webadmin, Author at Brooklyn Downtown Star

Pol Position: Zeldin is making the race close

webadmin on November 2, 2022

While New York is traditionally seen as a blue state, Long Island Representative Lee Zeldin seems to be making a real push for the governor’s race against Democratic incumbent Gov. Kathy Hochul.

Zeldin came out strong in the first half of last Tuesday’s NY1 debate against Governor Kathy Hochul – sticking to his usual stump of “saving the state” by repealing bail reform and instituting tax cuts.

For the first twenty or so minutes, Hochul seemed asleep at the wheel, playing the defensive while Zeldin acted like he shotgunned a can of Monster.

The debate focused on major issues like crime (which multiple polls ahve shown is the top concern on New York’s mind), abortion, affordable housing, gun control and more.

While Zeldin came out strong in the first half, Hochul was able to bounce back putting Zeldin in a bind over whether he supported Donald Trump (his answer waffled on working with Donald Trump on issues) and attacking Zeldin on his abortin record (which is smart politics for Hochul, trying not to hemorrhage support of liberal women concerned about crime.)

Overall Zeldin stayed on the offensive all night and it worked for him – clearly winning the debate.In recent years, there have been questions about the effectiveness of polls and if they have any real bearing on swinging undecided voters. While Zeldin can make clips out of them to post to social media, it’s not clear whether it will help move the needle for him.

Regardless of the debate’s effect, polling has shown that the race is tighter than most would have imagined over the last two months. While the polls differ in voting spreads, they all show a tightening race.

Emerson College had Hochul leading by 15 percent in September, while their October poll had her only up by 7 percent. Sienna College had Hochul leading by 17 percent in September but their October poll has Hochul leading by 11 percent. And Quinnipiac’s sole October poll has Hochul only leading by 4 percent.

Even though the polls differ they all show that Zeldin is making a closer play than republicans have in recent years, where they fell behind 20 plus percent in the statewide vote.

Guest Op-Ed: Lessons never learned; Protect our children

webadmin on November 2, 2022

By John J. Ciafone, Esq.

Almost weekly, we hear about gun violence in our schools.

The massacres that have occurred in our schools whether it be Uvalde, New Mexico or Sandy Hook, Connecticut – not to mention college incidents, have not raised the eyebrows of our elected officials to move forward toward action.

Gun control legislation is not enough. We need metal detectors in all our schools.

Whether you go to a sports game, a concert or any major event, you are expected to go through metal detectors as a matter of course.

Yet, why don’t we have metal detectors in our schools? Metal detectors are relatively inexpensive and extremely effective in catching guns and knives.

Gangs that prey on our children bring these weapons into our schools to further initiate and recruit naive children.

A middle school in my neighborhood, IS 126 in Long Island City, housed a cache of confiscated guns and knives in the principal’s office, under lock and key, all in an effort to keep it secret. How many more children have to be slaughtered and sacrificed by our leaders who fail to protect our most precious assets – our children and the future generation.

I proudly served on Community School Board 30 as a member, treasurer and president.

During my time, we fought for more school safety officers, security cameras and police presence outside troubled schools.

Through the devastation of the Sept. 11 attacks, we have learned the importance of metal detectors and screening within our airports that have resulted in a huge success in thwarting hijacking and terrorist attacks on our planes.

The same efforts must be employed in our schools to prevent guns and knives from threatening the lives of our children, staff and teachers.

What’s more alarming is that some City Councilmembers, who have police protection and metal detectors in City Hall, want to remove school safety officers in our schools.

I am shocked that the Teacher’s Union, which is perhaps the strongest lobbyist in New York, has no interest in protecting our children or their own members.

We have a major upcoming election ahead of us and yet no candidate is speaking about protecting our children and our schools.

At a minimum, our elected officials have an obligation and duty for the position that they were elected for and that is to protect our children, who are our future.

Elected officials need to wake up and do their jobs to be proactive and prevent any future tragedies.

