Council Promotions

The East Side"s two Council members, Jessica Lappin and Dan Garodnick, got a bump in status's and pay, for Lappin's in this year"s Council class. Both Council members will chair full committees for the first time. The position comes with a $10,000 stipend's known in political parlance as a â??lulu 's on top of a $112,500 base salary for all Council members. Garodnick, however, is voluntarily forgoing his stipend. Lappin is now chair of the Council"s Aging Committee. She said the committee will focus on making city services more accessible to seniors, increasing affordable housing for the elderly and revamping senior centers and nursing homes. â??I plan to live here forever and grow old in this city, said Lappin, 34. â??It"s important for people to be focused on how to make that happen. Representing a district where one-fifth of residents are older than 60, Lappin said she wants to implement policy recommendations made in a recent study by the city called Age Friendly NYC. The blueprint outlined policy proposals such as setting up a taxi voucher system for older New Yorkers and offering discounts on gym memberships to the elderly. Previously, Lappin was head of a land use subcommittee on landmarks, public siting and maritime issues, which came with a $4,000 bonus. Meanwhile, Garodnick is now the chair of the Technology Committee, which deals with the use of technology in government agencies. â??The idea that we will be taking extra steps to use technology to make government work better is a great concept, Garodnick said, â??whether it"s streamlining the ample paperwork that small businesses have to do or allowing New Yorkers to access basic inform or even making a complaint.