Petitioning is one of the most important contributions you can make to a campaign. It initiates personal voter contact which is essential to winning elections.  We need more progressive voices in New York City government fighting for us, for our issues, and for our communities.

DFNYC has prepared a helpful guide to petitioning in NYC which you can download and view HERE

Petition for one of DFNYC's endorsed candidates or the candidate of your choosing.  The petitioning period to qualify for the September 15 primary ballot begins on Tuesday, June 9 and ends on Thursday, July 16. Sign up for petitioning today with one of DFNYC endorsed candidates or the candidate of your choice and check the website and newsletter for fun DFNYC petitioning events.  (You must be a registered Democrat in New York to carry petitions for Democratic candidates.  You can carry petitions for anyone in the city.  You do not have to live in the district.)

DFNYC Endorsed Candidates:

Norman Siegel  for Public Advocate – Citywide

Josh Skaller for the 39^th Council District in Brooklyn

(Carroll Gardens, Kensington, Park Slope and Windsor Terrace)

Steve Behar for the 19^th Council District in Queens

(Bayside, Beechhurst, Colllege Point and Whitestone)

To get more infomration about how to petition for a specific candidate contact info -at- dfnyc.org

Action: Write the EPA About the Gowanus Canal & Should DFNYC Support Superfund?

It’s not only the banks who are getting stimulus money, the EPA has been given money which will allow them to create new Superfund projects, and the Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn is one of the sites under consideration. In the EPA Hazard Ranking System, the minimum score of eligibility is 28.5. The Gowanus scored 50 out of 100 on the very first test.

From the EPA Website: “A result of years of discharges, storm water runoff, sewer outflows and industrial pollutants the Gowanus Canal has become one of the nation's most extensively contaminated water bodies. Contaminants impacting the canal include PCBs, coal tar wastes, heavy metals and volatile organics. The contamination of the canal poses a threat to the nearby residents who use the canal for fishing and recreation."  http://www.epa.gov/region2/superfund/npl/gowanus/

So what is the issue? The Mayor and other politicians oppose the Superfund project claiming it may delay development along the waterway. According to them, the developers will do the cleanup in tandem with the city. However, advocates for Superfund argue that the developers will not do the necessary and thorough cleanup that the EPA would. The developers want to avoid the stigma of having the “Superfund” branding and are threatening to pull out of the development project if the Gowanus becomes a Superfund site.

From SuperfundGorwanus.org: “The EPA has the tools to lead a comprehensive and inclusive cleanup. Our community has known for generations that this is a toxic public health hazard. Spot cleanup by developers will not achieve the job necessary for a healthy environment.”

More Information:

Gowanus Canal: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gowanus_Canal

Superfund: http://www.epa.gov/superfund/

NY Times Article: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/24/science/earth/24gowanus.html

Take Action:

Superfunding to clean up the Gowanus Canal will need Public Support from the community and a reasonable degree of Political Support from our elected officials. The EPA has a public comment period Comment Period which ends on June 8, 2009

1) Go to www.superfundgowanus.org and sign the online petition.

2) Write an email to the EPA (the EPA prefers electronic correspondence). Get instructions at www.superfundgowanus.org.

3) Contact your elected officials and ask them to support Superfund for the Gowanus Canal.  Find out how to contact you representatives at: http://dfnyc.org/content/view/3/9/

Should DFNYC Officially Support Superfund for the Gowanus?

DFNYC has been asked to join the list of Superfund supporters on SuperfundGowanus.org .  Please send your comments and thoughts on Superfund to hwoodfield – at – dfnyc.org by Monday, May 11.