Category: News from Gale Brewer

New Accessibility Task Force will tackle barriers to access for disabled and senior New Yorkers

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meeting with Accessibility Task Force at Gale's office If you’re in a wheelchair, or use a cane or walker, or even just have a more temporary injury, it can truly be a challenge to get from point A to point B. That’s why I formed my new Accessibility Task Force, composed of stakeholders and advocates who will address access issues in transit and urban design for disabled and senior New Yorkers as they navigate the city. We held… Read more

Letter to Schools Chancellor: Close the gap in mental health care

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flyer stating mental health care in NYC schools Social workers have overwhelming caseloads and are stretched too thin. In fact, a 2017 study by my office found that there was a ratio of just 1 social worker to every 800 students in the borough of Manhattan. That’s why I called on New York City Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza to make more mental health care available to students. DOE data shows there are not enough social workers or direct… Read more

Mayor de Blasio needs to change his plan for Holmes Towers infill development or face legal action

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birds eye view of Holmes Towers I am calling on Mayor Bill de Blasio to scrap his plan to proceed with the Holmes Towers infill development on First Avenue and 97th Street without going through the Uniform Land Use Review Process (ULURP). There are many things wrong with the Mayor’s proposal, all of which can be rectified through robust public review. Everybody knows that I’m always supportive of efforts to increase affordable housing, but I have… Read more

What is urban policy now? Join me for my 2019 State of the Borough event

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Gale talking at podium for State of Borough 2016 There are still tickets available to my State of the Borough event at 2 pm this Sunday at NYU’s Skirball Center! The event will focus on present-day urban policy, featuring a panel discussion with an expert group of guests. Can’t make it? The event will be live-streamed by the Manhattan News Network and posted on my Facebook page. You can also follow along on Twitter using the hashtag #SOTB2019 and #UrbanPolicyNow

Where would you cut the city budget?

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news paper article with de Blasio on budget cuts Mayor de Blasio released his preliminary Fiscal Year 2020 budget last week, which revealed a nearly $1 billion shortfall in tax revenue. So the city faces difficult choices about what to preserve and what to cut; but I want to hear about your budget priorities. Each year, my office conducts an analysis of the Mayor’s budget and solicits input from Manhattanites. We will hold a public hearing on the proposal… Read more

Fresh Food for Seniors program delivers 5,500 bags of affordable produce

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seven smiling women boxing leafy greens Healthy food should be available to everyone, but especially to elderly New Yorkers. As an elected official, I’ve made increasing access to quality, affordable, and locally-grown food a priority. My Fresh Food for Seniors program, a version of which I launched in 2012 as a City Council Member, delivers discounted bags of local fruits and veggies—sourced from local farms via GrowNYC’s Greenmarket Co. food hub—to senior centers and apartment buildings… Read more

Mesh wifi installed at my office

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White Mesh wifi box installed at Gale's office I’m excited to announce that my office is hosting a tech demonstration by NYC Mesh. As you know, I have advocated for net neutrality and consumer data protection since my time on the City Council. Far too often, we have seen large internet service providers (ISPs) collect consumer data only to sell it for a profit or lose it in a preventable security breach. NYC Mesh’s mission is to… Read more

An open letter to the Soho/Noho Community

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Soho street on a beautiful day Borough President Gale A. Brewer, Department of City Planning, and Council Member Margaret Chin would like to thank everyone who attended the first public meeting of the SoHo/NoHo Planning Process on Wednesday, February 6, 2019. We apologize for being unprepared for the tremendous turnout—over 250 people attended. We’ll do better for the next meeting in February. But because of that turnout, we obtained a significant amount of feedback on where… Read more