Councilman Mark Gjonaj's NYC Moving Forward Week in Review - 5/14/2021

 

Dear Friends,

Hope you and your families are doing well as we are finally hearing good news on the pandemic. CDC has made recommendations that will have to be approved by state and local government, that fully vaccinated individuals can resume activities as prior to the pandemic without wearing a mask or physically distancing.

Monday, May 17th is the IRS federal income tax filing deadline for individuals for the 2020 tax year. We are glad to have wrapped up a very successful Free Tax Preparation with Urban Upbound for constituents in District 13, where we have helped over 186 constituents over the past fifteen weeks.

This week I co-chaired a joint hearing to review City Hall’s $318 million fiscal budget for NYC Small Business Services and to help small businesses. Considering the impact that the pandemic has had on locally owned businesses and jobs, it is critical that the city provides the necessary level of resources and programs to help them. I pressed on the Administration so more can be done to aid their recovery.

No New Yorker should live in fear because of who they are or where they worship. This week I was proud to stand with my council colleagues to co-sponsor and pass two very important pieces of legislation that would raise the penalties on vandalism that targets houses of worship, and formerly call on the federal government to pass the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act.

In honor of National Pet Month I was glad to introduce legislation to NYC Council that will ban the city from using toxic snow removal substances, such as calcium chloride, that are harmful to pets and the environment and to find alternative ways instead.

This spring and summer I am proud to bring more events and concerts for constituents in District 13 such as Shredding events in cooperation with Phipps Neighborhoods, the Summer 2021 Concert Series and NYCHA Family Days in partnership with KRVC.

We are proud of serving you and being with you throughout this pandemic. We are continuing to give out food boxes, offer Rapid Testing, and many more services throughout our community. Please do not hesitate to contact my office with any issues or concerns at 718-931-1721 or email at MGjonaj@council.nyc.gov.

Sincerely,

NYC Councilman Mark Gjonaj

District 13, Bronx

COMMUNITY RESIDENTS DEMAND THE CITY WAIVE FINES ASSOCIATED WITH SOUTHERN BLVD BIKE LANE INSTALLATION

 

 Residents along Southern Boulevard, many of whom had their cars towed or ticketed by the city, as they prepare to install bike lanes without any notification or community input. 

Many residents this week woke up to a towed car while needing to go to work or take their children to school. Residents were confused and had no idea they were towing cars to install a bike lane. Nobody had any prior knowledge of this. We then had to search to find out where the cars were towed and pay expensive fines in order to get the cars back. In addition removing parking in a community that needs it’s parking spaces since cars here a necessity not a luxury in order to have access to jobs outside the city. This is not right! 

“What happened here is a clear example of how our current City government treats residents,” said resident Jose Leon. “They make decisions without giving any consideration to the communities they impact. They don’t notify anyone of the changes, and, overnight, inconvenience dozens of us [residents] by towing cars and handing out tickets. It’s just so wrong. Working class New Yorkers are struggling as it is right now, and these surprise fines are just a money grab by the City on the backs of low income residents. I stand with my neighbors and community leaders who demand the city be held accountable, and reverse the fines and actually start a dialogue with the community so we actually have a say in what comes into our own community.” 

“The residents of this community deserve better treatment and communication from their elected officials and City Agencies,” said Ischia Bravo, candidate for City Council District 15. “It is unfair that during a pandemic our local government would take advantage of residents, many of whom are out of work and struggling, with these “gotcha” fines that could have been avoided if the City had simply had a dialogue with the community about the planned project. I call on the City to do the right thing and waive any fines or towing fees associated with this project and reimagine their project to accommodate our needs” 

Community Rally

Stop The Fines

Stop the Protected Bike Lane

May 17, 2021 - 2 PM

2311 Southern Blvd.

East 183rd Street.

With City Council candidate

Ischia Bravo.

