March 2019 Staten Island Democratic Association est. 1961 as Staten Island s reform Democratic Club www.sidems.org At our Next Meeting: District Attorney Candidate Michael McMahon Executive Committee Installation by Surrogate s Court Judge Matthew Titone Tuesday, March 19, 2019, 8:00 P.M. Oriental Plaza, 1845 Richmond Avenue Staten Island, NY 10314 S.I.D.A. March 2019 Page 1
Editorial Policy Items for publication should be submitted to the newsletter no later than the last Friday of the month before the meeting. Please send items to: cmaxbauer@yahoo.com. Unless explicitly stated, the views herein are those of the authors and not of S.I.D.A. Chris Bauer, Editor (917) 576-9248 Table of Contents S.I.D.A. President s Statement... 3 February 2019 Minutes... 4 Lobby Limit Motion... 6 DORC Awards Dinner... 7 LVMSF Brunch... 8 Bulletin Board... 9 Upcoming Meetings... 10 Renewal Form... 10 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 Submission Deadlines for the newsletter are: April... April 1 May... May 6 S.I.D.A. Executive Committee President... Radhakrishna Mohan Member at-large... Clara Ogburn Vice President... Liz Price Member at-large... Emmanuel Dami Executive Secretary... Dennis Brown Ojo Powerson II Corresponding & Member at-large...jasmine Robinson Recording Secretary... Marie Dwyer Member at-large... Sharon Santana Treasurer... Bonita Rothman Ex Officio... Michelle Akyempong Social Secretary... Pearl Minsky Ex Officio...Bobby Digi Member at-large... Patricia Kane Ex Officio... Belinda Dixon Member at-large... Phil Marius Ex Officio... Rosemarie Mangano Member at-large... Roy Moskowitz Ex Officio... Joann Olbrich Ex Officio... John Mastellone S.I.D.A. March 2019 Page 2
S.I.D.A. President s Statement March 2019 D ear Members and Friends of S.I.D.A., Our last S.I.D.A. meeting was a very informative one with Public Advocate candidates coming and speaking on their campaign highlights and goals. Some of the most recent candidates who addressed us were Assemblyman Ron Kim, Real Estate Attorney Jared Rich, and none other than the front-runner for Public Advocate, Jumaane Williams, who came for the second time. They, and all the other candidates who spoke to us at the last two S.I.D.A. meetings, spoke with passion about their visions and goals, while S.I.D.A. members asked pertinent questions to see where they stand on different issues that the New York City community face every day. By now we all know who won the Public Advocate race: New York City Councilman Jumaane Williams, who will be entering the forthcoming June Primary Election. As the dust settles, whoever wins the November Public Advocate Election will have that position for the remainder of the term. It is up to the newly elected Public Advocate Jumaane Williams to show what difference he can make in this short time before the Primary to earn himself the best chance to win the General Election. We wish him all the best. After the Public Advocate session, Councilwoman Debi Rose addressed our members. Her presentation soon led to discussion on the newly proposed homeless shelter on 44 Victory Boulevard. Some members spoke in favor of this, while others highlighted the difficulty and disadvantages of the site chosen for the proposed shelter. Councilwoman Rose patiently answered all the questions and detailed the processes involved in choosing a place for the homeless shelter, which would be followed up at the next hearing of the City Planning Commission being held on February 27, 2019. It was advised that whoever has any suggestions or objections should attend this meeting to voice their concerns. Our program then turned to an emotional session in memory of Gary Carsel, whose untimely passing led many of our members to come forward and speak about their experiences with and fondness for Gary, who was known for his frank approach and stand against any issues he felt that were not good for the local community. Anne Taylor Carsel also spoke about her husband and told of the day that they met, their life together, and she also provided more details of Gary Carsel s hidden talents such as his faith and his skill at writing plays. Now we all know that District Attorney Michael McMahon s re-election will take place this year, and I hope that all Staten Island Democrats will gear up to support him. A Democrat should win this election with a large margin, as Democrats are getting stronger since winning more races starting in 2018. It is a great time for Democrats and we should keep this momentum going forward and rally fellow Democrats to come out in large numbers to support their Democratic candidates. To this extent, at S.I.D.A., we will explore the possibilities of gearing up, setting necessary structures in place and working with other Democratic Clubs to make changes and add new life to our County committee and be prepared to take our activities to a higher level. Radhakrishna Mohan President "Ask not what your country can do for you, Ask what you can do for your country." S.I.D.A. March 2019 Page 3
February 2019 Minutes P General Meeting February 19, 2019 Oriental Plaza 1845 Richmond Avenue resident Mohan called the meeting to order at 8:47 p.m. He mentioned that the meeting was delayed due to County s convention which was held earlier in the evening. President Mohan announced that several candidates running for N.Y.C. Public Advocate would be speaking. Presentations by Public Advocate Candidates President Mohan provided guidelines for the candidates and introduced each of them in the order they arrived. The following candidates addressed the club: Ron Kim, Jared Rich and Jumaane Williams. There was a brief question and answer period after each candidate spoke. Councilwoman Debi Rose President Mohan introduced Councilwoman Debi Rose. Councilwoman Rose told members that she is very proud of her colleague Councilman Jumaane Williams because he is authentic and always progressive. The Councilwoman mentioned that she has many colleagues running for Public Advocate. She urged members to look at their records and when they decided to be progressive. Councilwoman announced she is having a Black History Month celebration on Friday, February 22, and everyone is invited. Councilwoman Rose explained that the Mayor plans to put a homeless