August 24th, 2010 – As part of the New York City Council’s continued efforts to help New Yorkers get good jobs, Speaker Christine C. Quinn and Council Member Maria del Carmen Arroyo today launched a citywide “Back to School” campaign to get more New Yorkers to sign up for the GED and for free education courses. The Speaker and Council Member, joined by Elyse Barbell of the Literacy Assistance Center, spoke with Executive Director Wanda Salaman and dozens of volunteers from Mothers on the Move – a community organization dedicated to social and economic justice – who will be assisting with outreach efforts in the Bronx.

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Today, the Mayor signed a package of recycling bills that will revolutionize recycling in New York City through a variety of initiatives including expanded plastic recycling, a new clothing and textile recycling program, and improved public space recycling. The package of legislation represents the first significant expansion of the city’s residential recycling program since it was created in 1989.

Speaker Christine C.

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Today, Speaker Quinn and Council Member Melissa Mark-Viverito joined the New York Community Garden Coalition and other advocates called for a more permanent protection of the city’s community gardens, which are due to lose their existing protections this September.

Statement from Speaker Quinn:

“The City Council has a long history of working to preserve and protect New York City’s community gardens.

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I want to thank the Landmarks Preservation Commission for making the right decision on the merits of this application. The Commission was correct to deny landmark status for the old Burlington Coat Factory. Any attempt to derail this development because of its future uses would at its core be un-American and a violation of all of our first amendment rights.

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Tenants, left in debt-ridden properties from the Milbank-LNR deal, will be forced to live in unsafe, dangerous buildings that are in utter disrepair

BRONX, NY, August 3, 2010 – Speaker Quinn, Council Member Annabel Palma, joined by the Legal Services of New York City in the Bronx, Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition, and the Urban Homesteading Assistance Board, today protested in front of one of the 10 overleveraged properties that are part of a predatory equity deal between Milbank, LNR and a new buyer, which will put hundreds of tenants in unsafe living conditions.

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Staten Island, NY – Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn and Council Member Debi Rose today announced an aggressive plan to combat the recent wave of hate crimes plaguing Staten Island. The plan, carefully crafted with input from the community as well as elected and law enforcement officials, seeks to raise awareness, and foster a dialogue in Staten Island aimed at ceasing bias-related crime.

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Growing and Greening the City, Council Will Also Vote on Bills to Reform City Recycling Practices and Reduce Soot Pollution across the Five Boroughs

City Hall, July 29, 2010 – At today’s Stated Meeting, the Council will vote to approve proposals for the New Domino complex on the Williamsburg waterfront and the Flushing Commons development in Northeast Queens.

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Growing and Greening the City, Council Will Also Vote on Bills to Reform City Recycling Practices and Reduce Soot Pollution across the Five Boroughs

City Hall, July 29, 2010 – At today’s Stated Meeting, the Council will vote to approve proposals for the New Domino complex on the Williamsburg waterfront and the Flushing Commons development in Northeast Queens.

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City Web Portal Will Streamline System and Help People Sign Up for the GED Exam

July 27th, 2010 – Speaker Christine C. Quinn, as part of her effort to improve the GED system, announced the launch of GED COMPASS, a web portal that will centralize New York City’s General Education Development (GED) testing seats and provide information on how to prepare for the GED test.

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(City Hall) – Council Member Michael C. Nelson praised the city’s new plan to significantly reduce costs while at the same time generate much needed revenue yet believes more can be done to ensure the city reaches it goal.

That goal, saving an estimated $500 million, also includes a plan to collect over $100 million in debt and a considerable portion of that amount comes from unpaid parking tickets.

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