Comptroller Stringer Releases Analysis of New York City’s Fiscal Year 2019 Adopted Budget

City received one-time surge in tax revenues in FY 2018, but stronger surpluses needed in the outyears

  A one-time infusion of income tax revenues in FY 2018 helped the City balance the $89.16 billion Adopted Budget for Fiscal Year 2019, according to a report released today by New York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer. The Comptroller’s report on New York City’s Fiscal Year 2019 Adopted Budget reiterates the need for long-term attention to the City’s out-year gaps and the need to align spending and revenue growth – as Comptroller Stringer renewed his call for a robust four-year City savings plan and for agencies to contribute more to efficiencies.

“I congratulate the Mayor and City Council on a balanced FY 2019 budget that funds many important priorities for our City, from raising the bar on education to relieving the burden of transportation costs for low-income New Yorkers,” said New York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer. “Our City’s economy is strong, but we have many needs that make it more urgent than ever to prepare for the future.  There is no question – bringing spending into line with revenue growth and bolstering reserves is necessary for enshrining our progressive values and policies for the next generation. From preserving our affordable housing stock to improving our mass transit infrastructure, our City is facing looming challenges that will require long-term investment. That’s why, just as we have a four-year financial plan, we must have a four-years saving plan. It’s one tool for ensuring the strong financial footing of our City for years to come.”

Key findings in the report include:

• The City’s adopted budget is essentially flat over last year, down by 0.5 percent. However, accounting for prepayments and reserves, spending for FY 2019 will increase $2.9 billion, or 3.2 percent, from last year’s spending levels, to $92.36 billion;
• Expenditures are projected to grow an average 1.7 percent annually in the remaining years of the Plan through FY 2022, driven by spending on salaries and wages, debt service, health insurance, and other fringe benefits; and
• The Comptroller’s analysis projects a small surplus in FY 2019 of $151 million, and larger budget gaps of $4.18 billion, $3.84 billion, and $3.42 billion in FY 2020 through FY 2022.

Based on the Comptroller’s projections, the City has enough funds available that the roughly $4.2 billion gap in FY 2020 could be largely balanced through the use of budgeted reserves and surpluses in the Retiree Health Benefit Trust.

However, Comptroller Stringer continues to urge the City to do more to prepare for future uncertainties. An economic downturn could lower revenues below current projections – limiting the City’s capacity for relying on past surpluses to plug future gaps. With the possibility of economic turbulence ever-more likely, especially with the growing threat of destructive trade policies, higher tariffs, and depending on the Federal Reserve’s manipulation of short-term interest rates, it is critical that the City continue to add to its reserves.

The report additionally analyzes two developments that occurred later in the budgeting process – the NYCHA consent decree and District Council 37’s labor settlement with the City.

Comptroller Stringer also announced that unaudited preliminary returns for the City’s pension funds were 8.7 percent, above the actuarial target of 7 percent, and bringing the average annual rate of return since 2014 to 7.2 percent. These preliminary numbers may be revised up or down in the coming months.

To read the Comptroller’s full report on New York City’s FY 2019 Adopted Budget, click here.

Wave Hill Events August 9‒August 16

Thu, August 9    Stories in the Garden

Each week, Wave Hill educators share some of their favorite nature stories. These stories—classics and more—will come to life through interactive book readings, sing-alongs and movement. Programs are held outdoors. Rain cancels. Ideal for children ages three to six with an adult. Free with admission to the grounds.

ON THE GROUNDS, 11AM

Thu, August 9    Evening Garden Walk

Enjoy a short evening stroll in the gardens with a Wave Hill Garden Guide. Free with admission to the grounds. Serene Thursday event.

MEET AT PERKINS VISITOR CENTER, 6:30PM

Thu, August 9    Summer Stargazing

Prepare for the Perseid meteor shower, this summer’s most anticipated celestial show! Look up and get ready for an out-of-this-world experience with Irene Pease, sidewalk astronomer and science educator. Learn what it takes to be an amateur astronomer in New York City, get oriented to the night sky, test out a telescope in the garden, and observe the starry night high above Wave Hill. This program is rain or shine, with an indoor presentation only in the case of rain. Adults and children 12 and up welcome. $25. Wave Hill Members save 10%. Registration required, online at wavehill.org or onsite at the Perkins Visitor Center. Space is limited.Serene Thursday event.

