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Newsletters 2008
September
Betsy Gotbaum This Week
9-2-08
Check out my New Blog
I'm pleased to announce the launch of our new office blog, the Public Advocate's Corner. You can view it at http://www.publicadvocatescorner.com
As Public Advocate, it's my job to help New Yorkers get better access to city services, and this blog is a natural extension of the work we do. This blog will allow me to hear directly from New Yorkers about the issues that matter to them most. It will also let more people know what I’m working on and what I care about.
As today is the first day of school, you can expect to see a lot of posts on education in the first few weeks. Moving beyond the start of the school year, you can look for posts on other issues that affect New Yorkers, like as homelessness and foreclosures, health care and the importance of recycling, to name a few.
Public Advocate’s Corner is intended to be an interactive portal for feedback as well as a new way for you to connect with me and my office. I hope that you will visit the blog and post your comments often. In this way, we can foster an online dialogue about issues that matter most to you, to me and to other New Yorkers.
To subscribe to receive regular updates from my blog, follow this link: http://www.publicadvocatescorner.com/advocates_corner/atom.xml.
Take a look, and let me know what you think. I look forward to hearing from you.
Have a great week!
Betsy Gotbaum This Week
9-15-08
Real People, Real Problems, Real Results, Case #1
A desperate single father from Queens contacted my office for help with a pending eviction. Despite a full-time job, he had suffered financial reversals and had fallen nearly $8,000 behind in his rent. He applied for an emergency grant, commonly called a One-Shot Deal, from the city Human Resources Administration (HRA). He was told that he first had to remit a check for half the arrears. He did so, then awaited HRA action.
There was none. Day after day, with eviction looming, the man called HRA to ask about the status of the grant. No one took his calls. He left daily voicemails. No one called him back. This continued for about one month. When he received formal notice of his eviction date, he called my office.
Heather Francis, one of my ombuds staffers, called HRA multiple times on his behalf. Her calls were not returned. When Ms. Francis left for vacation, Bronce Perez, another ombuds staffer, took over. He also made numerous calls. They also were not returned. With time running out, Jessica Burgos, my ombuds deputy director, made urgent calls to both the man's HRA caseworker and her supervisor. Once again, the calls were not returned. Frustrated, Ms. Burgos finally called an HRA official -- who took her call. Ms. Burgos urged immediate action, noting that the man and his 8-year-old son were on the very brink of homelessness, even after complying with all HRA requirements for the emergency grant.
The official promised to personally and promptly look into the case, and she did precisely that: By day's end, she reported that the man's application for the One-Shot Deal had been approved. Checks to the landlord were cut, the eviction was canceled, and father and son remain in their apartment.
Real People, Real Problems, Real Results, Case #2
A very worried woman contacted my office for help with a criminal matter. She had just learned that her aunt, 80, was in danger of losing her home in Borough Park, Brooklyn, which had been in the family for eight decades. A man unknown to the family, the niece said, had fraudulently removed the aunt's name from property records and replaced it with his own. For one thing, that enabled the man to receive and cash the aunt's $400 property tax rebate check. Elsa Suazo, one of my ombuds staffers, intervened by contacting the city Department of Finance, which oversees the relevant property records. Staffers there contacted the city Department of Investigation, which promptly looked into the matter. The man was arrested, and the aunt, who is recovering from major hip surgery, remains the legal owner of the family home.
Real People, Real Problems, Real Results, Case #3
A Manhattan man contacted my office regarding the custodial staff at Public School 83 in East Harlem who, he said, left piles of garbage adjacent to a curbside sewer drain, causing it to clog. Apart from that, the man said, smelly liquids seeped onto the sidewalk and left a lingering stench. A custodian told Bronce Perez, one of my ombuds staffers, that a former superintendent from the city Department of Sanitation (DSNY) had allowed the garbage placement. Mr. Perez then called a current DSNY superintendent, who personally went to the school to investigate. The superintendent spoke with the chief custodian and the school principal, advising them to stop leaving garbage in the problem area. The DSNY visit had the desired effect: No more garbage clogs the drain, the area has been cleaned, and the pervasive stench has disappeared.
City Development Must be Balanced, Smart, Safe
Last week I spoke to the Institute of Real Estate Management about city development. Done responsibly, it's a good thing for the city, bringing jobs, vitality and ideally more affordable housing. At the same time, development must be balanced, smart and safe. Development also requires vision, such as the vision to build green. Green building is the future of development, and we need to do as much of it as possible.
Since the city population is predicted to climb from 8.2 million in 2006 to 9.1 million by 2030, we need to be especially thoughtful about growth. Today, however, city development lacks sufficient vision, and infrastructure improvements are not keeping pace with new construction. Too few New Yorkers are benefiting from development, and individual structures are built without proper regard for safety. All this must change.
