Cost Pileup Behind City Bills

SPEAKER_03 0:00

Now, if you told me that was just one bill, do I think it's the most unreasonable thing in the world that a unit once per year has to pay a little money to, you know, to help with to keep our streets clean? Probably maybe, maybe not. But the way I saw it, I saw that on top of Local Law 11, on top of Local Law 97, on top of all the other laws that you have to hire consultants for. And I said at a time when people are already struggling to pay their bills, and at a time when we have all of these other laws in the books, like I just couldn't bring myself to vote for someone that increased those costs for New Yorkers, even a dime.

SPEAKER_00 0:44

This is the Co-op and Condo Insider, the podcast dedicated to New York's cooperative and condominium communities. This is your trusted source for the latest insights, strategies, and stories shaping the world of shared housing. You will hear from the people who are leaders in this community. Information and insights you will not hear anywhere else. If you want to stay ahead of the curve, you're in the right place. The views and opinions expressed on this program do not necessarily reflect those of the host or any affiliated individuals or organizations.

SPEAKER_01 1:13

Hello,

Show Intro And Guest Welcome

SPEAKER_01 1:14

and welcome to the Co-op and Condo Insider, where we explore the real-world issues facing co-op and condominium communities across New York City, with insight expertise and a healthy dose of straight talk. I'm your host, Jeffrey Mazel, a co-op attorney, legal advisor to the president's co-op and condo council. And I'm thrilled to be joined by my co-host, Richard Solomon, a seasoned voice in public radio for over 20 years. Richard has taken his listeners around the world to meet experts, newsmakers, and the people making a real difference in our lives every day. Richard, it's great to have you on the mic today.

SPEAKER_02 1:50

Great to be here. Got the digital fire going.

SPEAKER_01 1:53

Okay. Warm and cozy. Today I'm thrilled about our guest. We're joined by Councilmember Eric Dinowitz, New York City Council District 11. Eric, we're going to talk about your journey into public service and your perspective on co-ops, condos, housing, and other issues in New York City. I look forward to a very interesting and fun hour. And of course, we will talk about Binghamton University, and hopefully we don't spend the whole time talking about Binghamton University. Welcome to the show. Thank you for having me. Our pleasure. So let's let's let's we'll do a little background because one thing people read about you, they they they think they know you, but then they realize they don't know the first thing about you other than how you voted on the last issue or or uh whatever criticism comes up or or or compliments. So where did you grow up and what was your community like?

Growing Up In The Northwest Bronx

SPEAKER_03 2:49

Well, I grew up in the same area where I now represent in the city council. I grew up in the Northwest Bronx, um, spent a little time in Kingsbridge Heights, uh, and then spent most of my upbringing in Kingsbridge and then moved to Riverdale. And that was where I spent my time living with my family. I mean my parents. Uh, went off to Binghamton, came back, um, and eventually moved into the same Michelama that I grew up in. Um, and now my wife and my two boys, we live in in Riverdale. So really staying in the same area. And it's also the area where I spent most of my time as a public school special education teacher. So the the Northwest Bronx is really, really my home. It's where I was raised, it's where I'm raising my family, it's where I've spent my entire life working.

SPEAKER_01 3:41

And and that that is so unusual these days because people literally moving around the world. I I always say my the block I grew up on, including my brother, who's in Arizona, my two best friends are in California. I live about three miles from where I grew up. And I think, Richard, are you in the apartment you grew up in?

SPEAKER_02 4:00

This is my grandmother's.

SPEAKER_01 4:01

Oh, the grandmother's apartment. So there's something to be said for continuity, and I think it's great for community building. So let's talk about what values from your upbringing still guide you today.

Family Values And Public Service

SPEAKER_03 4:15

I you know, as for for as far back as I can remember, my my parents in both in various ways were serving the community. And my dad's in elected office, and but even before that, he was a community activist. Um my mom served on the board of our co-ops. She served on the board of our shul, um, local community center. Uh, and I would always go to the parks clearance. My dad and mom would take me there. We would, on Thanksgiving, when I was young, we would serve food uh to people at the local community center, would always always volunteer for for various initiatives in the community. So whether it was from seeing my parents or engaging myself, always being involved in public service, that's just how I was how I was raised. And, you know, when it came time to get a job after college, um public education, I always loved education, but doing it for you know, in our public school system, right? In the very same system where I went to school, um, where everyone from the community goes to school, was it was almost a no-brainer uh uh for me. And so that was as far back as I can remember going into my entire career has

Life As A Special Education Teacher

SPEAKER_03 5:30

been public service.

