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TESTIMONY
Testimony: Christine Valentin Rakowski on Exploiting Loopholes in Shore Power Legislation
2:31:40
ยท
3 min
Christine Valentin Rakowski, commonly known as Kiki Valentine, testifies on Section 22-827's language about shore power connection practicality, arguing it harbors potential for exploitation by cruise operators. She discusses personal health impacts on her family and community due to proximity to the cruise terminal and underscores the need for stringent legislation. Valentine also raises concerns about lack of transparency and influence from cruise industry consultants, emphasizing the disparity between corporate interests and community well-being.
Speaker 17
2:31:40
Hi.
2:31:40
My name is Christine Valentin Rakowski.
2:31:43
I am commonly known as Kiki Valentine.
2:31:47
I just wanna say I like Carolina have had to amend this today.
2:31:51
Debbie, my son was born in 2004 teen, and he had lead.
2:31:55
And we went through incredible testing and ripped the apartment and rent stabilized apartment, and we live right next to the cruise terminal.
2:32:04
And we couldn't figure out where the lead came from.
2:32:06
It's so hard not to get emotional because now he has asthma.
2:32:10
And his best friend in NICA has asthma and ends up in the hospital.
2:32:13
This kid's missed 17 days of school.
2:32:15
His mother has asthma.
2:32:16
She grew up in NICA.
2:32:18
How dare the EDC sit here under oath?
2:32:22
I digress.
2:32:23
Council members and committee chair.
2:32:26
Today alongside many others, I actually expressed concerns about section 22 dash 827 in the bill.
2:32:33
This amendment grants cruise operators access to terminals for a shore power connection but with the caveat of practicality.
2:32:40
This ambiguous language opens doors for ex exploitation of loopholes.
2:32:46
A Stantar community has repeatedly jacketed most recently in a meeting on January 16th with EDC where we challenged the word feasibility, which if I had a dollar for every time I heard feasibility today, I'd buy you all coffee.
2:33:01
We urge specificity in this bill's language for your consideration reflecting the vast disparities between what can be mandated in Brooklyn right now and what the future could hold for Manhattan.
2:33:14
They are 2 different boroughs, 2 different issues.
2:33:18
It is imperative.
2:33:21
And I'd like to add On the matter of transparency and trust, there are 2 audience members and chambers who I noticed were at the press conference.
2:33:31
I approached them to introduce myself.
2:33:32
They did not introduce themselves to me.
2:33:35
Only when asked, they said, quote, they're here because it's an interesting issue.
2:33:39
But on the back of their phone is at FTI.
2:33:42
FTI Consulting provides communications, reputation management, public affairs, lobbying, and more.
2:33:48
In the, quote, complex realm of 1 of the world's largest industries, the cruise ship industry.
2:33:54
FTI's revenue in 2022 was over $3,000,000,000.
2:33:58
Cruise industry consultants failing to disclose their identity and worse lying to my face while I'm not getting paid to be here today.
2:34:08
Illustrates a minuscule fraction of the rhetorical fallacies Redhook has been hearing from EDC, for 16 years and what Manhattan will be hearing once MSC gets there.
2:34:21
I went through after January 16th and said to each EDC representative.
2:34:25
This is not personal.
2:34:26
It's business.
2:34:28
I implore this council to make this personal because as we've seen in both the cruise industry consultants here today and the EDC's performance here today, this is a very big business, and they do not care about the people.
Speaker 1
2:34:45
Thank you so much everyone for your testimony today.
Speaker 2
2:34:53
Conference.
2:34:54
Okay.
2:34:54
Just one just one one.