Thousands of riders benefit from service continuing through the winter months

City Hall – City Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn and Seth W. Pinsky, President of the New York City Economic Development Corporation today announced that year-round ferry service has been secured for the East River ferry route, resulting in uninterrupted service for commuters through 2010. The announcement is the most recent step in the Speaker’s and Mayor’s continuing effort to provide year-round ferry service to New Yorkers.

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Also Votes to Require Recycling at Street Fairs

City Hall, February 11, 2009 – At today’s Stated Council meeting, the members of the New York City Council will vote to override a Mayoral veto to allow members of District Council 37, the city’s largest municipal union, to reside outside of New York City if they have completed more than two years of city service.

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CITY HALL – Continuing efforts to strengthen and improve passenger safety for residents that use livery cabs in New York City, the Council will vote Wednesday on legislation that would make it easier for passengers to know and understand their rights. Council members were also joined by members of the New York State Federation of Taxi Drivers and the Metropolitan Taxicab Board of Trade representing livery cab drivers and livery cab fleets.

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“NYC’s campaign finance system has been called the gold standard of public financing systems. Late Friday, I was pleased to learn that important new provisions adopted by the Council to limit contributions of those who do business with the city were upheld by the court.

The more we can do to eliminate the perception of pay to play, the more we can restore the public’s trust in government.”

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Last weekend in the Long Island community of Bay Shore, vandals targeted the Long Island GLBT Services Network community center. These cowardly individuals slashed the tires and shattered the windows of the van used to transport teens to and from the Community Center. They also smashed the front door of the facility. The Suffolk County Police Commissioner has classified this criminal mischief as a hate crime.

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For too long, representatives from upstate New York have had too much control over how New York City governs its housing policy. This system has destabilized communities and spurred the loss of hundreds of thousands of units of affordable housing, many of them home to some of our most vulnerable residents. By repealing the Urstadt laws, we can restore home rule and put authority back where it belongs – in the hands of the local legislature.

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We in the Council are committed to working to see New York through this financial crisis, the most significant we have seen in decades. The severe economic conditions we are facing are real. Therefore, Mayor Bloomberg’s proposals will be thoroughly debated and examined by the Council as we fulfill our obligation to balance the budget in a responsible and fair manner.

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Bills will allow multiple agencies to enforce idling rules, reduce allowable idling times around City schools

City Hall, January 28, 2009 – The New York City Council voted on legislation to reduce engine idling in front of schools and authorize additional city agencies to enforce automotive idling restrictions. With some of the highest child asthma rates in the country, these bills aim to reduce harmful pollutants emitted by idling engines on city streets.

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Legislation will require licensing of property consultants and root out bad actors

CITY HALL – Speaker Christine C. Quinn, together with the Executive Director of the Center for NYC Neighborhoods, Michael Hickey, Anne Fleming of South Brooklyn Legal Services, Ellen Davidson of the Legal Aide Society, Sarah Ludwig, co-director of the Neighborhood Economic Development Advocacy Project, Consumer Affairs Chair Leroy Comrie, Housing and Buildings Chair Erik Martin-Dilan and Council Members Lewis Fidler, James Sanders and Thomas White, today announced legislation that will increase the regulatory requirements for distressed property consultants.

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