoning as Court Case Proceeds
9. Rally For Our Neighborhoods Draws 300 Activists
10. Scaffolding Bill Update: Structure Removed after 14 Years

NOVEMBER EVENT INVITES

11. Understanding Your Ballot: Community Board 8 Forum
12. Medicare Open Enrollment Event
13. Fire Safety Education Presentation
14. Shred-A-Thon Thanksgiving Edition
15. Night Life Office Town Hall

 
FIGHTING FOR WORKERS RIGHTS AND SMALL BUSINESSES

16. Small Business Jobs Survival Act
17. Building Service Awards with 32BJ and Our Town
18. Count Me In Rally
19. Fighting for Postdoctoral Student Worker Rights at Columbia University
20. Working to Get Prevailing Wages for Building Workers

 
COMMUNITY

21. You Can Now Stream Community Board Meetings
22. College Affordability and Senior Health Fair Thank You
23. Honoring Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre and Sanford Meisner
24. Working for More Pre-K Seats on the Upper East Side
25. East 86th Street Neighborhood Association Meeting
26. Right to Know Act Now in Effect
27. Neighborhood Policing Comes to the 19th Precinct
28. Cutting the Ribbon for Queens’ Newest Compost Site Serving Roosevelt Island
29. Bike Safety: Folding Helmets
30. Freakonomics of Government
31. Harlem Educational Activities Fund
32. Muslim Volunteers for New York Annual Food Drive
33. New Affordable Housing Opportunity on West 30 Street
34. Veterans Benefit Fair

 
OFFICE UPDATES

35. Legislative Corner
36. Fresh Food Box
37. Free Legal Clinics      
38. Here to Help
39. Mobile District Hours
40. Ben in Your Building
41. Community Boards
42. NYPD Events
43. Neighborhood and Tenant Associations
44. Events for Adults
45. Events for Kids

Fresh Food Box
11/1, 11/8, 11/15, 3:30PM – 6:30PM

Mobile District Hours
11/13 & 11/28, 11AM – 2PM

As we settle into the school year and those who observed wrap up the Jewish High Holidays, we have a lot to look forward to and a lot to get done together.

On Tuesday, November 6, please turn over your ballot to vote yes to get big money out of New York City politics, along with resources and term limits for Community Boards. Pledge to vote at BenKallos.com/charter/pledge.

In September, we cut the ribbon on a new stretch of the East River Esplanade and hundreds of school seats at two new pre-kindergarten centers. As part of an effort to avoid another shortfall on school seats, legislation I authored passed the City Council to add necessary transparency to the school planning process. With school buses going missing for hours and our city's children along with them, I've introduced legislation to allow parents to keep track of their kids on the bus. You can testify at the bill's hearing on October 16.

Please join us in October at the Senior Health Fair with no-cost flu shots, the College Affordability and Excelsior Scholarship Event, Drag Queen Story Hour, and the rollout of Community Policing on the Upper East Side. Celebrate Halloween at Asphalt Green, on East 91st Street, on Roosevelt Island, or at the Halloween Howl.

Make your voice heard as we Rally Against Overdevelopment or propose your idea to reduce tax assessments at the Property Tax Reform Commission.

You've got every opportunity this month to participate in your government and make your voice heard.

Sincerely,

Ben Kallos
Council Member

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Vote to Get Big Money Out of Politics
2. East River Esplanade from 70th to 72nd Streets Complete
3. New Universal Pre-Kindergarten Ribbon Cuttings
4. Planning for More School Seats: Legislation Passes Council
5. Finding School Buses with Precious Passengers

OCTOBER EVENT INVITES

6. Senior Health Fair
7. College Affordability Event
8. Drag Queen Story Hour
9. Community Policing Coming to Upper East Side
10. Fast Forward: The Plan to Modernize New York City Transit
11. Halloween Fun

OVERDEVELOPMENT

12. ERFA Town Hall
13. Citywide Joint Operated Playground Issue Hits Home
14. Citywide Rally Against Overdevelopment

GOOD GOVERNMENT

15. Property Tax Reform Hearing
16. Fighting to Improve Quality of Life for Tenants of Kushner Properties
17. Digitize Our Past

