Public Advocate's Corner

In NY1 News Today

Gotbaum Says Schoolyards Not Also Used As Parks
From NY1 News - Watch the Video

Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum released a study Tuesday arguing the city is not doing enough to provide recreational space for children. A survey of 69 parks in the Schoolyards to Playgrounds program, launched last summer as part of Mayor Michael Bloomberg's PlaNYC, found 16 schoolyards closed when they should have been open.

Gotbaum also said many of those that were open lacked playground equipment, or grass and benches. She said the city should work with participating schools to ensure schoolyards are accessible for community use.

"Those playgrounds that don't have any equipment in them, that don't have basketball hoops or don't have seesaws or slides, put some of those pieces of equipment in, that's a very practical solution," said Gotbaum.

Gotbaum and Parents Speak Out about Special Ed

This morning, Betsy joined Parents for Inclusive Education and the ARISE Coalition at a speak out in for parents of students with disabilities in Brooklyn. The Speak Out was organized to give parents an opportunity to share their thoughts about the special education system and improve the DOE delivery of special education services in the city. During her time as Public Advocate, Gotbaum has worked to improve special education services, revealing that the DOE was withholding services for up to 20,000 students. Gotbaum and a coalition of advocates got the DOE to provide make-up services for these students.

Two more chances for parents speak out:

- October 21st at the Manhattan Borough President's Office from 5:30-7:30pm

- October 22nd at the Queens Borough President's Office from 10:00-11:30am

As a parent or caregiver of a special education student, how do you think the Department of Education is doing? 

Guest Post: Bill de Blasio on Term Limits

Today, Councilmember Bill de Blasio continues our series of guest blog posts on the mayor's effort to extend term limits.  

Bill de Blasio said, "In the past 15 years, New York City's voters have twice voiced their overwhelming support for enacting and upholding the law which limits elected city officials to serving two consecutive four-year terms in office. While the merits of term limits are debatable, the merits of democracy are not.  It is unconscionable for Mayor Bloomberg and the City Council to work in collusion against the will of the people we purportedly serve. Any changes to the current term-limits law must and still can be decided by the people. 

Voters could have an opportunity to decide term limits for themselves in a few short months - we should give it to them. Councilmember Letitia James and I have presented legislation calling for the creation of a Charter Review Commission to hold public hearings on this issue in every borough, and to put the issue to public vote in a referendum. In his address two weeks ago, the Mayor failed to mention that there is still time to complete this process, and that a special election and referendum will likely be scheduled for February of next year anyway to fill vacant Council seats.

We must stand together strongly in opposition to this Machiavellian plan to upend the will of the people for the desires of the few. This attempt to change electoral laws for one person makes a mockery of our entire legislative process. Our city has faced crises of all forms in the past, most notably 9/11 and the fiscal crisis of the 1970s, yet never before have we witnessed such complete disregard for the will of the people and such disrespect for our democratic process. No one person is supremely and solely qualified to run New York City; to claim otherwise is insulting to the voters who enacted term limits in the first place.

I urge all New Yorkers to make their voices heard by letting their Councilmember know that they want to have a say on this important issue.  We must keep this decision in the hands of the voters where it belongs."

Bill de Blasio is a New York City Councilmember representing Brooklyn's 39th Council District and the Chair of the City Council General Welfare Committee.

Making Your Voices Heard

Yesterday, Betsy Gotbaum, with Councilmembers Letitia James and Bill de Blasio, hosted a Public Forum on Term Limits in Brooklyn.

 

Over 75 people joined the Public Advocate at the forum, as well as State Senator Velmanette Montgomery, City Comptroller William C. Thompson, Congressman Anthony Weiner, Councilmember John Liu and Councilmember David Weprin.

More to say on term limits? Post your thoughts here!

Making Strides for Breast Cancer Research

"Everyone is here for one goal, to help find a cure for breast cancer," said Betsy Gotbaum at the American Cancer Society Walk yesterday. "I want to congratulate all the survivors here and say good luck to all of you walkers – I'll see you out there!"

Pictured: Council Speaker Christine Quinn & Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum cheer on the walkers.

Gotbaum Testifies on Term Limits

Today, Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum gave her testimony at the City Council's Public Hearing on Term Limits. Watch the video, or read the full testimony.

Accessing City Services: How to Get a Mammogram

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, a great time for women to make an appointment for an annual mammogram.  It's also a great time to strongly encourage your mothers, sisters, aunts, daughters or any other women in your life to do the same.

