Hiram Monserrate

The road to approving a mega-project in New York City often follows a similar formula, with a months-long political dance carried out between the city or developer and local member/members of the City Council. Last-minute compromises and agreements are routine, and once a project starts the city's land-use approval process, defeats are almost without precedent.

However, the dynamic surrounding the planned redevelopment of Willets Point is proving far less simple than the typical fare, as both observers and those involved seem genuinely unsure as to how the Council will ultimately vote on the project.  read more »

Among the issues adding complexity to the political scene: A Council that was offended by the start of the rezoning process; a Council speaker who has been

Fernando Ferrer, the 2005 Democratic mayoral candidate, will join Hiram Monserrate in opposing Michael Bloomberg's plan to redevelop Willets Points.

Ferrer has been pretty quiet since losing to Bloomberg nearly three years ago. Monserrate's opposition to the administration's Willets Point plan could result in another defeat for the mayor on a development issue.

From the press advisory:

 

East Elmhurst, NY – On Thursday, July 10, at 10:00am, Council Member Hiram Monserrate will join with Fernando Ferrer, former Bronx Borough President, outside Queens Borough Hall to call on the Queens Borough Board to vote against the Bloomberg Administration's plans to redevelop Willets Point. Ferrer will join Monserrate and the broad coalition of Willets Point business owners and workers, community leader and elected officials, and community and affordable housing advocates that has developed in opposition to the Mayor's proposal.  read more »

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When he announced a deal on O.T.B., David Paterson also nominated State Senator John Sabini as chairman of the New York State Racing and Wagering Board.

If he is approved by the legislature, Sabini will leave his seat and avoid a difficult re-election contest against a challenger who almost unseated him in 2006, City Councilman Hiram Monserrate.

On Friday, I asked Monserrate’s campaign for comment on the nomination. Over the weekend, he issued the following statement:

“I wish John Sabini the best of luck in his new position as Chairman of the New York State Racing and Wagering Board. I look forward to the election in November and remain committed to ensuring a Democratic majority in the New York State Senate and providing progressive leadership that advocates for working families in our city and state."

David Paterson announced that the state will take over the city's unprofitable Off-Track Betting operation, and confirmed reports that State Senator John Sabini will leave his seat to become the head of the state's Racing and Wagering Board.

“We have a looming crisis right here in New York City,” Paterson said. “Because of a dysfunctional statutory system, the New York City Off-Track Betting Corporation is unable to continue its disbursements to the city, the state and the racing industry."

O.T.B. will continue to exist, as is, for the next 90 days, after which it will become a new public benefit corporation controlled by the state, Paterson explained. Had the state not stepped in, O.T.B.--which employs roughly 1,500 people--would have been dissolved on Sunday.

Although he shied away from revealing the financial details of the transfer, Paterson did say that “appropriate legislative reforms” will be passed to allow O.T.B. to pay off its outstanding obligations. He mentioned the consolidation of betting systems and internet services across all the state O.T.B.s as possible avenues for reform. O.T.B. will also likely move out of its current office on 42nd Street to the less pricey Aqueduct, saving the corporation $5 million.  read more »

The Bloomberg administration has cleared one of many obstacles standing in the way of redevelopment at Willets Point, reaching agreements with the numerous unions that were opposing the 61-acre project by Shea Stadium.

Members of the Central Labor Council, which generally wields strong influence with City Council members, had been pressuring the administration for wage and other guarantees before giving support to the multibillion-dollar project.

