City & State New York 032320

IS COVID-19 DE BLASIO’S KATRINA?

ABOVE & BEYOND RODNEYSE BICHOTTE AND THE WOMEN TRANSFORMING NEW YORK

CIT YANDSTATENY.COM

@CIT YANDSTATENY

March 23, 2020

Health with heart.

Yes, we serve millions of people in thousands of locations across the country. But what really matters is the size of our heart. Because every day, in every way, we are passionate about helping people on their path to better health.

Congratulations to Terry Talbott and all women honored at Above & Beyond!

March 23, 2020

City & State New York

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EDITOR’S NOTE

JON LENTZ Editor-in-chief

THE SKYROCKETING NUMBER of coronavirus cases in New York has been deeply unsettling. It’s dismaying to read about the clumsy attempts to slow the spread of COVID-19, about the stock markets plummeting, about the early signs of a recession. Just being at home, isolated from friends and colleagues as society seeks to slow the spread of the disease, can be depressing. Meanwhile, those whose jobs require continued in-person interaction face a mounting health risk.

Worst of all, nobody knows when things might return to normal.

At City & State, we’ve been covering the public health crisis as best we can, listening to experts as we analyze the policy response at the federal, state and local levels and holding elected officials accountable for their actions – or inaction.

While it feels as if everyday life has been put on hold, there are still other political developments to cover, whether it’s the presidential contest and a slew of House races this year or the many local elections next year in New York City. And in this week’s magazine, we’re happy to share many truly inspiring stories. Our Above & Beyond feature recognizes 30 women who have broken down barriers in New York, while our cover story is a profile on one of them: Assemblywoman Rodneyse Bichotte, the new Democratic Party boss in Brooklyn.

CONTENTS CORONAVIRUS … 8 Is this de Blasio’s Katrina?

RODNEYSE BICHOTTE … 10

Can the new boss unite a divided Brooklyn?

ABOVE & BEYOND … 17 30 women transforming New York EDUCATION … 53 Do charter schools have a chance this session?

CELESTE SLOMAN; GUERIN BLASK

WINNERS & LOSERS … 62

Who was up and who was down last week

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March 23, 2020

essential jobs like health care workers, food service workers and grocery store employees. He urged everyone in the state to remain indoors as much as possible.

Additionally, the state waived mortgage payments for 90 days, suspended student debt payments for at least 30 days and halted all evictions statewide for 90 days.

NEW YORK CITY CLOSES PUBLIC SCHOOLS

NEW YORK REELS As of Friday morning, the state had confirmed over 7,000 cases of COVID-19, an ever-growing number that Gov. Andrew Cuomo attributed to increased testing capability in the state. At the beginning of the week, Cuomo announced that bars, theaters, gyms and restaurants would close

statewide, with the exception of takeout and delivery for food and alcohol. Cuomo also banned social gatherings of any size on Friday, after previously limiting them to 50 people.

Cuomo imposed a stricter work from home policy, mandating that businesses must have all employees work remotely, excluding

Mayor Bill de Blasio decided to close schools on March 15, and schools closed their doors the next day.

Early on March 15, Cuomo directed New York City as well as Westchester, Nassau and Suffolk counties to close their schools. In the first week that city schools were shuttered, teachers were trained on how to conduct their classes remotely, while students had those days off. Additionally, some schools remained

BREAK OUT THE SWEATPANTS Gov. Andrew Cuomo and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio have each extolled the virtues of “social distancing” to slow the spread of the coronavirus, and now one of the city’s signature weeklies is going so far as to temporarily rebrand to remind people that now is not the time to go gallivanting about town. This week, Time Out magazine ditched the “out” in its name – to go by “Time In” for the time being.

“We’re flying the plane as we’re building the plane.”

– New York City schools Chancellor Richard Carranza, on preparations for remote learning as city schools close for at least the next month, via Politico New York

“It’s like a house of worship because it’s so quiet. There’s good reason for it.”

– state Senate Minority Leader John Flanagan, on the mostly empty Senate chamber as lawmakers passed three pieces of legislation amid the outbreak, via The New York Times

open in order to provide free takeout breakfast and lunch, continuing the essential service of providing meals to students who need them.

The city Department of Education also said that it would provide tablets with internet access to students who don’t have a computer at home so that they can participate in online learning.

EMPTY ALBANY, WORK GETS DONE State lawmakers took a unique approach to legislating as they attempted to keep a safe distance from each other while still approving coronavirusrelated bills. In the Assembly, legislators were only allowed into the chamber in small groups to cast their votes before returning to their offices. This comes after two Assembly members – Helene Weinstein and Charles Barron – tested positive for the coronavirus.

After lawmakers left Albany, Assemblywoman Kimberly Jean-Pierre tested positive as well.

In the state Senate, only party leaders were present in the chamber, with only those voting “no” allowed in, one at a time, to cast their votes. A quirk in the Senate rules allowed everyone else to have their “yes” vote counted without physically being there to cast it.

VALERIY EYDLIN/SHUTTERSTOCK; ED REED/MAYORAL PHOTOGRAPHY OFFICE; SARAH BLESENER; ZACH WILLIAMS

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COMMENTARY The state Legislature passed two bills related to the epidemic. The first mandated that all large employers and public employers provide two weeks of paid sick leave for employees with COVID-19 or under mandatory quarantine. The other changed petitioning requirements, allowing candidates to appear on the ballot in upcoming state elections with dramatically fewer petition signatures than usual.

Cuomo signed both bills on Wednesday.

NYC NOT FULLY SHUT DOWN

De Blasio has continually raised the specter of a “shelter in place” order for

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New York City, but Cuomo has the final say on the matter and has confirmed multiple times that he has no plans to quarantine the city. De Blasio suggested using San Francisco as a model, which has prohibited people from leaving their homes except for getting groceries, going to work if necessary and exercise. At one point, the mayor said a decision could come within 48 hours. Cuomo repeatedly said that piecemeal quarantines make no sense, as people could simply go to another part of the state or region. He said that any such order would need to be carried out statewide for it to be effective.

Is this really Cuomo’s finest moment?

Gov. Andrew Cuomo “has emerged as the executive best suited for the coronavirus crisis,” wrote the New York Times’ Ben Smith, sharing a sentiment that has hardened among close watchers of New York politics.

Cuomo has always been a commanding, near-authoritarian presence in New York, so now is his moment, the logic goes. But his press conference swagger masks an unflattering truth: He has responded to the coronavirus epidemic less swiftly than counterparts in other states. He shines only when contrasted to the tragically inept New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and the callous, volatile President Donald Trump.

Cuomo’s poise belies what has been a muddled approach to informing the public of the unprecedented crisis before us. While he, unlike de Blasio and Trump, deserves credit for leading rather than lagging, that should be the minimum we expect from our elected officials. Instead of lowering our standards, we should give Cuomo a mixed grade at best.

And if the national media were less New York-centric, they might find a more heroic governor in Ohio or Michigan.

While governors of several states less affected by coronavirus than New York were shutting down schools in their states to stem the oncoming tidal wave of cases, Cuomo was dithering, deferring to localities. Cuomo eventually forced de Blasio’s hand to close city schools – but not before other counties in the state, such as Monroe County, had begun to on their own.

New York recorded a case by March 1. At that point, in light of the evidence from China of how rapidly the virus spreads, New York should have moved aggressively to lock down schools, businesses, and public places

to contain what now appears to be a disaster.

Gretchen Whitmer, the governor of Michigan – which has far fewer COVID-19 cases in the entire state than there are in New York City – had already activated her state’s Emergency Operations Center to strategize a response. By March 4, Whitmer had no fewer than four task forces dedicated to containing the virus.

Cuomo’s most distressing failure, ultimately, is one of messaging. In normal times, this would be more a question of aesthetics, the way we critique how campaigns succeed or fail to connect with voters. Today, it’s a matter of life and death. He joked, in an Irish accent, about canceling the St. Patrick’s Day Parade, at a time when the virus was undoubtedly infecting New Yorkers daily. His decision to ban gatherings of 500 or more people was a good one, but there was no sense of urgency about any other kinds of ways millions of New Yorkers congregate.

On the weekend of March 13-15, New Yorkers flooded bars, restaurants and the subway, convinced that the threat was not deadly. Outside a packed bar, Gothamist interviewed one woman about why she was there.

“I’m waiting for the government to tell me I should be more concerned, if I’m being honest,” the woman said.

Cuomo’s order for bars to cut capacity in half was always going to be difficult to enforce. It didn’t do anything to stanch dangerous crowding.

Had a shelter-in-place order come on March 13 – as Cuomo pointed out, that can only be sanctioned by the state government – the virus’ rapid spread could have been alleviated during a crucial phase. Instead, we are still waiting for one.

CITYMEALS ON WHEELS

GOD’S LOVE WE DELIVER

NEW YORK CITY RELIEF

The nonprofit is ramping up its work delivering meals to the homes of elderly New Yorkers – who are especially at risk during the outbreak.

Volunteers and staff at the organization prepare and deliver meals to New Yorkers with serious medical conditions. It’s low on volunteers and in need of donations.

The organization is offering meals, handwashing stations and other sanitary supplies to unsheltered homeless people and could use more support.

– Ross Barkan

CAN’T DONATE? Nonprofits such as New York Cares, Volunteers of America Greater New York and Volunteer New York! will be offering guidance on how to volunteer or help your neighbors – even while far apart.

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CityAndStateNY.com

PEAS IN A POD THESE PODCASTING FIRST LADIES HAVE MORE IN COMMON THAN YOU REALIZE.

NEW YORK CITY FIRST LADY Chirlane McCray and former U.S. first lady Hillary Clinton have a surprising number of things in common. And as McCray’s political ambitions become more evident, their similarities become increasingly apparent.

McCray is known to draw inspiration from Clinton, whom she has said on various occasions she admires. Like Clinton, McCray has had a profound influence on her husband’s political career, spearheaded a public health initiative and even launched her own podcast – but that’s not all.

Here are a few more things that McCray and Clinton have in common.

March 23, 2020

BY AMANDA LUZ HENNING SANTIAGO

They’re both first ladies who have run for office – sort of

While McCray hasn’t officially announced her bid for Brooklyn borough president, several outlets have reported that she’s eyeing the position. McCray worked in city politics before she began dating de Blasio, but her political ambitions have often drawn comparisons to Clinton’s, who ran for U.S. Senate after her husband’s presidency ended.

They’ve both launched heavily scrutinized public health initiatives

In 1993, Clinton attempted to spearhead universal health insurance known as “Hillarycare,” but was unable to get lawmakers on board. ThriveNYC, the mental health initiative McCray began in 2015, has been criticized for failing to produce meaningful progress reports.

They’ve both worked closely with their spouses

Even before Bill Clinton was elected president, Hillary Clinton was known to have a profound impact on nearly every move he made. Much like Clinton, McCray has had a significant amount of influence on her husband’s dayto-day dealings – de Blasio has even referred to McCray as “my closest confidante” and “No. 1 adviser.”

They’re both podcasters

“Thrive with Chirlane McCray,” the first lady’s city-funded monthly mental health podcast, launched on Feb. 6. Clinton also has a podcast in the works that will feature a variety of high-profile guests from world leaders to celebrities, which is expected to launch in late spring.

They’re both carpetbaggers

The New York City first lady grew up in Springfield, Massachusetts, and moved to New York after graduating from college. Clinton, however, moved to Chappaqua in 2000 for the sole purpose of running for U.S. Senate.

They both went to Wellesley

Clinton attended the women’s only Wellesley College from 1966 to 1969, where she was selected to be the school’s first student commencement speaker.

McCray graduated from Wellesley in 1976.

They’re both married to a Bill Amazing.

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City & State New York

A Q&A with Bronx borough president candidate

My accents are very good. I can say, ‘Que dios te bendiga.’

‘Bochinche.’

VANESSA GIBSON The Bronx has never had an African American borough president, and never a woman.

What does that mean for you? And the last few have been of Puerto Rican descent. Do you speak Spanish?

Yes, by the time the election arrives, I will be fluent in Spanish. I’m very mindful that traditionally, this has always been a large borough known for Latino residents.

What making history would mean for me is that it gives hope to so many young girls out there that dare to dream, that dare to hope, that dare to say that they can look at me and see themselves. I never

envisioned I would ever be a role model to anyone. But that was what God planned for me by putting me in these different positions where I can influence public policy, I can change people’s lives and I can really have a direct impact on their future. When I first got elected, I used to have a lot of doubts that I was worthy of being an Assembly member, because I felt that I wasn’t worthy to represent them because I didn’t look like them, and I didn’t talk their language. But then I slowly started to get over that, because I said, well, even if I don’t speak Spanish – I mean a little bit, I do know.

My accents are very good.

I can say, “Que dios te bendiga.” “Bochinche.” I do pretty well with what I know, and I’ve started to take classes already.

You were just fined $5,000 by the New York City Conflicts of Interest Board for using your position to try to get out a traffic ticket in 2014. Should voters trust that you wouldn’t abuse your power as borough president?

Yes. That was one of the worst days of my life to

have to deal with that. And unfortunately, because I went through a process, it’s been hanging over my head for years now. And at the end of the day, I admitted my guilt and the role I played. And I accepted the fine, the fine was paid. But I do think that Bronx voters should look at the total picture, and all the great things I’ve done. And also the fact that elected officials make mistakes, too. I mean, we’re not perfect. We’re human just like everyone else is, and we make mistakes. As elected officials, we don’t know everything. We don’t

Our Perspective FAUSTO MARCI, LEV RADIN/SHUTTERSTOCK; WILLIAM ALATRISTE/NEW YORK CITY COUNCIL

Workers on the Front Lines Need Our Support During Crisis

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By Stuart Appelbaum, President, Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, RWDSU, UFCW Twitter: @sappelbaum

uring this unprecedented public health crisis, working men and women are on the front lines in the battle to keep New Yorkers safe and supplied, and to slow down the spread of the Coronavirus; so our health care professionals can keep the situation from spiraling out of control.

RWDSU members in New York – including those at pharmacies and grocery stores – have an incredibly important role during these unprecedented times.

Fortunately for them, they have a union voice, and it’s a voice we are using to ensure their workplaces are as safe as possible for workers as well as the general public.

Workers need to be provided with the proper protective equipment and sanitizer, clean workplaces, and enough space or protective barriers to make workers safer. Workers also need proper security on hand to control crowds and keep workplaces safe.

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For other retail workers, we need to protect income as stores close. The economic disruption in their lives is going to be massive, and we need to ensure that they aren’t missing paychecks as this pandemic drags on.

The general public should be thankful for the heroic efforts of these brave workers who are still doing their job amidst this unprecedented crisis. And, we need to do our part to keep them healthy; wash hands constantly, use sanitizer, and keep safe distance from others and workers as much as is possible. We need to address the growing childcare needs for service workers who don't have the option of working from home.

We also need to give stores time to receive deliveries and re-stock shelves, and we must not panic to a point that we are adding to the stress and chaos in stores.

At the same time, it’s important to be

know all of the rules, and sometimes we do make decisions that are not what we should be doing.

Are there groups that you wouldn’t take donations from in your run for borough president?

It’s still a conversation that I would love to have. So before I make any of these particular decisions and make these pledges, I want to understand what people stand for. Many elected officials have said they’re not taking money from developers, from landlords.

I have landlords in my district that are actually really good landlords, and I think it’s unfair that they’re lumped in with all the others.

mindful of the impact this is going to have on all workers. For non-union workers, without a voice on the job and without contract protections and benefits, this is an even scarier time, since they are depending solely upon management to keep their workplaces safe.

And for all workers, we are entering an economically precarious time, the likes of which we haven’t seen or even imagined.

The goal of any recovery action and legislation needs to be simple: no worker should suffer loss of income because of this pandemic, including those who aren’t sick or caring for the ill. Any bailouts to corporations needs to be tied to job retention guarantees.

There should not just be a bailout for corporate executives; any bailout needs to help everybody from the ground up – or our workers, communities, and our economy will be unable to recover. We cannot leave any worker behind when it comes to paid time off legislation at the federal and state level, and we must include undocumented workers at any size of business.

As we rebuild our economy and our state, we can leave no one behind. We will only have one chance to get this right.

www.rwdsu.org

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CityAndStateNY.com

March 16, 2020

Is coronavirus de Blasio’s Katrina?

The mayor has been leading New York City from behind.

It could prove catastrophic.

by B E N A D L E R and J E F F C O L T I N

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AST WEEK, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio spent the first Monday morning of a worldwide pandemic like he spends every other Monday morning – driving 11 miles to the Prospect Park YMCA for a leisurely workout.

It was just the latest sign that de Blasio isn’t taking the coronavirus outbreak nearly as seriously as public health experts say Americans should. While smaller cities less affected by the disease known as COVID-19 were taking radical steps to contain it, de Blasio has led from behind, only seeming to make decisions after public uproar reaches a fever pitch.

“He has been slow to act, not realizing the seriousness of the situation,” a former de Blasio staffer told City & State, on the condition of anonymity to speak freely about a former boss. “His normal reluctance to offend important interest groups has proved catastrophic during an epidemic.”

Even after de Blasio began to treat coronavirus with the seriousness that public health experts have said it warrants, last Tuesday, he managed to confuse the public by warning of a potentially impending shelter-in-place order that Gov. Andrew Cuomo swiftly shot down.

