Co-op City’s official newspaper serving the world’s largest cooperative community. © Copyright 2010 Co-op City Times
Vol. 45 No. 10
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Public Safety to host Sexual Abuse Prevention Seminars beginning March 9th BY BILL STUTTIG The Department of Public Safety will host three Sexual Abuse Prevention Seminars this week and next designed to help residents prevent falling victim to sexual predators here or anywhere. The first seminar is scheduled for 7 to 9 p.m. this Tuesday, March 9th, in Auditorium A of the Dreiser Community Center. The second seminar will be in Room 31 of the Bartow Community Center at 7 p.m. on Thursday, March 11th. The final seminar will be at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, March 16th in Room 45 of the Einstein Community Center. Chief Frank Apollo explained, “This is just part of our initiative to help the community be as safe as possible in all situations. The seminar will cover a variety of situations from how to avoid situations that leave you vulnerable to an attack, to how to fight off an attack, how to avoid work place harassment, and how to report an incident if you become a victim of rape or any type of sexual abuse or harassment. The seminars are open to
both sexes and all age groups, from seniors to teens.” Aside from representatives from the Department of Public Safety—who will be providing information on upcoming self defense and rape prevention classes that trained officers will be offered in the near future—the seminars will feature speakers from three separate agencies who regularly deal with and help victims of sexual abuse and other sex-related crimes. Representatives from Safe Horizons, an independent victims’ aid agency, will give specific information on how to get help if you have been or fear becoming a victim. Representatives from the New York Police Department’s Special Victims Unit will provide information on a variety of prevalent sexual abuse crimes, how to prevent yourself or a loved one from becoming a victim and the proper steps to follow if you or someone you know (Continued on page 4)
Riverbay schedules window guard visits New York City law requires Riverbay to install window guards in all your windows if a child under 11 years of age (10 years or younger) lives with you, or if you request them, even if no children live with you. Riverbay mails window guard forms every January to find out which apartments need window guards installed or repaired. The law also reads: “If by February 15th of the year for which the notice is sent a landlord does not have a written communication signed by the tenant, and does not otherwise have actual knowledge of the need or desire for window guards, then the landlord or his agent shall at reasonable times inspect the dwelling unit to ascertain whether a child ten years of age or younger resides in the dwelling and if so, whether approved window guards are properly installed and maintained.” Beginning on Monday, March 8th, two or three Riverbay employees wearing IDs will visit the apartments of those who did not return their window guard forms, those who returned them
but did not sign them, and those whose answers did not indicate whether window guards are needed or not. Since the forms to be delivered are printed in advance, you may receive a second form even though you already turned one in. If you are home, we will fill out the form for you. All you have to do is answer our questions and sign it. If you are not home, we will slip a copy of the form under the door along with a self-addressed envelope. Please fill out the form, sign it and return it immediately. We will begin delivering the forms in Building 1 and continue in numerical order until we finish. Please check the crawler to find out when your building is scheduled. If you prefer not to open the door, you may answer the questions while keeping the door closed, sign the filledout form that is slid under the door and slide the signed form back out. Thank you for your cooperation. —R iver ba y C or p or a t ion
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Riverbay Board approves 2010 Election Rules and schedule BY ROZAAN BOONE At Wednesday’s meeting of the Riverbay Board of Directors, the Board approved a resolution setting forth the date of the annual shareholders meeting, in accordance with the Riverbay Corporation By-Laws, Article II, Section 1, which stipulates that the meeting be held in the month of May on a date set by the Board of Directors. The annual shareholders meeting, generally known as the date of the Riverbay Board election, will be held on Wednesday, May 19, 2010, according to emergency resolution 10-17, which was submitted by Board Director Jose Rodriguez and seconded by Director Khalil Abdul-Wahhab. Directors Helen Atkins, Eleanor Bailey, Bill Gordon, Tony Illis, Francine Jones, Othelia Jones, Leticia Morales, Rev. Calvin E. Owens, Evelyn Santiago, Al Shapiro and Khalil Abdul-Wahhab also voted “yes” on the resolution. Directors Michelle M. Davy and Manny Torres were absent. The resolution also included the approval of the 2010 election rules and
schedule detailing the events during the election period which will begin on Monday, March 29 when prospective candidates can pick up their qualifying petition packages from Riverbay. The petition period will end on Monday, April 12 and the candidates who have been certified to run in the 2010 Board election will be announced at the Candidates Meeting which will be held on Tuesday, April 20, in Room 8 of the Dreiser Community Center. The official listing of candidates will be posted in the Saturday, April 24th issue of the Co-op City Times. The first election supplement, in which candidates outline their position on issues of importance to the Co-op City community and why they think they should be elected to the Board, will be published in the Saturday, May 1st issue of the Co-op City Times, followed by two subsequent election supplements, published on Saturday, May 8 and the final one on Saturday, May 15. Two official Candidates’ Forums will (Continued on page 2)
Supreme Court refers 2009 election challenge to the Appellate Division BY ROZAAN BOONE Supreme Court Justice Norma Ruiz has determined that the petition filed by Co-op City residents Bernard Cylich and Yolanda Canales Schumann to change the manner in which Riverbay conducts its annual election and challenge their disqualification from being seated on the Board of Directors last year must be decided by the Appellate Division. In an interim ruling last Thursday, February 25, Justice Ruiz wrote: “Petitioners now challenge Respondent’s [Riverbay] actions and decisions as unlawful, arbitrary and capricious and ‘not supported by the substantial evidence.’ … Upon a review of all the moving papers and opposition submitted hereto, the Court finds that the Petitioners essentially claim that Riverbay’s decisions were not supported by substantial evidence. The Judge further wrote: “CPLR article 78 prohibits the Supreme Court from reaching the issue of whether an agency determination is supported by substantial
evidence and requires that such petition be transferred to the Appellate Division… “Accordingly, the petition is hereby transferred to the Appellate Division, First Department to decide whether the determination after the hearing was supported by substantial evidence.” This latest ruling by Justice Ruiz is part of an ongoing challenge filed by Mr. Cylich and Ms. Canales Schumann to have their disqualifications from the 2009 Board election for indebtedness to the Riverbay Corporation overturned. The disqualifications stem from election fines that were levied by the 2009 Election Committee against the pair for violating two election rules—campaigning before the official start of the election on April 22, 2009, the day after the candidates are certified; and distributing a campaign flyer without identifying the chair and treasurer of the organization. As of the day of the 2009 Riverbay Board election, May 20, neither candidate (Continued on page 2)