Assemblyman Dinowitz Calls On Board of Elections to Rethink Voting Process in Light of Election Day Poll Site Chaos

  

    Assemblyman Dinowitz called on the NYC Board of Elections to reconsider the voting process in light of the chaos that took place at hundreds of poll sites throughout the five boroughs on Election Day last Tuesday.  In a letter to the ten commissioners he outlined his frustrations with the long lines of voters and constant breaking down of the ballot scanners. While some difficulty existed due to the region still recovering in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, Mr. Dinowitz pointed most of the blame towards the optical scanning machines.  The Assemblyman explained that the current process is too disorderly and confusing and that he is an advocate of the old lever machines that were replaced back in 2010.

“I have always believed that we should have continued using the old lever machines. The Federal Government’s ridiculous overreaction to the debacle of the 2000 Presidential election led to us being told that our only two choices for voting machines were optical-scanner voting machines and the even less desirable atm-like DRG machines,” Assemblyman Dinowitz stated in his letter.

Mr. Dinowitz continued by declaring his frustrations with the ballots themselves specifically mentioning that the names of the candidates are not large enough and need to be bold.

Because of the constant breakdown of the machines which requires voters to wait in lines for hours to cast their ballot, and for the fact that it takes hours and in some cases even weeks to certify the results of an election, Assemblyman Dinowitz has called for the Board of Elections to do whatever it can to resolve this problem. 

“If it wasn’t obvious before November 6^th, it should be clear now that New York City’s voting machines are unmitigated disaster.  Our voters should be able to go to the polls and not spend hours waiting to vote.  The greatest city in the greatest country should be able to conduct a fair and smooth election in the 21^st century. Scrap these machines!,” remarked Assemblyman. Dinowitz.

EDITOR COMMENT

The number of ballot scanning machines per poll site also needs to be looked into. More scanners are needed at many sites compared to the number of election districts at said poll sites that each had a voting machine in the past.

 

New Democratic State Senate Leader?

 

    Could  State Senator Adriano Espiallat become the new State Senate Democratic Majoriy Leader if the Democrats regain control of the State Senate? It appears that there have been many names thrown out should the Democrats regain control, but only one seems to have support from almost all corners of the state. Espiallat is the Chair of the Senate Puerto Rican/Latino Caucus, serves on several committees such as Commerce, Economic Development & Small Business, Housing, Insurance and Judiciary to name a few. If Espiallat was to be promoted to Majority Leader it would also then clear the way for current Manhattan Democratic County Leader Assemblyman Keith Wright to replace Charlie Rangel as Congressman.

Help From Canada to Get the Lights Back On

   It may have taken help from Canada to get all the power restored to the Bronx. Below is one of the trucks from Hydro Quebec that was seen on a Bronx Street. Click on the photo to enlarge it.

What to Do When The Only Muni Meter is Gone

That is not a car parked at a hydrant, but a car parked on Riverdale Avenue north of West 238th Street that has one Muni Meter for the entire area of parking. Across the street there is no metered parking, and the nearest Muni Meter is almost two blocks away past the #7 bus stop. As you can see in the next photo a tree fell from the neighboring Fieldston School and landed on top of the Muni Meter leaving only the base. It can now take over 5 minutes to get to the nearest Muni Meter for a parking slip, and return to your car at this location.

Fallen tree can be seen in the background that has been cut up to be carted away.

Recyclables & Garbage Piling Up

   With the city in full recovery mode from Hurricane Sandy the Sanitation Department has stopped picking up recyclables and even garbage which is now piling up in some areas. We took visit to the Amalgamated houses on Orloff Avenue and on Gale Place to find such recyclables and trash bags piled high for pick up by the Department of Sanitation. Our visit was on Friday November 9th and you can see in the photos below what we found.

    On Gale Place we found recyclables on the right and garbage on the left sitting for over one week.

Here on  Orloff Avenue around the corner from Gale Place recyclables and garbage line the street on one side that was to much for one photo.

Recanvassing of the 46th State Senate Vote

    In what could be the deciding district in a 31 - 31 tie between New York State Senate Democrats and Republicans the winner may not be decided anytime soon. The recanvassing of the vote will begin on Tuesday November 13th since Monday is Veterans Day. Currently Democrat Ceclia Tkaczyk holds a 139 vote lead over Republican George Amedore, but that is not counting the absentee ballots that could change the outcome. 

