In the News
November 7, 2008
NYT: For Yassky, It's Council or Comptroller
By Jonathan P. HicksThe New York Times
David Yassky, a Brooklyn Democrat, addressing his City Council colleagues during the debate over term limits last month. (Photo: James Estrin/The New York Times)
It is still not clear to residents in the Brooklyn district represented by David Yassky if Mr. Yassky is running for re-election to City Council, or for comptroller, as he maintains.
If he does try to regain his Council seat, Mr. Yassky -- who infuriated some constituents with his support for a term limits extension -- could face a tough challenge.
Indeed, Jo Anne Simon is getting a great deal of encouragement these days from community leaders and elected officials in the district, which stretches from Greenpoint and Williamsburg into Park Slope and Brooklyn Heights. And Ms. Simon, a Democratic Party district leader, says that she will run, even if Mr. Yassky decides to seek a third term in the Council.
Click here to read this story in full.
September 29, 2008
Term Limits: Will the voters prevail?
Everyone is talking about the possibility of extending term limits. Jo Anne issued a statement on this issue in September. Click here to read her statement.
She testified before the City Council on Friday, October 17. Click here to read her testimony.
She has been featured on the Web and in the New York Times on August 27th, on October 10th and in Brooklyn's Courier,
Continue reading "Term Limits: Will the voters prevail?"
September 26, 2008
Jo Anne Testifies Before Congress
In July, Jo Anne was invited to testify before the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions in support of the ADA Amendments Act. The focus of her testimony was education and "high-stakes" standardized testing. She expressed her concern that the ADA had been so narrowly applied as to ensure that almost no one was protected, leading to anomalous results.
In amending the Act, Congress rejected several U.S. Supreme Court decisions that narrowed the law's applicability and created unrealistically high barriers to coverage. As she stated in her testimony, "the ADAAA will do no more than protect those Congress originally intended to protect." Jo Anne was particularly delighted that in the landmark case she tried, Bartlett v. NYS Board of Law Examiners, was specifically cited by the House of Representatives Committee on Education and the Workforce as being the leading case exemplifying Congress' intent. Read her testimony here: simon_testimony-PDF.pdf.
On September 25, 2008, the ADA Amendments Act was signed into law by President George W. Bush. It was a good day for millions of Americans with Disabilities, their families and friends.
June 24, 2008
Jo Anne Simon Launches Bid for City Council Seat in Brooklyn's 33rd Councilmanic District; Kicks Off Campaign with Boerum Hill Fundraiser, Unveils Website
Jo Anne Simon, respected attorney, long time community activist and Democratic District Leader will kick off her campaign for City Council today with a Boerum Hill fundraiser and the unveiling of her website, "Jo Anne for Council" (www.joanneforcouncil.com).Ms. Simon is running for the seat in Brooklyn's 33rd Councilmanic District which encompasses Greenpoint, Brooklyn Heights, Boerum Hill, DUMBO, Fulton Ferry Landing, and parts of Park Slope and Williamsburg.
June 16, 2008
Atlantic Yards Governance Trust Press Conference
Jo Anne joins elected officials and community members in support of the Atlantic Yards Governance Act, recently introduced by Assemblymember Hakeen Jeffries.Atlantic Yards is the only large development project in New York State that does not have a mechanism for regular community involvement. The AYGA would change that by creating an Atlantic Yards Governance Trust along with a diverse and representative Stakeholder Council to advise, and have a seat on, the Trust. This would ensure regular, meaningful public participation in whatever is built at that site.
Brooklyn Heights Blog: Atlantic Yards Oversight
State Democratic District Leader for the 52nd Assembly District (Millman's) Jo Anne Simon was there, and spoke in favor of the bill. She strongly criticized the lack of transparency and of meaningful public participation in the process of reviewing, approving and funding Atlantic Yards. She noted that the bill would provide a forum for "all of the stakeholders, not just a pre-selected few."Click here to read this story in full.
May 23, 2008
Rallying Round a Train That Gets No Respect
by Clyde Haberman
New York Times
If you will excuse a biblical flourish, the G train is the Moses of New York mass transit. Like Moses, it never made it to the Promised Land. That is, if Manhattan is your idea of divine promise. With its nosebleed-inducing apartment prices and rents, some think of it as flowing not so much with milk and honey as with bilk and money.
In any event, the G train has the distinction of being the city's only subway line that makes no stops in Manhattan, the heart and wallet of New York. It is a lime green squiggle on the subway map, running from Brooklyn to Queens. Much of the day it barely gasps into Queens, making but two stops there. It meanders through Brooklyn neighborhoods like Carroll Gardens, Cobble Hill, Fort Greene and Greenpoint, places that are enjoying grand revivals and impressive measures of cachet among the young and mobile.
Continue reading "Rallying Round a Train That Gets No Respect"
February 8, 2008
Limiting Parking on City Streets: An Idea Whose Time Has Come
By Dennis HoltBrooklyn Daily Eagle
BROOKLYN -- It is probably an inappropriate word under the circumstances, but there has been a sea change in what City Hall, the Department of Transportation and most people think about parking cars on city streets.
This correspondent has, over many years, attended scores of meetings on traffic, transportation and parking matters. These meetings usually get heated, government personnel are yelled at, lengthy anecdotal stories are told, and things seldom get resolved.
But, as reported in this paper this week, times are changing. About 150 people sat rather quietly for more than two hours Monday night to hear advocates and experts calmly talk about car parking at curbs, to reinforce what everyone knows -- there are far more cars than curbs and that fact is accelerating -- and to listen to ideas about how to cope with all this.
Click here to read this story in full.
January 26, 2008
Three-way for Yassky's seat in Heights, W'burg
By Adam F. Hutton
The Brooklyn Paper
At the moment, there are only three Democratic candidates vying to replace term-limited Councilman David Yassky and represent a sprawling district that stretches from Greenpoint to Park Slope.
More candidates are on the way, insiders said.
What those candidates will focus on depends on, well, the candidates themselves.
Click here to read this story in full.
January 5, 2008
80 to watch in '08
By Joe Jordan, Dana Rubstein, Adam F. Hutton, Mike McLaughlin, Gersh Kuntzman and Louise CrawfordThe Brooklyn Paper
We've looked (not so) fondly back on 2007, so now it's time to look ahead to the people, places and things that will be making news in 2008. Here's our report, ranked, David Letterman Top Ten style, in order of excitement:
Click here to read this story in full.
August 8, 2007
BrooklynSpeaks Atlantic Yards Governance Reform Press Conference