Current employees also found themselves frustrated by de Blasio’s mismanagement. The Daily News reported that leadership at the

New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene threatened to resign if the mayor didn’t take a bolder approach. De Blasio denied the reports. “I know when somebody comes up to me and says ‘I want to resign,’” he said at a press conference. “That has not happened.”

De Blasio’s reluctance to take measures experts say are necessary to protect the city, such as closing schools and bars and restaurants, has drawn widespread criticism. In Italy, the authorities’ same behaviors led to the explosion of cases and a public health infrastructure so overburdened that respirators are being rationed, with many of the elderly simply left to die. Italians have taken to airwaves and op-ed pages to warn Americans not to repeat their same mistakes.

On March 11, former Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi went on CNN to say, “Italy wasted time, and this was a mistake.”

Many states that are smaller, less densely populated, and less affected by the coronavirus than the New York City region, including Maryland, Michigan, New Mexico, Ohio and Oregon, heeded the message and quickly closed schools. Cities such as Los Angeles and Houston also closed their public schools. Yet de Blasio, who likes to play up his Italian heritage and his connection to Italy, waited.

Instead he emphasized the importance of giving parents the free-

MICHAEL APPLETON/MAYORAL PHOTOGRAPHY OFFICE

March 16, 2020

dom to go to work, rather than stay at home with their kids. “That includes people we desperately need,” he told CNN. “Like first responders. Educators. Health care professionals.” And while the city and the state asked bars and restaurants to halve their capacity, de Blasio still initially encouraged New Yorkers to go out. “I am not ready today at this hour to say, let’s have a city with no bars, no restaurants, no rec centers, no libraries,” he said two days after declaring a state of emergency.

Now former allies think his slow response and muddled messaging could cause deaths in the city. “By acting sooner, he could have saved lives. He didn’t,” the former staffer said. “‘He is not a wartime mayor, and this is war.”

As the crisis gathered momentum and de Blasio finally began to take actions he’d been urged to take, it raised the question as to whether he will go down in the history books as a failure who cost lives because he was more worried about keeping New Yorkers spending money in bars for a few extra days.

“If you love your neighborhood bar, go there now,” de Blasio said at a City Hall press conference on March 15. Merely hours later, he finally announced that all restaurants had to move to takeout only. Bars that didn’t serve food would close, and movie

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theaters and all other entertainment venues must close too.

That was a move that the other citywide elected officials had been encouraging for days, especially after the Bill de Blasio bars and restaurants continued to be coughs into packed. Although bars and restauhis elbow, following rants were under an order from CDC guideCuomo to reduce their capacity by lines.

50%, social media reports indicated that the rule was widely flouted and the city took no enforcement action against violators. As one bargoer told Gothamist, “I’m waiting for the government to tell me I should be more concerned, if I’m being honest.” New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer, a leading mayoral candidate in 2021, said that all non-essential businesses in the city should close.

New York City Council Speaker Corey Johnson, another leading mayoral candidate, echoed his call. New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams called for a massive shutdown.

De Blasio’s former press secretary, Eric Phillips, jumped into crisis communications mode, tweeting, “Elected officials calling for things to ‘shut down’ when they don’t have any responsibility/accountability for what that looks like or what comes after it don’t move me much.” Of course, making contingency plans so that things can be shut down is part of what a far-sighted executive might have been doing since the virus was first discovered in January.

The governor has always seemed to be one step ahead of the mayor. Soon after de Blasio announced the shutdown of restaurants and bars and other businesses by 9 a.m. last Tuesday, Cuomo announced that, actually, they would have to shut down by 8 p.m. last Monday. And after a week of backand-forth on whether to close schools, the governor preempted the mayor, and Cuomo announced the shutdown less than an hour before de Blasio did.

De Blasio insisted it was his decision, saying, “That’s me. Mayoral responsibility for city schools,” but the decision only came after the threat of a lawsuit from the teachers’ union, which was worried about its members’ health.

Of course, Cuomo shouldn’t be given too much credit as a quick actor either. By the time the governor announced that all schools would shut down statewide on Monday, a host of other states already had done the same.

History looks back poorly on both the local New Orleans government’s response to Hurricane Katrina, and that of the federal government. While much could be said of President Donald Trump’s lack of expediency in responding to the coronavirus on the national level, de Blasio may be remembered for going to the gym.

That didn’t seem to bother the mayor. “I’m very comfortable with what I did,” de Blasio said nonchalantly after his workout. “They’re all closing down today anyway.”

But not even longtime friends could defend the mayor’s visit to the YMCA. Rebecca Katz, a former top advisor to the mayor, called it “inexcusable and reckless.” And BerlinRosen’s Jonathan Rosen, one of the mayor’s top allies, similarly broke ranks, tweeting Monday that it was “pathetic. Self-involved. Inexcusable.”

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The machines are waning. Brooklyn Democrats are divided. But if anyone can unite them, it’s Rodneyse Bichotte.

by M E A G H A N MCG OLDR ICK portrait by GUERIN BLASK

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HERE’S A NEW queen of Kings County.

As the nation observed Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Jan. 20, Assemblywoman Rodneyse Bichotte was busy making history at Canarsie’s Thomas Jefferson Democratic Club. That evening, the three-term Central Brooklyn lawmaker was overwhelmingly elected chairwoman of the Kings County Democratic Committee, making her the first woman ever to hold the powerful post.

The new party boss’s rise has been swift. In 2014, Bichotte became the first Haitian American woman to hold elected office in New York City. She represents the neighborhoods of Flatbush, East Flatbush, Midwood and Ditmas Park, while doubling as a Democratic district leader back home – a position she’s held since 2010.

Her ascent represents the culmination of a surge in Haitian American political representation in Brooklyn, and it heralds demographic change in other ways too: Bichotte is the first woman to lead the borough’s Democratic machine and the first black woman to lead the party in any of the five boroughs. There is also a generational shift: Bichotte, 47, is significantly younger than her two immediate predecessors,

Definitely not the old boss

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Frank Seddio and Vito Lopez, who both served into their 70s.

The county committee has been controversial among reform-minded progressive activists, some of whom believe it favors insiders. Those activists have won some recent victories against the establishment, including the toppling of state Sens.

Jesse Hamilton and Martin Dilan in 2018, leaving the party apparatus weakened – a weakness compounded by some financial troubles. As in many diverse and changing urban areas, Brooklyn Democrats have also sometimes been divided along ethnic or racial lines.

Bichotte, however, seems to cross over or float above some of these divisions. She has a progressive voting record, but she has cultivated an alliance with more conservative-leaning Orthodox Jews in and near her district. She was the only elected official in New York City to endorse Mayor Bill de Blasio for president, but she also chaired the campaign of Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, a de Blasio rival. In light of her age, gender, race and record, she might be the rare party regular who can reach out to reformers and bring them into the fold.

But, in an era of waning and factionalizing party machines, can anyone bring the Brooklyn Democrats together?

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HE BROOKLYN DEMOCRATIC PARTY is one of the largest Democratic county organizations in the country. The role of party president isn’t salaried, but its reward is the power to pick candidates for select government posts, such as judges. It is also ultimately up to the chairperson to recruit members and keep house.

Seddio, who endorsed Bichotte as his successor, told City & State that her appointment comes at a pivotal time for the party and the borough’s 1.2 million registered Democrats. “The upcoming two years are going to be the most difficult for the county,” he said, estimating that there will be hundreds of candidates vying to replace the borough’s term-limited members of the New York City Council come 2021. Citywide, 34 of 51 councilmembers are expected to reach the term limits of their office at the end of next year. One term-limited council member from Brooklyn, Rafael Espinal, has already stepped down. The county committee has backed Darma Diaz, a local district leader, to fill his seat, but Diaz currently faces several opponents, including one, Sandy Nurse, who has been endorsed by elected officials such as Rep. Nydia Velázquez and state Sen. Julia Salazar.

That’s on top of hotly contested races for mayor, city comptroller and public advocate and an already crowded field of contenders aiming to succeed City Council

March 23, 2020

Speaker Corey Johnson. In 2018, seven Democratic state senators, six of whom had been part of the Independent Democratic Conference, lost their seats to insurgents, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a 29-year-old Bronx bartender, defeated 10term incumbent congressman and Queens County Democratic Chairman Joe Crowley. With the door wide open for the next Ocasio-Cortez, even more shake-ups are expected in 2020. Left-wing insurgents are challenging the establishment candidates in several Assembly races in Brooklyn, as well as the competition to replace retiring state Sen. Velmanette Montgomery.

“It’s going to be an enormously important time for us and the goal, as far as I’m concerned, is that Brooklyn unifies around one candidate in many of these elections,”

neyse fit a lot of that bill,” Seddio told City & State. “She’s energetic, she’s a good fundraiser and she’s someone who represents all of Brooklyn, in everything that she does.”

But if he had to pick one quality that set Bichotte apart, Seddio said simply, “She is an aggressive person – in the best sense of the word – who understands the need to unify the different parties within the party as much as possible.”

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ICHOTTE’S TRAJECTORY WAS born from tragedy: At just 10 years old, she was struck by a car at the corner of Farragut Road and East 45th Street in East Flatbush. The intersection, not far from an elementary school and about “20 short blocks” from her childhood home, had no traffic light.

“I come off as the mean, aggressive in the room. it’s at as getting work I have that said Seddio, who served as party chair from 2012 up until his unexpected retirement last month. “That’s a big, ambitious task that requires someone who’s willing to go out there, work the streets and not just talk the talk but walk the walk and get it done.”

Bob Liff, a party spokesperson, told The City that Seddio had sought “generational change” when scouting his successor, but the Brooklyn Democratic powerbroker told City & State that his call to back Bichotte was also rooted in her flair for building bridges. “I did an evaluation of all the leaders – male and female – who had the potential to lead the party and the next generation of Brooklyn Democrats, and Rod-

Bichotte sustained several injuries, including a broken ankle, and she was left with permanent arthritis. With limited resources, and no access to physical therapy, it was up to Bichotte to teach herself to walk again. “I almost lost my life,” she told City & State, “but that day changed my life, too.”

Bedridden for almost a year, Bichotte had to switch to home schooling. She recalled how a one-on-one education made all the difference for a struggling student with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and for whom English was a second language.

Although Bichotte was born in Brooklyn, her first language was Haitian Creole, the language her immigrant parents spoke.

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City & State New York

“I could no longer be the dancer and gymnast I’d always wanted to be,” she said, “but instead I was able to tap into a different type of academic potential I never knew I had.”

Bichotte first became interested in politics while studying in Chicago, where in 2004, she volunteered for then-U.S. Senate hopeful Barack Obama, phone banking and knocking on doors. “That was my first time helping someone get elected,” she recalled.

Back in Brooklyn, in 2008, her sister organized a fundraiser for state Sen. Kevin Parker, who represents much of the same Flatbush and East Flatbush area encompassed in Bichotte’s current Assembly district. More than 20 years after her accident, there was still no traffic light at the corner of Farragut Road and East 45th Street. Parker, after meeting Bichotte, put

as “Little Haiti,” and broke out her Creole to help get Parker reelected. According to the 2007-2011 American Community Survey, 10.8 percent of all Haitian Americans in New York City reside in Little Haiti, making it the most concentrated Haitian population in the city. “I remember how exciting it was,” Bichotte said. “There I was, standing on a corner in a community that’s been marginalized and they don’t even know there’s an election because of language barriers.”

Today, Bichotte is pushing legislation that would require the Board of Elections to deploy more diverse – and demographically reflective – poll site interpreters, and Little Haiti has been recognized by the City Council as an official business district, thanks in part to her advocacy.

person . Meanwhile, if a man, they’re looked done. same work ethic.”

– ASSEMBLYWOMAN RODNEYSE BICHOTTE the pressure on the New York City Department of Transportation to address the intersection. Less than one year later, the street corner where Bichotte almost lost her life got its first traffic light.

“I didn’t know who he was and I didn’t have a great view of local politics,” Bichotte admitted. “I felt it was dirty and corrupt.

But then he started talking about all of these great things that meant a great deal to marginalized communities like mine, and I said ‘Oh my goodness, I have to be involved in this.’”

That Election Day, Bichotte put on her Kevin Parker T-shirt, stood on a street corner in a part of Flatbush known to some

A

LTHOUGH SHE MAY be the only ambitious Democrat who didn’t run for president this year, Bichotte has a resume and collection of obscure talents that even Pete Buttigieg would struggle to top. She studied music at the prestigious Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts in Manhattan, where she sang. She worked as a math teacher in the New York City public school system, was an engineer at Lucent Technologies, and an investment banker at Bank of America and JPMorgan Chase. She holds bachelor’s degrees in electrical engineering and mathematics in secondary education from

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Buffalo State, a bachelor’s in electrical engineering from the University at Buffalo, a master’s in electrical engineering from Illinois Tech and a Master of Business Administration from Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management – and a junior black belt in taekwondo. She plans to add a law degree to the list in the near future.

Bichotte’s work has often been inspired by personal experience. As a survivor of sexual assault, she is especially proud of having supported the Child Victims Act, which passed in January 2019 and extended the statute of limitations for criminal child sex abuse cases.

She was one of at least four New York City legislators who told their own stories to raise awareness about the law. “One of the most important [bills] for me is that one,” she said, “because not only was it the best bill with the best outcome, but it also opened my eyes to how many people in my own inner circle who I didn’t know were survivors, too.”

Bichotte is currently working to help ban menthol cigarettes – a vice she says killed her father in a new ad campaign for Flavors Hook Kids NYC – and she was a co-sponsor of the 2019 bill to increase speed cameras in school zones, like the one where she was hit as a child.

She also currently chairs the Assembly Subcommittee on Oversight of Minorityand Women-Owned Business Enterprises. That role, she said, brings her back to what drew her into local politics in the first place. “Economic development and economic opportunity is something that many of the marginalized, low-income communities of color don’t really get a chance to be a part of,” Bichotte said. “I want to break down those barriers for minority and women business owners so that we’re all participating, because when the people succeed, so does the community.”

The new party head’s love of the game has made her an ally to other political players. “Rodneyse is focused on bringing people together, building strong and diverse coalitions and winning races,” City Councilman Justin Brannan told City & State.

“I’ve been in the trenches with Rodneyse on campaigns and she is a total force of nature – full of energy, unstoppable and unforgettable. If you’re down in a foxhole, taking on grenades, Rodneyse is the person you want by your side.”

Bichotte has certainly proven herself pivotal to the campaigns she backs. The new party boss served as chairwoman of Jumaane Williams’ successful 2019 public advocate campaign, from the special election in February through the subsequent September primary and general election in November. “From soup to nuts, I helped any way I could,” she told City & State, “I petitioned, I helped fundraise and I changed people’s minds. I was able to bring people on board from each of the five boroughs, because I

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CityAndStateNY.com

really believed in him and from there, we were able to keep that momentum going.”

Then she helped lead Farah Louis, who is also of Haitian descent, to victory in the race for Williams’ old council seat. That race opened up another potential factional struggle, as it pitted the Haitian-Orthodox alliance against African Americans, including Parker, and Caribbean Americans from Anglophone countries of origin, including Williams. Williams backed a rival candidate, Monique Chandler-Waterman.

Even though this was a rare instance of Bichotte splitting with former allies, it did demonstrate that Bichotte was now a kingmaker in Kings County. “You’d be surprised how many (candidates) sought her direct support before she became county leader,” Bichotte’s Democratic district male co-leader Josue Pierre told City & State.

Bichotte’s friends, at least, think she will be a unifier. “She’ll be able to strengthen our ability to be transparent, to be strategic and to learn how to all work together,” Louis said. “I think our party has been pulled in so many different directions where people are more prone to competing with each other than respecting each other’s values and differences, and I think she’s going to remind us that diversity is a part of what makes this party beautiful.”

Bichotte has nurtured a strong political alliance with Orthodox Jewish leaders in Central Brooklyn in recent years, even though in 2015 she received backlash after referring to members of the Jewish community as “you guys” in a radio interview with host Leon Goldenberg. During the interview, in which Bichotte was defending her decision not to back Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s proposed tax credits for some private schools, she also accused the Jewish community of unfairly attacking her stance because she is a black woman. She apologized shortly after. “What I try to do is make sure that I address the needs of all the different communities so that all of us can find a way of working together,” Bichotte said.

Many have echoed Seddio in hoping – and believing – she can do the same for the disparate factions of the Brooklyn Democrats.

City Councilman Kalman Yeger, whose Brooklyn district includes heavily Orthodox Jewish areas like Midwood and Borough Park, said Bichotte has made his constituents feel heard, and helped bring diverse communities together. “She’s done it against all odds,” Yeger said. “Neighborhoods change but we all continue to live in the same place,” Yeger said. “There are places we’re going to disagree and there are places we’re going to agree, but we’ve got to work very hard to keep focus on those common goals, and that’s what Rodneyse is good at.”

Her workhorse approach can trickle down to her team: one former Bichotte staffer, who requested anonymity to speak frankly about a

March 23, 2020

former boss, described receiving emails at all hours of the day and night. “Whenever I interview people and anyone I hire, I tell them it’s a 24/7 job. If there’s a crisis, you have to be ready and willing to respond. We are public servants,” Bichotte told City & State in response, noting that she wishes the state had a budget big enough to hire more Assembly staffers. “But most times, if I’m emailing in the middle of the night, it’s because I’m in the car, or I’m just getting home. I’m never expecting a response right away, (the job) just doesn’t stop for me.”

