Self-Help Curus

t
he good words being lavished on poor communities by the nation's political and business
leaders show no signs of letting up. President Clinton has backed up his "new markets"
tour, in which he traveled from Biloxi to Brooklyn urging corporate investment in poverty-
rife areas, with a push for tax breaks and loan guarantees. Hillary seconds him mightily, with
a plea for more federal loans for minority-owned businesses. Twin towers Gerald Levin and
Steve Case of AOL Time Warner have pledged that their new marriage will emphasize social
responsibility along the way toward domination of all media. Details at 11.
It would be uncharitable to label these leaders' desire to help the nation's poor as less than
genuine. But their sales pitch says something about who this generosity is really supposed to
benefit. Businesses, their entreaties emphasize, have a measurable self-interest in investing in
poor communities.
It was President Clinton, who no longer has to pretend that his agenda is different from cor-
porate leaders', who put it most shamelessly: helping the poor, he says, is the only way to make
sure the current economic expansion continues. "If the unemployment rate in Brooklyn drops
from 9.4 percent to 4.1 percent ... you can get a whale lot of new jobs there," said the president
during a January visit to New York, sounding more like Alan Greenspan than an advocate for
the unemployed. "And then those people that have the jobs spend their money there, and that
won't contribute to inflation."
Such appeals to self-interest, usually leavened with the nostrum that businesses have moral
obligations to do good, aren't just offensive-they offer limited returns. We already have
something much like the president's proposed tax breaks: they're called Empowerment Zones.
And while the Upper Manhattan EZ has brought investment, the effort'S dependence on retail-
ers to serve the interests of the neighborhood is also proving to have potentially fatallimita-
tions.
Even with EZ tax breaks for hiring neighborhood residents, Pathmark has been the only
supermarket chain willing to set up shop in Harlem. For unrelated reasons, the company is in
serious financial trouble, and it remains to be seen whether it can keep its stores open.
Likewise, a Home Depot and Costco being built along the East River will bring residents jobs.
But they also promise traffic tie-ups caused by customers arrving from other neighborhoods.
Like Pathmark, they also threaten the kind of small retail businesses Hillary would like to see.
Such projects bring gains for both company and community. But when all is said and done,
the math works out differently for each. On top of tax breaks, retailers reap profits from eager
customers. And the neighborhood? These jobs don't just peddle circular saws; they also sell a
piece of Harlem's soul.
Cover photo by Gregory P. Mango
Alyssa Katz
Editor
City Limits relies on the generous support of its readers and advertisers. as well as the following funders: The Adco
Foundation. The Robert Sterling Clark Foundation. The Hite Foundation. The Unitarian Universalist Veatch Program at Shelter
Rock. The Edna McConnell Clark Foundation. The Joyce Mertz-Gilmore Foundation. The Scherman Foundation. The North Star
Fund. J.P. Morgan & Co. Incorporated. The Annie E. Casey Foundation. The New York Community Trust. The New York
Foundation. The Taconic Foundation. Deutsche Bank. M& T Bank. Citibank. and Chase Manhattan Bank.
City Limits
Volume XXV Number 3
City Limits is published ten times per year. monthly except
bi-monthly issues in July/August and September/October. by
the City Limits Community Infonmation Service. Inc .. a non-
profit organization devoted to disseminating information
concerning neighborhood revitalization.
Publ isher: Kim Nauer
Editor: Alyssa Katz
Senior Editors: Kemba Johnson. Kathleen McGowan
Associate Editor: Jarrett Murphy
Contributing Editors: James Bradley. Wendy Davis.
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Interns: Yahaira Castro. Laura Ciechanowski
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MARCH 2000
FEATURES
Becoming Home
After millions of dollars in debt, 2,000 building code violations, feuds between tenant
groups and stints in every housing management program the city has to offer,
what do the residents of 640 and 644 Riverside want? Crazy as it sounds,
a chance to be their own landlords. By Robin Shulman
The Astoria Line
Term limits were supposed to bring new blood to the City Council, but in
some cases the 2001 elections will be a family affair. Exhibit A: Peter
Vallone, Jr., whose loyalty to his Council Speaker father is as ample as
his agenda is obscure. By Jarrett Murphy
Investing in Futures
A project to transform one Harlem street looks a lot like a slew of other
initiatives nationwide that eradicate blight by empowering residents to rebuild.
But the revival of 11 8th Street features something startlingly new:
the largesse of one man determined to buy a block's future. By Kemba Johnson
PROFILE
Getting a Fix
For drug addicts leaving prison or coping with HIV, kicking a habit is only
part of the struggle. Now a Chelsea treatment center is teaching them
to make the transition easier by becoming political activists. By Yahaira Castro
PIPELINES
Unmade Labor
When workers at the legendary Bedford-Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation
began to organize a union, management got busy, too, hiring a firm with a
reputation for union-busting. Is this any way to help a neighborhood? By Annia Ciezadln
Zoning Bout .
Targeting new terrain to cure its housing crunch, Williamsburg'.s
Hasidic community is using a legal loophole to build up Bed-Stuy
-driving neighborhood residents to court or out altogether. By James Bradley
Review
Journey to the Center
Cityview
Identification Papers
Spare Change
Loaded Questions
Editorial
Briefs
Vital Stats
COMMENTARY
DEPARTMENTS
2 Job Ads
Professional
Directory
5
29
130
By Joseph Center
By S. Shankar
138
By Jarrett Murphy
32
34
w

BEAR IT FIRST
Limits
Indisptosiblt ntws on tht politics of housinq, wtlfal'f, (rimt, jobs, schools.
bam what (ity "all dOfSn't want you to know about Ntw York's ntiqhborhoods.
And kffP up with tvtryont who's workinq to mut thtm bttttr.
Y[S! Start my subscription to (ity Limits maqazint. y[S! Pltast stnd mt tht 11[( (ity Limits WHkly
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(ity ____ Statf - Zip----
Phonf: (lll) 419-1144 - fax (lll) 144-6ISl
Q: How many minimum wage workers
can afford the rent in your community?
A: None.
According to Out o/Reach, the National Low
Income Housing Coalition' s annual survey
of rents and wages, nowhere in the United
States - in no state, metropolitan area, or
county - can a full time minimum wage
worker afford the Fair Market Rent.
So at a time of unprecedented prosperity,
hundreds of thousands of Americans are liv-
ing in overcrowded conditions or dilapidated
housing, working two or more low-wage jobs,
paying precariously high percentages of their
incomes for housing, or are homeless.
The National Low Income Housing Coali-
tion is a membership organization solely
dedicated to ending America's affordable
housing crisis. NLIHC educates, organizes, and
advocates to ensure decent, affordable hous-
ing within healthy neighborhoods. Call or
e-mail today for member ship information.
Help solve America's housing crisis. Join us.
oM
National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLmC)

...
NATIONAL Low INCOME
HOUS1 NG COALITrON/LIHIS
1012 Fourteenth Street NW, Suite 610 Washington, D.C. 20005
202/662-1530 Fax 202/393-1973 http,://www.nlihc.org info@nlihc.org
Don't miss the NLIHC 2000 Housing Policy Conference and Lobby Day
March 27-29 in Washington, DC.
See our website - www.nlihc.org - for details .
CITY LIMITS
Film
Group Home Videos
,
'I
work in the streets, doing whatever,"
says the handsome shirtless boy sit-
ting on the stoop, gazing into the dis-
tance. "I do what I have to do." Min-
utes later, he has both shared his
humiliation at being called a prostitute in court and
celebrated his HIV test results-they're negative.
It's intimate sequences like these that are at the
heart of a new half-hour-long documentary,
Homecoming Queens, that was produced, shot and
edited by the teen residents of Green Chimneys
Gramercy Residence, a group home for gay kids in
foster care. The video is unashamedly amateur-
but that's its saving grace.
Because these teenagers conducted all the inter-
views and did all the camera work, the documen-
tary allows a highly close-up view of their lives-
whether it's a boy recounting anti-gay comments
MARCH 2000
from child care workers or a young transvestite
revealing bra-stuffing secrets on a street comer
(water-filled condoms). Chaotic, disorganized, and
at turns both goofy and disturbing, these vignettes
are like outtakes from home movies, but made by a
family you haven' t quite seen the likes of before.
One standout in the video is the transgender teen
Meisha (a.k.a. Michael), with starlet eyebrows and
a sweet smile. Meisha conducts a camped-up tour
of the group home, vamping like RuPaul on an
awards show while introducing the other teens.
Later, in one of the most moving sequences, one
young man muses in a voiceover about his future,
while he keeps readjusting the camera to perfectly
frame himself and his boyfriend snuggling on top of
his bed. "I just need a home:' he finally says. "I
don' t consider this a home, at all."
The Gramercy residence was established 17
years ago to provide a safe haven for gay teens in
the foster care system, where they are often ostra-
cized or tormented. "I had always had issues in
group homes, and always tried to voice it out, and
never really got heard," says Javier, one of the
teens who worked on the video. "[The documen-
tary] gave me hope that there's someone out there
listening."
The video project was organized by Paper Tiger
Television, a grassroots production company, which
had solicited proposals from youth groups across the
city. 'They had the strongest submission," explains
Paper Tiger's Tara Mateik. 'They've had so many
[media stories] done .on them, but it hasn't been
accurate, and they haven't had much say." With paid
and volunteer help, Mateik and her collaborators
helped plan out the documentary and taught the kids
how to shoot and edit video. "Paper Tiger tries to put
cameras in the hands of people who are under- or
mis-represented," she adds. ''That's why we exist."
Homecoming Queens will air March 14
through 16 on the Manhattan Neighborhood Net-
work at 8 p.m. , Brooklyn Community Access TV
at II p.m. , and BronxNet community television at
12 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. -Kathleen McGowan
.-.-;;.-_ ..
Brie&s ........ --------.... --------------=
Percentage of Loans Made by Subprime
Lenders in Brooklyn, 1997
I
~
I
I
.2
~
1 C No Refinancing Loans
. 8
~ 0% -20%
_ 20% -40%
I _ 40% -60%
_ 60%-80%
_ 80% or more
Banking
Low Finance
E
ight neighborhood and legal services
groups have joined forces to take down
Brooklyn's predatory lenders-by get-
ting to potential customers first. The
coalition recently received federal
funding to educate residents on the practices of
"sub-prime" lenders who target low-income com-
munities, only to hit them with a big bill later on.
In credit-strapped areas, lenders and mortgage
brokers scout out homeowners, offering loans on
tough terms. What homeowners may not realize is
that many of these loans have high interest rates,
high fees or towering payments due at the loan's
end-and the mistake may cost them their homes.
In Brooklyn, frequent victims are widowed black
seniors who need cash to make home repairs.
"It's like equity theft," says Sarah Ludwig,
executive director at the Neighborhood Economic
Development Advocacy Project (NEDAP), which
leads the coalition. "Essentially, the equity in
neighborhoods gets sapped by this process."
Now, the Department of Housing and Urban
Development has awarded NEDAP about $286,000
for an I8-month project that will try to target the
problem and short-circuit it. To help with consumer
education and bolster the efforts of South Brooklyn
Legal Services, NEDAP pulled together seven com-
munity groups, including Neighbors Helping
Neighbors, Brooklynwide Interagency Council for
the Aging, Cypress Hills Local Development Cor-
poration and the Central Brooklyn Partnership.
"We're trying to do outreach, to get people
early, before they're behind. In the beginning, we
were getting people who had already lost their
homes, and then it's too late," explains Josh Zin-
ner, who runs the foreclosure prevention program
at South Brooklyn.
The group plans to offer legal services to fore-
stal! foreclosure when all else fails, as well as map
out where these lenders thrive. Data indicates that
the neighborhoods where sub-primes have the
greatest market share, in Sunset Park and Central
and East Brooklyn, overlay exactly with Brook-
lyn's largest communities of color.
-Kemba lohnson
Housing Court
Same Old
Bouse
M
ore than a year after state-level
reforms restructured Housing Court,
court officials say the new system is
faster, more efficient, and more
humane.
But some Legal Aid and Legal Services attor-
neys charge the reforms have been hard on tenants
who don't have lawyers-about 85 to 90 percent of
those who pass through the court each year. The
courts may move faster now, they say, but it's no
better at providing real justice.
The city's Housing Courts, with more than
300,000 new cases a year, have always been fast-
moving and chaotic. Judges deal with multiple
cases simultaneously, repeated adjournments are
the rule, and much of the business between land-
lords and tenants gets hashed out in the halls.
The reforms, which began in 1998, were
designed to streamline the court-expanding
hours, bringing on new staff, and reorganizing the
scheduling system. Now trials can start almost
immediately-as soon as the judge sends the case
out to a separate, specialized courtroom with a
dedicated trial judge.
According to a review released last fall by the
city's top civil court and Housing Court judge,
Fern Fisher-Brandveen, the reforms have done
their job. "[Alttorneys from both [landlord and ten-
ant] sides have expressed their happiness with the
Trial Parts," the report reads. "Hallway negotiation
is occurring less with the new changes."
But in January, a group of Legal Aid and Legal
Services lawyers sent Fisher-Brandveen a six-page
memo slamming the new system. The courts are still
baffling for unrepresented tenants, they say, and the
new system encourages judges to quickly push
cases to trial and out of their own courtrooms. Hall-
way dealing is still rampant, and court-employed
attorneys don't inform tenants of their rights. The
report itself, the lawyers write, "appears to praise
speed over the quality of justice."
Justice Fisher-Brandveen defends the report's
general conclusions. Starting trials more quickly
can benefit both tenants and landlords, she tells
City Limits: "I don't think delays are to the benefit
of any party."
Hallway negotiations have declined, she insists,
"although the report concedes that we will never
completely eradicate that." As for court attorneys,
she said, "it was indicated that one in particular
had some problems. We did retrain him. I checked,
and he's doing much better."
Fisher-Brandveen adds that the court reforms
are an ongoing process: "We certainly have an
open ear to what users of the court think."
-Kathleen McGowan
CITY LIMITS
...... ----------.... --------------.. Briem
11011lJllFS mR 1l1l(Q) me: I
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
*2.3 ~ ~ *86 ~
OLD CHANCELLOR'S HOME
Child Welfare
Speed Trap
I
n the wake of the new federal Adoption and
Safe Families Act (ASFA), child welfare
programs are now hustling to get kids out
of the system as quickly as possible---even
if that means pushing biological parents
out of the picture faster.
ASFA gives foster care agencies a simple,
powerful ultimatum: If a child has spent 15 of the
last 22 months in foster care, the agency is oblig-
ed to file court papers that permanently sever the
legal relationships between parents and their
children.
The law is already having a big impact in New
York, Child Welfare Watch has found. Since the
beginning of last year, when the law was imple-
mented, the number of these court filings has shot
up by a third.
But while the law speeds up the court process,
it does virtually nothing to assure that parents get
equally fast access to the services they need to get
their kids back, including mental health counsel-
ing, drug treatment and help finding adequate
housing. It's long on mandates, but short on new
resources.
The latest Child Welfare Watch describes how
much trouble parents already have getting the
MARCH 2000
, ~ rn
=
I:S
NEW SPORTS STADIUM SOUNDSTAGE
J:'OR erN FUNOEt> COMMRCIA1.'i.
help they need. A survey of city-contracted fos-
ter care agencies revealed that caseworkers devot-
ed a tiny portion of their time-from five to 20
percent of their overall working hours-to help-
ing parents get these services.
''There's a myth that we're trying too hard to
help parents;' says Martin Guggenheim, profes-
sor of clinical law at the New York University
Labor
School of Law and a national expert on children's
and parents' rights. "But we have not tried hard
enough. And now, with the new laws, that could
have profound consequences for families that
could be saved."
Adapted from the Winter 2000 Child Welfare
Watch, ''Too Fast For Families." For the full report
see www.citylimits.org!cufI6Iindex.htm.
For workers like Arek Tomaszewski, the state-controlled Work-
ers' Compensation Board, charged with enforcing the laws that
help disabled and iqjured workers, has provided little more than
frustrations and red tape.
WORKED
OVER
In 1992, Tomaszewski was forced to quit his job as an asbestos
remover after inhaling glue fumes in a poorly ventilated room-he developed asthma and
a severe latex allergy as a result.
He filed for workers' compensation almost immediately, but after 23 hearings at the
WCB, he has yet to see any money for treatments or his living expenses.
"They look at you like, 'Oh, you're still alive. Let's have another hearing, '" Tomaszews-
ki says. "They can't find the insurance that they should pay me for. It's going nowhere. I
see no improvements. It's insane."
Workers' rights groups, which report a deluge of complaints like his, have formed a
coalition that is launching a campaign against the board. The organizations, led by the Chi-
nese StatT and Workers' Association, plan to pressure the WCB with petitions, protests and
possibly a lawsuit if claims are not resolved, says Betty Yu, project manager for the joint
campaign. -Laura Ciechanowski
5
PROFilE
FACT organizes
ex-addicts.
turning pol itical
activism into a
tool for recovery.
:M
g
Cetting a Fix
A Chelsea drug treatment center gets its clients hooked on advocacy,
By Yahaira Castro
L
ast March, Bryan McGrath went to
Albany to ask elected officials to
overturn New York State's hard-line
drug laws. He went with experienced
speakers from religious groups and advo-
cates for criminal justice reform, but the
speakers who really got to him were the
children who talked about what it was like
to have family members in jail on nar-
cotics charges. "It really brought home
who the real victims are," he says.
McGrath, who is recovering from
heroin and cocaine addictions and is HIV-
positive, has done several stints in jail for
drug offenses. In jail, he saw men convict-
ed under New York's Rockefeller drug
laws serving more time than violent crim-
inals. It left an imprint on him. So when
his Chelsea-based drug treatment center
gave him a chance to work on improving
how addicts fare in the criminal justice
system, he jumped at the opportunity. He
signed up for FACT, Friends of the
Addicted for Comprehensive Treatment,
an advocacy group that trains ex-addicts
to fight for change in a system that too
often stands in the way of recovery. "If I
can help somebody's life change for the
better, so be it," he says.
McGrath is not the only member of
FACT dealing with recovery, the criminal
justice system, and HIV all at once. But
these serious personal burdens don't stop
the group's members-some 250, FACT
claims, on its call lists-from turning out
for demonstrations to change policies and
laws that refuse to take the reality of their .
lives into account.
"Most of the people we see are discon-
nected from society," says Howard
J osepher, executive director of Exponents
ARRIVE, the drug treatment center that
launched FACT in 1997. Since the late
1980s, Exponents has offered rehabilita-
tive services to drug addicts. But its
clients often find that rejoining society is
much harder than simply kicking an
addiction. They face a host of intercon-
nected challenges: difficulty finding on-
going rehab services (for which Medicaid
won't pay), problems landing employ-
ment because of their criminal record,
trouble finding a decent place to life,
unforgiving probation rules and strict drug
laws that don't take relapses into account.
So when Josepher founded FACT, he
designed the group to make political work
and advocacy a critical part of recovery.
FACT members say it helps them build
self-worth and confidence to advocate for
their rights. "I see things clearer now,"
says McGrath-especially, he says, the
ways drug laws and policies have affected
his personal life.
Today, McGrath also works with the
drug policy reform organization Families
Against Mandatory Minimums, writing
letters to legislators and participating in
marches. "Being in jail, seeing guys come
in and stay for a long time for drugs .... It
just doesn't make sense," he says. Drug
recovery is all about refocusing addic-
tions into new preoccupations. For
McGrath and the other members of
FACT, the best medicine has been a
steady dose of advocacy.