Switzerland’s Largest Insurance Company And Three Subsidiaries Admit To Conspiring With U.S. Taxpayers To Hide Assets And Income In Offshore Accounts

 

Swiss Life Holding AG, Swiss Life (Liechtenstein) AG, Swiss Life (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., and Swiss Life (Luxembourg) S.A. Enter into Deferred Prosecution Agreement for Criminal Misconduct; Agree to Pay More than $77 Million

 Audrey Strauss, United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Stuart M. Goldberg, Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s Tax Division, and James C. Lee, Chief of the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation (“IRS-CI”), announced today the filing of a criminal Information charging Swiss Life Holding AG (“Swiss Life Holding”), Swiss Life (Liechtenstein) AG (“Swiss Life Liechtenstein”), Swiss Life (Singapore) Pte. Ltd. (“Swiss Life Singapore”), and Swiss Life (Luxembourg) S.A. (“Swiss Life Luxembourg”) (collectively, the “Swiss Life Entities”) with conspiring with U.S. taxpayers and others to conceal from the Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”) more than $1.452 billion in offshore insurance policies, including more than 1,600 insurance wrapper policies, and related policy investment accounts in banks around the world and the income generated in these accounts.

Ms. Strauss, Mr. Goldberg, and Mr. Lee also announced a deferred prosecution agreement with the Swiss Life Entities (“the Agreement”) under which they agreed to accept responsibility for their criminal conduct by stipulating to the accuracy of the Statement of Facts attached to the Agreement.  The Agreement requires the Swiss Life Entities to refrain from all future criminal conduct, enhance remedial measures, and continue to cooperate fully with further investigations into hidden insurance policies and related policy investment accounts.  Further, as part of today’s resolution, the Swiss Life Entities agreed to pay approximately $77.3 million to the U.S. Treasury, which includes restitution, forfeiture of all gross fees, and a penalty component.  If the Swiss Life Entities abide by all of the terms of the Agreement, the Government will defer prosecution on the Information for three years and then seek to dismiss the charge.

Manhattan U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said:  “As they admit, Swiss Life and its subsidiaries sought out and offered their services to U.S. taxpayers to help them become U.S. tax evaders.  The Swiss Life Entities offered private placement life insurance policies and related policy investment accounts to U.S. customers, and provided services that concealed the policies and other assets from the IRS.  Indeed, the Swiss Life Entities saw U.S. authorities’ stepped-up offshore tax enforcement as an opportunity to pitch themselves to tax-evading U.S. customers as an alternative to Swiss banks.  Under the terms of today’s agreement, Swiss Life will turn over more than $77 million and be required to continue to cooperate with the United States in identifying U.S. tax evaders.”

Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg said:  “Swiss Life today is held responsible for creating and marketing specially designed insurance products to  U.S. tax evaders seeking a new way to hide their offshore assets, in light of heightened Justice Department and IRS tax enforcement efforts.  Financial enablers here and abroad – and the taxpayers seeking their services – should know that we will continue to identify and unmask such schemes.”

IRS-CI Chief James C. Lee said:  “The successful resolution of this investigation is an important victory for the American taxpayer for two primary reasons.  First, the recovery of more $77 million owed to the U.S. government sends an unequivocal message that offshore evasion is still a high priority of IRS Criminal Investigation.  Secondly, this agreement further requires Swiss Life Entities to continue to cooperate with the government and does not shield them from future civil or criminal sanctions, which should put every entity engaged in offshore evasion on notice.”

According to documents filed today in Manhattan federal court:

Swiss Life Holding is the ultimate parent company of the Swiss Life group of companies (“Swiss Life”), a Switzerland-based provider of comprehensive life insurance and pension products for individuals and corporations, as well as asset management and financial planning services.  From 2005 to 2014, Swiss Life through affiliated insurance carriers in Liechtenstein (Swiss Life Liechtenstein), Luxembourg (Swiss Life Luxembourg), and Singapore (Swiss Life Singapore) (collectively, the “PPLI Carriers”) maintained approximately 1,608 Private Placement Life Insurance (“PPLI”) policies.  The PPLI Carriers’ issuance and administration of those policies (colloquially known as “insurance wrappers”) and the related investment accounts were often done in a manner to assist U.S. taxpayers in evading U.S. taxes and reporting requirements and concealing the ownership of offshore assets.

