Photo Courtesy of NYC Campaign Finance Board

By Michael V. Cusenza

Queens County Republican Party Chairwoman Joann Ariola made it official this week: she’s running for the City Council District 32 seat.

Councilman Eric Ulrich (R-Ozone Park) currently represents the interests of residents of District 32, which includes Howard Beach, Ozone Park, Richmond Hill, Broad Channel, Woodhaven, and the Rockaways; he’s set to be term-limited out of the seat he has held since 2009.

Professionally, Ariola is director of Intergovernmental Affairs for the MediSys Health Network. Off the clock, she is president of the Howard Beach Lindenwood Civic, and a member of both the 106th Precinct Community Council and Community Board 10.

Last year, Ariola ran for Queens Borough President on a platform of public safety/supporting law enforcement; putting an end to community jails and shelters; and reforming property tax laws.

“I’m a Queens resident, wife, mother, and grandmother who works in healthcare. I’m not a career politician,” Ariola said. “Like you, I’m deeply concerned about the future of our city and our borough. I will stand up to the radical career politicians and their pro-crime agenda. I will support the NYPD and keep dangerous criminal behind bars where they belong. I will fight for better transportation and roads as well as oppose toll increases and congestion pricing, because it’s already too hard for us to get to work. I will advocate for all our small business and help them recover. I will fight for quality schools and choice in education. Queens is the most wonderful place and it’s worth fighting for. Our families deserve a safe, clean city.”

“By increasing the availability of the SHSAT, we would allow our brightest students to flourish, improve our specialized high schools and increase the diversity of students who can take the test,” Sen. Addabbo said.

By Forum Staff

As the City Department of Education continues to try to figure out how to administer high school admissions for the upcoming year, State Sen. Joe Addabbo, Jr. (D-Howard Beach) has indicated that he wants to ensure that the Specialized High School Admissions Test remains in place—with some suggested improvements.

Addabbo recently noted that he believes that the SHSAT is a good tool to utilize for admission into New York City’s specialized high schools. Currently under State law, a student’s SHSAT score is the only criterion for admission to these schools. He said that he also understands the frustration expressed by many of his constituents as the DOE looks to alter the admissions process as it calls for greater diversity at specialized schools; but Addabbo reiterated that he doesn’t think that eliminating the SHSAT altogether is the right path forward.

Addabbo said that one area of concern is the costs associated with the test. Although the SHSAT itself does not require a fee, many of the test preparation courses and books are expensive, which could discourage students from low-income households from taking the exam. Addabbo said that these resources should be made more widely available to all students.

“By increasing the availability of the SHSAT, we would allow our brightest students to flourish, improve our specialized high schools and increase the diversity of students who can take the test,” said Addabbo, a member of the Senate Standing Committee on Education. “After that, it is up to the students and their abilities to prove that they can in fact compete for a seat. By combining more widely available and affordable test prep options with adding to the specialized high school admissions criteria, I believe we can provide even more students across the city with the educational opportunity to attend these schools.”

The senator recalled when Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza met with the members of the Senate Education Committee in Albany on May 1, 2018 and spoke of the SHSAT. Addabbo said that at the time Carranza didn’t suggest an elimination of the SHSAT, but the use of “multiple measures” when evaluating a student for admission to a specialized high school.

Mayor de Blasio and Schools Chancellor Carranza have called for the elimination of the SHSAT. File Photo

Of Carranza’s visit, Addabbo noted, “I believe that since many smart students are not good test takers or could have a bad experience when taking the SHSAT, measures such attendance, a GPA, extracurricular activities, volunteerism, or a student’s entire body of work could be considered during the admissions process, in addition to the SHSAT score.”

Addabbo also noted that Carranza stood by Mayor Bill de Blasio about a month after his visit to Albany and announced plans to eliminate the SHSAT.

Mayor Bill de Blasio visited some of the damaged houses after the Nov. 30, 2019 disaster.

By Michael V. Cusenza

As the one-year anniversary of the South Queens sewage flood disaster approaches, attorneys for many of the homeowners affected by the incident say the City has failed to negotiate in good faith to pay for the damage incurred in their residences.