E
xponents ARRIVE, the organiza-
tion that founded FACT, is as
unorthodox as its advocacy project.
Established by Josepher in 1988, it pro-
vides poor clients with treatment services
more typically found at a new age detox
retreat-stress management classes, for
example, that use holistic methods like
meditation and breathing incense.
But the center is serious about dealing
with on-the-ground issues, offering
resources like job skills training, seminars
on overcoming depression, and informa-
tion on AIDS. That's important, because
many of these clients, drawn from Rikers
Island or referrals from doctors and parole
officers, need hard-nosed real-world help.
More controversially, Exponents also
pairs drug rehab with tolerance for lapses
along the way to recovery-an approach
known as "harm reduction." "Stark laws
don't reflect the middle ground people
actually live in," contends Josepber, him-
self a recovered addict. Tall and bespecta-
CITY LIMITS
cled, J osepher wears the shirts and ties
befitting his role as executive director of a
nonprofit agency. But the buttoned-up
clothes camouflage a radical mind. Shun-
ning the criminal justice system's strict
intolerance for drug use as unrealistic,
Josepher believes the law should accom-
modate relapses. In the real world, he
says, people have an occasional drink, or
even a joint. He'd also like to see mari-
juana accepted as a way to reduce crav-
ings for heroin-heresy among get-tough
politicians and district attorneys.
them feel like they count in a society that
ignores them. In the program's early days,
he asked members to go to Washington,
D.C., to picket a then-active federal ban
on needle-exchange programs, which
many studies show prevent the spread of
HIV among heroin addicts. Activists from
around the country were organizing a
protest in front of Health and Human Ser-
vices headquarters, pressuring Secretary
Donna Shalala to rescind the policy.
About 200 FACT members agreed to go.
"People didn't think I was going to be able
lators are, find out when public board
meetings are held and know what to say
when they get there. "I wanted to create
more people like me," laughs Josepher.
But in 1999, FACT's two-year,
$136,700 start-up grant from the Washing-
ton-based Drug Policy Foundation ended,
and it had to cancel the classes. The orga-
nization now relies on donations from indi-
viduals, but these are hard to come by. As
Tavarez sardonically asks, ''Who wants to
train people to be a pain in the ass?"
FACT has a lot in common with Hous-
Josepher recalls one client, on
probation for a drug offense after
five years in prison, who was mak-
ing great progress: she found a job
and an apartment, and she was
reconnecting with her children. But
when she tested positive for mari-
juana, the woman was sent back to
jail. "The system looks at the per-
son's drug-taking behavior," com-
plains Josepher, "and not their
overall life."
"People didn't
think I was
going to be
able to
ing Works, another New York City-
based group that provides services
to people with AIDS and HIV while
schooling them in political
activism. But unlike Housing
Works, FACT can't risk using one
of the most powerful tactics in the
activist arsenal-civil disobedi-
ence. Many of its members have
criminal records and cannot afford
to be arrested.
Yet FACT does take on issues
Housing Works won't touch, such
as demanding that state prisons
make condoms available to stop the
spread of AIDS.
Experiences like this laid the
groundwork for Exponent
ARRIVE's turn to advocacy. "We
were treating the patient, but send-
ing him back out to the same dys-
functional family and society,"
says Josepher. When an Exponent
do it," recalls
FACT's
coordinator.
With this controversial agenda,
FACT runs the risk of winding up
where Housing Works did: on the
enemies list of the Giuliani adminis-
client joins FACT, he or she is told
that getting a job, keeping clean
and reconnecting with family and
friends aren't enough-recovery
also involves becoming politically
active, doing everything from writ-
ing letters to Congress calling for
increased funding for AIDS
research to demonstrating on Foley
Square against the strict Rocke-
"But we showed
them that
addicts can be
tration. Retaliating against Housing
Works' protests against city AIDS
policies, the Giuliani administration
pulled the group's funding. The city
even attempted to get Housing
Works' federal support cut off, pro-
voking federal housing secretary
Andrew Cuomo to intervene.
feller laws.
"It's not enough to just have a
job, then go home every day," says
FACT Coordinator Frank Tavarez. "If you
don't like something, you have to stop
bitching and do something about it."
For FACT participant David Wilson,
attending demonstrations and doing cleri-
cal work are part of a deeply personal
commitment. Eight years ago his wife
died of AIDS, leaving him to raise an
infant daughter on his own. Wilson him-
self is HIV-positive. "I feel that I'm doing
this for my wife," he says. "Every time
I'm out there, I'm speaking for her."
Tavarez believes that members are
receptive to FACT's style because it helps
MARCH 2000
organized."
to do it," recalls Tavarez. "But we showed
them that addicts can be organized."
L
ike many drug-related programs,
FACT counts on former users to
mentor current clients. Both
Josepher and Tavarez are open with their
volunteers about their own struggles with
drugs and the judicial system, as well as
their eventual success.
Initially, the group backed up these pep
talks with a serious education in activism
that taught participants how to organize
petition drives, figure out who local legis-
FACT does not receive public
money, but its parent organization,
Exponents, relies on city and state
funding for a substantial part of its
budget: in 1997, it received $450,000 from
the city to provide HIV prevention ser-
vices. "I have to admit 1 worry," says
Josepher, "but politicians can't come
before what I need to do."
Ultimately, that means helping addicts
recover and take charge of their lives.
Josepher acknowledges that FACT is
probably more successful in helping
members control their own destinies than
it ever will be in forcing government to
relax its punitive drug policies. "We may
never change things," admits Josepher,
"but we'll sure enjoy the journey."

s
F
Restoration Hardline
J A legendary Bedford-Stuyvesant organization fights off a union drive.
PIPEliNE ~ Does the mission justify the means?
,
Maintenance
workers like
Duane Oliver
want Bedford-
Stuyvesant
Restoration to do
right by them-
and thei r union.
By Annia Ciezadlo
C
arolina Country Kitchen in
Brownsville is supposed to have
the best soul food in Brooklyn, but
the 15 men gathered in the back room of
this restaurant one freezing January night
are following up their dinner with a round
of bellyaching.
They're grousing about their employer,
who they say gave them nothing but grief
during the recent holidays. "It's Christmas
evening, [the boss] is sitting at home with
his family, and I'm snaking out a line,"
says Jeff Edwards, remembering a holiday
spent ankle-deep in sewer water. "They
didn't give us a balloon, not a candy, noth-
ing!" chimes in Reggie Tinnin.
It's not just that they didn't get a
Christmas card or a fat bonus. The men are
ticked off because their jobs-as porters,
handymen or buildings supers, making
$7.50 to $10.50 an hour-lack basic bene-
fits like a decent, accessible health plan,
regularly scheduled raises and well-
defined job duties. "Guys [are] working in
health hazards, working with improper
materials, and they don't even give us a
six-month checkup!" exclaims Edwards.
That's what has them shouting down to
the end of the long, narrow table in the
back of Carolina, where Teamsters Local
966 organizer Ben Weinthal sits taking
notes. For these workers at the legendary
Bedford-Stuyvesant Restoration Corpora-
tion, it just doesn't seem fair that an orga-
nization founded by Bobby Kennedy on
the principles of charity, community devel-
opment and economic revitalization would
be so hard-line with its own staff.
Restoration's mission: to "be the catalyst
for the progressive improvement of the qual-
ity of life for the people of Bedford-
Stuyvesant." But ever since the staff at Fulton
Street's Restoration Plaza complex and at
least 10 Restoration-owned housing devel-
opments in Bed-Stuy started to unionize in
December, Restoration has fought back like
a lean, profit-driven corporate machine.
They hired a law firm, Clifton Budd &
DeMaria, that literally wrote the book on
derailing organizing drives. According to
allegations the union has filed with the
National Labor Relations. Board, Bed-Stuy
management has disciplined, interrogated
and in one case threatened to fire workers try-
ing to organize. Restoration also challenged
the workers' eligibility to unionize, but in late
January the NLRB ruled in the union's favor.
Neither Restoration President Roderick
''Rocky'' Mitchell nor the organization's
board members would return repeated
CITY LIMITS
phone calls from City Limits for comment. Money,
though, seems to be at the heart of this battle. Bed-Stuy
Restoration was reportedly faltering in the early 1990s
before Mitchell stepped in to salvage it. According to
U.S. Congressman Major Owens, a longtime ally who
safeguarded Restoration's funding during a nasty fed-
eral budget battie, Mitchell feels that paying top dollar
for labor and services would be wasting the communi-
ty's money. "He put it in a way that...he has to defend
the long-term and short-term interests of the communi-
ty," says Owens, who nonetheless has urged Mitchell to
recognize the union.
For nonprofits that fear any threat to the bottom
line, a union drive can seem like a nightmare on the
order of a tax audit. When
faced with an organizing
business style," says Louis. "If you're doing business
with Rocky, you're doing business."
Now Mitchell, who earned $135,000 in 1997, is
using that tough business style with people like build-
ing painter David Brathwaite, who lives in Bed-Stuy
and has worked for Restoration since 1992.
In January, Brathwaite and some fifty employees got
an unsettling letter from a Restoration subsidiary. It dis-
cussed at some length a bitter union fight 10 years ago
at a Restoration-owned property. "If I go on strike, can
the Company hire a replacement to fill my job as previ-
ously occurred in 1990 at Vernon Avenue Houses?" was
among the questions the letter suggested they "think
about." Another hypothetical: ''If I am receiving nothing
or only a few dollars per
week from the Teamsters
drive, they may fight back
no differently than any cor-
porate behemoth. Unlike
corporations, nonprofits
usually feel it's their mis-
sion-rather than the need
to protect profits- that jus-
tifies getting tough.
Non profits
faced with a
while I am on strike, how
will my family and I pay for
groceries, rent or mortgage
payments, and car pay-
ments?" For Brathwaite, it's
no idle question: With a
wife and six children, he
says he's barely getting by
on his $1O-an-hour wages.
To the workers, though,
the mission doesn't justify
the means. For the men who
fix the boilers, sweep the
floors and paint the walls at
Restoration's hundreds of
units of low-income hous-
ing, they're helping to fulfill
that mission-and they
want that to be acknowl-
edged. "Restoration tries to
give the impression that
' we're helping you out by
giving you a job,'" says
union drive
may fight back
no differently
than any
corporate
behemoth.
The letter was signed by
Dorothy Hill of CDR Man-
agement, a for-profit sub-
sidiary of Restoration that
manages some of its hous-
ing. But such indelicate
threats are the signature of
Clifton Budd & DeMaria, a
Manhattan law fum so
renowned for blocking
union drives that corporate
managers across the coun-
Edwards. "It's not that they
act like they appreciate the work you're doing for the
company-it's not like that."
L
ike any other nonprofit, Restoration can make the
case that protecting its cash flow is part of its mis-
sion. The first community development corpora-
tion in the country, Restoration brought money into the
neighborhood for decades by renovating and renting out
empty buildings, nurturing local businesses and luring in
for-profit businesses like Kaplan Learning Center.
Bed-Stuy leaders credit Mitchell with bringing the
group back from the brink of fiscal crisis, and point out
that he stands up for the neighborhood's interests. Errol
Louis, co-founder of the Central Brooklyn Federal Cred-
it Union, recalls that it was Mitchell who took on Chem-
ical Bank when it tried to expand its Restoration Plaza
branch using out-of-town contractors. Rocky got his way
in the end, and the bank hired contractors from Bed-Stuy.
''That, to me, is an example of having that balance
between a community service mission and a tough
MARCH 2000
try pay upwards of $500 a
day to listen to seminars
given by senior partner Alfred T. DeMaria.
DeMaria has written seven books on how to fight
unions-including one titled How Management Wins
Organizing Campaigns-that are standard reading for
companies looking to do just that. Replete with boiler-
plate anti-union flyers and letters, his newest book is
Combating the Resurgen'ce of Organized Labor: A
Modem Guide to Union Prevention.
Clifton Budd's most notorious local case was the
strike at the Upper West Side food shop Citarella,
where the owner fired three pro-union workers early on
in the campaign. They were later rehired, but the shop
remains, to use a favorite DeMaria term, "union-free."
Elliott Robinson, lead organizer for AFSCME District
Council 1707-an umbrella council for nonprofits-
knows the firm well . He went up against Clifton Budd
over a year ago while trying to organize a local at a Job
Corps site in the Bronx. Ayers wamed workers of the dire
consequences of unionizing. Although workers certified
(continued on page 32)

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,
Bed-Stuy's Lewis
Watkins (left) and
Hardy Joe Long
say their
neighborhood
can't sustain
much more new
housing-
especially if it's
reserved for just
one ethnic group.
7
Zoning Bout
Squeezedjor housing, Hasidic Williamsburg expands-by taking over Bed-Stuy's industrial heart,
By James Bradley
O
n a vacant lot in a sparsely populat-
ed area of Brooklyn, construction
has begun on a 30-unit apartment
building intended for low- to moderate-
income families. You might think the pro-
ject would be welcomed by the commun-
ity, where housing is hard to find. Instead,
the building has been a source of consider-
able resentment for many residents in the
northwest comer of Bedford-Stuyvesant.
It's also the subject of a lawsuit.
''There's a lot of noise, a lot of confu-
sion," says Annette Figueroa, president of
the Kent Avenue Block Association and a
plaintiff in the suit. She has lived on the
block for 33 years. "We have problems
with parking, problems with water."
But Figueroa's objections go far
beyond quality-of-life worries. The hous-
ing on Taaffe Place is being built primari-
ly, if not exclusively, for Hasidic tenants
coming from Williamsburg, which suffers
from a serious housing shortage. And it is
hardly an isolated project: Some 800 units
of housing are scheduled to be built in the
area in the near future. Most are in the
planning stage; a few are up and running,
including a massive complex on Flushing
Avenue. If the developers reach their
goal-I 8 buildings are on the docket, and
. counting-the neighborhood's population
could triple, from roughly 1,500 today to
more than 4,500.
To many residents of this African-
American and Latino neighborhood, the
sudden and rapid influx of Hasidim into
their community has been transformative.
Some tenants have claimed that landlords
are harassing them, trying to empty their
apartment buildings in order to sell them.
Others fear that their homes will soon
become unaffordable as demand for apart-
ments in the area increases-already,
rents are rising rapidly.
The developments, planners and
activists fear, also threaten the local indus-
trial economy that supports a third of the
jobs in the neighborhood. Businesses are
being thrown out of loft buildings, as their
landlords move to sell the spaces for resi-
dential use.
Most of the sweeping changes to the
area have been made possible by city offi-
cials who approved housing construction
in areas reserved for manufacturing. But
the approvals happened without public
review or planning, and residents charge
that city officials bend the rules unfairly
to favor the Hasidirn, a group politically
allied with Mayor Rudolph Giuliani.
The fight over space for housing has
divided nearby Williamsburg for years,
causing hostility between the area's Lati-
no and Hasidic populations and pitting
residents who want more apartments
against those who are worried about their
jobs. Now, the same problems are emerg-
ing in Bed-Stuy-and this battle may be
Williamsburg all over again, with con-
flicts over land use winding up as racially
charged tugs-of-war.
''The city should not be in the business
of sanctioning segregated housing," says
Lewis Watkins, district manager of Com-
munity Board 3, which has repeatedly
voted to block these new developments.
"It's not fair," adds Figueroa. ''They only
build for their own kind. What about the
rest of the community? We need afford-
able housing, too."
P
or decades, the Satmar sect of
Hasidim has been confined to
Williamsburg's South Side, an area
bordered by the East River, Broadway and
Flushing Avenue. But the religious
group's burgeoning population-pushed
along by gentrification and successful
efforts by Latino residents to stake out
space for housing-has forced it to seek
shelter in the remote northwestern comer
of Bedford-Stuyvesant.
''The need for housing in the Hasidic
community is extremely high," says Rabbi
David Neiderman, executive director of
the United Jewish Organizations of
Williamsburg, the group spearheading the
CITY LIMITS
p
Q ..
development. "And every day it's getting greater.
We have 500 weddings a year and hundreds of
families bearing every year."
In this largely industrial part of Bed-Stuy,
massive 19th-century warehouses sit near streets
dotted with wood-frame homes. Neiderman says
his organization's work is improving the neigh-
borhood. The area is "blighted," he says. ''There
is prostitution, drug-dealing. We're bringing
back life to the neighborhood."
Indeed, there are enough graffiti-strewn
buildings and vacant lots to give the impression
of urban decay. But planners from the Pratt Insti-
tute Center for Community and Environmental
Development, who have studied the area in-
depth, say appearances aren' t the whole story.
As in
Williams-
burg,
conflicts
over land
use become
racially
charged
tugs-of-war.
"Even the vacant land stores materials and parks
trucks," says Brian Sullivan, associate director at
Pratt. "Manufacturing areas may not be the most
aesthetic, but they serve a vital function."
According to Pratt, nearly 60 percent of the
land area is used for manufacturing, with only
10 percent residential. These companies also
provide a vital jobs base: In area census tracts,
the rate of industrial employment is three times
that of New York City as a whole. One in three
people works in manufacturing.
Indeed, the property on Taaffe Place is sur-
rounded by industrial and commercial establish-
ments: a sheet-metal manufacturer, a dye com-
pany, a garment factory, a commercial garage, a
construction firm. An office for the city's
Department of Environmental Protection is on
(continued on page J 4)
MARCH 2000
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(continued from page /3)
Flushing Avenue nearby.
"This is not some bombed-out
area. It is very safe-that's why
people are moving here," responds
Melvin Foster, president of the
Neighborhood Stablization Task
Force, a community group opposed
to the housing. Foster says that
according to a study his group con-
ducted with the 79th Precinct, there
were only a handful of drug arrests
in the past four years, and prostitu-
tion is nonexistent.
Industrial boosters say that the
new developments could threaten
many of the area's jobs. "It leads to
increases in the cost of doing busi-
ness: higher land prices, higher
property taxes," says Adam Fried-
man, director of the Industrial
Retention Network, an advocacy
group for manufacturing businesses.
"There's ticketing, and trucking
becomes a problem." For businesses
on the margins, says Friedman, such
factors can be the deciding factor in
whether or not to move away.
Though the
builders claim
the new
housing is for
everyone,
prices
start
More immediately, the new
interest in the neighborhood gives indus-
trial landowners an incentive to sell off
their property for housing, transforming
the neighborhood into a residential one.
Already, the owners of a three-building
complex on Taaffe Place will be evicting
16 blue-collar businesses employing 250
people to make way for residential lofts. A
few businesses are already gone; others
are expected to leave soon.
The trend worries activists like Foster.
"We want to keep the neighborhood eco-
nomically diverse," he says. "We want
light manufacturing to stay here. We need
these jobs."
A
ll of these changes are made pos-
sible by a real-estate loophole
known as a zoning variance.
Because this area is zoned for manufac-
turing, residential uses are forbidden
unless a developer can get a variance-a
waiver, in effect. But under city zoning
laws, variances are supposed to be award-
ed only when a developer can prove eco-
nomic hardship-specifically, that the
property has unique physical character-
isitics that make it a financial burden
under regular zoning guidelines.
Development variances are awarded
at $200,000
and houses
haveupto
seven
bedrooms.
by the city's Board of Standards and
Appeals, a quasi-judicial agency whose
members are appointed by the mayor. The
BSA does not consider the environmental
impacts of variances, and its decisions are
not subject to public review. Critics charge
that in Bedford-Stuyvesant, the board
grants these variances too readily, allow-
ing local developers to do an end run
around city planning rules. Since 1996,
BSA has awarded 10 variances to devel-
opers in Bed-Stuy and its environs; eight
others are pending.