Moreover, beginning as early as the summer of 2008, the PPLI Carriers were aware that UBS and other Swiss banks were terminating or reevaluating their business relationships with U.S. clients in response to increasing offshore tax enforcement efforts by U.S. authorities.  Certain management and sales personnel within the Swiss Life PPLI Business Unit viewed these developments as a business opportunity to expand the PPLI Business by onboarding U.S. clients who were fleeing UBS and other Swiss banks.  Such clients with undeclared assets were typically referred within Swiss Life as “non-comprehensive advice seeking,” which was frequently abbreviated to “NCAS.”  Because Swiss Life would be identified as the owner of the policy investment accounts, rather than the U.S. policyholder and/or ultimate beneficial owner of the assets, the insurance wrapper policies could be and were used by unscrupulous U.S. taxpayers to hide undeclared assets and income and to evade taxes.  In turn, Swiss Life grew its PPLI business and earned fees on those policies.  Members of management of the PPLI Business Unit knew about and authorized the onboarding of U.S. clients without regard to whether they were declared or undeclared.

Swiss Life engaged in other misconduct with respect to U.S.-related policies:

•   U.S.-related PPLI Policies were funded or terminated through asset transfers from/to an account maintained by a third party associated with the policyholder, such as an offshore law firm or intermediary. 

•     Swiss Life PPLI personnel assisted U.S. taxpayers in establishing and maintaining Swiss Life PPLI policies in the name of a foreign relative with the effect of obscuring the U.S. nexus of the assets used to fund the policy or to repatriate the U.S. taxpayer’s undeclared assets through a sham death payout. 

•      Certain U.S.-related PPLI Policies issued by Swiss Life Liechtenstein involved transfers of physical gold, other precious metals, or precious gemstones into or out of the policy investment account, presumably for the purpose of avoiding detection by U.S. authorities. 

•      The PPLI Carriers allowed policyholders to designate an authorized recipient – typically the policyholder’s asset manager or other foreign representative – to receive policy documents and custodian investment account statements, rather than having those documents sent directly to the policyholder. 

•     Certain Swiss Life Liechtenstein personnel promoted the use of Swiss Life products to turn U.S. taxpayers’ undeclared or so-called “black” money into so-called “white” money by parking the funds in a Swiss Life insurance policy until the clock had run on the perceived statute of limitations for tax offenses.

•    Corporate premium bank accounts were also misused as a transitory account to help conceal the movement of U.S. clients’ funds. 

Under today’s resolution, the Swiss Life Entities are required to continue to cooperate fully with ongoing investigations and affirmatively disclose any information they may later uncover regarding U.S.-related insurance policies and related policy investment accounts.  The Swiss Life Entities are also required to disclose information consistent with the Department of Justice’s Swiss Bank Program relating to accounts closed between Jan. 1, 2008, and Dec. 31, 2019.  The Agreement provides no protection from criminal or civil prosecution for any individuals.   

Swiss Life Holding will pay a total of $77,374,337, which has three parts.  First, Swiss Life Holding has agreed to pay $16,345,454 in restitution to the IRS, which represents the approximate unpaid taxes resulting from the Swiss Life Entities’ participation in the conspiracy.  Second, Swiss Life Holding has agreed to forfeit $35,782,375 to the United States, which represents the approximate gross fees (not profits) that the Swiss Life Entities earned on the penalized insurance policies and related policy investment accounts between 2005 and 2014.  Finally, Swiss Life Holding has agreed to pay a penalty of $25,246,508.

The penalty amount takes into consideration that Swiss Life conducted a robust internal investigation, supplied client-related data, facilitated the acquisition by the Justice Department of information relating to custodian banks, asset managers, and other entities and individuals related to Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and Singapore, and otherwise meaningfully assisted the Department’s cross-border tax enforcement efforts.  In addition, Swiss Life conducted extensive outreach to current and former U.S. clients to confirm historical tax compliance, and to encourage disclosure to the IRS when policyholders’ historical tax compliance issues had not yet been resolved.  Swiss Life further implemented remedial measures to protect against the use of its services for tax evasion in the future.

Ms. Strauss and Mr. Goldberg praised the outstanding work of IRS-CI.  Ms. Strauss also thanked the Department of Justice’s Tax Division for their partnership on this case.

This prosecution is being handled by the Complex Frauds and Cybercrime Unit of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York and the Department of Justice’s Tax Division.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nicholas Folly and Olga I. Zverovich of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York and Senior Litigation Counsel Nanette Davis and Trial Attorney Jack Morgan of the Tax Division are in charge of the prosecution.    