“Incredulously, the City’s reason for offering less than fair market value on everything that was lost, which had to be replaced and rebuilt, was that our clients do not all have a complete inventory of lost items with photographs of the items,” said Craig Phemister of Napoli Shkolnik PLLC. “The City’s position is abhorrent, given that the City is the one who rushed in to remove all the contaminated items. The City should have been the ones to properly inventory and photograph the removed items before disposing of them.”

In a December 2019 Department of Environmental Protection report, the City admitted that the collapse of an old pipe installed 32 years ago 40 feet underground along 150th Street near South Conduit Avenue caused an extensive flood of raw sewage on Nov. 30, 2019 that damaged more than 70 homes in South Ozone Park and Jamaica.

The DEP even stated in the analysis that it “accepts responsibility” for the calamity.

The City has confirmed that more than 70 homes in South Ozone Park and Jamaica were affected by flooding. File Photo

Napoli Shkolnik has filed a lawsuit “against the City to recover all that was lost and had to be replaced or repaired due to the City’s negligence in installing and maintaining the sewage system in Ozone Park,” Phemister said.

“It is imperative that the City take action on this, as they promised they would,” he added.

According to the DEP, the “road collapsing due to the subsidence of overburden demonstrates that the 42-inch sewer constructed in 1987 is significantly collapsed, and that any other cause for the November 30th blockage is extremely unlikely.”

Captain John Costello addresses area residents Tuesday.

By Michael V. Cusenza

If you couldn’t make Tuesday’s Howard Beach Lindenwood Civic Association meeting at St. Helen Catholic Academy you missed an impromptu, symbolic passing of the blue torch as two former commanding officers of the 106th Precinct introduced area residents to their new top cop: Capt. John Costello.

“I have some tremendous shoes to fill,” Costello quipped after accepting the microphone from his immediate predecessor, Deputy Insp. Brian Bohannon, Jr., the newly minted commander of the 113th Precinct who expressed gratitude for the loyalty that Howard Beach and Lindenwood residents have displayed over the past three years.

Costello, 43, took the reins from Bohannon earlier this month. He noted Tuesday that his father, a retired cop, was raised in Howard Beach.

“My roots are from here,” the captain said, later adding that he’s “a third-generation cop” with two brothers and three cousins still on the job. “I’m humble and glad to be part of the community.”

Costello has hit the ground running. On Tuesday, he warned residents about crimes that usually see spikes during the holiday season.

“I’ve noticed in Howard Beach—be cognizant of your packages. Criminals are opportunists,” Costello cautioned. He also pointed out that there are 32 blue U.S. Postal Service collection boxes in Sector A (Howard Beach and Lindenwood); not all have been retrofitted with “fishing-proof” equipment.

“If you can, during the holidays, please physically go into the post office,” the captain said.

Costello on Tuesday also got the stamp of approval from a familiar face: Inspector Jeff Schiff, who led the 106 from September 2013 to March 2016. He’s currently assigned to the Counterterrorism Division.

“He knows what he’s doing fighting crime,” Schiff said of Costello.

“When our veterans return home they face a very unique set of challenges and it is our responsibility as elected officials to ensure that their transition from military life back to civilian life is as smooth as can be,” Sen. Addabbo said.

By Forum Staff

State Sen. Joe Addabbo, Jr. (D-Howard Beach) on Friday noted that he’s looking forward to the 2020 legislative session in Albany and that working on helping veterans deal with mental health and other issues after returning from service, in an effort to reduce the military’s suicide rate, will be a top priority.

“When our veterans return home they face a very unique set of challenges and it is our responsibility as elected officials to ensure that their transition from military life back to civilian life is as smooth as can be,” the senator said.

Addabbo recently attended a State Senate public hearing in Rockland County on veteran’s mental health and well-being. The Senate Standing Committee on Mental Health and Development Disabilities heard testimony from medical professionals and institutions, veterans’ services agencies, and veterans themselves on the problems veterans and active military personnel face dealing with and accessing treatment for mental health issues.