So last year, South Brooklyn Legal Ser-
vices and a gaggle of community activists
sued BSA, claiming that the agency's lais-
sez-faire practices violated city and state
environmental-review procedures. The
lawsuit also charges that tht< intended uses
of the new buildings flout civil rights laws.
"It's illegal to develop housing for one
group," explains Raun Rasmussen, direc-
tor of litigation for South Brooklyn Legal
Services. "Nobody can say that [they are
building for Hasidim only], even though
everybody knows it is."
Indeed, a report by a consultant for the
project notes that the "developer intends to
target marketing efforts ... to the Chassidic
Jewish community, which has a unique set
7
of housing needs." Another indica-
tion that the buildings are geared for
Hasidic families is that they will have
anywhere from three to seven bed-
rooms, to accommodate large fami-
lies, and two sinks and two refrigera-
tors, in keeping with kosher laws.
Although Hasidic leaders say that
housing will be designed for those of
modest means, starting prices on
many of the condominiums are
$200,000.
The case is currently being heard
in Manhattan Supreme Court, with a
decision expected in mid February.
"It really hurts," says David Nei-
derman, referring to the lawsuit.
"Instead of working together and
developing a better place for both
communities, they are fighting. It
means depriving families and chil-
dren who live in unbelievable and
undesirable conditions an opportuni-
ty to have decent housing."
Bed-Stuy activists, for their part,
say they've been rebuffed when
they've tried to set up meetings with
UJO. In the past, Neiderman's orga-
nization has been able to work out
carefully engineered compromises-in
1995, UJO and Los Sures, a Williamsburg
nonprofit long at odds with Hasidim over
housing and services, built a housing com-
plex on Driggs Avenue for both Latinos
and Hasidim.
But with distrust still dominating Bed-
Stuy, the city has been taking its own mea-
sures to ease tensions. Last September, the
Department of City Planning proposed the
creation of a special mixed-use industrial
and residential district in the area. The zone
is intended to allow the rational planning of
housing for all segments of the community,
without the use of variances. The planned
zone, however, includes only 15 blocks,
and it fails to protect some industrial areas
where variances are in play, including
Taaffe Place and Kent Avenue.
What many Bed-Stuy leaders are
calling for now is a comprehensive
rezoning plan that allows some form of
mixed use, maintaining the industrial
base while allowing residential develop-
ment that meets everyone's needs.
"What must come under test," says Rex
Curry, a planner at Pratt, "is whether
zoning changes are reactive to develop-
ment interests, or proactive for a com-
munity's well-being."
CITY LI MITS
-
O
ver the last 20 years, the two big apartment buildings
at 640 and 644 Riverside Drive have been a laborato-
ry for real estate disaster. The tenants have wanted for
heat, hot water, elevators, garbage pickup, door locks,
functional windows and electricity-tallying about
2,000 building violations by the late 1980s. They've been through
seven court cases, and seen about five or six judges. And the build-
ings-owned by two of the city's most notorious landlords-hllve
been neglected, warehoused and abandoned. They've bested the
efforts of four different court-appointed administrators, and, in the
early 1990s, nearly destroyed a community housing organization
that tried to manage them. In the past decade, the city pumped
$1.7 million in loans into the buildings to restore utilities; the debt
on the two properties now tops $7 million.
These two buildings, spanning the block between 141st and
142nd streets, have endured every nightmare that can plague a good
building in a bad neighborhood. It's as if the entire history of the
downfall and resurrection of New York City's low-cost real estate is
played out at these addresses, starting with lousy landlords and tooth-
less housing policy, winding through endless tenant struggles and
court campaigns, and ending up on the doorstep of gentrification.
This could also be the moment of redemption for 640 and 644
Riverside Drive, as the buildings may finally be delivered into the
hands of the tenants.
As this saga unfolded, the residents became experts in plucking
these besieged buildings from the brink of total failure. Out of neces-
sity, they became negotiators, managers, legal advocates, historians.
Soft-spoken tenant association president Salvador Orochena mas-
tered English, trained to be a mediator, building manager and notary,
and even wound up going to law school, inspired by the battles in the
building.
More than anything, these tenants were able to keep the build-
ings going through sheer will and a remarkably resourceful kind
of collective guile. .
For instance, in the early 1980s, they set up a daily flashlight
patrol, in which residents stood on the landings until about 9 p.m.
in order to keep the darkened halls safe. Another time, the building's
heat was out and an elderly woman on one of the top floors started
having problems breathing because of the freezing cold. An ambu-
lance came, but the elevator wasn't working either. "The [EMT]
guys were ready to walk out," Orochena recalls. "We said, 'She's
gonna die! '" Instead, a group of tenants ended up putting the
woman in a chair and trundling her downstairs.
The buildings on Riverside Drive aren't just a lesson in real estate.
They are also a textbook example of what tenants can do when they
band together, and what happens when tenant alliances fall apart.
These two buildings broke down into about 10 distinct tenant
associations over the years. There was a time when 640 Riverside
Drive had three different tenant groups at once. At another point,
the exhausted leaders of the tenant group at 644 Riverside Drive
came to blows with other residents who had accused them of mis-
managing funds. Ultimately, these bitter conflicts lost them one
big opportunity to own the buildings outright.
This year, they may get their last chance. The two buildings
have now been assigned to the city's new property transfer pro-
gram for delinquent landlords, and in the coming months, the City
of New York will make a final judgment. It will pass 640 and 644
Riverside Drive off to a private landlord-probably the buildings'
current administrator-or hand it to the tenants themselves.
Many of the residents have rallied to the cause, but it doesn't
look good for them; the housing department plans to hand most of
the buildings in this program over to professional managers.
By all rights, this quintessential New York housing story should
end with a happy transformation, where the tenants become their
own landlords and live a blissful co-op life in the buildings that
once tormented them. Instead, after 20 years, this epic will end
with a bureaucratic decision that may put these buildings into the
hands of a landlord many of the tenants don't like or trust. It cer-
tainly isn't the end the tenants would have anticipated 20 years ago,
when their buildings first began to fall apart.
T
he 200 apartments at 640 and 644 Riverside Drive were
built in 1914 to house the well-heeled intelligentsia of
upper Manhattan. An elderly Jewish couple that moved
there in 1944-soon after they escaped Nazi Ger-
many-recalls that back then, 141s(Street and River-
side Drive was quite an elegant address. By 1963, when Calvin
Samuels moved in, "there were still vestiges of what had once
been a very fine building," he remembers, with ornate furniture in
the lobby and a doorman uniformed in maroon and gold.
But by the late 1970s, the buildings had been sucked into the
same ordeals that were ravaging much of Harlem and Washington
Heights, including slumlords, drug trade and decay. The buildings
got caught in a game of hot potato between two of the city's most
infamous landlords: Andonis Morfesis, who later served jail time
for conditions in his other buildings, and the DiLorenzo family,
whose patriarch had set up a real estate empire worth about $1 bil-
CITVLlMITS
lion before his death in 1975, when the family and its holdings fell
into tunnoil. The residents say Morfesis and Alex DiLorenzo ill
swapped the building back and forth, allowing them to get more
cash in mortgages and stay one step ahead of city tax collectors and
building inspectors. It was a lucrative game that landlords were
playing citywide, milking old buildings for all they were worth.
Meanwhile, weeks passed without heat or hot water. People
moved out. Broadway, just a block away, was taken over by drug
traffic, and soon the majestic Riverside buildings, once a bulwark
against crime, admitted dealers as paying tenants.
Then, in the winter of 1979-1980, the boiler in 640 almost melt-
ed down. "The mechanism that would tum it off failed, and the
boiler was burning red," remembers Samuels, then president of the
tenant association at 640. Trembling, he shut it down manually. "I
had to post a notice that we were like a ship in the ocean without
an engine." Residents were left with no heat, rattling windows and
memories of tinsel blowing around on their Christmas trees.
The tenants began collaborating during that harsh, chaotic
winter, at first simply to keep warm and safe. Because so many
people were plugging in electric heaters, the fuses were constant-
ly blowing. So they set up a system: For groups of apartments that
shared a fuse, residents took turns plugging in their heaters.
Fairly quickly, they got drawn into a collective crusade. By
late 1981, with the buildings on seasonal rent strike, the tenant
association in 640 Riverside Drive had opened a bank account to
pay for some maintenance work. The tenants set up an office,
staffing it five days a week with volunteers ready to collect rent
and issue receipts. A small group of residents even trained to
become court-appointed building managers, and several actually
served in that capacity.
In response, the landlords tried to cut back further on upkeep
costs, says Orochena. The court-appointed receiver, Edward
Howard, hired a slew of managers that the tenants say did noth-
ing. Six managers came and went in five years.
But by then, the tenants had already seen their way out of this
mess. They were planning to take over the building.
E
ven in those crisis years, keeping a consensus going
wasn' t easy-particularly in the spring. When the
freezing cold made unity a matter of life and death, the
tenants were able to stick together. Marshalling forces
to plan for long-term change was a different matter,
especially after the winters wore tenants out. Each December in
the early 1980s brought the same regimen of rent collection, court
appearances and arduous hallway meetings.
The first sticking point that split the tenants was whether or not
to keep paying rent. One group felt they shouldn't pay until things
were repaired, says Brigit Dorman. The other "felt that you had to
pay your rent so that they could get this building straightened out,"
she says. Tenant groups began to fragment. At one time in 640
alone, "we had three tenants' associations in the building: splinter
groups and counter-splinter groups," says Deborah Blake, who
moved in soon afterward.
The divided tenants blew their first big chance to take over.
The now-defunct American Savings Bank had temporarily held
the buildings' mortgages, and by 1983 the bank simply seemed to
want to get rid of this albatross. "We were told: $50,000 and you
got it," says Samuels.
But old rifts and arguments broke the deal. Rumors that
MARCH 2000
Samuels was on the bank's payroll swept through the building.
Some people didn' t want to start paying rent again, at any cost. In
the end, nobody was willing to put up the money.
The rest of the 1980s were spent in limbo, dotted with minor
repairs, bad managers, and court-ordered rent abatements. Then in
1990, a fire at a Bronx club called Happy Land that DiLorenzo
owned killed 87 people. With Alex DiLorenzo ill facing criminal
charges and civil lawsuits, his manager told tenants that they
would have to choose between heat and hot water.
By 1991, there were 30 vacant apartments in 640 Riverside
Drive. Demonstrators protesting "warehousing landlords" hoist-
ed an effigy of DiLorenzo by the neck on a Broadway street
lamp. They broke into empty apartments at 640 Riverside Drive,
demanding that the landlord allow new tenants to m ~ v e in.
REAL ESTATE OF CONFUSION
Maximum number of building
violations at one time: over 2,000
Current tax debt on the
two buildings: $7,463,929.31
Tenants who signed a recent
petition for tenant ownership:
Maximum number of building
managers in any five-year period:
Number of landlords who faced
criminal charges:
Year the longest-standing
current resident moved in:
Maximum number of rival tenant
associations operating simultaneously:
Around this time, the landlord completely stopped paying atten-
tion to what happened in these buildings.
W
ith the landlords largely out of the picture, the
city's Department of Housing Preservation and
Development (HPD) became manager of last
resort. In 1992, the tenants got another chance to
take over the buildings when local councilmember
Stanley Michels recommended them for the city's tenant co-op pro-
gram, Tenant Interim Lease (TIL). But soon after Rudy Giuliani
became mayor, the city stopped transferring privately owned build-
ings into these programs. 640 and 644 Riverside fell off the 'IlL lists
and straight back into limbo.
The tenants now turned to another city program. As a last
resort, a "crisis committee" went back to court to get a 7a admin-
istrator-a court-appointed manager who collects rent and makes
114
6
2
1944
3
-
repairs in exchange for a salary of 5 percent of the rent rolls. The
job went to Marie Runyon's Harlem Restoration Project, a
. respected nonprofit already managing many other buildings.
Runyon got saddled with a management nightmare: two build-
ings with sporadic electricity and broken elevators, and a mainte-
nance staff that hadn't been paid in months. Many tenants weren't
paying rent, so there was no cash flow for repairs.
She proposed that the maintenance staff accept $100 a week
until she got more rent income, recalls Gwen Cherry, who worked
at Harlem Restoration at the time. Instead, the workers went on
strike. After about a year, the tenants took the unusual measure of
suing for Runyon's removal, and the resulting crisis nearly tore
Harlem Restoration apart.
In December 1992, after Runyon's forced exit, a tenant commit-
tee selected a new 7a administrator, an experienced manager named
Rafael Lara. He carne in at just the right time, when the housing
department had decided to professiona1ize the program, which had
been hit by embarassing scandals. Bolstered by $1.7 million in HPD
funds, Lara got a new boiler and fixed plumbing, intercoms and elec-
In these buildings,
credibility is, to some
extent, measured in
endurance and
shared suffering.
-
trical problems. Preferring a velvet glove over an iron fist, Lara met
frequently with a new tenant group, but he also didn't hesitate to
issue evictions to longtime residents.
Under Lara's management, the building has become function-
al, and, for the first time in many years, potentially profitable.
Each building has its own super, a maintenance person, and two
porters. Lara says that when he started, the buildings' vacancy rate
was 20 percent. Now, he boasts, it's below 5 percent. He's a vig-
orous rent collector, and by his own admission, "hundreds" of ten-
ants have left or been evicted since he came on-he says he's in
court "on a daily basis."
Now, Lara says, people call him daily about buying the build-
ings, which Michels' office has assessed to be worth $1.8 million.
Initially in Lara's term, as conditions improved, tenant associ-
ations withered. As soon as people were warm and had a lock on
their door, they didn't care about much else, says Blake.
At the core, says Orochena, it's an issue of old-timers versus
newcomers. Indeed, a former vice president of the 640 tenant asso-
ciation, Robert Flemming, estimates that "60 percent of the people
haven't lived here longer than 18 years." The problem with the new-
comers, says Flemming, is that "they don't have a full understanding
of what might have happened."
There's a racial angle as well. Orochena estimates that 20 to 40
percent of the residents of 640 Riverside Drive moved in during the
last decade. Many of them are Latino, while most of the older tenant
leaders are African-American. In a building where credibility is, to
some extent, measured in endurance and shared suffering, this lan-
guage barrier is just one more divide between tenants old and new.
T
hese days, with the heat on and the water hot, the tenant
association has united in the two buildings, led by Sal
Orochena, now 52, and Violeta Enriquez, a relative
newcomer to 640 Riverside Drive. Their goal: to finally
turn these properties into tenant co-ops through the
city's third-party transfer program.
Third-party transfer was inaugurated last year as a way for the
city to manage beleaguered buildings without actually taking legal
ownership. The new landlord-specially chosen by HPD to be
experienced and reliable-pays only a token amount to acquire
the building, and gets to dodge all the tax arrears, but he or she
may also have to contend with serious problems and angry, long-
suffering tenants.
Under the rules, Dilorenzo has a last chance to reclaim his
property by paying off his $7 million tax debt. If he doesn't, it's
all up to HPD-which may not be such good news for these ten-
ants. In the program's first round, the few tenant associations that
tried to partner with non profits to take over their buildings were
turned down. For this round-the one that includes 640 and 644
Riverside Drive-HPD has announced plans to hand over many
buildings to the 7a administrators that manage them.
So Rafael Lara emerges as the tenants' biggest competition.
Yet he is also setting himself up to be their partner. To get a build-
ing through third-party transfer, the tenants are required to work
with a nonprofit, and Lara has recently incorporated his own non-
profit to facilitate his bid. "1 truly believe that the best thing is that
the tenants be able to obtain the building, and get good manage-
ment that can work with them and keep them going," he says.
But Orochena is skeptical about Lara's motives. "Mr. Lara is
in the business of real estate," he points out. "Why should he give
something up if he can keep it?" Stanley Michels, for his part, says
that if HPD recommends another party besides the tenants to take
over this building, he will oppose it in the City Council.
To many tenants, it seems obvious that Lara is simply eager to
take charge as a private landlord. They fear rent increases, which
they could face if substantial repairs are done. On the other hand,
some tenants don't want to become owners. They distrust the ten-
ant association, or worry that co-op costs will raise their rent.
But the prospect of tenant ownership has united many other pe0-
ple in the building. Over the summer, Enriquez got 114 residents to
sign a petition for tenant ownership. Expressing a widely held senti-
ment, Freeman says that rents are bound to go up anyway, and "if
you're gonna have to pay money, I'd be prepared to pay the money
and be the owner of my apartment."
"1 hear that Lara tells the other tenants, '[Enriquez 1 is selling you
a dream,'" says Enriquez, who is one of the primary forces behind
the push for tenant ownership. But after 10 years at 640 Riverside
Drive, she has no patience for people who tell her what the tenants
can't do. She has also become convinced that getting the tenants to
buy the building is the only realistic way for this story to end. "You
know what 1 tell them?" she asks. "1 say, 'Well, if I'm selling you
a dream, he's selling you a nightmare.'"
Robin S ~ u l r r u m is a Manhattan-basedfreelance writer.
CITVLlMITS
.J
With term limits, New Yorkers thought they were
voting for new political blood. They might end up
with Peter Vallone Jr. By Jarrett Murphy
I
n Astoria, Queens, the passage of time is measured by con-
stant movement. Jets fly in and out of LaGuardia, traffic
flows off the Triboro Bridge, and the N train rolls back and
forth over 31st Street. Underneath the N trestle there are
other signals of change. While Greeks and Italians remain from
the old days, Indians, Bangladeshis, Serbs and Albanians have
also settled here in numbers. Yuppies too.
Amid this flux there is one constant: Astoria is Vallone coun-
try. It is the home of City Council Speaker Peter F. Vallone, and
before him his father, Judge Charles Vallone, for whom the local
elementary school is named. Charles, son of Sicilian immigrants,
MARCH 2000
helped start the Astoria Civic Association and Variety Boys and
Girls Club, and the Speaker still supports them; Peter even
coached the Civic Association's football team to a" city champi-
onship in 1996.
Judge Charles also started Vallone & Vallone on 31st Street
near Ditmars, an old-fashioned family law firm that operates
today with three attorneys-Peter and two of his three sons-who
handle wills and estates, and the occasional personal injury case.
Vallone & Vallone is a neighborhood firm, and this is Peter Val-
lone's neighborhood. Despite all the changes in northern Queens
in the past 26 years, Peter Vallone is today-as he was in 1973-
...
the councilman from Astoria.
But come 2002, he won' t be--can't be. Term limits will
force him out, along with 35 City Council colleagues, at the end
of 2001. Many of the incumbents are hunting for other offices-
Begin The
Running
Candidates rumored, declared or
otherwise likely to run for the
wide-open City Council next year,
in some of the city's most crowded
districts:
Manhattan
DIsTBIc'l' 1
Sobo, Lower Manhattan, Chinatown
QatcoiDg iDcu.mbeDt: Kathryn
Freed, first elected 1992
AIa.n Jay CIerIoD, past chair,
Community Board 2 and vice-
president, United Democrats of
Chinatown
LIz &bzU. consuJtant, ran in 1991
II1II8 campaccio, chair,
Community Board 1
Rocky CbiD, attorney at Human
Resources Commission
Joseph CherDer, president of
Smokefree Educational Services
JoIm I'ratt&, 62nd Aseembly
District state committee member
Bronx
DIsTaICT12
Kinsgbridge, Riverdale
0at&0iDI iDcambeDt; June
Eisland, first elected 1979
'l'errv 1IaatoDe. Riverdale
district leader, former aide to
Congressman Elliot Engel
' .. nrs. Spalter. founder and
head, Riverdale Community
Association
Lom.IDe Code KoapeIL attorney,
wife of former attorney general
Lareace 1Iockart, chair,
Community Board 8
IIa.rk VopI, member, Ben
Franklin Reform Democratic Club
--
comptroller, public advocate, state assembly,
even Congress. The Speaker will likely try to
stay in power by running for mayor. And his
Astoria council seat? He'll try to keep it in the
family by putting his son, Peter Vallone Jr., in it.