“We are wholeheartedly behind this project now,” said Neal Kwatra, the political director for UNITE HERE! who was working with the New York Hotel and Motel Trades Council. Mr. Kwatra said the hotel council was now calling on the City Council to support the project.  read more »

A reader passed along this email notice about a fund-raiser for Councilman Hiram Monserrate, organized by the union AFSCME District County 1707, and taking place in Manhattan:

From: Neal Tepel
Sender: xxxxx@xxxxx.net
To: xxxxx@xxxx.net
Sent: Jun 11, 2008 9:10 PM
Subject: [Events] Hiram Monserrate Reception June 25, 2008]]

You are cordially invited to a reception
in support of Hiram Monserrate
in his candidacy for NYS Senate
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
5:30 pm - 7:30 pm  read more »

• 3 comments

A few weeks ago the New York Times ran a story about a now-defunct nonprofit that received city funding at the request of Councilman Hiram Monserrate.  read more »

Tomorrow in Long Island City, Councilman Hiram Monserrate will be endorsed by two unions, the latest in a string of endorsements Monserrate has been racking up as he prepares to challenge State Senator John Sabini.

The unions are the New York Hotel Workers Union and U.N.I.T.E. HERE.  read more »

In other endorsement news: The Lesbian and Gay Democratic Club of Queens endorsed Councilman Hiram Monserrate. Monserrate is trying, for the second time, to unseat State Senator John Sabini.

The endorsement is not entirely unexpected. Monserrate has the support of the Queens County Democratic Organization, a number of unions and many elected officials.  read more »

Here’s a first attempt (I think) at an online video from Hiram Monserrate’s campaign for State Senate, now posted on his revamped campaign web site.

“Albany currently, today, is dysfunctional. It’s not working in the best interest of the people of the state of New York,” he says.

At about the 3:10 mark, the video shows a photo of Monserrate shaking hands with Michael Bloomberg.

City Councilman Hiram Monserrate officially kicked off his State Senate campaign against incumbent John Sabini at a rally in Jackson Heights today.

According to the public statement Monserrate’s campaign just sent out, he already has the support of the Working Families Party, DC 37, and a few other unions. (The Queens County Democratic Organization endorsed Monserrate last month).

Also worth noting: the contact on the press release is Bridget Fisher, a longtime aide to Monserrate who most recently served as his chief of staff.

Here's the announcement:  read more »

Earlier this afternoon, I asked City Councilwoman Helen Sears of Queens about the political scene in her neighborhood, where the Democratic Party organization decided not to endorse incumbent State Senator John Sabini for reelection. Instead, they are backing his challenger, Councilman Hiram Monserrate.

Sears, a Sabini ally, said she couldn't really comment, but did tell me, “There are political decisions that are made." She added, “They’re hard decisions.”  read more »

As expected, the Queens County Democratic Organization endorsed Hiram Monserrate for State Senate over incumbent John Sabini earlier today. It’s a major coup for Monserrate, who has been steadily building a base of support in the Jackson Heights-Elmhurst district independent of the county organization.

Most people I've spoken with since the announcement cited Sabini's vulnerabilities (DUI arrest, a narrow reelection in 2006, and low profile outside campaign season) as a reason for the decision. But the other major explanation has to do with demographics: the district has become steadily less white since Sabini was first elected, and more Latino and Asian.

So, what does this say about the Queens County Democratic Organization, arguably the city’s most influential Democratic machine? Is the organization weak for not being able to protect (an admittedly vulnerable) incumbent against a strong challenger? Or is the county organization simply smart for going with a likely winner?  read more »

Councilman Hiram Monserrate may have slightly overstated his support in his upcoming race to unseat his fellow Democrat, State Senator John Sabini.

During an interview last night on The Perez Notes, Monserrate, who also ran for the office in 2006, said, this time around, he may get the endorsement of the Queens County Democrats, as well as several other organizations.

“I also understand that this time, I have some support that I didn’t have two years ago,” Monserrate said, around the 7:30 mark. “Namely Assemblyman Peralta, who has publicly stated that he is prepared to support me. Several members, union players, particularly 1199 and the hotels trades also stated that they will support my election. These are very important support networks in politics that we count on, and I think that obviously they are another factor in this decision.”