According to a U.S. Veterans Administration study that was presented at the hearing, 22 veterans commit suicide every day, and according to the National Center for PTSD, more than 1 in 10 veterans suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder. Many veterans also find it difficult to find work and housing after their service, leading to an increase in homelessness among veterans, which can negatively affect a veteran’s mental health, according to the VA.

During the testimony, Marianne Goodman, M.D., a psychiatrist and professor of psychiatry at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City, noted that many veterans do not seek VA care. They instead go to their primary care doctors, who may not even know their patient is a veteran. Without proper outreach to the veterans, many do not know of the services to which they are entitled.

Goodman also said that through funding in the budget, the State Psychiatric Association, Medical Society of the State of New York, and the New York Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers have been able to grow the Veterans Mental Health Training Initiative. The VHTI trains and educates the interdisciplinary team of primary care specialists and community mental health providers on veteran-specific mental health issues.

“The continued funding of these important programs is critical if our state is to continue its efforts to better assist our veterans when they return home,” said Addabbo, a member of the Senate Veterans, Homeland Security and Military Affairs Committee. “However, we can fund the best programs in the country, but if veterans do not know about them, they are useless. We need to do a better job of outreach to veterans to make them aware of the services they can access.”

One such critical program that Addabbo said vets should be more aware of is the Joseph P. Dwyer Peer-to-Peer Veterans Mental Health Program, which allows veterans a chance to talk to other veterans about what they are experiencing since returning home.

According to Addabbo, due to an increase in State funding for the Dwyer Peer-to-Peer program, it will be expanded for the first time to a location within the five boroughs.

To compensate customers who were adversely impacted by the moratorium, National Grid will pay a $36 million penalty, Gov. Cuomo noted.

By Michael V. Cusenza

The natural gas and electricity utility company National Grid will immediately lift its self-imposed moratorium on gas service in Queens, Long Island, and Brooklyn, Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Nat Grid officials announced Monday.

“They blinked,” State Sen. Joe Addabbo, Jr. (D-Howard Beach) said of the utility Tuesday evening at the Howard Beach Lindenwood Civic Association meeting.

To compensate customers who were adversely impacted by the moratorium, National Grid will pay a $36 million penalty, Cuomo noted. The fine will also support new energy conservation measures and clean-energy projects as instructed by the director of the State Division of the Budget in consultation with the Public Service Commission.

According to Cuomo, National Grid has also identified short-term supply mechanisms that will conservatively meet demand for approximately the next two years, allowing it to restore service to any customers that it had refused and grant all pending applications. The utility has also pledged to present a long-term options analysis within three months, subject to a public review process. The long-term options will be in place and functioning in fall 2021.

Earlier this month, the governor fired off a caustic letter to National Grid CEO John Pettigrew and President John Bruckner giving 14 days’ notice of the State’s intent to revoke the utility’s certificate to operate its downstate gas franchise.

Cuomo indicated that he came to this conclusion following the utility’s failure to provide “adequate and reliable service,” including failing to address supply issues, neglecting the needs of their customers, stalling private development, and the associated diminution of tax revenues to local governments.

National Grid has repeatedly claimed that there are gas-supply constraints in the northeast, and it is unable to provide utility service without a new pipeline. Since NY vehemently opposes the proposed Northeast Supply Enhancement (a.k.a. Williams) Pipeline program for the Rockaway Peninsula—Empire State officials have shot down the plan three times—area customers are the ones that have been left, quite literally, out in the cold.

As part of part of the agreement, National Grid will analyze and present viable options to address the long-term supply issue including: renewable energy sources, conservation strategies, a new pipeline, liquefied natural gas facilities, compressed natural gas facilities, and interoperable systems. National Grid will analyze these options over the next three months and present them to the public through a series of open meetings in Queens, Brooklyn, Nassau, and Suffolk to be conducted in coordination with local elected officials.

Cuomo said the State will appoint a monitor to oversee National Grid’s gas supply operations. The monitor will report to the administration and the Public Service Commission, and will be paid for by National Grid.