SPEAKER_01 5:32

So so you you mentioned before you originally were a school teacher?

SPEAKER_03 5:37

Yeah, I was a I was a public school special education teacher. It was it was really, really fun, let me tell you. When my after uh graduated college, uh, you know, I was I became a teacher right after college, and my friends asked me what it's like to be an adult because they were still in college. And I said, I said, I have no idea. Like I hang out with kids all day. So I got I don't know the first thing about being an actual grown-up.

SPEAKER_01 6:00

What what what age did you or what grade did you teach?

SPEAKER_03 6:03

I was a high school teacher, so I I taught everything from 9 to 12th grade, and actually at the at my last year, I taught a couple of sections of eighth grade because my last year I taught in a K-12 school, but it was all kids 14, age 14 to 21.

SPEAKER_01 6:19

And which school did you teach in?

SPEAKER_03 6:21

Well, the the so the school I first taught at was about a five-minute walk from where I grew up and where I eventually moved at the Kennedy campus, a school called Bronx Theater High School. And then I worked at Walton campus at a school called Celia Cruz Bronx School of Music. And then I spent a year during COVID, was actually I taught for like six months in person at a school called Nest Plus M, way downtown. And then the rest of the time was virtual uh because it because then COVID hit. Um, but but most of my 12 of the years I taught were in Kennedy and the Walton campuses, which are both happened to be in the district I now represent.

SPEAKER_01 7:00

So

School Politics And Real Impact

SPEAKER_01 7:01

here's a question. We actually asked this of uh former council member Barry Grudenchick. What's more difficult? Uh uh New York City politics, school politics, or co-op politics?

SPEAKER_03 7:14

Or what was the last one?

SPEAKER_01 7:16

Uh co-op politics.

SPEAKER_03 7:17

School politics. I'd say first of all, Barry, Binghamton graduate. Yes, absolutely. But I I think I think school politics probably, school politics is probably hardest. Um although although they all have their challenges, I would say New York City politics are the least challenging. School politics, you know, you do a lot of work and the and the work is really impactful, and you don't get the same kind of help that you get when you're a city council member. Um you're very often feeling very alone. Even when you have the teams and support, so much of what you do is is alone. And it's not helped by the fact that very often it seems that the Department of Education, you know, they'd rather you write a paper or collect data about helping kids than like helping the kid. And that as the years went on in my job, that became more of the case. I started out and it was very focused on the kids, and then it just seemed more and more from the top. It came down, um like like you know, write us a dissertation on your plan to attempt to help the kids, and it it took a it took so much away from what I knew was right for the kids.

SPEAKER_01 8:41

It is the largest uh school system in the country, so it's yeah, for I always think it's a lot of moving parts.

SPEAKER_03 8:48

I I think they could they may be able to do a better job moving those parts around for 40 billion dollars.

SPEAKER_01 8:54

Yeah, no, my my daughter is a I tell you a first grade teacher in in uh near Columbia in Manhattan, and uh she's expressed what you've expressed. You you could work, you could work, you work is the recognition is few and far between, but once in a while when a parent comes up to you and thanks you and tells you how you impacted their child's life, you know, it's kind of like being a lawyer. Maybe if if I get a compliment every couple of months, I'm happy.

SPEAKER_03 9:24

Yeah. I you know, when it was a being a teacher, it was it was rewarding. You know, the the my students, I just had great relationships with them. And every so often, you know, I don't keep in touch with most of them, but every so often they'll see something I post on my account on social media and they'll comment like, oh, that was my that was my teacher. And it's really cool um to to even hear from them in that regard. You know, the thing about teaching, you don't always know the your impact till perhaps many years later. And my students, I I you know, I see them from time to time in the community, and they and they tell me that things that I taught them years ago stuck with them when they were going through some difficult times. And I I only hear about it years and years later in many cases. Um and so it's extremely rewarding, but you don't always don't always know. You don't always know. And that becomes, I think, a challenge for a lot of teachers because in whatever job you have, you you wanna you want to feel good about your job and you want to feel your impact. You want to know your impact.

