Queens Community Board 2 is hosting a virtual zoom meeting tomorrow evening, August 11, on the
redistricting of Council District 26 to include Roosevelt Island and portions
of the Upper East Side.You're invited to attend.
What does Roosevelt Island think of proposed NYC Council redistricting?
https://t.co/QQCCsQJElI
Also, the
NYC Districting Commission
is holding the following public hearings on their Preliminary NYC Council
Redistricting Plan.
Public hearing dates and times have been announced! We can’t wait to listen
to the public share their input on the future of the City Council district
lines. pic.twitter.com/ANJGjfBuXs
— NYC Districting Commission (@DistrictingNYC)
August 2, 2022
Roosevelt Island resident and founder of the recently formed local Main Street
Dems political club Joyce Short is organizing community efforts to keep
Roosevelt Island in a Manhattan City Council District.
According to Ms Short:
Our Community Board is planning on opposing the redistricting of Roosevelt
Island in City Council. According to the most recent proposal, if
redistricting takes place, we will be redistricted with Queens West and
represented by the City Council Member in Queens, Julie Won, not Julie Menin
in Manhattan. We believe this change is problematic for our community for
several reasons:
Our children's educational facilities are PS/IS 217 and other public and
private schools in Manhattan. We fall within School District 2 for
elementary school and middle school children. We need a Council Member
whose area includes our school district.
Many of our school children commute by tram, which is a unique and vital
link to Manhattan. Most of our working population also commute by tram to
the mainland, not Queens, each day for employment. Our residents
commutation needs are met by maintaining a close association between the
mainland and our island.
Our City Council Representatives provide considerable funding for PS/IS
217 including it's Green Roof. In addition, they support the quality of
life programs we need such as our Little League, NY Junior Tennis and
Learning, our very active Senior Center, and additional projects and
services. They are the life-blood of our community and our Council Member
has a history of support.
The cost for policing Roosevelt Island is principally covered by Island
residents, through land-leases paid to RIOC. Our first responders are
Public Safety Officers that are Peace Officers with the State of NY, NOT
police officers from Queens. Our crime statistics are more consistent with
our current Manhattan connection rather than with Western Queens. Our NYPD
protection could diminish when determined by comparing us with the stats
of Western Queens.
Roosevelt Island was conceived and built as a "Manhattan Utopian
Community" by Mayor John Lindsay. We are a Manhattan community, not a
Queens community. Our area code is 212, not 718. We have a Manhattan zip
code of 10044. We are a Manhattan Island under New York City's City
Charter. Item 52-C in the City Charter states that district lines shall
keep neighborhoods intact.
We are a Manhattan stop on the subway system, our other major
transportation link.
Our newly built and highly utilized public library is part of the
Manhattan library system.
Roosevelt Islanders frequently call on our City Council Representatives
for constituent services, particularly, for help in landlord/tenant
matters. Our cases are heard in Manhattan's landlord/tenant court. A
Queens City Council Member will be unable to provide the level of
effective assistance our residents will need in housing matters.
Unlike Queens, we are a highly residential community with very few
commercial enterprises.
Our operating funds are derived in a very different way than in Queens.
Even our public services such as grounds keeping and street cleaning are
not covered in the same manner as Queens.
Our community shares with mainland Manhattan the unique issues of being an
island, with all the environmental protections that requires.
Our community fought for protections in the development of Cornell Tech
which is only one third complete. We need to maintain the same vital City
Council oversight that protected our community during the first phase of
construction.
Western Queens fought against the development of Amazon while Roosevelt
Island bargained in good faith for the creation of Cornell Tech. Our
perspective and needs regarding development are vastly different.
Our community has already been divided for Federal and State Legislative
representation. Further division will additionally weaken our ability to
have a collective, legislative force to represent our interests.
Throughout our entire existence as a residential community, our residents
have considered themselves Manhatanites.
Last Saturday, Ms Short gathered approximately 80 Roosevelt Island
residents
Tomorrow evening, Thursday, 8/11, at 8:15 PM, we will conduct our next Zoom
redistricting update.
Here is the link.
Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney will be attending. She has written an amazing
letter of support for us. Depending on her schedule, either Julie Menin, or
her Chief of Staff, Cameron Koffman, will also update us on the issues.
We'll be planning and outlining next steps in the process of remaining in
our Manhattan City Council District. Please share this information with
everyone in your network, including posting on your building's broadcast
system and your social media.
Topic: Update on Redistricting Resistance for Roosevelt Island
Time: Aug 11, 2022 08:15 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
UPDATE 8/12 -
NYC Council Member Julie Menin
sent this letter today to NYC Districting Commission Chair Dennis Walcott in
support of keeping Roosevelt Island and the Upper East Side in Manhattan NYC
Council District.
We fear that incorporating @Rooseveltisland and UES @CB8M into district 26 @CMJulieWon will disenfranchise our sheltered populations, our veterans sheltered in @QueensCB2 and all those living in small communities like Blissville. Our voices will not be silenced!
— Blissville Civic Association (@BlissvilleCivic) August 13, 2022
... is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that brings participatory arts
events into underserved communities throughout NYC, heightening awareness
about social and environmental issues, and encouraging change through visual,
performance, and interdisciplinary art workshops.
As a mobile platform, the repurposed school bus hosts projects in public
parks, community centers, and NYCHA housing complexes, partnering local
organizations with artists to design programs for the specific needs of a
community...
Roosevelt Island is a mixed income, racially diverse waterfront community situated in the East River of New York City between Manhattan and Queens and is jurisdictionally part of Manhattan. The Roosevelt Island Tramway, which connects Roosevelt Island to the rest of Manhattan, has become the iconic symbol of Roosevelt Island to its residents.
The Purpose of this Blog is to provide accurate and timely information about Roosevelt Island as well as a forum for residents to express opinions and engage in a dialogue to improve our community.
