Movin’ on up: With many of her Downtown friends and allies on hand, Kathryn Freed was recently sworn in as a New York State Supreme Court justice. A former city councilmember for Lower Manhattan’s District 1, Freed was term-limited out of the Council, and in 2004 was elected a Civil Court judge. Last year, she was elected to State Supreme Court, which means she has a steady gig on the bench till 2023, if she wants it. Speakers at the ceremony included state Senator Brad Hoylman, Borough President Gale Brewer, Consumer Affairs Commissioner Julie Menin and — surprisingly to some — Assemblymember Deborah Glick. Glick ran against Freed and Tony Hoffmann for Assembly in 1991 in a tough race, with Glick winning. Whatever went down during the race, there were some hard feelings afterward, and the two women didn’t communicate for years. Glick admitted as much in her remarks, saying that 20 years ago, the two wouldn’t have spoken. But she acknowledged that Freed was a trailblazer and inspiration during her time in the City Council. Also at the ceremony were Jim Stratton, founder of the Downtown Independent Democrats club, and Civil Court Judge Adam Silvera. The swearing-in was followed by a reception at a Chinese restaurant on Mott St.
Horses gotta have park: Animal rights advocates want to know if Councilmember Corey Johnson is with them or against them on Mayor Bill de Blasio’s proposed carriage-horse ban. Johnson previously told us he supported getting the horses off the city’s streets and putting them in Central Park. On Wednesday, a Johnson aide reiterated that position to us. Basically, the aide said, Johnson feels the horses should be stabled in Central Park, where they would be “cared for humanely.” The equines wouldn’t ever exit the park and go on the city’s streets, but would only work in the park. Johnson is a leading animal-rights advocate, his staffer added, noting that his boss has introduced four pro-pet pieces of legislation, including one to regulate irresponsible “puppy mill” breeders and another that would require background checks on pet purchasers. Johnson’s rep said a decision on the legislation won’t happen overnight, but rather “there will be a long period of discussion.” Told of Johnson’s position, Allie Feldman, a leading anti-horse carriage activist, said, “We appreciate that the councilmember recognizes the inhumanity and danger of forcing horses to pull flimsy wooden carts in the middle of chaotic Midtown traffic.” That said, Feldman fears that Johnson’s proposal is untenable. “There’s 200 carriage horses,” she explained. “To make it work, you’d have to have 16-foot-by-16-foot stalls for 200 horses, plus a pasture, which would take away a piece of the park the size of the softball fields or the Great Lawn. It’s just not a workable solution. What would you do — pave over the Jackie Onassis Reservoir? We told this to him, Councilmember Johnson is aware of this,” she added, saying she’s not sure why he continues to spout this line. “It’s not possible to put 200 carriage horses in the park. There are 68 carriages and each needs two to three horses working in two to three shifts per day. Even if you had just one shift, that’s 70 horses. You need at least one acre per horse. The whole park is 800 acres. So you’re talking about one-quarter of the park and turning it into basically a tourist trap.” Feldman is the director of NYCLASS (New Yorkers for Clean, Livable and Safe Streets). As for why Johnson’s rep said there will be a lengthy discussion about the legislation, Feldman explained that whenever the city plans to shut down an industry, under the New York City Charter, a six-month environmental impact study is required to investigate what the effects would be.
A major teachable moment: Renowned education pioneer Diane Ravitch, the former U.S. assistant secretary of education, will headline a parent-led “working strategy session” on testing at P.S. 3, at 490 Hudson St., on Wed., Jan. 21, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Titled “Join the Movement Against a Test-Obsessed System: How Can We Put the Focus Back on Learning in Our Schools?” the forum will call on public school parents and educators from around New York City to come together to formulate concrete alternatives and strategies. As Nick Gottlieb, Sara Carder and Shannon Agin, the P.S. 3 Parent Action Committee co-chairpersons, put it, the goal is to get to where “teachers have the time they need to teach, children the time they need to learn, and tests are used as truly valuable indicators of a child’s and a school’s progress. For more information, visit: ps3nyc.org/pac
