BY DIANE S. WILLIAMS
Testifying
before the State Assembly Ways and Means Committee and the Senate Finance Committee
Jan. 29, three DC 37 local presidents addressed the housing, cultural and educational
crises affecting NYC residents.
Ralph Carbone, president of Rent Regulation
Services Employees Local 1359 commended Gov. George E. Pataki for setting aside
$100 million in his proposed budget to expand six affordable housing programs.
But, Mr. Carbone said, We need to go further.
Much of the
citys current housing market consists of luxury apartments owned by landlords
who easily skirt rent regulations. As a remedy, Mr. Carbone asked for more state
aid for affordable housing and staff increases at the Office for Rent Administration.
Mr. Carbone also called for state funds for public housing, Mitchell-Lama
type programs and government subsidies to bring the price of new homes within
the reach of working- and middle-class families.
Our libraries
are facing a major crisis due to their inability to hire and retain librarians,
said Ray Markey, president of New York Public Library Guild Local 1930. He and
Queens Library Guild Local 1321 President John Socha said the citys public
libraries face an educational and cultural contradiction: Their uncompetitive
salaries and subsequent understaffing are forcing branches throughout the city
to close at a time when more people than ever depend on community libraries for
free access to information, computers and services.
Mr. Markey and Mr.
Socha challenged the committees to think outside the box and consider
for the first time providing state funding for city libraries as a solution to
the problem.