BENSONHURST'S PREMIER NEWS BLOG

State Senator Martin J. Golden will be holding a senior fair tomorrow, May 10 from 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. at St. Mary, Mother of Jesus (lower church), 2311 85th Street.

Local seniors will have an opportunity to learn of the services available to them, including assistance with their property taxes, prescription drug coverage, personal safety, access to city and state services, and their health.

The fair will feature information and assistance offered by city agencies including the Departments for the Aging, Environmental Protection, Finance, Transportation, Sanitation, the Human Resources Administration, the New York City Police Department, the New York City Fire Department, and the Parks Department.

Additionally, Brooklyn Housing and Family Services, the Council of Senior Centers and Services of New York City, Brooklyn Public Library, representatives from Elderly Pharmaceutical Insurance Coverage (EPIC) and other social service agencies will be attending. Free blood pressure screenings will also be available and entertainment and lunch will be provided.

Golden will hold another fair on May 30 in Marine Park. To learn more, contact Golden’s office at (718) 238-6044.

State Senator Marty Golden. Photo by Erica Sherman

Last year, State Senator Marty Golden introduced a bill that would stiffen penalties for hit and run and drivers. The bill passed in the Senate but failed to gain traction in the Assembly. Golden and a group of other local politicians have not given up and have reintroduced the bill, according to a press release.

The bill would change the crime of a fatal hit and run from a Class D felony to a Class C felony, which ups the prison time to a maximum of 15 years. It also would eliminate a loophole, which allowed drunk drivers to escape the penalties they deserve:

Drivers under the influence of drugs or alcohol can actually receive less of a punishment if they flee the scene of an accident.  For example, in the case of a first-time offender, a driver who wrongfully flees the scene of an accident where a personal injury has occurred can only be charged with a Class A Misdemeanor which carries a maximum penalty of only 1 year in jail.  However, if the driver remains at the scene and is found to be intoxicated or impaired by drugs, he or she can be immediately charged with a Class E felony which carries a maximum penalty of four years of imprisonment. Therefore, the incentive for a drunk or impaired driver to flee the scene of a hit and run accident is greater.

Golden expressed hope that the legislation would improve safety on the roads and save lives:

I thank my colleagues for their support of this legislation which has the potential to decrease the number of incidents where motorists just keep going after hitting a pedestrian.  In my district and throughout the State, families have been destroyed by such a disregard for human life.  I believe that there are instances where, if the driver stopped at the scene and called for help, the victim may have had a chance to survive.  This legislation will make our roads safer and save lives, and this year, this bill should become law.

State Senator Marty Golden. Photo by Erica Sherman

State Senator Marty Golden wants to reinstate the death penalty in New York, particularly for those who kill cops, according to a recent press release.

Golden put forward the bill in light of three cop shootings this past week.

“As a former New York City Police Officer, I know there is evil walking on the streets of the City and State of New York, endangering the lives of every single police officer…It is our responsibility to re-establish the death penalty,” Golden said in the release.

This isn’t Golden’s first attempt to bring back the death penalty, having sponsored bills that passed in the Republican Senate but failed in the Democratic Assembly.

New York State hasn’t officially executed anyone since 1963, and while Governor George Pataki in 1995 signed a statute into law allowing for lethal injections, it was declared unconstitutional in 2004 by New York’s highest court.

The practice of state executions was officially put to an end by former Governor David Paterson via executive order in 2008.

Pre-Sandy seawall. Source: Retrofresh! via Flickr

The seawall that lines the greenway path along the Belt Parkway was badly damaged during the storm. For weeks, residents and local leaders have asking the federal government to fix it.

Currently, police tape is the only thing marking the hazardous areas and thus far, dates for repairs have not been announced.

Congressman Michael Grimm wants FEMA to repair the wall immediately. He sent a letter to Governor Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Michael Bloomberg “urging them to request a FEMA mission assignment to repair the damaged Brooklyn seawall,” according a release from Grimm’s office.

The money may be acquired through FEMA funding, however, the City and State must be the ones to make the request, according to the Brooklyn Eagle.

“The flooding of the Belt Parkway is not a new issue, but one that has become increasingly worse with recent storms,” said Grimm. “Our crumbling seawall took another severe beating from Sandy, and without repairs, the flooding brought on by another storm could be detrimental to the Brooklyn community and the security of New York City. That is why I am urging the City and the State to request a FEMA mission assignment that would provide the Army Corps of Engineers with necessary resources to begin repairs without delay.”

Senator Marty Golden has also been in support of emergency repairs along the wall. He penned a letter to the U.S. Corps of Engineers early in November asking that they assess and fix the wall quickly.

