Photo Courtesy of Wiki Commons

The series of storms hitting the New York region this past weekend left destruction in its wake, causing at least one fatality and wreaking havoc on trees and residents’ power. Approximately 20,000 people lost power in the northern part of the state, reported WABC, while New York City and Long Island reported fewer outages, most of which had already been restored by Friday.

New Jersey experienced 25,770 power outages from the storm, and as of Monday morning, NBC reported hundreds still did not have power in central New Jersey from a Saturday night reprise. For many in the region, it could be days still before power is restored.

As of Sunday evening, Chemung County in New York reported a number of uninhabitable homes, according to WETM. A state of emergency was still in effect at that time.

Governor Andrew Cuomo said of his decision to declare a state of emergency in the area: “There were reports of isolated fires, and roofs torn off small structures, and people trapped in vehicles because of downed power lines.”

—Alissa Fleck

Meanwhile, something else is going on. An interesting group of people is encouraging the immensely popular Hillary Rodham Clinton to run for president, despite her having said she’s done with politics. There is her successor as United States senator, Kirsten Gillibrand, for example. I know Gillibrand, and I can tell you that she is one tough cookie. She is a hell of a smart woman who knows how to play the cards, and I have never seen her make a political error. When she recently said she would be a charter member of the Draft Hillary for President Club, I think
we can assume she knew exactly what she was doing. She also had to know that when Cuomo heard what she’d said, he would not be a happy camper. Gillibrand must have assessed the risk and figured it was worth it. To know Cuomo is to know that all other politicians are seen as rivals and, in many cases, as the enemy. I suspect he learned that from his pop. Politics is a tough game, and only one person gets to be president. Cuomo is immensely popular in the polls. Nonetheless, the jury is still out as to whether the voters like him personally as much as they like what he has done in New York.
While Gov. Cuomo may be popular with the people, I think it is fair to say that the political insiders aren’t exactly crazy about him. Maybe that’s why Gillibrand was recently joined by fellow Democrat Sheldon Silver, the sharpest, smartest and sliest politician in politics, when he issued what appeared to be a forceful endorsement of Hillary for president. When pressed, Silver said Cuomo was good as well. We know that the Senate Democrats, who are in the minority, don’t like Cuomo. They will probably stay in the minority because of Cuomo’s support for
the Republicans in the state Senate. While Cuomo’s credentials are arguable, those Democrats in the state Senate are old-style tax-the-rich Democrats.
A third person with encouraging words for a Hillary candidacy is none other than Bill Clinton, who says he hopes that she will change her mind and run. Now I ask you, Would he do that without his wife’s tacit support? We know that Hillary says she will not do a second term as secretary of State and she has said she won’t campaign for President Obama. That sounds like she wants to clear the boards to run. If the state and national polls are telling us anything, it is that Hillary would mop the floor with Cuomo in a head-to-head confrontation. Of course, it’s still very early, and we do not know why Hillary has said that she wouldn’t run. But the tea leaves are all suggesting that a Clinton candidacy is what the people and the political community want. Hey, it’s a good thing that Cuomo and his people don’t read my column.

Alan S. Chartock is president and CEO of WAMC/Northeast Public Radio and an executive publisher at The Legislative Gazette.

Certainly there has been some. President Obama’s tougher language about inequality was undoubtedly influenced by the protests. And in Albany, Gov. Andrew Cuomo dropped his opposition to continuing the so-called millionaire’s tax (it affects wealthier people who make considerably less) and extended part of it.
But is anything more coming? There are hundreds of congressional races this year, and the types of curbs Occupy wants on Wall Street firms ultimately would have to be implemented in Washington. Occupy could look to the Tea Party movement for guidance. Usually, neither the left- or right-wing groups like to be linked in any way, but given the timing of their creations and at least a few similarities, that’s a losing battle.

The Tea Party did accomplish many of its goals by sending more conservatives to Congress, which stiffened GOP opposition to tax increases as well as government investments to stimulate the economy such as transportation projects.
But the caution for Occupy is that the Tea Party may very well have cost the Republicans control of the Senate by nominating a couple of extremists who were not able to win general elections. These were races more moderate Republicans could have won.
Occupy prides itself on its leaderless nature and so far has shown little interest in the upcoming congressional races or in setting up a specific agenda. Longterm, a national change in attitude perhaps will lead to the real change Occupy hopes for, but that patience likely will mean change for the worse at first, As they say for the lottery, you have to be in it to win it.

By staff with additional reporting by Jon Lentz of City Hall

From pols to celebs, hundreds attend Tribeca hearing on controversial drilling process

“Ban Fracking Now” was the rallying cry for about a dozen downstate lawmakers before a Nov. 30 hearing in Manhattan on the drilling procedure, though a few acknowledged the long odds in pressuring Governor Andrew Cuomo to keep the industry out of the state.

Hundreds of citizens turned out for the last of four hearings, held at the Tribeca Performing Arts Center, on whether to lift the current ban on hydraulic fracturing. Politicians like Senator Daniel Squadron and even a few celebrities, like actors Debra Winger and Mark Ruffalo, joined a protest outside of the venue an hour before the start of the hearing. This method of drilling could extract natural gas in the portion of the upstate Marcellus Formation, comprised of sedimentary rock, but critics say this process could contaminate the water supply for millions of individuals—including New York City residents.

