Not too long ago a shady group put out an expensive, glossy and HIGHLY misleading propoganda piece about the EPA's plan to clean up the Gowanus Canal using the Superfund. This glossy piece basically was put out by developers to further their own agenda for the Gowanus. Just as a reminder of what we are talking about, here is a picture of what the canal gets like (picture taken by my wife as we walked past the canal last summer):

City Council candidate Josh Skaller, who was one of the first to endorse Obama's EPA plan to Superfund the Gowanus, is co-hosting a forum on the issue to try and clear up some of the misinformation that developers have been putting out on the issue.

This comes from the Josh Skaller campaign.

"End the Propaganda": Neighborhood Groups Join Josh Skaller in Fight Against Gowanus Misinformation Campaign  read more »

Back when David Yassky ran for Congress, he was seen as primarily a supporter of Bruce Ratner, though with more reservations than Ratner supporter Yvette Clarke. My wife took particular notice of how he would always begin any discussing on development in general and Atlantic Yards in particular with the assumption that developers would get their way and that it was up to government to get as much as they could out of developers in return. This was a defeatist view but was a consistent message from David Yassky.  read more »

This is from awhile back, but never got around to posting it here. With the Sotomayor hearings coming up, this is worth keeping in mind.

I have known Jo Anne Simon for several years and she is currently one of the district leaders for my area. I have also endorsed her for City Council. Locally Jo Anne Simon is best known for being one of only a handful of district leaders to stand up to local corruption. Nationally, she is known for he role as an advocate for disabled rights. I recently learned that in this capacity she has first hand knowledge of what it is like to argue before Judge Sotomayor, and I think her comments are worth knowing as Sotomayor is scrutinized for her Supreme Court nomination.

This is from Jo Anne Simon's campaign website:  read more »

Paterson's office emails over this bit of good news: WIC - Women, infants and children - recipients can now use their checks or electronic debit cards at their local farmers market.

Governor David A. Paterson today announced that participants in the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Program can now use their monthly checks at New York farmers’ markets to purchase eligible fresh produce. New York is the first state in the nation to allow the use of WIC checks for fresh fruits and vegetables at farmers’ markets.

A pilot program conducted in 2006 by the Department of Health showed that WIC participants prefer fresh produce over canned or frozen products when fresh is available. In New York, approximately 520,000 women, infants and children participate in the WIC program every month. The program received approximately $420 million in funding from the federal United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) this year and is administered by the New York State Department of Health’s Division of Nutrition.

Paterson's initiative nicely addresses the baleful question of food deserts, and isn't going to cost the state a dime, This is good stuff - more, please.

The race for the 40th City Council District: Rock Hackshaw gets the endorsement of the Independence Party. Is this an epic of things to come?

By now most of you know that I am running for the New York City Council, in the 40th District. That’s one of many reasons why I haven’t been writing much here lately. I have been so busy with this race -and the requirements of campaigning, etc. - that I have been writing very few columns lately. And yet -despite my busy schedule- I hope to intermittently keep you up to date on my campaign and other political developments. So do stay tuned-in folks.

Okay; here goes. I secured the nod of the Independence Party -to be their standard bearer- in the November general election. It would be the second time I have secured the nod of a minor party in a general election. I did it in 1998 (Liberal Party) in my run for the state assembly. I have been assured by the chairman of the Brooklyn chapter that the Independence Party will grant me a “Wilson-Pekula”, which allows me to run on their line -despite my being a registered democrat.  read more »