The BroadsheetDAILY – 1/3/22 – Lower Manhattan’s Local Newspaper – Assembly Member Niou Challenges Kavanagh for State Senate Seat

The Broadsheet: Lower Manhattan’s Local Newspaper

‘We Need An Activist and an Advocate’

Assembly Member Niou Challenges Kavanagh for State Senate Seat

Above: Assembly member (and Senate contender) Yuh-Line Niou: “It isn’t enough for things to return to a pre-pandemic ‘normal.’ That’s why I’m running for the State Senate.”

State Assembly member Yuh-Line Niou has announced that she is challenging incumbent State Senator Brian Kavanagh in his bid for reelection this year. Both Ms. Niou and Mr. Kavanagh represent Lower Manhattan in their respective houses of the State legislature.

“The past two years tested our communities in ways we never could have imagined,” Ms. Niou said, announcing her bid on December 19. “But in our State’s darkest moments, we came together to showcase the fighting spirit that makes New York a role model for the world. As we start down the long road to recovery, it is more important than ever to ensure communities share equally in that recovery. It isn’t enough for things to return to a pre-pandemic ‘normal.’ We must learn from history and build a city and a state that is more equitable, safer, and more inclusive than it was before. That’s why I’m running for the State Senate.”

“New Yorkers need more than a legislator,” Ms. Niou continued. “We need an activist and an advocate who can translate this huge moment into real, lasting progressive change. We have an opportunity to build a government that sees and protects all New Yorkers—including our working families who keep our city running and our loved ones alive, only to be disproportionately hurt, first by the pandemic and now by skyrocketing rents and the historic gap between the rich and the rest of us. We can’t seize our historic moment with more business as usual.”

“Our goal must be more ambitious than just recovering from this crisis,” she added. “Our actions over the coming years can set our State and our people on a path to rebuild and thrive. The pandemic made clear that our communities are not created equal. While wealthier areas could treat this pandemic like an inconvenience, many residents in my district struggled for equal access to everything from personal protective equipment to recovery money meant for small businesses. In response, I fought for and passed a law creating a new fund to help those who were excluded from our public assistance programs. Together, we can do better than patching over the damage caused by exclusionary policies: We can build a State that doesn’t exclude people in the first place.”

Ms. Niou has served in the Assembly since first being elected in 2016. Mr. Kavanagh was first elected to the Senate in 2017. A third contender for the seat that both Ms. Niou and Mr. Kavanagh are vying for is Battery Park City resident and community leader Vittoria Fariello, who launched her bid in November.

Adding to the uncertainty of a three-way race is the looming prospect of the boundaries being changed for the 26th Senate District, which currently encompasses all of Lower Manhattan beneath a jagged line that sawtooths along Houston, Canal, Broome, Dominick, and Bleecker Streets on the West Side, before reaching as high as Third, Fourth. and Sixth Streets on the East Side. (The same catchment also includes parts of Greenpoint, Williamsburg, Brooklyn Heights, and Cobble Hill, along the East River waterfront, in Brooklyn.)

The results of the 2020 Census have triggered a revision of these borders, but the outcome of this redistricting process will not be known for several months. In the meantime, all three candidates will be vying for the nomination of the Democratic Party, in June..

Although the general election, in November, will technically decide who represents Downtown in the State Senate for the next two years, the heavily “blue” political landscape of Lower Manhattan usually makes the nod of the Democratic party tantamount to winning the wider contest, and often relegates the actual election to the status of a formality.

Matthew Fenton

Diagram for week of January 3 circa 6:15am. The brightest stars — Arcutus, Spica, Castor, Pollux, Procyon visible until about 6:40am.  Top margin, fragment of Big Dipper. On the southeast horizon, Scorpius the Scorpion rises, its heart star red Antares, 1.03 magnitude. To the left of Antares, the faint point of glowing reddish light is Mars, 1.54m. Binoculars recommended. See detail and text. Image © Judy Isacoff/Starry Night

EYES TO THE SKY

January 3, 2022 – January 10, 2022

Darkest mornings: Summer stars, Mars, Omicron ophiuchi

A boon for stargazers, unusually long, dark mornings follow the winter solstice and continue as the New Year begins, rewarding the curious who venture outdoors at dawn. The solstice-time Sun rises at 7:20am this week through January 10. Mornings continue dark as afternoons are increasingly brighter: today’s sunset is at 4:40pm; sundown on January 10 is 4:47pm.