“This is great news for anyone who was having issues getting their gas service as the cold winter months approach,” Addabbo added in a statement. “As this had been a constituent-driven matter that my office staff and I have been working on for months, I am grateful that the efforts of the governor and Nat Grid brought this situation to a positive resolution. I look forward to working with the governor’s office and Nat Grid as we move forward to ensure that all customers are provided the natural gas they need.”

“Your fundamental legal obligation as mandated by your certificate of operation was to plan and provide for future needs,” the governor wrote to National Grid officials. “You failed by your own admission.”

By Michael V. Cusenza

Governor Andrew Cuomo on Tuesday sent a blistering letter to National Grid CEO John Pettigrew and President John Bruckner giving 14 days’ notice of the State’s intent to revoke the utility’s certificate to operate its downstate gas franchise.

Cuomo indicated that he came to this conclusion following National Grid’s failure to provide “adequate and reliable service,” including failing to address supply issues, neglecting the needs of their customers, stalling private development, and the associated diminution of tax revenues to local governments.

National Grid has repeatedly claimed that there are gas-supply constraints in the northeast, and it is unable to provide utility service without a new pipeline. Since NY vehemently opposes the proposed Northeast Supply Enhancement (a.k.a. Williams) Pipeline program for the Rockaway Peninsula—Empire State officials have shot down the plan three times—area customers are the ones that have been left, quite literally, out in the cold.

“The essential responsibility for a utility to provide adequate and reliable service is to manage the supply and demand. The very lack of supply you now point to as the reason for your denial of service to thousands of customers exhibits your failure to plan for supply needs. Your fundamental legal obligation as mandated by your certificate of operation was to plan and provide for future needs,” the governor wrote in the 874-word missive. “You failed by your own admission.”

Cuomo went on to characterize Nat Grid’s self-imposed moratorium as “either a fabricated device or a lack of competence.”

Elected officials that have been locking horns with National Grid for months said they appreciated the governor’s direct message.

“Whether Nat Grid shapes up, or an alternative provider is found, it is vital that the people are provided with reliable gas service,” State Sen. Joe Addabbo, Jr. (D-Howard Beach) said.

City Comptroller Scott Stringer applauded Cuomo’s letter because “it rightfully highlights the coercive and abusive tactics that National Grid undertook to try to drum up support for the environmentally backwards fracked-gas pipeline.”

“Rather than letting National Grid walk away with a fine or letting their franchise be taken over by an equally profit-driven competitor, the City and State should explore the feasibility of a public takeover of the natural gas system,” Stringer added. “We need to begin to responsibly develop plans to replace gas infrastructure with renewable and electric alternatives. After years of unchecked fossil fuel expansion, it’s clear we cannot count on the utilities being cooperative partners.”

Cuomo concluded his caustic message by positing two theories “to explain National Grid’s actions: Either National Grid was grossly negligent in relying exclusively on the speculative construction of a private pipeline to meet the demands that it was statutorily required to provide; or, National Grid deliberately defrauded the people of the state by not developing or pursuing existing supply options to force approval and reliance on a private pipeline to further their business interests at the cost of the consumer.

“Either alternative clearly violates your certificate of operation in the State of New York,” he added.

Councilman Ulrich secured $1.5 million in capital funding for the exhaustive project.

By Michael V. Cusenza

Significant, long-awaited sewer infrastructure upgrades on a Lindenwood street should be wrapped up by the end of the month, City Councilman Eric Ulrich (R-Ozone Park) recently noted.

“The capital project I announced several weeks ago at the intersection of 79th Street / Shore Parkway should be completed by Thanksgiving week,” Ulrich posted on Twitter last Wednesday night. “This will bring much needed relief to the area.”

In September, Ulrich and City Department of Environmental Protection officials announced the upgrades after examining a familiar eyesore at the northeast corner of the intersection of 157th Avenue and 79th Street, where the slowly sinking roadbed has been perilous for pedestrians and motorists alike for years.

The councilman secured $1.5 million in capital funding for the agency for an exhaustive project that will make significant drainage improvements and level the “sinking” blocks.

Both DEP and the Department of Transportation have mended the area several times since 2014, but the road eventually continued to descend. Area residents have fretted about the swath of street depreciating into a massive sinkhole.

