Marjorie Velásquez, the Democratic councilwoman of the 13th district of the Bronx, a few hours after leaving her seat on the City Council, after losing in the electoral race with Republican Kristy Marmorato, He assures that he will not stop working for his community and will continue to be part of the Democratic committee of that town.
The first Puerto Rican woman to occupy that district, assures that although it was not the expected result, now is when it begins another stage of hard organizational work, for the democratic values of inclusion, acceptance and diversity.
“Unfortunately, a campaign and a message that injected fear into our communities, around many issues, won. But we are sure that we will finally know how to bring our message to thousands of New Yorkers who have been excluded for decades”, highlighted Velásquez.
In the last two years, the legislator represented neighborhoods in La Salsa County on the Council, such as Morris Park, Throggs Neck, Pelham Bay y Schuylerville, Allerton, Pelham Gardens, Pelham Parkway y Van Nest.
“We leave this position very proudly. In two years, we obtained vital financial resources for our communities that had never been seen before. In addition, we promote a series of legislations that will be very important for the economy of small merchants. and for the most vulnerable,” said the Democrat.
It is the first time in decades that Republicans have held this position on the City Council.
Economic and environmental justice
Among the laws that Velásquez sponsored is the 31-C a norm that makes permanent, but much more regulated and supervisedthe ‘Open Restaurants’ program in the Big Apple, which in the last three years allowed these establishments to offer outdoor dining, occupying spaces, both on the sidewalks and in the streets.
The legislative proposal establishes a series of rules so that these permissions are more simplified and accessible in all five boroughs.
Under the bill pushed by Velásquez, restaurants could continue offering meals to the open air on streets and avenues under a new licensing system. But those structures would have to be removed during the winter and rebuilt in the spring.
“This was just one of the many pieces of legislation in which we advanced thinking about economic justice but also achieved changes for environmental justice,” he said.
Precisely in the “world capital” of food delivery, the new rule known as ‘Skip the Stuff’ now has the force of law, which prohibits restaurants and food delivery platforms provide plastic eating utensilscondiment packets and napkins in delivery packages, unless requested by the customer.
This bill, now passed into law, created the opportunity to save money for small businesses and at the same time minimize the carbon footprint in the Big Apple.
2023-12-30 10:43:00
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