Congestion Pricing Update: NAACP, Local Churches Join Lawsuit Spearheaded by Staten Island Politicians

BP Fossella, UFT President Mulgrew, Local Elected Officials to Welcome Staten Island NAACP, Local Churches in Opposition to Congestion Pricing

Editor’s note: Staten Islander News has previously covered several different aspects of this issue.  BP Fossella previously released results of a study showing the likely economic damage to lower income Staten Island neighborhoods  while benefiting higher income Manhattan communities.  His office also released a statement regarding the potential shift in air pollution from Manhattan to Staten Island (the intended purpose of the plan to reduce air pollution, not just shift it elsewhere). Read about the UFT joining the lawsuit against congestion pricing here.  

Staten Island, NY – Borough President Vito Fossella, UFT President Michael Mulgrew, and a bipartisan group of elected officials welcome the Staten Island branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People to the movement to oppose congestion pricing at a press conference Friday, March 22^nd at 10:30 AM at Borough Hall.

The congestion pricing plan, if implemented, will shift hazardous air pollution away from majority white, high income Manhattan neighborhoods to Staten Island’s predominantly lower-income, minority residential areas.

These North Shore neighborhoods, stretching from St. George to Mariners Harbor, are already designated by the Mayor’s Office of Climate and Environmental Justice as “Environmental Justice Areas”, and already suffer from poor air quality and high asthma and asthma-related hospitalization rates.

In the latest analysis, the demonstrated disparities in health outcomes that already exist between Manhattan and Staten Island’s North Shore will only worsen if the congestion pricing plan is implemented.

The Staten Island branch of the NAACP, represented by Acting President Jasmine Robinson, advocates for those minority Staten Islanders, especially North Shore residents, who will suffer the negative health effects of increased air pollution. Additionally, a number of pastors representing several North Shore churches will be present at the press conference to take a stand against congestion pricing.

Banner Image: NYC taxis. Image Credit – tookapic

BP Vito Fossella

The Office of the Borough President has a responsibility to advocate for the entire Borough of Staten Island and all its residents, and represents the Borough's interests within City government. The Borough President communicates directly with the Mayor and the City Council to emphasize Staten Island’s budget priorities. In addition, the Borough President is responsible for reviewing major land use decisions and proposing sites for city facilities within the Borough. As the chair of the Borough Board, the Borough President leads Staten Island’s City Council delegation and Community Board chairs in the process of reviewing and approving the transfer of public properties to private use. The Borough President’s Office houses the Borough's Topographical Bureau, which maintains the borough’s official maps and assigns street addresses. The Borough President monitors the delivery of city services on Staten Island, and acts as a liaison between residents and city agencies when problems arise to devise solutions. The Borough President is also responsible for appointing one member to the Panel for Educational Policy and one member to the City Planning Commission, as well as some 150 members to Staten Island’s three community boards.