Prior to the storm your office had been working with the city to replace a 2.5 mile section of the seawall running from the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge to Bay Parkway. The newly damaged section is entirely contained within the scope of the original project. Of course now the need to expedite the repair of the heavily damaged section is a high priority.

…It is my hope that in addition to an emergency fix for part of the seawall, the Army Corps will move forward with the replacement of the entire 2.5 mile section with a new seawall. In the long term this would be a better fix in protecting the adjourning highway and community as well as being a more efficient way of utilizing limited funds.

Source: Lioni Italian Heroes

Fan favorite and local deli Lioni’s Heroes (7803 15th Avenue) has decided to name a sandwich after Senator Martin Golden.

According to a Brooklyn News story, “The tribute was in celebration of Mr. Golden’s commitment to the community, the city and state.

“The Marty Golden” consists of breaded chicken cutlets, roasted red peppers, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt, pepper and Lioni’s homemade fresh mozzarella. How’s that for chewing your senator’s ear off? Wait, that might be a gross image.

Either way, it’s reported that Golden stopped by the eatery and enjoyed his namesake sandwich.

Image courtesy of Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis and Senator Martin Golden

The MTA is considering a proposal to increase the tolls on New York City’s major bridges and tunnels. This means that the cash tolls for the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge would go from $13 to $15.

Electronic tolls may be bumped up as well, according to the New York Daily News.

The MTA board will vote on a final budget in December, with raised tolls possibly going into effect by March of 2013.

Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis and Senator Martin Golden, along with Congressman Michael Grimm, have come forward to denounce the hikes.

Grimm sent a letter to the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) in which he writes:

Why is the answer always to raise tolls? Every family and business in NYC has had to learn to live within a budget, so why can’t the MTA?  We are sick and tired of NYC’s debt-stricken agencies – whether it being the PA or the MTA – running immediately to the taxpayers for a bailout.  There has to be another solution that doesn’t involve shifting the burden to the taxpayer. I suggest the MTA a serious look at its finances, cut out the waste, and find a creative way to maintain the current level of services without raising fares or the tolls on the Verrazano Bridge.

While Malliotakis and Golden hosted a recent press conference at the Brooklyn entrance of the Verrazano Bridge.

Malliotakis stated that a toll hike would have a devastating impact on local business. She presented a report obtained from Port Authority that backs up her claims.

She said:

The MTA has treated our community as a piggy bank at the expense of our economy for years, and its toll hike plan for bridges and tunnels is yet another example of its indifference to local commuters and job creators,” said Malliotakis. “If you want to know what will happen as a result of further MTA toll hikes, look no further than the NYCT, where businesses have been crippled by the Port Authority’s cash-grabs. By raising bridge and tunnel tolls, the MTA is exporting jobs to neighboring states and unfairly burdening local toll payers. We will not stand idly by as another mismanaged transportation agency attempts to balance its budget on the backs of local businesses and commuters.

Golden agrees and is also concerned with the economic issues associated with raising tolls on major bridges. He states:

Our community relies on the surrounding bridges not only for transportation, but as cornerstones of commerce and job creation. Raising tolls on these structures is bad for businesses, bad for commuters and bad for our economy. In these difficult economic times, the Metropolitan Transit Authority is wrongfully again looking to dig deeper into the pockets of motorists who travel across the five boroughs of our City. Raising tolls on these structures is bad for businesses, bad for commuters and bad for our economy.

According to reports, inbound trucks to New York pay 544 percent in tolls more than trucks using New Jersey’s terminals. This “increases the cost of everything transported into New York, with absolutely no justification or benefit to New Yorkers,” said Kendra Adams, President of the New York State Motor Truck Association.

Source: Clint McMahon via Flickr [www.flickr.com/photos/clintw/]

The program is a citywide effort managed by the Mayor’s office and a team of New York City agencies.

“The Graffiti Free NYC initiative allows New Yorkers to take graffiti removal into their own hands by either calling in sites for clean-up or driving their own clean-up efforts,” writes GFNYC on their website.

They provide supplies (if available) or send small crews to paint the walls or gates.

“I will welcome the Graffiti Free NYC program to 18th Avenue, this Friday at Noon. Through the efforts of my office, graffiti waivers have been submitted to the City of New York to authorize the cleaning of graffiti from 6621 and 6623 18th Avenue following recent reports. I encourage stores to submit the necessary waivers to my office so to have the Graffiti Free NYC program help to improve the quality of life of our commercial streets,” he writes on his Facebook page.

For questions, call Golden’s office at 718-238-6044.

Image courtesy of NYSenate.gov

State Senator Marty Golden’s most recent gun bill has received early support from Mayor Bloomberg, as the issue takes center stage in the campaign to keep his seat.

Golden plans to stiffen penalties against people who plant “community guns” – weapons hidden in locations for use by gang members and other criminals.