Have a great week!
Betsy Gotbaum This Week
9-29-08
The Public Advocate's Corner
On my blog this week, my topics include the Willets Point plan and protecting a woman's right to reproductive health services. There also is a guest post by Joel Berg, executive director of the New York City Coalition Against Hunger. My blog is at http://www.publicadvocatescorner.com.
Please check it out, and please let me know what you think.
Real People, Real Problems, Real Results, Case #1
A Brooklyn woman, the mother of twin sons with special needs, called my office for help because the twins had been assigned to different high schools. One of her sons was emotionally fragile, unable to travel by himself and basically willing to speak only to his twin. Yet when their mother asked that her sons be placed in at least the same school, if not the same classes, the city Department of Education (DOE) denied her request. DOE policy for placing siblings in the same school does not extend to high school.
Mable Robertson, one of my education analysts, intervened on her behalf. The case was complicated by the fact that the mother had gone to a "walk-in only" DOE Enrollment Center, but staffers there had misplaced her son's medical documents and other paperwork. After numerous phone calls and a repeat visit to the Enrollment Center, the son's records were located. Eventually the twins were enrolled in the same Brooklyn high school -- and I'm pleased to report that, once again, they are enjoying school.
Real People, Real Problems, Real Results, Case #2
A Manhattan man contacted my office about extensive construction under way in an apartment building without benefit of a work permit. He also complained about multiple structural defects in apartments 3A and 5A, which were directly above and below 4A, the unit under construction. Floors and ceiling beams, he said, were so decayed that they were on the verge of collapse. He feared that if the floors and ceiling did in fact fail, families living above and below 4A might suffer catastrophic injury. Bronce Perez, one of my ombuds staffers, immediately contacted the city Department of Buildings. An inspector promptly went to the building, in Spanish Harlem, and issued a Stop Work Order on 4A. After inspecting apartments 3A and 5A, he also issued several violation notices to the landlord, instructing him to make repairs.
Real People, Real Problems, Real Results, Case #3
As loyal customers of a popular cell phone service provider, a Manhattan couple renewed their plan when they purchased two new phones, even though the existing contract wouldn't expire until 2010. Then they moved to a new apartment on East 103rd Street. The apartment was fine, except for one thing: They couldn't get wireless service, other than a weak signal in half their bedroom. The husband worked from home, however, and he absolutely needed a working cell phone. But both phones, for which they paid $69 a month, consistently read, "No service." Neighbors said the problem was with the service provider. Those with contracts with competing providers had full coverage.
The couple's provider offered extra service for an extra fee. That option wouldn't work, however, because the couple had no reliable internet connection. The wife also felt that they shouldn't have to pay extra. She wanted to break their contract, and she wanted the company to waive the $400 penalty for doing so. As she later stated, "we are not receiving the service that we signed up for." She contacted my office for help.
Tommy Lin, one of my ombuds staffers, intervened on her behalf. He decided to go right to the top, writing the wireless provider's president and chief executive officer. It was a good decision. Two weeks later, the wife wrote to say this: "Success! ...They are letting us terminate our contract with no penalty! ...It is very clear that we would not have had this result without you. We really appreciate your responsiveness to our situation and your obviously effective assistance."
DOE Goes Overboard on Testing
New York City public school students continue to be inundated with standardized tests, most of which are city-mandated but not required by law. Last week I stood with state Assemblymember Mark Weprin, representatives from Time Out From Testing and parents to once again call on the city Department of Education (DOE) to scale back non-essential assessment tests and focus on areas of study that help kids develop enthusiasm for learning -- areas such as physical education, arts and science.
While tests may evaluate progress, more testing does not necessarily translate into more learning. With principals and teachers feeling pressure to teach to the test, more classroom time is spent on test prep and review. That jeopardizes the complete and well-rounded education that we want for our kids. DOE must listen to parents, educators and students themselves. All are speaking out against too much testing.
My news release on this matter is at http://pubadvocate.nyc.gov/news/09.22.08TestingRelease.html
Brooklyn Senior Volunteers Honored
Last week I was pleased to speak to the Senior Umbrella Network of Brooklyn, which honored more than 30 seniors who, as a group, had performed more than 1,200 years of volunteer service. Whenever I meet volunteers like these, I'm touched by their altruism. They are the little-noticed, behind-the-scenes men and women who give time and energy to a cause, organization or community that they care about. And they expect nothing in return. Year after year, they simply help those in need of help, making New York a better place. Their contributions are invaluable, and we need more people like them.
L’Shana Tova – a happy and healthy New Year to all who are observing Rosh Hashanah this week.
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