While familiar constellations of the winter season travel the sky at night, the celestial dome at dawn is painted with spring and summer stars and planet Mars. Around the winter solstice, quintessential summer star patterns, Scorpius the Scorpion and the Summer Triangle, rise in the morning sky along the southeast and northeast horizon, respectively. At summer solstice they are in the same positions when they rise in the evening sky. When we recall where on the skyline the Scorpion and the Triangle rise in June, we are reminded of balmy summer evenings while stargazing on frosty mornings.

Referring to the diagram, above, spring stars are higher in the sky at dawn, having preceded summer. See orange Arcturus, the second brightest star in northern skies, trailed by blue Spica and vivid Corvus the Crow.

How did Omicron Ophiuchi, 5.12 magnitude (i.e. not visible with the naked eye), come to my attention? When working on StarryNight7 software to compose the star chart, a slip of the cursor into the space around Mars brought Omicron Ophiuchi into view. Intrigued, I read the description: “a double star, part of a multiple star system.”

Although the Omicron variant of Covid-19 is simply named for the fifteenth letter of the Greek alphabet, I had in mind reports that state the number of mutations is higher than we’ve seen in previous variants. My interest in the multiple aspect led me to discover that in astronomy, “Omicron is used to designate the fifteenth star in a constellation group,” prompting more questions. Celebrate curiosity in 2022.

Judy Isacoff

The Week’s Calendar

Tuesday January 4

2PM

Museum of Jewish Heritage

In 2018, Poland’s nationalist government enacted a law which criminalized speech that holds Poland responsible for Nazi crimes. Forced by international pressure to withdraw the criminal provisions, nationalists promised instead to use civil litigation to achieve their aims. In 2021, for the first time, the law was used to target Holocaust scholars in civil court. As Poles wrestle with their ancestors’ roles during the Holocaust, observers inside the country and across Europe are sounding alarms over the whitewashing of history.

Join the Museum for a conversation about the politics of memory with leaders in Polish civil society, including Dr. Jan Grabowski, one of the historians sued for his research; Dr. Dariusz Stola, the former director of POLIN: Museum of the History of Polish Jews; and Konstanty Gebert, a journalist and founder of the Polish Jewish monthly Midrasz. The discussion will be co-presented by Descendants of Holocaust Survivors (2G Greater New York) and moderated by Rachel Donadio, a contributing writer for The Atlantic. Free; suggested $10 donation,

6PM

Howard Hughes Corporation

Today: Lyons Den Power Yoga. Reservations are released at 10AM every Monday the week before class. Free

6PM

Live Remote Meeting – https://live.mcb1.nyc

AGENDA

1. Request for Conaming of Northeast Corner of Walker Street and Centre Street After Harold Lui – Presentation by Virginia Tong

2. Partially Converting Bus Parking Zone on West Street into a For-Hire Vehicle Pickup/Dropoff Zone – Presentation by Suany Chough, Director of Project Development, Performing Arts Center & Jenna Chrisphonte, Director of Civic Alliances, Performing Arts Center – Discussion & Possible Resolution

3. Request for Revocable Consent to Add an Accessible Ramp to the 159 Worth Street Entrance of 80 Centre Street – Discussion & Resolution

4. Citibike Infill (Continuation from December 2021) – Discussion & Possible Resolution

Wednesday January 5

6PM

Live Remote Meeting – https://live.mcb1.nyc

AGENDA

1. Battery Park City Seniors Update – Presentation by Maryanne Braverman

2. Prohibition of Coop Conversions in Battery Park City – Discussion & Resolution (Postponed to February)

3. Update on the Downtown Alliance Downtown Connection Bus Service

4. BPC Security Update – Patrick Murphy, Director of Security, Allied Universal

5. BPCA Report – Nicholas Sbordone, Vice President of Communications & Public Affairs, Battery Park City Authority

All meetings are recorded to the extent practicable and posted here as soon as possible.

