Councilman Ben Kallos, a Democrat from the Upper East Side, sent a letter to the Buildings Department last Monday requesting an immediate stop-work order for the tower, arguing that the “unbuildable lot” could create a “dangerous precedent for a new and dangerous loophole.”
Shutting off gas to buildings on the Upper East Side has been a more common occurrence since a gas leak led to an explosion that leveled two apartment buildings in East Harlem two years ago, said Councilman Ben Kallos, a Democrat whose district includes Yorkshire Towers.
“Ever since there was an explosion related to gas, we’ve seen Con Edison being very aggressive with gas shut-offs all over the district,” Mr. Kallos said. “If Con Ed says there’s an issue, we have to trust them.”
His office, he said, has become more adept at persuading Con Ed and the Buildings Department to speed up the process of restoring service as soon as possible after repairs are made.
Something went wrong in that purge, according to multiple election law experts and others familiar with the winnowing process. Amidinvestigations into the New York City Board of Elections and widespread complaints about voters being turned away from the polls on Tuesday, it now seems likely that many legitimate voters were mistakenly disenfranchised.
“This happens every presidential election — the boards all over the state start purging voters,” said City Councilman Ben Kallos, chairman of the committee that oversees the board. Mr. Kallos noted that Brooklyn had historically eliminated more voters than other boroughs during periodic sweeps.
“But this would be the largest number of Democrats who were taken off the rolls in recent memory,” he said.
After flagging voters who do not cast ballots in two consecutive federal elections, the Board of Elections mails notices to determine whether voters still live at the address where they are registered. If no confirmation comes back, a voter can be deleted from the rolls. Board positions are equally split between Republicans and Democrats; each voter removal must be approved by both a Republican and a Democratic employee, according to the rules.
“With auto-enrollment, people will be nudged into saving for retirement,” said Councilman Ben Kallos, a Democrat from the Upper East Side of Manhattan, who will be one of the sponsors of the legislation once it is introduced. Though people can choose not to participate, he said, city officials hope that most would.
Councilman Ben Kallos, a Democrat who represents the Upper East Side of Manhattan and is one of the four other council members besides Mr. Torres who are sponsors of the bill, called it a step toward “transparency and reform at the boards.” New Yorkers, Mr. Kallos said, deserve to know “the demographics of who represents them at the community board level, their voice in city government.”
“We don’t want to create a situation where landlords can game the system and run out the clock,” said Councilman Ben Kallos, a Democrat from the Upper East Side of Manhattan, who is a member of the Landmarks Subcommittee and an opponent of the bill.
Mr. Werth is only one obstacle in the quest by the developer, Joseph P. Beninati, to build the deluxe skyscraper. Opposition to his project has spread among the well-heeled in the Sutton Place area in a sign that at least some New Yorkers are exhausted by the relentless pace of construction.
“Navigating a Bureaucratic Maze to Renew Food Stamp Benefits” (news article, July 24) vividly demonstrates that it is still far too difficult for many struggling New Yorkers to get federal SNAP benefits (the new name for food stamps) to which they are entitled. That’s why we strongly support thebill proposed by City Councilman Ben Kallos that would ease the burden.
Councilman Ben Kallos, a Democrat from the Upper East Side, has also introduced legislation that would require city agencies to send pre-filled applications for food stamps and other government benefits for those who are eligible, using information from previous enrollments or applications. These agencies would also be required to inform people who apply for food stamps if they are eligible for additional benefits.
“We must work to eliminate the bureaucracy, paperwork and waste that prevent our poorest from accessing and keeping the benefits they need to be lifted from poverty,” Mr. Kallos said.
Mr. Kallos, who is chairman of the council’s governmental operations committee, added that he would also work for federal and state changes that could eventually allow city residents to receive food stamps automatically based on tax filings, and to continue receiving those benefits as long as they remained eligible with no renewal process.
Glenna Flournoy, 85, a retired teacher of English as a second language, and City Councilman Ben Kallos at the Stanley M. Isaacs Neighborhood Center. Mr. Kallos has introduced legislation to make the process of getting food stamps and other benefits easier. CreditÁngel Franco/The New York Times
Last week, the administration of Mayor Bill de Blasio unveiled its first express bus line: the 86th Street crosstown, running back and forth between York Avenue on the east side and Broadway on the west. There was a news conference to celebrate, at Columbus Avenue. Polly Trottenberg, the mayor’s transportation commissioner, hailed “modest investments” yielding dividends in terms of saved time for long-beleaguered riders, to which Ben Kallos, a city councilman, added that time saved translates into revenue for businesses whose taxes help pay for further transit improvements: a virtuous circle.