The staffer said some of Bichotte’s employees felt like she was a “micromanager” who often gave workers assignments out-

senior to her, with a haul of $112,095 in an off-election year. Her big bucks have been largely fueled by groups her bills have aided, such minority- and women-owned businesses, and labor organizations including the Transport Workers Union of America Local 100, Voice of Teachers For Education, which is a political action committee for the New York State Teachers Union, and even the United Brotherhood of Carpenters.

The county committee has just under $33,000 in the bank, according to recent state filings. The party also owes more than $226,000 in debt, according to the New York Post.

side of their job descriptions. “[In] every elected office – no matter what they say – underlying everything is the idea that you’re promoting your boss. That’s to be expected. But this was to a degree that we weren’t able to do anything else but promote,” they said.

When asked if she felt she was a “demanding” boss, the new party head said it’s all relative: “I’m detail-oriented, and sometimes that means I come off as the mean, aggressive person in the room. Meanwhile, if it’s a man, they’re looked at as getting work done. I have that same work ethic.”

Last summer, borough lawmakers called on the party to open its books, citing declining cash reserves during Seddio’s reign.

The party reportedly had over $500,000 when Seddio was elected county leader in September 2012. At a county committee meeting months before Bichotte’s appointment, Seddio blamed the shortfall on a progressive push to turn down money from the real estate industry. At the same meeting, more than 300 members voted unanimously to pass a resolution aimed at increasing fiscal transparency.

A spokesperson for the Brooklyn Democrats, who asked to remain anonymous to speak frankly about financial matters, told City & State that Seddio worked hard to keep the county committee afloat, often loaning money himself to do so. “The party has never been a big money operation,” the rep said, “and there’s expenses to consider.”

Among them: petitioning fees, legal representation and the cost of events. Every full

“Anyone who’s win an it’s for Congress president, to come through B

E

VERY PARTY CHAIRPERSON’S primary responsibility is fundraising, and observers say Bichotte has a knack for it. The City reported in January that Bichotte raised more money than all but one Brooklyn Assembly Democrat in the first half of 2019 – outraising 17 other lawmakers, many of them

March 23, 2020

City & State New York

committee meeting costs close to $10,000, the spokesperson estimated, stressing expenses like mailers and hall rentals.

Bichotte, who has already hosted her first major event as county chairwoman – a Feb. 20 fundraiser in Williamsburg – backed that claim. “My goal is definitely to get out of debt and really build a very healthy treasury,” Bichotte told City & State, noting that, since starting as county leader, she has raised over $400,000 worth of commitments and collected on close to $200,000. On top of the county committee’s annual dinner this April, Bichotte plans to organize a fundraising campaign for small donors, and encouraging the par-

in an emailed statement to City & State.

“Given the lack of updates, we are especially concerned about the rules change that removed the expected February 2020 County Committee meeting, where County Committee members were looking forward to an update on party leadership and hearing Bichotte’s vision for the party.”

New Kings Democrats also criticized Bichotte’s appointment itself, calling the “behind closed doors” vote “rushed.”

Looking forward, they hope the new party boss can turn things around, while keeping all of the party’s members in mind. “Fundamentally, the party leadership structure remains disengaged from everyday Brook-

looking to election, whether or even they know they have Brooklyn.”

– ASSEMBLYWOMAN RODNEYSE BICHOTTE ty’s 42 district leaders and 20 Democratic clubs to help lead the charge.

Yet money is still very much on the minds of some clubs across the borough, and at least one faction has raised concerns since Bichotte’s induction. Caitlin Kawaguchi, a spokeswoman for New Kings Democrats, a progressive, grassroots club looking to bring transparency to the party, said that one of two rule changes made on the eve of Bichotte’s appointment reduced the number of yearly meetings from two to one, effectively canceling a February meeting at which a plan to address the party’s finances was supposed to be presented by a newly revived finance committee.

“A month after her appointment, we have not received any updates on the dismal state of the party finances, or the two alarming party rules changes made the same night as her appointment, which limit the ability of everyday Brooklynites to engage with the party,” Kawaguchi wrote

lynites and county committee members at large,” the group said. “We believe that the party has a responsibility to serve Brooklyn Democrats – to support organizing around voter turnout, voter registration, and building a solid bench of candidates,” they said. “We hope that Bichotte will use her power to overturn these rules changes and encourage increased participation from all Brooklyn Democrats.”

Both Seddio and Bichotte disputed the group’s claims about her selection. “There was nothing closed-door about it,” Bichotte said, referring to her appointment process.

“The reality is that this type of process exists in so many levels of government when somebody is stepping down. (In the past,) the decision to elect a new county leader was made within 24 hours. This time around, people had at least a week to deliberate.”

Brooklyn Paper first reported that Seddio would be stepping down on Jan. 12. Bichotte was appointed eight days later, by a

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vote of 39-0. Just one person, former Assemblywoman Joan Millman, abstained, while City Councilwoman Inez Barron and her husband Assemblyman Charles Barron were absent for the vote. The pair had previously told Politico that they wouldn’t vote because they didn’t want a leader “selected by the white power.”

Bichotte also addressed the alleged lack of transparency concerning party finances, something she said she’s also done on a club-to-club “listening tour.” “I have been extremely vocal about our plan for more transparency and accountability in our financials during my listening tour. I have been to a few clubs including Independent Neighborhood Democrats that have a number of (New Kings Democrats) members and have shared high-level plans,” she told City & State. “While I respect the activism in our Democratic clubs, such as NKD, it would be unfair and inequitable to literally only address one voice while ignoring all the other voices that are part of the makeup of this great borough.”

Seddio contended that the party is more open to its members “than any other county committee in the city.” The implementation of a once yearly meeting was meant to be a temporary money-saver, the prior party boss added, which he hopes the group can soon reverse. “We have taken steps nobody else has. We give county committee members a voice at our meetings, regardless of whether or not they’re a district leader, and we open the door for them afterwards,” Seddio told City & State. “I’ve always said, ‘If you have a gripe, if you have something you want to say, you don’t have to wait for a meeting to do that.’ My door is always open, and I know Rodneyse will do the same.”

Assemblyman Walter Mosley, who reportedly considered mounting a challenge for county committee chair ahead of Bichotte’s selection, told City & State that “only time will tell” if she can truly unify the party. “It’s one thing to say stuff, but it’s another thing to translate words into action,” he said.

Just over one month in, Bichotte said she has already met with hundreds of Brooklyn Democrats. “We’re going to continue to be the biggest and the baddest (county committee) around,” she said. In an effort to emphasize its political importance, Bichotte reached for a well-intentioned metaphor that might strike some Brooklynites as selling New York City’s most populous borough short: “Anyone who’s looking to win an election, whether it’s for Congress or even president, they know they have to come through Brooklyn – the Iowa of New York state.”

■

Meaghan McGoldrick is a former reporter for the Brooklyn Eagle and the current editor of Brooklyn Paper.

CO N G R ATU L AT I O N S C I TY & STAT E ’ S A B OVE & B EYO N D G A L A H O N O R E E S

WITH SPECIAL RECOGNITION TO

Ana Rua Government Affairs, New York City & State, Crown Castle

N E W YO R K | WA S H I N G TO N | A L B A N Y | W W W. M A R AT H O N S T R AT E G I E S . C O M

March 23, 2020

FOR THE PAST five years, City & State has recognized the accomplishments of 30 women in the public sphere who’ve made notable contributions to society. We’ve honored lawyers, lobbyists, elected officials,

City & State New York

Above & Beyond

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tentially long-term disruptions to daily life, our honorees’ work – in fields like social services, telecommunications and health care – takes on a new meaning.

Among the women honored on this year’s list are the executive

heads of nonprofits and business leaders. This year is

director of Citymeals on Wheels, whose organization

no different, as we highlight the accomplishments of

delivers meals to some 18,000 homebound older adults,

women in fields ranging from energy to public rela-

the executive director of the New York State Nurses As-

tions to law.

sociation and the head of government and community

When we began working on this list a couple of months

relations for Montefiore Health System.

ago, the coronavirus outbreak was a seemingly minor,

Their work and the work of their peers is carrying

distant concern. But as New York City and state grap-

us through this crisis – as they go above and beyond

ple with the rapidly growing number of cases and po-

for us all.

portraits by G U E R I N B L A S K profiles by A L I C E P O P O V I C I , J E F F C O L T I N , K A Y D E R V I S H I , R EBEC CA C. L EW IS & Z AC H W I L L I A MS

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CityAndStateNY.com

March 23, 2020

March 23, 2020

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BHARATI KEMRAJ Senior Associate

PATRICK B. JENKINS & ASSOCIATES

NICOLE MALLIOTAKIS Assemblywoman Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis has been in the minority her entire elected career. The Assembly, where she has served for nearly a decade, hasn’t been ruled by the GOP since the 1970s and likely won’t be for the foreseeable future. Now she’s running for Congress to join the Republican minority in the House. But that doesn’t mean she sees her role as moot. “Our most important thing is to hold the majority accountable,” Malliotakis says. “You need a very vocal and passionate and energetic opposition in the minority, and I always try to bring that passion to my fight.”

That’s why she decided to run for New York City mayor against Democratic incumbent Bill de Blasio in 2017. Malliotakis wanted to bring attention to issues she felt de Blasio was falling short on by running a spirited campaign. “I knew my chances of winning were slim,” she says. “But I was also able to influence some real attention to issues that my constituents were suffering from.”

Malliotakis says she likes to run against incumbents because she wants to hold them accountable, much like how she sees her vital role as a member of the legislative minority. It’s how she first won her Assembly seat, it’s how she ran for mayor and it’s how she’s running for Congress. She wants to offer passionate, vocal opposition to New York Democrats and is willing to put her Assembly seat on the line to do it.

Bharati Kemraj’s consulting job at Patrick B. Jenkins & Associates is taking her back into the Bronx community where she grew up – but she’s seeing it from a new perspective.

Kemraj is doing community outreach for the Metro-North Railroad stations that are coming to the Bronx as part of the Penn Station Access project.

“It’s amazing to see how something is coming to fruition that the community wants,” Kemraj says.

Kemraj – whose family moved to the Bronx from Guyana, a small country on South America’s northern coast – has deep roots in the borough’s Hindu community. After jobs with the Bronx borough president’s office, Bronx Community Boards 1 and 9, the Bronx Chamber of Commerce and BronxNet television – “that was just like the doors to the Bronx,” she remembers – she knows the borough inside and out.

The community reporting job at BronxNet gave Kemraj an opportunity to meet stakeholders and learn about local issues ranging from art to business to politics. Once she started making contacts, it was “one opportunity after another,” she recalls. That’s how she met her current boss, Patrick B. Jenkins, and her previous boss, Ruben Diaz Jr. Though Kemraj’s schedule is already packed with several ongoing projects in the community – including a dance program and a television show – she says she tries to make the most of every minute and spends her commute brainstorming ideas for more projects.

“How do we connect resources to those in need?” she asks herself.

“Everybody wants quality of life.”

20 CityAndStateNY.com

ADRIENNE ABBATE Executive Director

STATEN ISLAND PARTNERSHIP FOR COMMUNITY WELLNESS Adrienne Abbate had always been interested in biology, so she pursued a degree in the subject at Reed College, which led to a job in pharmaceutical marketing. But it wasn’t a good fit.

“I started to see how industry really shapes behavior and it didn’t feel quite right to me,” Abbate says of this early job. “The work that I was doing was around creating demand for pharmaceuticals.”

She says she “did a 180,” going back to school to earn a master’s degree in public administration at New York University. Now she leads the Staten Island Partnership for Community Wellness, a public health nonprofit dedicated to improving community health primarily through building coalitions. She began working for the organization seven years ago, as the head of its coalition charged with bringing together doctors, educators, law enforcement officials and other stakeholders to find a way to curb youth substance abuse in the borough.

The work paid off, according to data the organization collects, with prescription drug use declining among young people.

Now the organization is aggregating data to address the concerns of communities of color, Abbate says, and bringing resources to schools and neighborhoods where they are needed the most.

“A lot of the work that I’ve been doing over the years has been in response to corporate-induced disease,” she says.

“From the opioids to obesity and the food industry, there’s all these different factors that are shaping people’s behavior.”

March 23, 2020

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March 23, 2020

DEBORAH WATHEN FINN President

THE WATHEN GROUP Deborah Wathen Finn has built a career on the idea of breaking down silos in the workplace – and it all started with an early success in 1993. Wathen Finn was overseeing some 130 employees at New Jersey Transit during a time when there were frequent customer complaints.

Her solution? Asking the employees to come up with a solution.

“I believed that if I could engage the employees, that that would just strengthen our ability to deliver a better service,” Wathen Finn says. After she shared the customer feedback with the conductors, coach cleaners and other staffers, she began to see improvements within about six months.

Wathen Finn would test out her ideas in several more places before founding The Wathen Group – an organization that specializes in leading transformational change – in 2009. When Gallup released a study in 2013 confirming what Wathen Finn already knew – that effective leadership begins with employee empowerment – she says it put a wider lens on the work she had been doing.

“I believe most employees want to be effective,” she says. “But what I see is they’re not getting the feedback.”

Wathen Finn is currently working with the company Cubic on the implementation and rollout of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s new OMNY payment system. She says the strategy for this project is to bring all of the MTA’s departments together to discuss the transition. “When you have silos, it slows things down,” she says.

CARA MARINO GENTILE Executive Vice President MARINO

In the nearly two decades since she joined the strategic communications firm founded by her father, Cara Marino Gentile has watched the media landscape shift dramatically – and it’s transformed the way she approaches communications campaigns for her clients.

Instead of simply putting out a press release, she might use social media or targeted advertising as part of a branding campaign.

“We try to look holistically at the whole picture,” says Gentile, whose clients include John F. Kennedy International Airport and Con Edison. “If a client is trying to do X, we figure out what are the different ways that we’re going to help them keep it fresh.”

Since the energy industry has also undergone a great deal of change, part of her strategy at Con Edison has shifted away from talking about energy efficiency improvements and opening up new markets to discussing the utility’s nationwide solar development. At Kennedy Airport, Marino has contributed to the firm’s communications efforts around the expansion of Terminal 4, which includes promoting new restaurants.

Gentile says she is proud of helping to grow the family business over the past couple of decades, including adding clients in the lifestyle, nonprofit, higher education and cannabis sectors.

“It’s really been exciting,” says Gentile, who spent a year at Ogilvy before joining Marino. “It’s been a good 20 years.”

March 23, 2020

City & State New York

23

SHIRLEY ANN JACKSON President

RENSSELAER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE “My father always said, ‘Aim for the stars so that you can reach the treetops,’” Shirley Ann Jackson remembers. And she heeded that advice.

Jackson grew up fascinated by all things science, from the bumblebees she found in her backyard to racing down the street with her sister in homemade go-karts in their northwest Washington, D.C., neighborhood.

(Jackson’s father helped design the go-karts for optimum speed.) A theoretical physicist recognized for her long career in public service, including as president of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Jackson is known for many career firsts – such as being the first African American woman to receive a doctorate from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

A former chairwoman of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (appointed by President Bill Clinton) and co-chairwoman of the President’s Intelligence Advisory Board (appointed by President Barack Obama), Jackson also served on the U.S. Secretary of State’s International Security Advisory Board, among other significant roles.

“We educate our students not just for a job but for life,” Jackson says, adding that Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute provides opportunities for students to get involved in the surrounding community. “It’s also a question of what kind of people they become.”

Since taking over at the university in 1999, Jackson has presided over more than $1.25 billion in investments to upgrade facilities for biotechnology, media and performing arts. The school also boasts the most powerful supercomputer at a private university in the nation.

24 CityAndStateNY.com

CARLINA RIVERA New York City Councilwoman At the beginning of 2018, when the 51 members of the new New York City Council class took their seats, just 11 of them were women. It was a step back from previous sessions, and beyond that, men were named to lead all of the premier committees. But New York City Councilwoman Carlina Rivera has spent much of her more than two years on the council trying to fix that imbalance as co-chairwoman of the Women’s Caucus. Rivera got the city to devote money to people who couldn’t afford abortions and contributed to a legislative package that combats sexual harassment.

The Women’s Caucus called for Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. to resign for mishandling sexual assault prosecutions.

“Because of our size, I think we’ve been very intentional on making sure that our voice is loud and clear,” Rivera says.

A lifelong Manhattan resident, Rivera represents a district centered around the East Village, where she used to waitress at a tiki bar, before shifting into organizing and government work.

Now, Rivera says she wants to see double the number of female Council members in the next session, and she’s been working with a number of groups promoting them, like 21 in ’21 and Women of Color for Progress.

“The more (organizations) the merrier,” she says. “Men have been doing this for a very long time. And we need to build armies in every corner of the city.”

March 23, 2020

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26 CityAndStateNY.com

March 23, 2020

ANDREA BATISTA SCHLESINGER Partner

HR&A ADVISORS Andrea Batista Schlesinger describes her work at HR&A Advisors – designing strategies that advance economic justice and make cities more inclusive – as a bridge between the ideas of advocates and actual change.

