Executive Committee Election

Transcription

1 February 2014 Staten Island Democratic Association est as Staten Island s reform Democratic Club At our Annual Meeting: Marybeth Melendez Candidate for 64 th Assembly District Domenic M.Recchia, Jr. Congressional Candidate (his statement appeared in January newsletter) Executive Committee Election Tuesday, February 18, 2014, 8:00 P.M. ** NOTE LOCATION: Da Noi ** 138 Fingerboard Road, (see page 16 for specials Da Noi is offering) S.I.D.A February 2014 Page 1

2 Editorial Policy Items for publication must be submitted to the newsletter no later than the last Friday of the month before the meeting. Please send items to: Unless explicitly stated, the views herein are those of the authors and not of S.I.D.A. Chris Bauer, Editor (917) Table of Contents David Dewey Ebbin... 3 Annual Meeting... 4 S.I.D.A. President s Statement... 5 Marybeth Melendez... 6 County Convention... 8 Election Ballot Closing Times... 8 Letters... 9 Ad Rate Card Bob Dunne Memorial Service Bulletin Board Lathrope Voorspuy Memorial Scholarship Fund LVMSF Application Meeting Place Da Noi Upcoming Meetings Join/Renewal Form I hold it, that a little rebellion, now and then, is a good thing, and as necessary in the political world as storms are in the physical. - Thomas Jefferson 1787 S.I.D.A. Executive Committee President... Tom Shcherbenko Member at-large... Loretta Prisco Vice President... Joann Olbrich Ex Officio... Michelle Akyempong Executive Secretary... Mark Herman Ex Officio... Dennis Brown Corresponding & Ex Officio... Gary Carsel Recording Secretary... Marie Dwyer Ex Officio... Paul Cinquemani Treasurer... Bonita Rothman Ex Officio... Belinda Dixon Social Secretary... Liz Price Ex Officio... Richard Reichard Member at-large... Richard Florentino Ex Officio... Rosemarie Mangano Member at-large... Richenda Kramer Ex Officio... John Mastellone Member at-large... Roy Moskowitz Ex Officio... Richard Reichard Member at-large... Rosemary Palladino Ex Officio... John Sollazzo S.I.D.A February 2014 Page 2

3 David Dewey Ebbin March 18, 1930 January 6, 2014 S.I.D.A February 2014 Page 3

4 Annual Meeting B ecause of the snowstorm on the day of the January 21 Annual Meeting, the Annual Meeting was postponed to the date of S.I.D.A. s next regularly scheduled meeting, February 18. President Tom Shcherbenko sent an informational , copied below: Date: January 23, 2014 From: SIDA Pres Tom Shcherbenko Subject SIDA Annual Election Meeting February 18 at Da Noi on Fingerboard Road 8 pm To SIDA members and friends, Thank you for your patience during this difficult time. As the third Tuesday of the month is the day that members have set aside to attend SIDA meetings, the regularly scheduled meeting date in February is the most appropriate date to hold our annual election, in order to insure that the maximum number of members might be present. Many of us belong to many other organizations, and often have conflicts when the regularly scheduled meeting date has to be changed. Membership set their personal schedules based on a third Tuesday club meeting date. People will have civic conflicts, resulting in lower voter turnout and a materially different electorate if the election is held on a non-third Tuesday. Please join us on February 18, 8 pm, at Da Noi (basement), Fingerboard Road just off of Tompkins Avenue, for our annual election meeting. We also plan to have presentations from Domenic Recchia and Marybeth Melendez on their campaigns. -Tom As notice of the Annual Meeting normally appears in the two newsletters prior to the meeting, and as this was not possible with February s meeting, and to ensure the S.I.D.A. Constitution s provision that [all] members shall be given at least seven days written notice of the annual meeting, a separate meeting notice was mailed ahead of the newsletter. This notice is copied to the right. S.I.D.A February 2014 Page 4