Guest Op-Ed: Polls are now open! Vote today in this critical election

webadmin on November 2, 2022

By Mayor Eric Adams

Tuesday, Nov. 8 is Election Day in New York City – your last chance to join millions of New Yorkers in making your voices heard and casting your ballots in these critical elections.

The polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.

If you can’t vote on Tuesday, you can also vote early in-person. Early voting polls will be open through Sunday, Nov. 6.

Your poll site may have changed, so it’s important to check your poll site location and its hours before you vote at nycvotes.org.

This year, voting is more important than ever. The outcome of these elections will affect you and your family’s future, our economy, education, healthcare and more. And in every single race, your vote matters – from the Governor and Attorney General, to your Congresspeople and State Representatives.

We’re deciding who will lead our state into the future, and what kind of future we want for our state.

Also, four ballot proposals are on the back of your ballot, so remember to flip yours over.

I’ve made my plan to vote – and it’s critical that you do, too.

And not just yourself; bring your friends and family along, too. All U.S. citizens aged 18 and older who have registered are eligible to vote.

I hope that you will join me and millions of your fellow New Yorkers in going to the polls and getting the change you want to see done.

For more information on where and how to vote, as well as who and what issues are on the ballot, check out nycvotes.org.

If you are not currently registered to vote, you can register for next year’s election on that website as well.

All New Yorkers have the right to vote in their language.

You may bring an interpreter to the voting booth – it can be a friend, a family member or a poll worker, but it can’t be your employer or union representative.

The Civic Engagement Commission will be providing interpretation services in select languages and poll sites on Saturday, Nov. 5, Sunday, Nov. 6 and on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 8.

For more information on interpretive services, please visit participate.nyc.gov. And if you run into any problems when you try to vote, call 311.

Our democracy relies on individuals with different opinions coming together to find solutions.

Voting is one crucial way we do this, and having discussions with each other is another.

Recently, my Administration held a summit on criminal justice. We brought experienced defense lawyers, judges, district attorneys, advocates and law enforcement officials together in search of solutions to a goal we all share: keeping New Yorkers safe and ensuring justice for all.

There is a lot that this group disagrees on, and each individual group will keep pursuing their individual goals. But there is also much we agree on.

Both public safety and justice are prerequisites to prosperity, and we need to do a better job on both.

No one should be afraid of crime on the subway, and no one accused of committing a crime should have to wait for months to get a hearing.

Our discussion helped us find common ground on important improvements to our system, and over the coming weeks and months, we’ll be continuing our conversations and turning them into actionable solutions that will make New York a safer city. And I will never stop fighting for the steps we need to keep us safe.

Working toward a more perfect city and country is never easy.

It takes all of us engaging in good faith conversation, expressing our views, and casting our ballots.

See you at the polls on Tuesday.

Why you should vote ‘Yes’ on Environmental Bond Measure

webadmin on November 2, 2022

Voters across the state will have a question on their upcoming Nov. 8 ballot about whether the state should pass the Environmental Bond Measure. And we implore you to vote yes.

The Environmental Bond Measure would help unlock $4.2 billion for critical environmental spending by taking on debt, for issues including: at least $1.1 billion for flood risk and restoration, up to $1.5 billion for climate change mitigation, up to $650 million for land conservation and at least $650 million for water quality improvement.

It’s a hefty cost, but a necessary one.

According to a 2020 report from State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, New York has the second highest debt burden behind California.

But the costs of doing nothing could reach a projected $10 billion per year (in 2010 dollars) by 2050, according to state reports.

We need to invest every dollar we can into fighting climate change.

It is an existential threat that requires long-term thinking and inaction will only make the situation worse.

With the surmounting costs of climate change, it would be better for the federal government to step in.

The Inflation Reduction Act brought some advancements in terms of federal dollars to help states battle climate change like tax credits for heat pumps and solar panels.

But due to the sniveling coward of a Senator Joe Manchin is, it was a compromise deal.

We have very few options with how to deal with this issue. Inaction cannot be one of them.

So while adding more debt can be concerning to voters, the bigger costs are too big to ignore or delay.