         

    How long could it take to have an official winner in the 46th Senate District will be determined if Democrat Tkaczyk can get an equal number of absentee ballot votes to maintain her vote majority, or increase it beyond any court challenge. Typically in a race this close it could take weeks or even months until all means of challenges are exhausted through the Board of Elections and the courts.

     If Democrat Tkaczk wins it would mean that Democrats would have the majority in the State Senate barring another situation such as in 2008 with the case of the "Four Amigos". One by one however the Amigos were removed, lost their primary race, or were convicted of a felony in office, leaving only Bronx Senator Ruben Diaz Sr. as the "Lone Amigo" in the State Senate. Diaz Sr. was re-elected overwhelmingly  this past election. 

   The other headache for Democrats could be the Independent Democratic Conference led By Bronx/Westchester State Senator Jeff Klein. Klein has vowed to support Democrats, but not current Democratic Minority Leader John Sampson. Sampson was reported to have been involved in the Aqueduct Racino scandal on the first go round. 

     Things could get ugly in Albany, and very soon.

UPDATE ON CITY RECOVERY AND ASSISTANCE OPERATIONS

   UPDATE ON CITY RECOVERY AND ASSISTANCE OPERATIONS

The following is an update of City Government’s Storm Response as of 5:00 PM on Thursday, November 8, 2012

Odd-Even Gasoline Purchasing System

            Mayor Bloomberg signed an emergency executive order today establishing an odd-even license plate system for gasoline purchases to reduce wait times and lines at gas stations. The temporary system will remain in effect from 6:00 AM on Friday until further notice and will operate as follows:

·         Vehicles with license plates ending in an even number purchase fuel on even numbered days.

·         Vehicles with license plates ending in an odd number purchase fuel on odd numbered days.

·         Vehicles with licenses plates ending in letters will be deemed as odd numbered plates and can make purchases on odd numbered days.

·         Commercial vehicles, emergency vehicles, buses and paratransit vehicles, Medical Doctor (MD) plates and vehicles licensed by the Taxi and limousine Commission are exempt.

·         The use of legal walk-up fuel containers by individuals is not affected by the executive order.

Response to Nor’easter

Outdoor construction work has resumed.

New York City parks, playgrounds and beaches remain closed and expect to open tomorrow after they have been inspected for safety.

Food, Water & Supply Distribution at City-Run Resource Sites

            These City-run food and water distribution sites are open in the hardest hit areas and staffed by City employees, volunteers, the Salvation Army and National Guard. Locations and hours: http://www.nyc.gov/html/misc/html/2012/foodandwater.html.

            From Thursday, November 1 through Thursday, November 7, the following have been distributed:

·         More than 1.7 million meals

·         Nearly 426,000 bottles of water

·         110,000 blankets

·         1,198 cases of diapers

·         127 cases of baby wipes

·         670 cases of baby formula

·         8,212 units of new underwear (kids and adults)

·         3,840 thermal blankets

·         1,552 winter hats

·         389 scarves

·         2,486 socks

·         4,550 blankets

·         4,000 hand-warmers

·         3,564 D batteries

·         7,380 C batteries

·         285 cases of garbage bags

·         3,399 flashlights/lanterns

·         476 cases of toilet paper

·         837 cases of bleach

·         20,000 cases of Ziploc bags

·         6,000 masks

·         10,000 boxes of cleaning wipes

·         1,500 work gloves

·         878 bars of soap

·         140 cases of toothbrushes

·         750 units of toothpaste

·         584 bath towels

NYCHA Facilities

The City has assessed all NYCHA housing in Zone A and found no major long-term structural issues. All NYCHA buildings flooded in the storm have been pumped dry.

• Yesterday, City-led action restored power for 1,174 residents in eight buildings, and heat and hot water restored for 1,658 residents in nine buildings.

• Power: 402 buildings housing 79,200 lost power because of the storm; the City has restored power to 331 buildings housing 66,874.