5 S.I.D.A. President s Message February 2014 I t was encouraging to hear the President say, in his State of the Union address, how important food stamps are to our country: More than half of Americans will experience poverty at some point during their adult lives. That s why we have nutrition assistance (SNAP), because it makes a difference for a mother who s working, but is just having a hard time putting food on the table for her kids. That made it all the more discouraging when the House of Representatives cut food stamps by over $8 billion (the Farm Bill, HR 2642) the very next day. The Congressional Progressive Caucus tried to stop the bill, but a bipartisan group including Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer and even Bernie Sanders succeeding in getting the bill passed by Congress. According to Joel Berg, executive director of the NYC Coalition Against Hunger, this was the first time in history that a Democratic-controlled Senate had even proposed cutting the SNAP program. How did we reach a point where Democrats voted to cut food stamps? Originally the Republicans threatened devastating cuts that would have removed almost 4 million people from the program. Fears of losing the Senate in November caused many legislators to believe that this could be the last time that SNAP could be preserved for the next five years. The result was hailed as a difficult compromise; the New York Times wrote, it could have been worse. We can get some small satisfaction that Senators Gillibrand and Warren, as well as every Democratic member of the NYC s Congressional delegation, voted against the bill. This demonstrates the necessity of defeating Grimm, who cut food stamps just a few hours after threatening to break a reporter in half and throw him off the Rotunda balcony. We must keep up the pressure on Democrats that voted for the cuts. Many of them ask us for campaign contributions; we should respond by telling them that instead we will be contributing to a local food bank or an organization like the Coalition Against Hunger. Tell them that even Blue Dogs like Utah s Jim Matheson recognized that, while so many fiscally irresponsible subsidies are in the bill, support for people facing food insecurity was reduced. And we need to keep building a nationwide progressive movement. One member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, Minnesota s Keith Ellison, summed up our feelings very eloquently: We shouldn t ask families on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program to get by on less when we aren t asking corporate farmers to do the same. All legislation involves tradeoffs, but ultimately this bill made an unfair trade between families who need food and wealthy farmers. When I m asked to choose between food assistance for families and crop subsidies to the wealthiest farmers in the country, I will choose food assistance every time. We need to make sure working families who have fallen on hard times get the help they need before we give more handouts to wealthy farmers. Sincerely, Tom Shcherbenko President S.I.D.A February 2014 Page 5

6 Marybeth Melendez Marybeth Melendez is a candidate for the 64 th Assembly District and will be a guest speaker at our February 18 Annual Meeting. Her campaign provided the following biography. M y name is Marybeth Melendez and I am a clinical crisis and emergency management counselor working specifically with both the substance abuse and autistic populations on Staten Island. In addition, I am a scholar, friend, community advocate and leader, a mother, a grandmother, a clinician, a first responder and public servant. I have resided in Staten Island and Brooklyn for more than twenty years and I wish to be your candidate for the New York StateAssembly, 64 th District. As a single working mother with a disability who fought against all odds to rise above poverty, I have experienced the struggles that face the residents of Staten Island and Brooklyn on a daily basis. My story began in the tightly knit, culturally diverse community of Spanish Harlem. I was born to parents of Puerto Rican descent, whose value system was deeply embedded in the labor movement, collective bargaining, education, public service and volunteerism. These lessons were as much a part of my personal growth and education as were the traditional lessons of math, reading and writing. Growing up in an era of community pride, service and grassroots organizing, I watched my parents, who were union leaders at the time, advocate for change. From returning veterans to women s rights to the birth of the Americans With Disabilities Act, I walked, watched and understood that within advocacy and service, was where change and true democracy was attained. Thus, my interest in public policy and law was born. In the late eighties and early nineties, I had the unique opportunity to work with two prominent New York City Law Firms. Originally hired as a receptionist, I was ultimately promoted to legal researcher and paralegal, due to the honorable Mayor John V. Lindsey, Esq. Under his tutelage and mentoring, I was able to gain a deeper knowledge and respect for the application of law, public policy, and its implementation in governmental agencies. During my time in the workforce, I got married and gave birth to three beautiful children and maintained my position at the Law firm. Sadly, during this time, I progressively lost my sight due to a degenerative retinal condition known as retinitis pigmentosa that destroyed the muscles of my eyes. This took a toll on both my personal and professional life. I was forced to retire from my position at the law firm and my marriage ended shortly thereafter. S.I.D.A February 2014 Page 6