Editorial Everyone should have a say

webadmin on October 27, 2022

In a recent editorial in The Atlantic, entitled “Not Everyone Should Have A Say”, the writer argued that community input was not necessary for energy-permitting projects and that community input gets in the way. We disagree.

While the editorial was national in scope, it highlighted delays in New York City’s congestion pricing and mimics a developing view from YIMBYS (which stands for yes in my back yard and often represents a pro-development point of view) that enacting “good policy” should trump people’s concerns.

Community Boards aren’t a purely democratic process – they represent those with more time on their hands and can give a false illusion of what totally represents the community, but having a forum where legislators have to at least listen to some members of the community is crucial for democracy.

As we’ve written before, community boards aren’t perfect institutions and have many follies of their own, but abandoning these principles will only further disengage voters, make leaders more unaccountable and undermine the point of representative government.

“A local community is going to know what is best for them and what is not best for them better than any lawmaker in Albany—for that matter, certainly any lawmaker who’s in the District of Columbia,” reportedly said Anthony Rogers-Wright, director of environmental justice at New York Lawyers for the Public Interest. While we don’t necessarily agree that just because the community agrees on something it makes it accurate or the best policy but engaging with local stakeholders is necessary to keep a patina of democratic input.

The Atlantic editorial offers no real solutions for “rethinking community input,” and that’s because no community input process can be wholly democratic – but it’s the next best thing. Keeping community board meetings online so that travel times aren’t a hindrance, changing the fact that elected officials can appoint people to community boards, ensuring racial and economic diversity, and passing some kind of legislation that would allow working-class people to take off of work for meetings would be good first steps to making community boards and the quality of the input more democratic.

Why New Car & Lease Prices In Brooklyn & NYC Keep Soaring

webadmin on October 24, 2022

Car prices have increased to historically high levels in recent months. According to figures from data analytics firm J.D. Power, the average transaction price of new vehicles in the U.S. was up 11.8% year-over-year in July 2022. U.S. consumers forked out an average of $45,869 for a new vehicle in July 2022, a record high.

The average cost of raw materials used to produce a new vehicle hit an all-time high in 2021, rising 116% from last year. Electric vehicles have been especially affected by rising material costs, as the prices of key metals including lithium, nickel and cobalt — essential components of electric car batteries have spiked. Combined with soaring gasoline prices and rising interest rates, this is making car ownership more difficult and putting the brakes on auto sales.

Car Price Increase Examples

So bad has it really been? A quick search on the internet will reveal these staggering numbers that really tell the whole story.

In the past year, Chevrolet prices have increased 39.10%.

In the past year, Cadillac prices have increased 24.70%.

In the past year, Jeep prices have increased 35.30%.

In the past year, Dodge prices have increased 33.90%.

In the past year, GMC prices have increased 24.30%.

In the past year, KIA prices have increased 23.70%.

In the past year, Chrysler prices have increased 24%.

In the past year, Mitsubishi prices have increased 23.50%.

In the past year, Nissan prices have increased 29.90%.

In the past year, Mercedes prices have increased 11.86%.

In the past year, Mazda prices have increased 13.49%.

In the past year, Ram prices have increased 42.60%.

In the past year, Audi prices have increased 21%.

Car prices are rising due to global supply chain issues. An ongoing chip shortage is holding up production in the auto industry, creating a supply crunch. Rising raw material costs are also driving car prices up, intensified by the Russia-Ukraine crisis.

To add insult to injury, chip shortages mean that manufacturers are prioritizing their most expensive vehicles, further increasing average transaction prices. Automakers don’t have enough semiconductors and semiconductors are interchangeable to some degree. Why would a car manufacturer put them in $25,000 cars instead of $85,000 cars?

These supply chain issues have combined with the already existing imbalance of supply and demand in the auto industry, which was precipitated by COVID-19. In the U.S., there are historically more than 3.5 million vehicles in dealer lots at the end of each month. However, this figure fell to 2.7 million before the chip crisis even began, due to pandemic-induced factory shutdowns. At the same time, demand remained heightened throughout COVID-19, as pandemic stimulus checks and accumulated savings meant that many consumers were still willing and able to purchase new cars.