SPEAKER_02 10:30

Well, you know, it's interesting because that's a lot like radio. Um, I've been on the radio for 20 years, and you may do all kinds of shows, everything, and yet many years, many years after a specific show, you'll get a comment about how that particular show may have had an impact. But you know, like what we're doing, you know, when you broadcast, you're just broadcasting broadly, but you actually don't really know the the the actual landing zones for for the people who it actually matters to, and how it really is embraced, you know, uh by people.

SPEAKER_03 11:04

But it it is very possible that someone has learned something on your show that they that they have then used in whatever manner for their co-op board, and you may be talking about hundreds or thousands of people that that you may have helped, and and you know, you'll never know. And the thing is, whether it's this job in the city council or my teaching job or the radio show, like I I think that's okay. You know, I don't, you know, and that's kind of at it, it's just okay, you know, that you do what you you know is right, you help as many people as possible, and they're gonna go off and do better for themselves and do well for themselves, and you're not always gonna get a thank you. And that's and that's okay because you don't always do what you do just to get someone to say thank you. You do it because it's the right thing and you know it's gonna help people. So let's uh I'm very grateful for my community. I I will say we get people stopping in my office just to come by and say thank you. We have people emailing my office just to come by and say say thank you. And it's not and it's it is rewarding, um, but I feel very lucky in that sense because uh you you know you mentioned earlier we do get a lot of complaints. So the thank you, you know, the thank yous do go a long way, but it's not necessarily why you know we do the work, we do it because we know it's gonna help people.

SPEAKER_01 12:23

So I I will say I I work with and speak to a lot of elected officials, and thank yous are rare, so uh so that I think that bodes well on on the job you're doing. So congratulations on that. So you talked about your first experience with politics and civil engagement was through your parents.

From Classroom Problems To Policy

SPEAKER_01 12:43

But when did you have that aha moment when you realized you wanted to run for office? Yeah, I'm not sure.

SPEAKER_03 12:51

I I'm not sure I had like an aha moment that made me run for office. But when I ran I started teaching, uh but sorry, before I started teaching, I got the job, the principal show me around the building, and she shows me the regents results. Now I went to a school where the regents password was 100%. I I grew up in an environment where it was just like that, you just passed the regents, there are nothing tests. That was my environment. So when she told me the regents, the ELA pass rate, the English pass rate was 56%. I I chuckled. I thought she was joking. And I felt like a huge jerk right afterwards because she wasn't, and she told me. Um, and she told me about some of the situations that a lot of our students find themselves in and some of the challenges we face as educators beyond the classroom. And I soon learned for myself that a lot of my students were hungry, a lot of my students were unhoused, a lot of my students were facing immigration or healthcare issues, like things you wouldn't think belong in the classroom, but of course they're in the classroom. Um I remember seeing kids in the cafeteria, like taking a few extra sandwiches, like looking around, peeking over their shoulders as if they don't want people to see them. Or the person serving lunch would give them a couple extra milks. And that was so that they can go home and have food in their house for themselves and for their siblings and for their parents. And it wasn't uncommon for me to see that. Like it wasn't uncommon for me to see kids absent because of issues with um, you know, their housing or being late because of whatever reason, kids leaving early from school because they had to be the ones to pick up their siblings from elementary school. And I think all of these things added up together. And I had seen what public service can do from growing up. I've seen it from my mom and my dad. And, you know, eventually, I don't know when the aha moment was, but eventually all of these things added up and said, you know, I can do a lot for my kids, do a lot for students around the city. If I run for public office, if in the city council, um, I can change some of the laws, I can change where the funding goes. And I've done just that. I one of the first things that I did in 2021 when I got elected was after seeing so many of my kids and their families with food insecurities and seeing so many of them struggling to get the vaccines is I brought more food distribution sites to my district and I brought the vaccine the COVID vaccine to my district. And that was that was like day one. And so I was already addressing it. And um, you know, now I think by the time I'm done in the with these four years, every single one of my schools is going to get new facilities, whether it's a football field or a softball field uh or new playgrounds, basketball courts, like you name it, we're gonna we're we're doing it for all of our schools. And so those things that I saw in the classroom, I am now addressing as council, which councilman, which is exactly what I came to the council to do.

