Politicians Crowd Anti-Poverty Breakfast
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Local, state, and national leaders jammed a ballroom at the Roosevelt Hotel yesterday for the Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty annual Legislative Breakfast, an event known for the many political officeholders who make a point of attending.
The president of the Bronx, Adolfo Carrión Jr., told the audience that for New York to be a city of opportunity, it needed also to be a city of compassion. While Rep. Jerrold Nadler said there used to be a myth that there was no such thing as Jewish poverty, the Met Council points out that Jewish poverty as defined by federal guidelines has almost doubled since 1991.
Mayor Bloomberg introduced a number of awardees, including the commissioner of the city’s Department of Housing and Development, Shaun Donovan; the chairman of the NYC Housing Authority, Tino Hernandez; the general manager of the NYC Housing Authority, Douglas Apple, and the commissioner of the city’s Department of Youth and Community Development, Jeanne Mullgrav.
The executive director of the Met Council, William Rapfogel, introduced the state leadership awardee, Deborah VanAmerongen, who is commissioner of the New York State Division of Housing and Community Renewal.
There were many other guests, awards, and speakers, who sometimes competed with a din of audience conversation.
The City Council speaker, Christine Quinn, introduced the deputy director in the capital budget division, Jeff Rodus, whom she called one of the “unsung heroes” in government. The district attorney of Kings County, Charles Hynes, received the justice award. Senator Schumer receiving the man of the year award, concluding the program.
