West Siders get area primer, en español

BY Jefferson Siegel

Four prominent elected officials held a housing forum for West Side residents on Saturday covering a variety of issues facing the area’s vibrant Latino and immigrant population—marking the first-ever local forum to be conducted entirely in Spanish.

Borough President Scott Stringer, State Assemblymembers Richard Gottfried and Linda Rosenthal, and City Council Member Gale Brewer spoke directly to about 100 Spanish-speaking constituents, utilizing Spanish linguists from their staffs and local volunteers as translators.

In opening his comments Stringer said that the skyline will evolve, but it cannot be changed without the participation and input of area residents.

Gottfried was effusive in his praise for Housing Conservation Coordinators, one of the event’s sponsors. “I have been working with HCC since the day it started,” he said before his words were translated into Spanish. “This meeting today is a terrific example of how an organization like HCC gives this neighborhood a voice.”

The majority of questions from local residents focused on issues of affordable housing.

The event was hosted by HCC, a non-profit affordable housing advocacy organization, and the West Side Neighborhood Alliance, a member-run community organization that seeks to guarantee a diverse, inclusive West Side that is affordable and livable for all of its residents.