“Patches have been done by DOT [and] DEP to fix the street and sidewalk, but a full restoration really needed to be done and thanks to the Council Member, [there is] now funding [for] it in FY 2020 capital plan to get that placed,” DEP Commissioner Vincent Sapienza, P.E. said.

Ulrich said the completed project will afford area residents a more permanent solution.

“This is one of the most notorious flooding locations in the district. This area has been sunken in for a very long time. DEP and DOT have done their best to patch over the area to mitigate some of flooding, but the blocks continued to sink,” he added.

Community leaders said they’ll be pleased with the “comprehensive fix.”

“This has been a safety concern for us—for people who want to cross here, for people who want to park here, [and] for people who drive down this street when it is dark,” said Howard Beach Lindenwood Civic Association President Joann Ariola-Shanks.

Michael and Jonathan Manta

By Forum Staff

Howard Beach high school student, Michael Manta, last year established his own 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization aimed at getting fellow students to mentor middle schoolers on the high school application process and help with test prep.

And with the aid of an area elected official, Manta hopes to expand his program.

Manta is the co-founder and CEO of NYCMentors.org. He created the program in 2018 as a way to help his younger brother, Jonathan, navigate the high school admission process and expand his search outside of the local high schools. With Michael’s help, Jonathan was eventually accepted to The McCallie School in Tennessee.

Manta’s NYCMentors.org partners high-achieving underserved middle school students with high school students who are looking to give back and help these middle schoolers with the high school admission process, give them advice, and help with test prep, because many underserved middle school students do not have access to those resources, Manta noted.

“I really wanted to do something to give back,” he added. “There’s not really a program in New York City that has this type of mentorship. Having high school students working directly with middle school students, it gives them an older brother or older sister to get advice from. You don’t get that from just tutoring and test prep.”

Manta is now looking to grow his organization and has reached out to State Sen. Joe Addabbo, Jr. (D-Howard Beach) for help.

“When Michael came to me with his program and told me he is looking to expand the number of students he would be able to reach, I knew I had to help,” said Addabbo, a member of the Senate Education Committee. “I have a daughter in high school and another in middle school, and I know how much of a resource my oldest will be for when my youngest daughter makes that jump into high school. I would love to be able to help students who may not have anyone to help them figure out the complex application process, and what other things a student may need to get into the high school they want—like joining clubs and extracurricular activities.”

Currently, NYCMentors.org can pair only 25 middle school students with high school mentors. They are looking for grants that will help them expand the student pool, but also keep the quality of mentorship. Manta is also looking to sign up additional mentors and mentees.

Manta also announced that NYCMentors.org will have a table at the 19th Annual Chess-in-the-Park Rapid Open on Saturday, Sept. 14 at the Bethesda Fountain, Central Park and 72nd Street. NYCMentors.org will be at the event from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. signing up high school and middle school students who wish to participate in the program.

Anyone who is interested in learning more about the program or who may want to volunteer to be a mentor can find more information at nycmentors.org, or can reach out via email at info@nycmentors.org.

Due to the deterioration of the building, DOB issued an immediate emergency declaration allowing a city contractor to demolish the home.

