Senator Golden, Assemblywoman Malliotakis Start Petition Drive to Save Local Senior Centers Facing Closure

Brooklyn - Senator Marty Golden (R,C-I–Brooklyn) and Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis (R,C Brooklyn, Staten Island) today have launched a petition drive in an effort to save senior centers slated to close following Governor Cuomo’s budget announcement. The Governor’s reductions in Title XX , estimated at $25 million, would impede funding that traditionally supports senior centers.

Senator Marty Golden, a member of the Senate Aging Committee stated, “We all know how important a neighborhood senior center is to the health, well-being and livelihood of a senior citizen here in New York. That is why I join with my colleague, Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis, in today starting a petition drive against these proposed state cuts that would cause senior centers to close.”

Golden continued, “The planned reductions would force more than 100 centers to close including the Bay Ridge Center for Older Adults, the Fort Hamilton Senior Center and the Narrows Moose Lodge. These reductions will leave seniors in my community, and throughout the City, without food, case management, and the socialization that senior centers offer. We cannot let this happen and that is why we are encouraging overwhelming support for our petition drive so we can send a message to the Governor.”

Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis stated, “I understanding that money is tight and that cuts must be made to keep our fiscal house in order, but targeting our senior centers is both irrational and unfair. Senator Golden and I have repeatedly called for the governor to amend his proposed budget so it would not require the City to shift Title XX funding from seniors to other mandated programs.”

“New York cannot continue to force seniors to bail out the city and state from their financial woes. Our elderly community relies on senior centers for the pillars of healthy and happy lifestyles, and they must be protected throughout our efforts to close the budget deficit. They built this community, paid taxes their entire lives, and have earned these programs,” concluded Malliotakis.

Copies of the petition are being distributed to senior centers and places of business along commercial avenues throughout the community, and are available at the district office of both Senator Golden and Assemblywoman Malliotakis located at 7408-5th Avenue or by calling (718) 238-6044. A copy of the petition is attached.