But Patrick Gaspard, executive vice president of 1199 SEIU emailed me to say, “We haven't made an endorsement yet in this race. We're still weighing the candidacies. I think that Hiram is encouraged because we backed Senator Sabini in 2006, but have yet endorse in this cycle.”  read more »

One angle I haven’t considered yet regarding the Queens County Democratic Party endorsement meeting on Friday is what it means for State Senate Democratic Leader Malcolm Smith.  read more »

Assemblyman Jose Peralta, a Latino lawmaker who once supported State Senator John Sabini, yesterday made the case for Sabini's Puerto Rican challenger, Councilman Hiram Monserrate, in part because the district is becoming more Latino.

Sabini's answer to that? Barack Obama.  read more »

One of State Senator John Sabini’s longtime Hispanic supporters, Assemblyman Jose Peralta, is signaling that he may be ready to support Sabini’s likely challenger, City Councilman Hiram Monserrate.

In an interview earlier today, he told me he wasn't quite ready to make a formal endorsement, but that for Monserrate, "the time is now."  read more »

State Senator John Sabini is reportedly on the verge of losing the backing of the Queens Democratic County organization, which may endorse his likely 2008 challenger, City Councilman Hiram Monserrate.  read more »

An alternative studied in the Willets Point environmental review suggests a possible compromise strategy for the Bloomberg administration in its contested effort to redevelop the 61-acre industrial area by Shea Stadium.

The proposed redevelopment has turned into a big political quagmire, with elected officials on the City Council jumping at the chance to bash the city about its proposal. While a group of current and former elected officials met at City Hall today to hail the plan, the project clearly will take some convincing in the Council.

The alternative plan, studied in the draft environmental impact statement, calls for acquiring the land and building the project, in two phases. The plan includes acquiring the land on the western portions of the site first, where most of the smaller automotive-related businesses are based, while the owner-occupied businesses on the eastern portion would have more time before they sell their land. The plan would be the same in size, though the first half would be done by 2013, according to the plan studied, while the second half would be done by 2017.  read more »

City Councilman Hiram Monserrate has already written the narrative.

“We have all the makings of a New York story,” he said in his Elmhurst office last Friday afternoon when we sat down to talk about his favorite topic: the redevelopment of Willets Point.  read more »

Late last week, when the Bloomberg administration announced it would begin the process of rezoning the neighborhood of Willets Point without a developer, it did so over the objections of the City Council, including Land Use Committee Chair Melinda Katz.

So it can't be a complete surprise that today, a number of critics of the plan, led by Hiram Monserrate, the most vocal opponent, have written a letter protesting the planned redevelopment that says, “This plan is unacceptable, and we wish to inform you that without significant modifications, we will strongly oppose it, leaving no chance of it moving forward.”  read more »

The Bloomberg administration is facing stiff opposition to its Willets Point redevelopment plan.

The city commenced a seven-month rezoning process today for the 61-acre site by Shea Stadium, prompting 29 members of the City Council to declare their disappointment with the plan. (More details on the Council’s concerns here).

The letter seems to spell trouble for the Bloomberg administration on this project, which imagines a complete redevelopment of the manufacturing and car repair-intensive district.  read more »

The Bloomberg administration is plowing forward on its plan to redevelop the industrial area next to Shea Stadium, as it intends to start the rezoning process on Monday despite objections from the City Council.

“We have asked them not to certify Monday,” said Melinda Katz, chairwoman of the City Council’s land use committee. “My feeling is that there are a lot of outstanding issues.”

The plan for the 61-acre site, Willets Point, calls for a large mixed-used community with up to 5,500 units of housing, up to 1.7 million square feet of retail, up to 700 hotel rooms, a public school, and possibly a modest convention center. The decision to jump into the seven-month approval process without the blessing of the Council suggests a rising anxiety among members of the Bloomberg administration, which has 18 months left in office and a slew of large development projects left to implement.  read more »

As a new lawsuit and a press conference loaded with critics yesterday suggest, things don’t seem to be going all that great for the city at Willets Point.