shelter in every city council district in N.Y.C. She explained that elected officials and community members have been upset because the current process doesn t inform about proposed shelters until 30 days prior to opening. Councilwoman Rose reported that she is introducing legislation to change the current process. She mentioned that there will be a meeting of the City Planning Commission on February 27, 10:00 a.m. at 120 Broadway. There will also be a meeting of Community Board 1 on March at The Staaten. Ms. Rose also spoke about fighting re-zoning Bay Street corridor for affordable housing. She urged members who feel strongly about the affordable housing to speak with Borough President James Oddo. Remembering Gary Carsel Vice President Liz Price organized a memorial for our dear friend and longtime member Gary Carsel, who passed away in January. Richard Reichard, Nick Popolo, Bobby Digi, Chris Bauer, and Tom Shcherbenko expressed their feelings about Gary. Liz also invited other members to say a few words. Anne Taylor Carsel thanked members for their kind words and she also spoke about her beloved husband. Helen Settles made a motion that S.I.D.A. donate $100 to the Karen D. Carsel Scholarship Fund at the American Foundation for the Blind. The motion carried unanimously. Bobby Digi and Steve Schwall also mentioned that they would like to add $100 each to the donation. S.I.D.A. March 2019 Page 4
Newly Elected Officers President Mohan introduced the newly elected S.I.D.A. officers Vice President, Liz Price, Executive Secretary, Dennis Brown, Treasurer, Bonnie Rothman, Corresponding & Recording Secretary, Marie Dwyer and Social Secretary, Pearl Minsky. Vice President s Report Vice President Liz Price presented highlights from the Jan 24 Executive Committee Meeting. By-Laws Committee Chair Joann Olbrich explained that she was asked to change the article in the S.I.D.A. constitution regarding dues because it was poorly worded and didn t explain the policy. She read the original by-law and then the proposed change. The grace period was moved from April to January 31. She explained that the purpose of the revision was to clarify the policy and to encourage members to pay dues on time. Richard Reichard made a motion to accept the by-law revision as amended. The motion carried. Joann told members she will send revision to Roy Moskowitz so he can include the update on the club s website. Social Secretary s Report Social Secretary Pearl Minsky had no report Treasurer s Report Treasurer Bonnie Rothman provided members with an up-to-date report. Human Rights Committee Chair Clara Ogburn had no report. Media & Public Relations Committee Chair Roy Moskowitz had no report. Issues Committee Co-chairs Richard Reichard and Phil Marius had no report. New Business Gary Lane announced that DORC will hold their annual fundraiser on March 28 at The Staaten. Gary made a motion for S.I.D.A. to take a full page ad in DORC s journal. The motion carried. Paul Scublinsky made a motion that S.I.D.A. urge the Staten Island Elected officials not to lower the threshold for lobbyist from $5,000 to $500. The motion carried. Nick Popolo announced that petitions are being distributed at County headquarters on Sunday, February 24. Nick told members that most club members have agreed to join county committee as reform candidates. He urged members to pick up these petitions on Saturday February 23 at 705 Forest Avenue. S.I.D.A. March 2019 Page 5
Nick made a motion that S.I.D.A. contribute $1,000 to Your vote counts PAC to help cover costs of printing petitions and for other related expenses. Bobby Digi seconded the motion. The motion carried. The meeting was adjourned at 10:57p.m. Respectfully submitted, Marie Dwyer Corresponding & Recording Secretary Lobby Limit Motion The following motion on the Governor s proposed Lobby Expense Limit was adopted by S.I.D.A. at its February 19 General Membership Meeting. T o the elected representatives of Staten Island: Andrew Cuomo in his 2019 budget has included a provision to require any individual or organization spending over $500 in a year on lobbying to be required to register as a lobbyist, lowering the threshold from $5,000. This proposal would treat grassroots organizations such as ourselves the same as it would a large multi-million dollar corporation. This is wrong and stifles the voices of small groups of citizens such as students traveling to Albany to lobby for anti-gun legislation. We feel the current rules are adequate and the Governor s proposal will enhance rather than diminish the influence of big money interests. We strongly urge you oppose the Governor on this issue and we thank you for your support. - The Staten Island Democratic Association. S.I.D.A. March 2019 Page 6
DORC Annual Awards Dinner S.I.D.A. March 2019 Page 7
The Lathrope Voorspuy Memorial Scholarship Brunch S.I.D.A. March 2019 Page 8
Bulletin Board S.I.D.A. past president Tom Shcherbenko will be appearing in the Staten Island Shakespearean Theatre Company production Historic Richmondtown Third County Courthouse 441 Clarke Avenue Staten Island, NY 10306 Friday, March 29, 8 pm Saturday, March 30, 2 pm & 8 pm Sunday, March 31, 2 pm Friday, April 5, 8 pm Saturday, April 6, 2 pm & 8 pm Sunday, April 7, 2 pm ($40 Ticket Special for Sunday, April 7) Tickets at www.showclix.com 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 endorsement by S.I.D.A. S.I.D.A. March 2019 Page 9
March 19, 2019 General Meeting 8:00p.m. Oriental Plaza, 1845 Richmond Ave. District Attorney Candidate Michael McMahon Executive Committee Installation by Surrogate s Court Judge Matthew Titone April 16, 2019 General Meeting 8:00p.m. Oriental Plaza, 1845 Richmond Ave. District Attorney Endorsement Vote 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) 596-3724, or complete and return the coupon. Voting privileges begin 45 days after joining. ------------ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2019 DUES DONATION $25 - Family $5 $20 - Individual $50 $15 - 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 E-mail Make checks payable S.I.D.A. to S.I.D.A. and send to: P.O. Box 140371 Staten Island, NY 10314-0371 For internal use only: Comp: Received $: Deposited $: Entered Sht: Computer: S.I.D.A. March 2019 Page 10