Lifting the ‘Right on Red’ Ban in Staten Island, and Councilmember Julie Menin Declares Victory as Speaker

Janae Pierre: Lifting the right-on-red ban in Staten Island. Council Member Julie Menin declares victory as council speaker. From WNYC, this is NYC Now. I'm Janae Pierre. A New York State government committee is recommending that all three proposed casino projects for New York City receive gaming licenses. The Gaming Facility Location Board made the announcement Monday morning. It says all three proposals, Bally's Bronx, Hard Rock Metropolitan Park, and Resorts World New York City, have demonstrated the ability to generate substantial economic activity and jobs. The announcement at the CUNY Graduate Center immediately brought cries of shame on you from a group of half a dozen demonstrators. The State Gaming Commission will have the ultimate say in the matter. It's scheduled to award licenses to any or all of the finalists by the end of the year.

A new report from the city's health department finds progress in combating HIV/AIDS is slowing. Last year, New York City recorded an increase of more than 5% in the number of people newly diagnosed with HIV compared to 2023. HIV is the virus that causes AIDS. The estimated number of HIV infections also rose 17% year over year. Officials say 2024 is the fourth consecutive year where new diagnoses have increased or remained stable. The report finds persistent racial inequities in HIV diagnoses, which are concentrated among Black and Latino New Yorkers and New Yorkers who live in lower income areas.

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Janae Pierre: Mostly everywhere else in the country, drivers are allowed to turn right at red lights, but those turns are famously banned in New York City. Now, a Staten Island lawmaker is looking to change that, at least in his borough. WNYC's transportation reporters Stephen Nessen and Ramsey Khalifeh drove out to see how it might work.

Ramsey Khalifeh: Okay, Stephen Nessen and I have just gotten to Staten Island.

Stephen Nessen: The best way to capture the experience and frankly get around Staten Island is by car. This is one of the classic Staten Island intersections here. There's 1, 2-

Ramsey Khalifeh: 3.

Stephen Nessen: -4, 5, 6, 7-

Ramsey Khalifeh: 8, 9, 10.

Stephen Nessen: I think there's 12 lanes of traffic at this intersection. We're passing through the Woodrow section of the island.

Ramsey Khalifeh: The lanes, the roads are a lot wider. This is a two way road, but it's a lot wider than your average street in the city. City Council Member Frank Morano thinks so, too. He's introduced a bill that would have the Transportation Department study where in Staten Island it would be safe to allow drivers to turn right-on-red. There are currently about 300 intersections in the city where you can do that, and nearly half of them are in Staten Island.

Stephen Nessen: We told Morano we wanted to go to Staten Island to check out some intersections and talk to drivers. He suggested we go to Hylan Boulevard and Huguenot Avenue, an intersection ripe for a right-on-red sign.

Ramsey Khalifeh: Is this it?

Stephen Nessen: Yes, that's it.

Ramsey Khalifeh: Let's do it. Frankly, drivers seem mixed about it.

Vito Gallo: It's a good idea.

Ramsey Khalifeh: Yes? Can you tell me why? Do you think you're waiting too much?

Vito Gallo: State of New Jersey-

Ramsey Khalifeh: That's driver Vito Gallo.

Vito Gallo: -you can always turn on red. So we should do the same.

Ramsey Khalifeh: Be more effective, more efficient, you think?

Vito Gallo: Yes, 100%.

Stephen Nessen: Not all drivers think it's a good idea. Like Christine DeVito.

Christine DeVito: Because the high school's right there and there's always kids crossing the street here, better safe than sorry.

Ramsey Khalifeh: So you disagree with him?

Christine DeVito: Yes. As much as I would love to be able to turn right-on-red, it's more important for the kids to be safe.

Ramsey Khalifeh: Morano says he wants to be precise about where to lift a right-on-red ban in the borough, noting it could reduce idling and road rage.