SPEAKER_01 15:56

So that's the the it it's these parallels with Barry Grudenczyk, who was a great public servant. He listed when he spoke with us his greatest achievements were the enhancements he brought to the schools in his district. And so you

Co-Ops As A Path To Ownership

SPEAKER_01 16:12

started you started with a bang there. And it sounds like um your experience as a teacher has had a profound impact on your experience as an elected official.

SPEAKER_03 16:22

Well, for sure. For sure. It's you know, I chair the education committee now, which is a great honor. And taking the experiences I learned from within the classroom to shape and affect policy um is really something, you know, really something that I uh that I deeply value. But again, it's also all these things outside of the classroom that I'm really trying to also have an impact on.

SPEAKER_01 16:49

So uh we'll segue to a uh topic known as co-op and condos. I think you've you've heard about it.

SPEAKER_03 16:56

And uh I've heard of I've heard of such things.

SPEAKER_01 16:59

You've heard of such things. So uh and we always ask this question because um, you know, in our experience, co-ops and condos were always sort of this treasured source of housing uh that builds home ownership. And with the current administration, we we're you know, we've kind of done it done a double take of some of the things that are said. So what's what's view what's your view on co-op and condos within the broader housing landscape in New York City?

SPEAKER_03 17:28

Um I I only really remember living in co-ops and condos. I grew up in uh in Michelama housing, a Michelama co-op. My family moved to a uh market rate co-op. After college, I lived for a little while in a rental, but then I moved back into a Michelama co-op. Uh and now I live in a you know a market rate uh co-op. Um yeah, I hear uh I think a lot of the the messaging and the way we talk about housing, I do think has to change. Um if you you know you look at even what we deal with in terms of developers, they're only really talking about building rental units, affordable rental units, where it may be affordable to live there, but you're not creating an investment. You're not creating necessarily uh roots, you may be creating roots in the district, but I feel like with a co-op, when you are purchasing something, and in many cases it is a you know, trying to make it affordable to purchase something, you are laying down your roots affirmatively in a particular area or district and building community in a way that may be a little harder when when you're renting and you can move from place to place a little uh more easily. Um and if you're renting, you're not necessarily creating equity. But the only conversation we're having about development is building new rentals. And the only conversation I hear from any elected official running for mayor is about rent. Now, granted, most of the most of the housing in New York City is rental, so it's important to talk about there. But I don't but I don't think you have to exclude co-ops in those conversations. And I think it's okay to say, as a developer, you should be developing more uh affordable housing that is that is co-ops. Um I think it's okay to say, as we're considering laws, that people who live in co-ops, just because they own something, doesn't mean they're very wealthy. It doesn't mean you know all of the um the laws that we pass or the funding that we need in the city for tax can be borne out by on the backs of shareholders in co-ops. Um so just the way we talk about it, the co-ops need to be included, I think, in a lot of the conversations that we have about development and affordability in a way that I don't hear it right now.

SPEAKER_01 19:56

So uh yeah, thank you for coming uh to Hilltop Village in uh Queens Village last week. And you saw a perfect example

Why Co-Ops Get Overlooked

SPEAKER_01 20:06

of what we like to think of affordable housing on those apartments. Uh it was beautifully maintained property, 800 plus units. They go for less than 400,000. And they truly are affordable housing. But why do you feel like uh, or what do you see as the disconnect with your colleagues in the city council, not to recognize this housing stock as being a big part of the affordable housing picture and to try to preserve it as much as possible to keep it affordable?

SPEAKER_03 20:38

Yeah, I I don't I don't know if necessarily, you know, my my colleagues, maybe some of them, I don't want to put anyone into buckets.

SPEAKER_01 20:45

Okay, those are my uh for the record. I'm aware those are my words, not not Council Member Kenowicz.

