Fighting for Us and Our Community

Assemblyman
William
COLTON
Fall 2011

FIGHTING FOR US
AND OUR COMMUNITY

COLTON ORGANIZES CLEAN NEIGHBORHOOD CAMPAIGN

Assemblyman Colton with some clean-up volunteers. The volunteers came from neighborhood youth groups including Midwood HS Key Club, United Chinese Association Youth Group, Our Lady of Grace Teen Group, Comptroller John Liu Youth Action Team and District 9 HS Key Club.

Taking Pride in Our Neighborhood

On August 9th Assemblyman Colton and community leader Charles Ragusa, led various neighborhood youth organizations for a neighborhood clean-up campaign. The campaign drew over one-hundred volunteers and spanned about thirty blocks of Gravesend and Bensonhurst, including Kings Highway, Bay Parkway, Seth Low Park, and the surrounding area.

“From top to bottom, this event was organized and executed by the youth in our neighborhood. My intern Priscilla Consolo, a seventeen-year-old high school senior, played a significant role in the organization of this event, and she, along with all the other youths, are fine examples of civic leadership,” Assemblyman Colton stated.

The NYC Department of Sanitation also lent a helping hand, providing trash bags, shovels, rakes, brooms and gloves. Assemblyman Colton appreciates everybody’s help in the clean-up and is asking constituents to contact his community office to identify areas of the neighborhood that need to be cleaned, so other events can be organized.

The Assemblyman is planning future clean-up events as a vehicle to improve neighborhood appearance, instill neighborhood pride and promote more positive attitudes toward civic responsibility.

COLTON RESPECTING
OUR FALLEN HEROES

Assemblyman Colton is calling on the governor to sign two bills that passed the legislature this year, which expand protections for families honoring loved ones who gave their life fighting for our country.

The first bill would require protesters to obtain a permit when planning to protest at a military funeral. The second bill would expand the buffer zone where demonstrators could peacefully protest from one-hundred feet to three-hundred feet.

“It is unfortunate that we even have to address this issue, but in light of particular groups staging protests at funerals of members of the military killed in action, the legislature felt it was necessary to place limitations on these protests, so our fallen heroes receive a respectful burial,” the Assemblyman said.

While peaceful assembly and protest are protected under the U.S. Constitution, the authority to impose limitations on this type of protest comes from a U.S. Supreme Court Ruling (Snyder v. Phelps). The ruling concluded that protests were constitutional, but that families of the deceased deserve protection while mourning at a funeral.

COLTON FIGHTS TO STRENGTHEN SEX OFFENDER REGISTRY

Assemblyman Colton and Senator DeFrancisco were successful in passing a bill this year requiring the Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) to include the type and length of post-release supervision of sex offenders on their online sex offender database. The bill will go to Governor Cuomo for his signature.

Assemblyman Colton was a sponsor of a 2008 bill introduced by then-Attorney General Cuomo, which created the historic e-STOP law, requiring sex offenders to register all of their online accounts and banning them from social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace.

“We must use all the tools at our disposal to protect our children from sexual predators. Sex offenders are more likely than any other offender to repeat the same crime once they have been released from prison. Expanding the amount of information we can share with our communities on the whereabouts and level of supervision sex offenders are receiving will help parents take the necessary precautions to protect their child from an avoidable tragedy,” Assemblyman Colton stated.

The State Sex Offender Registry can be accessed at www.criminaljustice.state.ny.us.

U.S. NAVY CONFIRMS COLTON’S DISCOVERY OF MUNITIONS IN GRAVESEND BAY

Assemblyman Colton is seen here illustrating how close the proposed waste station site is to the area in Gravesend Bay with the live munitions.

The United States Navy and Coast Guard have recently confirmed Assemblyman Colton’s findings that over 15,000 live munitions shells from the U.S.S. Bennington fell into the waters of Gravesend Bay and beyond. The Coast Guard has even gone so far as to prohibit the passage of boats along a portion of Gravesend Bay, establishing a “safe zone” in the area.

Colton Sounded Ammo Alert

It was the research of Assemblyman Colton’s office back in 2008 that uncovered information on the capsized military barge. This information helped chart the current location of the bombshells. Colton immediately turned over his findings to the U.S. Army Corps, Navy, and Coast Guard alerting them to his explosive discovery. Additionally, Colton took his case to state and city agencies, warning them of the potentially dangerous consequences if they proceed to dredge the bay.

Colton Warns Garbage Station Dredging Poses Danger

Assemblyman Colton, the leading opponent of the city’s plan to open a Garbage Transfer Station in Gravesend Bay, filed an extensive appeal to the Department of Environmental Conservation on behalf of neighborhood residents, arguing that the city’s plan will unleash health and environmental dangers, along with the strong possibility of setting off explosives. Colton warned that dredging the Bay to make way for large trash barges will disturb the live ammo and release the toxins buried from the former incinerator.

Colton: Reject Garbage Transfer Station

Colton believes that his finding of munitions puts big holes in the city’s argument that they conducted a thorough environmental impact review of the proposed waste facility. The city made no mention of the capsized military barge and its lost munitions. Consequently, Colton is demanding the city’s plan for the garbage transfer station be rejected. Currently, Colton is waiting for the DEC to rule on his appeal to prevent the issuance of the waste facility permit. Colton has indicated that if the DEC rules against the community he is prepared to take this case on in court, pro bono, and defend the safety, health, environment, and families of Southwest Brooklyn.

Driver Safety Program

Date
(Sunday) November 20, 2011

Time
8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Sponsor
AARP & Assemblyman William Colton

Place
29 Bay 25th St.
(Between 86th St. and Benson Ave.)
Brooklyn, NY 11214

To Register Please Call:

718-236-1598 and ask for Paul S. Lipton. Please give your name and telephone number for pre-registration and you will be given full information about the class. After regular office hours, please leave your information and we will return your phone call.

MetroCard Mobile Sales Outreach

MetroCard Mobile Sales Staff will assist those who are eligible:

Seniors 65+

Senior citizens 65 years of age and older can apply for an MTA Reduced-Fare MetroCard and can receive a temporary card the same day. Proper proof of age, such as a Medicare card, is required.

Seniors with Disabilities

People with qualifying disabilities with a Medicare card and a valid photo I.D., such as a driver’s license, can apply for a Reduced-Fare MetroCard and receive a temporary card the same day.

People with Disabilities

People with qualifying disabilities without a Medicare card can also apply. No temporary card will be issued and the applicant must first meet all qualifying criteria. Please note that the application processing may take up to 8 weeks.

155 Kings Highway (Between West 12th and West 13th Street) • 718-236-1598
Email: coltonw@assembly.state.ny.us
Monday–Wednesday: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Thursday: Noon to 8 p.m.
Friday: 10 a.m. to Noon