"1 haven' t decided yet what office, but I am
leaning heavily-if I do run-towards my
father's seat," says Vallone Jr. His hesitation
underscores rumors that he might instead vie for
Queens District Attorney. At 38, Vallone Jr. has
already developed the politician's skill of playing
his cards close, even when his aims are obvious.
On the one hand, his father supports incumbent
D.A. Richard Brown. On that same hand, this
council seat has been a Vallone possession forev-
er. Vallone Jr. cannot conceal his affection for the
office.
"I've seen what my father has been able to do
with it," he says. Then he motions out his Vallone
& Vallone office window as the sun falls on Asto-
ria, gesturing north toward old Immaculate Con-
ception grammar school and west toward his high
school alma mater, St. John's. "I've just been
involved in the community for so long."
I
t makes quite a stump speech, but it's not
premature. Even though it's more than 18
months before the 2001 race, dozens of
City Council hopefuls are already on the
move across the city. The stakes are high, and the
terrain is ill-defined. Some districts haven't seen
a real contest for council in eons-Councilmem-
ber Morton Povman of Queens, for example, was
first elected in 1971, when a guy named Nixon
was president and U.S. troops were still in Viet-
nam. In all that time, he has never even faced a
primary.
Now, many districts already have a roster of
four or five candidates making a run. With a host
of political variables, the future is particularly
hard to predict. The mayoral race is a wild card.
Insurgent candidates say the city's hundreds of
political clubs won' t be a factor, but hopefuls
with club ties say they'll playa big role. Citywide
coalitions are forming to influence the race,
backed by labor or business; a group called NYC
Women 200 I is pulling for women. Into the void,
many candidates are talking up their ties to
departing incumbents--everyone wants to be the
favorite son.
Vallone Jr.'s advantage is that he actually is.
Indeed, his good looks, disarming manner and
years of experience as a criminal prosecutor with
the Manhattan DA will be mere extras once he
decides to run. His name will be his best asset.
hopes to keep its 60-
year-long grasp on
Astoria with another
Vallone candidacy.
"A quarter of the people who are going to vote will think the
father is running," jokes veteran political consultant Joseph
Mercurio. He keeps a close eye on local races, and says he sees
no reason why Vallone Jr. shouldn' t breeze to victory if he runs.
"I don't see any problems [for Vallone Jr.]," he adds. "He'll just
have more organization and more name recognition."
Astoria isn't the only place where politics could be a family
affair in 2001. Council aides say Brooklyn's Una Clarke and Rev.
Wendell Foster of the Bronx have daughters who might seek their
seats and will also enjoy name power. Noach Dear of Borough
Park has floated the idea of handing his power off to his brother
or his wife. And council staff-essentially family-are planning
runs in many districts, including Povman's, Foster's and Lloyd
Henry's in Brooklyn.
It's obvious what these second-generation candidates possess.
Voters are likely to support them because they are known quanti-
ties. Lame-duck incumbents will endorse staff for the same rea-
son-and to cling to some of their old power. "It's just a matter of
maintaining some sort of control," says Vaughan Toney, a Henry
aide who is also a candidate for his seat. Asked why it matters
who succeeds him, Dear says it's "because I've built up a con-
stituent service par excellence. We get involved in so many things,
even personal matters. I don't want to let that go."
It also won't hurt to have a friendly body in a seat, a person
who might be willing to step aside if a current, term-limited
councilmember wants to run again. New York City'S term limit
law doesn't prevent a member whose eight-year clock has run
out from running again someday. In fact, waiting out a single
term is enough-and the 2001 winners, because of redistrict-
ing that will follow the 2000 census, will be getting terms last-
ing just two years. One council member believes that many
departing officeholders will issue a barrage of mailings in the
waning days of this term, just to remind voters who the real
incumbents are.
CITY LIMITS
S
eated behind a cluttered desk, with a new toy for his
daughter in a bag at his feet, Vallone Jr. talks quietly-
and, he claims, reluctantly-about his nascent cam-
paign. "1 haven' t given much thought into entering poli-
tics myself until just recently," he says. "But term limits have
forced decisions on all of us."
Still, politics can't have ever been far from Peter Jr.'s mind,
because the son has never walked far from the father's footsteps.
Junior attended Fordham University and Fordham Law, just like
his dad and granddad did. He's legal counsel for the Civic Asso-
ciation. He belongs to the Taminent Club, where his father and
grandfather were also members.
The Vallones are close. Peter Jr., his brothers Paul and Perry,
their wives, and their six children gather with Peter Sr. and mom
every Sunday at someone's house for spaghetti. When Speaker
Vallone coached the Civic Association football team to the cham-
pionship in 1996, all three boys were on the team. They played
defense and were nicknamed the Killer V s.
Within the tight-knit clan, Peter Jr. appears to be dad's closest
defender. A devoted son, he talks about how much he hates
fundraising for himself-then mentions that it was easy to do it for
Peter Sr.'s 1998 gubernatorial campaign, because "on his behalf, 1
could ask for anything." He advises his father on political matters,
often heading down to City Hall to have lunch and shoot the poop
with pops. And although eyeing a candidacy of his own, Peter Val-
lone Jr. says dad comes first. "1 want to make sure that in no way
will 1 hurt my father's chances to become mayor," says Vallone Jr.,
"because that's the most important thing for me right now."
His office has a door that leads to the Speaker's office and fea-
tures a picture of Peter Jr. meeting the Pope on a trip to Rome
with the Speaker. Like dad, Vallone Jr. is a devout Catholic. In
fact, Vallone Jr. admits that one of his very few disagreements
with his father came last fall when the Brooklyn Museum dis-
played a painting of the Blessed Virgin Mary garnished with ele-
MARCH 2000
phant dung and tagged with pornographic photos. Speaker Val-
lone stood up to the mayor's effort to close the exhibit. Vallone
Jr. says he sympathized with Giuliani, because "1 was just so
happy to hear someone speak out." .
But he also says that in opposing Giuliani's
efforts to close the museum, his father did what
he had to do as Speaker. On this and other
issues-including homelessness; workfare and 0
fiscal policy-Peter Jr. is comfortable posturing Ueen S
himself safely betwixt opposing viewpoints. He DIS'l'IIcr 26
calls his politics middle of the road. But some
would say that Vallone Jr.'s ability to equivocate
is what truly makes him his father's son.
I
n his 27 years on the council and 14 as
Speaker, Peter Vallone Sr. has acquired a
reputation in some quarters as a master
manipulator, a politician with few strong
beliefs but a remarkable skill for keeping his
council in line on a vote that Vallone's powerful
allies in real estate or other sectors want the coun-
cil to make.
Accurate or not, this is a portrait Speaker Val-
lone helped paint himself. Critics say he has rarely
broken publicly or passionately with mayors,
recent tiffs over Yankee Stadium and access to City
Hall steps notwithstanding. He has done little to
quash charges that he is in the pocket of the real
estate industry, in recent years forcing through a
law that exempts high-rent apartments from rent
stabilization laws and a lead paint bill that protects
landlords from liability. Now, the Real Estate
Board of New York has volunteered its services as
fundraiser for Vallone's 2001 mayoral bid-a
thank-you gesture that infuriates tenant advocates.
The suggestion that Vallone lacks ethics has
shadowed him since he ascended to the council
leadership in 1986 as a result of the final deal
between Bronx boss Stanley Friedman and
Queens party chief Donald Manes. Soon after,
Friedman went to jail for racketeering and Manes
committed suicide. Vallone was never implicated
in the bosses' influence' peddling scandal, but he
was stained by association.
To this day, the Speaker's style hurts his
chances of shedding the stigma of small-time
political boss that clings to him. During council
meetings, he sometimes roams the chambers
casually holding the microphone, lounge-act
style. Recently, the Speaker closed his State of the
City address with an inspiring call for leadership,
and applause erupted. Then Vallone returned to
the mike to remind the audience that "we have
food." A campaign manager would have winced:
With a chance to look like a visionary leader, Val-
lone is such a regular guy that he couldn' t help
mentioning the sandwiches outside.
These critiques deeply offend Peter Vallone
Jr., as they would any devoted son. But Peter Jr.'s
Elmhurst, Jackson Heights
0ut0iDg iDcambeDt: John
Sabini, first elected 1992
B!leD BdaeIe, District
Administrator for Sabini
RudoIfo 1'IoreI, former
Community Board 2 member,
Colombian community leader
41 "'Ire, former cop, district
leader and Lefrak City
neighborhood activist
W&!D8I1ab11re, head of
Lesbian and Gay Democratic Club
Brooklyn
DJmucT46
Flatbush, Flatlands
0ut0iDg lDcumbeat: lloyd
Henry, first ejected 1994
'elD'l'oDe!. aide to lloyd
Henry
SynwI Palmer, president,
Flatlands Civic Association
EeDdaIl Stewart, podiatrist who
ran in 1997
JulIa James, member,
Community School Board 18
Staten Island
DJmucT48
North Shore, Westerleigh
0ut0iDg iDcambeDt: Jerome
O'Donovan, first ejected 1982
1Iicbael ..... boa, well known
community activist and attorney
Joo DeIOiorDo, manager, Board
of Elections
TvroDe Butler, ran for Congress
twice, considered progressive by
Staten Island standards
Deborah Bole, Jongtime
Community Board 1 member
-
"Peter Vallone," says one former associate,
"ain't some white-patent-Ieather-belt-wearin'
motherfucker from Queens."
intense loyalty has led to friction with the Speaker's staff at times,
as well as a physical scuffle with an anti-Vallone protester during
the Speaker's 1998 gubernatorial campaign. "He has never gotten
a fair shake," he says of dad. "He is the most honest, trustworthy,
capable and goodly man ever to be in public service and to over-
come that notion that he was part of the whole party system, and
he's done that."
Such hyperbole is standard stuff when friends describe the
Speaker; they feel his reputation has gotten a raw deal. Even
people with whom the Speaker has disagreed get testy when his
honor is questioned. One former associate stiffens at the idea
that Vallone is just a neighborhood political hack. "Peter Val-
lone," he says, "ain't some white-patent-Ieather-belt-wearin'
motherfucker from Queens."
It's easy to see where this intense allegiance springs from. If
you're a friend, word is, Speaker Vallone will bend over backwards
to take care of you. When political advisers suggest he fire an aide,
the Speaker often resists stubbornly, especially if the staffer has a
family. He attends church every day and strives to make it home
nightly to eat dinner with his wife. He carries a piece of paper in
his pocket with a list of people to pray for. The Speaker's career,
too, has been marked by some acts of real vision and dedication.
Witness his support of gay rights legislation, the stance he took on
the Brooklyn Museum flap and, the most thankless job of all, his
10-year-long revision of the city's archaic administrative code.
As heir, Peter Vallone Jr. steps into this breach between the
two faces of his father: a party hack versus the picture of decen-
cy. Peter Jr.'s own best traits mirror his father's. Junior accom-
panies the church choir on bass or piano at folk masses. He vol -
unteers at a home for people with cerebral palsy and is on the
board of trustees for his high school and the Variety Boys and
Girls Club.
Yet the negatives are there as well, and some of them are Val-
lone Jr.'s own making. Opponents charge he doesn't live in the
district. Indeed, he is registered to his father's Astoria address.
According to Vallone Jr., "I live there [at his parents' house] some-
times, like one day a week. And I own a condo in the district." But
he does not claim to live in the district full time.
P
eople who might oppose Vallone Jr. for the Astoria seat
are already pitching the residency issue, but it's not
exactly a secret to begin with. Astoria is in many
respects a small town with a nice view of Manhattan.
All the players know each other, and rivalries and alliances play
out within a few bustling blocks.
Four doors down from Vallone & Vallone is Mike's Diner, a
favorite Vallone hangout. The Speaker stops in for lunch every
now and then. It's things like their patronage of Mike's, where
$5.05 gets you three pancakes, two eggs and ham or sausage, that
have earned the Vallones fierce loyalty in Astoria. The family has
Request for Proposals (RFP)
The Edward W. Hazen Foundation is now accepting proposals for the Spring 2000 funding cycle
from grassroots and community-based organizations that use the tools of community organizing to bring about
systemic change in public education. The Foundation seeks to fund the following types of programs in nine targeted
geographic areas, including New York City, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, D.C., Miami/Dade,
The Mississippi Delta, Chicago, Texas, and los Angeles.
New or emerging parent and community organizing initiatives that focus on educational equity and improved
student achievement
Community-based advocacy efforts that have the potential to affect change in educational policies and practices
at the school or district levels.
Training and leadership development initiatives that provide parents in low-income communities with knowledge, skills, and
opportunities to participate effectively in decision-making at the school or district level.
Grassroots and community-based organizations in targeted geographic sites are encouraged to submit a 2-3 page letter of inquiry to the Foundation.
Letters of inquiry submitted by March 3, 2000 will be considered for the Spring 2000 grant cycle.
The Foundation's address is 309 5th Avenue, Room 200-3, New York, NY 10016.
Visit our website at www.hazenfoundation.org for more information on application procedures.
-
CITVLlMITS
fans aplenty; at a party in the area, a bad word about Speaker Val-
lone gets you dirty looks and a firm reminder that "he's the man
around here."
But enemies walk the streets as well. Across the street from
the diner is Mike Zapiti's driving school. Zapiti is rumored to be
one of three men who might challenge Vallone Jr. for the family
seat. Lawyer Kimon Thermos, who has run against Taminent-
backed State Senator Denis Butler three times, might also
oppose the Speaker's son. The district manager of the communi-
ty board, George Delis, a player in the neighborhood for
decades, could also run.
Opponents will paint Peter Jr.'s proposed candidacy as an
arrogant gesture by the Taminent club. "Out here in this com-
munity there is a political club that has controlled the politics
of this area for 60 years, and Vallone naming his son to the seat
is another indication of that," argues Delis. But in Astoria's
close confines it's hard for any pol to keep clear of stains. Delis
says he is currently subject to a Department of Investigation
probe for using his community board office for political advo-
cacy in a local school board race. DOl would neither confirm
nor deny that there is a probe, but a letter calling for such an
investigation was written to DOl by a former Vallone aide and
Taminent Club member, Theodore Kasapis. Kasapis himself
was thrown off the school board for trying to pressure another
board member to vote the board president, a Taminent oppo-
nent, out of office. Kasapis did not return calls for comment
from City Limits.
Whoever opposes Vallone will also play up evidence that
surfaced in Newsday in 1998 that Peter Jr. and his brother Paul
were both named to dozens of court guardianships-assign-
ments to oversee the affairs of widows, orphans and the dis-
abled-by Queens judges who are active in the county Democ-
ratic organization, and who need the support of people like the
Speaker to stay in office. Vallone Jr. acknowledges that he prob-
ably has benefitted from his name. He's not ashamed of it; he
says it makes him work even harder.
When it comes to campaign contributions, the family name
appears to be working hard, too. Vallone Jr. has over $20,000
already, one of the biggest war chests among non-incumbent City-
Council hopefuls. Among the givers are veteran politicos Norman
Adler and Marty McLaughlin-both close associates of Speaker
Vallone. Power broker attorney Sid Davidoff and current Manhat-
tan councilman A. Gifford Miller-a possible candidate for
Speaker in the City Council that Junior would be elected t(}-also
gave. So did the campaign committees of Councilmembers Archie
Spigner and Karen Koslowitz, as well as dozens of high-power
law firms and consultants.
Term limits were supposed to break that kind of hold the
Vallones seem to have, and infuse city politics with new blood.
Peter Vallone Jr. can't claim to be that, and he says he won't
even try to. "I am not going to try to distinguish myself from
my father," he says. "I am going to try to continue in my
father's tradition .... I'm proud of the name and I'm willing to
deaJ with Vallone son thing." .
Workshops in Legal Issues for N onprofits
Lawyers Alliance
for New York
330 Seventh Avenue
New York, NY 10001
www.lany.org
The leading provider of free and lowcost
business law services to nonprofits
Except as noted, all workslwps are
held from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm at
305 Seventh Avenue, 11th Floor.
Workslwps are $40 in advance and
$50 at the door. Seating is limited;
reservations are recommended
New York Foundation grantees
may attend certain workslwps
at no cost.
MARCH 2000
March 13
March 22
April 3
April 10
April 17
May 1
May 8
May 15
May 22
June 5
June 12
June 19
Fundraising Law and Regulation
Family Childcare Networks
Incorporation and Tax Exemption
(6:00 pm to 8:00 pm; location to be announced)
Legal Aspects of Insurance
Developing Low-Income Housing Using the
Federal Tax Credit: The Legal Framework
Business Ventures for Nonprofit Organizations
Copyright and Trademark for Nonprofits
Employment Law (2:00 pm to 5:00 pm)
Community Development Financial Institutions
Incorporation and Tax Exemption
Commercial Leases
Mergers and Consolidations
1b register, or for more information, call (212) 219-1800.
nvestin

In
utures
Businessman Bill Ruane is paying for one Harlem
street to have it all: nice homes, a good school, even
pony rides. But can he buy a block's redemption?
E
unice Lowery is thankful for the simple things, like
walking calmly home down 118th Street during the
early morning hours when she gets back from work.
Not so long ago, the stretch between Lenox Avenue. and
the next comer on Fifth was a sprint that felt like a marathon.
''1 used to run down this block at night," Lowery says, chuckling
now. "Some guys kept there a lot, hanging out." The men blocked
the comer, warming their hands over flames from a trash can.
Seven years ago, even the days here were at the mercy of
drugs and misery. Packs of wild dogs roamed the block, push-
ing open front doors that were barely holding on at the hinges.
Across the street from Lowery's buildillg was a sprawling
vacant lot and three city-owned tenements, where mothers
cooked with umbrellas over their heads to keep the roaches from
falling through hole-scarred ceilings into the food. Electricity, if
it came at all, arrived through extension cords from the hall-
ways. One elderly resident got used to climbing down a ladder
to use the bathroom, ever since his floor gave way and his toilet
landed in the basement, pipes miraculously intact.
Lately, it's getting harder for Lowery and her neighbors to
remember those days. Bright street lights banished the men
from the comer, while locks keep dogs and dealers out of brand
new and newly renovated buildings. A Mount Sinai health clin-
ic has opened on the block, housed inside a community center
run by the Children's Aid Society, a huge multipurpose social
service agency. And almost all of the children on the block are
going to a Catholic school three blocks away-tuition-free.
Such a complete turnaround is almost unheard of, even when
a block is the site of a neighborhood revitalization project, as
this one is. But as far as anyone can tell, the project on 118th
Street is one of a kind. Most of what is happening here is the
result of the commitment-and the cash-of a single man.
In 1992, the block was adopted by an investment banker
named William Ruane. His initial plan was to outfit one Harlem
street with a dedicated social worker who would go door to door,
By Kemba Johnson
peddling social services. After his deputies talked to social work-
ers and other experts on poverty, Ruane reaIized that he needed an
experienced partner to help make it happen. That's where Chil-
dren's Aid came in, and that's how this unlikely experiment began.
Ruane's no typical benefactor. He's not interested in quietly
handing his millions over to reputable foundations or social
work professionals. Ruane cooked up the plan, named Cannel
Hill after his $14 million personal charity, mostly by relying on
the instincts that have made his Sequoia Fund a Wall Street leg-
end. He runs the revitaIization program remarkably like a busi-
ness, with "bonuses" to reward residents for positive changes in
their lives and flexible management geared toward results.
