Its Time for the East Side to Shine
We"re ready to celebrate the greatest thing about the East Side: East Siders. Each year, Our Town, the largest community newspaper on the East Side of Manhattan, pauses to salute dozens of New Yorkers whose accomplishments deserve to be highlighted. We call our civic awards the Our Town Thanks You, or OTTY, Awards. Those who have been honored with OTTY awards are dazzlingly distinguished, and 2010 is no exception. This year"s East Sider of the Year, Matilda Raffa Cuomo, has been a lifelong advocate for children. As founder of the program Mentoring USA, Cuomo"s efforts now reach 15 states and 5,000 children. The requirements to be considered for an OTTY are simple. The awards go to New Yorkers who live or work on the East Side whose accomplishments help improve its neighborhoods. Nominations are made by our advisory board, prominent East Siders, elected officials, Our Town readers and our editorial staff. The editors and I narrow the list and select a handful of winners in each of our 11 categories. Thanks to all those who submitted nominations, especial our advisory board of Matthew Bauer, Rob Byrnes, Kathleen Kearns, Lisa Linden and Howard J. Rubenstein, who was also generous enough to serve as the master of ceremonies at our OTTY Awards event. Our generous sponsor Mount Sinai also deserves thanks, especially for opening up their home to host the OTTY Awards this year. We should be proud to have people of this caliber working in our part of town. This veritable Who"s Who of great New Yorkers helps make our neighborhoods the greatest place to live in the world. Sincerely, Tom Allon President and CEO East Sider of the Year: [Matilda Cuomo] Bravest and Finest: [Deputy Inspector Ted Berntsen](http://nypress.com/2010/02/12/east-side-peacekeeper/) Bravest and Finest: [Lieutenant Stephen Barrett](http://nypress.com/2010/02/12/a-stellar-supervisor/) Bravest and Finest: [James Carroll](http://nypress.com/2010/02/12/the-joy-of-giving/)(http://nypress.com/2010/02/12/the-joy-of-giving/) Community Builders: [Joe Pecora](http://nypress.com/2010/02/12/work-in-progress/) Community Builders: [Loretta V. Ponticello](http://nypress.com/2010/02/12/neighborhood-dynamo/) Community Builders: [Sarah Gallagher](http://nypress.com/2010/02/12/east-side-green-machine/) Community Builders: [Jeffrey Gold](http://nypress.com/2010/02/12/behind-the-scenes-expert/)(http://nypress.com/2010/02/12/behind-the-scenes-expert/) Charity List: [Charlie King](http://nypress.com/2010/02/12/service-and-values/)(http://nypress.com/2010/02/12/service-and-values/) Charity List: [Klara Silverstein](http://nypress.com/2010/02/12/hunter%E2%80%99s-heroine/) The Clergy: [Rabbi Arthur Schneier, Sr.](http://nypress.com/2010/02/12/a-global-congregation/) The Clergy: [Marjorie Wilson](http://nypress.com/2010/02/12/help-for-the-homeless/) Culture Club: [W. David McCoy](http://nypress.com/2010/02/12/devoted-to-drama/) Culture Club: [Rebecca Robertson](http://nypress.com/2010/02/12/a-21st-century-armory/)(http://nypress.com/2010/02/12/a-21st-century-armory/) The Educators: [Samantha Kaplan](http://nypress.com/2010/02/12/from-the-ground-up/) The Educators: [Justine Hoffman](http://nypress.com/2010/02/12/leading-the-tween-brigade/) Entrepreneurs: [Nancy Ploeger](http://nypress.com/2010/02/12/manhattan-business-booster/) Entrepreneurs: [Michael and Bonni Branciforte](http://nypress.com/2010/02/12/foundation-of-fun/)(http://nypress.com/2010/02/12/foundation-of-fun/) Health Care Pros: [Dr. Baron S. Lonner](http://nypress.com/2010/02/12/he%E2%80%99s-got-your-back/) Health Care Pros: [Dr. Theresa Soriano](http://nypress.com/2010/02/12/help-in-the-home/) Health Care Pros: [Maria Latrace-Wochna](http://nypress.com/2010/02/12/knack-for-coordinating-care/) Health Care Pros: [Dr. Antonio Gotto, Jr.](http://nypress.com/2010/02/12/gotto-always-on-call/) Real Estate Royalty: [Izak Senbahar ](http://nypress.com/2010/02/12/building-a-neighborhood/) Restaurateurs: [John Kiriakakis](http://nypress.com/2010/02/12/food-for-thought-247/) Restaurateurs:[ Lumi Hadri-Devine](http://nypress.com/2010/02/12/the-quintessential-hostess/) Restaurateurs: [Dorian Mecir](http://nypress.com/2010/02/12/no-fish-out-of-water/)(http://nypress.com/2010/02/12/no-fish-out-of-water/)