• Heat/Hot Water: 386 NYCHA buildings housing 77,000 people lost heat and hot water because of the storm; the City has restored heat and hot water to 272 buildings housing more than 55,000.

• NYCHA has set up warming centers in Red Hook and additional warming centers are being established. NYCHA staff and volunteers have been providing blankets to residents who have not had heat or hot water restored.

Sanitation 24-Hour Debris Cleanup Continues

            Mayor Bloomberg directed the Department of Sanitation to adjust collections schedule so that 24-hour cleanup could continue in the hard-hit areas of Staten Island, Queens and Brooklyn.

Areas normally receiving three times a week collection may only receive two collections per week, while areas that receive two times per week collection may only receive one collection while the emergency debris removal work continues.

• 728 pieces of sanitation equipment are working on debris removal, including 270 trucks, 234 mechanical broom, 114 front end loaders and 110 cut down dump trucks.

• Sanitation crews have collected more than 225,000 tons of trash, debris and tree as a part of storm cleanup operations.

The heavily-impacted areas will continue to receive collection and debris removal around the clock. Curbside recycling is suspended until further notice.

Trees and Debris

• The City has received 23,464 tree requests to date.

• Of those requests, 14,551 were for trees down.

• The City has addressed 7,369 of these emergency tree conditions and crews continue to work around the clock to address conditions.

More City Schools Open

            All City schools are open to students, and those students and staff who have been reassigned from buildings that sustained structural damage went to other school sites. Parents should continue to check the status of their schools by:

• Clicking here for the school locator search or by going to www.nyc.gov/schools.
• Call 311 or texting “nycschools” or ‘escuela’ to 877-877.

            The Department of Education has coordinated transportation options for families with children who have been reassigned to other school sites:

1. Full reimbursement for any family of a K-8 student at a relocated school taking MTA/cab service to and from school.

2. 55 cents per mile reimbursement for any family of a student at a relocated school who uses their own vehicles.

3. Free metro-cards will be distributed to all high school students at relocated schools who do not already have one.

            The City has conducted extensive outreach to families, making 1.2 million robo-calls to parents; direct messages were sent from principals and parent coordinators to parents; full page advisories ran in three of New York City’s newspapers; text messages were sent to parents and families enrolled in the Department of Education’s texting program; and information was provided to television and radio outlets.

Air BNB Temporary Housing

            Air BNB, an on-line service that connects people seeking temporary housing with those who have unused space, has launched a new platform to link New Yorkers displaced by Hurricane Sandy to New Yorkers who want to offer free places to stay. Air BNB is providing with service at no fee, and information is available at airbnb.com/sandy.      

Partnership with Local Food Trucks

            The Mayors Fund to Advance New York City has partnered with the NYC Food Truck Association, NYC Food Film Festival and local food trucks to coordinate hot food distribution at 21 sites in areas severely impacted by Hurricane Sandy in Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island. The locations and hours are available here: http://www.nyc.gov/html/misc/html/2012/hot_food.html.

Shelter for Those without Heat

Cold weather in the city continues, increasing risk of hypothermia. Anyone who needs heat should find warm shelter, whether at City facilities or with a friend or relative.

Evacuation shelters remain open and as of Thursday morning, they were 2,743 evacuees and 812 staff. 

• There are 11 shelters operating: http://www.nyc.gov/html/misc/html/2012/hurricane_shelters.html.

• Buses are running to take people to warm shelters if they cannot get their own their own. The bus pickups are listed here: http://www.nyc.gov/html/misc/html/2012/overnight_shelter.html

• The City also has opened daytime-only warming centers at senior centers in every borough: http://www.nyc.gov/html/misc/html/2012/warming_ctr.html.

• Those who are using generators in their homes to run their heat should be very careful to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning by never using portable generators indoors, in garages or near open windows.

• Early signs of hypothermia include uncontrollable shivering, confusion or sleepiness, slowed or slurred speech, stiffness in arms and legs, poor control over body movements and slow reaction.

Disaster Assistance Service Centers

           

            The City’s Human Resources Administration in cooperation with FEMA, operates six sites to provide information about applying for emergency social and economic benefits and to connect residents with recovery resources. They will be open from 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM, seven days a week. The list of sites can be found here: http://www.nyc.gov/html/misc/html/2012/dasc.html.

