October 10, 2024

Dear SAC Members and Friends,

Please see attached an example of what SAC can do and is doing to improve the look of our neighborhood. Less than two months ago, concerned residents of East 59th Street, brought to SAC’s attention the fact that the north side of the street, between the 1st and the 2nd Avenues, is a total eyesore. With vehicles and related machines belonging to the NYC Department of Transportation quite visible. Given the loveliness of the 59th Street bridge, it is deeply felt that the best and highest usage for this space would be the expansion of the existing Honey Locust Park. Assisted by SAC President, Dr. Charles Coutinho, the residents concerned met with various community liaisons for among others: Assemblyman Alex Bores & City Council member Julie Menin. As you can see from the attached note, these elected officials have brought our concern to the attention of the Department of Transportation. Hopefully, with a response which will find favor with the area residents. We at SAC promise to keep you informed about this matter.

PDF – Community Expansion Request for Honey Locust Park

August 19, 2024

Dear SAC Members and Friends,

We invite you to review the latest interview conducted by President Charles Coutinho with Council Member – Keith Powers.

1. You grew-up in Stuyvesant town? Did that have a big impact on your views concerning politics and public policy?

Yes, I grew up in Stuy Town. It made me want to run for office due to the strong community and stable housing in the neighborhood. Moreover, watching the recent conflicts surrounding rents and housing in Stuyvesant Town showed me the real implications of city and state policy, and the importance of elected officials who truly represent the needs of their constituents.

2. Why and how did you get into politics at such an early stage in your life (Chief of Staff to Assemblyman Jonathan Bing and Liz Krueger’s campaign manager)? You being all of 23 years old?

With regards to why, I would also point to my aforementioned upbringing in Stuy Town. How I got involved is a funny story. I met Liz Krueger when she was campaigning in my neighborhood, and I was struck by how down to Earth she was. When I decided to be involved in politics later on, I reached out to her. That experience opened me up to the entire community on the East Side.

3. You were for a good number of years on the board of Community Board Six? What is your opinion of the Community Boards in general? Do they fulfill the tasks that they are supposed to fulfill: bringing government closer to the people?

I joined Community Board 6 after leaving Assemblymember Bing’s office, as I still wanted to stay involved in the local community. I think community boards serve an important purpose by letting elected officials hear directly from the people who reside in the community that they represent. Having that direct avenue to speak directly and hear directly from my constituents is crucial in informing any decision I make.

4. Why did you decide to run for City Council in 2017? And to what do you attribute your success to?

I’m fortune to have grown up in this district, and to have lived here my whole life. Growing up locally in the community provided me with a lot of knowledge on the issues residents in this district face, which prepared me for office, and I wanted to serve my community in a larger way.

5. What if anything has surprised you about your time in public office?

The unpredictable nature of events. For instance, I doubt anyone would have predicted the COVID-19 pandemic. You have to be prepared to roll up your sleeves and address any problem that presents itself.

Current Politics:

1. There is in the City Council a bill to substantially amend Local Law 97. Are you in favor of this bill?

I am in favor of Local Law 97, but I recognize that we have to provide the types of incentives to help building owners meet these important requirements. It is going to be crucial to help building owners achieve these goals in the next few years.

2. What was your reaction to the Governor’s decision on Congestion Pricing? And where do we go from here? Is Congestion Pricing ‘dead’ as practical politics in New York State?

I was, like most New Yorkers, surprised by the Governor’s decision to put a pause on Congestion Pricing. I think the plan, as constructed, could have done a lot more to provide relief for my constituents that live inside of the Central Business District. I think this gives us a unique opportunity to find additional ways for the city to invest more into the MTA, and to gain the funding needed to support our transit infrastructure without adding an additional financial burden on our residents.

3. How do you regard the crime situation in your district?

My number one goal is to make New York, including my district, a safe place for every New Yorker. During my time in office, we’ve advocated for changes to the hate crime statute in Albany, we’ve worked directly with our partners in the NYPD, including many recent efforts to improve safety around the East Side Greenway such as procuring new security cameras and ensuring monitoring of the area by our enforcement agencies.

July 31, 2024

Dear SAC Members and Friends,

We are introducing a New SAC feature: occasional interviews conducted by President Charles Coutinho with some of the Movers and Shakers of the Sutton Place area and its immediate environs. The very first one is with Assemblyman Alex Bores.

Please read and enjoy.

a) What is your family background? Was politics something that was discussed frequently at home? If so, would it be safe to presume that your parents were Democrats?

My parents both worked in TV. My dad did instant replay for Monday Night Football and was later a Technical Director, and my mom was a writer/producer for ABC News and NBC News. She worked on shows like Diane Sawyer, 20/20, Primetime Live, and Good Morning America. Both of my parents are in unions, so while not explicitly political, our conversations often included discussions on how to improve conditions for working people throughout the city, state, and country. Because of their backgrounds, they raised me to believe in the power of people to organize to fight for better livelihoods. And yes, both of my parents are Democrats.

b) You went to Hunter College High School. How was that? Do you have fond memories of the school?