MEET AT WAVE HILL HOUSE, 8−9:30PM

Sat, August 11    Family Art Project: Be a Bee

Join us for this classic Family Art Project. Outfit yourself with wings, antennae, a pollen cup and a kazoo to hum with. Buzz around in a hive of six-sided cells and forage in the flowers. Join in a bee parade and do a bee dance in a cardboard hive. Parade at 12:30PM, weather permitting. Free, and admission to the grounds is free until noon. Honey Weekend event.

WAVE HILL HOUSE, 10AM‒1PM

Sat, August 11   Bees and Beekeeping Info Station

Chat with beekeepers, try on beekeeping gear, peek inside a hive and learn fascinating facts about honeybees. Free, and admission to the grounds free until noon. Honey Weekend event.

WAVE HILL HOUSE, 11AM−3PM

Sat, August 11    In The Shop: HoneyGramz Honey Tasting

You’ll be amazed at the complex flavors of different varieties of honey! Sample a few, then purchase your favorite to take home. Honey Weekend event.

PERKINS VISITOR CENTER, 10AM−4PM

Sat, August 11    Candle-Making Drop-in Workshop

Try your hand at creating an assortment of beeswax candles to take home and enjoy. Materials fee: $15 per kit, which includes enough to make several candles. Admission to the grounds is free until noon. Honey Weekend event.

WAVE HILL HOUSE, 11AM−3PM

Sat, August 11    Garden Highlights Walk

Join a Wave Hill Garden Guide for an hour-long tour of seasonal garden highlights. Free, and admission to the grounds is free until noon.

MEET AT PERKINS VISITOR CENTER, 11AM

Sat, August 11    Honey Extraction Demonstration

Drop in and see the sticky process of extracting honey from the comb with our resident bee experts. Free with admission to the grounds. Honey Weekend event.

WAVE HILL HOUSE, NOON−3PM

 Sat, August 11    Gallery Tour

Learn about Glyndor Gallery exhibitions on a tour led by Wave Hill’s Curatorial Fellow. Ecological Consciousness: Artist as Instigator continues Wave Hill’s efforts to examine the ways that artists engage in ecological projects that present a call to action. The exhibition documents environmental art that explores persistent problems throughout New York City. In the Sunroom Project Space, Priyanka Dasgupta and Chad Marshall’s installation uses traditional landscape architecture, such as a conventional English garden maze, to expose the instability of identity in the United States. Working collaboratively since 2015, Dasgupta and Marshall’s work explores the dichotomy of the sanctuary—its ability to protect as well as restrict. In the Sun Porch, Katie Westmoreland’s presentation of kinetic tapestries responds to the space’s architecture, evoking the patterns cast by sunlight through trees and plants. Her immersive installation utilizes the passing light and shadow patterns of the day as active mediums in her work, calling attention to the sun’s enduring, inspirational qualities. Free with admission to the grounds.

GLYNDOR GALLERY, 2PM

Sun, August 12    Summer Birding

Naturalist Gabriel Willow contributes his extensive knowledge of diverse bird species and their behavior on these walks through the gardens and woodlands. Observe the plants, insects and habitats at Wave Hill that make it so appealing for such a wide variety of birds. Birders of all levels welcome! Ages 10 and older welcome with an adult. Free with admission to the grounds. NYC Audubon Members enjoy two-for-one admission. 

MEET AT PERKINS VISITOR CENTER, 9:30AM

 Sun, August 12    Family Art Project: Be a Bee

Join us for this classic Family Art Project. Outfit yourself with wings, antennae, a pollen cup and a kazoo to hum with. Buzz around in a hive of six-sided cells and forage in the flowers. Join in a bee parade and do a bee dance in a cardboard hive. Parade at 12:30PM, weather permitting. Free with admission to the grounds. Honey Weekend event.

