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2 CITY COUNCIL
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CITY OF NEW YORK
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THE TRANSCRIPT OF THE MINUTES
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of the
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STATED COUNCIL MEETING
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February 4, 2004
11 Start: 1:15 p.m.
Recess: 3:15 p.m.
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City Hall
13 Council Chambers
New York, New York
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15 B E F O R E:
16 BETSY GOTBAUM
Public Advocate
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18 COUNCIL MEMBERS: Joseph Addabbo
Tony Avella
19 Maria Baez
Charles Barron
20 Tracy Boyland
Gale Brewer
21 Yvette Clarke
Leroy Comrie
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24 LEGAL-EASE COURT REPORTING SERVICES, INC.
17 Battery Place - Suite 1308
25 New York, New York 10004
800-756-3410
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2 A P P E A R A N C E S (CONTINUED)
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COUNCIL MEMBERS:
4 Bill DeBlasio
Erik Martin-Dilan
5 Simcha Felder
Lewis Fidler
6 Helen Foster
Dennis Gallagher
7 James Gennaro
Vincent Gentile
8 Alan Gerson
Eric Gioia
9 Sarah Gonzalez
Robert Jackson
10 Latitia James
Allan Jennings
11 Melinda Katz
G. Oliver Koppell
12 Andrew Lanza
John Liu
13 Margarita Lopez
Miguel Martinez
14 Michael McMahon
A. Gifford Miller
15 Hiram Monserrate
Eva Moskowitz
16 Michael Nelson
James Oddo
17 Bill Perkins
Madeline Provenzano
18 Christine Quinn
Domenic Recchia
19 Philip Reed
Diana Reyna
20 Joel Rivera
James Sanders
21 Larry Seabrook
Helen Sears
22 Jose Serrano
Kendall Stewart
23 Peter Vallone, Jr.
Albert Vann
24 David Weprin
David Yassky
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2 A P P E A R A N C E S (CONTINUED)
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STAFF: Victor Robles
4 City Clerk
5 Claude Cherry,
Council Clerk
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1 STATED COUNCIL MEETING
2 SPEAKER MILLER: Council Member
3 Addabbo, I know you have some special guests who are
4 here with us today who we're honoring, I'd love it
5 if you would bring them forward.
6 COUNCIL MEMBER ADDABBO: Thank you,
7 Mr. Speaker. Good afternoon.
8 I don't care what the groundhog said,
9 I think spring is right around the corner, and with
10 spring comes spring training, and with spring
11 training comes opening day, and today we may have,
12 Mr. Speaker, some future stars. And I want to go up
13 front and congratulate 2003's New York City
14 ten-year-old division champions from The Ozone
15 Howard Little League.
16 Ozone Howard Little League is one of
17 the oldest little leagues in the City, and today we
18 are blessed to have, again these future stars,
19 ten-year-old New York City champions from 2003. And
20 to the team, to the coaches, to the league, I
21 congratulate you for being a positive influence, not
22 only in our area but also throughout the City.
23 So, thank you very much for being
24 here.
25 SPEAKER MILLER: If we could have the
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1 STATED COUNCIL MEETING
2 Clerk read the proclamation, that would be great.
3 CITY CLERK ROBLES: The Council, City
4 of New York, Proclamation.
5 Whereas: The Council of the City of
6 New York is proud and pleased to honor both the
7 Ozone Howard Little League Organization, as well as
8 The Mites -- a team from its 10-Year-Old Division -
9 whose fine playing and spirit of teamwork has made
10 the borough of Queens very proud; and
11 Whereas: Ozone Howard Little League
12 has been in existence for the last twenty-five
13 years; and
14 Whereas: The League provides
15 supervised, instructional baseball and softball for
16 the young men and women of Ozone Park, Howard Beach
17 and Lindenwood; and
18 Whereas: For the last 25 years the
19 Ozone Howard Little League has served over 1,500
20 young people each season; and
21 Whereas: The League helps instill
22 community service among its athletes by holding
23 field days for local schools, special festival days
24 for handicapped children, and hosting the annual
25 prom for severely challenged multi-handicapped
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2 teenagers; and
3 Whereas: One of the league's teams --
4 the Ozone Howard Mites -- won District 27 Flag on
5 July 17th, the NYC Championship on July 22nd and
6 then went to Albany placing as a runner-up in the
7 State Championships; and
8 Whereas: Coaches John Midden, Paul
9 Iddlemiss, Anthony Cammarata and Jimmy Russo
10 exemplify the best of the Ozone Howard Little League
11 and the spirit of volunteerism; and
12 Whereas: Athletes Alex Midden,
13 Alexander Middlemiss, Sean Cammerata, James Russo,
14 Frankie Kaplan, John Rainone, Joe Gangi, Vinny
15 Gatto, James Passarella, Scott Hounsell and David
16 Delgiorno demonstrated not only skilled ball playing
17 but outstanding sportsmanship as members of the
18 winning Mites; now, therefore
19 Be It Known: That the Council of the
20 City of New York most gratefully honors THE OZONE
21 HOWARD LITTLE LEAGUE and THE MITES, ITS 10-YEAR-OLD
22 DIVISION CHAMPS for their outstanding contributions
23 to our community through their dedicated leadership
24 and commitment to teach not only the game of
25 baseball, but also more importantly the value of
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2 good sportsmanship.
