September 1, 2020

The Honorable Andrew M. Cuomo

Governor of New York State
NYS State Capitol Building
Albany, NY 12224

Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins

188 State Street, Room 907
Legislative Office Building
Albany, NY 12247

Speaker Carl Heastie

Legislative Office Building, Room 932
Albany, NY 12248

Dear Governor Cuomo, Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins, and Speaker Heastie,

We write to you from the frontlines, as our communities battle a global public health crisis and
face the aftershock of the worst economic crisis in decades.

New York City did the right thing, focusing on health and safety. The need for so many to stay in
their homes resulted in significant loss of revenue. NYC has made a simple request for help from
the State: an investment in our City that will help our communities recover.

We are appealing to you to pass and enact authorization for the City to borrow up to $5B to
cover the lost revenue that is the painful side effect of the pandemic.

The 22,000 employees at risk of losing their jobs live and serve our communities. They are
sanitation workers, first responders, and Pre-K and 3-K teachers.

With borrowing authority, we can stave off the worst and save the character of our city. Further
cuts will likely hit us hardest, even though we provide crucial services to vulnerable New
Yorkers.

We are saddened that many have compared what is happening in NYC now to the budget failures
of the 1970s. We understand that the Administration had set aside billions of dollars for a
downturn, evidence of the City’s strong financial position before the pandemic—but there is no
way that any State or City could have foreseen a crisis of this scale. We are disappointed by
those who seek to disparage NYC and show no empathy for what NYC residents have gone
through over these last 6 months—shuttered neighborhood stores, cafes, barber shops/salons and
bookstores, some of which are gone permanently.
Can it be that these people believe that what NYC is experiencing is the fault of everyday New
Yorkers? We don’t believe you think that and so we are asking for you to help us recover and get
back to the NYC we all know and love. NYC is not over and our communities deserve a chance
to prove we will bounce back and come back stronger.

Sincerely,
Rose Seabrook, 135th St Block Association
Michael Brady, 3rd Avenue BID
Mon Yuck Yu, Academy of Medical & Public Services
Leonora Bulychova, Aelita Club
Amaha Khasa, African Communities Together
Alex Roque, Ali Forney Center
David Mordukhaev, Alliance for Bukharian Americans
Alex Silver, Animal Care Centers of NYC
Mona Montaniga, Antigua and Barbuda Progressive Society
Erum Hanif, APNA
Joy Chowdhury, Asian American Chamber of Commerce
Joann Yoo, Asian American Federation
Stefanie Siegel, Bailey's Cafe
Misba Abdin, Bangladeshi American Community
Development & Youth Services
Mohammed N. Mujumder, Bangladeshi-American Community Council
Raisa Chernina, Be Proud Foundation
Nadine Mullings, Bedford-Stuyvesant Restoration
Penny Caquias, Bergen Beach Youth Organization
Pat Singer, Brighton Neighborhood Association
Linda Kemp, Bringing the Peace
Roxanne Delgado, Bronx Animal Rights Electors
Donna Dechiaro, Bronx Animal Shelter Endeavor
Shabbir Gul, Bronx Community Council
Debra Oguamah, Bronx Kwanza Festival
Victor Rivera, Bronx Parents Housing Network
Paul Mak, Brooklyn Chinese American Association
Chris Greif, Brooklyn Family Support Service Advisory Council
David Aronov, Bukharian Jewish Union
Vanessa Leung, Coalition for Asian American Children and Families
Mirtha Colón, Casa Yurumein/Houndurans Against Aids
Justin Yu, Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association
Wellington Chen, Chinatown BID
Shan Yan Wu, Chinese American Social Service Center
Ho Kew Lee, Chinese Chamber of Commerce
Sheila Lewandowski, Chocolate Factory Theater
Jairo Guzman, Coalicion Mexicana
Yvonne Stennett, Community League of the Heights
Sheikh Musa Drammeh, Community Public Safety Partnership
Alexandra Silversmith, Coney Island Alliance
Ramatu Ahmed, Council of African Imams
Mohammad Rizvi, Council of People's Organization
Phoebe DeVincenzi, Dancewave
Angel Caballero, Davidson Community Center
Sean Coleman, Destination Tomorrow, The Bronx LGBTQ Center
Deborah Robers, Divine Intervention Institute
Elizabeth Perez, DXPR, Inc.
Davone Lancaster, Fearless Steppers
Audrey Henry, Finday Avenue
Louie Negron, Flow Kingdom
Kristin Chi, Garden of Hope
Kelsey Louie, Gay Men's Health Crisis
Bonnie Stein, GOH productions
Daler Singh, Gurdwara Baba Makhan
Shah Lobana Sikh Center, Inc.
Jacob Morris, Harlem Historical Society
Brian Shapiro, Humane Society of the US
Mohamed Mogassa, Humanity Optimism Opportunity & Diversity Organization
Jason Compton, Inwood Merchant Association
Boto Joseph, Jackson Heights Community Church
Linda Lee, Korean Community Services of Metropolitan New York
Daphne Champagne, La Asante Health
Mike Tucker, Lay the Guns Down
Kimberly Spanjol, Leap Years Services for Children
Dinali Fernando, Libertas Center for Human Rights
Guillermo Perez, Lion's Club International
Alex Rapaport, Masbia
Abdul Azeez, Masjid Adam
Lauren Mason, Midwood Neighborhood Senior Center
Paul Curiale, Millennium Development
John Park, MinKwon
Lorena Kourousias, Mixteca
Wanda Salaman, Mothers on the Move
Imam Abdullah Shabaan, Muslim Community Center - Sunset Park
Safiyyah Abdul-Qawiyy, Muslim Sisters of Staten Island
Mohamed Bahe, Muslims Giving Back
Laura Garcia, National Federation of Filipino American Assocation - NY
Jonathan Westin, NY Communities for Change
Jacob Morris, NYC Freedom Trail Foundation
Edita Birnkrant, New Yorkers for Clean, Livable, and Safe Streets
Courtney Bennett, One Hundred Black Men
Gardy Brazela, Pct 69 Community Council
Barbara Smith, Pct 83 Community Council
Thierno Younoussa Kouraba Bah, Pottal Fii Bhantal Fouta Djallon NY
Dr. Anderson Torres, RAIN Inc
Andrew Milano, Riverside Plaza Tenants Association
Marina Kovalyov, Russian American Foundation
Lynn Faria, SAGE
Lew Zuchman, SCAN Harbor
Sari Setton, Sephardic Community Federation
Anu Kapoor, Sewa Dham
Anne Johnson, Soundview Houses
Mazeda Uddin, South Asian Fund for Education, Scholarship & Training
Abdus-Salaam Musa, Southeast Queens Muslim Collective
Laura McKenna, Southern Brooklyn COAD
Larry Moore, SSQ Housecalls
Harris Osserman, TalkHiring, NYC
Rev. Dr. Glenmore Bembry Jr., Trinity Baptist Church
Victor J. Papa, Two Bridges Neighborhood Council, Inc.
Albert Baldeo, United Community Alliance
Tenyse Williams, Uppity Negro Clothing
Allie Taylor, Voters for Animal Rights
Lou Rocco, Westchester Square Civic Association
Mary Beth Artz, WILD for Prospect Park
Myra Van Moore, Williams Institutional CME Church
Michael Vaz, Woodside On The Move
Diana Rachnaev, Yesodot
David Shuffler, Youth Ministries for Peace and Justice