SPEAKER_03 20:51

I you know, it it's hard to know. I I think that if you represent a district that doesn't have a ton of co-ops, I think it's hard to see them. And when the people coming into your office are mostly people who are renting, and this is true for my office too. Most of the people who are coming into my office for housing issues are renting. Most of the people who are coming in uh with issues are complaining about actions or inactions of a landlord. Um, so I I I don't think it's unreasonable that when all you see is problems with with rentals, um, that that's a focus. Um, but it doesn't mean that co-ops don't have their own issues. Um that that don't need the love and attention that we give all of our constituents.

SPEAKER_01 21:41

So um there's been a lot of discussion about uh unfunded mandates.

Unfunded Mandates And Local Laws

SPEAKER_01 21:46

Um those are uh rules and regulations promulgated by the city government or state or or federal, where you're you're required a housing provider is required to do something. Uh To meet a regulation, but there's no there's no money for it. Uh the biggest one being um local law 97, which is we're gonna require uh significant retrofits to reduce carbon emissions. So, how do you approach an unfunded mandate as a council member, um as a person? And where do you see the balance?

SPEAKER_03 22:23

Yeah, I I think what's really hard is if you look at any law individually, they all seem reasonable, or a lot of them seem reasonable. Um I'll give you an example, something that passed last year, a bill that I I think I don't think was unreasonable, I think was very reasonable, and it is something that's important for our city. It was about trash containerizations. And what it said was like buildings have to um you know, of a certain size have to containerize their trash. And in the bill, it it would charge except with some exemptions, it would charge each unit like up to $50 a year. Now, if you told me that was just one bill, do I think it's the most unreasonable thing in the world that a unit once per year has to pay a little money to, you know, to help with to keep our streets clean? Probably maybe, maybe not. But the way I saw it, I saw that on top of Local Law 11, on top of local law 97, on top of all the other other laws that you have to hire consultants for. And I said at a time when people are already struggling to pay their bills, and at a time when we have all of these other laws in the books, like I just couldn't bring myself to vote for someone that increased those costs for New Yorkers, even a dime. And I felt that people are already paying taxes, that we should have been able to get the money to pay for this program to keep the streets clean, you know, not a bad idea. Um, but we should have found that money through taxes or through other cost-saving measures. I think these laws have to be looked at comprehensively. It's hard to look at one law and another law because it all adds up. We did look at one of the laws, local law 11, and and we did make changes to that to make it more affordable for buildings. That was one change we made a few years ago. Uh, and there are certainly more changes we need to look at, you know, whether it's local law 97, just you know, really, really asking ourselves, how do we make this affordable? Because if you also look at these laws, they're really important. Like, I don't want bricks falling on people's heads. So, local law 11, the idea of it's really important. Local law 97, we do need to address emissions in New York City. Um, and so really, really coming to the table, really looking at all the laws together and look at whether they're necessary, and if they are great. And then asking how do we pay for it? What's the city's role, and how much more can we really put on the backs of working families and working New Yorkers?

SPEAKER_01 25:08

So uh I I guess the flip side of is of course, what's the purpose of the law? And we all agree that we want a cleaner environment and we don't want bricks falling on our heads. Yeah, but I I was surprised when I started looking further into some of these laws, especially local law 97, that the city never did an uh economic feasibility study from the vantage point of the co-op homeowner. And and those numbers are coming to light now, and they're unsustainable. So and and there's not, you know, to get people's attention, uh at least some people's attentions in in the council and even at the state level, is it it becomes sort of a a divisive issue saying you're not environmentally friendly. So, you know, I find that that the economics of the shareholders should be taken into account on every unfunded mandate.

SPEAKER_03 26:06

Oh, yeah, for sure. Like I wonder how many of the laws, and now this is in a previous council, like two councils ago, they passed local law 97. So I think 2019. Um, and I wonder how many council members at the time, or for any of these laws, are considering that. How many are not considering, how many are considering just the big, you know, that we hear about the big wealthy landlords, how many are considering the small landlords. Uh, I I don't have I don't really have an answer uh for that, but it it goes back to what I said earlier that the co-ops, you know, we really need to talk more about co-ops um in as part of the conversation. I think a lot of people

Volunteer Boards And Legal Risk

SPEAKER_03 26:50

may not, they may be aware, they may not be, but you know, when you serve on a co-op board, for example, um you're a volunteer. You're taking of your time to make your building and your community a better place. I mean, just like you would in a tenants association, right? Um I I think what what what I always look at, what troubles me is some of the laws that we look at not only put a tremendous onus on the board uh members, but I think in some cases, if certain bills pass as originally craft, it could make them like criminally liable uh for certain things for good progressive laws that that don't articulate what it means for a co-op board member. Um please.

