Carl Paladino’s at it again, and this time he’s attacking New York City. The latest targets of Paladino’s unhinged rage are Manhattan, Brooklyn and the Bronx, home to over five million New York state residents. These divisive “them vs. us” remarks are just the latest in Carl Paladino’s destructive campaign to rant and rave his way through the Republican primary. Mr. Paladino, we invite you to take a trip to the borough I represent, and all of New York City where 130 languages are spoken, and look in the face of the diversity you so thoughtlessly malign.

Manhattan Borough President Scott M. Stringer announced today his conditional disapproval of the proposed Riverside Center development on Manhattan’s Upper West Side.  The recommendation addresses modifications and authorizations sought by real estate developer Extell for the final phase of “Riverside South,” a large-scale development spanning West 59th Streetto West 72nd Street, approved in 1992 by the City Planning Commission and City Council.

Today Manhattan Borough President Scott M. Stringer and State Senator Daniel Squadron joined tenant leaders to celebrate and discuss the details of yesterday’s State Supreme Court ruling upholding the rent stabilization of tenants at Independence Plaza North in Downtown Manhattan because of J-51 tax breaks that the landlord received from the City. Yesterday, Judge Marcy S. Friedman ruled that Independence Plaza North (IPN) is rent stabilized because it received J-51 tax benefits from the city both before and after exiting from the Mitchell Lama program and that HPD did not change that status when it permitted the landlord, Lawrence Gluck and Stellar Management to pay back the J-51 tax benefits. The ruling states that HPD’s determination to terminate IPN’s J-51 benefits was discretionary, not mandatory.

With media reports that the Charter Revision Commission may revisit its recommendation regarding the effective date of term limits at its final meeting on Monday, Manhattan Borough President Stringer and Public Advocate Bill de Blasio are urging the Commission to stand firm and adopt a Final Report and ballot questions consistent with the resolutions adopted on August 11. The Manhattan Borough President and Public Advocate are deeply concerned that an eleventh-hour change by the Commission will damage the integrity of the Charter Revision process and public perception of the Commission’s independence.

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Manhattan Borough President Scott M. Stringer today announced the opening of a new asthma walk-in center in East Harlem, where the rate of childhood asthma hospitalizations is the highest in the City. The new state-of-the-art center – an expansion of the East Harlem Asthma Center of Excellence and a part of the City’s PlaNYC initiative – will aim to reduce childhood asthma hospitalizations by 50 percent over the next five years. The Mayor and Borough President were joined at the Harlem announcement by Deputy Mayor Linda I. Gibbs, Health Commissioner Thomas A. Farley, State Senator José M. Serrano, Dr. Ben Ortiz from the Harlem Asthma Network, Center Director Dr. Betty Perez-Rivera, Janet Arroyo from the Manhattan Smoke-free Partnership and Acting Citywide Administrative Services Commissioner Donald P. Brosen.

Six months ago when the Charter Revision Commission was appointed, I urged that proposals be put on the ballot only after broad public input and discussion. The history of prior charter revision commissions has shown that charter proposals without thorough public scrutiny usually get voted down resoundingly. By excluding forward thinking proposals from the ballot - from overhauling the city's approach to long-term planning to rethinking the Department of Buildings with an Office of Inspection, to bolstering independence for elected and oversight agencies with independent budgets - the members of the Charter Revision Commission are missing a historic opportunity to restore confidence and interest in government among generations of New Yorkers.

Today, Manhattan Borough President Scott M. Stringer, joined by elected officials, education advocates and parents of children with Autism and other special needs at Public School 94 in Manhattan, called on the Department of Education (DOE) to immediately rectify confusion fueled by DOE Chancellor Joel Klein’s decision to sidestep a ruling passed down last week by New York State Education Commissioner David Steiner. Steiner ordered the DOE to halt the expansion of Girls Prep, which shares space in a building with P.S. 94 and P.S. 188, after concluding that the DOE had failed to assess the impact of this expansion on P.S. 94. Less than two days after the Commissioner issued his rebuke, news reports revealed that Chancellor Klein would use “emergency powers” granted to the Chancellor in State Education Law, to proceed with the expansion. The DOE has not officially announced the exact reasoning behind Chancellor Klein’s decision.

In a brazen display of indifference, Chancellor Klein has decided once again to bulldoze the public process by invoking his emergency powers to displace a school that serves some of our system’s most vulnerable children. Parents deserve an explanation as to what circumstances justify the Chancellor’s decision to put the needs of District 75 last. This is yet another example of DOE’s failure to execute a long-term planning strategy for our schools, and offers more evidence of their disregard for the public process.

Today’s decision is a watershed moment in the fight for marriage equality and the ongoing LGBTQ rights movement. Judge Walker’s decision champions the promises of justice and fairness that our 14th Amendment stands for.

This morning the Landmarks Preservation Commission ruled against designating 45-47 Park Place as an individual New York City landmark. I support its decision.From the racist rants of a discredited Tea Party leader to the cynical posturing of a floundering gubernatorial candidate, this process has been manipulated by those looking to get headlines and score political points. We reject their divisive tactics. What we really need is a dialogue that facilitates community healing. Real New Yorkers need to be consulted as this project moves forward, and that includes families who lost their loved ones on 9/11.It is my hope that we can all come together to fight for what’s really important - finding a bipartisan solution to fund health benefits for 9/11 first responders, securing federal anti-terrorism dollars to keep our city safe, and promoting religious tolerance and freedom.