“Today you have a person or a gang that will have one gun that all its members use and know where it is,” said Golden. “Gun sharing is the latest tactic used to get illegal firearms in the hands of criminals and this necessary legislation will hold accountable not just those people who commit the crimes, but those make the illegal guns available.”

The bill would bring felony charges against anyone who shares a gun that is later used in a violent crime. Prosecutors have difficulty bringing charges in such cases because they must prove the person knew the shared gun was going to be used for a crime.

Senate Republicans plan to support the bill when the Legislature begins session in January.

Democrats have been pushing their own gun-control bills, while State Senate Candidate Andrew Gounardes recently issued a press release criticizing Golden’s “complete failure to pass common sense gun laws.”

Gounardes points out that a 2010 bill on microstamping failed to come to a vote after Golden left the Senate room to take a phone call. Microstamping is a process which imprints bullet casings with the make, model, and serial number of the gun from which they were fired.

Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bloomberg have been pushing politicians, including both presidential campaigns, to address the issue of gun violence.

In March, Senator Golden sponsored two bills that were passed by the Senate. One bill increased the penalties for criminals who display a gun during a crime and the other bill lengthened the jail sentence for criminal sale or possession of a weapon at a residence of a child or in the presence of a child.

Source: Google Maps

From the offices of Councilman David Greenfield:

Councilman David G. Greenfield and Sephardic Bikur Holim have joined together to launch a memorial fund in support of the family of Isaac Kadare, who was murdered late last Thursday night. Mr. Kadare, a 59-year-old father of four, was murdered inside his discount store, Amazing 99 Cent Deals, on 86^th Street in Bensonhurst. This senseless murder of Mr. Kadare has left his wife and four children overcome with grief and struggling to comprehend life without the family’s breadwinner.

After mourning with the family yesterday at their Midwood home during a shiva visit, Greenfield worked with Ronnie Oved at Sephardic Bikur Holim to establish the fund in support of Mr. Kadare’s children, which includes Kadare’s youngest – a seven year-old girl. Greenfield personally donated $250 to start the fund and encourages everyone in the community to give within their means. Mr. Kadare is described by friends as a devoted father and hard worker who was dedicated to his family and community and never hesitated to help those in need.

“This was a dedicated family man who was murdered while simply trying to earn a living and better life for his wife and children. This could have happened to anyone, and it is our responsibility as a community to come together in support of the Kadare family and make sure they are helped following this devastating loss. I urge everyone in the community to join me in giving what they can to this memorial fund, which hopefully will help the family as they struggle to come to grips with this tragedy,” said Greenfield.

“In this time of need, we must do what we can for the Kadare family. I know that our entire community has been shaken by this horrific crime. We now have the chance to help Mr. Kadare’s wife and children during this terrible and difficult time and give them one less thing to worry about,” said Ronnie Oved of Sephardic Bikur Holim.

One hundred percent of all proceeds collected will directly benefit the Kadare family. The fund is being administered by Sephardic Bikur Holim, which received Charity Navigator’s 3 star rating for exceeding the industry standard in sound fiscal management in 2012. To contribute to the fund please make a check out to “Sephardic Bikur Holim” with “Kadare Memorial Fund” in the memo and send it to their office at 425 Kings Highway, Brooklyn, New York 11223. Donations can also be made online by going to sbhonline.org and clicking on the link to contribute to the Kadare Memorial Fund.

In addition to establishing the memorial fund for the Kadare family, Greenfield teamed up with the Sephardic Community Federation to offer $5,000 for information leading to the conviction of the person responsible for Mr. Kadare’s death. In the days since, the reward fund has grown to $22,000 through donations from the NYPD, Crime Stoppers and other elected officials including Senator Martin Golden. Anyone with information should call Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS.

Local officials cut the ribbon on the elevators of the new ADA Bay Parkway station.

A ribbon cutting ceremony was held at the West End D Line’s Bay Parkway station today, after crews completed years of work rehabilitating seven of the line’s stations throughout Bensonhurst.

This stimulus project, which cost $88 million, was funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009. It

Prendergast and Recchia take their first ride on the elevators. (Click to enlarge)

involved the conversion of the Bay Parkway Station into the 78th handicapped-accessible  (ADA)station in the subway system. This was accomplished through the installation of three elevators, which required widening of the station’s platform. The station also underwent repairs involving the lighting, platform edges, staircases, and technology.

“This is a great day for the thousands of Brooklynites who start and end their travels in one of these newly renovated West End Line D train station,” said State Senator Marty Golden, who, along with Assemblyman William Colton  and Councilman Domenic M. Recchia, was present for the ceremony.

Learn all about the new enhancements at local D line stations, view photos, and watch video of statements made by local leaders at the ribbon-cutting ceremony.