May 16, 2021 - Governor Cuomo Announces Lowest Single-Day Positivity Rate Since October 10th

 

Statewide Positivity Rate is 1.00%

Statewide 7-Day Average Positivity Drops to 1.13% - Lowest Since October 14; 41 Straight Days of Decline

Patient Hospitalizations Drop to 1,583 - Lowest Since November 9

ICU Patients Drop to 392 - Lowest Since November 15

Intubations Drop to 225 - Lowest Since November 20

33 COVID-19 Deaths in New York State Yesterday

 Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that the statewide COVID-19 positivity rate dropped to 1.00 percent yesterday the lowest since October 10.

The individual 7-day average positivity of all three downstate regions -- Long Island, New York City, and the Mid-Hudson -- fell below 1.0% yesterday for the first time since September 3, 2020.

"While it may feel like our fight with COVID is over, it's important to remember 33 New Yorkers died yesterday. 33 families are grieving today," Governor Cuomo said. "Follow social distancing guidelines, adhere to safety protocols, and get vaccinated if you haven't already. If not for yourself, then for your fellow New Yorkers. Think of each other as we progress toward a healthier, safer New York."

Today's data is summarized briefly below:

• Test Results Reported - 156,380
• Total Positive - 1,561
• Percent Positive - 1.00%
• 7-Day Average Percent Positive - 1.13%
• Patient Hospitalization - 1,583 (-105)
• Net Change Patient Hospitalization Past Week - -441
• Patients Newly Admitted - 178
• Number ICU - 392 (-15)
• Number ICU with Intubation - 225 (-21)
• Total Discharges - 179,789 (+228)
• Deaths - 33
• Total Deaths - 42,473

MAYOR DE BLASIO RELEASES NYC’S FIRST-EVER CITYWIDE ANALYSIS OF RAINFALL-BASED FLOODING AND PLAN FOR FUTURE FLOOD PREPAREDNESS

 

Climate change is projected to increase rainfall 25 percent by 2100 in NYC; new plan integrates cutting-edge climate projections into flood preparedness

 Mayor de Blasio released New York City’s Stormwater Resiliency Plan, which includes the City’s first-ever city-wide analysis of flooding caused by extreme rainfall events. Unlike coastal storms, such as hurricanes and Nor’easters, extreme rainfall can cause flooding in any part of the city, including inland neighborhoods that are miles from the shoreline.

 

“A Recovery for All of Us requires protecting all New Yorkers from the threat of climate change and severe storms,” Mayor Bill de Blasio. “The new Stormwater Resiliency Plan will be a critical to keeping our residents safe and creating a more resilient city.”

 

The New York City Panel on Climate Change (NPCC) has projected that New York City will become significantly wetter as global warming continues to worsen, with rainfall expected to increase by as much as 25 percent by the end of the century. This will place a growing strain on New York City’s drainage infrastructure, which includes a mix of traditional sewer systems, nature-based Bluebelts, and over 10,000 distributed green infrastructure assets that capture and absorb stormwater runoff and have the added benefit of reducing localized flooding.

 

The Stormwater Resiliency Plan outlines goals and initiatives for the City to implement over a period of 10 years, including new policies for resilient stormwater management, the integration of future-looking climate change projections into DEP’s long-term drainage planning, changes to the City’s flash flood emergency response procedure, and an increased focus on public communications related to rainfall-based flooding. These efforts will help New Yorkers prepare for flooding events, and help the City plan for emergency response and long-term management.

 

“Climate change is an existential threat, and we must prepare now to ensure a safer and more resilient future for all New Yorkers,” said Deputy Mayor for Operations Laura Anglin. “The Stormwater Resiliency Plan will guide us as we tackle the challenge of extreme rainfall. I thank the Office of Climate Resiliency and the Department of Environmental Protection for their vision and critical analysis.”

 

“Heavy rainstorms can develop quickly and without warning—and the flooding that results from downpours can occur anywhere. The Stormwater Resiliency Plan analyses how future extreme rainfall events could impact the five boroughs and outlines the steps the City is taking to reduce risks using green infrastructure, ​land use changes, long-term drainage improvements, improved evacuation plans, and more. With climate change projected to cause more rainfall in New York City, this plan will continue to increase our resiliency and protect New Yorkers from emerging threats,” said Jainey Bavishi, Director of the Mayor’s Office of Climate Resiliency.