Except in this case, community improvement is the bottom line.
T
he first thing Ruane realized was that he was wrong.
Simply offering residents social services wasn't
enough. The problems of the residents on this block
were completely interrelated, and to transform their
lives his project would have be comprehensive, improving hous-
ing, health care and education as well as social services.
Purely by accident, Ruane had concocted something striking-
ly similar to projects that foundations have been nurturing in poor
urban neighborhoods over the last decade or so. Insiders know
them as "comprehensive community initiatives," or CCIs-
neighborhood programs that tackle multiple problems at once.
Foundations have put millions of dollars into urban commu-
nity organizations, having them develop and carry out plans
designed to transform poor neighborhoods. Harlem and the
South Bronx have been home to CCIs. There's even one next
door to the Carmel Hill block, on 119th Street, where organiz-
ers from the Rheedlen Centers for Children and Families helped
tenants in 11 buildings take control of their drug-infested block.
The idea at the heart of these projects is that in order for changes
to be profound and enduring, local residents must be actively
involved in repairing their own neighborhood.
.-
Bill Ruane's
brand of charity
is more Daddy
Warbucks than
Ford Foundation.
-
The Carmel Hill project interprets the notion of neighborhood
power very differently. While it has encouraged tenant and block
associations, the program doesn't put residents in the driver's seat.
Rather than foster grassroots organizing, Ruane relies on a con-
viction that an entrepreneurial attitude can change everything.
"He bet one resident $250 that he couldn't stop smoking,"
remembers Ann Hamm, the social worker Children's Aid hired to
watch over the block. "I thought he was getting taken-I kept
waving my hand to warn him." Just as he had hoped, Ruane lost
the wager, and the winner got both the money and a chance to
break his habit. The man, says Hamm, doesn't smoke to this day.
To some community development experts, there's something
condescending about a wealthy outsider dangling money in front
of poor people. "A lot of people would object to this," says Pat
Jenny, a program director at New York Community Trust, which
funds neighborhood revitalization projects. "It can be seen as
paternalistic in some ways, like a really good employer who does
everything for his employees."
But the program is getting nationally recognized. The Pew Part-
nership named it one of 19 "Solutions for America," local ideas that
are worth exporting to other cities. Children's Aid is also sold on
Ruane's generosity and what it has brought to the block. So are the
people of 118th Street. They're not complaining that Ruane's char-
ity is modeled more on Daddy Warbucks than the Ford Foundation.
'They said that they were about to make this a model block.
Believe me, they are living up to their word;' says Jean Vest. Even
though she has lived there for 20 years, she was contemplating
moving away, before Carmel Hill started up.
"Sometimes that's it," agrees Herman Bagley, who heads Chil-
dren's Aid's community centers and convinced Ruane to take on
118th Street. 'That's what it takes. It's money."
B
ill Ruane approaches the block he calls "our little town"
uncannily like an investment-one that just happens to be
in people's lives instead of a stock fund. He brings that
peculiar balance of exhaustive research and blind hunch
that Wall Street players rely on to steer them toward high-returns.
For example, before Ruane visited 118th Street for the first
time, he had researched the household incomes of the kids the
Children's Aid community center served, and tenants who lived
across the street. "He even knew who had telephones and who
didn't," Bagley recalls. "It was impressive."
A founder of the investment firm Ruane, Cuntiff & Co., Bill
Ruane is probably best known for running the highly profitable
Sequoia Fund. He was also one of the first investors to put money
into investment king Warren Buffett's funds. In other words,
Ruane is very, very wealthy.
He doesn't have any grand ideas guiding his largesse-just a
sense that he needs to help people who got dealt a bad hand of
life's cards. "I like to create something where I will do some
good," says Ruane.
Ever the pragmatist, his initial focus was to help people make the
most of what's already out there. "There are a lot of services offered
to people and they don't know about it or don't do anything about
it," he continues. "I wanted to test that theory."
So Ann Hamm was hired to make referrals-putting people in
touch with programs that can help them get answers about public
assistance, find affordable clothes and furniture, get mental health
counseling. But when Hamm showed up for work in 1992, her big
challenge was to get weary and distrustful tenants to even talk to
her. "They wouldn't even open the door," she recalls. When she
finally did get into the apartments, she saw shocking testaments to
the power of water and the damage it could wreak.
"We had no idea that the primary issue was housing," says
Hamm, who was a mental health counselor at the time. "I have
known poverty, but I have never seen poverty like this. My soul
was rocked." That called for a quick turnaround of priorities-the
first of many for a project that can revise or reverse course on
Ruane's say-so. "I expected to do a lot of therapeutic counseling
and referrals to entitlements," Hamm adds. "But the tenants didn't
want to talk until their housing needs were met."
Most of the residential property on this block was abandoned.
Of the four occupied buildings, three were being managed by the
city's Department of Housing Preservation and Development.
The VP of the Carmel Hill Fund got Ruane a lunch meeting with
a friend at HPD. Soon city contractors showed up to fix roof
leaks and bad plumbing, repair the boilers, and install new locks
and doors.
Then in 1994, HPD launched the Neighborhood Entrepreneurs
Program, through which the agency would train and appoint pri-
vate managers to take over city buildings. Harnm fought to get
I 18th Street slated for NEP, which brought more extensive rehab
and a new landlord, Victor Solomon, a former public school
teacher with a personal commitment to the neighborhood. "A lot of
kids in the block were my students," he says. Solomon and Hamm
worked with the local police precinct to identify a half-dozen drug
dealers in the buildings and get them out. And it was that simple.
Aside from those buildings, there's not much more on 118th Street,
CITY LIMITS
where the community center, a public school, and a temporary
shelter run by Children's Aid take up much of the block.
One of the reasons that 118th Street was easy to overhaul was
because many of the residential buildings were owned by the city.
Though Rheedlen's Community Pride project successfully orga-
nized tenants-seven buildings formed co-ops under Tll.., while
four others went to NEP-the rest of densely populated 119th
Street is out of Rheedlen's hands. It's filled with privately owned
brownstones, some of which still host drug dealers.
By luck or design, Ruane, Hamm and Children's Aid have an
entire block that they can watch over. Inevitably, they are also ben-
efiting from Harlem's housing boom, which has driven private buy-
ers and nonprofit organizations to invest in the neighborhood. New
Caanan Baptist church has also rehabbed four abandoned buildings
on the comer of Lenox and 1 18th, while another church built apart-
ments for seniors on the Fifth Avenue comer. And the New York
City Housing Partnership is erecting seven townhouses where the
vacant lot once stood.
A
fter living on 118th Street for 22 years, Pamela Williams
credits Carmel Hill with nothing less than a total turn-
around. She's pleased Ruane is sending her son to St.
Paul's school down the street. But most of all she likes
that the block is sedate and low on traffic-human, drug and other-
wise. "It was more congested," she says. "Now it's cleaner, quiet."
Williams is in a position to help maintain the peace, as presi-
dent of the block association that Carmel Hill formed three years
ago. With guidance from the fund, the block association was
responsible for getting the city to install the street lights that make
Lowery feel comfortable at night. Members also wrote to Con Ed
to protest the utility's plans to close a local payment center.
Williams says the efforts schooled her in persistence: "Anything
takes a little work, takes a little time."
But residents don' t have a say in the program's direction.
That's up to Ruane. They are only beginning to reach the point
where they will not need Hamm's help anymore. And according
to neighborhood development experts, that could potentially leave
118th Street vulnerable.
"If you just plunk down an initiative and not have citizens
involved it will be okay in the short term," says Brandeis Univer-
sity public policy professor Andrew Hahn, who has studied the
long-term impact of CCIs. "But there's intense interest in sustain-
ability over the long term." Hahn says without resident involve-
ment, community members may lack the political skills to keep
resources flowing into their neighborhood over the long term.
Ruane hasn' t set himself an exit date for I 18th Street, but his plan
is set to. expand to another block in the next few years. At that
point, the focus of Carmel Hill will shift.
''The involvement and direction of residents and their voice in
these projects is an absolute critical necessity," agrees Rebecca
Stone, research associate at Chapin Hall Center for Children,
which evaluates community initiatives for foundations. The aim,
she says, is to teach residents how to be proactive citizens with a
deep stake in the community and a understanding of how to nego-
tiate the system, so the neighborhood won't fall apart again once
program organizers-and their money-leave.
Yet community developers acknowledge that getting residents
involved in comprehensive community initiatives is perhaps the
toughest task of all. People struggling with poverty don't always
have the time or energy to get involved in resident advisory boards
MARCH 2000
for revitalization programs, and nonprofit organizations don't
always connect with the people they mean to help. Though CCI
experts are reluctant to talk about it, more than a few such pro-
grams have failed to attract a critical mass of participants; they
end up relying on standby community institutions like churches to
see these projects through. "It's time-consuming," says Hahn.
''There are huge cultural differences between middle class pro-
gram people and community people. It's a challenge."
On 118th Street, Ruane's resources grease the way. Residents
happily note that the monthly block association meetings are
catered, complete with dessert; they may also win a few dollars in
a raffie. Lowery makes sure to stop by meetings before she leaves
for her night job. "What block association has food?" she says.
"I'll tell you, that food is good."
The incentives also play an important role in Hamm's work. In
the first year of the program, after a resident died from stomach
cancer diagnosed too late, Ruane decided to offer what he calls a
"bonus" of $25 to every resident who got a medical check-up at
the clinic that Children's Aid had on the block or other local facil-
ities. Almost everyone took him up on his offer.
Ruane's money also buys an annual picnic at Bear Mountain.
And for one day each summer, the block becomes an amusement
park, with rides, Velcro walls and inflatable play rooms. Pony
rides, too. ''There are ponies in Harlem," says Hamm, proudly.
"No one has ponies in Harlem but us."
All this generosity is possible because Ruane has decided that
he will spend whatever it takes to make this one block a better
place. In the first years of the program, the budget was set at a
modest $60,000 to pay for Hamm's salary and fund general oper-
ations. That was later bumped up to $164,000 to hire more social
workers. But money really is no object, explains John Franks, a
good friend of Ruane's who administers the Carmel Hill Fund.
According to tax records, the fund has shelled out $198,000 in
1997 and $395,500 in 1998 to the Carmel Hill program. "What-
ever is needed," Franks confirms. "We really don' t have an oper-
ating budget."
-
Roving
social
worker
Ann Harnrn
watches
over horne
life and
school days.
-
T
here's one obvious reason Ruane's bill has gotten so
steep lately, and will remain so for the foreseeable
future: He is sending 78 neighborhood kids to St. Paul
Roman Catholic School three blocks east. He has
promised to cover tuition for all of them straight through high
school; he' ll even pay for their uniforms.
This exorbitant gift was the result of spur-of-the-moment
inspiration, after Carmel Hill surveyed 80 kids on the block and
found out that they were going to 26 different schools, sometimes
traveling long distances. "I don't understand it and I don't care,"
Ruane says, with typical focus on solutions. "I said, let's find them
a school to go to together. So we got back in the car."
Searching Harlem once again, Harnm and the other social
workers were looking quite specifically for a Catholic school. "I
really feel that education can make a difference," he says. "I got a
good education at a simple little Catholic grammar school in the
Chicago area." Ruane wanted to give them what he considers a
solid education and discipline, and the same chances to succeed
that he did.
He noticed that half-empty and closed schools were the norm
in Harlem. Initially, he even approached a priest about reopening
one. Then Ruane hit on St. Paul, which was merely in serious trou-
ble. Enrollment was dangerously low. But things turned around
after Ruane's kids started going there. (He negotiated a bulk dis-
count on their tuition.) The school's reputation grew quickly, to
such a degree that other community residents began to send their
children there as well, bringing enrollment back to capacity.
Ruane is now pouring resources into improving St. Paul, con-
sulting with successful educators who specialize in low-income
areas. "A very ambitious goal would be to have the children read-
ing at the same grade level as P.S. 6 at 81st and Madison," Ruane
says, referring to one of the highest-scoring (and wealthiest) pub-
lic schools in the city. "I believe it can be done." In Harnm, he also
has someone who can help students deal with problems at home,
often a big reason why kids struggle in school.
As with the housing on the block, the project has secured a
school Hamm can keep a close eye on. (Ironically, none of the
children living on 118th Street now go to the public school on
their block.) And once again, rewards are doled out for desired
behavior. Each year the 10 best students go on an excursion-
they've been to The Lion King, a fancy restaurant, summer camp
and Washington, D.C. Prizes also go to the students who make the
greatest improvements.
Lowery's grandson Jaquan Flores, who is in sixth grade, says the
trips aren't the point. He is fiddling with the zippers and openings in
the black canvas bag that the kids got along with their Christmas pre-
sents from Carmel Hill. He got free movie tickets, while his younger
brother, Norman, got a play keyboard. "It's not just the trips," he
says, his gaze focused on the bag. "I want to do well in school."
Whether it's their own ambition or his incentives, Ruane
doesn't really care why students love school as long as they do
well. ''There's something heartwarming," he says, "about sending
these kids to school."
B
y every outward measure, Ruane's strange gamble has
worked. Kids are committed to school. Tenants have
floors and ceilings, and someone to talk to when they're
feeling frustrated. "You have to give credit to Carmel
Hill-they really brought the block a long way," says Lowery.
Results like these are hard to ignore in the community devel-
opment world, where achievements are often measured by how
many residents show up for meetings. Now the Pew Partnership is
having the program evaluated to see if the project is everything it's
cracked up to be, and whether it makes sense to export it else-
where. "We wanted to see how to replicate this in other neighbor-
hoods," says Carol Hamner, deputy director at Pew.
But Pew will have to ask some serious questions about what
will happen when Carmel Hill eventually leaves. Are happy resi-
dents the same thing as a transformed neighborhood, with the
cohesiveness to stick together? Do scholarships and renovations
equal an infrastructure that will endure for a generation? At a time
when governrnent and nonprofits are as obsessed with measuring
results as the business world is, it's tempting to dismiss the
process of encouraging residents to get involved in their neigh-
borhood as inefficient. But it may also be equally misguided.
Harnm insists that the changes she and Carmel Hill have
brought are here to stay. ''When we begin to provide services on
another block we still will be maintaining this block," she says.
"We will not leave this block until this block is empowered."
As for what that much-abused term means to her, Eunice Low-
ery isn't sure, and she isn't even thinking about how long the good
times here will last. As for working to keep it going, she appreci-
ates the block association for the food and street lights. But
between work and her grandkids, she really doesn't have more
time to invest.
For now she's just happy that the junkies are gone, her grand-
kids can play in the street and she can walk without fear. "I used
to be embarrassed to say I lived on 1 18th and Fifth Avenue," says
Lowery. "But now I'm proud to live here."
CITY LIMITS
--....... ... "'.-
Hard of Hearing
. VITAl STATS
W
en Rudy Giuliani gave his first State of the City
address of the new century-and perhaps his last as
mayor-he touted his administration's historic suc-
cess in ending welfare as New York City has known it.
Adding these figures in, HRA calculates it actual-
ly "wins" 52 percent of the time.
But for as long as the mayor has been revamping public
assistance here, advocates for the poor have questioned whether
his numbers really add up. New York's welfare enrollment has
plummeted, but evidence abounds that the city has unfairly
kicked people off the rolls.
A recent analysis of stats culled by the Community Food
Resource Center (CFRC) from a series of Mayor's
Management Reports shows that despite the shrinking welfare
rolls, welfare clients are going to hearings in much larger num-
But Krueger says welfare recipients rescind their hearing
requests for a number of reasons-because they've asked for
a court date more than once for the same problem, or they
miss a hearing date because of a work assignment or illness,
or they solve the problem at their work site, making the hear-
ing unnecessary.
When both HRA and client withdrawals are left out of the
calculations, judges ruled in clients' favor 70 percent of the
time in 1999.
In response to the rise in complaints of unfair welfare
case closings and the growing need to prevent deserving
bers to challenge Human
Resources Administration
(HRA) decisions to reduce
or eliminate their welfare
benefits. And in the vast
majority of cases, the
clients are winning back
their public assistance.
1999 Public Assistance Hearing Outcomes
Last year, 44.9 percent
of the 300,000 New Yorkers
on welfare requested a fair
hearing date to argue in
favor of reopening their
cases, up from 14.5 percent
of the 500,000 public assis-
tance cases in 1994. Com-
mon reasons for case clos-
ings include showing up
late for a workfare assign-
ment or failing to meet eli-
gibility criteria.
And, according to
100
90
c
80
70
I/)
Q)
I/)
as
60
o 50
'0
- 40
c
30
Q)
D.
20
10
According to
Community Food
Resource Center


Rulings in favor of NYC HRA
Rulings in favor of clients
According to
Human Resources
Administration
CFRC, in four out of five
cases over the last six years
HRA was found in the '------------------- ----------------'
wrong-that's 88 percent from 1994 to 1997, and 85 percent in
1998 and 1999. In some cases a judge rules that a client's ben-
efits were wrongly denied and orders them to be reinstated. But
it's more common for the city to withdraw its claims before a
decision is issued, ceding victory to the client.
Critics of the Giuliani administration point to the high num-
ber of decisions in favor of clients as proof that the city is trying
to force people off welfare who by law should be on the rolls.
''The City of New York is way too quick and way too aggres-
sive to deny people the right to government benefits," charges
CFRC associate director Liz Krueger.
The city, however, counters that the advocates have been
too quick in their analysis of the fair hearing numbers.
Calling Krueger's information "grossly inaccurate," HRA
spokesperson Debra Sproles says CFRC didn' t count the
118,690 cases in which clients withdrew or defaulted before
a fair hearing decision was rendered, cases in which, Sproles
argues, clients essentially admitted that HRA was right.
MARCH 2000
recipients from getting knocked off the rolls, advocates and
sympathetic City Council members have been working for
almost two years to legislate a grievance procedure that
would allow participants in the city's Work Experience
Program to challenge sanctions before HRA starts suspend-
ing benefits.
While HRA officials say the fair hearing process as it now
stands is adequate, the state and city might save a little with the
Council's proposed complaint procedure, which would not
involve lawyer and judge fees and could eliminate the estimated
$600 tab now attached to each hearing:The bill has been stalled
in City Council while an attached job creation bill is crafted.
As everyone waits, says Krueger, "it's been getting much
worse over the last six years, because the mission at HRA has
changed from one of providing services to low-income people
in New York to one of being in the business of denying people
the right to government assistance."
-Jarrett Murphy
S




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REVIEW
-
Journey to
the Center
By Joseph Center
"Divided We Stand: A Biography of New
York's World Trade Center,"
by Eric Darton, Basic Books, $25, 256 pages
T
he World Trade Center is big, in more than the obvious
ways. Its construction reshaped the landscape of lower
Manhattan and created a new symbol for New York City.
For all of its overpowering presence, though, the WTC is
basically a very large office park with retail space-the kind of
detached corporate project found along interstates allover the
country. One of the WTC's most successful achievements has
been the ability of both its promoters and detractors to project its
image as something very different: both a unique urban develop-
ment and the embodiment of New York City's success or failure
as one of the world's major cities. Its resilience continues to
impress-even a tragic event such as the 1993 bombing, which
proved in many people's minds that the WTC is indestructible,
was used by its owners at the PonAuthority as an opportunity to
redesign and remodel the complex, and begin its transition into
private ownership.