WAVE HILL HOUSE, 10AM‒1PM

Sun, August 12   Bees and Beekeeping Info Station

Chat with beekeepers, try on beekeeping gear, peek inside a hive and learn fascinating facts about honeybees. Free with admission to the grounds. Honey Weekend event.

WAVE HILL HOUSE, 11AM−3PM

Sun, August 12    In The Shop: HoneyGramz Honey Tasting

You’ll be amazed at the complex flavors of different varieties of honey! Sample a few, then purchase your favorite to take home. Honey Weekend event.

PERKINS VISITOR CENTER, 10AM−4PM

Sun, August 12    Candle-Making Drop-in Workshop

Try your hand at creating an assortment of beeswax candles to take home and enjoy. Materials fee: $15 per kit, which includes enough to make several candles. Honey Weekend event.

WAVE HILL HOUSE, 11AM−3PM

Sun, August 12    Honey Extraction Demonstration

Drop in and see the sticky process of extracting honey from the comb with our resident bee experts. Free with admission to the grounds. Honey Weekend event.

WAVE HILL HOUSE, NOON−3PM

Sun, August 12    Family Nature Walk

Join naturalist and educator Gabriel Willow on a family-friendly walk through the gardens or woodlands. Ages six and older welcome with an adult. Registration is not required. Free with admission to the grounds.

MEET AT WAVE HILL HOUSE, 1PM

Sun, August 12    Garden Highlights Walk

Join a Wave Hill Garden Guide for an hour-long tour of seasonal garden highlights. Free with admission to the grounds.

MEET AT PERKINS VISITOR CENTER, 2PM

Mon, August 13

Closed to the public

Tue, August 14    Garden Highlights Walk

Join a Wave Hill Garden Guide for an hour-long tour of seasonal garden highlights. Free, and admission to the grounds is free until noon.

MEET AT PERKINS VISITOR CENTER, 11AM

Tue, August 14    Gallery Tour

Learn about Glyndor Gallery exhibitions on a tour led by Wave Hill’s Curatorial Fellow. Ecological Consciousness: Artist as Instigator continues Wave Hill’s efforts to examine the ways that artists engage in ecological projects that present a call to action. The exhibition documents environmental art that explores persistent problems throughout New York City. In the Sunroom Project Space, Priyanka Dasgupta and Chad Marshall’s installation uses traditional landscape architecture, such as a conventional English garden maze, to expose the instability of identity in the United States. Working collaboratively since 2015, Dasgupta and Marshall’s work explores the dichotomy of the sanctuary—its ability to protect as well as restrict. In the Sun Porch, Katie Westmoreland’s presentation of kinetic tapestries responds to the space’s architecture, evoking the patterns cast by sunlight through trees and plants. Her immersive installation utilizes the passing light and shadow patterns of the day as active mediums in her work, calling attention to the sun’s enduring, inspirational qualities. Free with admission to the grounds.

GLYNDOR GALLERY, 2PM

Thu, August 16   Stories in the Garden

Each week, Wave Hill educators share some of their favorite nature stories. These stories—classics and more—will come to life through interactive book readings, sing-alongs and movement. Programs are held outdoors. Rain cancels. Ideal for children ages three to six with an adult. Free with admission to the grounds.

ON THE GROUNDS, 11AM

A 28-acre public garden and cultural center overlooking the Hudson River  and Palisades, Wave Hill’s mission is to celebrate the artistry and legacy of its gardens and landscape, to preserve its magnificent views, and to explore human connections to the natural world through programs in horticulture, education and the arts.

HOURS  Open all year, Tuesday through Sunday and many major holidays: 9AM–5:30PM,  March 15–October 31. Closes 4:30PM, starting November 1.

ADMISSION  $8 adults, $4 students and seniors 65+, $2 children 6–18. Free Saturday and Tuesday mornings until noon. Free to Wave Hill Members and children under 6.

PROGRAM FEES  Programs are free with admission to the grounds unless otherwise noted.

