For immediate release: July 18, 2018

Hawkins Calls for State Action on Child Lead Poisoning

(Syracuse) Howie Hawkins, the Green Party candidate for Governor, today called for statewide action to address the exposure of children to lead contamination.

Speaking in front of the Westside Academy at Blodgett in a Syracuse neighborhood with high levels of child lead poisoning, Hawkins called for state to adopt the more stringent federal safety standard (5 micrograms versus 10) for lead levels in blood tests; enact a statewide law that rental units must have lead-safe certification before renting; called for the state to adopt federal standards that would improve lead abatement practices; and require annual testing for lead in drinking water in schools (with remediation if needed). Hawkins said all levels of government needed to step up their enforcement and implementation of existing rules and programs related to lead poisoning.

Syracuse is the child lead poisoning capital of the nation. 40% of Syracuse children had blood lead levels between 5 and 10 micrograms per deciliter, while 16% had levels exceeding 10 micrograms per deciliter.

"It is inexcusable for Syracuse to have the nation’s highest child lead poisoning 46 years after the Surgeon General’s 1971 urgent recommendation to prevent and treat lead poisoning in children. Safe housing is a right. It's a crime to rent properties that poison children,” said Hawkins who lives in Syracuse.

Urban CNY, July 17, 2018

We Need an Independent Moreland Commission to Investigate Corruption within the Cuomo Administration

Statement of Howie Hawkins on Guilty Verdicts in Buffalo Billion Trial

The guilty verdicts in the Buffalo Billion Trial are no surprise. The bid-rigging was obvious from the media reports on the trial.

Along with the Percocco conviction, it shows a systemic pattern of corruption within the Cuomo administration that demand an outside independent investigation. When the Moreland Commission began to ask questions about the relationship between his many major donors, especially from the real estate industry, and the contracts, subsidies, and regulatory favors he issued, he immediately moved to shut it down

The pattern of bid rigging in the recent trial raises grave concerns about how many other bids were rigged by these and other pay-to-play contributors to Cuomo. For example, why did Cor Development’s Aiello and Gerardi, guilty in this case, get the former public housing project Kennedy Square in Syracuse in a no-bid, no-money-down transfer from ESD to SUNY Upstate Medical to Cor Development? All the people guilty in this trial, plus Cuomo and Percoco, were here in Syracuse to tout that deal.

It is time to reopen a Moreland Commission on Public Corruption and let it do its work without the governor shutting it down when it gets close to him. I believe Preet Bharara might be available.

For immediate release: July 17, 2018

Hawkins to Discuss Need for Statewide Action on Children and Lead Contamination:

Will Provide Update on Campaign, including 5% showing in Zogby Poll, Green New Deal, Democratic Socialism

Green Party candidate for Governor Howie Hawkins will be available to members of the media to discuss the ongoing lead poisoning crisis affecting low-income communities, and especially low-income communities of color.

Hawkins will also be available to answer any questions related to the campaign, including recent 4 to 5% showing in a Zogby poll; Green New Deal and democratic socialism; and political corruption.

Hawkins' hometown of Syracuse, NY had the highest rates of child lead poisoning in the country from 2009 to 2015.

For immediate release: July 17, 2018

Inform NY, July 17, 2018

BK Reader, July 16, 2018

Candidates for NY State Office Take Aim at Political Establishment in Albany and D.C. During Flatbush Forum

Lee, who is running on a Green Party ticket to represent the “99 percent,” pointed out that the role of the lieutenant governor, whose main function is to chair Senate meetings, is “shrouded in mystery,” and that this was done on purpose to maintain the status quo of “five men in a suit behind closed doors making decisions.”

Capital Tonight Morning Memo, July 16, 2018

Green Socialists. All of a sudden, being an extreme lefty is cool, thanks to the surprise victory of self-professed Democratic Socialist Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in the NY-14 congressional primary.

All sorts of Democratic elected officials are rushing to outdo one another in a race to demonstrate their liberal bona fides ahead of the September state-level primaries.

But Green Party gubernatorial candidate Howie Hawkins is unimpressed. He says he was a Socialist long before that became the cool thing to do.

Joined by Green state comptroller candidate Mark Dunlea, Hawkins joined us for an update on his campaign, and to outline his economic development platform in the wake of the Buffalo Billion trial verdict. 

For immediate release: July 14, 2018

Green Candidates To Protest Competitive Power Ventures Fracked-Gas Power Plant in Orange County

In the wake of more public corruption convictions of donors and top aides close to Governor Cuomo in the Buffalo Billion case, the Green Party statewide ticket will return today to the scene of an earlier case of public corruption to oppose the Competitive Power Venture fracked-gas power plant in Orange County.

Green Party candidates Howie Hawkins for Governor, Mark Dunlea for Comptroller, Michael Sussman for Attorney General, and Steve Greenfield for Congress in NY-19 will walk the picket line and speak against the plant at the weekly picket sponsored by Protect Orange County. The protest will take place from from 11 am to 12 noon outside the plant gates on Route 6 in Waywanda.

“This plant represents two major crimes. The first is a crime against the climate. This plant will add 10% to New York States carbon footprint. The second crime is public corruption at the expense of the people of New York. This plant received its permits while CPV was bribing top Cuomo aid Joe Percoco. Cuomo should revoke these corrupted permits immediately,” Hawkins said.

Plant opponents have called on Cuomo and DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos to rescind the plant’s 2013 air-quality permit because trial testimony in the CPV-Percoco bribery case disqualified CPV as a permit holder under DEC policies.

Capitol Tonight, July 13, 2018

Video

The Green Party's statewide candidates are outlining major parts of their policy agenda today, including what they call "social ownership of the economy."

They want to create public banks, transition the energy system to public ownership, and encouarge more worker cooperatives.

If that all sounds like socialism to you, well, it does to them too.

But this is certainly not in response to the new wave of support for Democratic socialism.

Talking more about the policies are candidate for governor Howie Hawkins, and comptroller candidate Mark Dunlea.

Hudson Mohawk Magazine (WOOC, Sanctuary for Independent Media, Troy), July 13, 2018

Audio

This episode of the Hudson Mohawk Magazine features Howie Hawkins, local brewing, and immigration.