Eric Darton's Divided We Stand goes beyond the World
Trade Center's iconography to look at its influence on the geog-
raphy of lower Manhattan. Under that lies another story entire-
ly, one he tells in rewarding detail: how the combined forces of
government and private institutions, money, power, and New
York City'S changing role in the economy endowed the WTC
with such weighty authority.
If it takes a village to raise a child, then it took a sizeable
segment of New York City's power elite to raise the Twin
Towers. For Darton, a novelist and cultural critic, the Twin
Towers not only divide the WTC's plaza; they also represent
the divide between New York City'S working and small busi-
ness population and the very wealthy and their allies. The
construction of the WTC was a triumph for the city's real
estate, banking and political elite, as well as its construction
unions. The project started its life as a large-scale urban
renewal plan promoted by David Rockefeller and other busi-
nessmen with financial and real estate interests in Lower
Manhattan, and it was to be built on the East Side, not the
West. However, local merchants' opposition to this plan was
too strong to overcome, and
the WTC's supporters swit-
ched locations without
missing a beat.
Manhattan south of
Chambers Street was
once the center of New
York City'S office mar-
ket. But after World
War II, lower Man-
hattan languished.
In the mid-1950s,
David Rockefeller, as
chair of Chase Manhattan Bank,
took a major financial risk and started con-
struction on Chase Manhattan Plaza-the first major new
office building in the Wall Street area since the Depression.
Rockefeller and his allies envisioned the WTC as a government-
financed office complex to provide an incentive for others to
invest and rent space in Lower Manhattan.
The builders initially presented the WTC to the public as a
home for business and government agencies involved in interna-
tional trade, which would strengthen the metropolitan area's
port facilities. However, as Darton makes clear, very few of the
WTC's promoters actually believed that would happen. By the
1950s most of the port had already relocated from Manhattan
and Brooklyn to New Jersey, where it remains today. The Port
Authority, which was created in 1921 to promote the area's
ports, had become, at best, indifferent to the survival of
Manhattan's working docks.
In fact, the trade center project was the death knell for the
city's ports. The deal to have the Port Authority finance the bil-
lion dollar-plus WTC-which required the approval of the gov-
ernors of both New York and New Jersey-included major con-
cessions to the Garden State, among them an agreement to con-
centrate area ports in Jersey. The project had other immediate
effects as well. Lower Manhattan was quickly transformed from
an area hospitable to small retail business (including "Radio
Row," the place to buy electronic goods before it was tom down
to build the WTC), wholesale markets, and international trade to
one of office buildings and chain stores.
Darton weaves his history with the present; his refusal to fol-
Iowa linear line of exposition lends the book aspects of a novel.
It is less successful, however, in its mission as a "biography."
For Darton, the WTC is the Twin Towers and not much else. Its
hotel and retail complex merit only a brief mention, and some
of the WTC's other buildings do not even show up. It's a bias
that shows Darton to be as seduced as anyone by the overpow-
ering symbolism of the llO-story towers. He dissects the WTC
as a symbolic space-of international capital, big business, and
big government in the service of big business and big labor. But
in thinking so big, Darton forgets to pay attention to how the
people who work and play inside the WTC experience their
environment. In an otherwise in-depth book, he fails in a basic
task of a biography: getting inside his subject's personality .
Joseph Center is associate director of the Urban
Homesteading Assistance Board and a Ph.D. candidate in
Geography at Rutgers University.
CITY LIMITS
S. Shankar is
assistant
professor of
English at
Rutgers
University.
MARCH 2000
Identification
Papers
By S. Shankar
I
n the last few years, there has been an
explosive growth in the South Asian com-
munity in New York, matched by an
increase in the number of publications cater-
ing to it. In areas of South Asian concentra-
tion such as Jackson Heights, in Queens, or
Little India, along Lexington Avenue in
Manhattan, one finds a variety of small
publications, newspapers as well as free
magazines.
Highly visible among them is the
English-language India Abroad, a
large newspaper based in New
York. Printed in six editions from
cities across North America, India
Abroad has little to distinguish it,
other than its ethnic focus, from a newspa-
per of record like The New York Times. It is at the cen-
ter of an expanding conglomeration that includes the interna-
tional India Abroad News Service and the India Abroad
Political Action Center, dedicated to lobbying for what it sees
as the interests of the Indian community in the U.S.
In other ways, India Abroad is typical. These publications
package news from "back home" in Bangladesh or India or
Pakistan together with detailed information about local events.
But they are more than providers of a service-they also serve
as outlets for public discussion and the expression of opinion.
They challenge the monolithic view outsiders too often have
of an ethnic community, as if differences of opinion were not
a feature of life there as well.
--...... ~ - - ' .. '''.-
CITYVIEW
These differences of opinion aren't always easy to take;
and sometimes, they are divisive. Recently, a man separated
from his wife fed false information of a scandalous nature
about her to Parichay, a small Bengali language publication
mainly for the immigrant Bangladeshi community. The news-
paper printed the information, including a picture of the
woman, with no attempt either to ascertain the truth of the
matter or to inform the woman. When the members of
Andolan, a community-based workers' rights organization,
complained about the newspaper's sexist indifference,
Parichay dismissed their concerns and failed to publish any
apology or correction.
But if repressive views are not foreign to ethnic enclaves, nei-
ther is a commitment to social change. It is in this context that
the SAMAR (South Asian Magazine for Action and Reflection)
Collective, a media organization that I helped found, sees itself
as a progressive alternative not only to the mainstream of
American society in general, but to the mainstream within South
Asian immigrant communities. The SAMAR Collective publish-
es a semiannual magazine in English, produces radio shows on
WBAI and is attempting to set up a free Bengali-language pub-
lication cateting to the Bangladeshi immigrant community in
New York:. The Collective notes in its mission statement that "its
fundamental commitment is to advancing the forces of social
and economic justice."
The SAMAR Collective's journalism of advocacy and
exhortation certainly has precedents; historical examples of
similar media efforts come readily to mind from the African-
American, Latino and Yiddish-speaking communities, and sim-
ilar efforts continue to thrive today across the country.
When India and Pakistan both set off atomic explosions in
the pursuit of nuclear weapons, the SAMAR Collective
protested with a radio show, articles in its magazine and street
demonstrations in New York outside the Indian and Pakistani
consulates and the United Nations. The demonstrations
ensured that local opposition to the reckless nuclearization of
South Asia by the Indian and Pakistani governments received
wide coverage within the immigrant South Asian communi-
ty-in India Abroad as well as our own outlets. From its incep-
tion, SAMAR has also given attention to working-class South
Asian issues in New York--covering, for example, the horren-
dous working and living conditions of Bangladeshi restaurant
workers in the city, an issue that other media venues have not
adequately addressed.
As New York grows more and more ethnically diverse
because of immigration, advocates for a better city feel a well-
intentioned need to be attentive to growing immigrant commu-
nities. And outsiders turn most often to ethnic publications and
journalists for access and information. It would be a mistake for
them to value ethnic media and journalists simply for their eth-
nicity, without appreciating that those publications themselves
harbor diverse and sometimes contradictory opinions and ideas.
Ethnic media that do demonstrate an active concern for the city
play an invaluable role in helping their readers secure a sense of
their place in that city and in the world .
-

Restoration Hardline
(continued from page 1 J )
the union over a year ago, says Robinson, they
haven't won a contract yet, due to what he calls
repeated stalling tactics. "It's a very vicious compa-
ny," Robinson says bitterly.
which represents thousands of nonprofit workers in
New York City. "When you employ people, you
have to treat people properly .... If the current man-
agement can't run the place in a manner to pay the
workers a living wage, then, frankly, they should
leave and people who can do it should take over."
whelm this law firm, but some are already project-
ing victory. The organizing committee is trying to
drum up local support. In January, workers began
street pickets and leafleting tenants in the buildings.
"Once we raise eyebrows, people are going to be
asking Rocky, 'What's this?'" believes Edwards.
"It would behoove him to have some answers." Clifton Budd partner Peter Clark refused to
comment on this case, but denied the accusations.
"Untrue," he says. "We may be known for all sorts
of false things, but just because the union's saying
it, doesn't mean it's true."
I
t is not uncommon, say organizers, for nonprof-
its to argue that they are too strapped to afford a
union. Though it has generous foundation sup-
port, Restoration's 1998 nonprofit tax return shows
that the organization is asset-rich but cash-poor:
Rep. Owens believes that Bed-Stuy
Restoration can work things out. "If they're doing
things right, a large majority of these workers
ought to be part of the community, and their inter-
ests will coincide," he says. "If the moral impera-
tive is laid out that workers have to have those
basics, it gets factored into the equation."
Elected officials like Congressman Owens and
State Assemblyman William Boyland have also
responded to the letter campaign by contacting
Mitchell on the workers' behalf. The organizers'
next letter will be to Andrew Cuomo, pointing out
that HUD money is being spent on a law firm they
estimate charges about "$300 an hour." At this point,
the organizing committee seems more confident
than scared.
Although its total wealth approached $15 million, it
ran a deficit of about $1.6 million that year.
"They don't have a lot of wiggle room over
there," says Louis. "Probably the most serious risk
that the union runs is to assume that this is an orga-
nization with deep pockets. Rocky brought the
place back from the brink, and it's possible to cap-
size the boat, it really is."
Unions don't just help nonprofit sector employ-
ees, Sommer points out; they also go to bat for
employers. "The UAW actually maintains a very
active lobbying arm with the Federal government to
make sure employers get re-funded," says Sommer,
who formerly worked at a unionized nonprofit. "In
fact," he adds, "often the union has more political
clout than the nonprofit's board of directors."
Perhaps that's because they don't have a lot to
lose. David Brathwaite may be making more than
some of the others, but it's still not enough for him
to worry about the "car payments" mentioned in
the letter from CDR Management. After the meet-
ing at Carolina's, he carefully wraps up his leftover
fried chicken, and puts it in a plastic bag. Outside
in the cold, he unlocks an old Ross IO-speed bike.
Hanging his doggie bag from the handlebars, he
begins the long ride back to Bed-Stuy . But that argument doesn't go far with union
organizers. "This is a nonprofit, but they're also a
major landlord," says Scott Sommer, an interna-
tional representative in the United Auto Workers,
Mark Liss, formerly of District Council 1707,
points to AFSCME Local 215's successful quest
for across-the-board funding hikes for mental
health workers in the late 1980s. That increase,
Liss recalls wryly, "ended up helping even non-
union agencies."
The workers at Bedford-Stuyvesant Restoration
might not have the money or the leverage to over-
Annia Ciezadlo is a Brooklyn-based freelance
writer.
ORGANIZER-Northwest Bronx Community & Clergy Coalition. To direct
local affiliate. Issues include: housing, school overcrowding, vacant
land. Musts: BA, 2 years experience in high pressure job, Spanish, com-
puter skills, willingness to learn & practice our organizing model, 10-12
hour days-including 3 nights per week & frequent Saturdays-no stu-
dents!! Salary: $26-30K health, life, 403b. 718-584-0515. Email
resume: NWBCCC@IRC.ORG.
Established neighborhood-based organization providing legal services
and community-based programs to low-income individuals, families and
organizations seeks ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF DEVElOPMENT to help
Director of Development design, expand and maintain fundraising and
communications activities and create a 3-year development plan. Duties:
expand Annual Fund giving, research and write grant proposals with
staff, manage donor database and correspondence, co-edit agency
newsletter and work to enhance media relations, cultivate and maintain
organization's public image. Requirements: excellent writing and strong
research skills; ability to manage multiple tasks, prioritize, meet dead-
lines, work collaboratively with colleagues from other community groups
and corporate, foundation, and government entities; computer literacy
(WordPerfect 8, database and Internet). Previous fundraising experience
preferred. Salary and benefits commensurate with experience. Send
cover letter and resume to: Denis R. Berger, Director of Development,
Brooklyn Legal Services Corporation A, 256 Broadway, Brooklyn, NY
11211. AA/EOE.
The Edna McConnell Clark Foundation is seeking candidates for the posi-
tion of ASSISTANT TO THE DIRECTOR, INST1TUTJON AND FIELD BUILDING. The
assistant is responsible for providing administrative support to the
Director; organizing meetings sponsored by the Director; arranging travel;
handling administrative procedures for new grants; and tracking grant-
making and administrative budgets for the Director' s office. Candidates
must have excellent organizational skills and the ability to manage multi-
ple tasks in a fast-paced environment. Excellent verbal and written com-
munications skills required. Extensive knowledge of Microsoft Word.
Bachelor's degree preferred. Salary commensurate with background and
-
experience. Excellent benefits package. Mail or fax resume with cover let-
ter to: the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation, 250 Park Avenue, New York,
NY 10177-0026; 212-986-4558 (fax).
Lutheran Medical Center Health System seeks BILINGUAL CULTURAL INITIA
TlVES COORDINATOR. Serving a culturally and ethnically diverse Brooklyn
community, our 500-bed teaching hospital seeks a knowledgeable profes-
sional to extend our mission by helping us to remove barriers for patients
to ensure that their care is culturally and linguistically appropriate. You will
be responsible for ensuring that patients with limited English proficiency
and/or physical disabilities have access to competent bilingual staff/inter-
pretation and translation services; provide ongoing institution-wide educa-
tion in culturally and linguistically competent service delivery and ADA con-
cerns; coordinate community and staff-relevant celebration events. The
successful candidate will have a relevant bachelor's degree and 3-5 years
experience in program development which must include dedicated experi-
ence in cultural diversity. Bilingual: Cantonese, RUSSian, Arabic, Spanish.
We offer a competitive salary and benefits package. For consideration
please send your resume with salary requirements to: Luella Gardiner,
Lutheran Medical Center, 150 55th Street, Room 3560, Brooklyn, NY
11220. EOE/ AA M/F/ DjV
DIRECTOR OF INFORMATION SYSTEMSlTICHNOlOGY. Manhattan-based not for
profit children's organization seeks IS/IT director. Duties include adminis-
tering LlNUX based local area network, managing email server, accounts,
and web site, developing databases for various programs, including day
care, nursery school , homeless residence, foster care, etc., providing
training and technical assistance to staff, updating and maintaining com-
puter equipment, coordinating purchases of computer equipment, and
overseeing and troubleshooting computers and related peripherals. Salary
commensurate with qualifications. Send resume to ABC-419 E. 86th
Street, New York, NY 10028, Attn: IS/IT Search.
PROGRAM ASSISTANT. East Harlem based mobile mental health program for
children seeks program assistant. Must be computer literate, child-friend-
ly, organized, flexible and a team player. Spanish and English fluency a
plus. Send resume to Elizabeth/Deborah, ABC, All Children's House Family
Center, 171 E. 121 Street, NY, NY 10035.
CITY LIMITS
PROGRAM ASSOCIATE. Umbrella organization seeks staff to provide man-
agement consultation to community-based organizations that deliver
AIDS/ HIV services. Experience in multi-facets of Aonprofit management,
administration, planning and evaluation. Advanced degree in human ser-
vices preferred. Immediate opening. Send resume and salary history to:
FPWA, Personnel Department, 281 Park Avenue South, New York, NY
10010.
EXECIITIVE DIRECTOR. Bronx-based youth consortium seeks dynamic leader
for chief executive officer to work with Board to ensure fulfillment of orga-
nization's mission. Oversight responsibility for all operations including
planning, programs, administration, fiscal, personnel , fundraising and
public relations. Candidate must have management experience, vision
and excellent communication skills. Advanced degree in human services
and bilingual abilities are preferred. Resume and salary history should be
sent to: Ms. Olga Porter-Perez, BBFT, Executive Director Search, 329 E.
149th Street, 4th Floor, Bronx, NY 10455.
A Brooklyn based, community-owned staffing agency is seeking a people-
oriented OPERATIONS MANAGER. Requirements include overseeing the
new-hire screening process; tracking of applicant development and work
preparedness; trainee supervision; and HT database management.
Formal HR or staffing experience a plus. Successful candidates will have
a BA or six years management experience, strong written and verbal com-
munication skills, and work well in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environ-
ment. Fax resume & cover letter to: OM Search, FirstSource staffing,
718-636-6109; Email kedin@fssny.com.
Small child welfare and social services agency focused on adolescent
pregnancy, parenting and prevention seeks committed and hard work-
ing SOCIAL WORKER for cl ients in maternity residence and their families.
Applicant should have strong organizational and communications
skills, be flexible, have a sense eof humor, enjoy adolescents, and deal
well with emergencies. Minimum two years of experience, solid knOWl -
edge of City/ State foster care regulations and adolescent develop-
mental and parenting issues. Spanish proficiency preferred. MSW
required. Good benefits. Mail resume and cover letter to 320 East
82nd Street , New York, NY 10028 or fax to 212-535-3775. Attn:
Director of Clinical Services
JOB DEVELOPER wanted. Good communication and writing skills a must.
Job developing or marketing background, and knowledge of the computer
field preferred. Please fax your resume to 718-946-8240. Attention: Ms.
Berman.
DEVELOPMENT OFFICER. The North Star Fund, a progressive foundation
which supports community organizations and social change in NYC, seeks
a full-time Development Officer with experience in: writing promotional
materials and grant proposals; individual donor solicitation; and events
coordination. Should have perspective compatible with our progressive
mission. $42-50K and generous benefits. Resumes, two writing samples,
three professional references to: North Star Fund, 305 7th Ave., NY, NY
10001. North Star is an affirmative action employer.
DIRECTOR. NYC organization seeks individual to manage programs. BA
degree, experience in affordable mortgage lending, loan underwriting pre-
ferred; strong administrative, management skills. Resume with salary
requirements to: Dir. HR, fax 212-242-6680.
Jewish Fund for Justice seeks part-time (three days/ week) COORDINATOR
for new network of local Jewish social justice groups supported by JFJ. The
coordinator will carry out communications and programming for and among
its members. College degree, three years' experience in community orga-
nizing, understanding of Jewish community, commitment to social justice,
and excellent communications skills required. Competitive salary; health
benefits. Send cover letter and c.v. to: Amy Dickstein, JFJ, 260 Fifth Ave. ,
NY, NY 10001 or fax 212-213-2233. Job description available upon
request.
COMMUNITY ORGANIZER/GRASSROOTS CAMPAIGN MANAGER. JPAC, a senior
citizen education and advocacy group in New York City, seeks a communi-
ty organizer / grassroots campaign manager. We are looking for seasoned
organizer with an MSW or equivalent degree to educate and mobilize older
adults around legislative and consumer issues. Based in Queens, the
organizer would work to develop social action groups within senior centers
and other senior organizations throughout all five boroughs. In addition,
MARCH 2000
they will coordinate the development and implementation of neighborhood
and citywide organizing campaigns. Applicants must have a demonstrated
commitment to social and economic justice. Excellent leadership, organi-
zational , interpersonal, verbal and written skills required. Minimum 2 years
organizing experience required. People of color and older adults encour-
aged to apply. Send cover letter and resume with salary requirements to:
JPAC, attn: A. West, 132 W. 31st Street, 15th floor, NYC 10001; or fax to
212-695-9070. No Phone Calls Please. EOE
VP FOR FINANCE. Citywide nonprofit seeks intelligent, experienced manag-
er. Prior supervisory experience. Knowledge of American Fundware pre-
ferred. BA + 5 years experience with Accounting/ Budget required. Bilingual
& knowledge of diverse communities preferred. Salary commensurate with
experience. EOE. Resume, salary requirements & short writing sample by
2/ 7/ 00 to: MC, CCNYC, 305 7th Ave., 15th FI. , NYC 10001 or jobs@citi-
zensnyc.org. Please include VPF in subject line.
