PROTEST THE PROPOSED WATER RATE HIKE: Councilman James Vacca invites all property owners and community leaders to speak out against the 12.9 percent increase in water rates proposed by the NYC Water Board. A public hearing will be held at P.S. 14, 3041 Bruckner Boulevard, on Thursday, May 6, at 7 p.m. (doors open at 6 p.m.). A 12.9% water rate hike is a serious matter in this economic downturn. It is the honest taxpayers who bear all the weight of running our cities. We should fill every single seat at this public hearing and loudly let the water board hear our protest to this unconscionable increase in our water rates.