Mobile Medical Vans with Prescription Services

            The City has deployed vans staffed with primary care providers will be able to provide medical care and distribute commonly prescribed drugs at several of the City’s Disaster Assistance Service Centers, as well as two additional high-need areas. Volunteers are also going door-to-door to reach people who may have medical needs but remain in their homes without heat and power. The location and hours are available here: http://www.nyc.gov/html/misc/html/2012/medical_vans.html.

Alternate Side Parking

• Alternate Side Parking regulations will be suspended citywide through Saturday, Nov. 10, 2012, to facilitate storm recovery efforts.

• Alternate Side Parking regulations are not in effect on Sunday, November 11, and will also be suspended for Veterans Day, Monday, November 12, as previously scheduled.

• All other parking regulations remain in effect.

Volunteering, Donating and Giving Blood

• To date, more than $32 million supporting Hurricane Sandy relief has come into the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City from more than 10,000 donors from around the country.

• Cash donations to support these and other efforts can be made through the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City. Learn more here: nyc.gov/fund

• Cash donations are preferable to in-kind donations because the logistics of collecting and distributing those supplies are complex.

• Anyone wishing to make cash contributions can go to nyc.gov or call 311 for details.

• Those who want to volunteer can visit NYC Service at: nyc.gov/service

• Giving blood is incredibly helpful right now. For more information visit: nybloodcenter.org.

 

Odd/Even Gas Rationing in Effect

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE PR- 406-12 November 8, 2012 MAYOR BLOOMBERG SIGNS EMERGENCY ORDER TO ESTABLISH ODD-EVEN LICENSE PLATE SYSTEM FOR GASOLINE PURCHASES TO REDUCE WAIT TIMES Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg today signed an emergency order to establish an odd-even license plate system for gasoline and diesel purchases to reduce wait times and lines at gas stations in the five boroughs. Hurricane Sandy caused significant flooding and damage to petroleum infrastructure throughout the tri-state region – causing refineries to shutdown, pumping stations to lose electricity and terminals in the region to close. Since then, the majority of the region’s pipeline and critical infrastructure has been restored and power has returned to Buckeye pipeline, a major interstate pipeline that serves New York City. As the region’s petroleum infrastructure continues to come back online, gradually increasing the supply of available gasoline, the City is implementing the odd-even system – starting 6:00 AM on Friday – to accelerate the recovery of the distribution network and ease disruptions and wait times for drivers attempting to fuel their vehicles. The Mayor made the announcement today at City Hall. “Last week’s storm hit the fuel network hard – and knocked out critical infrastructure needed to distribute gasoline,” said Mayor Bloomberg. “Even as the region’s petroleum infrastructure slowly returns to normal, the gasoline supply remains a real problem for thousands of New York drivers. Earlier today, I signed an emergency order to alternate the days that drivers can purchase gas, which is the best way to cut down the lines and help customers buy gas faster.” The temporary odd-even system will remain in effect until further notice, and will operate as follows: Vehicles with license plates ending in an even number or the number “0” can make purchases of motor fuel on even numbered days. Vehicles with license plates ending in an odd number can make purchases of motor fuel on odd numbered days. Vehicles with licenses plates ending in a letter or other character can make purchases on odd numbered days. Commercial vehicles, emergency vehicles, buses and paratransit vehicles, Medical Doctor (MD) plates and vehicles licensed by the Taxi and Limousine Commission are exempt. Following the storm, the City worked with the Coast Guard and the Port Authority to open up ports as quickly as possible, and unlocked more than 64,000 barrels of gasoline to increase the available supply. At the City’s urging, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano also issued a temporary blanket waiver of the Jones Act, to immediately permit additional oil tankers coming from the Gulf of Mexico to enter northeastern ports. Earlier this week, NYPD officers were dispatched to all open gas stations in the five boroughs to maintain public safety, and police officers will remain deployed to ensure order. Violations of the emergency order are Class B misdemeanors. New Yorkers are encouraged to fuel up only when necessary and to use mass transit whenever possible. A copy of the Mayor’s emergency order is available on www.nyc.gov.