Last week, City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams presented her “State of the City” address to a crowd of people gathered at the Sotomayor Center in the Bronx. During the speech, the Speaker outlined her agenda to recreate New York City in a way that would put “people over everything” and improve the lives of New Yorkers. I must say that although I was encouraged by a number of the Speaker’s proposed initiatives–I do think the proposals regarding public safety and some of the usage of taxpayer dollars are completely off the mark.

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New York City is a city under siege. The Big Apple saw a 22% increase in major crimes in 2022 (126,537 vs 103,388 the year prior). Of those, there were 433 homicides and 1,294 shootings. In a recent New York Times article – the same one where these very figures can be read – John Jay College professor Christopher Hermann told reporters “crime is up in New York City, and it’s up quite a bit.”

Crime is up, and yet some in our city want to further handcuff our police – the one group in the city that’s been proven to keep us safe.

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As many of my constituents know, I am the Chair of the New York City Council’s Fire & Emergency Committee. In that capacity, I’ve spent much of my time fighting to protect the FDNY’s benefits, enhance their on-the-job safety, and guarantee that all members of the Department are given the pay that they deserve. This week, I’d like to take a minute to tell you all about some of the battles we’re waging in the Council and let you know of some of the developments going on behind the scenes.

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In the past year alone, more than 40,000 migrants from the Southern border have made their way to the Big Apple. That means more than 40,000 new mouths that New York taxpayers need to feed, and more than 40,000 new bodies that New York taxpayers have to shelter. For a city that’s already on the brink of a financial crisis, with a swelling homeless problem of its own to deal with, this is nothing short of a catastrophe in the making.

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Fighting For Our Retirees

Councilwoman Ariola joined several Council colleagues on the steps of City Call this week, showing their support for the city’s retirees at risk for losing their health insurance. “I have been at the forefront and leading this march to support our retirees, and will not let go, I will not let up,” Ariola said.

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A belated Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, and an early Happy New Year to The Wave’s readers! It’s an honor to have my Point of View be the last one printed this year.

Since taking office this past January, I‘ve worked hard to live up to the promises I made to you all when you elected me to represent District 32 in City Hall.

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On December 6, amidst the ongoing legal clash for the fate of the District 23 Assembly seat, Queens Supreme Court Justice Joseph Risi ruled in favor of incumbent Assemblywoman Stacey Pheffer Amato and ordered the New York City Board of Elections to accept 94 previously invalidated ballots as valid – a decision which sent shockwaves throughout the area.

The majority of the ballots now deemed valid were not sealed properly when they were initially submitted to the Board of Elections.

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Hundreds turned out to celebrate Columbus Day and Italian heritage on Sunday, October 9th, during the 2022 Festival Italiano along Cross Bay Boulevard.

The event, sponsored by Councilwoman Joann Ariola and the Howard Beach Columbus Day Foundation, saw several businesses and local leaders come together to provide the community with a day of fun, food, games, and excitement.

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Over the past two weeks, our office has been honored to take part in three separate street co-naming ceremonies, each of which honors local individuals who dedicated their lives to their communities.

On September 24, we took part in the co-naming of the corner of Tahoe Street and Eckford Avenue in Ozone Park to Paul Russo way, honoring the life of 33-year old Paul Russo who passed away in 2018 after a long battle with cancer.

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On Friday, September 23, my office was honored to host a reception at City Hall to honor the 40th Anniversary of the first female firefighters joining the New York City Fire Department.

These women faced extreme adversity as they fought to carve out a place for themselves and every other woman who followed after them, and they serve as true pioneers in the fight for female equality.

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