 

“Centuries of environmental neglect have caused our climate to change and in order to continue to adapt to this new reality we must first understand our vulnerabilities,” said DEP Commissioner Vincent Sapienza.  “The City has made major capital improvements in drainage infrastructure during the past seven years and the Stormwater Resiliency Plan will support those ongoing investments to protect residents across all five boroughs.”  

 

"The destruction in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy had a devastating impact on New York City's infrastructure, neighborhoods, and residents, while exposing our vulnerability to such storms. As climate experts continue to provide scientific data on the increase frequency and strength of future storms, the Stormwater Resiliency Plan is a step forward towards preparing for potential future disasters. New York City Emergency Management remains committed to strengthening our infrastructure to protect our residents," said New York City Emergency Management Commissioner John Scrivani.

 

"New York City is taking aggressive action to end the age of fossil fuels, but we know that we also need to prepare for increased climate hazards in order to confront our climate crisis and secure a livable climate for the next generation," said Ben Furnas, Director of the Mayor's Office of Climate and Sustainability. "Thank you to the Office of Climate Resiliency and the Department of Environmental Protection for advancing this critical work. We are excited to partner to use this new data to advance policies like Local Laws 92 and 94 of 2019 that require the construction of green roofs and/or solar photovoltaics on all new rooftops. Green roofs reduce urban flooding, mitigate the urban heat island effect, and insulate buildings, creating a win-win for climate adaptation and mitigation."

 

Several years of detailed technical and scientific analysis support the City’s strategy. Starting in 2017, New York City partnered with academic experts at Brooklyn College, the Stevens Institute of Technology, the Urban Systems Lab at The New School, and Colorado State University on an ambitious effort to model flooding from extreme rain events and climactic conditions. Building off this work, the City further enhanced the modeling to include consideration of a wide variety of City assets including localized sewer network capacity, overland drainage pathways, tidal conditions, and the impact of climate change on sea level and rainfall intensity and volume.

 

The data from this effort will inform future infrastructure design to optimize drainage in a wetter and more volatile century.

 

This analysis also resulted in NYC’s first ever maps showing flood vulnerability from rainfall events under future climate conditions. These maps visualize the impacts of a moderate rainfall event with future sea level rise and an extreme rainfall event with future sea level rise. They can be accessed here.

 

These new maps build on the City’s existing NYC Flood Hazard Mapper tool, which has been available to the public since 2017. This tool depicts coastal flood hazards, including storm surge from coastal storms and regular, “sunny day” flooding that occurs at high tide. In the coming years, the City will work to integrate these mapping tools and conduct additional modeling to understand the threat of compound events that involve the complex, simultaneous interactions of storm surge, sea level rise, and intense rainfall.

 

Neither the new stormwater maps nor the existing coastal flood maps will have an impact on flood insurance rates. National Flood Insurance Program premiums are set by the Federal government using FEMA’s 2007 Flood Insurance Rate Maps.

 

"Nothing is more pressing than to prepare New York City for the risks we face from future climate driven extreme events. Flooding from heavy rainfall and coastal storms will likely have disproportionate impacts on communities and critical infrastructure. The Stormwater Resiliency Plan is a critical step to investing in both nature-based and hard infrastructure to protect New Yorkers where they live,” said Timon McPhearson, Member of NPCC and Director of the Urban Systems Lab at The New School. 

 

"We are pleased to complete one of the largest and most comprehensive stormwater studies ever conducted at both the City-wide and neighborhood scale. It's exciting that the results of this work could be used to inform improved management of stormwater and flood control systems in the City. We are happy to contribute to the City's stormwater resiliency. By all accounts, the City will experience more rainfall in the coming years. While the City may be wetter in the future, it will also be better prepared, and New Yorkers better protected with the implementation of the Stormwater Resiliency Plan,” said Jennifer Cherrier, Principal Investigator, New York City Stormwater Resiliency Study (Brooklyn College-CUNY) on behalf the study's lead scientists.