How Is Inflation Impacting Car Sales Trends?

Rising sticker prices have decreased consumer demand for new and used cars alike, and sales have plummeted as a result. The seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) of U.S. light vehicle sales tracked 13.51 million in July 2022, marking a 9% decline year-over-year. Likewise, year-to-date retail sales in June 2022 came in at just under 5.9 million units — marking the worst first half sales volume performance since 2011.

Consumers have expressed record low sentiment toward the purchase of a new vehicle, citing high prices and rising interest rates.

When Will Car Prices Drop?

Used car prices are already starting to drop as the market cools, having seemingly peaked in early 2022. On the other hand, new vehicle prices are unlikely to drop in 2022 due to persistent inflationary pressures.

There’s still a lot of inflation bubbling up in the new vehicle supply chain. Even though raw material costs are falling, suppliers have a lot of other higher non-commodity costs like diesel, freight, shipping, logistics, labor and electricity. They will continue to pass these costs on to the automakers.

In addition, the effects of the chip shortage will continue to linger. Companies will need to rebuild inventory, which means that wholesale demand will compete with retail demand. This will in turn stabilize new vehicle prices; hopefully sometime in early to mid- 2023.

5 Rules For Small Business Grant Funding Applications in NY

webadmin on August 11, 2022

Starting a business is expensive. You have to test new products, secure inventory, research market trends, etc. There’s no shortage of costs for a startup business. But if you haven’t even started selling yet, where does the money come from?

Seasoned small business owners might have a network of financiers, but for entrepreneur rookies, securing funding before you’ve had a chance to prove yourself can be tricky.

Every new business can do with a bit more cash, but the application process for government issued small business grants involves more than putting your name on a list and waiting for a deposit. Not every grant is right for every business and understanding how grant-issuing organizations evaluate applicants is imperative to securing the financial assistance you need.

If you plan on investing the time and energy into applying to a small business grant program, it’s important to understand the options available and pick the grant that’s right for your business.

Small business grants are offered by all kinds of organizations, to all types of businesses, with a wide range of values, missions, and functions.

There’s no single set of criteria that can be applied to all grant opportunities, but generally, grant-lenders are looking for small businesses that embody their organization’s stated purpose and add value to a particular community or industry.

Small business grants are not loans, so lenders aren’t expecting to be paid back. They’re not investment capital, either so issuers aren’t expecting to own assets of your business. But that doesn’t mean that small business grants don’t come with expectations and incentives. Issuers still expect a return on their investment, just not a monetary one. Instead, organizations that provide small business owners with grants want to feel confident that your business idea contributes to their organization’s mission⁠—whether it be a common good, innovation in a particular industry, or economic growth in a specific community.

A small business grant isn’t necessarily “free money” either. Grant issuers often have stipulations about how the money can be spent, sometimes even spending the money themselves on specific resources they believe will help your business grow.

If you’re to fund a small business and looking to apply for a business grant, here are some key points to keep in mind:

Look for grants within your industry: A lot of small business grants are industry specific, so it can help narrow down your search if you focus on organizations and research institutions within your specific industry. Focusing on one industry also builds buzz around your business and can help build connections with industry figures who may be able to offer guidance and investment opportunities.
Read the eligibility requirements carefully: Read the requirements carefully and evaluate whether you qualify for the grant. If you’re unsure whether you qualify, contact someone from the organization and ask.
Make sure your business aligns with the organization’s mission: Organizations that provide small business grants do so in the hopes of achieving a specific goal they are deeply invested in. Ask yourself how your business model helps contribute to achieving this goal. If the answer is hard to find, you might want to consider applying for grants with another organization.
Know what you’ll be spending the grant money on: Have your business plan ready and know how the money will be spent. This will make the organization understand more clearly how your business aligns with their mission.

