REMARKS
Gale A. Brewer explains her vote on the FY2025 budget
0:45:13
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150 sec
Council Member Gale A. Brewer expresses her support for the FY2025 budget, highlighting the extensive baselining of funds and praising the restorations in various areas. She votes yes on the budget while disclosing her association with CUNY and Hunter College.
- Brewer thanks the finance staff and her own team for their work on the budget
- She emphasizes the importance of baselined funding in this budget compared to her past experiences
- Brewer expresses satisfaction with funding for libraries, composting, schools, sanitation, culture, housing, and older adult programs, while noting that more is still needed in some areas
Gale A. Brewer
0:45:13
I do wanna thank the entire finance staff, Richard Lee's presentation.
0:45:17
They after date that the council were clear, answered questions, same with Tanisha Edwards, every single staff member in finance has been responsive.
0:45:26
I particularly appreciate Jonathan Rosenberg's help with capital questions.
0:45:30
My staff, Cynthia Hornig, budget director, and Ali Sofer our Al Ben Fellow.
0:45:37
They have been incredibly instrumental for participatory budgeting all the way to schedule c reviewing, and I obviously thank all the advocates.
0:45:46
The council organized some rallies too to support our budget priorities, and I went to all that I could.
0:45:51
I even went to Dan Brooklyn on a hot afternoon.
0:45:55
Thanks to many people.
0:45:56
This is a good budget.
0:45:58
I heard the negotiators on the mayor's side at the rally, and the rotunda the other day said the council was tough.
0:46:05
That's a really positive reference.
0:46:08
You will hear the numbers.
0:46:09
But most important, as you heard earlier, it's a number of areas that have been baselined.
0:46:14
I've been through 15 budgets as a council member, 8 as a bar president, and few have seen as much baselining.
0:46:22
I am pleased like others about the libraries that composting the schools, the sanitation, the culture, the housing, older adult programs and other allocations.
0:46:30
I know every area needs more.
0:46:33
And I am delighted that parks funding exists a lot of it.
0:46:37
But the 1% promise, Mister Meyer, needs to be kept next year.
0:46:41
A promise is a promise.
0:46:42
And if there was ever an equity issue, that is it.
0:46:45
I'm also delighted that the Oversight Agency's received funding such as DOE, TCRB, Board of Correction, Equal Employment Practices Commission.
0:46:54
They need to have to do their oversight job.
0:46:57
New Yorkers are hurting from the high cost of living here, the effects of the pandemic, the challenges of everyday life national and international tensions.
0:47:06
The concern about public safety and mental illness and the child care support, fair, fair, alternative incarceration, COVID increases food, never enough, but they go a long way.
0:47:16
Like others, I consider CUNY the jewel of New York, and many of the programs will restore.
0:47:21
We have to keep working on queuing.
Althea Stevens
0:47:23
Counsel, remember your time as if I
Gale A. Brewer
0:47:25
just wanna say 1 more things.
0:47:26
I really appreciate the literacy, and I really appreciate the work mental health club houses.
0:47:32
Thank you very much, and everyone who worked on this.
0:47:35
I am voting yes, and I Teacher CUNY and Hunter.
0:47:39
So I am associated with that entity.
0:47:42
Thank you very much.