New York City Council Newsletter
Week of February 4th, 2008

City Hall Hosts World Champion New York Giants
On Tuesday, City Hall played host to a celebration honoring the New York Giants’ upset victory over the New England Patriots in this year’s Superbowl. More than 5,000 fans crammed into the City Hall courtyard to watch Mayor Bloomberg hand out keys to the city to the victorious team. The ceremony was preceded by a tickertape parade up the famed Canyon of Heroes and featured remarks by head coach Tom Coughlin, quarterback Eli Manning and defensive end Michael Strahan.

James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act
On Thursday, the Council’s Lower Manhattan Redevelopment Committee and Civil Service and Labor Committee held a joint hearing to discuss a resolution that, if passed, will call on the federal government to pass the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act. The federal bill is named for an NYPD Detective whom many believe was killed as a result of exposure to the toxic cloud that engulfed much of lower Manhattan when the World Trade Center Towers collapsed. If passed by congress and signed into law, the James Zadroga Act would cover the cost of medical care for emergency responders, workers, volunteers and residents injured by the toxic dust. The Daily News quotes Speaker Christine C. Quinn, who said of the bill, “It isn’t something we want. It’s something we need and it’s something we deserve.” To read the text of the resolution, click here.

Emergency Construction Safety Hearing Held By Housing and Buildings Committee
The Council’s Housing and Buildings Committee held an emergency hearing on Monday in response to recent deaths that have taken place at high-rise construction sites in the Manhattan. The committee heard testimony from the New York City Department of Buildings, the agency responsible for enforcing the city’s construction safety regulations. An editorial by the New York Times mentions the hearing and argues that construction safety should be more closely monitored.

Council Member Leroy Comrie Commends Beverage Company
Council Member Leroy Comrie praised the decision of an Arizona-based beverage company to change its name from OG Nation to Hall of Fame Beverages. Council Member Comrie believed that the original name, which employs a common abbreviation of the slang term “original gangster,” irresponsibly glorified gang culture. The New York Sun covers the story and references a letter Council Member Comrie’s office sent to the company, which described them as “open to change.”