ECONOMY

18. Safe Staffing of Nurses in Our Hospitals
19. Supporting 10 Commercial Office Cleaners On Strike
20. Labor Day Parade
21. Construction Deaths Continue to Rise in New York City

TRANSPORTATION

22. Closing the Second Avenue Bike Lane Gap
23. Bike New York After School Program
24. East 72nd Street Delivery Bike Report Card: Summer 2018

PARKS

25. Grading Progress on the Esplanade
26. Touring Every Park in the District with Council Parks Committee Chair
27. Environmental Stewardship Day at Ruppert Park
28. Green Park Gardeners Volunteer Day
29. Thank You for Coming to September Greenmarket Events

COMMUNITY

30. Honoring Madeleine Albright and the Bohemian Benevolent and Literary Association for 125 Years of Service
31. Honoring Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan
32. Town Hall Video and Thank You
33. Emergency Preparedness Thank You
34. Help the Homeless
35. Upcoming Pipe Work at Lexington Houses
36. Work Notice: East 87th Street Between Lexington & 3rd Avenues
37. Lenox Hill Neighborhood House Medicare Part D Clinic Is Here
38. Friends of the Upper East Side Book Launch

OFFICE UPDATES

39. Legislative Corner
40. Fresh Food Box
41. Free Legal Clinics
42. Here to Help
43. Mobile District Hours
44. Ben in Your Building

EVENTS

45. Programs Funded By My Office
46. Community Boards
47. NYPD Events
48. Neighborhood and Tenant Associations
49. Community Events for Kids
50. Community Events for Adults

SPECIAL EVENTS

Senior Health Fair
10/10, 11am–1pm

College Affordability
10/11, 5:30pm–7:30pm

Community Policing Meet and Greet 
10/15, 7pm

Drag Queen Story Hour
10/27, 11am–12pm
 

MONTHLY EVENTS

First Friday
10/5, 8am–10am

Fresh Food Box
10/4, 10/11, 10/18, 10/25; 3:30pm–6:30pm

Citi Bike Street Skills
10/25, 6:30pm–8pm

Mobile District Hours
10/9, 10/24, 11am–2pm

Regards,

Ben Kallos
Council Member

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Big Money Out of Politics and Term Limits Make Ballot
2. Suing the City to Fight Super Scrapers
3. Primary Day September 13
4. Continuing the Fight Against the Marine Transfer Station

 
SEPTEMBER EVENT INVITES

5. Annual Town Hall with Free Reusable Bags
6. Emergency Preparedness Join CERT; Go Bag Giveaway
7. Movies Under the Stars
8. Skate Night at John Jay Park
9. Shred-A-Thon Fall Edition
10. Cooking with Kallos at the 82nd Street Greenmarket
11. Family Day at St. Catherine’s Park

TRANSPORTATION

12. NYC Ferry Opens New Route Serving Upper East Side
13. Honoring Our Bus Drivers
14. Petitions for Select Bus Service for the M96

 
HEALTH & EDUCATION

15. Healthy Kids Meals Legislation Earns Key Support
16. Clarke Schools Graduation

 
QUALITY OF LIFE

17. Unveiling New NYPD Security Cameras at Sutton Parks
18. Scaffolding Legislation Update

 
COMMUNITY

19. In-District Affordable Housing Opportunity
20. NYC Advisory Commission on Property Tax Reform
21. Afternoon Concert at Ruppert Park
22. The Tank: Recognizing 15 Years of Art

 
OFFICE UPDATES

23. Legislative Corner
24. Free Legal Clinics
25. Here to Help
26. Mobile District Hours
27. Ben in Your Building

SPECIAL EVENTS

Annual Town Hall with Free Reusable Bags 

9/26, 6PM 
 

OUTDOOR EVENTS

MONTHLY EVENTS

First Friday
9/7, 8AM -10AM

Fresh Food Box
9/6, 9/13, 9/20, 9/27, 3:30PM - 6:30PM

Citi Bike Street Skills
9/27, 6:30PM

Mobile District Hours
9/11 & 9/26, 11AM – 2PM