 

May 15, 2021 Governor Cuomo Announces 50 Percent of All New Yorkers Have Received at Least One COVID-19 Vaccine Dose

 

143,553 Doses Administered in the Last 24 Hours  

885,608 Doses Administered Over Past Seven Days          

1,216 Doses Administered at Pop-Up Vaccination Sites at MTA Station Stops on Day 3 of Pilot Program   

Vaccine Dashboard Updated Daily on the State's Vaccine Program Here

Vaccine Tracker Updated with Latest Pop-Up Event Dose Administration Data Here

 

 Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced 50 percent of all New Yorkers have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. 143,553 doses have been administered across the state's vast distribution network in the last 24 hours, and 1,216 doses have been administered at the eight pop-up vaccination sites at MTA station stops on day 3 of the pilot program that launched on May 12. 885,608 doses have been administered statewide over the past seven days.         

"Our progress on vaccinations is remarkable, and with about half of all New Yorkers now having received at least one dose of the vaccine, we are steadily moving towards the light of the end of the tunnel. Even as we continue to reopen and adjust to a new normal, we need to remember that this virus is still out there and the vaccine is the best weapon we have to defeat it," Governor Cuomo said. "The vaccine works, and we are continuing to do everything we can to make it accessible in every community. If you still need to get your shot, you just need to show up at one of our sites and roll up your sleeve."   

All New York State mass vaccination sites are now open to eligible New Yorkers for walk-in vaccination on a first come first serve basis. The walk-in appointments are reserved for first doses only with second doses to be scheduled automatically after administration of the initial shot. In addition, all vaccine providers are encouraged to allow walk-in appointments for eligible New Yorkers. People who would prefer to schedule an appointment at a state-run mass vaccination site can do so on the Am I Eligible App or by calling 1-833-NYS-4-VAX. People may also contact their local health department, pharmacy, doctor or hospital to schedule appointments where vaccines are available, or visit vaccines.gov to find information on vaccine appointments near them.                                

STATEWIDE BREAKDOWN

Total doses administered - 17,450,324 

Total doses administered over past 24 hours - 143,553

Total doses administered over past 7 days - 885,608 

Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with at least one vaccine dose - 61.4%

Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with completed vaccine series - 51.5% 

Percent of all New Yorkers with at least one vaccine dose - 49.6%

Percent of all New Yorkers with completed vaccine series - 41.3%   

From May 15, 2021 - Governor Cuomo Updates New Yorkers on State's Progress During COVID-19 Pandemic

Statewide Positivity Rate is 1.06%

Statewide 7-Day Average Positivity Rate Drops to 1.18% - Lowest Since October 19; 40 Straight Days of Decline

Western New York's 7-Day Average Positivity Rate Falls Below 2% for First Time Since March 17

Patient Hospitalizations Drop to 1,688 - Lowest Since November 11

407 Patients in the ICU - Lowest Since November 15

246 Intubated - Lowest Since November 21

23 COVID-19 Deaths in New York State Yesterday 

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today updated New Yorkers on the state's progress during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Western New York's 7-day average fell to 1.99%, falling below 2% for the first time since March 17, a 62% decline from its spring peak of 5.25% one month ago.

"New Yorkers are tough and they are strong. While COVID has shown itself to be a formidable opponent, the people of this state have proven they are a force to be reckoned with," Governor Cuomo said. "We are taking great strides toward our new normal, but this fight isn't over yet. I encourage New Yorkers to get vaccinated, wear your mask, wash your hands, and continue to follow health and safety protocols until the COVID beast is defeated entirely."

Today's data is summarized briefly below: 

• Test Results Reported - 193,450
• Total Positive - 2,041
• Percent Positive - 1.06%
• 7-Day Average Percent Positive - 1.18%
• Patient Hospitalization - 1,688 (-79)
• Net Change Patient Hospitalization Past Week - -490
• Patients Newly Admitted - 189
• Number ICU - 407 (-8)
• Number ICU with Intubation - 246 (-1)
• Total Discharges - 179,561 (+224)
• Deaths - 23
• Total Deaths - 42,440

231 Days and Counting

 

It's Sunday, and I really don't have to do anything more since I am a Lame Duck Mayor going into the home stretch of my term in office, but let me think how I can make it tougher for drivers in the city to get around. At least I won't be blamed for Congestion Pricing, since that won't begin until the next mayor is well in office, whomever he or she may be. 

Scott Stringer was a rubber stamp for me as he did not question anything I did, not even the $875 million THRIVE New York dollars I gave to Charlene. It was just a formality that Comptroller Stringer approved my contracts after we signed them, right Steven Banks my Department of Homeless Services Commissioner?