“I think advocates and activists win victories but, the truth is, unless they’re implemented, people’s lives don’t change,” she says. “The work of implementation is hard.”

Among other projects, Schlesinger is working with a New York City nonprofit on an initiative that connects young people in the Bronx with employment opportunities that might otherwise be outside their reach.

“The work is about how we make more just and equitable cities,” she says.

Schlesinger, who has a bachelor’s degree in public policy and a master’s degree in history, says she was always interested in “the intersection of policy and politics.” At the age of 16, she served on the New York City Board of Education as a student member.

“I was involved in student government and wanted to be a part of making policy that would affect the lives of me and my fellow million students in the system,” Schlesinger says.

“I saw firsthand what happens when the people who make policy are not at all connected to the reality of people’s lives.”

In 2009, Schlesinger, a former deputy director of U.S. programs at Open Society Foundations, published the book, “The Death of ‘Why?’: The Decline of Questioning and the Future of Democracy.”

The Real Estate Board of New York

Congratulates

Basha Gerhards Vice President Policy and Planning, Real Estate Board of New York — Honored with —

City & State's Above & Beyond Award

28 CityAndStateNY.com

March 23, 2020

RUTH FINKELSTEIN Executive Director

BROOKDALE CENTER FOR HEALTHY AGING AT HUNTER COLLEGE With New York City’s older population expected to reach 1.81 million within the next decade – meaning one in five New Yorkers will be age 60 or over – Ruth Finkelstein is sure to play a key role in the ongoing discussion about what it means to grow older.

Affordable housing is one of the main challenges, she says.

When older adults are priced out of their neighborhoods and forced to move away, they end up losing what Finkelstein calls “spider webs,” which can lead to isolation.

“The spider web is that guy at the bodega in the corner that you walk in, and he knows how you want your coffee, and which newspaper you take,” Finkelstein says. “The spider webs are why some older adults like to go to the bank teller, because the bank teller is someone they know and knows them.”

Navigating retirement is yet another issue, now that more people are living well into their 80s, despite being expected to retire around 65. She was previously associate director of the Columbia Aging Center at the Mailman School of Public Health and led research initiatives and education programs – including a course educating journalists about aging.

“Employers don’t see and understand the value of an older workforce,” Finkelstein says.

“Instead of recognizing that older workers in many, many, many kinds of jobs are actually equally or even more productive than younger workers, because of what they know about doing their job.”

March 23, 2020

City & State New York

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BRIANNE KOHS NURICK Executive Vice President and Managing Director

BURSON COHN & WOLFE Data breaches, workplace violence and executive misconduct are potential public relations landmines for the average company.

But for Brianne Kohs Nurick, public relations crises are just part of an average workday.

“No day is ever the same,” she says of her role at communications firm Burson Cohn & Wolfe. “Every day I’m presented with a new challenge.”

Kohs Nurick, who has always been interested in politics, got a job at the U.S. Department of Energy shortly after graduating from George Washington University.

Over the next few years, she rose up the ranks to senior adviser for communications before leaving the public sector for a job handling public affairs at what was then Burson-Marsteller. Four years later, she was on the move again – this time to the New York City area, where she would continue to handle crisis communications for the firm while looking to broaden her horizons beyond Washington, D.C. Her husband (they were married shortly after the move) had just accepted a new job in the area. Kohs Nurick has continued her work helping companies manage their reputations by developing plans to mitigate potential problems. She works with clients in a wide range of industries, including energy, chemicals, entertainment, education and health care.

When Kohs Nurick is not at work, you might find her on a running path somewhere in the city. A self-described “novice runner,” she ran her first half-marathon last year.

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March 23, 2020

PATRICIA MARTHONE Vice President 1199SEIU

TERRY TALBOTT Regional Government Affairs Director CVS HEALTH

Terry Talbott has been a regional government affairs director at CVS Health for about six years – lobbying for the health care giant that has a store within five miles of 71% of the U.S. population – but she says she’s been an advocate throughout her more than 30-year career with the company.

“When I was a pharmacist, I advocated for my patients,” Talbott says, describing her role at the Pennsylvania CVS pharmacy where she used to work. “When I was a supervisor, I advocated for my pharmacists.

Now I advocate for my company.”

Born and raised in Pennsylvania, Talbott, who currently lives in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, represents New York, New Jersey and New Hampshire and spends about 30% of her time in Albany when the state Legislature is in session. An average week might involve lobby days with trade groups as well as fundraisers.

“It’s my job to sort of be the brand ambassador,” she says.

When Talbott was growing up, she initially wanted to become a veterinarian, then considered becoming a teacher, but eventually studied pharmacology at Duquesne University and then worked as a pharmacist at a CVS pharmacy in East Stroudsburg.

When she’s not on the road, Talbott spends time at Lehigh Valley International Airport, where her dog serves as a therapy dog. Dogs like Logan, Talbott’s terrier mix, are trained to help people who are afraid of flying.

As vice president of the registered nurses division at 1199SEIU, the largest health care union in the nation, Patricia Marthone keeps a close eye on legislation that could affect the roughly 7,000 medical professionals she represents.

Whether the measure pertains to registered nurses, nurse practitioners or nurse anesthetists, Marthone – a medical doctor – is there to advocate for their interests.

“We’re always fighting for social justice in politics,” says Marthone, a lifelong New Yorker who remembers encouraging family and friends to participate in the March of Dimes walk when she was in middle school. “I’ve always been fighting for people who cannot fight for themselves.”

The daughter of Haitian parents who taught her to advocate for the less fortunate, Marthone says she is committed to caring for health care workers. Before joining 1199SEIU in 2012, Marthone worked as the director of business development and operations for several surgical practices and clinics in New York City, and in the palliative care department at Montefiore Medical Center.

She has been active as a volunteer in her community, including as vice president of Community Education Council District 22.

While attending college in Buffalo in the 1990s, Marthone volunteered as a French and Haitian Creole translator – she’s fluent in both languages – for political asylum applicants. By the way, she’s also fluent in Spanish.

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DANNA DEBLASIO Vice President

CMW STRATEGIES Danna DeBlasio says she gets the question about once a week – and no, she is not related to the New York City mayor. (But she and Bill de Blasio once talked about their similar last names and discovered that they both have roots in Naples, Italy.)

DeBlasio, who grew up in a politically active family in Schenectady, says people tend to misunderstand the work of lobbyists. While the word “lobbyist” generally has a negative connotation, DeBlasio says that her work consists of helping her clients – including nonprofits, trade associations and cultural institutions – navigate government policies and giving them “a voice in government.” She recently worked with an East Harlem-based nonprofit that was on the brink of closing.

“We struck the right chords to make sure the city was paying attention,” DeBlasio says.

“We were able to negotiate something to keep those doors open.”

Before joining CMW Strategies, DeBlasio spent four years working as a lobbyist at government relations firm Patricia Lynch Associates. She had previously managed the firm’s Latino Affairs division, which included helping small-business owners nationwide navigate shifting political landscapes.

DeBlasio is focusing on New York City now, but supporting small businesses is still a big part of her job.

“Small businesses are the lifeblood of our city,” she says.

“They’re an integral part of the landscape of the city.”

March 23, 2020

March 23, 2020

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JILL DESROSIERS Chief of Staff

GOV. ANDREW CUOMO’S OFFICE

JACQUELINE SHERMAN Deputy Executive Director and General Counsel JCCA

Helping children and families has been a longtime priority for Jacqueline Sherman. It’s no surprise that she’s ended up at the child welfare nonprofit JCCA, where she oversees a range of administrative and financial functions.

Sherman got her start working on issues affecting youth and families in local government, first as a New York City Council staffer and then at the New York City Public Advocate’s office. From there, she landed in the New York City Administration for Children’s Services, where she worked for then-Commissioner Ronald Richter. When she joined the agency, it was beginning to implement the Close to Home initiative to house juvenile offenders closer to their families.

“Making big picture reform happen, certainly in the legislative arena and in the policy development arena, is significant,” Sherman says. “Watching it take shape on the ground is a totally different experience. The rollout wasn’t without its challenges, and now, looking back, I am incredibly proud of what (the Administration for Children’s Services) has been able to accomplish.”

As Richter went on to become the CEO of JCCA, Sherman says she saw an opportunity to take on a new career path. Among her proudest accomplishments at the nonprofit is increasingly connecting youth in the child welfare system with services through Medicaid. “We, as an organization, have a tremendous opportunity to expand the transformational support that we’re able to provide to young people who need mental health services,” she says.

Jill DesRosiers is one of the most important officials in Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s administration, but you will likely never hear her talking about it.

“I’m certainly a behind-the-scenes kind of person,” she says. Her job as chief of staff is to keep the governor’s office running like a well-oiled machine. That is no easy task considering the size of the state and the scope of the governor’s ambitions, but DesRosiers is always keeping an eye on making progress one way or another. “I try to keep all of the trains running on time,” she says.

On any given day, this could mean managing staff, overseeing executive appointments and organizing public outreach on a broad range of issues.

More than a decade’s worth of experience in government has given her plenty of political expertise, but that is not the only trick she has up her sleeve. The North Tonawanda native studied systems engineering at the University of Pennsylvania, and that background has helped her throughout her career. As a New York City Council staffer, she developed a computer program to help lawmakers track constituent issues.

Since becoming chief of staff to the governor in early 2019, she has turned to those same skills to help craft and implement campaigns for initiatives like paid family leave. Though some call her an unsung hero of the administration, DesRosiers does her best to share the credit: “It’s really the team that makes it happen.”

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March 23, 2020

JENNIFER JONES AUSTIN CEO and Executive Director

FEDERATION OF PROTESTANT WELFARE AGENCIES Growing up with a father who was a pastor and civil rights activist, Jennifer Jones Austin saw from a young age how religion and social justice were often intertwined.

She has carried those values into her job leading the Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies, an advocacy organization advancing the needs of low-income New York City residents through its network of faith-based groups.

“Over the last 15 (to) 20 years, I’ve often wondered where is the faith community in leading issues of educational disparities, wealth disparities, income disparities and how that plays (into) everything from housing to health needs and more,” she says. “And so coming to FPWA, again, presented this opportunity to engage with the faith community and to help the faith community with skills-building in advocacy and policymaking to help position them at the table to effect change on social issues.”

Her efforts to fight poverty have been naturally informed by her extensive background on the other side of the table in government. She served as New York City’s first family services coordinator during Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s administration as well as the civil rights deputy bureau chief in the state Attorney General’s Office, in addition to other roles in city government.

“My work in policy has helped me appreciate that you can only effect change for the masses if you are working in that space,” she said. “You can do good work in not-for-profits, but you can only help the people who are before you.”

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€ NYC 7 World Trade Center 250 Greenwich St., # 4641 New York, NY 10007 212-431-4748

ALBANY 146 State Street Albany, NY 12207 518-462-4620

www.boltonstjohns.com

BCW is proud to celebrate Brianne Nurick as a recipient of the City & State New York Magazine’s Above and Beyond award. This award recognizes women who have made important contributions to society in the sectors of business, public service, media, nonprofit and organized labor.

Congratulations, Bri, from your BCW Family

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March 23, 2020

CAROLE WACEY President and CEO

WOMEN CREATING CHANGE When Carole Wacey stepped into the lead role at the Women’s City Club of New York in 2017, she launched an initiative to examine the more than 100-year-old organization’s mission. She led efforts to change its name from one that sounded like “women sitting around having tea,” she says, to one that suggests positive action. And she met with community leaders to find out how to reach more women from underserved communities.

“Part of it is also really understanding: Where are the opportunities?” Wacey says. “When we think about underserved women – they’re often heads of household, they often have little kids.”

Wacey is overseeing the development of a citywide workshop series focusing on civic engagement, and says the role blends her interest in politics with community impact education. She previously held several leadership positions in the U.S. Department of Education and worked in the Clinton administration.

Wacey says her mother, who was an activist and a feminist, taught her a great deal about helping those less fortunate, and brought her along on bus trips to Washington, D.C. “We fought for things like Social Security and (the) Equal Rights Amendment back in the ’70s,” she says.

Wacey’s family moved to the U.S. from the United Kingdom when she was growing up.

After her father died, her mother raised four children on her own.

“I saw her struggles,” Wacey says. “But also recognize we had a lot of privilege.”

Thank you to Judge Graffeo for going above and beyond in support of our firm, our clients, our profession & our state.

Congratulations to you and all of this year’s honorees.

Judge Victoria A. Graffeo Former Solicitor General, Counsel, State Supreme Court Justice, Appellate Division Associate Justice, Court of Appeals Justice, Partner 677 Broadway, Suite 1101, Albany, NY 12207 | 518.427.9700 | harrisbeach.com Albany Buffalo Ithaca Melville New York City Rochester Saratoga Springs Syracuse Uniondale White Plains New Haven, CT Newark, NJ

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CLAUDIA TOUSSAINT Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary XYLEM

For Claudia Toussaint, work has always been about finding the big picture.

At Xylem, an American water technology company, she is committed to developing sustainable practices and combating climate change.

Toussaint worked in law and telecommunications before moving to the water industry. Under her leadership, Xylem transitioned from the traditional view on sustainability, looking at its own consumption and waste, to include the onward impact of its goods and services. She describes it as not only looking at the company’s footprint, but also its handprint on their customers’ ability to live sustainably.

“I would call it determination, courage, caring and good stakeholder engagement,” Toussaint says. She adds that having energy at the top of the company, combined with consumer enthusiasm, leads to innovation and progress.

Growing up in Germany, Toussaint did not know she would end up in this line of work. But coming from a family of lawyers, she knew she wanted to find a place where she could make a difference.

“My interest in the water industry developed when I saw the positive impact businesses can have on communities,” she says. “I decided it was a great opportunity with Xylem to do that.”

The company works with communities in over 150 countries on water management practices.

The company has a series of sustainability goals covering 20192025, including using 100% renewable energy at its major facilities and saving more than 16.5 billion cubic meters of water.

PAT KANE Executive Director

NEW YORK STATE NURSES ASSOCIATION In 2011, Pat Kane led a revolution by running for a spot on the New York State Nurses Association’s board with a slate of candidates who wanted to democratize the group and shift it to act more like a traditional labor union than just a membership organization.

She won the election, but when the group’s leadership wouldn’t sit her, she sued – and won.

She also won in the long run because, in December, she took over as executive director of the New York State Nurses Association, leading the statewide union with more than 40,000 members. “My schedule was always busy, but it’s definitely different than what I was doing before,” Kane says.

That’s quite the understatement from somebody who spent more than 30 years as a nurse and left her job working on open heart surgeries at Staten Island University Hospital in 2016. But her shift to full-time organizing has paid off.

She worked to save the Affordable Care Act from being repealed. She helped flip Staten Island blue with Rep. Max Rose’s victory in 2018.

And she even ran for an Assembly seat on Staten Island’s North Shore, but lost in the 2018 primary. Kane says that race helped prepare her for her new position with the nurses association. Now she’s pushing for an ambitious legislative agenda in Albany and, of course, hoping to grow her union.

“All the things that we are advocating for,” she says, “are ultimately things that will give patients better care.”

March 23, 2020

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RODNEYSE BICHOTTE Assemblywoman

ANA RUA Head of Government for New York City and State CROWN CASTLE

Growing up in Bayside, Queens, Ana Rua watched her mother leave the house two hours early every Saturday morning so she could make a deposit at the bank before clocking in for her 14-hour waitressing shift.

These days, people can skip the trip to the bank and make their deposits via smartphone, Rua says. And part of it is thanks to the work done by Crown Castle, which builds and operates communications infrastructure.

“We don’t think about those little things,” says Rua, who was the director of outreach, innovation and broadband for Empire State Development before landing at Crown Castle. “The little ways that connectivity has changed our lives.”

Rua, who was born in Colombia and moved to New York City with her family when she was young, initially began pursuing a career in economics.

But an internship at the state Department of Financial Services launched her into “the Cuomo universe,” she says – leading to a role as deputy finance director for Thomas Suozzi in his reelection bid for Nassau County executive, and as a finance associate in Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s office.

She sees her role handling public affairs at Crown Castle – which has 70,000 small cell nodes and more than 75,000 route miles of fiber-optic cable – as a continuation of her public service work.

“Really, we’re just bridging people’s lives,” she says.

Being a good politician means being a jack-of-all-trades. And nobody knows that better than Rodneyse Bichotte.

She attended the prestigious LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts in Manhattan for music but discovered her aptitude for math.

She went to college for math, started teaching the subject in New York City public schools and pursued a graduate degree to apply her math toward engineering. She traveled the world working in telecommunications, but decided to switch things up and took an investment banking job on Wall Street. She then moved to politics full time after being elected to the Assembly in 2014.

For those keeping track, that’s a handful of disparate career paths and five college degrees.

“It has a lot to do with my upbringing, being Haitian,” Bichotte explains. Growing up in Flatbush, Brooklyn, in a Haitian American household, her mother would tell her in Creole that she needed to learn how to use all her fingers, “which means that you need to know how to have multiple skills.”

Now, she’s using all of her skills as the first woman to lead the Brooklyn Democratic Party, a position she was elected to in January. It’s quite the turn for somebody who started out, as many politicians do, as an outside critic of the party.

“For the first five years, we didn’t get along. But I guess they saw that we’d prefer to be partners than enemies,” Bichotte says.

