N.O.W. ENDORSES GREEN FOR RUN-OFF, AS DEMOCRAT CHIDES DE BLASIO AS "FAVORITE OF BIG DEVELOPERS"

The leading women's organization in City endorses Green for Public Advocate Run-off because “he gets it when it comes to working women.”  Democrat also lays out "my pro-tenant positions, contrary to de Blasio's repeated falsehoods.”  Campaign finance filings show de Blasio “darling of developers” since he received twice as much real estate money as Green.

New York – At a press conference at City Hall today, NOW-NYC, the largest women’s rights organization in New York City, with more than 5,000 members locally, endorsed Mark Green for Public Advocate.
 
Feminist icon and activist Gloria Steinem said in a statement, “Mark Green’s record of real progressive reform and his successful fights for women in particular – helping domestic violence victims in the workplace, changing divorce laws, stopping discriminatory pricing based on gender – show the kind of outspoken Public Advocate he was and should be again.”
"NOW-NYC is proud to endorse Mark Green, who clearly stands out as the candidate with the most skills, accomplishments and vision,” said Sonia Ossorio, president of National Organization for Women – New York City chapter. “New York City needs a Public Advocate who understands the struggles women in our city face on a daily basis. Mark Green gets it."
 
Some highlights from Green’s record that earned NOW-NYC’s endorsement include:
 
• His early and persistent work to get RU-486 imported for testing and sale into this country.
• His successful city and now state law protecting the job rights of domestic violence victims in the workplace.
• His exposé of -- and law addressing -- the problem of women being overcharged for services because of their gender.
• His pressure forcing municipal hospitals to institute 24 hour rape counseling programs and to create separate intake rooms for rape survivors.
• His report Women in Divorce persuaded Chief Justice Judith Kaye to reform how courts treat women in matrimonial cases.

As an example that “actions speak louder than words,” Green and N.O.W. were joined by Rosa Schirripa, the Staten Island woman whose complaint inspired Green to author the City law – and in July now State law – that protects domestic violence victims in the workplace. “When I was about to lose my job because my employer didn't want someone with an abusive family member, I was desperate,” she said.  “Public Advocate Mark Green saved my job, found others in my situation, organized us all together – and then got a City law enacted so no one else would have to suffer like that. And this past July the state government also enacted Mark's law.”

Saying that "affordable housing is a top issue for women and men alike," Green also released his fifth policy paper, “A Plan for an Affordable New York: Building a Sustainable City for New Yorkers.” 

“We must abandon the recent pattern of development that has divested our City of our most limited resource, land, while stretching our existing infrastructure to the limit without adequately investing in necessary improvements.  It is only by restoring our City’s right to regulate rents, protect tenants, preserve existing affordable housing and have responsible development that we can begin to stem the tide,” concluded Green, whose analysis today discusses 18 new ideas to help do that such as:

• restoring New York City’s right to rent regulation by repealing Urstadt’s law;
• protecting tenant health by passing the “New York City Asthma-Free Housing Act”;
• protecting tenants in rentals facing foreclosure by transforming properties into community assets;
• providing tenant association and community based non-profits with a right of first refusal to buy affordable housing that is going market rate; and
• reducing homelessness by expanding supportive housing;

Green said, "I've always been pro-tenant as my positions against vacancy and luxury decontrol and for repealing the Urstadt laws indicate. Unfortunately, Bill de Blasio has chosen to repeatedly attack a family member of mine to imply the opposite. So in a personal phone conversation on Friday, I answered questions Bill raised after a prior debate at WABC-TV in an effort to stop his slandering of my brother by falsehoods and innuendo.  I told the Councilman that I've never advised him on real estate matters, only on his investment in Air America and philanthropy; that he has only commercial and no residential properties -- and therefore is not a 'landlord;'  and that he was a victim of a fraud by a tax lawyer who later went to jail, not a participant in a fraud, contrary to several scurrilous direct mail attacks on him and me.  I ended by telling Bill that 'I assume that you'll now stop your negative attacks since you now know the truth.'"

The former Public Advocate concluded by questioning de Blasio's analysis that Green was somehow pro-developer because he had accepted contributions from his brother and others in real estate. "First, exactly who do you think my brother would support in races I've run, my opponents?  If you're going to argue that money equals control, then are you in the pocket of developers since you've received more than twice as much money from them and real estate interests as I have in this election?  I accepted $64,271 in contributions from this sector in the Primary, while you’ve accepted $129,078.  I suggest that you stop slandering someone not on the ticket and start debating the issues.”