Council Member Frank Morano: Staten Island is much more like the rest of the-- from a driver's perspective, much more like the rest of the state and places like New Jersey than the rest of the city. So I've always felt that we should have the ability to make right turns at intersections where there's a red light, as the rest of the state does.

Stephen Nessen: He's hoping the council will take this up before the end of the year.

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Janae Pierre: That's WNYC's Stephen Nessen and Ramsey Khalifeh. An Upper East Side council member claims to have enough support to be the next council speaker. More on that after the break.

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Janae Pierre: New York City Council Member Julie Menin says she's secured enough votes to be the council's next speaker. As council speaker, Menin would play a vital role in steering through the city budget and implementing progressive Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani's ambitious agenda. The Upper East Side Democrat has a reputation as a moderate, and most importantly.

Elizabeth Kim: She has deep experience in city government. She's a lawyer who's worked in the city's law department. She led the Department of Consumer Affairs as well as the Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment under former Mayor Bill de Blasio. She also served as the director of the 2020 census. She was commended for the city's high response rate.

Janae Pierre: We should also note Menin's ties to the real estate industry. Her husband is Bruce Menin, a prominent housing developer. If Julie Menin is confirmed council speaker in January, she'll be considered the second most powerful elected official in City Hall. Liz says the speaker controls what legislation gets voted on and negotiates the roughly $116 billion budget with the mayor's office.

Elizabeth Kim: Speakers are considered a check on the mayor. They can use the powers of the council to hold the mayor and his agencies accountable.

Janae Pierre: As speaker, Menin also hopes to use the council's subpoena powers. In an interview on New York 1, Menin says she wants to go after corporations that are breaking city laws.

Council Member Julie Menin: I'm thinking in particular about some of the fast food worker bills. I served as commissioner when we morphed the Department of Consumer Protection to Consumer and Worker Protection to really build out that portfolio, but if our laws aren't being followed, then shame on us. We need to be more aggressive about it.

Janae Pierre: Liz calls this a very pro-union argument, which tracks, considering how unions play an instrumental role in the speaker's race.

Elizabeth Kim: Unions have a lot of sway in this because they provide council members with the volunteers and the money they need to run for reelection. That's why council members really take their cue from the unions.

Janae Pierre: Liz says Menin secured the support of the Hotel and Gaming Trades Council last year. Plus, she helped get a law passed that equipped hotel workers with panic buttons. Because of that, Liz says she was able to get support from council members pretty quickly.

Elizabeth Kim: She also had the endorsement of important elected officials and county leaders, namely Congressman Greg Meeks, who leads the Queens' Democratic Party. Menin says she has support of 36 out of the council's 52 members.

Janae Pierre: That's WNYC's Elizabeth Kim.

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Janae Pierre: Now to New Jersey. Believe it or not, Tuesday is election day again, at least in the Garden State's second largest city. Jersey City voters will choose between Council Member James Solomon and former Governor Jim McGreevey. The two were the top contenders in last month's general election. They now face a runoff to decide the winner. Housing affordability has dominated the race. Solomon says he wants to build thousands of new apartments priced at $1,000 per month. McGreevey has called the idea "fantasy thinking," and he says it would overburden taxpayers. Polls open at 6:00 Tuesday morning and close at 8:00 at night.

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Janae Pierre: Before we go, the Tri State area gained a pair of newlyweds over the holiday weekend, New Jersey Senator Cory Booker and his new wife. The politician announced that he is now married to real estate investor Alexis Lewis. The couple were set up on a blind date in 2024 and tied the knot in late November. They were married in a courthouse in Newark, New Jersey, where Booker previously served as mayor, and had a second ceremony in Washington, D.C. Yes, cupping season is definitely in full swing.

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Janae Pierre: Speaking of chilly, a coastal storm is expected to bring snow and rain to the Tri State area Tuesday morning. Though the worst of the wintry weather will stay out of New York City. Just a heads up though. Thanks for listening to NYC Now from WNYC. I'm Janae Pierre, we'll be back tomorrow.

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