Lower Manhattan rebuilding blueprint excerpt, Oct 2001

NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document

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Bill Would Make It Easier ; To Sue Over Lead Poisoning By MICHAEL COOPER More than half the members of the More City Council introduced a bill yester­ than half the day that would rewrite a 1999 lead- poisoning prevention law to make it Council supports a easier for the parents of children bill that would with lead poisoning to sue their land- lords. The new bill represented a poten­ rewrite a 1999 law. tially significant break between the members of the new City Council — which, thanks to term limits, has had law is working quite well,” he said. more than two-thirds of its 51 seats The City Council also took a break change hands this year — and the old from its marathon schedule of hear­ one. Several current council mem­ ings on Mayor Michael R. Bloom­ bers described the 1999 law as too berg’s budget proposal to submit a lenient and derided it as little more budget for its own expenses for the than a “landlord protection act” ' fiscal year beginning July 1. The The speaker of the Council, Gifford Council plans to cut its spending by Miller, a Manhattan Democrat, did roughly 3 per cent, or $1.5 million, to not say whether he supported the bill, $46.2 million from $47.7 million. which would undo a law that was The cuts to the Council’s budget championed by his predecessor, Pe­ are less than most city agencies have ter F. Vallone. Tenant advocates said been asked to make as the city strug­ that with 30 council members sup- gles to close its $4.76 billion budget : porting the new bill, the issue could deficit And the Council’s plan to :be an early test of the new Council’s reduce its staffing falls short of a ;goal of being a more democratic challenge from Mr. Bloomberg. :body where legislation moves from During his inaugural address, Mr. the bottom up. Bloomberg pledged to cut the staff of : Mr. Miller noted that the 1999 law the mayor’s office by 20 percent, and was struck down by the State Su­ challenged other elected officials preme Court, which ruled that the and the City Council to do the same. city had not adequately studied the The mayor said that the city would law’s environmental impact, and have to cut many services to balance said that he would wait for the result the budget this year, and argued that of the city’s appeal of that ruling elected officials should lead by ex­ before taking a position on the new ample. bilL “We always look for opportuni­ But when the City Council sub­ ties to strengthen laws,” he said. mitted its operating budget yester­ Councilman Bill Perkins, a Demo­ day, its staffing went down only by crat representing Harlem and the about 10 percent, to 329 positions Upper West Side and one of the from 367 positions. prime sponsors of the bill, said that it The mayor’s chief of staff, Peter J. was ne^ed to protect children from Madonia, saw the glass as half full. lead poisoning. “The measure of “At least they’re moving in the right good government is how we treat our direction,” Mr. Madonia said. children,” he said at a news confer­ Mr. Miller, the council speaker, ence outside City Hall, where parents said his office had done a top-to- and contractors spoke of their expe­ bottom review and determined that riences with lead poisoning. it could not cut any more positions : Warren Wechsler, a spokesman and still function effectively. for the Real Estate. Board of New “We cut the budget as much as we 'York, a trade organization repre- . can,” he said. “We’re always looking ^seating landlords, said that he had for additional ways to be efficient. ■not seen the proposed bill. But he But I’m proud that for the first time noted that cases of lead poisoning in many years the council has cut its have been falling in New York City budget, and we’re trying to be as : recently, and he questioned the need efficient as possible. And we’re com­ to strengthen the existing law. mitted to ti^tening our belts.just as “It would seem that the current we ask other agencies to do.”

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