Visitors to Wave Hill can take advantage of Metro-North’s one-day getaway offer. Purchase a discount round-trip rail far and discount admission to the gardens. More at http://mta.info/mnr/html/getaways/outbound_wavehill.htm

  

DIRECTIONS – Getting here is easy! Located only 30 minutes from midtown Manhattan, Wave Hill’s free shuttle van transports you to and from our front gate and Metro-North’s Riverdale station, as well as the W. 242nd Street stop on the #1 subway line. Limited onsite parking is available for $8 per vehicle. Free offsite parking is available nearby with continuous, complimentary shuttle service to and from the offsite lot and our front gate. Complete directions and shuttle bus schedule at www.wavehill.org/visit/.

Information at 718.549.3200. On the web at www.wavehill.org.

SAGE - From Invisible to the Spotlight

Safeguarding our rights

With Justice Kennedy’s resignation from the Supreme Court—and the Trump administration’s continued chipping away at protections for LGBT people—we must stand up for and with LGBT elders. Nearly 25,000 people from all 50 states have pledged to stand with LGBT older people in the face of religious-based discrimination, mobilized through SAGE’s Care Can’t Wait campaign. As part of the campaign, SAGE and the Movement Advancement Project created "Nursing Home," a video illustrating the harms LGBT elders can face if this kind of discrimination is allowed. If you haven't taken the pledge yet, it's not too late to sign on!

Coming out in long-term care As the older LGBT population continues to rapidly grow, we need trained care providers who understand the concerns of the LGBT community—and people are starting to take notice.  Recent features in the Washington Post, the Chicago Tribune, and Caring.com take an in-depth look at the challenges faced by older LGBT people when seeking services and care. These articles underscore the vital need for SAGECare, our national LGBT cultural competency training credential program. Earning a SAGECare certification means a facility has ensured that it is ready to support and help LGBT elders thrive as they age. Nearly 300 providers are already certified, and more are in the works. Age-friendly Prides across the country SAGE’s Age-Friendly Pride Initiative mobilized Pride organizers across the country to make their celebrations more accessible to LGBT elders. Almost 100 organizations have signed on to the initiative, and our recently released "Welcome to Pride" guide will help reach even more Prides across the U.S. New York City’s Heritage of Pride, the organizers of that city’s annual Pride celebration, joined the Initiative and made this year’s New York City Pride more accessible for LGBT elders with reserved shaded seating, a cooling center, and a hydration station. Home to SAGE's headquarters, New York City was also where SAGE proudly marched with our elder pioneers (and provided a bus for those who were unable to march). The march was broadcast throughout the country, allowing SAGE to spotlight our elder pioneers—as well as show off our 40 Fierce Years anniversary swag. Rallying against the current administration’s anti-LGBT efforts, we touted our tagline: “We Refuse to Be Invisible.” See photos » SAGE puts LGBT aging on the map at global conference For the first time in its history, this year’s 14th International Federation on Ageing (IFA) Global Conference will include a focus on LGBT aging. SAGE CEO Michael Adams will join aging leaders from over 70 countries in Toronto from August 8 to August 10. As part of the conference, SAGE and its partners will call on governments, industries, organizations, and individuals to protect the rights of older LGBT people. Join us in the global movement to combat ageism by committing to protecting the rights of LGBT older people. Take the Edie Windsor Legacy Challenge As of July 1, when you tell us about a gift you plan to leave SAGE, we will receive a current cash contribution. This is all thanks to the Edie Windsor Challenge Fund. Edie loved SAGE, contributing generously and serving two terms on our Board of Directors. Edie’s surviving spouse, Judith Kasen-Windsor, is continuing Edie’s commitment and leadership by establishing this fund, which is also supported by a generous contribution from an anonymous donor. Learn more about the Challenge » A toast to summer while advancing LGBT rights On July 14, SAGE joined the LGBT Community Center and Callen-Lorde Community Health Center at the annual Hamptons Tea Dance for an evening of food, drinks, and dancing to tunes spun by Lady Bunny at Nova’s Ark Project. The musical drag trio Stephanie’s Child, featured on The Voice, also performed. See photos » Mark Your Calendars! SAGE Awards and Gala October 15, 2018 | Cipriani Wall Street, New York, NY See all SAGE events »