“Which was good! Because I needed to understand how and why things are run the way they are.”

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March 23, 2020

ELIZABETH SAYLOR Partner

EMERY CELLI BRINCKERHOFF & ABADY Elizabeth Saylor has always had a deep interest in civil rights and women’s rights – one summer during college, she worked at a women’s prison in Georgia – and it drives much of her work at Emery Celli Brinckerhoff & Abady.

In a recent case that made local headlines, Saylor was part of the legal team representing a woman who had applied to work as a curator at MOMA PS1 and had her job offer rescinded, she claimed, after the museum learned she had recently given birth. As a result, the museum settled with the curator last year and agreed to revise its policies.

Saylor says the case was particularly important to her because she worked on it in partnership with the nonprofit A Better Balance (she is a co-chairwoman of its board), which advocates for workers’ rights around issues related to family leave. She says the case is “a vivid example” of how women are often discriminated against in the workplace.

A Harvard Law School graduate who was an editor of the Harvard Women’s Law Journal and previously worked as a staff attorney for The Legal Aid Society, Saylor continues to work on cases involving police misconduct and wrongful convictions, among other issues.

What drives her to do this work?

“The importance of correcting systemic problems within the police department and the district attorney’s offices,” she says. “Getting justice for people that didn’t receive justice in their first trial.”

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March 23, 2020

BASHA GERHARDS Vice President of Policy and Planning

REAL ESTATE BOARD OF NEW YORK The Hudson Valley native learned from her dad early on to always ask questions. That advice has played a key role in Gerhards’ career, where she now sits in the upper echelons of the New York City real estate world. “I feel like every step of my career has been as a way to learn more,” she says. Her artistic inclinations led her to study historic preservation at the Savannah College of Art and Design. That is where she got the chance to observe how urban planners were approaching the tricky question of how to rebuild New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina while also honoring its architectural traditions. Gerhards took those lessons with her as a zoning expert at the New York City Department of City Planning and then as deputy director of land use for Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer. Her pursuit of architectural truth has not slowed down since she joined the Real Estate Board of New York, where she now works with other leaders across the city and state on issues like housing affordability, housing production and homelessness. She asks: “Are we allowing for new landmarks?

Are we allowing for new innovation? Are we allowing for new people to come in and enrich the city?”

But even on the weekends, little questions still linger – whether they concern the density of a nearby cluster of buildings or the type of zoning that best defines the area around a park. “It drives my family nuts,” she says, yet she can’t stop.

March 23, 2020

LILLIAM PEREZ Vice President, Government and Community Relations MONTEFIORE HEALTH SYSTEM

Lilliam Perez had planned to pursue a career as a corporate lawyer, but she followed her passion for community work instead – all the way to Montefiore Health System.

Now in charge of government and community relations for one of New York City’s major health care providers, she focuses on advocating for the needs of patients.

“Immigrant rights continue to be an issue … domestic violence is an issue that’s very close and dear to me,” Perez says.

“The health of this community continues to be a challenge.”

Perez is referring to the Bronx neighborhoods served by Montefiore. Part of the challenge, she says, is the fact that the health system has a large number of Medicare and Medicaid recipients, and the government’s payment rate is not as high as it could be.

A native of the Dominican Republic who grew up in the Bronx, Perez previously served as senior adviser and deputy director of intergovernmental affairs in the state Attorney General’s Office and as chief of staff for then-state Sen. Eric Schneiderman. She says her role at Montefiore allows her to use her skills to more directly serve the community.

“I wanted to be part of social justice issues,” Perez says, “to make sure my community was doing well and had a voice.”

Perez is in a good position to continue doing just that. Last year, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. appointed her as the borough’s representative on the New York City Civic Engagement Commission.

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March 23, 2020

JOVIA RADIX Vice President, Legislation KASIRER

Within the past year, Jovia Radix has worked on a few high-profile measures – including expanding protections for New York City’s carriage horses and banning the sales of flavored e-cigarettes – and she says she enjoys guiding a piece of legislation through the political process.

“I almost feel like I was born in government affairs,” says Radix, whose mother, Sylvia Hinds-Radix, has been a judge in several city and state judicial offices over the past two decades, after spending the first part of her career as a staff attorney at District Council 37. “Watching her provide legal services, a lot of the times to people who probably would not be able to afford it outside of the union, always sparked my interest in the law and how she was able to just shape the lives of people.”

Radix, who went on to intern in District Council 37’s political action department, earned a political science degree from the University of Pittsburgh, a master’s degree in public administration from Long Island University and a law degree from Hofstra University.

But she says she always planned on working in government.

When she saw a job announcement pop up at Kasirer, she sent an application right away. She got the job, passed the New York bar exam, graduated from law school and started the new role all around the same time in 2018.

“It was just really, really good timing,” she says.

EMERY CELLI BRINCKERHOFF & ABADY LLP

would like to congratulate our Partner,

EL IZ AB E T H S. SAY LO R and the other honorees for their selection to City & State’s 100 Above & Beyond Award.

An advocacy campaign including City & State First Read provides a targeted way to reach decision makers in New York government and politics.

Campaigns Include:

ADVOCACY MESSAGING OPEN-HOUSE PROMOTIONS NEW HIRE ANNOUNCEMENTS Contact us at advertising@cityandstateny.com for advertising and sponsorship opportunities.

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STACEY HENGSTERMAN President and CEO

SPECIAL OLYMPICS NEW YORK Stacey Hengsterman spent most of her career working in government relations at the State University of New York and then going home to champion the needs of her 15-year-old son Alex, who has Down syndrome. But in July 2018, when she took over at Special Olympics New York, her personal and professional advocacy skills collided. “I always had incredible respect for Special Olympics – so it was a great honor,” she says. “But it is also personal for me.”

Hengsterman spends her time at Special Olympics New York trying to raise awareness about people with intellectual disabilities, a community that is not often visible to the public. She says most health care professionals are not prepared to provide information and support to the families of individuals with intellectual disabilities, and the organization is working to make information and health screenings more accessible.

“I learned more in my first week on the job about health disparities facing my son than I learned in 15 years of being his mom,” she says.

One of the programs Hengsterman oversees is Unified Sports, an athletic program that works to increase social inclusion through shared sports training and competition.

“Our goal is to build a generation that values inclusion and diversity,” she says. “Now our students, because of the Unified (Sports) movement, are growing up knowing that everybody really is the same. Everyone has a bit of difference, but it doesn’t mean you can’t be friends or teammates.”

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TERESA GONZALEZ Partner

BOLTON-ST. JOHNS Teresa Gonzalez took a job in public affairs at the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in 2005, just in time to witness the widespread enthusiasm over “The Gates” by artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude – an iconic art installation that drew tourists from across the world to Central Park.

She says the installation boosted the city’s economy and created opportunities for organizations to collaborate on programming.

“It wasn’t just a public art piece.

It was about stimulating arts and discussion,” Gonzalez says.

Gonzalez had come to the city Department of Cultural Affairs after working for several arts organizations, and she considers the role a “turning point” in her career. “It allowed me to really understand and really think about how all the pieces fit together in New York City,” she says.

After several other jobs – including as communications director in the New York City Mayor’s Community Affairs Unit under former Mayor Michael Bloomberg and as vice president of strategic partnerships at the Brooklyn Bridge Park Corp. – Gonzalez now handles government relations, community engagement and land use matters at one of the city’s top lobbying firms.

“Lobbying has some way to go when it comes to diversity,” says Gonzalez, who is Puerto Rican. “I was fortunate in my career to have strong women – and particularly strong women of color – to pave the way for me. … I want to continue to carry that torch forward.”

VICTORIA GRAFFEO Partner

HARRIS BEACH After Victoria Graffeo was appointed as senior associate judge on the state Court of Appeals, she worked under then-Chief Judge Judith Kaye. Graffeo says her former boss and mentor stressed the importance of collegiality and the collaborative tradition of the Court of Appeals – and also coached her on how to become a better writer.

“She was a marvelous writer,” Graffeo says of Kaye. “I learned the importance of clarity of expression.”

It’s a lesson Graffeo – who currently leads Harris Beach’s Appellate Practice Group – now shares with the younger attorneys at the firm.

Looking back on the past several decades, Graffeo says she brings a “unique background” to the firm, which includes experience working in all three branches of government.

After working in the state Legislature, she became the state’s solicitor general, managing its appellate cases. She then began her career as a judge, which took her to the state Supreme Court, the Appellate Division and finally the Court of Appeals.

“It was very meaningful work,” says Graffeo, who now uses her wealth of experience to weigh in on a variety of cases. When she is not handling appeals and commercial litigation in federal and state courts or working on international cases involving New York law, she ice skates and plays golf.

“You have to have a winter and a summer activity,” she adds.

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LISA PAYNE WANSLEY Vice President of Environmental Justice and Sustainability NEW YORK POWER AUTHORITY

The walls of Lisa Payne Wansley’s office at the New York Power Authority are covered in thank-you notes from children who participated in one of the utility’s youth outreach programs and posters for “Hamilton,” “Death of a Salesman” and “The Lion King.” They reflect two of her greatest passions: community service and theater. The self-described “theater buff,” who tries to see every Tony Award-nominated production, says giving back to underserved communities was always part of her career plan.

“For me, a career didn’t mean just making money and sitting behind a desk,” Wansley says.

“I really wanted to make a difference in communities where people didn’t have a voice.”

Whether she was leading public affairs at the Bronx Museum of the Arts, serving as then-Gov. Mario Cuomo’s Bronx regional representative or overseeing community affairs at the Bronx County District Attorney’s Office, Wansley says the community’s needs have always been front of mind. At the New York Power Authority, she leads environmental justice initiatives – “making sure we are being good neighbors,” she says – and sustainability initiatives to ensure that the largest state-owned utility in the U.S. is operating as efficiently as possible. “We want to make sure that we’re walking the walk and talking the talk,” Wansley says.

When she’s not traveling for work or at a Broadway show, you’ll find her doing random acts of kindness through The Havens Relief Fund Society.

March 23, 2020

City & State New York

BETH SHAPIRO Executive Director

CITYMEALS ON WHEELS When Beth Shapiro started as executive director of Citymeals on Wheels in 2011, the first meal she delivered was to Mamie Hall, an 85-year-old Brownsville, Brooklyn, resident who had no family and rarely left her home. Shapiro says she immediately felt a connection to Hall, a former housekeeper at the Algonquin Hotel, and enjoyed hearing about her life. She still keeps a photo of Hall in her office.

“It is incredible to meet these people and hear their stories and get to understand the texture of their lives,” Shapiro says.

“They are the people who built this city for us. And it is, to me, a duty and an honor to be able to nourish them – to provide (them with) a meal and a visit.”

Last year, the organization provided meals to 18,414 people, most of whom are elderly and/or homebound – and the number the organization serves is expected to rise, Shapiro says. The average age of its meal recipients is 85, and more than 200 of them are at least 100 years old.

“The older population is (not only) the fastest-growing population in the city, but actually across the country,” Shapiro says. “Citymeals is dealing with the most frail and some of the most poor older people in the city, and we’re seeing higher and higher incidence of poverty among the elderly population.”

In 2014, Shapiro oversaw the launch of Citymeals’ Chefs Deliver program, which provides a monthly treat to meal recipients: dishes prepared by high-profile chefs like Daniel Boulud and Thomas Keller.

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Berkeley College Celebrates Women Making History

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innovative #WomensHistoryMonth Darshan Desai, Ph.D., Faculty, Management, Berkeley College Larry L. Luing School of BusinessÂŽ

Dr. Desai is a STEM enthusiast and expert on data science, business analytics and information management.

She spearheads the new degree program in Business Data Science.

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Berkeley College reserves the right to add, discontinue, or modify its programs and policies at any time. Modifications subsequent to the original publication of this document may not be reflected here.

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Charters Ad r i f t

March 23, 2020

by R E B EC

ART FURNACE/SHUTTERSTOCK

T

CA C. L EWIS

HE PERENNIAL FIGHT over charter schools in New York has begun anew as budget negotiations ramp up in Albany. And for the second year in a row, Gov. Andrew Cuomo ostensibly finds himself on the front lines of supporting charter schools against the all-Democratic state Legislature.

And though the governor introduced a modest proposal to free up some charters for new schools, the odds of getting it approved are not in his favor. And it’s unlikely that Cuomo will want to apply the political pressure necessary to gain the cooperation of legislators.

Although the statewide cap on charter schools has not been hit – there are still nearly 100 charters left before the state reaches the 460-school limit – the New York City cap was reached a year ago. That means that besides schools already in the process of opening, the city can’t authorize any more charter schools.

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Charter schools were depending em expand th lp e h to r o rn ve o g on the in New York Ci ty. Bu t th en a cr is is demanded hi s a t t e n tion.

In last year’s round of charter allocations, 13 schools qualified, but only seven received approval while the other six were waitlisted because the cap had been hit. The only way for those and other schools to potentially open is either by eliminating the cap in New York City, or by raising it. That didn’t happen last year, despite Cuomo’s advocacy.

Unlike last year, the governor made this year’s charter school proposal part of his state budget, where he has the most influence over policy and has historically included high-priority items. He proposed a 5.3% per-charter-pupil funding bump including a one-time infusion of $24.9 million, which is similar to other increases that were approved in the past, including last year. Cuomo also wants to reissue so-called zombie charters, which are charters belonging to schools that have closed and cannot be reissued without state approval. The proposal would permit at

least 15 new charter schools to open in New York City without actually lifting either the statewide cap or the cap in the city.

Cuomo’s proposal was relatively well received by charter school advocates, after some charter school parents expressed concern that the governor would abandon them when he didn’t mention the issue in his State of the State address. New York City Charter School Center CEO James Merriman testified during a legislative budget hearing that his organization strongly supported the proposal, while adding that it’s still not enough to support the growing charter school industry and that the Legislature must raise the cap or eliminate the cap completely. “Governor Cuomo has displayed time and again that he is an advocate for all of New York’s children and a believer that all families deserve great school options,” Merriman wrote in a statement to City & State.

54 CityAndStateNY.com

Just as Cuomo remains supportive of charter schools, charter schools remain supportive of Cuomo. Shortly before the 2018 election, the governor received a late influx of at least $130,000 from people connected to the industry. Since his reelection, he’s already raked in at least $200,000 from deep-pocketed charter schools supporters and industry-friendly political action committees.

Cuomo has also had a standoffish relationship with the state’s powerful teachers union, New York State United Teachers, which did not endorse him in any of his three elections for governor. It makes sense that Cuomo continues being friendly to charters while they continue donating to his campaign and their chief rivals do not.

Still, raising or eliminating the cap is unlikely as Cuomo has not proposed doing so this year, but his track record suggests that he could get a reluctant Legislature to agree to his terms. The governor has successfully muscled through charter school-friendly legislation in the past, most notably in 2014.

At the time, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio placed a moratorium on co-locating charter schools in public school buildings, forcing any new charters to pay rent in private buildings. Cuomo pushed through legislation as part of the budget that required cities to find public space for charters, or else help foot the bill for their rent elsewhere.

That came the same year that the governor made an appearance at a pro-charter school rally in Albany.

The governor also gave charter schools a victory in 2015, when a new law raised the New York City charter school cap by 50 and permitted 22 charters belonging to closed schools to be reissued without affecting the overall state cap. Another came in 2017, when the state revamped the charter school funding formula to provide the schools with more money as part of the state budget, and clarified that those 22 zombie charters from 2015 could be allocated in New York City without counting toward its cap.

But the difference now is that each of those times, Cuomo had a Republican state Senate on his side that supported charter schools. And even with it, victories came through leverage and compromise.

The 2017 zombie charter guidance came as part of negotiations to renew mayoral control of New York City schools. The funding changes in the budget also represented a middle ground with opponents, and did not

March 23, 2020

go as far as charter school advocates wanted.

At the time in April 2017, Success Academy Charter Schools CEO Eva Moskowitz said the budget agreement, which did not include Cuomo’s proposal to lift the state cap, “shortchanged” students. A spokesperson for the charter school network declined to comment for this story.

Although the charter school advocates who spoke with City & State suggested that support for charter schools is beginning to grow among Democrats – or at least they’re warming up to the alternative schools – publicly, it does not seem much has changed since last year. “That doesn’t seem to have very much support in the community right now,” state Sen. John Liu, chairman of the New York City Education Committee, told City & State of Cuomo’s proposal to reissue the charters of shuttered schools. “I don’t think we would approve that proposal.” Liu, who has not supported expanding charter schools, said his conference’s focus will be “funding Foundation Aid (the main source of state funding for public schools), not charter spots.” He added that nothing new with charters can happen without increased accountability for those who run them.

Assemblyman Michael Benedetto, chairman of the Education Committee, has not given any indication that his opinions on charter schools have changed significantly. At the end of the previous session, Benedetto sponsored four bills that would greatly limit charter schools and the industry’s growth. State Sen. Shelley Mayer, who chairs the chamber’s Education Committee and has long opposed charter schools, told City & State: “My position is well known, but it is a conference decision.” Mayer’s caveat is a common refrain among state lawmakers, but still leaves the door open a crack for new movement that Liu seemed to reject.

Even if the state Senate Democrats’ attitudes toward charters are beginning to thaw, passing pro-charter school legisla-

tion in both that chamber and the historically frosty Democratic Assembly would still require a strong push from Cuomo.