3 Signed this 4th day of February in
4 the year Two Thousand and Four, Gifford Miller,
5 Speaker for the Entire Council; Joseph Addabbo, Jr.,
6 Council Member, 32nd District, Queens.
7 SPEAKER MILLER: Gentlemen, we're very
8 proud of all of you. Congratulations on your
9 success. We look forward to many big things, and,
10 you know, being a Yankee fan, I hope you all join
11 the Yankees. I know that's probably unpopular with
12 the team, but there it is, I've got to stick with my
13 colors.
14 Coach, we'd be very grateful if you'd
15 say a few words on behalf of the team.
16 COACH: Thank you, Speaker Miller,
17 Joe, we're forever grateful for what you did for
18 these kids. It was tremendous fun. I'd like to thank
19 all the parents for their support, and the kids, it
20 was just a great time, we had a good run.
21 I'd like to thank one gentleman who
22 is not with us anymore, Pat Alocca, who was
23 basically the founder of this team. Thank you.
24 SPEAKER MILLER: Oh, I get a ball?
25 COACH: You get an autographed ball
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2 from the team, and hopefully one day, you never
3 know, the next Micky Mantle may be on there.
4 SPEAKER MILLER: Absolutely.
5 COACH: You never know. You never
6 know.
7 SPEAKER MILLER: I'm very honored.
8 Thank you all.
9 I'm going to put it in glass. I've
10 got it right down right next to the ball I threw out
11 at the Yankee Stadium, first one. Right next to that
12 one. Thank you very much. I'm honored. Coming back
13 next year, absolutely, with the 11-year-olds.
14 Parents, thank you all for being here.
15 Congratulations to you.
16 Council Member Weprin.
17 COUNCIL MEMBER WEPRIN: Okay.
18 SPEAKER MILLER: I know Council Member
19 Weprin has an extraordinarily honored guest who is
20 here. Let me just turn the mic over to you, Council
21 Member Weprin, so that you can introduce our guest.
22 COUNCIL MEMBER WEPRIN: Okay, we have
23 a very honored guest. Can I ask the whole delegation
24 to come up? Morris Baldinger, with his wife
25 Charlotte, who is president of Hollis Park Nursing
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2 Home. Aroleo, Gina Gargano, Irving Manning, and
3 Bernard and Enid Scott.
4 SPEAKER MILLER: Do we have a
5 proclamation?
6 COUNCIL MEMBER WEPRIN: Yes, we do.
7 SPEAKER MILLER: Here it is.
8 All right, if the Clerk could read
9 the proclamation.
10 CITY CLERK ROBLES: The Council, City
11 of New York, Proclamation.
12 Whereas: The Council of the City of
13 New York is pleased and proud to join family,
14 friends and staff of the Hollis Park Manor Nursing
15 Home as they recognize and celebrate the life and
16 accomplishments of one of its most distinguished
17 residents, 110 year old Maud Scott; and
18 Whereas: We are a City made strong by
19 the efforts of individuals who give exemplary
20 service to the community, whether through
21 participation in volunteer programs, through unique
22 personal achievement in their professional or other
23 endeavors, or through a lifetime of good citizenry;
24 and
25 Whereas: Today, we come together to
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2 honor Maud Scott, a woman of exceptional strength,
3 character and dignity who has the singular
4 distinction of living a life that has spanned three
5 centuries and is still here to tell her story; and
6 Whereas: On January 26th, 1894, Maud
7 Scott was born in the borough of Brooklyn to Mary
8 and Charles Hicks, two people endowed with strong
9 African-American and Shinnecock Indian ancestry that
10 provided Maud throughout her life with a sense of
11 purpose and a spirited determination to succeed; and
12 Whereas: A woman of great integrity
13 and strong character, Maud married Bernard Scott,
14 had three children, Bernard, Stanley and Irving, who
15 in turn have blessed her with five grandchildren and
16 two great-grandchildren; and
17 Whereas: Maud Scott has a sharp sense
18 of humor and a fierce intensity to explore life; she
19 wrote her first poem at age 95, continues to write
20 poetry, and has served as the oldest living
21 participant in the Lift Up the World Program, a
22 project that seeks to identify and honor people who
23 have inspired the world; and
24 Whereas: In over one hundred years of
25 living, Maud Scott has inspired others with her
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2 ebullience, her warmth, her bright spirit and her
3 true zest for life; she is loved deeply by family
4 and friends and has shown us all quite beautifully
5 that age is only a state of mind; now, therefore
6 Be It Known: That the Council of the
7 City of New York honors MAUD SCOTT for her wonderful
8 contributions to our City, and joins with her family
9 and friends in celebrating her life and enduring
10 legacy.