7 Suddenly, I was thrust into a world of darkness, poverty, and single motherhood and there seemed to be no escape. I was left with no alternative but to walk into the very agencies that I had once served. Not as an advocate, but instead, as an individual in need. It is within this humbling journey that I came to personally understand the day-to-day obstacles and challenges that we all face as we struggle to make ends meet and provide for our families and ourselves. For here is where my broken eyes could see the multitude of pitfalls that lay just beneath the surface. The existence of invisible bureaucratic roadblocks that interrupted the distribution of the well-intended governmental services from reaching the very communities they were intended to serve. This profound experience inspired me to seek out a higher level of public service wherein I vowed to return to serve and assist those who create policies on our behalf and reveal to them what I had heard, seen and felt. In order to keep that promise, I understood that I needed to arm myself with an education in order to continue serving to the fullest of my abilities. In February 2008, I entered the College of Staten Island and attended college as a full time student while tirelessly serving my community on the ground. I also obtained part time employment within CSI as a tutor, mentor, and educator and paid tuition with the help of financial aid and academic scholarships. In 2011, I graduated C.S.I. with a triple B.A. in the field of Psychology, Sociology and Anthropology with full honors. In 2013, while working as a clinician and serving the substance abuse population on Staten Island, I completed my graduate work and earned a Masters degree in Clinical Mental Health. In the year 2011 and again in that of 2012, when both hurricane Irene and Sandy mercilessly struck the greater New York Region; I again answered the call to duty as a first responder to the storms victims. Now further armed with my education, clinical training and continuous passion to serve, on Saturday, October 27, 2012 I walked into the Office of Emergency Management s designated main shelter site, I.S 51 Edward Marcum, and volunteered. For eight consecutive days, I created, implemented and ran the Crisis Intervention and Assessment Unit. It was here where I provided twenty-four hour crisis counseling to the storm victims as the emergency services unit throughout the days that lay ahead brought them in. There were a multitude of victims, each with their own challenges, stories, and particular needs. Some were on the lower end of the socio-economic strata, others were somewhere in between. Some were already lost and disenfranchised, yet all had suffered intently. I watched, listened and intervened as I observed the human condition crumble and break down with each passing wave from the rising waters of Sandy s wrath. On Monday, October 29th at 7:45 pm, the I.S 51 emergency shelter site lost power, and we were plunged into darkness. There was no back up mechanism in place, no emergency generator to shed light. Nothing but total darkness and disconnect from the outside world. Thus the bureaucratic roadblocks manifested themselves again. However, this time I was ready. In the darkness is where I had now learned to thrive. And so, armed with my Braillewriter and my guide dog Trixie, I rose to further assist. Hence the creation of an internal relay system between our site, the emergency services unit and the other remaining shelter sites on Staten Island was created. Through the assistance of boots on the ground, we shared information, medical supplies and much needed food and water to serve our growing number of evacuee s. S.I.D.A February 2014 Page 7

8 In the early morning hours of Friday, November 2nd, 2012, just a few short hours before the shelter closed its doors, we linked each and every evacuee to the very agency, resource and temporary shelter that they needed. What didn t exist, we created. What wasn t accessible, we made possible. Where bureaucratic roadblocks lay, we built an overarching bridge. The doors to the shelter may have closed at 7:30pm that night. However, my story to you does not close here. That night, I hit the streets of Midland and New Dorp Beach, two of the most devastated regions on Staten Island, and ran an emergency food, water and supply distribution center. In collaboration with the National Guard, the F.D.N.Y., and local community members, we served hot food, distributed warm clothing, and gave out donated supplies and emergency crisis work. Our table of one soon became a table that spanned over two city streets and we worked diligently into the wee hours of the night. What supplies we had in excess we distributed to the greater regions of Brooklyn and Queens the following day. In the weeks and months that followed, the work continued as I volunteered my time at the command center at Miller Field offering emergency crisis work and counseling. Through my initiative, A Vision of Hope, nationwide donations were re-distributed to our local non-profits. As of today, I have kept my promise and continue to work for all of us in terms of boots on the ground, humanitarian efforts, clinical crisis work and advocacy. As your next Assemblywoman, I will ensure that the work will continue and that the promise will be kept. County Convention F or S.I.D.A members on County Committee, there will be a County Convention on Wednesday, February 19, 2014, 7:00 p.m., at the Excelsior Grand, 2380 Hylan Boulevard. The purpose of this convention will be to nominate candidates for the public offices of Member of Congress, New York State Senate, and New York State Assembly, and for the party offices of State Committeeperson. If you have any questions, please contact Democratic Headquarters at Election Ballot Closing Times A t our February 18 Annual Meeting we will be electing our Executive Committee. Because there is contested race for an officer position, and, per the S.I.D.A. Constitution, candidates for officer positions who lose have the option of being put on the ballot for Member-at-Large, there will a two-tier election process. Please come on time if you want to vote in the officer elections, as that ballot will close earlier (at a time to be voted upon by the membership at the beginning of the meeting) so as to allow a second ballot for Members-at-Large. S.I.D.A February 2014 Page 8