I loved my time at Hunter. I was a part of a community of students and friends who were interested in learning for learning’s sake. It’s where I first explored a number of my interests, including the debate team (where I enjoyed a modicum of success) and the baseball team (where I did not). I want to strive for a city where everyone has access to as strong of an education as the one I received at Hunter.

c) Why did you go into a computer related career path?

I was always interested in technology. Some of my earliest memories at P.S. 6 were fiddling around with old computers in the library with a teacher named Steve Hackbarth, where he would teach us about how devices actually worked. The first time I got paid for work outside of my parents’ allowance was for fixing neighbors’ computers and speeding them up, so I always had an interest in computers, but it wasn’t what I originally studied.

In undergrad, I majored in Industrial and Labor Relations, where I focused my studies, research and advocacy on how to fight to improve conditions for working people, but even those studies brought me back to technology. My freshman year, a student organization which I led partnered with a union in Honduras to advocate for workers who had been laid off by Nike without a legally-mandated severance. Over the course of a year, we raised awareness about the workers and got universities to cut contracts with Nike unless they promised to pay the workers.. Ultimately Nike gave the workers the money they were owed and gave them healthcare and job training for a year. However, during that organizing drive, some people would ask “why are you fighting so hard for these factory jobs? Aren’t they just going to be automated in the future?”

That thought stuck with me. If I was going to be able to continue to fight for working families, I needed to ensure that I knew technology well and understood how it was developed, in order to ensure that society received the most benefits from it. I was able to continue my involvement in the private sector by working on technology with the federal government and municipalities in order to make their services more efficient and effective. I ultimately went back to school for a Masters Degree in Computer Science, so when I was elected, I became the first Democrat elected in New York State at any level with a degree in computer science.

d) When & why did you first become interested in politics and government?

I first became aware of the role government plays in all of our lives on 9/11. I was a student at PS6, and I watched both the government response and the life-saving work performed by first responders in the days that passed after the attack. As I grew up I learned more about what the federal government might have been able to do beforehand to proactively keep people safe. It was impossible to be a New Yorker who lived here on 9/11 and not have a direct tie to government policy that affects people’s lives, including life or death decisions, even if you’re in a place that is generally safe.

Since then, government has always appealed to me. The scale and permanence of impact that you can have by passing a law is unlike anything else. When my current seat opened up it became an opportunity to take a lot of the work that I had been doing in the private sector to improve government systems, and go inside government and improve things from there.

c) Unlike many of your fellow Assembly members, and indeed most public officials, you had a very active and indeed a successful business career prior to entering politics and government. What if anything did your business career provide you by way of skills and experience that assisted you in your political career?

I never did paid work for an elected official before I ran for office which is rare. My career was entirely in business and specifically in technology. I think there is a great benefit to having representatives from a variety of different backgrounds serve in government. When I worked in startups, I learned to be results-oriented, focusing on the efficiency of getting things done, and making sure that you’re constantly making progress.

It’s also important to understand the need to balance the books. As we have conversations about the budget in New York State, I appreciate that funding is not unlimited. Budgets are moral documents and it is on us to think about what we should be prioritizing, because spending a dollar in one place means not spending it in another. A career in business and tech gives me that insight when we’re having these conversations.

d) Why did you decide to run for Assemblyman, as opposed to a less prominent post like City Councilman?

It’s important to have good people serving at all levels of government. While similar, the City Council and the State Legislature do different jobs; there are pros and cons to each position. At the City Council level, you obviously don’t have to go to Albany. You can attend many more events in your district. You have more direct funding that you can give out to local groups and that’s important and necessary work. On the State level there’s much more of a focus on the legislation itself. The City is sometimes limited in what it can do because of rules set in Albany, whereas Albany can address nearly any issue. My interest is primarily in legislating, and so I have deeply enjoyed my current role.

With that being said, I work really well with my overlapping City Council members and consider them strong partners. We have all benefited from the fact that we all like each other and work well together, which is not true in many other places of the city.

e) Why do you think you were successful in your first run at public office?

I was very lucky to be running in an open primary. That is rarer than people might expect at the State level, as often someone ends up resigning midterm and effectively appointing a successor. I give my predecessor Dan Quart a lot of credit for allowing a full primary process and not putting his finger on the scale. What that meant was you knew anyone could run and anyone could win, and I had the benefit of having been born and raised in the community and of having a somewhat unique background for a potential elected official. But, at the end of the day nothing matters if you haven’t done the work to reach out to as many neighbors as possible to tell them why you’re running and what your vision is, and allow them the opportunity to ask you questions and listen to their suggestions. I think for the six months of the campaign, there wasn’t a minute that went by when I wasn’t thinking about how best to reflect what my constituents were telling me. I’ve continued to be motivated by that principle since winning the election, which I think is the best way to serve.

f) What if anything has surprised you about your time in public office?

This sounds like a line, but it’s that you can actually get things done. The ability to make a difference is greater than what I expected. There are of course more obstacles than one would like, and there’s more work required than perhaps there should be. But, at the end of the day if you keep your head down and you do the work, eventually they run out of reasons not to do your bill.

A few questions about current politics:

g) There is in the City Council a bill to substantially amend Local Law 97. Are you in favor of this bill?