The clock is ticking for the Bloomberg administration’s agenda, and officials are eager to realize its dreams of ousting the chop shops and industry by Shea Stadium for a multi-billion dollar mixed-use community.

But like an airplane leaving from Newark Airport, the project has been stuck on the taxiway for far longer than planned or scheduled, unable to take off as of yet.  read more »

Congestion pricing just passed the City Council Committee on State and Federal Legislation, 6-4. Members who voted in favor included Maria Baez, Melissa Viverito, Larry Seabrook, Joel Rivera, Mike McMahon and Hiram Monserrate. Those opposed included Lew Fidler, Joe Addabbo and Erik Dilan.

It goes to the full council tonight.

On March 8, The New York Times published a survey of where some of the City Council's 51 members stood on congestion pricing. At the time, 20 were against, 12 were for, and 19 were either undecided or did not respond to the survey.  read more »

New York City does not have a nickname (in the official sense) and the latest Batman installment The Dark Night is coming to movie theaters this summer. What does one have to do with the other you ask?

A trio of City Councilmen thinks New York should capitalize on the blockbuster-generated publicity wave coming soon so they have introduced a resolution designating New York City’s new nickname “Gotham City," just in time for the caped crusader to grace cinema screens across the country.  read more »

After State Senator John Sabini of Queens pleaded guilty to a D.U.I. in Albany, his likely primary challenger and politicial rival City Councilman Hiram Monserrate demanded that Sabini resign from office.

Now another local elected official—Assemblyman Adam Clayton Powell IV of Manhattan—has been arrested for the same crime.  read more »

For months, the city had not laid out particulars of how much affordable housing it would require at the 61-acre Willets Point redevelopment by Shea Stadium, only saying that there would be affordability. Now, with the start of the public approval process approaching, the city has gotten more specific.

“They’ve now put on the table affordable housing at an 80/20 rate,” said Councilman Hiram Monserrate, who represents the area. The amount is not enough to please the second-term Democrat, he said.  read more »

In the past five decades, Mayors Robert Wagner, Ed Koch and Rudy Giuliani and master builder Robert Moses have all pledged a sweeping redevelopment of Willets Point, vowing to bring a new life to the 61-acre amalgam of auto-repair shops and manufacturers by Shea Stadium.

But the site has proved time and again to be curiously impervious to a makeover, as every plan has been thwarted or abandoned.  read more »

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Here’s part of an invitation to Norman Siegel’s February 25 campaign kick-off fund-raiser for what will be his third bid to be public advocate.

Names on the invitation include: State Senator Eric Adams of Brooklyn, City Councilman Hiram Monserrate of Queens, Meile and Stuart Rockefeller, and Democratic fund-raiser Lewis Cohen.
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State Senator John Sabini of Jackson Heights, Queens just released a statement (on basically busiest day of the political calendar!) announcing he pleaded guilty to “driving while impaired” and paid a $300 fine.

Sabini was arrested for the incident last year, and it’s only fueled the prospect that Sabini could face a difficult primary rematch from the term-limited City Councilman Hiram Monserrate, who almost unseated him in 2006.

Liz has more here.

Sabini’s statement is after the jump.  read more »

Hiram Monserrate's office was buglarized last night in what the Queens Democratic City Councilman is suggesting was a "politically motivated" crime.

From a public statement emailed earlier by Monserrate's office:

 

Like every office there are computers, printers, scanners and other equipment including a TV with DVD. However, the only equipment taken was a personal laptop. Also, what was taken was stationery. It is for this reason one begins to suspect the break–in was politically motivated.

   read more »

I reported earlier this week that Council member Hiram Monserrate sent a letter to his political rival, state Senator John Sabini, criticizing a Sabini staffer for comments allegedly made at a public meeting.

Here, for your curiosity, is Monserrate’s letter, and Sabini’s response, which Monserrate’s office sent over at my request.

(By the way, a statement I relayed in my first post is has a more detailed response from Sabini).