Focus your pitch on innovation and expansion: Organizations that issue small business grants typically favor business that they see as innovative, forward thinking, and on a path to growth. Focus your pitch on new technologies you might be developing, and what your business can do to help the organization with its mission.

Common Estate Planning Mistakes By A Brooklyn Lawyer

webadmin on August 9, 2022

Estate planning is meant to provide peace of mind to you and your loved ones in the event of your passing. There are some easily avoidable mistakes which can cause unnecessary time and cost. This article will try to list just a few in an attempt to help people avoid them. All specific matters should be discussed with a competent Brooklyn estate planning attorney.

One mistake we sometimes see is a parent transferring appreciated assets like stocks or real estate to their children directly. This causes the children to lose an important tax benefit called the step up in basis, costing the children unnecessary taxes in the future. We have an in-depth article about this topic linked here. In addition, the parent loses certain tax benefits such as the primary residence capital gains tax exclusion, and STAR benefits. Instead, the parent should consider placing the property or assets into a living trust to avoid probate while keeping the step up in basis and other tax benefits.

Another lost opportunity is failing to list beneficiaries on accounts or failing to properly fund a trust. Probate can be avoided entirely simply by listing beneficiaries on bank accounts, investment accounts on life insurance policies. Forgetting to list your beneficiaries on even one account will cause an estate to have to be opened after you pass away for that account. Similarly, we have seen clients set up living trusts to avoid probate but then forget to properly fund the trust, thereby avoiding much of the benefit of a trust.

When planning an estate, it is important to have advance directives set up as well. These documents, which include a health care proxy, power of attorney are important tools to be used when someone can’t make their own medical or financial decisions. We often see clients who need help transferring their home or assets in order to qualify for Medicaid, but are unable to do so themselves because of a lack of mental capacity. For these clients, a power of attorney makes it possible to have their agent(s) make decisions for them, but the key is that the power of attorney and health care proxy has to be set up while you are of sound mind. Missing the opportunity to do it early on may mean the difference between getting the help you need quickly and going through a long and expensive Article 81 Guardianship proceeding.

Contributed by Roman Aminov, an award winning attorney in Brooklyn, NY located at 600 Avenue M, Brooklyn, NY 11230. Schedule A Consultation today by calling (347) 766-2682 or visiting https://www.aminovlaw.com/.

Queens, NY Location:

New QBG head looks to take garden to next level

webadmin on February 24, 2022

By Jessica Meditz
jmeditz@queensledger.com

Evie Hantzopoulos is the new executive director of the Queens Botanical Garen. (Photo: Eryn Hatzithomas)