More than 40,000 women die of breast cancer in the United States each year, and more than 90% of all breast cancer is detect by a mammogram.

And early detection, of course, leads to early treatment.

In 2006, the Public Advocate’s office released a report showing that the average wait time for mammograms in the city was 10 days longer than the mayor’s target wait time.

What is a Mammogram? Simply stated, a mammogram is an X-ray examination of the breast. A diagnostic mammogram may detect breast disease in women who have breast lumps, pain, discharge or abnormalities. A screening mammogram detects changes, if any, in the breasts of women who have no breast complaints. For a video on mammogram for breast cancer detection, check out the Mayo Clinic website.

How can I access a low-cost mammogram? The city Health and Hospitals Corporation (HHC) offers mammograms to New Yorkers all over the city at little or no cost. Also, qualified uninsured persons may receive mammograms year-round through the state Department of Health (DOH) Breast Cancer Program. Find out more information about mammography in New York City here.

Women should talk to their healthcare providers about getting a mammogram along with their annual breast-exam and pap smear. To find a federally qualified health center that offers low or no cost annual checkups visit: http://findahealthcenter.hrsa.gov/

More Resources: The Breast Examination Center of Harlem, an outreach program of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, offers free mammograms. You can also find free mammography programs from other providers offered in conjunction with Mother's Day. At other times, mobile mammography clinics visit under served neighborhoods.

Upcoming: This Sunday, Betsy Gotbaum will walk in the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk, a 5 mile, non-competitive walk in Central Park to fight breast cancer.

If you still need help in arranging for a free or low-cost mammogram, please call my office at 212-669-7250.

What do you think about term limits? Post now!

Today is the first public hearing held by the City Council on the mayor's attempt to overturn the current term limits law. On Sunday, Gotbaum will host a public forum (with Councilmembers Letitia James and Bill de Blasio) from 2:30 – 4:30 pm at the Lafayette Presbyterian Church, 85 South Oxford Street between Lafayette and Fulton.

Post your opinion: Should the mayor be allowed to disregard the will of the people and overturn term limits?

Guest Post: Mark Green on Term Limits

Betsy Gotbaum has reached out to New Yorkers across the city to get their opinions on the mayor's effort to extend term limits. Today, former Public Advocate Mark Green is the first guest blogger on the subject. Last Sunday, Green joined Betsy Gotbaum and Councilmemebers Bill de Blasio and Mark Weprin to support a bill requiring that any proposal to change term limits have an attached referendum for voters. 

Mark Green said, "I believe that Mike Bloomberg is a good man who is being misled by ambition into doing something that is profoundly unethical.

First, it's profoundly unethical to run for office knowing the term limits rules, to agree that they're essential for 7 1/2 years, to say that it would be "disgraceful" to change them within a ter in office -- and then at the 11th hour to engage in a 180 degree about-face because you want to cling to office.

Second, it's profoundly unethical to veto voters by railroading a law through the council in three weeks. It can take three years to regulate horse carriages but only three weeks to regulate the electoral rules of New York City? It's sheer political chutzpah for the mayor to stall for 9 months appointing a charter commission to put a referendum on the ballot and then say that deadlines have passed so only a law will do. (There is an alternative -- a voter referendum prospectively, like the 22nd constitutional amendment did.)

Third, it's profoundly unethical and obviously self-dealing to prefer that he decision-makers here be incumbents trying to keep their jobs and pay-checks rather than voters themselves.

And fourth, it's profoundly unethical to win over the important support of Ron Lauder by promising him the public benefit of a seat on a future charter commission, as Lauder himself has reported. If a mayor had promised money for support, we'd all understand how corrupt that would be.

I believe that any change should require that the decision-makers should be voters weighing the public interest rather than political insiders weighing their self-interest. So I support the de Blasio-Weprin effort to put a referendum on the ballot in early 2009. I'm proud to be a part of a collation based on the theme -- Let the Voters Decide!"

Mark Green is the President of Air America Radio and the former Public Advocate for the City of New York.

Spotted: Gotbaum & Stringer on the steps of Tweed

Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum and Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer talk today outside of Tweed Courthouse before calling on the Department of Education to revise a new military recruitment policy.

The new policy would make it more difficult for parents to know when their 11th or 12th grader’s personal information is being accessed by military recruiters and to opt out of providing this information if they choose. Read more.