Thursday January 6

6PM

Howard Hughes Corporation

Today: Iron Buddha. Reservations are released at 10AM every Monday the week before class. Free

China Institute

What is China’s goal in making global development investments? Despite the fact that the U.S. declined to join the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, are U.S. investors still welcome in AIIB projects? Is there room for U.S.-China collaboration around global development and governance in the financial arena? Jin Liqun, President of the AIIB and one of China’s top development experts, will share his insights in an exclusive, virtual conversation with James Heimowitz, President of China Institute. $10

CLASSIFIEDS & PERSONALS

Swaps & Trades, Respectable Employment, Lost and Found

To place a listing, contact editor@ebroadsheet.com

RIVERWATCH

The Norwegian sail training ship Statsraad Lehmkuhl docked in Brooklyn, as seen from Pier 17.

From Norway, the 107-year-old Statsraad Lehmkuhl is in the middle of a round-the-world tour as part of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Develop­ment. Built in 1914 as a training ship for the German merchant marine, she was seized after WWI by the U.K. In 1921, the vessel was bought by Kristofer Lehmkuhl, the former cabinet minister of Norway (the name means “Cabinet Minister Lehmkuhl”). Although captured by German forces during WWll, she was donated to the Statsraad Lehmkuhl Foundation in 1978. This beautiful vessel is among the oldest large square-riggers in operation. She is scheduled to depart New York tomorrow.

Price of Progress

Battery Conservancy Chief Floats Plan for Pier A

Warrie Price, the president and founder of the Battery Conservancy (the nonprofit that designs, builds, and maintains, the 25 acres of historic public parkland at the southern tip of Manhattan) is proposing to adapt the abandoned restaurant space within Pier A as an embarkation point for ferry passengers bound for Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty.

At a meeting of the Waterfront, Parks, and Cultural Committee of Community Board 1 (CB1) earlier this year, Ms. Price recalled that, “at one point, a visitor center was going to be housed at Pier A, when the Fire Department left and it was at Parks.” To read more…

Kids Play at the Battery

The New Battery Playscape is the Final Piece of the Master Plan

On December 16, as children whooped down long slippery slides and explored a treehouse, and the Knickerbocker Nighthawks band played danceable Dixieland tunes, The Battery Playscape opened at the southernmost tip of Manhattan.

The final piece of The Battery Master Plan, this new 1.5 acre playground completes more than 25 years of work by The Battery Conservancy to revitalize and rebuild this historic public park using sustainable design and ecological practices.

Under the leadership of founder and president Warrie Price, the Conservancy initiated the Playscape’s resilient design after Tropical Storm Sandy battered the Battery with a 15-foot storm surge. Designing for sea-level rise became imperative, and Battery Park—the historic southern tip of Manhattan that will always bear the brunt of rising waters—became a focal point. Designed by BKSK Architects and Starr Whitehouse Landscape Architects and Planners, The Battery Playscape is built with absorbent elements that will accept floods and storm surges, and then recover. The playground design features five ecological zones—bluff, riverbed, marsh, dune, and meadow—each inspired by topography created by water shaping the land. Creative, adventurous play is encouraged.

“We immerse children into the natural wonders formed by plants, trees, sand, and ancient stone while building an understanding of accommodating climate,” Ms. Price said.

The $18.3 million project was funded by $9 million from Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, a $7.65 million MTA grant, $800,000 from Mayor Bill de Blasio, $500,000 from City Council Member Margaret Chin, and $350,000 from Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer. Visited by 15 million people each year, The Battery is one of the oldest public spaces in continuous use in New York City.

‘One False Promise After Another’

Lenders Who Fronted Millions to Operators of Pier A Allege Fraud

Investors who lent more than $16 million to the operators behind the shuttered restaurant at Pier A, on Battery Park City’s southern border allege that the borrowers, “used a fraudulent scheme to squeeze out of the Project all the fees and distributions for themselves that they could before shutting the doors.”

In a development first reported by property industry newsletter the Real Deal, the lenders (Tribeca-based New York City Waterfront Development Fund II) filed suit in Manhattan Supreme Court in November, seeking the return of $16.5 million (the original amount of the 2011 loan, none of which has been repaid), along with $2.63 million in accrued interest, plus attorney’s fees and court costs.