Here’s City Councilman Hiram Monserrate talking about a letter he wrote to state Senator John Sabini, a fellow Queens Democrat, criticizing a member of Sabini’s staff for allegedly making anti-immigrant comments at a recent public meeting in Queens.

It should be noted that there's some history here. Monserrate narrowly lost to Sabini in 2006 primary for the Senate seat, and is eyeing another run against him. The Sabini staffer accused of making the remarks, Marlene Tapper, lost a Council primary to Monserrate in 2005.

Sabini's office did not want to respond Monserrate's accusations before watching this video. I've sent it to them, and I haven't heard back.

 

Does anyone know anything else about this?

UPDATE: A spokesman for Sabini emailed this statement from the state Senator: "My office has responded to Councilman Monserrate's letter regarding my staff member. Her alleged comments were not made in the official capacity of my office, and I have taken the appropriate steps to ensure that such an incident does not occur in the future. Anyone who looks at my record, both legislatively and in the community, will easily see that I have been a strong supporter for the rights of immigrants and the gay and lesbian population and have fought against bigotry my entire life. It's a shame that when there are so many important issues facing New Yorkers, like a possible fare hike and hard economic times, that Councilman Monserrate is spending his time instead on an effort to smear one of my staff members for political gain."

A Democratic source called last night with a few names being circulated by the Queens organization to be Hillary Clinton delegates.

This group is from the 7th congressional district, which covers parts of Queens and the Bronx, and it includes: Queens Borough President Helen Marshall, City Councilman Joel Rivera, his sister, Assemblywoman Naomi Rivera, East Elmhurst district leader Vita Brome and City Councilman Hiram Monserrate.

The inclusion of Monserrate is noteworthy for several reasons. These are petitions the Queens County Democratic Organization are circulating with approval from the Clinton campaign, and Monserrate has traditionally run outside (read: against) the local establishment.

But despite the fact that he attended a Barack Obama fund-raiser, and that he previously told the Daily News that Clinton’s Iraq vote was troubling, he appears to be resisting the urge to go against his party colleagues by actually endorsing Obama.

Anyone have any other names? Or any other observations about this bunch?

Here's an invitation to a November 14 fund-raiser for state Senator John Sabini of Queens, which is being organized by Scott Stringer, the Manhattan Borough President.

Sabini is in a safely Democratic seat in Jackson Heights, Queens, but he may face a strong challenge from the Democratic City Councilman who almost beat him in a previous race, Hiram Monserrate.

For Stringer, the benefits of making friends outside Manhattan could pay off if and when he decides to seek higher office.

 

 

 

 

 

When state Senator John Sabini, who is from a very Democratic-leaning district in Jackson Heights, Queens, got arrested in Albany for drunk driving last month, I said that it wouldn’t be much of a threat to his re-election unless a Democrat ran against him in a primary.

That may now happen.

In this clip, City Councilman Hiram Monserrate, a former cop who came pretty close to ousting Sabini in 2006, talks about the possibility of making a rematch.

Yesterday, I caught up with Councilman Hiram Monserrate, who has come under fire for supporting a Sept. 11 first-responder detoxification program associated with the Church of Scientology.

Scientology's most famous booster, Tom Cruise, held a fund-raiser last night for the program.

Monserrate, a former cop, told me he spoke with Sept. 11 rescue workers who have benefited from the program, and said that critics are motivated by their own agendas.

"The bottom line is the program provided a better quality of life for hundreds of rescue workers that have taken the program," he said. "I myself personally have spoken to dozens of them who've had serious ailments, problems with upper respiratory infections, breathing problems."

He added, "I think it's unfortunate that some of the pundits, some of the pro scientists, some of the industries, who have their own reasons for having their own opinions clearly -- right, the pharmaceutical companies and the medical profession in particular -- question an alternative means of providing health care.

"This is the same type of thing they said about chiropractors twenty years ago. The same arguments that they're using here."