9 Letters We in S.I.D.A. like to make our views known. The following are some of the letters written by S.I.D.A. members that have appeared in print. Unless otherwise indicated, all letters were in the Staten Island Advance and/or posted on the Advance s website Unless explicitly stated, the views herein are those of the authors and are not the views of S.I.D.A. On-line January 10, 2014 Printed January 10, 2014 Don't Unleash Dangers of Liquefied Natural Gas T he Staten Island Advance is right to urge caution as the Department of Environmental Conservation considers regulations that would open up New York to liquefied natural gas. But that requires the agency first set aside misleading sound-bites, like those of Lisa King, quoted in the editorial as claiming DEC s goal is simply to enable refueling stations for longhaul trucks. In reality, the proposed regs would welcome an eventual onslaught of LNG storage and processing facilities of any size for fracked gas from Pennsylvania, and maybe even New York s southern tier. Those future facilities could be fueling stations, production plants hanging off of pipelines and gas wells, or massive import/export terminals dwarfing the deadly LNG facility on Staten Island that killed 40 people. And contrary to proclamations about air quality, the proposed rules do nothing to require the recapture of methane routinely vented from storage tanks to keep them cold. Citing only existing fire codes, the so-called regulations are a far cry from the tough new standards that the DEC boasts. The department has a long way to go before unleashing this dangerous technology upon our state. - Susan Chew [The writer is chairwoman and founder, New Yorkers for Clean Water Inc.] On-line January 10, 2014 Pope Said that Atheists Can Get into Heaven I read that State Sen. Lanza accused atheists of being hateful. It seems to me that with 2,000 years of religious wars, atheists are the last people who should be attacked as being malicious and hateful. Although we may disagree about their message, from what I saw, there was nothing that was either malicious or hateful about it. There is enough hatred in the world without creating it where it doesn t exist. I realize that it takes a little chutzpah, on my part, as a non-practicing Catholic, to refer to Pope Francis as our pope, nonetheless, our pope has said that atheists can get into heaven. Sen. Lanza should follow his example of love and compassion for all of God s children. - Philip Blitz S.I.D.A February 2014 Page 9

10 On-line January 16, 2014 Printed January 16, 2014 Do-nothing GOP Backs Trickle-down Politics Well, our legislators are back in Washington once more. And we are all glued to the TV to see once again and once again and once again our do-nothing legislator doing nothing along with his do-nothing Republican co-legislators. What they do plan to do is to starve poor kids and elderly people, who depend on SNAP for adequate calories; and to cut the income of those lazy workers who can t find jobs in this economy because there are three of them to every job. They are not prepared to cut the supports for agribusiness or the tax deductions for those corporate jets or the write-offs for our global corporations or the money they throw at the gasoline companies. When are those trickle-down benefits going to kick in, anyway? We ve been waiting since 2002 and the economy is pretty much still dead in the water. This is what libertarian government looks like: A zombie economy and a skeletal government. Way to go! And don t forget to not vote in Bonita Rothman On-line January 17, 2014 Printed January 17, 2014 How You Eat Pizza is Your Own Choice Why all the uproar about Mayor Bill de Blasio eating pizza with a knife and fork? I thought New York City was a place where diversity is not only tolerated but celebrated. I also eat pizza with a knife and fork. Not only does it keep your fingers clean, but you are less likely to burn the roof of your mouth. - Chris Bauer On-line January 20, 2014 Printed January 20, 2014 Sen. Lanza's Anti-atheism Reflects a Disconnect I am writing regarding the controversy surrounding Senator Lanza, and the American Atheists Times Square billboard. In his attack on the billboard, Senate Lanza subtly compares those who do not worship God to Nazis, and has vowed to wage war on those who do not believe in God. As one of Senator Lanza s constituents, I find it very unfortunate that instead of serving as an effective legislator and dealing with the difficult issues of genuine importance to the people of Staten Island, such as tolls, jobs, and Hurricane Sandy relief, Senator Lanza appeals to our baser demons and bullies an easy target. To take a group that has historically been persecuted, and then compare them to Nazis for their unpopular views, represents a shocking lack of understanding of religious freedom, and a shocking lack of understanding of the intolerance the Nazis personified. Though Senator Lanza is a duly elected representative for the 24th State Senate district of Staten Island, he does not truly represent the warm generous hard-working people of our community. It is on occasions like Senator Lanza s hateful, and unnecessary, attack on atheists that Senate Lanza s disconnect with the good people of Staten Island becomes abundantly clear. - Gary Carsel S.I.D.A February 2014 Page 10