Local Law 97 was passed by the City Council, and not the State, and set really important climate goals. Since its passage,  there have been concerns, especially amongst co-ops and condos, about the cost of implementation. I understand why certain Council members have been advocating for loosening the requirements.

I think a better path is the bill that’s been proposed in the State Legislature (A5050/S0943) which I’m happy to co-sponsor, which which allows for any of the improvements that buildings make in order to comply with Local Law 97 to be written off from their property taxes, making the State and the City directly fund the climate goals that we all share. It is really important that New York remains a leader in our climate fight, but that doesn’t mean that the burden should be borne by people just trying to get by.

h) What was your reaction to the Governor’s decision on Congestion Pricing? And where do we go from here? Is Congestion Pricing ‘dead’ as practical politics in New York State?

Everyone was surprised when the decision was made. The Governor has been meeting with legislators on a potential compromise, perhaps at a lower fee or raising less revenue, that could still achieve some of the climate goals without putting a disproportionate burden on people, which I think is the most likely outcome. We do not have the option of leaving a $15 billion hole in the MTA budget, so whether we close that gap via a modified version of congestion pricing or by some other change or through a combination of both, this will be a focus of the Legislature next year.

i) Are you at all surprised that the MTA has decided to halt work on the 2nd Avenue Subway due to the halt on Congestion Pricing? What if anything can be done to re-start this project?

I’m not surprised. The project was based on having an available capital budget that we no longer have. I think it would be a tragedy if we lost not only the ability to extend that subway line, but also the federal government’s matching $3 billion dollars for that project that we are now at risk of losing.

I grew up on East End Ave. which was a literal mile away from the closest subway stop. The Second Avenue Subway was always this mythical thing coming in the future. To finally have it open was a huge win for the East Side and the economic mobility of New Yorkers. We could have similar benefits by extending it and I hope we find a way to do so.

j) How do you regard the crime situation in your district?

My grandfather was an NYPD officer on the East Side of Manhattan, my uncle is a retired trooper from Jersey, and my cousin is a current Paramus cop. Safety always comes first. I personally worked with two previous Manhattan District Attorneys as well as the federal Department of Justice on violent crime and gang-related cases before ever getting elected into office. People have the fundamental right to safety and one of the most important things the government does is provide that.

You always want to see crime going down. It was at its lowest in 2019 and crept up just before and during the pandemic. One crime is too many, and I won’t be satisfied until crime is eliminated. Even so, I am proud to report that crime in my district’s four precincts was down 8% overall last year. Every major crime category has decreased, mostly by double digit percentages. And that trend is continuing in the first half of 2024.

There’s a number of steps that we’ve taken as a legislative body and I have taken personally in order to make people safer. Those include funding for security upgrades for small businesses & places of worship, an expansion of hate crime statutes to hold people accountable, increasing judicial discretion, and a significant investment in mental health courts and drug courts that can help to solve underlying issues before they escalate into violent crime.

Additionally, I have often heard from neighbors concerned that recidivists who are awaiting trial commit another crime before their trial even begins. Trials in New York take far too long and there are many reasons for this, but the most frustrating reason is that our courts do not have enough judges. Last year I was proud to write and pass a bill that created 20 new judges in New York State, but I hit a roadblock on the State Supreme level because there’s a limit in the New York State Constitution (originally included in 1846 and last updated in 1963, when caseloads were a third of what they are right now) that prevents us from adding any new judges unless there’s a massive growth in population. I have now written an amendment to the New York State Constitution to eliminate this cap and I’m proud to say that on the second to last day of session this year we were able to pass the bill for the first time. Because we are amending the State Constitution, the bill needs to pass twice, and then eventually go out to voters as a ballot initiative. So, I’ll be asking for all of your help and support in most likely two years when it’s on the ballot.

k) Do you envisage running for higher office in the future?

I’m always thinking about how I can have the most impact, and right now being in the New York State Assembly has been a very rewarding job.  I passed 18 bills in my first term. By contrast, last year, Congress as a whole passed 27.

I’m young, and based on the age of at least now one of our presidential nominees I might have another 45 years in politics, so I am not in a rush to get to the next thing; I would only run if I think it can expand how I can help my neighbors.

What I found up until this point is that if you focus on doing a good job in your current role, the rest takes care of itself. So being the best Assemblymember is my focus.

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Dear SAC Members and Friends,

In these unexpectedly challenging times, we find ourselves grateful for the relative peace and safety that Sutton Place continues to offer, distinguishing our neighborhood from the tumult seen in other parts of Manhattan. Our tranquil streets remain untouched by the disorder affecting both uptown and downtown, and it is our sincere hope that this remains unchanged.

We invite you to join us in this crucial endeavor, whether through volunteering your time or contributing through donations, your involvement is vital. Every effort counts in helping to preserve the distinctive charm and peace of our neighborhood.

Please consider how you can contribute to keeping Sutton Place a lovely and exclusive part of Manhattan. Together we can ensure our neighborhood remains a beautiful, secure place to call home. Please go to www.suttonareacommunity.com to volunteer or donate.

Thank you for your attention and anticipated support.