Evie Hantzopoulos began her role as the executive director of the Queens Botanical Garden in late January, just in time to see her favorite plant, the red dogwood, in its prime.
In the same way the dogwood’s stems turn a beautiful bright red in the winter, Hantzopoulos brings a bright new perspective to the 39-acre oasis in Flushing.
She fills the shoes of Susan Lacerte, who held the position for 27 years and brought the garden back to life during a time of crisis.
“I’m super grateful for the work Susan has done, like helping to make the new Visitor and Administration Building happen and expanding the collections,” said Hantzopoulos. “Now I think about how I can build on her incredible work and honor the work that she did, and then really work with the staff and the community to take the garden to the next level.”
Originally from Massachusetts, Hantzopoulos lives in Astoria with her husband and three children, and has called Queens her home for nearly 24 years.
Although her background is not in environmental horticulture, Hantzopoulos feels passionately about gardening and environmental causes.
“My parents were both farmers when they lived in Greece, and they brought a lot of that knowledge with them when they came here,” she said. “I garden in my backyard, and when my kids were younger I helped bring gardens to their schools.
“I know a bit as an amateur, but I’m going to be learning a lot in terms of horticulture and working in the garden,” she added. “I’m very grateful we have experts here who really know their stuff.”
Hantzopoulos has extensive experience managing nonprofits. She served has worked at Global Kids for the last 25 years, the final 11 years serving as executive director.
Global Kids is a nonprofit organization that works with kids in all five boroughs, focusing on youth development, civic engagement and global education in underserved communities.
In addition to developing the organization’s programs and expanding its outreach to different cities, Hantzopoulos spent time mentoring educators and teaching workshops.
“Children add a perspective to the conversation that is really meaningful and critical,” she said. “Everyone questions how much they know, but children have thoughts, ideas, experiences and viewpoints that should be listened to, because a lot of times it’s their future we’re talking about.”
Hantzopoulos is excited to continue her journey as an educator through her new role at the Queens Botanical Garden, especially with a $34 million state-of-the-art Education Center on the horizon.
The building, which is expected to break ground in the fall, will allow staff to serve more than double the amount of people through expanded programming.
“Right now, our education building is not serving our needs,” said Hantzopoulos. “It’s very limited.
“Also during COVID, there’s limitations on how many people we can have in the building,” she added. “This new building is going to be designed to be adaptable, with indoor and outdoor classrooms.”
Hantzopoulos has been a member of Community Board 1 since 2010, and also co-founded Frontline Foods Queens, which distributes meals to frontline workers, NYCHA residents and food pantries.
She is a founding member of Astoria Mutual Aid Network, Astoria Urban Ecology Alliance, and 31st Avenue Open Street.
She recently ran in the Democratic Primary for City Council in Astoria.
“The experience was certainly different than anything I’ve ever done before, and I learned a lot,” Hantzopoulos said of the campaign. “Now I’m figuring out how to serve the city and community in a different capacity.”
Hantzopoulos acknowledged that although the garden looks a bit different during the colder months, it is still a serene escape from the chaos of Flushing’s busy streets.
She feels optimistic about the warmer months to come, as indicated by the 2,500 people who attended the recent Lunar New Year celebration at the garden.

Evie Hantzopoulos speaks at the garden’s recent Lunar New Year celebration. (Photo: Josh Feinberg)

But most of all, Hantzopoulos is grateful to be able to wake up every morning and go to work at such a beautiful place.
“I wanted to pick a place where I could fully get behind its mission and potential, as well as somewhere that I could marry my different interests,” she said.
“I found a great group of people and a beautiful space that so many people love,” she added. “Now, it’s about working with the team to figure out how to build upon the foundation and really showcase just how special of a place it is.”

Street will honor Bangladeshi community in Queens

webadmin on February 24, 2022

The intersection of Homelawn Avenue and Hillside Avenue was co-named “Little Bangladesh Avenue.”

The intersection of Homelawn Avenue and Hillside Avenue in Jamaica will forever be known as “Little Bangladesh Avenue.” The co-naming ceremony took place on International Mother Language Day.

Dozens of Bangladeshi businesses line Hillside Street, from the savory sweets at Dhaka Sweets to the authentic Bangladeshi cuisine spots Ghoroa and Sagar.

Councilman Jim Gennaro said that the Bangladeshi community is an example of people who live in peace and love their faith and families.

“Today is a great day for the country of Bangladesh and for all the citizens of the world,” said Gennaro. “They are a model community that I really embrace and want to thank in a very special way for what they do for New York City.”

With both American and Bangladeshi flags waving in the backdrop, the new street sign was revealed to a chorus of cheers.

“We’re gonna remember this day,” said Gennaro. “We’ll be able to tell our kids and our grandchildren and our grandkids.”

Assemblywoman Jenifer Rajkumar, the first South Asian woman elected to statewide office, said the event hit close to home.

“In the 1970s, my parents immigrated and they settled on Hillside Avenue,” she said. “It’s special that I get to stand here today at the naming of Little Bangladesh Avenue. We have so many leaders in this community who are here today. I stand on your shoulders.

“The sky’s the limit for our community because I want to see a Bangladeshi-American as mayor,” Rajkumar added. “I want to see a Bangladeshi-American as senator and a Bangladeshi-American as president. We have just begun, and with all of the Bangladeshi youth in my office right now that we’re bringing up, it’s going to happen very soon.”

Car Price Increase Examples

How Is Inflation Impacting Car Sales Trends?

When Will Car Prices Drop?

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