11 The following letter appeared in the New York Daily News. On-line January 23, 2014 Printed January 23, 2014 Staten Island: If Mayor de Blasio wants to help alleviate the extreme economic disparities in New York City, one thing that would be very effective and also benefit the economy would be doing the right thing by New York s civil service workers. Mayor Bloomberg refused to bargain with them in good faith or at all leaving almost all of our roughly 300,000 city workers without a contract for years. The cost of living has gone up, even if their salaries have not. Giving them appropriate wages would not only be just, but also good for the economy. All those workers with some extra money in their paychecks at last will produce so much demand that it will create jobs. - Joann Olbrich On-line February 2, 2014 Rep. Grimm Should Back Checks on Web Gun Sales Internet shopping continues to grow. You can shop for a book, clothes, a vacuum cleaner, an assault weapon. Assault weapon, really? The number of websites that sell weapons, no questions asked, continues to increase. A recent report by the Mayor s Against Illegal Guns estimates that 25,000 guns are transferred each year to individuals with criminal records from just one website. This does not include on-line transfers to others prevented from obtaining a gun such as someone with a mental health problem. The shooter who murdered 12 and wounded 58 at the movie theater in Aurora Colorado purchased 6,000 rounds of ammunition over the Internet just prior to the mass shooting. This is a question of public safety. If we allow weapons to change hands without any background check, as is now happening over the Internet, then we are putting weapons in the hands of the mentally ill, criminals and terrorists. Republican Congressman Peter King has sponsored legislation (H.R.1565) that would extend background checks to Internet sales. The legislation has 186 cosponsors. Our representative, Congressman Grimm, is not a cosponsor. Let s not wait for some gun-violence tragedy to motivate us to act. Contact Congressman Grimm and ask him to become a cosponsor. - Richard Reichard Ad Rate Card The S.I.D.A. newsletter takes advertising. The following is the rate card: Full -page... $85 1/2 page... $45 1/4 page... $25 Booster...$5 To place an advertisement in the newsletter, please contact S.I.D.A. President Tom Shcherbenko at or shcherbenko@aol.com. S.I.D.A February 2014 Page 11

12 Bob Dunne Memorial Service Bob Dunne's former boss, Anthony Viscogliosi, made the following announcement on the memorial website he set up for Bob: The Memorial Service for Mr. Robert C. Dunne will be held on February 25 th Noon - 2pm at Viscogliosi Bros. LLC. 505 Park Avenue, 14 th Floor New York, NY S.I.D.A February 2014 Page 12

13 Bulletin Board Bulletin Board Policy Items posted on the Bulletin Board are done so at the request of an S.I.D.A. member and are for informational purposes only. A posting on the Bulletin Board does not imply S.I.D.A February 2014 Page 13

14 Lathrope Voorspuy Memorial Scholarship Fund S.I.D.A February 2014 Page 14

15 Lathrope Voorspuy Memorial Scholarship Fund Application S.I.D.A February 2014 Page 15

16 Meeting Place Da Noi Please note: our February 18Annual Meeting will be at Da Noi 138 Fingerboard Road Staten Island, NY (718) Eddie Gomez, proprietor of Da Noi, is offering a special for our meeting: Full menu at regular price as well as a special smaller menu with a few items at $5 (soup or salad) & $10 (chicken or pasta dishes) Drink specials: domestic beer $4 imported beer $5 glass of wine $6 (rest of drinks standard price $9) S.I.D.A February 2014 Page 16

17 February 18, 2014 Annual Meeting Da Noi, 138 Fingerboard Road Domenic M. Recchia, Jr., Congressional candidate Marybeth Melendez, candidate for 64 th Assembly District Executive Committee Election March 18, 2014 General Meeting Location TBD Speaker TBD It s Time to Join or Renew Your S.I.D.A. Membership! To become a member, renew membership, or make a donation, call Bonita Rothman at (917) , or complete and return the coupon. Voting privileges begin 45 days after joining DUES DONATION $15 - Family $5 $10 - Individual $50 $5 - Senior, Student, or Unemployed $100 Other Check (payable to: S.I.D.A.) Cash I understand SIDA is a Democratic Party club. I (or we, if this is a Family Membership) am (are) at least 17 years of age and an enrolled Democrat, or intend to enroll as a Democrat upon becoming eligible. Signature Name(s) Address Apt # City State Zip Phone Make checks payable S.I.D.A. to S.I.D.A. and send to: P.O. Box Staten Island, NY For internal use only: Comp: Received $: Deposited $: Entered Sht: Computer: S.I.D.A February 2014 Page 17