The Center for Urban Community Services, Inc., an innovative community
based social services organization has the following positions available at
the West Harlem Transitional Services, a highly successful program that
helps mentally ill homeless people prepare for and access housing
through its outreach services, drop-in center, and transitional services.
PER DIEM SOCIAL WORK CLINICIANS (Weekends). The Senior Social Work
Clinician will provide clinical oversight including supervisions of evening,
overnight and weekend staff, crisis intervention, coordination of services
rendered and program development. Reqs: MSW plus 2 years related
post-masters experience with population served; 2 years of related pre-
masters experience may substitute for 1 year post-masters. Bilingual
Spanish/English encouraged to apply. Salary: $21.50/ hour. Send cover
letter and resume to Lolita Jefferson, CUCS-WHTS, 312-314 West 127th
Street, NY, NY, 10027.
CUCS West Harlem Transitional Services, a highly successful program
that helps mentally ill homeless people prepare for and access housing
through its outreach service, drop-in center, and transitional residence,
seeks a SENIOR SOCIAL WORK CLINICIAN. This individual will provide clini-
cal oversight including supervision of evening, overnight and weekend
staff, crisis intervention, coordination of services rendered and program
development. Reqs: MSW plus 2 years related post-masters experience
with population served; 2 years of related pre-masters experience may
substitute for 1 year post-masters. Bilingual Spanish/ English encouraged
to apply. Salary: $39K + competitive benefits including $65 in monthly
transit checks. Send cover letter and resume to Lolita Jefferson, CUCS-
WHTS, 312-314 West 127th Street, NY, NY, 10027. CUCS is committed
to workforce diversity. EEO.
OFFICE MANAGER. For the Transitional Living Community, a successful
mental health and housing placement program in SOHO. Manage busy
office in psychological rehab setting. Resp: Supervise staff, oversee
office systems, including MIS, develop and implement office protocols,
process payroll , manage vendor accounts, manage site funds, act as
liaison to agency accounting department. Reqs: BA, 3 years relevant
experience including strong word-processing skills. Supervisory experi-
ence preferred. Knowledge of Local Area Network (LAN) and Wide Area
Network (WAN) a plus. Salary: $37,136 + competitive benefits. Resume
and cover letter to Julie Lorenzo, CUCS/ TLC, 350 Lafayette Street, NY,
NY, 10012. CUCS is committed to workforce diversity. EEO.
The Center for Urban Community Services, Inc., an innovative com-
munity based social services organization has the following position
available at the Transitional Living Community, a successful mental
health and housing placement program for mentally ill women: ASSIS
TANT TEAM LEADER. Responsibilities: Provide clinical services to indi-
viduals and groups, crisis intervention, coordination of on-site medical
services, participate in program development, and assist with super-
vision of the team. Requirements: MSW and direct service experience
with related populations. Salary: $34K + competitive benefits. Send
cover letter and resume by January 28, 2000 to julie Lorenzo, 350
Lafayette Street, NY, NY, 10012. CUCS is committed to workforce
diversity. EEO.
College-level French American public relations school on Upper East
Side Manhattan seeks FULL TIME ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT. Must be
bilingual (French/English), detail-oriented, Mac savvy, people skilled.
Salary commensurate with experience. Ideal start date: Feb. 1. Fax
resume: 212-517-4866.
(continued on page 34)
-
(continued from page 33)
Grand Street Settlement seeks a CHIEF ANANCIAI. OFFICER to manage the
overall fiscal operations of the agency. Responsibilities include: preparing
annual budgets; monitoring cash flow; developing financial reports; tracking
income and endowment investments; interacting with auditors; and acting as
a liaison with other departments. Qualifications: BS degree in accounting, grad-
uate degree in related field preferred; strong background with govemmental
funding; and 5+ years of experience in all areas of fiscal management/report-
ing, audits and fund accounting. Knowledge of American Fundware and Excel
software and a proven track record in projects highly desirable.
Salary commensurate with experience. Fax or send resume to: HR Dept., GSS,
80 Pitt Street, NY, NY, 10002, Fax 212-358-8784. EOE.
COUNSELOR for small employment services program in Brooklyn.
Individualized preparation for private sector employment leading to job place-
ment and follow up. Master's degree in social work or similar fieJd required.
Please phone 718-788-3500 or fax resume to 718-788-2275.
Nonprofit providing legal services to HIV-positive individuals seeks a POLl
CY ANALYSTICOMMUNrTY ORGANIZER. Requires strong writing/analytic skills,
organizing experience, ability to juggle multiple tasks/work in a fastpaced
office, and a commitment to working with women. Duties include: writing
fact sheets/press releases/correspondence, coordinating a national coali-
tion, presenting at conferences, and coordinating an advocacy training pro-
gram for HIV-positive women. Submit cover letter, writing sample, 3 refer-
ences, and resume to Elsa A. Rios, executive director, HIV Law Project,
841 Broadway, Suite 608, NYC, 10003.
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Seals, 300 Park Aven.ue, 17th Roor, NY, NY, 10022.
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MARCH 2000
and in supervisions. MSW. Clinical experience with children and adults.
State Certification in Social Work. COUNtY DIRECTOR-(Staten Island).
Successful implementation of an individual program, namely, providing
schedules & programs in a timely manner. Obtaining suitable facilities &
recruit officials & the necessary personnel. Should keep vital records, as
well as order & present suitable awards. Regular communication with &
visitation to parish leaders, e.g. youth officers, clergy, adult advisors,
school principals & parish directors of religious education. Involvement in
Young Adult Ministry, Scouting, Camps, Teen Age Federation, Youth
Ministry & Leadership, Scholarship Program & other county programs.
College degree preferred. Experience working with youth. Willing to
arrange his/her work hours with a high degree of flexibility. Weekend &
evening availability is necessary to work with parish & county volunteers.
DONOR RELATIONS COORDINATOR. Assist Associate Director with direct mail
and donor relations. Position requires a demonstrated proficiency with
computers as well as an ability & willingness to learn new computer appli-
cations as needed. A strong attention to detail is required in order to
ensure the accuracy of gift/demographic entry & the acknowledgment
process. College degree preferred. Computer proficiency (database,
spreadsheets, MWord). Excellent written & verbal communication skills.
Ability & willingness to take on additional responsibilities as needed.
Excellent benefits. 19 Holidays. Send resume, salary requirements &
include job title in your response to: Catholic Charities, Archdiocese of
New York, Att: Personnel Dept., 1011 First Avenue, Rm. 1113, New York,
New York, 10022 .
RETAilICOMMERICAL BUSINESS SPECIAUST. Downtown Brooklyn economic
development organization seeks person with knowledge of retail business
management to work with merchants on promotion, marketing, finanCing
improvements, organizing events, real estate referral, leasing, etc. Excellent
writing and organizational skills. 3-5 years experience with retail development,
technical assistance programs, public policy. Community organizing a plus.
Send resume, cover letter and salary requirements to MetroTech BID, 4 Metro
Tech Center, Brooklyn, NY 11201.
SOCIAL WORKER (MSW). for Domestic Violence Law Project. Legal services
office seeks Spanish-speaking MSW experienced in working with victims of
domestic violence. Duties include assisting victims of domestic violence
with safety assessment/planning, advocacy and referrals. Assisting attor-
neys with preparation of the cases for curt. Assisting with community out-
reach and education efforts. Recruit and supervise social work students.
Mail resume and cover letter to: Martin S. Needleman, Project Director,
Brooklyn Legal Services Corporation A, 256-260 Broadway, Brooklyn, NY
11211. Brooklyn Legal Services Corporation A is an affirmative action,
equal opportunity employer.
HOUSING ORGANIZER. Expanding citywide housing agency seeks experienced
housing organizer. Responsibilities include organizing resident-run mutual
housing aSSOCiations, providing ongoing training and support to resident
leaders, and overseeing work of other organizers. Experience with tenant
and distressed housing issues required. Bilingual a plus but not required.
Salary $25-30K, based on experience. Full benefits. Send resume & cover
letter, c/o CATCH, 121 Sixth Ave., Suite 501, New York, NY 10013 or fax
212-431-9783.
The Bronx Defenders is an innovative and energetiC nonprofit criminal
defense organization committed to the holistic representation of clients
which includes working with clients, their families and the larger Bronx com-
munity. We seek RnD INVESTIGATORS to work with teams of lawyers, social
workers and support staff in providing high quality criminal defense repre-
sentation to indigent clients. Investigators take statements from witnesses,
photograph crime scenes, create diagrams and demonstrative evidence for
trials, and testify in court when necessary. Candidates should be able to
work collaboratively with others and must be able to produce high quality
written work and have an interest in and commitment to social and criminal
justice issues. Spanish speaking ability desirable. Salary is $30,000 for
entry level, with excellent benefits. The Bronx Defenders also seeks a fIS..
CAlIHUMAN RESOURCES ADMINISTRATOR. We are looking for a detail-oriented
fiscal manager who will also be responsible for the administration of per-
sonnel benefits. We are a medium sized, not-for-profit public defenders'
office. Candidates should have the ability to manage cash accounts and dis-
bursements, including bank reconciliations and monthly financial reports.
Proficiency in Quick Books Pro and EXCEL required. Salary dependent on
experience,. with excellent benefits. Please send cover letter and resume to
Jenny Kronenfeld, Deputy Director, The Bronx Defenders, 890 Grant Avenue,
2nd Roor, Bronx, NY 10451 or fax 718-537-4455.
(continued on page 36)
--
(continued from page 35)
1INANT ORGANIZER. NYS Tenants & Neighbors seeks tenant organizer for
HU[).assisted housing in New York City. FuHime position is funded through
Amencorps VISTA program. VISTA's are paid monthly stipend of approxi-
mately $750 and receive health insurance and other benefits. Send or fax
resume + cover letter to: Michele Bonan, NYS T&N, 505 8th Avenue, 18th
Roor, NYC 10018. Fax: 212-6954314.
STRIVE, an East Harlem-based job readiness and placement program, seeks
an ElCECUT1VE ASSISTANT for its national headquarters. Candidate must be very
detail onented and organized, a self-starter who works well independently, has
stron.g wntten .and oral communication and a professional demeanor. Bilingual
(English/Spanish) a plus. Salary mid-20's. Please fax cover letter resume .
salary requirements to: Tim Moriarty, STRIVE, 212-360-5634. ' ,
PLANNERILAND USE COORDINATOR. Brooklyn Borough President's Office seeks
planner to coordinate review of land use applications, conduct site inspec-
tions, land use surveys. Assist in the preparation and review of community
plans. Must be highly organized, excellent written/ verbal! graphic commu-
nication and interpersonal skills. Knowledge of word processing and spread-
sheets required. Knowledge of ULURP, CEQRA, zoning, Maplnfo/GIS and
Brooklyn a plus. BA/BS in urban planning or related field plus one year relat-
ed paid experience, New York City residency and a valid NYS driver's license.
Salary commensurate with experience. Send cover letter, resume and two
page writing sample to Jon Benguiat, Brooklyn Borough President's Office,
209 Joralemon Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201 or email with attachments to jbel1-
gUiat@yahoo.com. EOE.
BUSINESS ORGANIZER. Organize a merchant association and provide technical
assistance regarding city reqUirement, EZ benefits and accessing loans. BA
or equivalent and 1 year of organizing local businesses is required. Must be
bilingual (English-Spanish) and a self-starter with excellent communication
interpersonal and computer skills. Fax resume to 212-544-0248 '
SENIOR PROGRAM MANAGER for diverse redevelopment and community plan-
ning initiative in Northern Manhattan. Bilingual, strong administration,
organizational, analytical, & excellent writing skills. BA or MA degree,
Training or expenence as strategic planner a plus. Hi $40K's. Fax resume
to 212-544-0248
FAIR HOUSING SPECIALIST. Asian Americans For Equality Fair Housing
Center is looking for a fair housing specialist who has at least 1-2 years
experience in the housing field and who has a demonstrated interest in the
Asian American community. Duties include: working with clients to correct
code violations, resolving landlord-tenant disputes, advocating with city
and state agencies; also, investigating allegations of housing discrimina-
tion, assisting in the expansion of our testing program, working with out-
side investigators as needed; education and outreach. Administrative
duties. Bilingual in Korean, Chinese or South Asian languages a strong
plus. Fax resume and cover letter to 718-539-5706 or mail to AAFEFHC,
40-34 Main Street, Flushing, NY 11354, Attn: Christopher Punongbayan.
Other contacts: 718-539-7290 or chrisp@aafe.org.
Nonprofit Rnance Fund provides loans and advisory services to nonprof-
it organizations to help plan, develop, and maintain facilities for pro-
grams. NFF seeks PROGRAM ASSISTANT to support the Program, its staff,
and the Director of the National Alliances Program. Responsibilities
include but are not limited to: Communications liaison, workshop/ semi-
nar promotion, data management, and general support. Salary mid-20s
plus benefits. Program Assistant Search, Nonprofit Finance Fund, 70
West 36th Street, New York, NY 10018. E-mail: sarah.altman@nffny.org
Fax: 212-268-8653.
Ratbush Development Corporation, a Brooklyn CDC, seeks HOUSING SPECIAL-
IST to assist tenants and tenant associations, co-op shareholders and owners
of small and medium sized apartment buildings. Must have knowledge of NYC
and NYS rent regulations and Housing Court procedures. Organizing
ence a plus. Must be a self-starter with strong communication skills. Spanish
or French Creole a plus. BA and two years of related experience required.
Competitive salary, depending on experience. This is an exciting position for a
motivated team player. Please fax resume and cover letter to 718-8594632.
Ratbush Development Corporation, a Brooklyn CDC, seeks ECONOMIC DEVEl-
OPMENT COORDINATOR to promote improved business climate in Ratbush.
Work with merchant associations and residents to promote and improve com-
mercial strips. Work with individual business owners to prepare business
plans and loan applications. Develop and implement strategy to attract new
businesses that have been identified by residents as needed in the commu-
nity. Candidate must have knowledge of small businesses and have the nec-
essary skills to motivate diverse groups of merchants to work together. A BA
plus three years of related experience is required. Candidate must have
strong communication skills and the ability to write clearly and quickly.
Spanish or French Creole a plus. Competitive salary, depending on
ence. This is an exciting pOSition for a motivated team player. Please fax
resume and cover letter to 718-8594632.
The Puerto Rican Family Institute, a multi-funded social services and mental
health organization, seeks an ASSISTANT CONTROIl.ER to supervise the day to
day operation of the Accounting Department, including billing, A/ P, ADP pay.
roll, government contract compliance, budgeting, monthly clOSing, special pro-
Jects, and F/ S prep. Successful candidate will possess excellent
cation computer skills. Combination of public and private a plus.
Competitive salary. Excellent benefits. Send salary requirements with resume
to: PRFI, 145 W. 15 St. New York, NY 10011, Attn: Controller, or fax to 212-
691-5635. No phone calls please.
A growing nonprofit organization seeks an ACCOUNTANTIGRANTS MANAGER to
handle accounting functions and prepare reports for several governmental
grants. BA in accounting, experience with fund accounting, spreadsheets,
accounting software (MIP) & government funds preferred. EOE, minorities
. encouraged to apply. Please send resume to: Care for the Homeless, 12 West
21st Street, 8th R., New York, NY 10010-6902.
CONSTTTUENTICOMMUNRY LIAISON in the office of New York State Senator
Vincent Gentile. Constituent service, community liaison, policy work. Good
interpersonal and communication skills. Some evening work. ADMINISTRA-
TIVE ASSISTANT for same. Scheduling, office management. Phone 718-491-
2350/ Fax 718-491-2347. Resume/ cover letter/ salary requirements.
CONFERNCE ORGANIZER. Harm Reduction Coalition, a national nOl1-profit
agency addressing consequences of drug use, seeks conference and events
organizer. Responsibilities include budgeting, outreach, logistics and
opment, principally for national conference. Must be team oriented.
Experience essential. EOE. Immediate start. Salary $38,000. Fax resume to
search committee. 212-213-6582.
ADMINISTRATlVE ASSISTANT. Public interest law firm seeks administrative
assistant. Minimum 2 years experience, strong computer, communication
skills required. Salary: low $20Ks. Send resume by 1/ 25 to NYLPI, 151 W.
30th St. , 11th R. , NYC 10001.
DEVElOPMENT DIRECTOR. Anti-hunger, economic justice organization seeks
energetiC and experienced individual to take a leadership role in building
dynamic organization. Fundraising, grant writing and special events. Three
years experience. $3540,000 DOE. Health benefits and vacation. Resume,
CL to Hunger Action Network, 305 Seventh Avenue, Suite 2001, NYC 10001.
PARr-TIME WORKPLACE JUSTlCE ORGANIZER: Make the Road by Walking, a
community-based organization in Bushwick, Brooklyn is seeking a part-time
organizer, 20-24hrs/ week, for its Workplace Justice Project. The organizer
will be responsible for: organizing, conducting outreach to workers in the COrl1-
munity, developing member leadership skills, and facilitating meetings. Labor
organizing experience and fluent Spanish a must. Salary: $10/ hr. People of
color and women encouraged to apply. Contact Benjamin Sachs by fax at
718-418-9635.
SUPPORT SERVICES COORDINATOR. The Pratt Area Community Council (PACC) is
a,growing not-for-profit organization. We combine tenant and community orga-
nizing. Tenant and homeowner services, affordable housing development and
management, and economic development to improve the Brooklyn
ties of Ft. Greene, Clinton Hill, and Bedford Stuyvesant. PACC seeks a creative
self-starter for the pOSition of SUPPORT SERVICES COORDINATOR, respol1-
Sible for the day.to-day provision of support services to PACC tenants. Create
engaging programs and coordinate exciting workshops on family and individ-
ual empowerment issues. Motivate and encourage individuals to address
their needs. Coordinate the provision of individual counseling and referrals &
provide case management as needed. Project development, community orga-
nizing & supervisory experience helpful. Fax resume & cover letter to:
Benjamin Ross, PACC, 718-522-2604.
ACCOUNTlNG ASSISTANT. Small nonprofit that trains women for work in the
skilled blue collar trades seeks Accounting Assistant to help CFO with the fol -
CITY LIMITS
lowing duties: reconciling accounts, data input, accounts payable & receiv-
able, and creating various worksheets. Must be highly organized, detail-<Jri-
ented, and accurate. Salary commensurate with experience. Part-time,
extremely flexible (14-20 hours per week). Warm, supportive environment.
Fax resume to Chief Rnancial Officer, Nontraditional Employment for Women,
212-255-8021.
The Nonprofit Finance Fund (NFF) is seeking a SENIOR ACCOUNTANT for its
Rnancial Accounting Department. We are seeking an aggressive self-
starter to assist the Controller in various aspects of financial accounting.
Major responsibilities include general ledger postings, monthly closings,
account analysis, financial reporting and analysis. Requirements: a
Bachelor's degree in Accounting with a minimum three years of experi-
ence, preferably in the nonprofit sector, and excellent communication and
computer skills. Knowledge of various nonprofit software is a plus. We
offer competitive salaries and benefits. Interested candidates should e-
mail, fax or mail a cover letter with resume to: Senior Accountant Search,
Nonprofit Finance Fund, 70 West 36th Street, New York, NY 10018.
E-mail: rosanne.miskow@nffny.org. Fax: 212-268-8653. NFF is an equal
opportunity employer.
