Dear Friend,

May has truly been a month for community action as the legislatures for New York City and State prepare to conclude their legislative sessions. From the citywide closure of daycare centers to the summer programs for middle schoolers whose funding was cut, we have been on the steps of City Hall advocating for our children. As the deadline for rent regulation laws loom, I have stood alongside tenant advocates, city and state lawmakers in Albany to demand stronger rent laws. 

Though the funds to support summer programs for middle schools were restored, the fight continues for the preservation of our daycare centers and more than 100,000 rent-regulated apartment units.

Community engagement and participation is vital to charting the future course of our city and state. I encourage all of you to work alongside your elected officials, attend the public hearings and rallies, and offer your testimony in the chambers of government. Your voices are instrumental as we endeavor to address the issues that could adversely impact communities across our city and state.

I hope that you will continue to interact with my office, exchanging ideas and solutions to improve our district, city, and state.

Yours in Partnership,

Laurie A. Cumbo

Member of the New York City Council

New York City Council Members Van Bramer and Cumbo joined Mayor de Blasio in City Hall on Tuesday as he signed into law, Intro 742.  (Photo Credit: William Alatriste/New York City Council)

"I am overjoyed that Mayor de Blasio signed Intro. 742 into law today. As a lifelong lover of the arts and as the founder of Brooklyn's first museum dedicated to the African Diaspora, I value artistic freedom, self-expression and the vital role that it plays within our society. It is imperative, now more than ever, that we support open dialogue and active civic engagement around art in our public spaces. For the past 33 years, the Percent for Art program has operated successfu lly under the guidance of the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, but one important voice has been left out - the public. My colleague, Majority Leader Jimmy Van Bramer and I worked tirelessly to amend the NYC Percent for Art local law to bring greater community input and transparency to the Percent for Art program. Art placed in public sites is for everyone, and remains one of the greatest forms of collective community expression." 

-Council Member Laurie A. Cumbo