And right now, it doesn’t seem likely that he will apply the necessary pressure. He’s done it before for charters in 2014, and he famously got same-sex marriage passed despite a Republican state Senate. But Cuomo is generally strategic about where and when to best use his leverage, and he often avoids making big shows for items that have a chance of failing even with his assistance.

Last year, Cuomo did not attempt to personally convince Democratic holdouts to vote in favor of recreational marijuana legalization after it failed to make it into the state budget. While he remained supportive publicly, and recommitted to passage this year, Cuomo did not go the extra mile like he did for same-sex marriage. Charter schools may find themselves in a similar position.

Cuomo spokesman Rich Azzopardi told City & State that charter schools remain a priority for the governor, hence his new proposal in the executive budget. But Azzopardi would not say how much Cuomo would push for either the funding or the ability to reissue charters, nor would he assess how charter schools compare to the governor’s other priorities. Since his budget address, Cuomo has not publicly spoken much about charter schools, as discussions of bail reform and Medicaid spending have dominated budget talks.

The governor declared that he would not approve a budget that does not include tweaks to the new law eliminating bail in the majority of misdemeanor and nonviolent felony cases.

Such strong language suggests that the governor may use some leverage to get a reticent Assembly to agree. He made no such statements about charter schools.

And now, the new coronavirus has overshadowed just about everything else in the state, as both the governor and lawmakers scramble to contain its spread and figure out how its economic impacts will affect the budget. Cuomo has pushed back against the idea of a “bare-bones” budget, but focused his attention on legalizing recreational marijuana and passing an environmental bond act. With this new mindset in Albany, the already slim chance that charter school advocates would see any major victories this year has likely gotten even slimmer.

■

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legalnotices@cityandstateny.com Notice of Qualification of RAHF IV FC Holdings, LLC. Authority filed with NY Dept. of State on 12/9/19. Office location: NY County. Princ. bus. addr.: 551 5th Ave., 23rd Fl., NY, NY 10176. LLC formed in DE on 6/22/16.

NY Sec. of State designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: Cogency Global Inc., 122 E. 42nd St., 18th Fl., NY, NY 10168.

DE addr. of LLC: 850 New Burton Rd., Ste. 201, Dover, DE 19904. Cert. of Form. filed with DE Sec. of State, 401 Federal St., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: any lawful activity.

Notice of Formation of Mitch Motivates LLC filed with SSNY on January 28, 2020. Office: NY County. SSNY designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to LLC: 301 East 79th Street, APT 4C, New York, NY 10075. Purpose: any lawful act or activity.

Notice of Formation of HAVEN PROPERTY 570BROOME LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 02/20/20. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC, 350 W. 42nd St., Apt. 25L, NY, NY 10036. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Formation of Limited Liability Company (LLC): NAME: 113-115 Tompkins Avenue LLC Articles of Organization were filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 2/5/2020.

Office Location: Westchester County.

SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served.

SSNY shall mail a copy of process to: 113-115 Tompkins Avenue LLC, 462 Bedford Road, Bedford Hills, NY 10507.

Purpose: Any lawful act or activities Notice of Formation of 1345 EASE AOA PROMOTE LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 01/30/20. Office location: NY County.

Princ. office of LLC: 299 Park Ave., 42nd Fl., NY, NY 10171. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served.

SSNY shall mail process to Attn: General Counsel at the princ. office of the LLC. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Formation of Lewis Media Company, LLC filed with SSNY on January 2, 2019. Office: NY County. SSNY designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to LLC: 40 W. 135th Street, 3M, New York, NY 10037. Purpose: any lawful act or activity.

Notice of Qualification of Ace of Air, LLC. Authority filed with NY Dept. of State on 2/5/20. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in DE on 12/31/19.

NY Sec. of State designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to the principal business address: c/o Three Ocean Partners, 551 5th Ave., Ste. 3800, NY, NY 10176, Attn: Stephanie Stahl.

DE address of LLC: Corporation Service Co., 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with DE Sec. of State, 401 Federal St., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: all lawful purposes.

Notice of Formation of Saltu Projects, LLC filed with SSNY on December 26, 2019. Office: Kings.

SSNY designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to LLC: Alison St. Pierre 545 Prospect Place 3H Brooklyn, NY 06280. Purpose: any lawful act or activity.

Notice of Formation of Sinsemilla Kitchen, LLC filed with SSNY on February 10, 2020. Office: NY County. SSNY designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to LLC: 7014 13th Avenue, suite 202 Brooklyn, NY 11228 Purpose: any lawful act or activity.

Notice of Qualification of IEX DATA ANALYTICS LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 02/20/20. Office location: NY County.

LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 11/06/17. Princ. office of LLC: 3 World Trade Center, 58th Fl., NY, NY 10007. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o Corporation Service Co. (CSC), 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: c/o CSC, 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808-1674. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State of the State of DE, John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Operation of a business which provides data analytics products.

March 23, 2020

NOTICE OF SALE PUBLIC AUCTION Supreme Court of New York, KINGS County. U.S. BANK N.A., NOT IN ITS INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY BUT SOLELY AS TRUSTEE FOR THE RMAC TRUST, SERIES 2016-CTT, Plaintiff, -against- HARVEY WILLIAMS; LILLIAN WILLIAMS; KINGS SUPREME COURT; CRIMINAL COURT OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK; HSBC BANK NEVADA, N.A.; CITY OF NEW YORK TRANSIT ADJUDICATION BUREAU; CITY OF NEW YORK DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE PARKING VIOLATIONS BUREAU; CITY OF NEW YORK ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL BOARD, Index No. 513521/2016. Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly dated, November 15, 2019 and entered with the Kings County Clerk on December 18, 2019, Joseph H. Aron, Esq., the Appointed Referee, will sell the premises known as 258 Legion Street, Brooklyn, New York 11212 at public auction at the Kings County Supreme Court, 360 Adams Street, Brooklyn, New York 11201, Room 224, on March 19, 2020 at 2:30 P.M. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, situate, lying and being in the Borough of Brooklyn, County of Kings and State of New York known as Block: 3567; Lot: 143 will be sold subject to the provisions of filed Judgment, Index No. 513521/2016. The approximate amount of judgment is $556,685.34 plus interest and costs. FRIEDMAN VARTOLO LLP 85 Broad Street, Suite 501, New York, New York 10004, Attorneys for Plaintiff.

Notice of Qualification of WALTER PROD CO, LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 01/24/20. Office location: NY County.

LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 01/21/20. Princ. office of LLC: Two Pennsylvania Plaza, NY, NY 10121. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o Corporation Service Co. (CSC), 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: c/o CSC, 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with DE Secy. of State, Div. of Corps., John D. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Entertainment.

Notice of Qualification of The Reserve at Heritage Holdings LLC. Authority filed with NY Dept. of State on 12/4/19. Office location: NY County.

LLC organized in MO on 10/4/19. NY Sec. of State designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: 14 E. 33rd St., #7S, NY, NY 10016, principal business address. MO address of LLC: 8909 Ladue Rd., St. Louis, MO 63124. Cert. of Org. filed with MO Sec. of State, 600 W. Main St., Jefferson City, MO 65101.

Purpose: all lawful purposes.

Notice of Formation of Sinsemilla Remedy, LLC filed with SSNY on February 12, 2020. Office: NY County. SSNY designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to LLC: 7014 13th Avenue, suite 202 Brooklyn, NY 11228 Purpose: any lawful act or activity.

Notice of Formation of Aesthetic Investing Consulting, LLC filed with SSNY on Feb 10, 2020. Office: NY County.

SSNY designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to LLC: 551 W 21st St. #3B, New York, N.Y. 10011. Purpose: any lawful act or activity.

NRPI ACQUISITIONS, LLC, Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 02/07/2020. Office loc: NY County. SSNY has been designated as agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: The LLC, 122 East 42nd St., Ste 2405, NY, NY 10168. Purpose: Any Lawful Purpose.

VSM NY HOLDINGS LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 02/05/20. Office: New York County. SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to the LLC, c/o Village Super Market, Inc., 733 Mountain Avenue, Springfield,NJ 07081.

Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

DOMONIQUE WORSHIP COACHING AND CONSULTING LLC, Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 02/19/2019. Office loc: NY County. SSNY has been designated as agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: The LLC, 272 Manhattan Ave., Apt. 4F, NY, NY 10026. Reg Agent: U.S. Corp. Agents, Inc. 7014 13th Ave., Ste 202, Brooklyn, NY 11228.

Purpose: Any Lawful Purpose.

Notice of Formation of Benowitz Family LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with NY Dept. of State on 12/13/19. Office location: NY County. Princ. bus. addr.: 160 E. 65th St., NY, NY 10065. Sec. of State designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: Davidoff Hutcher & Citron LLP, 605 3rd Ave., NY, NY 10158, Attn: Jeffrey I. Citron, Esq. Purpose: any lawful activity.

Notice of Formation of SoHa Dental, PLLC. Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 02/06/2020. Office location: NY County. Paracorp Incorporated designated as agent of PLLC upon whom process against it may be served. Paracorp Incorporated shall mail process to: Brad Washington, 1845 Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. Blvd., New York, County of New York, NY 10026. Purpose: to practice the profession of dentistry and orthodontics.

LEGALNOTICES@CITYANDSTATENY.COM

PUBLIC and LEGAL NOTICES / CityAndStateNY.com

March 23, 2020

NOTICE OF SALE

PROBATE CITATION FILE NO. 2020-176

SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF KINGS, WILMINGTON SAVINGS FUND SOCIETY, FSB, D/B/A CHRISTIANA TRUST, NOT INDIVIDUALLY BUT AS TRUSTEE FOR PRETIUM MORTGAGE ACQUISITION TRUST, Plaintiff, vs. YOELLY RODRIGUEZ, ET AL., Defendant(s).

Pursuant to an Order Confirming Referee’s Report, and Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly filed on June 14, 2019, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the Kings County Supreme Court, Room 224, 360 Adams Street, Brooklyn, NY on April 2, 2020 at 2:30 p.m., premises known as 282 Hemlock Street, Brooklyn, NY. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in the Borough of Brooklyn, County of Kings, City and State of New York, Block 4147 and Lot 53.

Approximate amount of judgment is $485,489.15 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index # 501581/2016.

Jeffrey Miller, Esq., Referee Knuckles, Komosinski & Manfro, LLP, 565 Taxter Road, Suite 590, Elmsford, NY 10523, Attorneys for Plaintiff Cash will not be accepted.

CITATION - File No. 2019-5 - SURROGATE’S COURT, NEW YORK COUNTY – THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, By the Grace of God Free and Independent – TO: To the heirs at law, next of kin and distributees of RAYDA VEGA aka RAYDA VEGA-HEATH aka RAYDA L VEGA aka RAYDA LOUISE REMINSBURGER, deceased, if living, and if any of them be dead to their heirs at law, next of kin, distributees, legatees, executors, administrators, assignees and successors in interest whose names are unknown and cannot be ascertained after due diligence. – Public Administrator of the County of New York, David J. Heath, Robert B. Heath – A petition having been duly filed by Geraldine Mazur who is/are domiciled at 346 Coney Island Avenue, Apt. 504, Brooklyn, NY 11218. YOU ARE HEREBY CITED TO SHOW CAUSE before the Surrogate’s Court, New York County, at Rm 503, 31 Chambers Street, New York, New York, on April 7, 2020, at 9:30 o’clock in the fore noon of that day, why a decree should not be made in the estate of Rayda Vega, aka Rayda Vega-Heath, Rayda L. Vega, Rayda Louise Reminsburger lately domiciled at 315 East 57th Street, Apt. 20B, New York, New York 10019, United States, admitting to probate a Will dated November 15, 2018 (and Codicil(s), if any, dated), a copy of which is attached, as the Will of Rayda Vega, deceased, relating to real and personal property, and directing that: Letters Testamentary issue to Geraldine Mazur – Further relief sought (if any): Dated, Attested and Sealed, February 19, 2020 – HON. Rita Mella Surrogate – Chief Clerk Diana Sanabria – Erica Bell, Esq. Name of Attorney – The Law Office of Erica Bell, PLLC Firm – (212) 233-3146 Telephone – 100 Church Street, Suite 800, New York, New York 10007 Address – ebell@ericabelllaw.com Email (optional) – NOTE: This citation is served upon you as required by law. You are not required to appear. If you fail to appear it will be assumed you do not object to the relief requested. You have a right to have an attorney appear for you.

LEGALNOTICES@CITYANDSTATENY.COM

SURROGATE’S COURT, NEW YORK COUNTY CITATION THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, By the Grace of God Free and Independent TO: the heirs at law, next of kin, and distributees of Laurence J. Iacueo a/k/a Laurence Iacueo, deceased, if living, and if any of them be dead to their heirs at law, next of kin, distributees, legatees, executors, administrators, assignees and successors in interest whose names are unknown and cannot be ascertained after due diligence.

Priscilla Weick, Leonard H. Jordan, Raymond J. Pardon, Anthony D. Nicastri, Francesca Denman, Thomas Giallorenzi, Albert F. Giallorenzi, Clarice Curry, Andrea Spica, Catherine Spica, John B. Marino III, Karen I. DiJulio, Public Administrator of New York County A petition having been duly filed by Raffaele F. Maietta who is domiciled at 65 Glenwood Drive, Hauppauge, NY 11788 YOU ARE HEREBY CITED TO SHOW CAUSE before the Surrogate’s Court, New York County, at 31 Chambers Street, Room 509, New York, New York, on March 31, 2020 at 9:30 o’clock in the fore noon of that day, why a decree should not be made in the estate of Laurence J. Iacueo, a/k/a Laurence Iacueo, lately domiciled at 372 Central Park West, Apt. 17J, New York, New York 10025, United States admitting to probate a Will dated January 30, 2018 (a Codicil(s), if any, dated _________) a copy of which is attached, as the Will of Laurence J. Iacueo, a/k/a Laurence Iacueo, deceased, relating to real and personal property, and directing that: [x]

Letters Testamentary issue to: Raffaele F. Maietta [ ] Letters of Trusteeship issue to: ______________________________ [ ] Letters of Administration c.t.a. issue to: ______________________________ (State any further relief requested) Dated, Attested and Sealed February 7, 2020 HON. Rita Mella, Surrogate Diana Sanabria, Chief Clerk Gina Raio Bitsimis/ Davidow, Davidow, Siegel & Stern, LLP, Attorneys for Petitioner 1050 Old Nichols Road, Suite 100, Islandia, New York 11749 (631) 234-3030 grbitsimis@davidowlaw.com [NOTE: This citation is served upon you as required by law. You are not required to appear. If you fail to appear it will be assumed you do not object to the relief requested. You have a right to have an attorney appear for you.]

PROFF OF SERVICE MUST BE FILED TWO DAYS PRIOR TO THE RETURN DATE Court Rule 207.7(c) Brahim and The Di Ciollo Triplets LLC Art. Of Org. Filed Sec. of State of NY 1/29/2020. Off. Loc.: Richmond Co. U.S. Corp. Agents Inc., 7014 13th Ave., Suite 202, Brooklyn, NY 11228 designated as service of process agent. Purpose: Any lawful act or activity.

Notice of Formation of 5hndred Autohaus, LLC filed with SSNY on March 3, 2020. Office: NY County. SSNY designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to LLC: 615 Manor rd, Staten Island, NY. Purpose: any lawful act or activity.

Notice of Formation of Well Nourished NYC LLC filed with SSNY on December 30, 2019. Office: NY County. SSNY designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served.

SSNY shall mail copy of process to LLC: 535 East 81st Street, 4C, NY, NY 10028. Purpose: any lawful act or activity.

Notice of Qualification of Rising Oaks LLC. Authority filed with NY Dept. of State on 1/6/20.

Office location: NY County. LLC organized in NV on 9/3/13. NY Sec. of State designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: Rising Oaks LLC, 302 W. 12th St., Apt. 16G, NY, NY 10014, principal business address.

NV address of LLC: 4745 Caughlin Ranch Pkwy., Ste. 100, Reno, NV 89511.

Cert. of Org. filed with NV Sec. of State, 101 N. Carson St., Carson City, NV 89701. Purpose: any lawful activity.

Notice of Qualification of THE BOARDWALK NH LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 02/27/20. Office location: NY County.

LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 02/25/20. Princ. office of LLC: 152 W. 57th St., 60th Fl., NY, NY 10019. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC at the princ. office of the LLC. DE addr. of LLC: 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808.

Cert. of Form. filed with DE Secy. of State, John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Formation of GRAMERCY PROSTHODONTICS LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/07/19. Office location: NY County.

SSNY designated as agent of PLLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC, 131 MacDougal St., NY, NY 10012. Purpose: Dentistry.

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Notice of Formation of Lloyd Literary Services LLC files with SSNY on March 10, 2020. Office: Kings County SSNY designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served.

SSNY shall mail copy of process to 457 Clinton Ave. Apt. 3B, New York, NY 11238. Purpose: any lawful act or activity.

Notice of Formation of Cornerstone Paradigm Consulting, LLC filed with SSNY on March 17, 2017. Office: NY County.

SSNY designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to LLC: 244 5th Avenue, Suite #R254, New York, NY 10001. Purpose: any lawful act or activity.

Notice of Qualification of GETAWAY NY 3, LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 02/24/20. Office location: Kings County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 02/20/20.