The Garment Industry Development Corporation, a nonprofit consortium of
industry, labor and government working to keep good jobs in the apparel
industry seeks: DIRECTOR OF mUCATION AND TRAINING. Requires: experi-
ence w/development & management of vocational training programs for
disadvantaged adults, grant writing, and Masters degree, $55,OO()'
60,000. DIRECTOR OF MADEINNEW YORK initiative to identify and access
new markets for New York apparel manufacturers. Requires: graduate
degree; experience w/government agencies, manufacturing industries,
and/or business assistance programs. $50,OO()'55,OOO. TRAINING MAN
AGER for skill standards and curriculum development. Will also coordinate
training courses for garment workers. Requires: experience w/adult edu-
cation or curriculum development; b-lingual English/Spanish; BA; analyti-
cal and communication skills. $25,OO()'30,OOO. Send resumes and cover
letters to: GIDC, attn. LD, 275 Seventh Avenue, 9th Flo, NY, NY 10001 or
fax: 212-366-6162.
Government-funded program seeks experienced, energetic .JOB DEVELOPER.
Responsibilities include the counseling and placement of individuals into
jobs as assistant computer network systems administrators and assistant
database administrators. Applicant must have excellent knowledge of the IT
job market. Salary range: $2()'35K, commensurate with experience. Health
benefits. Fax or mail resume to the attention of Alexandra at: 718-643-3365
or The United Jewish Organizations of Williamsburgh, 32 Penn Street,
Brooklyn, NY 11211.
Bronx City Council Member. ENTRY LEVB. POSITION. Varied duties including rep.
resenting council member at community meetings. Some evenings. Can't be
afraid to get hands dirty. Fax resume to 718-402-7602.
Bronx City Council member. ENTRY LEVB. POSITION. Varied duties including
scheduling appointments, answering phones & representing council member
at community meetings. Some evenings. Fax resume 718-402-7602.
CASES, a major nonprofit agency dedicated to assuring better futures for
court-involved defendants, seeks a COURT DIRECTOR to supervise
Manhattan and Queens Supreme and Family Court representatives and unit
assistant. Responsible for assigning staff to cover CASES responsibilities
to the Court, ensuring that the Court received all the oral and written infor-
mation it needs concerning partiCipants placed with CASES; train and eval-
uate staff; and expanding knowledge and use of CEP through outreach to
justices, defense attorneys, prosecutors and others. College degree and at
least two years experience in criminal justice system, desirable; and excel-
lent verbal and written communication skills. Salary $37K. Send resume
and cover letter to Director of personnel, CASES, 346 Broadway, 3rd Flo,
New York, NY 10013.
Highbridge Community Life Center is looking for a Pr TIACHER and a Pr PR0-
GRAM AIDE for the After-School Program. The Get & Give Program serves youth
ages 9 to 13, Mon. to Fri., from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., Fax resume to Sr. Ellenrita
718-6814137.
PIT EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT for consulting firm serving nonprofits. A learning
opportunity with great pay, bonuses, health benefits. You'll be detail ori-
ented, good writer with analytical skills. Graduate degree preferred. You'll
be writing grants and working with our president. Be skilled at Word 2000
& Access. Cover letter, resume & references to: Laurence Pagnoni,
MARCH 2000
Columbia University Station, PO Box 250224, New York, NY 10025.
Check out www.lp.associates.com before replying.
Full-time COORDINATOR for Continuing Day Treatment Program. BA plus MSW
(Social Administration), MPA or MPH. Computer literate. Oversee data collec-
tion/reports, quality assurance systems, and training activities. Fax resume
to 212-663-4135; Dept. J.
DIRECTOR OF TECHNICAl. ASSISTANCE. The NYC Coalition Against Hunger seeks
a senior staff member for a new initiative to build the capacity of emergency
food programs to help the hungry in ways that go beyond food. The DTA will
help a faith-based, voluntary service sector develop management skills and
implement new programs through a comprehensive program of training, infor-
mation and TA. Qualifications; Extensive community-based experience, both
social services and management, including fundraising, program develop.
ment, training and writing. EOE. Salary: Mid-thirties. Four-<fay work week, ben-
efits, four weeks vacation. Resumes to 212-3854330, nyccah@netzero.com.
For questions, job description: 212-227-8480.
Advocates for Children (AFC), a NYC educational advocacy organization, is
seeking a TECHNOLOGY ASSISTANT. Responsibilities include: ensuring that
the computer network is running and backed up weekly, upgrading/main-
taining of computer equipment, managing email accounts, making technolo-
gy purchases as well as assisting with clerical duties. Qualified applicant
should have computer/technical experience and interest in working in the
area if children's/educational rights. Annual salary $23-27K. EOE. Send
resume and cover letter to: Jill Chaifetz, Advocates for Children, 151 West
30th St. , 5th Roor, NY NY 10001. Fax: 212-947-9790. Email: jchaifetz
@advocatesforchildren.org.
CASE MANAGER. The Community Food Resource Center, a community-based
nonprofit that works on a variety of food, hunger, nutrition and income sup.
port issues affecting poor NYC citizens, seeks a case manager for its evic-
tion prevention program. Duties: Intake and case assessments, budget and
housing history review, processing documents and applications necessary
involving HRA, Housing Court, or other government agencies, assure eviction
threat is resolved including relocation to new housing. Qualifications:
Detailed familiarity with HRA I.S.-administered public benefits, emergency
grants, and procedures for addressing eviction prevention cases.
Candidates must have at least 2 years direct service experience to low-
income people, with strong preference in areas of housing advocacy, tenant
rights, or eviction prevention. Good verbal and written skills and a willing-
ness to learn a computerized budgeting required. Priority to bilingual candi-
dates. Salary and Benefits: High $20's, plus medical, dental, and family cov-
erage. Send resume: CFRC, 39 Broadway, 10th R., NY, NY 10006. Attn.:
German Tejeda or fax: 212-6164987.
Small nonprofit that trains women for work in the skilled blue-collar trades
seeks EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT for its Chelsea office. Candidate will maintain
calendar and provide administrative support to Executive Director.
Multitalented, computer savvy, and interested in a variety of duties such
as website and newsletter editing. Fax cover letter, resume, salary
requirements to EA Search, Nontraditional Employment for Women, 212-
255-8021. F/T 35 hrs/week. Call for complete description, 212-627-
6252, ext. 225.
LEADERSHIP SPECIALIST. The Forest Hills Community House, a community-
based settlement house in north-central Queens is seeking a detaik>riented
and energetic self-starter to provide program support to its Youth
Development Center at JHS 217. Responsibilities include: providing leader-
ship training to after-school program participants including community service
opportunities; staff development including curriculum development, and spe-
cial events planning. Must have BA and 3+ years experience in programming
and current youth development practices; MSW preferred. Part-time position:
16 to 22 Hours/week @ $20/hour. Qualified applicants must fax resume to:
FHCH/NKN, 718-262-92 38. No phone calls please.
CASES, a major nonprofit agency c:ledicated to assuring better futures for
court-involved defendants, seeks a CASE MANAGER for an innovative new
ATI program for seriously mentally ill felony offenders. Case Manager is
responsible for managing client progress through the program, including
making field visits and escorting clients. Direct service experience working
with mental health consumers, familiarity with NYC mental health services
necessary. Salary $25-33K DOE, plus excellent benefits. Send resume
and cover letter to Heather Barr, CASES, 346 Broadway, 6th Roor, New
York, NY 10013.
(continued on page 39)
Wi
Loaded Ouestions
By Jarrett Murphy
"Have you ever used
drugs?" That's a tough
one. Honesty is not nec-
essarily the best policy when you're
in an auditorium in the New York
City Police Academy. There are at
least 10 cops in the room, and hun-
dreds in the building.
I circle yes, anyway.
"For any yeses, you will have to
explain them on a separate form,"
says the proctor. "Take as many
forms as you need. If you've been
arrested, we want to hear about it. If
you have been fired, we want to hear
about it. And remember, black ink
only."
I decide to ask a cop if I need to
explain my drug use in detail. As a
tough-looking detective comes over,
I lean toward him, all friendly and
guy-to-guy. "I've got a little high
school drug use here. Do I have to
fill one of these out?"
He hands me a form without smiling. "We're gonna give you a
gun," he says. ''We need to know everything." .
This dilemma was my own making. I was at the Academy filling
out a background check to become a New York City police officer. The
city spent $10 million last year to attract new recruits, and 1'm one of
10,301 they got in the bargain, ready to protect and serve, or at least in
my case just do a little investigative research on the trials of becoming
one of New York's Finest.
There's no doubt-being a cop is hard. Taking the entrance test,
however, is not.
It asks the obvious: Below a set of instructions on what an offi-
cer should do when booking arrestees-"One, fingerprint him. Two,
lock him up"-is the question, "What do you do before you lock
him up?"
And the more obvious: After examining some facts, choose the
sentence that most clearly reports them.
Hint-'What jumped the median as the car on December 25 which
was owned at 9 p.m. by Jo Jo Johnson" is not the right answer.
But it's the situational response questions that are truly meant to
sort out good cop material from the kill!-kill! crowd. I can't recall
exactly what they were, but they read something like, "You're work-
ing crowd control at a fire. Several members of the crowd get upset
and ask to cross the line to assist firefighters. What should you do?
A) ignore them, B) run away, C) tell them to stay back for safety rea-
sons so the firefighters can do their jobs, D) throw one of them to the
ground, jam your pistol into the back of his head and threaten to 'blow
this motherfucker's brains out.'"
A 70 is a passing grade.
One morning right after the New Year, at 6:30 a.m., I report for the
medical exam, where I am weighed, measured, fingerprinted, tested
for fat, and given an EKG, blood pressure, hearing and vision tests.
Most of the day is spent filling out forms-in black ink, of course.
''The New York City Police Department does not recognize blue ink,"
reiterates one detective.
Most of the guys around me check off a couple of boxes noting
injuries they all seemed to get "playing hockey." I, meanwhile, spend
a half-hour explaining that I wear glasses, once had a CAT scan, have
pollen allergies and heat rash, was always sick as a kid and have knees
that get sore when it rains.
The doctor's eyes widen at the sight of my medical form, but after
some quick questions about an obscure blood disease, he asks me and the
rest of my row to touch our toes and hop up and down on each leg five
times. And that's it. If you can bounce, it seems, you can catch bad guys.
At the end of the day the detectives announce that everyone who
passes the medical exam must complete a mile-and-a-half run in 15
minutes and squeeze the trigger of a police-issue pistol 16 times with-
out jerking his hand too much. Most of my fellow recruits move on. A
few of the infirm-including yours truly-are asked to come back for
additional medical testing.
But I am well enough to take the five-hour, 1,500-question psy-
chological screening test the following week, to face questions like,
"Do you feel the need to repeat the same disturbing motions constant-
ly?" "Were you a bed wetter?" "Do you think the same disturbing and
frightening thoughts every day?" and "Do you fear dead people?" I am
told to draw a picture of a house, a tree and a person. Two lengthy bub-
ble-sheet personality surveys follow. True or false: "I would like to be
a florist"; "Sometimes my soul leaves my body"; "I enjoy hunting very
much"; ''There is something wrong with my mind."
In the end, for all my patient participation, I never found out if I
really have what it takes to be a New York cop. Deciding that a life
walking the beat was not for me, I withdrew my candidacy well before
I got to test my hand strength with a .9mm. It's too bad, really. It would
be cool to know that if I had a loaded gun, I could successfully miss a
target 16 times without my hand getting sore .
CITVLlMITS
(continued from page 37)
DIRECTOR OF ADMINISTRA11ON: Upper West Side senior service agency.
Experience in nonprofit administration required. Requirements: BA degree,
Masters preferred; nonprofit administration & supervisory experience; good
computer, writing and organization skills; ability to handle multiple projects.
Responsibilities: facil ity and equipment management; computer network and
data system; vendor relations. Supervise administrative staff. Liaison to the
Board of Directors, attend meetings, take minutes, manage schedules and
produce required materials. Excellent benefits. Salary $50K. Fax resume:
One Stop, 212-6624578.
Prep for Prep, an educationally based not-for-profit organization, seeks a part-
t ime ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT for busy Development department. Applicant
must be computer literate, reliable and detail oriented. Hours are usually
Monday through Friday, 1-5:30 p.m. Please mail or fax resume and cover let-
ter to: Prep for Prep, attn. Director of Personnel , 328 West 71st St., NYC
10023. Fax: 212-579-1443.
The New York City partnership is dedicated to improving New York's economy,
business climate and quality of life. The Community Partnership Development
Corporation, a subsidiary of the Partnership, is seeking an ADMINISTRATIVE
ASSISTANT with a strong interest in community development to provide full admin-
istrative support to two Program Directors and staff. Assist with program
research, track expenses, handle telephone, correspondence, meeting planning,
travel arrangements, files and mail. Strong interpersonal, communication, written
and proofreading skills. Must be motivated, energetic, organized and detail ori-
ented. Strong computer skills and database management using Microsoft Office,
Excel and Word a must. Bilingual Spanish a plus. BA or BS degree preferred. Fax
resume and cover letter to William Nelson, Chief of Staff at 212-742-9559.
Neighborhood Employment Services Program Coordinator, an innovative
Brooklyn CDC, seeks COORDINATOR for neighborhood employment services
program. Responsibilities: assist program participants in developing career
goals, job search strategies, resumes and interviewing skills; develop jobs for
program participants; conduct job readiness workshops; oversee participant
database; and supervise full-time VISTA. Qualifications: job development expe-
rience; well-organized, motivated with excellent communication skills; comput-
er literate; supervisory skills; bilingual (English/ Spanish). Some evening hours
required. Send cover letter, resume and salary requirements to NESPC
Search, Fifth Avenue Committee, 141 Fifth Avenue, Brooklyn NY 11217 or fax
718-8574322. <http://www.fifthave.org> www.fifthave.org. AA/ EOE
F1SCALIGRANTS MANAGER. NY Asian Women's Center, serving victims and sur-
vivors of battering/sexual assault in Asian communities, seeks Fiscal/Grants
Manager for full fiscal operations incl. reports to funders. Send resume to
TSC @ NYAWC, 39 Broadway, 10th R. , NY, NY 10006.
The South Bronx Overall Economic Development Corporation (SOBRO), a leader
in economic development for over 27 years, is recruiting for the following vacant
positions: ASSISTANT VICE PRESIDENT OF INDUSTRIAL OEVB.OPMENT-supervise
staff and develop funding sources that provide technical assistance to b u s ~
nesses. JOB DEVELOPER--develop employment opportunities in customer
services and the construction trade for youth. CUSTOMER SERVICE INSTRUC-
TOR-instruction of general office procedure, business communications and
basic computer principles. BASIC SKILLS INSTRUCTOR-instruct adults in basic
literacy. CREW CHIEFjTRAINER-conduct training classes in the construction
trades. JOB PLACEMENT SPECIAUST-develop job interviewing ski ll s, prepare
resumes and cover letters, identify jobs. ASST. DIRECTOR/PROCUREMENT
TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM-help business owners with business
plans and marketing strategies. Resumes and cover letters to Karen Hill,
SOBRO, 370 East 149th St., Bronx, NY 10455.
LEGISlATIVE AIDE: In the Office of New York State Senator Tom Duane, pro-
gressive State Senator. Constituent service, community liaison, and policy
work. Experience in these areas and knowledge of other languages a strong
plus. Phone/ Fax: 212414-0200/ 212414-2156. Resume/ writing sample.
ADMINISlRIOlVE ASSISTANT for hunger-policy group. Great communication, orga-
nization, computer skills; commitment to progressive work. Collection, summa-
ry and distribution of advocacy info; requests from press, advocates; data man-
agement, mailings, clerical tasks. High $20s, medical , dental, family coverage.
People of color and women encouraged; AA/ EOE. Resume to: Krueger
Assistant, CFRC, 39 Broadway, 10th Roor, NY, NY 10006; fax 212-6164988.
PROJECT COORDINATOR. Nonprofit agency. Recruit, train & supervise Sr. vol-
unteers as entitlement counselors in community agencies. Provide training on
entitlements to volunteers. Some direct advocacy for clients necessary. Min.
2 years experience with public entitlements and BA or related experience
required. Experience with volunteer management, senior adults, training pre-
ferred. Sal. $30K. Excellent benefits. Send resume & cover letter to: Human
Resources, RSVP-37, Community Service Society of NY, 105 East 22nd St. ,
NY, NY 10010 or Fax 212-614-5336. EOE.
POSmON WANTED. Experienced WRI1IRIEDfTOR with skills in interviewing,
research and desktop publishing looking for position in social service, public
information or environmental field. LOW-key personality. Sense of humor. Prefer
part-time; full-time possible. Call 212447-1445 or email Icrawford@tuna.net.
A nonprofit organization has office space available for sublet in the Bronx,
accommodates two to three desks, 3 blocks from Bronx Supreme Court. Share
full kitchen and private bath. $750 a month. Call Gwen at 570424-7526.
The Citizens Committee for New York City invites neighborhood groups in low-
income areas to apply for Neighborhood Environmental Action Program
(NEAP) grants, of up to $5,000, to assist in finding innovative solutions to
local environmental problems. For information call 212-98g.Q909 X 349.
LET US DO A FREE EVALUATION
OF YOUR INSURANCE NEEDS
MARCH 2000
We have been providing low-cost insurance programs and
quality service for HDFCs, TENANTS, COMMUNITY MANAGEMENT
and other NONPROFIT organizations for over 15 years.
We Offer:
SPECIAL BUILDING PACKAGES
FIRE LIABILITY BONDS
DIRECTOR' S & OFFICERS' LlABILTY
GROUP LIFE & HEALTH
"Tailored Payment Plans"
ASHKAR CORPORATION
146 West 29th Street, 12th Floor, New York, NY 10001
(2 12) 279-8300 FAX 71 4-2 16 1 Ask for: Bola Ramanathan
At M&T Bank,
we put our money
wbere our neigbborboods are.
We are now accepting applications for our Community
Action Assistance Plan (CAAP) Grants Program.
We believe that the continued success of M&T Bank is
directly tied to the quality of life in the neighborhoods
that we serve. That' s why we are renewing our commit-
ment to community organizations that are committed to
making our neighborhoods better places to live and
conduct business.
We are offering grants of $500 to $5,000 to eligible orga-
nizations which provide essential neighborhood services.
Prospective applicants should be aware that in 2000 the
Bank will be focusing its community financial support
Brooklyn:
East New York (Atlantic and Pennsylvania Avenues)
Park Slope (Ratbush at 8th Avenue)
Bay Ridge (5th Avenue and 78th Street)
Manhattan:
Sutton Place (East 55th Street and 1st Avenue)
Lenox Hill (East 75th Street and 2nd Avenue)
Bryant Pi!rk (41 West 42nd Street)
Suffolk County:
efforts on projects related to housing and economic develop-
ment initiatives. Therefore, CAAP applications featuring
such activities will receive priority consideration.
M&T Bank's CAAP Grants Program for 2000 is open to
community-based, not-for-profit, tax-exempt organizations
located in Brooklyn, Manhattan, Bronx, Queens, Nassau and
Suffolk Counties. To obtain an application or further infor-
mation, stop by anyone of our branches or mail your request
to the address below. Applications must be submitted
by April 14,2000.
Peter Cooper (East 20th Street and 1st Avenue)
Madison South (Madison Avenue and 29th Street)
135th Street (498 Lenox Avenue)
Nassau County:
Great Neck (23-25 North Station Plaza)
Oceanside (12 Atlantic Avenue at Long Beach Road)
Queens:
Forest Hills (101-25 Queens Blvd. & 67th Drive)
Melville (401 Broadhollow Road, Suite 100)
East Farmingdale (1111 Rt. 110, 3rd Roor)
F:!M&fBank
M&T BANK Community Action Assistance Plan Grants Program
350 Park Avenue, 6th Floor
New York, New York 10022