SPEAKER_01 27:42

No, I was gonna say we we uh in December uh we we heard you at the housing committee hearing uh where there was truly uh some contempt for board members, especially when we were talking about the reasons bill. And and you you you you you you enunciated sort of the concepts that you just said now. And I don't know if you realize there were there were three or four rooms filled with board members, and it was cringy to hear our elected officials talk about co-op boards. Uh, you know, that there's sort of the secret cabal society, and it's such misinformation uh that that it was truly disappointing to hear. Um, so hopefully, you know, through uh podcasts like this, and you know, we're always, you know, the co-op community is always looking to engage with elected officials to let them know, you know, we're not we're just trying to preserve this housing stock.

SPEAKER_03 28:40

Yeah, and and I remember that, of course I remember that hearing. And I think one of the reasons, Bill, one of the lines in it was uh then the line was under penalty of perjury. And it was saying like an individual board member, you know, could face civil, I don't know if it was criminal or civil, like live. Civil penalties, civil penalty, like an individual board member uh under under penalty of perjury. And uh again, you're talking like you're talking about volunteers. You're my my parents were on the co-op board, my friends are uh currently on the co-op board. And I it's it it's just you really gotta create a city or

Keeping Families In New York City

SPEAKER_03 29:20

or keep a city where people want to be part of it and want to contribute. And I I am deeply afraid, um, you know, a combination of pushing out middle class New Yorkers. I I am deeply afraid of this for various actions we're taking. Like if we're making it more and more expensive for working class, middle class New Yorkers, they're gonna leave. And in the meantime, all the construction that's happening, besides not building homeownership opportunities, we are only building studios and one-bedrooms and a couple of two-bedroom apartments. We're building no three-bedroom apartments and subsidized affordable housing. Between pushing out working class New Yorkers and working class families and not building for new families to stay affordably or to move in affordably, we are going to completely lose the working class New Yorkers, middle class. We're going to completely lose families. We're already seeing significant out-migration of families. Um, we are seeing a you know, vast majority of people in our shelter as families. We are struggling with our tax base. Um, and instead of raising taxes, which we which we push back against, of raising property taxes on working class New Yorkers, I think it'd be better to shore up our working class and make it more affordable for them to live here and support them, you know, with good schools and with good housing and affordable housing and creating the conditions by which they can live here and stay here and raise a family and retire here.

SPEAKER_01 30:52

I I couldn't agree more. Um, just to nerd out a little bit on statistics, uh uh uh Comptroller Landers in March 24 came out with a report uh about affordability. Um hundred percent of the homes for sale in New York City under 400,000 are co-ops.

SPEAKER_03 31:13

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 31:15

90% of the uh sale of homes under the median price of $850 are co-ops or condos. So this is your affordable housing, and it's an entree to home ownership. Right. So at this point, um we're running out of time. Uh Richard's chomping at the bit to ask you. We were gonna ask you questions about the Bronx. Richard, go ahead.

SPEAKER_02 31:39

Well, all

Bronx Hidden Gems And Food Stops

SPEAKER_02 31:40

right. So what do you I'm gonna ask this is like the lightning round. So the first question is what are your favorite secret gems of the Bronx? Because to many places, to many people, the Bronx is like this mysterious other place. Yeah, they know the Yankees and things like that, but my parents grew up in the Bronx. So I know things about like, you know, so I know like crumbs and I know your baking company, and I know uh I remember the Park Sausage was there and Sydney's Pickles. So I used to go to all these great places. What are the hidden gems? I know there's Arthur Avenue, but what are the hidden gems of the Bronx that I would say Arthur Avenue discovered?