I asked Monserrate, who introduced a Council proclamation to declare last Thursday L. Ron Hubbard day, in honor of the science fiction author who created Scientology, if he would ever consider becoming a Scientologist.

"No," he said. "Councilman Hiram Monserrate is Christian, who was raised as Evangelical Christian. That's my faith. That's not on the table. This has zero to do with Scientology. The program has zero to do with Scientology. They don't espouse it. They don't promote it."

Tomorrow, expect a minor earthquake in Queens. Around noonish.

That's when longtime Democratic insurgent Hiram Monserrate and Democratic County Leader Joe Crowley will attend what I think is their first public event together, announcing funding for local organizations serving immigrants.

Monserrate ran and supported numerous candidates against the county organizations in the past and has reveled in his independence from the machine. Crowley took over the organization earlier this year and has been dogged by speculation that he'd one day have to defend his seat against a candidate who appeals to his district's "changing demographic."

But all that's in the past now, apparently. The advisory for the event is after the jump.  read more »

-- Azi Paybarah

Saturday At 10 a.m. The National President of the NAACP, Bruce Gordon, speaks at the National Action Network offices in Harlem.

At 10:30 a.m. Queens marchers board buses at Council Member Hiram Monserrate's office: 980-17 Northern Blvd., Corona.

At noon, the march dubbed "Shopping for Justice" starts at 59th Street and Fifth Avenue and ends at 34th Street.

And at 1 p.m., The Best of Brooklyn Holiday Celebration, hosted by Marty Markowitz, takes place at the Christian Cultural Center on Flatlands Ave.

At 5 p.m., Adolfo Carrion will join clergy members and activists to "call for calm" following the police shooting of Timur Person, 19, who was killed on Wednesday. The event will take place at 1240 Walton Avenue. [added]

If you know of anything else, please feel free to utilize the comments section.

-- Azi Paybarah

So does this press release from Councilman Hiram Monserrate ("Monserrate, Latino Elected Officials to Visit Shooting Victims") represent the politicization of the shooting death of Sean Bell?

Or has that happened already?

-- Azi Paybarah

The City Council's Democratic Caucus is meeting right now in the member's lounge.

According to one staffer who almost got attend the members-only meeting, the agenda includes:

The police shooting; the new attendance policy; and upcoming land-use issues and bills for consideration.

The ever-outspoken Charles Barron has called for Ray Kelly's resignation. James Sanders, whose constituent was killed, said Kelly should resign if the police are found to have acted inappropriately.

Hiram Monserrate, a former cop, said it was a "questionable shooting and very problematic."

Speaker Quinn said in a public statement that "appropriate actions will be taken" after a full investigation.

-- Azi Paybarah

Here is Hiram Monserrate, one of only five City Council members to have voted against a 25 percent pay raise for the council.

The others were Michael McMahon, Andrew Lanza, Darlene Mealy, and Tony Avella.

One insider gave me some speculative reasons for why some of them might have voted this way:

McMahon hopes to run for Staten Island Borough President and this vote will give him ammunition to repel Conservative Party accusations that he's a free-spending liberal.

Lanza doesn't care about Council pay because he's going to the state Senate.

Avella, the only declared mayoral candidate, always objected to increases salaries and taking lulus.

My secret brain trust didn't crack the mystery of Mealy.  read more »

As for Monserrate, he explained himself to reporters after the vote by saying that he simply doesn't like the process of awarding himself a pay increase.

Here he is. -- Azi Paybarah

Councilman Hiram Monserrate, who lost a state senate race by 247-votes, called on the state Board of Elections to investigate allegations that about 200 voters in his district were unjustly prevented from voting during the primary.  read more »

And Assemblyman Jose Peralta, who did not support Monserrate during that race, just joined the councilman and other electeds on the City Hall steps to call for an investigation, because, he said, "Today, it was the people that Councilman Monserrate registered. Tomorrow, it can be the people that Assemblyman Peralta registers."

-- Azi Paybarah