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Volume 78 - Number 41 / March 18 -24, 2009
West and East Village, Chelsea, Soho, Noho, Little Italy, Chinatown and Lower East Side, Since 1933
What have I done? A lot
To The Editor:
Re "Scoopy shockers" (letter, by Howard Hemsley, March 4):
I would like to thank Mr. Howard Hemsley for his recent letter and this opportunity to address some of his concerns.
In response to his query, my service and dedication to the district dates back to 1981.
I spent three years as a police officer on the Lower East Side in the 1980s as a member of the Manhattan South Task Force. This unit removed hundreds of guns and millions of dollars in drugs off the street, making the area livable again.
I next spent 10 years as a firefighter on the Lower East Side during the squatter epidemic. My firehouse worked closely with local elected officials in ensuring both the public safety and the due-process rights of the squatters.
In addition, for 20 years, I served in the U.S. Coast Guard assigned to protecting New York Harbor, and 15 of those years serving on Governors Island. As a matter of fact, I was the last operational watch-stander for the captain of the port before the island was closed. I was proud to have received the Humanitarian Service Award while a member of this fine organization.
More recently, as an attorney, a considerable amount of my practice consists of pro-bono work. For example, I represented an out-of-state first responder to the World Trade Center, who suffers from exposure-related thyroid tumors. He initially contacted Councilmember Gerson's office and was ignored. Subsequently, he saw me on national television discussing the ill effects of World Trade Center exposure, contacted me, and I was successful in obtaining the necessary medical treatment he sought. Additionally, I have spent hundreds of hours uncovering asbestos contamination in our public schools.
In contrast, as Mr. Hemsley notes, Gerson, in addressing a request for assistance by a constituent fighting an eviction proceeding, merely writes a letter to the Cooper Square Mutual Housing Association. The tenant was evicted. Thank you, Mr. Hemsley for making the case that new leadership is needed in the City Council. I think the district needs more from a councilmember than a form letter to a housing organization. Making matters worse, according to Gotham Gazette, Gerson has one of the most abysmal attendance records in the City Council.
In contrast, my accomplishments are devoid of such documentary posturing, but rather rest on their positive outcome. It is this results-oriented agenda that I will bring to the City Council.
Pete Gleason
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