Conservative Party Chairman Tom Long, left, Republican mayoral candidate Joe Lhota, Craig Caruana, Councilman Eric Ulrich, and former Councilman Tom Ognibene gather for the opening of Caruana’s campaign office in Glendale on Saturday. Photo Courtesy Craig Caruana’s Campaign
Craig Caruana, a 29-year-old Republican running to represent the 30th City Council District, believes a return on an investment the residents of Glendale, Middle Village, Maspeth, Ridgewood, Woodhaven and Richmond Hill made five years ago is long overdue.
At the opening of his campaign office at 64-01 Myrtle Ave.in Glendale on Saturday, Caruana told a few dozen supporters that when he mulled his intentions to run for office in March, “no one told me not to do it because Elizabeth Crowley has done a good job.”
“When you hire a politician and elect them into office, you expect a certain return on that investment,” said the Middle Village resident. “And that’s just not what we’re getting right now.”
Caruana argued that Crowley, a Democrat who was elected in 2008, should have done more over the course of a year to prevent a homeless shelter from potentially opening near the Shops at Atlas Park, which is a growing concern for many in the area.
Samaritan Village, a social service organization based in Briarwood, informed Community Board 5 last week that it wants to discuss its plan with the members soon. The group wants to provide “transitional housing” for 125 families at a vacant factory site at 78-16 Cooper Ave.
“She knew about this a year ago and made a big stink that she was going to fight it and she had a year to do it,” Caruana said. “I would have called up that organization and said to them, ‘if you want to put up a homeless shelter, then great, let’s find a more suitable location for you.’ I would’ve done the legwork myself if I had to.
He also added he would have got in touch with the Shops at Atlas Park and told them to lobby with other district offices that could potentially benefit from the presence of a homeless shelter.
Crowley did not respond to a request for comment for this article, though she did tell The Forum this week that she has worked hard to keep the homeless shelter from coming into the area, including collecting thousands of signatures and trying to negotiate a deal that would allow a tech company to set up shop at the site.
Caruana said one of his main focuses, if elected, would be to bring more city funds into the district. Crowley’s funding was slashed in the 2013 budget, though she landed an increase in the 2014 budget passed in June. The councilwoman lost nearly $300,000 in discretionary funding in the 2013 budget, receiving about $380,000. She allocated about $3.5 million for capital and expensive projects for the 2014 budget – an increase of about $1.15 million. The expense allocations increased from about $380,000 last year to $504,000 for 2014, and the capital allocations increased from $2 million to about $3,030,000.
The Middle Village resident, who earned his bachelor’s degree in politics from the Catholic University of America and his master’s degree in international affairs from Texas A&M University, would prioritize small businesses. He said he would like to “look at new ways to do property taxes and regulations differently.”
”I want to put an end to the unreasonable regulations and unfair fees that strangle our small businesses, so they can thrive and create jobs,” he said.
Caruana touted his community activist background as well. He has worked with neighborhood organizations. including the Knights of Columbus at Resurrection Ascension Parish and as a board member of both the Kiwanis Club of Glendale and the Juniper Park Civic Association.
The candidate was flanked by Republican mayoral candidate Joe Lhota, City Councilman Eric Ulrich (R-Ozone Park), Conservative Party Chair Tom Long, and Tom Ognibene, a Republican who previously represented the 30th Council District, during the press conference.
“It is so important that we elect Craig Caruana to the City Council,” Lhota said. “I’ve gotten to know Craig and he’s a man of great integrity — just the man we need in City Hall.”
By Will Sammon