11 Signed this 4th day of February in
12 the year Two Thousand and Four, Gifford Miller,
13 Speaker for the Entire Council; David I. Weprin,
14 Council Member, 23rd District, Queens.
15 COUNCIL MEMBER WEPRIN: We believe
16 that Mrs. Scott is the oldest resident of New York
17 State, and she's lived in New York City all 110
18 years. She stopped smoking at 80, because she was
19 worried about her health, and a sister of her had
20 some problems with smoking, so she decided to stop
21 smoking at 80. She took up poetry at 95, and we're
22 going to ask her to do a poem for us called "Artie
23 Boy," that I believe she knows by heart.
24 Can you do "Artie Boy"?
25 MRS. SCOTT: Is the mic on?
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2 COUNCIL MEMBER WEPRIN: Yes.
3 MRS. SCOTT: My little brother Arthur,
4 my mother's pride and joy;
5 She worships the ground he walks
6 upon, and calls him Artie Boy;
7 By bouncing him upon her knee, she
8 turns around and says to me, "don't forget MaryJane,
9 you're my pet, and I love you both the same.
10 SPEAKER MILLER: Oh, that's beautiful.
11 COUNCIL MEMBER WEPRIN: Started poetry
12 at 95.
13 SPEAKER MILLER: Mrs. Scott, we're so
14 honored to have you here. Congratulations on all
15 your achievements and for all you've done for our
16 City, and thank you to everyone else who came down
17 to be a part of this very, very historic moment.
18 Thank you.
19 Thank you all very much.
20 Congratulations, Mrs. Scott. Thank you very much for
21 being with us.
22 MRS. SCOTT: Okay.
23 SPEAKER MILLER: Council Member Hiram
24 Monserrate is here and has brought a number of
25 guests.
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2 Special honoree. I'd like you to
3 introduce our honoree.
4 COUNCIL MEMBER MONSERRATE: Thank you,
5 Mr. Speaker.
6 Larry? Why don't you come on up,
7 Larry. Larry is going to present this with me, Mr.
8 Speaker.
9 SPEAKER MILLER: Okay.
10 COUNCIL MEMBER MONSERRATE: From the
11 Borough of the Bronx, Larry Seabrook.
12 I have the pleasure and honor of
13 bringing to the front Mr. David Londin and his
14 party. Please come on up, Mr. David Londin.
15 Straight from the multi-circle. Come
16 on up, Mr. David Londin. You're the center of
17 attention for these few moments of City Hall.
18 Our Speaker Miller.
19 SPEAKER MILLER: Thank you for
20 introducing our guests, and if we could have the
21 clerk read the proclamation.
22 CITY CLERK ROBLES: The Council, City
23 of New York, Proclamation.
24 Whereas: The Council of the City of
25 New York is pleased and proud to honor David Londin
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2 for his exceptional contributions to the senior
3 community; and
4 Whereas: Seniors are important
5 members of society, individuals whose contributions
6 have helped shape and inform the modern world;
7 across the decades and throughout the defining
8 moments of the 20th century, we have all been
9 enriched by the legacy of the senior community, a
10 legacy which has ensured the safety, progress and
11 prosperity of our great country for generations to
12 come; and
13 Whereas: Today, we proudly honor Mr.
14 David Londin, a man who has worked in the field of
15 aging for more than two decades, during which time
16 he has dedicated himself to expanding the notions of
17 what senior services can and should be; and
18 Whereas: David Londin is currently
19 the Executive Director of the Workmen's Circle
20 MultiCare Center, an organization which promotes the
21 well-being of the elderly through a broad array of
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