“Hydraulic fracturing is a process by which millions of gallons of water and fracturing fluids are pumped into horizontal wells to access natural gas in mineral formations. Some of the chemicals that are used are toxic, long-lasting and largely untested, and are difficult or impossible to remove once they enter the natural environment. We simply do not know how the many chemicals used in hydrofracking will impact our long-term health and our environment,” explained Sen. Squadron at the NYS Department of Enviornmental Conversation hearing.

“[W]e have had opportunities to monitor this type of gas drilling in other states and the results have not been encouraging. The potential for leaks, spills, contaminations and explosions to poison New York City’s unfiltered drinking water supply have not yet been adequately mitigated by the drilling industry. The litany of recent incidents at drilling sites in Pennsylvania speaks for themselves,” Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer adding during his testimony. “[A]t this time I cannot endorse the use of horizontal hydraulic fracturing anywhere in New York State until it can be proven to be completely safe. And, I certainly cannot support the use of horizontal hydraulic fracturing anywhere near New York City’s drinking water infrastructure.”

“This crowd here, would we have liked to have seen a ban on hydrofracking? Yes,” said New York State Senator David Carlucci, whose hydraulic fracturing moratorium bill failed to pass. “We know under the current circumstances, it doesn’t look like that’s going to happen.” He said that he’ll continue to push for adequate regulatory resources and public health protections, and to make sure many of the new industry jobs expected are local. Other lawmakers said that if there’s no ban, they want regulations to be so strict that they essentially prohibit fracking. “In order to ensure safety, the restrictions and regulations will have to be tremendously strong, and hopefully provide a disincentive to the companies to want to abide by them,” said Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal. “There are other places to frack in this country. They don’t have to do it here.”

The comment period on the fracking regulations were previously delayed through Dec. 12, but have now been extended through Jan. 11, 2012.

New York State Senator Daniel Squadron speaking during a rally before the final hearing on “fracking,” which was held last Wednesday, Nov. 30, at the Tribeca Performing Arts Center on Chambers Street. Photo courtesy of Sen. Daniel Squadron’s office

Speaker Christine C. Quinn, along with City Council Members Rosie Mendez, Jimmy Van Bramer and Daniel Dromm, commemorated World AIDS Day last Thursday, Dec. 1. It was 30 years ago, in 1981, that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention first recognized HIV/AIDS. In honor of World AIDS Day, panels of The NAMES Project Foundation’s AIDS Memorial Quilt were on display at the Emigrant Savings Bank during the council’s scheduled Meeting.

The council’s theme of World AIDS Day this year was “Getting to Zero.” This means zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS-related deaths.

“While these quilted panels are impressive, beautiful memorials, they are also a devastating reminder that the AIDS epidemic is far from over,” said Quinn. “On World AIDS Day—and truly, every day—it is critically important that all New Yorkers do their part to fight the spread of HIV/AIDS. Several city programs and initiatives are already in place to prevent the spread of this virus, and the more we take advantage of these resources, the closer we’ll get to ‘zero.’”

“The quilt is a stark reminder that the fight against the spread of HIV/AIDS is ever-present,” said Mendez. “Especially during these tough economic times, it is imperative that we advocate for the most vulnerable and at-risk to ensure that services and funding remain available for those who need it the most.”

Founded in 1987, The NAMES Project Foundation is the organization responsible for overseeing the creation of The AIDS Memorial Quilt. The Quilt is comprised of more than 40,000 panels with each section measuring approximately 12 square feet, four of which hang in the Emigrant Savings Bank.

Chin Calls on Cuomo to Protect Seniors

Last week, Council Member Margaret Chin joined the New York Coalition for Senior Centers & Services to call on Governor Andrew Cuomo to exempt funding for New York City’s 256 senior centers—“Title XX funds”—from reductions in the Fiscal Year 2012–2013 Executive Budget. Supporting the cause were members of the New York State Legislature, New York City Council, advocates and community members, including Brenda Tong, director of Hamilton-Madison House, a Lower East Side settlement house, and seniors from the Lower East Side and Chinatown.

“Every year seniors across our city are told their centers are in danger of closing due to budget cuts. And every year, local elected officials have to organize, write letters and demand that the governor keep our senior centers open. This year, more seniors in my district wrote to Governor Cuomo than any other council district,” said Council Member Chin at a press conference. Over 15,000 letters from seniors have been sent to Governor Cuomo supporting the retention of this funding for senior centers. “This budget dance has to stop. It is unfair to our seniors and it is unfair to our communities. When I walk into my local senior center and see seniors playing ping-pong, mahjong and exercising, I know that we are doing the right thing. We are providing an invaluable service that allows older members of our population to stay energized and active. I am here today to tell Governor Cuomo to keep his hands off our senior centers. This is a fight we must win, and it is a fight we will win,” Chin added.

In a letter sent by Chin and 39 other members of the New York City Council, the group reported: “The past two Executive Budgets have contained proposals to eliminate the local discretionary portion of Title XX [Social Services Block Grant] funding, repurposing it for mandated social services. While this action would have produced a small cost savings for the state, it put 105 senior centers at risk of closing in New York City… Currently, the city has a robust network of 256 centers… New York City has used Title XX to fund its senior centers for over three decades… We understand that difficult economic times call for difficult decisions. In fact, in New York City, we have already closed 27 centers. Painful as that was, we did it in a responsible and thoughtful way. The ones that remain are critical to service delivery and need to remain open.”

Photo: Council Member Margaret Chin joined senior citizens and politicians on the steps of City Hall last week to protest a possible cut in funding for area senior centers. Photo courtesy of Margaret Chin’s office