The defendants in this action are a partnership between the Poulakakos restaurant family (who operate numerous Lower Manhattan eateries) and the Dermot Company (a developer of garden apartment complexes around the United States that more recently branched out to New York projects, such as the conversion of Brooklyn’s landmarked Williamsburgh Savings Bank tower into condominium residences). To read more…

Lower Manhattan Greenmarkets

Tribeca Greenmarket

Greenwich Street & Chambers Street

Every Wednesday & Saturday, 8am-3pm

Food Scrap Collection: Saturdays, 8am-1pm

Open Saturdays and Wednesdays year round

Bowling Green Greenmarket

Green Greenmarket at Bowling Green

Broadway & Whitehall St

Open Tuesday and Thursdays, year-round

Market Hours: 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Compost Program: 8 a.m. – 11 a.m.

The Bowling Green Greenmarket brings fresh offerings from local farms to Lower Manhattan’s historic Bowling Green plaza. Twice a week year-round stop by to load up on the season’s freshest fruit, crisp vegetables, beautiful plants, and freshly baked loaves of bread, quiches, and pot pies.

Greenmarket at the Oculus

Oculus Plaza, Fulton St and Church St

CLOSED FOR THE SEASON

The Outdoor Fulton Stall Market

91 South St., bet. Fulton & John Sts.

212-349-1380 info@fultonstallmarket.org

Fulton Street cobblestones between South and Front Sts. across from McNally Jackson Bookstore.

Locally grown produce from Rogowski Farm, Breezy Hill Orchard, and other farmers and small-batch specialty food products, sold directly by their producers. Producers vary from week to week.

SNAP/EBT/P-EBT, Debit/Credit, and Farmers Market Nutrition Program checks accepted at all farmers markets.

TODAY IN HISTORY

January 3

1870 – Construction of the Brooklyn Bridge begins.

1521 – Pope Leo X excommunicates Martin Luther in the papal bull Decet Romanum Pontificem.

1749 – Benning Wentworth issues the first of the New Hampshire Grants, leading to the establishment of Vermont.

1749 – The first issue of Berlingske, Denmark’s oldest continually operating newspaper, is published.

1777 – American General George Washington defeats British General Lord Cornwallis at the Battle of Princeton.

1861 – American Civil War: Delaware votes not to secede from the United States.

1870 – Construction of the Brooklyn Bridge begins.

1925 – Benito Mussolini announces he is taking dictatorial powers over Italy.

1932 – Martial law is declared in Honduras to stop a revolt by banana workers fired by the United Fruit Company.

1933 – Minnie D. Craig becomes the first woman elected as Speaker of the North Dakota House of Representatives, the first woman to hold a Speaker position anywhere in the United States.

1957 – The Hamilton Watch Company introduces the first electric watch.

1959 – Alaska is admitted as the 49th U.S. state.

1961 – The US severs diplomatic relations with Cuba over the latter’s nationalization of American assets.

1962 – Pope John XXIII excommunicates Fidel Castro.

1977 – Apple Computer is incorporated.

1990 – Manuel Noriega, former leader of Panama, surrenders to American forces.

Births

106 BC – Cicero, Roman philosopher, lawyer, and politician (d. 43 BC)

1892 – J.R.R. Tolkien, English writer, poet, and philologist (d. 1973)

1909 – Victor Borge, Danish-American pianist and conductor (d. 2000)

1917 – Vernon A. Walters, general and diplomat, 17th United States Ambassador to the United Nations (d. 2002)

1917 – Roger Williams Straus, Jr., journalist and publisher, co-founded Farrar, Straus and Giroux (d. 2004)

1926 – George Martin, English composer, conductor, and producer (d. 2016)

1945 – Stephen Stills, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer

1969 – Michael Schumacher, German race car driver

Deaths

1322 – Philip V of France (b. 1292)

1795 – Josiah Wedgwood, English potter, founded the Wedgwood Company (b. 1730)

1945 – Edgar Cayce, American psychic and author (b. 1877)

1967 – Jack Ruby, American businessman and murderer (b. 1911)

1979 – Conrad Hilton, American businessman, founded the Hilton Hotels & Resorts (b. 1887)

Credit: Wikipedia and other internet and non-internet sources

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