Results for the Lower East Side

Shelly at University Settlement Shelly Silver was born on the Lower East Side, the fourth generation of his family to call this historic neighborhood home, and still lives there today. As the neighborhood changes, Shelly is working hard to make sure that it remains a place where hard-working families can be proud to raise their children, seniors can live with dignity and all residents have access to affordable homes, quality health care and a safe community.

Protection for Tenants

Standing up to preserve the affordability of our homes is an ongoing battle, and Shelly is leading it. When the State threatened to privatize Knickerbocker Village and remove affordability protections from the property, Shelly helped to lead the political and legal fight to keep Knickerbocker tenants in their homes at affordable rents.

Community-Based Health Care

Shelly has secured accessible and high quality health services for the Lower East Side, particularly for vulnerable senior and low income residents, including:

A new Lower East Side location for the Community Healthcare Network, a one-stop, primary care facility for adults and children which provides adult medicine, adolescent medicine, HIV services, pediatric care services, reproductive health care, prenatal and postpartum care, immunizations, school check ups and social services.
Protecting Gouverneur Hospital from being downsized by the Health and Hospitals Corporation and stopping its plans to strip the hospital of several vital clinics.
The World Trade Center Environmental Health Center at Gouverneur Hospital, which will treat thousands of patients through comprehensive assessment and specialty treatment of people with symptoms of WTC exposure.
A comprehensive health center for women and children at Gouverneur, secured with a $1.5 million LMDC grant.

Livable Communities

Shelly has fought to protect our quality of life on the Lower East Side:

Shelly has held the State Liquor Authority's feet to the fire to ensure that it listens to community views about disruptive local bars.
Shelly worked to keep noisy helicopters from disrupting Lower East Side community life, working with residents to track the time and location of noisy helicopters above their homes.
Shelly Silver stopped the development of a garbage and refueling station in the neighborhood that would have added traffic congestion as well as noise, air and water pollution to the neighborhood, which already accommodates a disproportionate share of city facilities.

Better Bus and Subway Service

New escalator at the Delancey Street station Shelly has worked hard to improve mass transit for the Lower East Side. He secured funding for new escalators to serve an aging population at the Delancey Street subway station and won millions for the renovation of the Grand Street station. Shelly helped win shuttle bus service to compensate for subway disruptions related to construction on the Manhattan Bridge. And he is leading the fight to expand service on the M14 bus line.

Security Patrols for Safety

Rutgers Houses tenants security patrol When tenants at local NYCHA complexes told Shelly they were concerned about gang violence, he delivered $1.5 million to launch a pilot tenant patrol program at 15 New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) complexes, including Rutgers Houses. The initiative provides a monthly stipend for resident patrol volunteers who give 10 hours each month to maintain safety by discouraging vandalism and loitering and reporting suspicious behavior to the authorities. Shelly also works with local precincts to ensure police efforts are targeted where they are needed most.

NORC Aging Services for Seniors

Shelly was called "the father of the NORC program" in a New York Times article because he led the fight for funding for health and outreach services in neighborhoods where elderly residents remain during their retirment years (known as naturally occurring retirement communities). Through organizations like the Educational Alliance and Henry Street Settlement, seniors at Vladeck Houses and other housing complexes receive care they would not otherwise get.

Help for Small Businesses

The Lower East Side has a long tradition of being an incubator for entrepreneurs - from retail merchants to skilled craftsmen. Shelly protected this tradition by helping create the Chinatown/Lower East Side Empire Zone that provides a virtually tax-free environment for new businesses and wage tax credits, sales tax exemptions, and a property tax credit to existing businesses that create new jobs.

Preservation of Neighborhood Culture and History

The restoration of the Eldridge Street Synagogue Even as our neighborhood changes and grows, preserving cultural memories is an imperative. That's why Shelly has helped secure state funding for local historic institutions and the restoration of the landmark Eldridge Street Synagogue.

Pedestrian Safety

Shelly has worked to protect pedestrians in the neighborhood from the dangers of traffic, especially those caused by the FDR Drive:

Shelly initiated the installation of highway dividers to protect the Gouverneur Gardens Housing Development from cars on the FDR Drive
Shelly helped institute improvements at the intersection of Grand Street and the Southbound FDR Drive exit ramp to address concerns about both vehicular and pedestrian safety. He worked with the Department of Transportation to make the exit ramp safer and allow more time for pedestrians to cross the street.
Shelly succeeded in getting new traffic lights to make street crossings safer at intersections like Grand Street and East Broadway and Montgomery Street and South Streets.
Shelly pushed for and won safety measures at the intersection of Cherry and Montgomery Streets, including a new pedestrian crosswalk and school crossing signs.

Materials for Libraries

Shelly believes that libraries are the gateway for learning and will continue the fight to ensure that our libraries are fully stocked and have the latest technology. He has fought and won for more resources to purchase new books and equipment for neighborhood libraries, including the Seward Park branch.

Computers for Lower East Side Classrooms

Shelly has come through for Lower East Side schools like P.S. 40, P.S. 110, P.S. 134, P.S. 137, P.S. 140 and P.S. 142 with funding to purchase computers and needed supplies for use by staff, students and parents.