[Speaker Quinn can be reached at cquinn@council.nyc.gov; any friends and members and allies of Picture the Homeless who are reaching out to her are encouraged to CC Brendan Cheney, her Housing Policy Analyst, at bcheney@council.nyc.gov... as well as Frank Morales, Housing Organizer here at Picture the Homeless: frank@picturethehomeless.org] 

Dear Christine Quinn, 

I am writing to appeal to you for help with recent developments surrounding City Council Intro 48, which would empower the city to conduct an annual count of vacant buildings and lots within the five boroughs.

Although this bill has 28 co-sponsors - a majority of seats on the Council - and is supported by communities and faith leaders and organizations throughout the city, we were recently told by David Pristin in the Council's policy division that "with the legislation, this is not something we're interested in moving forward, and we're setting it to the side."

This was surprising to us, because in our understanding of the legislative process, as well as close scrutiny of the City Charter, there's no mention of the "policy division" having the power to "set" legislation "to the side" when a majority of democratically-elected officials have voiced their support for it.

In the past, your support has helped move this bill forward in a timely manner when it was being held up unnecessarily by the policy and infrastructure divisions - most recently in September of 2009, when Rob Newman and Jeff Haberman reneged on an earlier promise to finalize and submit a draft of the bill. Within 24 hours of our reaching out to your office for help, Rob contacted us and committed to introduce the bill at the next stated meeting of the Council. 

So we hope that you will continue to help honor the legislative process with respect to Intro 48, and urge your policy division to begin "moving forward" with a speedy hearing and full floor vote on this vital-yet-modest bill. 

Sincerely, 

[YOUR NAME]