SPEAKER_03 32:16

I would say Arthur Avenue, but that's outside my district. So I'll say it anyway. It's a great, great, great spot. Um, but Vancorland Park, I think people know of Van Corlin Park, but I'm not sure they know just how it's the third largest park in New York City. Um, and they have these great nature trails that I don't think most people are aware of. Um, and in one of those trails, which is right uh which is actually next to the Putnam Trail, which is a biking trail, they have these giant stone slabs. And these stone slabs were like the like the prototype testing material for what they were gonna build Grand Central with. And so those are there in Van Courtland Park. So people go for a run, people hang out on the field with their families to go for a uh in the nature trails, and you go across the street on the west side on Broadway to Lloyd's Carrot Cake for the best carrot cake you're gonna have. All right, you go you eat a whole cake, then you go south a little bit to 238th Street, and you go to S cheesecake for the best cheesecake you'll ever have. Uh, and then you you you top it all off with a beer at the the Bronx Alehouse.

SPEAKER_02 33:29

So when my parents were growing up in the 40s, they would go every Sunday, the families would all picnic in the summer at Van Cartland Park.

SPEAKER_03 33:37

Yeah, and we love the park so much. When I started, I I think it's either four or five years ago at this part, at this point, during the summer, um, I used to go to Bryant Park on Monday nights. They have these great movie nights, and I and it was it was so much fun to go down there, lay out a blanket with my friends. And I kept saying, every now, I was like, Oh, this is great, but why do I have to go to Manhattan to do this? And so when I became council member, I said, you know what? I don't, I don't think my community members should have to go to Manhattan for a nice movie night. And people should be able to come here for a movie night. And so we worked with the Van Corland Park Alliance. We got some, uh I provided public funding, got some private funding, and we had the first annual movie series just in that park. Um, and they've been continuing it ever since. So I I think, yeah, I think this year is like the fifth year that they're doing it. So this summer, look out for those dates for the movie nights. And we started the same thing in Williamsbridge Oval in Norwood, which is also just an incredible park. They got a football field, running track, tennis courts, two playgrounds, uh, a dog run, basketball courts, incredible things going on there all the time. And I can't forget Wave Hill. Wave Hill is like a hidden gem that uh should definitely try to visit.

SPEAKER_01 34:54

So I'll tell you, over 50 years ago, I used to run cross-country in in Great Neck in Long Island, and we used to do our track meet our cross-country meets at Van Courtland Park. Yeah. Kids would come from all over. You know, that's how beautiful it was.

SPEAKER_03 35:10

And uh a number of my colleagues would tell me that they they also used to run cross-country, and they're very familiar with Van Courtland Park because that's where they used to run in high school. That's funny.

SPEAKER_01 35:21

All right, Richard, what else you got? You got a Binghamton question?

SPEAKER_02 35:24

I was gonna ask, what

Binghamton Memories And Sign Off

SPEAKER_02 35:25

are your favorite memories of Binghamton?

SPEAKER_03 35:27

My favorite memories. Um, I'm gonna your um your your listeners are gonna know how much of a nerd that I am. Um I I was in my uh one of the a cappella groups at Binghamton. I was in the Jewish a cappella group called Kaskesset. And I think some of my best memories are rehearsing. Uh, with just just you know, just like the rehearsals. Uh, we used to go to the music building. You know, I spent a lot of my time, a lot of my best friends were in that group. And then before or afterwards, they have these uh practice rooms with the pianos. So we could just other friends from my music class just go and like play piano. And it was it was a blast. It was a blast. Those are some of the you know, some of the better memories from Binghamton.

SPEAKER_01 36:15

So, council member, uh, we are out of time, but I want to thank you. This was fun and interesting and enlightening. And um, I want to tell our listeners that you can listen to this podcast. We're in any all the podcast stores, and we thank you for listening and hope you have a nice day. Thank you again, council member.

SPEAKER_03 36:34

Thanks so much for it.

SPEAKER_01 36:36

Any last words?

SPEAKER_03 36:37

Thank you for having me. Appreciate the time.

SPEAKER_01 36:39

Okay. Thank you. Goodbye, everybody.

SPEAKER_03 36:41

Thank you.