Princ. office of LLC: 147 Prince St., Brooklyn, NY 11201. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808.

Cert. of Form. filed with DE Secy. of State, John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

POEMIA LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 2/14/2020. Office: New York County. Bohea Choi designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to Bohea Choi at 7 West 21st St., apt 7H, New York, NY, 10010. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

LEGALNOTICES@ CITYANDSTATENY.COM

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CityAndStateNY.com / PUBLIC and LEGAL NOTICES

ACCOUNTING PROCEEDING FILE NO. 2017-4086/A CITATION THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK TO: Unknown Distributees Attorney General of the State of New York William Yarsiah Con Edison NYC Fire Department NYC Fire Department EMS c/o New York City Health and Hospitals Verizon To the heirs at law, next of kin and distributees of Nathaniel K. Gulah, if living and if any of them be dead, to their heirs at law, next of kin, distributees, legatees, executors, administrators, assignees and successors in interest whose names and places of residence are unknown and cannot after diligent inquiry, be ascertained by the petitioner herein; being the persons interested as creditors, legatees, devisees, beneficiaries, distributees, or otherwise in the estate of Nathaniel K. Gulah, deceased, who at the time of his death was a resident of 56 West 119th Street, New York, New York 10026.

A petition having been duly filed by the Public Administrator of the County of New York, who maintains an office at 31 Chambers Street, Room 311, New York, New York 10007.

YOU ARE HEREBY CITED TO SHOW CAUSE before the New York County Surrogate’s Court at 31 Chambers Street, New York, New York, on April 14, 2020 at 9:30 A.M. in Room 503, why the following relief stated in the account of proceedings, a copy of the summary statement thereof being attached hereto, of the Public Administrator of the County of New York as administrator of the goods, chattels and credits of said deceased, should not be granted; (i) that her account be judicially settled; (ii) that a hearing be held to determine the identity of the distributees at which time proof pursuant to SCPA §2225 may be presented, or in the alternative, that the balance of the funds be deposited with the Commissioner of Finance of the City of New York for the benefit of the decedent’s unknown distributees; (iii) that the Surrogate approve the reasonable amount of compensation as reported in Schedules C and C-1 of the account of proceedings to the attorney for the petitioner for legal services rendered to the petitioner herein; (iv) that the claims of Con Edison in the amount of $ 364.05, NYC Fire Department in the amount of $ 15.00, NYC Fire Department EMS in the amount of $ 704.00 and Verizon in the amount of $ 133.93, as set forth in Schedule D of the account, be rejected; (v) that the persons above mentioned and all necessary and proper persons be cited to show cause why such relief should not be granted; (vi) that an order be granted pursuant to SCPA §307 where required or directed; and (vii) for such other and further relief as the Court may deem just and proper.

Dated, Attested and Sealed. March 10, 2020 (Seal) Hon. Rita Mella, Surrogate.

Diana Sanabria, Chief Clerk.

Schram Graber & Opell P.C. Counsel to the Public Administrator, New York County 11 Park Place, Suite 1008 New York, New York 10007 (212) 896-3310 Note: This citation is served upon you as required by law. You are not required to appear. If you fail to appear it will be assumed that you do not object to the relief requested. You have the right to have an attorney-at-law appear for you and you or your attorney may request a copy of the full account from the petitioner or petitioner’s attorney.

Notice of Formation of Beane and Sons, LLC filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on August 29, 2019. Office: NY County.

SSNY designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to LLC: 21 W. 110th Street, #25, NY, NY 10026. Purpose: any lawful act or activity.

Notice of Formation of 200 West Optics, LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 02/06/20. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: Corporation Service Company, 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543.

Purpose: any lawful activities.

Notice of Formation of AI Eye LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with SSNY on 2/14/20. Office location: Westchester County.

SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process may be served.

SSNY shall mail process to Avner Ingerman, 7 Corell Rd, Scarsdale, New York 10583 Purpose: any lawful act or activity.

LEGALNOTICES@CITYANDSTATENY.COM

March 23, 2020

SUMMONS BY PUBLICATION Case No.: 19CV49908 IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE STATE OF OREGON FOR THE COUN-TY OF WASHINGTON WILMINGTON SAVINGS FUND SOCIETY, FSB, NOT IN ITS INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY BUT SOLELY IN ITS CAPACITY AS OWNER TRUSTEE OF MATAWIN VENTURES TRUST SERIES 2018-1, Plaintiff, vs. MICHAEL D. CODLING AKA MICHAEL DAVID CODLING; THE UNKNOWN HEIRS AND DEVISEES OF COLLEEN M. CODLING AKA COLLEEN MARIE CODLING; LAUREN HOWARD; HAILEY DANIELLE CODLING; RYAN MICHAEL CODLING; DREAMBUILDER INVESTMENTS, LLC; STATE OF OREGON; STATE OF OREGON DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE; OCCUPANTS OF THE PROPERTY, Defendants. To: DREAMBUILDER INVESTMENTS, LLC You are hereby required to appear and defend the Complaint filed against you in the above entitled cause within thirty (30) days from the date of service of this summons upon you, and in case of your failure to do so, for want thereof, Plaintiff will apply to the court for the relief demanded in the Complaint. NOTICE TO DEFENDANT: READ THESE PAPERS CAREFULLY! You must “appear” in this case or the other side will win automatically. To “appear” you must file with the court a legal paper called a “motion” or “answer.” The “motion” or “answer” (or “reply”) must be given to the court clerk or administrator within 30 days of the date of first publication specified herein along with the required filing fee. It must be in proper form and have proof of service on the plaintiff’s attorney or, if the plaintiff does not have an attorney, proof of service on the plaintiff. If you have questions, you should see an attorney immediately. If you need help in finding an attorney, you may call the Oregon State Bar’s Lawyer Referral Service at (503) 684-3763 or toll-free in Oregon at (800) 452-7636. If you are a veteran of the armed forces, assistance may be available from a county veterans’ service officer or community action agency. Contact information for a local county veterans’ service officer and community action agency may be obtained by calling the 2-1-1 information service. Additionally, contact information for a service officer appointed under ORS 408.410 for the county in which you live and contact information for a community action agency that serves your area can be found by visiting the following link: https://www. oregon.gov/odva/services/pages/county-services. aspx and selecting your county. You can also access a list of Veterans Services for all Oregon counties by visiting the following link: https://www.oregon.gov/ odva/Services/Pages/All-Services-Statewide.aspx.

The relief sought in the Complaint is the foreclosure of the property located at 22778 SW Cochran Drive, Sherwood, OR 97140. Date of First Publication: March 2, 2020 McCarthy & Holthus, LLP s/ Jeremy Clifford Jeremy Clifford OSB No. 142987 920 SW 3rd Ave, 1st Floor Portland, OR 97204 Phone: (971) 201-3200 Fax: (971) 201-3202 jclifford@mccarthyholthus.com Of Attorneys for Plaintiff IDSPub #0161057 3/2/2020 3/9/2020 3/16/2020 3/23/2020 Notice of Qualification of Luma Financial Technologies, LLC. Authority filed with NY Dept. of State on 2/24/20. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in DE on 4/23/18.

NY Sec. of State designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to the DE address of the LLC: The Corporation Trust Co., 1209 Orange St., Wilmington, DE 19801. Cert. of Form. filed with DE Sec. of State, 401 Federal St., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: all lawful purposes.

Notice of Formation of limited liability company (LLC). Name: of 580 Grand Street LLC. Articles of Organization filed with Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on November 7, 2019. NY Office Location: Kings County.

SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served.

SSNY shall mail copy of any process against the LLC served upon him/her to RLVTK Service Corp at 172 Bedford Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11249. Purpose: any lawful act or activity.

NOTICE OF FORMATION of JEDIZ Wyckoff LLC. Art. of Org. filed with the Secy of State of NY (SSNY) on 2/25/2020. Off. Loc.: NY County. SSNY has been desig. as agent upon whom process against it may be served.

The address to which the SSNY shall mail a copy to is: 28 Liberty, New York, NY 10005. Reg. Agent: National Registered Agents, Inc., 28 Liberty, New York, NY 10005. Purpose: Any lawful act Notice of Formation of THE BRONX BREWERY EAST VILLAGE, LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 02/28/20. Office location: NY County.

SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Damian Brown, c/o The Bronx Brewery, LLC, 856 E. 136th St., Bronx, NY 10454. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Formation of 416 8th Rest Op LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with NY Dept. of State on 2/24/20. Office location: NY County. Sec. of State designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: 560 5th Ave., NY, NY 10036, principal business address. Purpose: any lawful activity.

Notice of Qualification of LGK General Partner VI, LLC. Authority filed with NY Dept. of State on 2/26/20. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in DE on 2/20/20. NY Sec. of State designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: c/o LSV Advisors, LLC, 540 Madison Ave., 33rd Fl., NY, NY 10022. DE address of LLC: Cogency Global Inc., 850 New Burton Rd., Ste. 201, Dover, DE 19904. Cert. of Form. filed with DE Sec. of State, PO Box 898, Dover, DE 19903. Purpose: all lawful purposes.

LEGALNOTICES@ CITYANDSTATENY.COM

PUBLIC and LEGAL NOTICES / CityAndStateNY.com

March 23, 2020

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE THIRTEENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT IN AND FOR HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, FLORIDA FAMILY LAW DIVISION IN THE MATTER OF THE TERMINATION OF PARENTAL RIGHTS FOR THE PROPOSED ADOPTION OF: CASE NO.: 19-DR-017983 A MINOR FEMALE CHILD ____________________________/

DIVISION: D

NOTICE OF ACTION AND HEARING TO TERMINATE PARENTAL RIGHTS PENDING ADOPTION TO: Christopher Sostre or any known legal or biological father of the female child born on November 27, 2019, to Tressa Lynne Sostre neé Thompson Current Residence Address: Unknown Last Known Residence Address: Rodeway Inn, 136-05 Cranston Street, Jamaica, NY 11434 YOU ARE HEREBY NOTIFIED that a Petition for Termination of Parental Rights Pending Adoption has been filed by Adoption Advocates, Inc., 2007 North Village Avenue, Tampa, Florida 33612-3948 (727) 391-8096 regarding a minor female child born to Tressa Lynne Sostre neé Thompson on November 27, 2019, in St. Petersburg, Pinellas County, Florida. The legal/biological father, Christopher Sostre, is White/Hispanic, 46 years old, approximately 5’6” tall, approximately 185 lbs., with black hair and brown eyes. All other physical characteristics and his residence address are unknown and cannot be reasonably ascertained. Additionally, the identity and all physical characteristics and the residence address of any known or unknown legal or biological father are unknown and cannot be reasonably ascertained.

There will be a hearing on the Petition to Terminate Parental Rights Pending Adoption on May 8, 2020, at 10:30 a.m. eastern time, before Judge Darren D. Farfante, at the George E. Edgecomb Courthouse, 800 East Twiggs Street, Courtroom 401, Tampa, Florida 33602. The Court has set aside fifteen minutes for the hearing. The grounds for termination of parental rights are those set forth in §63.089 of the Florida Statutes.

You may object by appearing at the hearing and filing a written objection with the Court. If you desire counsel and believe you may be entitled to representation by a court-appointed attorney, you must contact the Office of the Clerk of Court and request that an “Affidavit of Indigent Status” be mailed to you for completion and return to the Office of the Clerk of Court.

If you elect to file written defenses to said Petition, you are required to serve a copy on Petitioner’s attorney, Jeanne T. Tate, P.A., 418 West Platt Street, Suite B, Tampa, Florida 33606-2244, (813) 258-3355, and file the original response or pleading in the Office of the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Hillsborough County, Florida, 800 East Twiggs Street, Tampa, Florida 33602, (813) 276-8100, on or before April 14, 2020, a date which is not less than 28 nor more than 60 days after the date of first publication of this Notice.

UNDER §63.089, FLORIDA STATUTES, FAILURE TO FILE A WRITTEN RESPONSE TO THIS NOTICE WITH THE COURT AND TO APPEAR AT THIS HEARING CONSTITUTES GROUNDS UPON WHICH THE COURT SHALL END ANY PARENTAL RIGHTS YOU MAY HAVE REGARDING THE MINOR CHILD. If you are a person with a disability who needs any accommodation in order to participate in this proceeding, you are entitled, at no cost to you, to the provision of certain assistance. Please contact the ADA Coordinator, Hillsborough County Courthouse, 800 E. Twiggs St., Room 604, Tampa, Florida 33602, (813) 272-7040, at least 7 days before your scheduled court appearance, or immediately upon receiving this notification if the time before the scheduled appearance is less than 7 days; if you are hearing or voice impaired, call 711.

Dated at Tampa, Hillsborough County, Florida on March 9, 2020.

PAT FRANK Clerk of the Circuit Court /s/ Sherika Virgil By: ________________________________ Deputy Clerk

LEGALNOTICES@CITYANDSTATENY.COM

Notice of Qualification of Rising Oaks LLC. Authority filed with NY Dept. of State on 1/6/20.

Office location: NY County. LLC organized in NV on 9/3/13. NY Sec. of State designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: Rising Oaks LLC, 302 W. 12th St., Apt. 16G, NY, NY 10014, principal business address.

NV address of LLC: 4745 Caughlin Ranch Pkwy., Ste. 100, Reno, NV 89511.

Cert. of Org. filed with NV Sec. of State, 101 N. Carson St., Carson City, NV 89701. Purpose: any lawful activity.

ELIE G. AOUN, PSYCHIATRY, PLLC, a Prof. LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 02/26/2020.

Office loc: NY County.

SSNY has been designated as agent upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: The LLC, 90 Broad St., Ste 314, NY, NY 10004. Purpose: To Practice The Profession Of Medicine.

Notice of Qualification of IEX EVENT STREAM LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 02/20/20. Office location: NY County.

LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 11/06/17. Princ. office of LLC: 3 World Trade Center, 58th Fl., NY, NY 10007. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o Corporation Service Co. (CSC), 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: c/o CSC, 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808-1674. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State of the State of DE, John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901.

Purpose: Operation of a business which provides data analytics products.

Notice of Formation of COMPANY CULINARY MARKET LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 03/03/20. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 335 Madison Ave., 24th Fl., NY, NY 10017. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served.

SSNY shall mail process to the LLC at the addr. of its princ. office. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT A LICENSE, SERIAL # 1321552 FOR LIQUOR, WINE, & BEER HAS BEEN APPLIED FOR BY THE UNDERSIGNED TO SELL LIQUOR, WINE, & BEER AT RETAIL UNDER THE ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE CONTROL LAW AT 629 5TH AVE BROOKLYN, NY 11215. KINGS COUNTY, FOR ON PREMISE CONSUMPTION. EVERYDAY DRINKS LLC. Notice of Qualification of Watchung Capital LP. Authority filed with NY Dept. of State on 3/5/20. Office location: NY County. Princ. bus. addr.: 412 W. 15th St., 16th Fl., NY, NY 10011. LP formed in DE on 1/10/20.

NY Sec. of State designated agent of LP upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: Cogency Global Inc. (CGI), 122 E. 42nd St., 18th Fl., NY, NY 10168. DE addr. of LP: c/o CGI, 850 New Burton Rd., Ste. 201, Dover, DE 19904. Name/addr. of genl. ptr. available from NY Sec. of State. Cert. of LP filed with DE Sec. of State, 401 Federal St., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: all lawful purposes.

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT A LICENSE, SERIAL # 1321579 FOR LIQUOR, WINE, & BEER HAS BEEN APPLIED FOR

BY THE UNDERSIGNED TO SELL LIQUOR, WINE, & BEER AT RETAIL UNDER THE ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE CONTROL LAW AT 283 NOSTRAND AVE BROOKLYN, NY 11216. KINGS COUNTY, FOR ON PREMISE CONSUMPTION. SWOWAKZ LLC

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PUBLIC NOTICE SprintCom, Inc. proposes an antenna and equipment installation atop an existing 174.3’ building at 1700 Grand Concourse in the Bronx, NY. In accordance with the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended and the 2005 Nationwide Programmatic Agreement for Review Under the National Preservation Act; Final Rule, SPRINT is hereby notifying the public of the proposed undertaking and soliciting comments on Historic Properties which may be affected by the proposed undertaking. Accordingly, if you would like to provide specific information regarding potential effects that the proposed undertaking might have to properties that are listed on or eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places and located within ½ mile of the above address, please submit the property’s address and your comments to: Charles Cherundolo Consulting, Inc. at 976 Tabor Road, Suite 4B, Morris Plains, NJ 07950 or via email at tcns@cherundoloconsulting.com.

Copy of Application for Authority of NJ Energy Realty, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, or a notice related to the qualification of the LLC filed with State Secretary of New York (“SSNY”) on 11/8/19. Office Location: Westchester County.

SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served and mail process to: c/o Harriton & Furrer, LLP, 84 Business Park Drive, Suite 302, Armonk, NY 10504. Purpose: Notice of formation of Lilo Consulting LLC. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 01/30/2020.

