$600,000 investment will connect families with incarcerated loved ones

East Harlem, NY – Today, Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, Majority Leader and Chair of the Cultural Affairs and Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer, Chair of the Subcommittee on Libraries Council Member Andy King, Tony Marx, President and CEO of New York Public Library, Linda E. Johnson, President and CEO of Brooklyn Public Library, and Dennis Walcott, President and CEO of Queens Public Library, and Angela Tolosa, Assistant Commissioner of Program Operations at the New York City Department of Correction gathered to celebrate the $600,000 in Council funding to expand a video visitation program with the City’s 3 library systems to provide free live video services for families who wish to visit with their NYC Department of Corrections (DOC) incarcerated loved ones.

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Lexington Gardens II Development Will Exceed MIH Requirements with 100 Percent Affordable Units, Half for Families Earning Below 47 Percent AMI

CITY HALL – City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito in partnership with Lexington Gardens Associates, a joint venture between L+M Development Partners and Tahl Propp Equities, today announced an agreement to deepen affordability at Lexington Gardens II—a new 400-unit, 100 percent affordable mixed-use development located at Lexington Avenue between 107th and 108th Street in East Harlem.

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Council will also vote on the Construction of New Affordable Housing Developments

City Hall – Today the New York City Council will vote on creating an Office of Crime Victim Services to provide important resources to relevant individuals in need. Next, the Council will vote on legislation to establish procedures for the reporting on results of employment and economic services offered to public housing residents.

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“The Council is deeply concerned by the recent spate of crane and construction related accidents which have taken the lives of far too many New Yorkers. Two more workers died yesterday and our hearts go out to their families. The City can, and must do a better job at preventing these needless and devastating deaths, which too often, may be prevented by stronger enforcement and regulations.

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The City Council’s School Food Pantry Initiative will provide New York City students and their families with access to food and basic personal and feminine hygiene items at their schools through a one year pilot program

CITY HALL – Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito and the New York City Council today announced $595,000 in funding for sixteen new school food pantries across all five boroughs, to continue the Council’s investment in combating food insecurity in New York City.

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“Strengthening the City reserves and refocusing on savings has been a consistent priority of the City Council. Given the uncertainties facing the State and the Federal budgets and in anticipation of slowing economic growth in the City and across the world, it is now more important than ever to carefully plan for the City’s future. The November Plan outlined by the Administration incorporates sound cost saving measures advocated by the Council, however, we remain concerned about rising shelter costs and pension obligations.

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Urge Those Affected to Remain Calm and Make Use of Available City Services

City Hall – Today City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, Immigration Committee Chair Carlos Menchaca and Council Member Daniel Dromm released a letter addressing New York City immigrant communities. The letter comes in the wake of fears expressed by immigrant communities about their future in the country, and is intended to assuage concerns that many immigrant New Yorkers have in light of the upcoming presidential administration.

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Council will also vote to Establish a Task Force to Study the Feasibility of Returning to a Tuition-Free Model for the City University of New York System

City Hall – Today the New York City Council will vote on establishing a task force to review the feasibility of returning to a tuition-free model for the City University of New York (CUNY) system.

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NEW YORK – New York City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito announced today that Press Secretary Robin Levine has been promoted to Communications Director. As Communications Director, Levine will oversee all media relations for the Speaker and the Council and will serve as point of contact for local, state and national press.  Levine has worked for the Council since 2011 and has been Press Secretary since January 2015. 

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“As our city reeled from the horror of a devastating terrorist attack only two months prior, we experienced a renewed sense of loss on November 12, 2001, as American Airlines Flight 587 crash landed in the neighborhood of Belle Harbor. 265 people – individuals, each with their own unique dreams and experiences – lost their lives that day, and 15 years later we continue to remember the heartbreaking damage that occurred.

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