Former New York State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver Sentenced To 7 Years In Prison

Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today that former New York State Assembly Speaker SHELDON SILVER was sentenced this afternoon to seven years in prison after having been found guilty a second time by a federal jury of using his official position to obtain nearly $4 million in bribes in exchange for his official acts and obtaining another $1 million through laundering the proceeds of his crimes. SILVER had previously been found guilty of the same offenses by a jury in November 2015, but the conviction was overturned by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit as a result of the Supreme Court’s decision in McDonnell v. United States.

SILVER was sentenced in Manhattan federal court by U.S. District Judge Valerie E. Caproni, who also presided over the two-week jury trial.   

U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said:  “When he assumed his powerful position at the top of New York State government, Sheldon Silver took an oath to do the work of the people.  Instead, he leveraged his tremendous influence to pad his bank account and line his pockets.  Sheldon Silver has been given a lengthy sentence of seven years in federal prison.  We hope today’s fittingly stiff sentence sends a clear message: brokering official favors for your personal benefit is illegal and will result in prison time.  I thank the career prosecutors of this Office for their perseverance in this important case for the people of New York.”

According to the evidence introduced at trial, court filings, and statements made in Manhattan federal court:

For more than two decades, SHELDON SILVER served as Speaker of the New York State Assembly, a position that gave him significant power over the operation of state government.  SILVER used this immense power – including, in particular, his power over the real estate industry and his control over certain health care funding – to unlawfully and corruptly enrich himself.  Among other things, SILVER unlawfully solicited and obtained client referrals worth millions of dollars in exchange for his official acts, and attempted to disguise this money as legitimate outside income earned from his work as a private lawyer.  In particular, SILVER claimed, on financial disclosure forms required to be filed with New York State and in public statements, that the millions of dollars he received in outside income while also serving as Speaker of the Assembly came from a Manhattan-based law firm, Weitz & Luxenberg P.C., where SILVER claimed to work representing individual clients in personal injury actions.  These claims were materially false and misleading – and made to cover up unlawful payments SILVER received due to his official power and influence as an elected legislator and the Speaker of the Assembly.

The schemes provided SILVER with two different streams of unlawful income: (i) approximately $700,000 in kickbacks SILVER received by steering two real estate developers with business before the state legislature to a law firm with which he was associated, and (ii) more than $3 million in asbestos client referral fees SILVER received by, among other official acts, awarding $500,000 in state grants to a university research center of a physician who referred patients made ill by asbestos to Weitz & Luxenberg.

Unlawful Income From a Real Estate Law Firm

SILVER, a lawyer, entered into a corrupt relationship with Jay Arthur Goldberg, P.C., later known as Goldberg & Iryami, P.C., which specialized in making applications to New York City to reduce taxes assessed on properties.  Beginning in at least approximately 2000, SILVER approached a prominent developer of residential properties in Manhattan, Glenwood Management Corp. (“Glenwood”), and later approached another developer, The Witkoff Group LLC (“Witkoff”), and asked them to hire Goldberg & Iryami.  The developers – both of whom lobbied SILVER and others on real estate issues because their businesses depended heavily on favorable state legislation – agreed to use Goldberg & Iryami as SILVER had requested.  Over the years, Witkoff and Glenwood paid millions of dollars in legal fees to Goldberg & Iryami.  SILVER received a cut from the legal fees amounting to nearly $700,000.  SILVER had no public affiliation with Goldberg & Iryami and performed no legal work to earn those fees, which were payments for SILVER having arranged the business through his official power and influence. 

While continuing to receive the fees and in furtherance of the scheme, SILVER took official action beneficial to Glenwood and Witkoff.  For example, while SILVER was publicly associated with advocating for tenants, a proposal that benefitted Glenwood was in substantial part enacted in real estate legislation in 2011 with SILVER’s support.  SILVER also approved more than $1 billion dollars in state financing for Glenwood.

