Gale's latest on the issues
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“Greening New York is important to everyone. To lower
the carbon footprint, my common-sense bill mandates that air conditioned stores
must keep their doors closed. My office sponsored computer recycling,
distributed reusable shopping bags, and published tips on making our
neighborhood environmentally friendly.”• During the summer of
2008 the City Council passed a law Gale wrote, to prohibit large commercial
stores from holding their doors open while operating the air conditioner, to
curb this energy-wasting practice. In August 2009, Gale asked the Department of
Consumer Affairs to educate business owners about the law.• Most
recently, Gale voted to pass a law to support bicycle commuters by requiring
certain commercial buildings to allow employees to take their bicycles into
work. -
“Tens of thousands of residents, many of whom are senior citizens or
have young children at home, are experiencing unprecedented and truly
unbelievable levels of noise from a variety of large, concurrent construction
sites. We all recognize the need for the city to grow and prosper, but
not at the expense of destroying the right of citizens to live peaceably with
their families in their own homes. Development should not take precedence over
the health and welfare of those who rely on the city to respect and protect
their well-being.” -
How society treats the animals in its care is a litmus test of its ethical character, and the term "humane" reflects this: animals, both those that serve and accompany us, and those in the wild whose very existence relies upon our discretion, deserve to be treated decently and respectfully, in accord with our own better nature. This principle, observed in a thousand homilies, myths and tales at least from the time that Noah led them two by two upon the ark, reflects mankind's power to decide the fate of the earth, and is thus part of our higher calling: we are measured not by our deeds but by our conduct, and never more so than in our dealings with the least of those among us. We serve a high purpose when we protect the endangered, aid the sick and vulnerable, educate society, and remind our fellow citizens that the humane treatment of
animals is a matter of public policy. -
“You know those locksmith-for-hire stickers that we used to see all
over New York? They’re gone because of a law I wrote banning them. Etching acid
graffiti is less likely to mar windows because of my legislation. Now I’m
working on all graffiti, traveling with the City’s anti-graffiti truck to wash
walls, and joining neighbors to paint over mailbox graffiti. I have pending
legislation to make graffiti removal even easier.” -
“I’ve allocated millions to Riverside Park, restoring the promenade,
playgrounds, repairing the fence along the river, reconstructing a pedestrian
ramp, and restoring the Soldier’s and Sailor’s Monument plaza. Memorial Day at
the Monument is again a major venue for remembrance” -
In November 2006, Gale allocated $1.68 million to the Department of Parks and
Recreation to replace all deteriorated concrete pavement with fresh asphalt, as
well as install new benches, curbs, and fencing, for the first reconstruction
effort at the Serpentine Promenade of Riverside Park, since 1937. -
"Bedbugs are back, and for the tens of thousands whose homes or
businesses have been infested they are no longer an urban legend but a personal and financial nightmare. My legislation creating a city-wide agency taskforce is a milestone in organizing a strategy to fight back. It puts government at the center of efforts to educate the public, offer sound, practical guidance, and
coordinate the work of health professionals, entomologists, exterminators, and advocates." -
This year, Gale was one of only four Council members to be awarded a perfect
score by the New York League of Conservation Voters for her voting record on
environmental legislation. -
"Landmark and historic district protections are not simply
about bricks and mortar, or even architecture and history. They are in essence
about communities. Those who live in and adjacent to our protected districts
understand that the buildings we have set aside for both the present and future
are not merely property or investments. They are home, with all of the
protections and privacy concerns that residential settings entail, and that set
them apart from institutional and commercial ones." -
“We have been warned by the president on down, and the mayor
many times, to stay home if we’re sick.”Gale introduced the Earned Paid
Sick Time Bill that would allow employees to have time off when sick, as well as
to care for children when sick. This bill has been seen as key to reducing the
impact of the expected return of the H1N1 (swing flu) virus this fall.
