PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Joseph Kleinplatz, Professor, on City of Yes for Housing Opportunity
8:10:14
·
134 sec
Joseph Kleinplatz, a professor and 9/11 survivor, presents a personal testimony against the proposed City of Yes for Housing Opportunity plan. He argues that the city lacks the necessary infrastructure and personnel in agencies like HPD and DOB to properly implement and oversee such changes.
- Kleinplatz cites personal experiences with inadequate building maintenance, including dangerous heat outages and elevator problems, which required intervention from local politicians to resolve.
- He emphasizes the high number of unanswered 311 calls (4,153) related to HPD and DOB issues, suggesting these agencies are already overwhelmed.
- Kleinplatz recommends tabling the proposal until proper accountability measures and staffing are in place, and calls for more public engagement in the planning process.
Joseph Kleinplatz
8:10:14
Speaking.
8:10:16
I'm here on a very personal basis.
8:10:19
I maintained excellent relationships with all the previous administrations, including directly with the mayor and the former speaker.
8:10:26
I am going to present this from my own experience.
8:10:30
I am a survivor of a 911 cancer.
8:10:32
I was a rescuer that day looking for bodies.
8:10:36
I have since, because of the conditions in my building, may have suffered a heart attack, open heart surgery, hand surgery, and knee surgery.
8:10:45
We cannot proceed with what you're proposing at this point.
8:10:49
It's the city of maybe because you don't have enough HPD people in place.
8:10:55
You don't have enough DOB people in place.
8:10:57
We have spent many, many, many, many, many winters nearly dying because the heat was off.
8:11:04
Speaker Johnson isn't here today because he's no longer the speaker, but I'm gonna say this.
8:11:08
If it wasn't for speaker Johnson, Yaselin, if it wasn't for speaker Johnson, we would have been dead.
8:11:13
Some of us stayed in our beds and froze to death on West Sixteenth Street.
8:11:18
It took Brad Hoylman to make sure that the elevator was finally fixed because the seniors on the 6th floor were trapped.
8:11:25
Both Corey specifically offered to carry the seniors down physically because HPD and DLB had not followed up on either one.
8:11:35
Now there are other issues that the city has to address.
8:11:37
I've addressed them with Lyn privately and other council people.
8:11:40
Or other problems.
8:11:42
But the way it's written in the current situation is really not where it needs to be.
8:11:47
You have to have the proper the the proper agencies in place, and HPDDOB failed on many, many instances.
8:11:54
If you'd like, are present to all of the 311 calls.
8:11:58
I'll print every single one.
8:11:59
And you know how many HPD and DOB phone calls there are?
8:12:03
4153.
8:12:07
So If there's an alternative plan, will you have these things in place which I don't think are in place anyway, then it should be tabled, completely tabled, and there should be enough accountability, enough people to come forward and all of you involve more engagement.
8:12:24
There are people that are very smart in this city.
8:12:26
You have to also include them.
8:12:28
Thank you.
Kevin C. Riley
8:12:28
Thank you, professor.