Unlawful Income From Asbestos Client Referrals

SILVER also entered into a corrupt arrangement with Dr. Robert Taub, who was a leading physician specializing in the treatment of asbestos-related diseases, through which SILVER issued state grants and otherwise used his official position to provide favors to Dr. Taub and his family so that Dr. Taub would refer and continue to refer his patients to SILVER at Weitz & Luxenberg, a firm with which SILVER was affiliated as counsel.  Specifically, SILVER arranged for New York State to fund two grants – each for $250,000, and paid out of a then-secret and un-itemized pool of funds controlled entirely by SILVER – for a research center Dr. Taub had established.  SILVER used his official position to provide Dr. Taub with other benefits as well, including helping to direct $25,000 in state funds to a not-for-profit organization for which one of Dr. Taub’s family members served on the board, and asking the CEO of a second not-for-profit to hire a second family member of Dr. Taub. 

From approximately 2005 until his arrest, SILVER received more than $3 million from legal fees Weitz & Luxenberg received from patients Dr. Taub had referred to SILVER at the firm while SILVER was agreeing to and taking official actions to benefit Dr. Taub.  SILVER did no legal work whatsoever on these asbestos cases, his sole role having been to use his official position and access to state funds to induce Dr. Taub to provide him with these lucrative referrals. 

Silver’s Efforts to Cover Up the Schemes

SILVER took various efforts to disguise his unlawful outside income and prevent the detection of his criminal schemes.  For years, SILVER listed on his official public disclosure forms that his outside income consisted of “limited practice of law in the principal subject area of personal injury claims on behalf of individual clients,” which was false and misleading.  Beginning in 2010, SILVER’s disclosures changed to state that the source of his legal income was a “Law Practice” that “includ[ed]” being of counsel to Weitz & Luxenberg.  SILVER never disclosed his relationship with Goldberg & Iryami or any work beyond what he claimed was a “personal injury” practice.

SILVER also repeatedly made false and misleading statements about his outside work and income in his public statements, including the following:

• SILVER claimed he performed legal work consisting of spending several hours each week evaluating legal matters brought to him by potential clients and then referring cases that appeared to have merit to lawyers at Weitz & Luxenberg.  In fact, SILVER did no such work on the asbestos cases and obtained those referrals to Weitz & Luxenberg based on his corrupt arrangement with Dr. Taub.
• SILVER claimed his law practice involved the representation of “plain, ordinary simple people.”  In fact, SILVER steered legal work to Goldberg & Iryami for some of the largest real estate developers in the state, for which favorable state legislation was critical to their business interests.
• SILVER claimed through his spokesperson that SILVER principally found clients by virtue of his having been a “lawyer for more than 40 years,” in a manner that was “not unlike any other attorney in this state, anywhere.”  In fact, SILVER received money from referring his lucrative asbestos and real estate developer clients solely by virtue of his official position.
• SILVER stated through his spokesperson that “[n]one of his clients have any business before the state.”  In fact, SILVER’s outside income included millions of dollars of fees obtained through Glenwood and Witkoff, both of which had significant business before the state, and Dr. Taub, to whose benefit SILVER provided state funding and other benefits related to SILVER’s official position. 

In addition, SILVER attempted to thwart the Moreland Commission to Investigate Public Corruption, by filing legal motions on behalf of the Assembly and taking other action to block the Moreland Commission’s investigation into legislators’ outside income.

Finally, SILVER laundered part of crime proceeds through private investment vehicles, not available to the public, which yielded him another $1 million in ill-gotten gains.

In addition to the prison sentence, SILVER, 74, of New York, New York, was sentenced to three years of supervised release. 

SILVER was found guilty by a unanimous jury on May 11, 2018, of two counts of honest services wire fraud, two counts of honest services mail fraud, two counts of extortion under color of official right, and one count of engaging in illegal monetary transactions.  

U.S. Attorney Berman praised the work of the Special Agents of the United States Attorney’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which jointly conducted this investigation.