Locals rally against tax cuts for the rich (See

Invest In Our New York Responds To “New New York” Plan To Give Tax Credits To The Wealthy

In response to New York’s “A Better New York” event unveiling the Mayor and Governor’s plans to kickstart the economy through tax breaks for wealthy New Yorkers, the Invest in Our New York coalition, a state-wide coalition fighting to rebuild the state’s economy by ending tax breaks for the wealthy and investing in working-class New Yorkers and their communities, released the following statements:

Carolyn Martinez-Class, Campaign Coordinator, Invest in Our New York:

“Clearly, Governor Hochul and Mayor Adams recognize that working-class New Yorkers are hurting—but there are real shortcomings in the plan they’ve put forward. Too much of the plan relies on giveaways to private interests and corporations, and as Democrats, our leaders should know that trickle-down economics just doesn’t work.”

“Governor Hochul has the power to direct significant investments into our communities, but there is no clear commitment on how much the state and city are willing to spend. Without real numbers, this proposal is nothing more than window dressing.

“The Invest in Our NY Campaign has a robust roadmap to invest in much of what this plan lays out without relying on profit-driven corporations. We look forward to galvanizing New York state lawmakers around a people-powered plan to invest in childcare, healthcare, education, affordable housing, and more.”

Cea Weaver, Campaign Coordinator, Housing Justice for All:

“While new housing is critical, if we really want to make New York ‘work for everyone’ we can’t leave behind homeless New Yorkers and tenants who are being displaced by rising rents. Nowhere does this plan even mention protections from eviction or soaring rent hikes. A real housing plan that works for all New Yorkers would include Good Cause protections from eviction, rental assistance for homeless New Yorkers, and meaningful investments in social housing. Anything less is just a giveaway to private developers.”

Jasmine Gripper, Executive Director, Alliance for Quality Education:

“It’s heartening to see Governor Hochul and Mayor Adams grappling with ways to address the child care crisis, but their proposals today are a mixed bag of some positive steps and others that are inadequate or even potentially harmful, with the possibility of making an already bad situation worse for families and providers. Introducing categorical eligibility and shifting to a true cost-of-care model are very good steps in the right direction. However, other ideas such as the reverse 529 would be very destructive and will push families into debt. And while an expansion of the child tax credit would be beneficial, it does not fundamentally address any of the challenges that the child care sector is facing, and should not be considered as a solution to those pressing issues.”

Mike Kink, Executive Director, Strong Economy for All:

“It’s a vision of development that focuses on five or six billionaire real estate titans who own big chunks of midtown Manhattan, rather than the millions of working people who actually make the New York economy work. We’d recommend no

During the statewide launch of the Invest in Our New York campaign, community advocates

and activists gathered at the Nassau Legislature Building in Mineola. (Submitted photo)

tax breaks for billionaires, and more funding for universal child care, higher education and social housing.”

Pete Sikora, Climate and Inequality Campaigns Director, New York

Communities for Change: “Addressing the climate crisis requires real financial and policy commitments from Mayor Adams and Governor Hochul, not gussied-up empty rhetoric. This plan is devoid of money and requirements to go off fossil fuels. The worst super team mashup ever.”

Rebecca Garrard, Legislative Director,

Citizen Action New York: “While Governor Hochul and Mayor Adams acknowledge the scope of the housing crisis, their proposed solutions fail to address the needs of everyday New Yorkers. The well-established practice of funneling tax subsidies and economic incentives toward real estate special interests has only fueled housing insecurity for those who are rent-burdened and unhoused. What the people who live in this city and state need is tenant protections against predatory developers and deep investment in permanently affordable housing mechanisms.” — Submitted by Invest in Our New York

Town Of North Hempstead To Receive Nearly $1.3M ‘Restore NY Communities’ Grant to Revitalize New Cassel

North Hempstead Town Supervisor Jennifer DeSena and Council Member Robert Troiano announced recently that the Town was awarded $1.265 million in grant funds from the Restore New York Communities Initiative. The Restore New York Grant will support the redevelopment of three vacant and abandoned properties in New Cassel.

The New Cassel Workforce Housing Phase III Development (“Development”) is led by the Town of North Hempstead Community Development Agency (“CDA”) to redevelop and sell homes to eligible first-time homebuyers selected through a lottery. This Development will turn vacant and underutilized properties into brandnew affordable workforce homes.

“I am so proud that the Town was one of the select communities across New York State to be awarded funds through the Restore NY Communities Grant,” Supervisor DeSena said. “Once completed, these brand-new homes will improve the community, help stimulate the economy, and aid in revitalizing New Cassel. Thank you to the Town’s Community Development Agency for their steadfast work to implement the community’s vision for the future of New Cassel, which will continue to be shepherded along by the acquisition and redevelopment of these vacant, underutilized, and deteriorated properties.”

“This grant supports the New Cassel Revitalization and will allow us to offer quality, affordable housing to the area’s residents,” said Council Member Troiano. “Over the last several years, we have seen the successful redevelopment of blighted properties along Prospect Avenue, the conversion of the Grand Street School into the Homestead Senior Apartments and the creation of the award-winning, intergenerational “Yes We Can” Community Center. I want to congratulate the CDA for securing this grant which enables the work of the past several years to continue.”

The Restore NY Communities Grant will bridge construction budget funding gaps due to demolition expenses, increased material and labor costs, and supply chain shortages. The three properties selected were identified as zombie homes by the Town’s Zombie Home task force, funded by a NYS Attorney General’s Office grant. These properties have been vacant for many years.

Once completed, the homes will be sold to families with incomes at or below 80% of HUD’s Area Median Income. For 2022, the income limit for a family of four is $116,250. The Town will conduct a lottery to select homeowners. Prospective homebuyers are provided counseling and granted down payment assistance to facilitate homeownership. The CDA completed and sold 19 similar workforce homes over the past 10 years.

The Town and the CDA are leveraging other grants for the project, such as US Environmental Protection Agency Brownfield grants and HUD Community Development Block Grants (CDBG).