Office location: Westchester County. SSNY is designated for services of process. SSNY shall mail a copy of any process served against the LLC to 2804 Gateway Oaks Dr #100 Sacramento, CA 95833. Purpose: any lawful purpose

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CityAndStateNY.com / PUBLIC and LEGAL NOTICES

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT A LICENSE, SERIAL # 1326663 FOR LIQUOR, WINE, & BEER HAS BEEN APPLIED FOR BY THE UNDERSIGNED TO SELL LIQUOR, WINE, & BEER AT RETAIL UNDER THE ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE CONTROL LAW AT 237 W 35TH ST NY, NY 10001.

NEW YORK COUNTY, FOR ON PREMISE CONSUMPTION. TM 357 LLC. Notice of Formation of Law office of Wayne Alton Cumberbatch, PLLC filed with SSNY on August 19, 2019.

Office: Kings County.

SSNY designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to LLC: 52 Van Buren Street, 3rd Floor Brooklyn, New York 11221. Purpose: Any lawful act or activity.

Notice of Formation of Cayuga LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with NY Dept. of State on 3/9/20. Office location: NY County. Princ. bus. addr.: 445 Park Ave., Ste. 700, NY, NY 10022. Sec. of State designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: Cogency Global Inc., 122 E. 42nd St., 18th Fl., NY, NY 10168. Purpose: all lawful purposes.

Notice of Formation of AR Practice Management Firm, LLC filed with SSNY on March 5, 2020. Office: NY Dutchess County. SSNY designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served.

SSNY shall mail copy of process to LLC: 59 Hudson Heights Drive, Poughkeepsie, NY 12601.

Purpose: any lawful act or activity.

Notice of Formation of Prologue Properties, LLC filed with SSNY on October 21, 2019. Office: NY County. SSNY designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to LLC: 155 East 108 Street, Suite 3B, New York, New York, 10029, Purpose: any lawful act or activity.

Notice of Formation of LEX PROSTHODONTICS LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/07/19. Office location: NY County.

SSNY designated as agent of PLLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC, 131 MacDougal St., NY, NY 10012. Purpose: Dentistry.

PUBLIC NOTICE Researchers at New York University are proposing to deploy an infrastructure-free navigation system to improve access to bus stops and subway stations for seniors and people with low vision.

The system is comprised of a book-bag containing camera devices which provide orientation cues through audio and touch feedback, navigating end users to the bus/ subway stop of their interest. The research team is seeking funding for this project under NYSDOT’s 2020 FTA Section 5310 Enhanced Mobility of Seniors and Individuals with Disabilities Program. Please direct any comments to c2smart@nyu.edu or by mail to C2SMART Center, NYU Dept. of Civil Eng., 6 Metrotech Center, Brooklyn, NY 11201.

Notice of Formation of JB Capstone Enterprises, LLC, filed with SSNY on 2/4/14. Office: NY County. SSNY designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to LLC: 12 East 37th St, 2nd Floor, NY, NY 10016. Purpose: any lawful act or activity.

Move it, Baby! LLC Filed 2/13/20 Office: New York Co. SSNY designated as agent for process & shall mail to: 120 Riverside Blvd, Apt 16J, New York, NY 10069 Purpose: all lawful

LEGALNOTICES@ CITYANDSTATENY.COM

March 23, 2020 STORAGE NOTICE

Modern Moving Inc. will sell at Public Auction at 3735 Merritt Avenue, Bronx, NY 10466 At 6:00 P.M. on April 14th, 2020 for due and unpaid charges by virtue of lien in accordance with the provisions of the law and with due notice given all parties claiming an interest therein, the time specified In each notice for payment of said charges having expired household furniture & effects, pianos, trunks, cases, TV’s, radios, hifi’s, refrigerators, sewing machines, washers, air conditioners, household furniture Of all descriptions and the contents thereof, stored under the following names: -FOREST, CHARLES -GUMENYUK, ILONA -GONZALEZ, ERICA -HOLIDAY, GINA -ASHLEY, HOWELL -HAYES, AUDREY -HOWARD, WANDALINE/ BLAH, TERESIA

-JAIME, OLGA -JAIME, OLGA -LOPEZ, VICTOR -LINDVOR, FREDDIE -MYERS, DARNELL -MARTINEZ, JOSEFINA -POWELL, CLARENCE -TURNER, NAQUAN PUBLIC NOTICE

Notice of Qualification of PGF1 SPE JV1, LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 03/11/20. Office location: NY County.

LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 12/17/18. Princ. office of LLC: 75 Broadway, Ste. 230, San Francisco, CA 94111. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC at the princ. office of the LLC. DE addr. of LLC: 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State, DE Div. of Corps., John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Qualification of PQOZ FUND MANAGER LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 03/11/20. Office location: NY County.

LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 11/07/18. Princ. office of LLC: 75 Broadway, Ste. 230, San Francisco, CA 94111. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC at the princ. office of the LLC. DE addr. of LLC: 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State, DE Div. of Corps., John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

AT&T proposes to modify an existing facility (new tip heights 318’) on the building at 2 E 55th St, New York, NY (20200150).

Interested parties may contact Scott Horn (856-8091202) (1012 Industrial Dr., West Berlin, NJ 08091) with comments regarding potential effects on historic properties.

PUBLIC NOTICE AT&T proposes to modify an existing facility (new tip heights 107’) on the building at 265 W 81st St, New York, NY (20200228).

Interested parties may contact Scott Horn (856-8091202) (1012 Industrial Dr., West Berlin, NJ 08091) with comments regarding potential effects on historic properties.

Notice of Formation of CLUBSTAR NYC DESIGN, LLC filed with SSNY on November 07, 2019. Office: NY County.

SSNY designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to LLC: 80 Varick St, 7F, NY, NY 10013. Purpose: any lawful act or activity.

DANIELLE SROOR MANAGEMENT LLC, Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 03/12/2020. Office loc: NY County. SSNY has been designated as agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: D. Sroor, 110 Wall Street, Apt 1704, NY, NY 10005. Purpose: Any Lawful Purpose.

NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT- COUNTY OF KINGS U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS TRUSTEE, ON BEHALF OF THE HOLDERS OF THE HOME EQUITY ASSET TRUST 2007-2HOME EQUITY PASSTHROUGH CERTIFICATES, SERIES 2007-2, Plaintiff, AGAINST KEISHA RATTRAY, et al. Defendant(s) Pursuant to a judgment of foreclosure and sale duly entered on October 15, 2019.

I, the undersigned Referee, will sell at public auction at Room 224, Kings County Supreme Court, 360 Adams Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201 on April 23, 2020 at 2:30 PM premises known as 1263 EAST 80 STREET, UNIT 42, BROOKLYN, NY 11236.

All that certain plot piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being a part of a condominium in the Borough and County of Kings, City and State of New York. Block 8060 and Lot 1086.

Approximate amount of judgment $400,982.07 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment. Index #506587/2013.

Steven Z. Naiman, Esq., Referee, Aldridge Pite, LLP - Attorneys for Plaintiff - 40 Marcus Drive, Suite 200, Melville, NY 11747 PUBLIC NOTICE

PUBLIC NOTICE

Cellco Partnership and its controlled affiliates doing business as Verizon Wireless (Verizon Wireless) proposes to collocate wireless communications antennas at a top height of 84 feet on an 82-foot building at the approx. vicinity of 1327 46th Street, Brooklyn, Kings County, NY 11219.

Public comments regarding potential effects from this site on historic properties may be submitted within 30 days from the date of this publication to: Trileaf Corp, Morgan Rasmussen, m.rasmussen@trileaf.com, 1395 S. Marietta Pkwy, Building 400, Suite 209, Marietta, GA 30067; 678-653-8673 ext. 657

Cellco Partnership and its controlled affiliates doing business as Verizon Wireless (Verizon Wireless) proposes to collocate wireless communications antennas at a top height of 52 feet on a 54-foot building.

The highest point on the structure is an existing antenna with a top height of 55 feet. The proposed site is located at the approx. vicinity of 298 Avenue P, Brooklyn, Kings County, NY 11204. Public comments regarding potential effects from this site on historic properties may be submitted within 30 days from the date of this publication to: Trileaf Corp, Morgan Rasmussen, m.rasmussen@trileaf.com, 1395 S. Marietta Pkwy, Building 400, Suite 209, Marietta, GA 30067; 678-653-8673 ext. 657

Notice of Formation of Somerset 2020 LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 01/21/20. Office location: NY County.

SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: The Baker Law Firm PLLC, 1175 York Ave., #15D, NY, NY 10065, Attn: Brett R. Baker, Esq. Purpose: any lawful activities.

Notice of Formation of CLUBSTAR NYC DESIGN, LLC filed with SSNY on November 07, 2019. Office: NY County.

SSNY designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to LLC: 80 Varick St, 7F, NY, NY 10013. Purpose: any lawful act or activity..

PUBLIC and LEGAL NOTICES / CityAndStateNY.com

March 23, 2020

PUBLIC NOTICE AT&T Mobility Services, LLC (AT&T) proposes the modification of an existing AT&T facility installed on the following structures in New York: Manhattan – a 76-foot building at 6 Ave B in New York (Job #47196); a 173-foot building at 267 5th Ave in New York (Job #47231); a 129-foot building at 210 South St in New York (Job #47076); a 70-foot building at 148 W 67th St in New York (Job #47200); a 81-foot building at 200 W 40th St in New York (Job #47201); Kings County - a 78-foot building at 136 Hicks St in Brooklyn (Job #47197); Westchester County - a 84.0-foot building at 595 Mclean Ave in Yonkers (Job #47185) In accordance with the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 and the 2005 Nationwide Programmatic Agreement, AT&T is hereby notifying the public of the proposed undertaking and soliciting comments on Historic Properties which may be affected by the proposed undertaking. If you would like to provide specific information regarding potential effects that the proposed undertaking might have to properties that are listed on or eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places and located within 1/2 mile of the site, please submit the comments (with project number) to: RAMAKER, Contractor for AT&T, 855 Community Dr, Sauk City, WI 53583 or via e-mail to history@ ramaker.com within 30 days of this notice

PUBLIC NOTICE AT&T proposes to modify an existing facility (new tip heights 91’ and 100’) on the building at 125 Canal Street, New York, NY (20200174).

Interested parties may contact Scott Horn (856809-1202) (1012 Industrial Dr., West Berlin, NJ 08091) with comments regarding potential effects on historic properties.

Notice of Qualification of Epyllion Industries LLC. Authority filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 02/19/20. Office location: NY County.

LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 02/18/20. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: c/o Matthew Ball, 1325 Avenue of the Americas, Ste. 2822, NY, NY 10019. Address to be maintained in DE: 9 E. Loockerman St., Ste. 311, Dover, DE 19901.

Arts of Org. filed with the Secy. of State, John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., - Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: any lawful activities.

PUBLIC NOTICE Crown Castle is proposing to install a 32-foot telecommunications pole at the following site: 969 Madison Avenue, New York, New York County, NY 10021. Crown Castle invites comments from any interested party on the impact of the proposed action on any districts, sites, buildings, structures or objects significant in American history, archaeology, engineering or culture that are listed or determined eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places and/or specific reason the proposed action may have a significant impact on the quality of the human environment.

Specific information regarding the project is available by calling Monica Gambino, 2000 Corporate Drive, Canonsburg, PA 15317, Monica.Gambino@CrownCastle.com, 724-416-2516 within 30 days of the date of this publication.

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT A LICENSE, SERIAL # 1326070 FOR LIQUOR, WINE, & BEER HAS BEEN APPLIED FOR

BY THE UNDERSIGNED TO SELL LIQUOR, WINE, & BEER AT RETAIL UNDER THE ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE CONTROL LAW AT 99 BANK ST NY, NY 10014. NEW YORK COUNTY, FOR ON PREMISE CONSUMPTION. ON THE CORNER NY LLC

PUBLIC NOTICE SprintCom, Inc. proposes an antenna and equipment installation atop an existing 73.8’ building at 2166 Amsterdam Ave in Manhattan, New York City, NY. In accordance with the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended and the 2005 Nationwide Programmatic Agreement for Review Under the National Preservation Act; Final Rule, SPRINT is hereby notifying the public of the proposed undertaking and soliciting comments on Historic Properties which may be affected by the proposed undertaking. Accordingly, if you would like to provide specific information regarding potential effects that the proposed undertaking might have to properties that are listed on or eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places and located within ½ mile of the above address, please submit the property’s address and your comments to: Charles Cherundolo Consulting, Inc. at 976 Tabor Road, Suite 4B, Morris Plains, NJ 07950 or via email at tcns@cherundoloconsulting.com.

LEGALNOTICES@ CITYANDSTATENY.COM

LEGALNOTICES@CITYANDSTATENY.COM

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March 23, 2020

CITY & STATE NEW YORK MANAGEMENT & PUBLISHING CEO Steve Farbman, President & Publisher Tom Allon tallon@cityandstateny.com, Comptroller David Pirozzi, Business & Operations Manager Patrea Patterson, Administrative Assistant Lauren Mauro

Who was up and who was down last week

CREATIVE Art Director Andrew Horton, Senior Graphic Designer Alex Law, Graphic Designer Aaron Aniton

LOSERS

DIGITAL Digital Marketing Director Maria Cruz Lee, Project Manager Michael Filippi, Digital Content Manager Amanda Luz Henning Santiago, Digital Marketing Strategist Caitlin Dorman, Digital Marketing Associate Chris Hogan, Web/ Email Strategist Isabel Beebe

BILL DE BLASIO Despite all of his workouts at his favorite Prospect Park YMCA, Hizzoner has been sluggish on the city’s growing number of coronavirus cases. As other cities have taken more aggressive steps to curb the spread of the virus, de Blasio has been slow to enforce new restrictions. It would do the mayor good to remember that not so long ago, Italy’s government moved at a similarly leisurely pace and has warned other countries against making the same mistake.

THE BEST OF THE REST

THE REST OF THE WORST

JUSTIN BRANNAN

ERIC ADAMS

It took a crisis, but the councilman got the city to relax about alternate side parking.

RICHARD GOTTFRIED

The best beard in Albany is also the longest-serving beard in Albany.

While the rest of the world is working from home, he’s still making his staff come in.

All his carefully laid plans to balance the state budget, blown straight to hell.

IGGY TERRANOVA

JESSICA RAMOS & CATHY NOLAN

DONALD TRUMP

It only took 48 hours for their emergency paid sick leave bill to pass. A new record?

EVENTS events@cityandstateny.com Sales Director Lissa Blake, Events Manager Alexis Arsenault, Event Coordinator Amanda Cortez

Vol. 9 Issue 11 March 16, 2020 IS COVID-19 DE BLASIO’S KATRINA?

ABOVE & BEYOND RODNEYSE BICHOTTE AND THE WOMEN TRANSFORMING NEW YORK

ROBERT MUJICA

SHARON LEE

With the election on hold, she stays the deputy borough president a while longer.

ADVERTISING Vice President of Advertising Jim Katocin jkatocin@ cityandstateny.com, Account/Business Development Executive Scott Augustine saugustine@cityandstateny.com, Vice President, Advertising and Client Relations Danielle Koza dkoza@cityandstateny.com, Sales Associate Cydney McQuillan-Grace cydney@cityandstateny.com, Legal Advertising Executive Shakirah Gittens legalnotices@ cityandstateny.com, Sales Assistant Zimam Alemenew

CIT YANDSTATENY.COM

@CIT YANDSTATENY

March 23, 2020

Cover Guerin Blask

The Queens challenger’s home base is reportedly – gasp! – on Long Island.

A lot of people seem to be taking this Democratic hoax pretty seriously.

WINNERS & LOSERS is published every Friday morning in City & State’s First Read email.

Sign up for the email, cast your vote and see who won at cityandstateny.com.

CITY & STATE NEW YORK (ISSN 2474-4107) is published weekly, 48 times a year except for the four weeks containing New Year’s Day, July 4th, Thanksgiving and Christmas by City & State NY, LLC, 61 Broadway, Suite 1315, New York, NY 10006-2763. Periodicals postage paid at New York, NY and at additional mailing offices.

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DON POLLARD/OFFICE OF GOVERNOR; ED REED/MAYORAL PHOTOGRAPHY OFFICE

ANDREW CUOMO The Master of Disaster was in his element. While other elected leaders were busy going to the gym, Cuomo was getting stuff done in the state Capitol. The health care system is mobilizing. Confidence in his leadership appears strong. The state budget process is moving forward. He even got President Donald Trump to send in the Army Corps of Engineers. While #AmericasGovernor isn’t trending yet, the threeterm governor is clearly having a moment.

OUR PICK

OUR PICK

WINNERS

In the big picture, there are no winners when it comes to the coronavirus. But in politics, there are always efforts to capitalize on a crisis, and some politicians are doing it better than others. This Winners & Losers features a number of elected officials who have been commended for their response, and others who have been condemned.

EDITORIAL editor@cityandstateny.com Editor-in-Chief Jon Lentz jlentz@cityandstateny.com, Managing Editor Ryan Somers, Senior Editor Ben Adler badler@cityandstateny.com, Special Projects Editor Alice Popovici, Deputy Editor Eric Holmberg, Senior Reporter Jeff Coltin jcoltin@cityandstateny.com, Staff Reporter Zach Williams zwilliams@cityandstateny.com, Staff Reporter Rebecca C. Lewis rlewis@cityandstateny.com, Tech & Policy Reporter Annie McDonough amcdonough@ cityandstateny.com, Staff Reporter Kay Dervishi, Associate Copy Editor Holly Pretsky

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