letter-to-mayors-office-10112016
Office of the Mayor
Mayor’s Office of Citywide
Event Coordination & Management
Street Activity Permit Office
253 Broadway, 6th floor
New York, New York 10007
Attn: Mr. Michael Paul Carey
Executive Director
Office of Citywide Event
Coordination & Management
RE: Proposed Street Fair Rules
Dear Mr. Carey,
I write to you on behalf of the Samuel J. Tilden Democratic Club and other concerned citizens of New York City concerning the proposed changes in the street fair rules.
It is our view that these proposed changes will only serve to restrict New Yorkers’ access to all of the many benefits the street fairs provide.
The Samuel J. Tilden Democratic Club has taken a booth at the Third Avenue Fair for over 25 years. As a result of our participation we raised approximately $300,000.00 which was donated to very worthy community groups which included senior programs, libraries, shelter programs, homeless programs, hospital clothing rooms, art and literacy programs, cancer programs, music programs and programs for the disabled youth and adults among others.
The residents of Community Board Six are direct recipients of our street fair driven donations. Over 90% of the licensed street vendors live in New York City. New York City residents directly benefit by being vendors and consumers at the fair.
Additionally we use the street fair to coordinate voter registration drives and bring awareness to the residents of who and what their elected officials are doing in the community.
By reducing the number of events to a maximum of ten (10) per year along with the added restrictions on vendor participation the street fair would quickly become a nonviable avenue in which to accomplish the much needed work done over the last three (3) decades.
Community organizations like Tilden must continue to be grandfathered in regardless of any rule changes.
I strongly urge your office to reconsider and not impose these new rules which would effectively eliminate this much needed community function, our local street fairs.
Thank you for your consideration in this matter.
Democratically yours,
Greg-Patric Martello, President
SAMUEL J. TILDEN DEMOCRATIC CLUB