By Michael V. Cusenza

An unoccupied residence that has teetered precariously on the lip of a Hawtree Basin inlet in Hamilton Beach since Superstorm Sandy inundated the area with water in 2012 partially collapsed into the drink on Monday, according to officials and eyewitnesses.
A City Department of Buildings spokeswoman told The Forum that the agency responded to reports of a leaning building at 102-39 Russell St. DOB inspectors found that the vacant, single-family home had shifted 2-3 feet toward the waterway behind it. Any utility services feeding the home were cut. Due to the deterioration of the building, DOB issued an immediate emergency declaration allowing a city contractor to demolish the home.
The spokeswoman indicated that DOB will continue to monitor the edifice until the home is demolished. In addition, the agency issued an aggravated violation to the building owner for failure to maintain the home in a code-compliant manner.
The property owner has pledged to DOB that they will hire a private contractor to perform the work; however, if they do not commence the demolition right away, a City contractor will perform the work and bill the owner.
The City Office of Emergency Management promised to conduct a follow-up probe of the site on Wednesday.
Area residents have been alerting elected officials and authorities about the home and others like it for years. Just last May, residents in Old Howard Beach made several calls to The Forum after a waterfront property located on Bayview Avenue near 163rd Avenue in Ramblersville, abandoned since Superstorm Sandy hit, began to sink further into Hawtree Creek.
Fears had been mounting that the shed and the deck attached to the property would soon break free and clog the waters of the creek, introducing dangerous conditions in the waterway and prohibiting any watercraft from passing.
As with all properties in similar condition, the homeowners were offered the choice to renovate, rebuild, or surrender the property for market value to the City’s Build it Back initiative. Due to the highly restrictive conditions and the extended time frame involved, the owners of the property chose to participate in the acquisition phase of the program and sold their home to the City.
The house, which was under the jurisdiction of the Department of Housing Preservation and Development, has been demolished.

The mayor also touted past initiatives taken by his administration to prevent and address youth homelessness, including Marsha’s House in the Bronx, the first-ever DHS shelter for LGBTQ young people in the five boroughs.

By Forum Staff

The City will adopt new investments to help youth experiencing homelessness transition off the streets into shelter and from shelter into permanent housing, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Friday.
According to the administration, through collaboration across multiple agencies, including the Department of Youth and Community Development, the Department for the Aging, and the Department of Social Services, youth experiencing homelessness will have access to an array of new resources, including a new mobile service that will help youth experiencing homelessness find and access relevant support. Hizzoner said he will also establish a senior advisor for Youth Homelessness responsible for overseeing the development, implementation, and expansion of the interagency initiatives.
The new resources include:
• The Department for the Aging for the first time will connect youth experiencing homelessness to housing opportunities through their Home Sharing program (program already operating, effective immediately);
• A new mobile service that will help homeless youth more easily find and access support. The design of the service will be informed by youth with lived experiences of homelessness in the five boroughs, developed through a human-centered design process led by the Mayor’s Office of Economic Opportunity, with $200,000 allocated for research, scoping, and design to begin this fall;
• A new cohort of pregnant or parenting youth participating in the outcome-driven Parent Empowerment Program through the Department of Youth and Community Development, which provides access to childcare to young parents while they pursue their high school equivalency diploma and earn workforce credentials.
According to de Blasio, his administration is:
• Piloting the provision of DSS prevention resources within a DYCD 24-hour drop-in center in Queens
• Working with DYCD to connect certain eligible young people transitioning out of DYCD shelters and entering Department of Homeless Services shelters with CityFHEPS rental assistance
• Bidding out a two-year contract through the Department of Social Services-Human Resources Administration to support the NYC Youth Action Board, which will integrate people with lived experience within the NYC Coalition on the Continuum of Care
• Ensuring that DYCD providers are trained by DSS-HRA in applying to NYC Supportive Housing units;
• Partnering with members of the NYC Youth Action Board, DYCD and homeless service providers so that HRA can update the assessment for Supportive Housing applications to include specific eligible experiences of young people; and
• Relaunching the Youth Experiencing Homelessness page on Generation NYC, co-designed by Mayor’s Office for Economic Opportunity with members of the NYC Youth Action Board, DYCD, and homeless service providers so that there is an online resource guide specific to youth experiencing homelessness (no cost, to launch this summer, the mayor noted).
On Friday, de Blasio also touted past initiatives taken by his administration to prevent and address youth homelessness, including the NYC Unity Project, a $9.5 million investment to prevent and address homelessness for LGBTQ youth across the five boroughs; 500 new beds for homeless youth and expansion of youth drop-in centers; Marsha’s House in the Bronx, the first-ever DHS shelter for LGBTQ young people in New York City; and the commitment to allocate 1,700 supportive housing units for youth through the Supportive Housing NYC 15/15 Initiative.

Photo Courtesy of the Cabán Campaign

By Michael V. Cusenza

It has been characterized as one of the most important political contests in a generation—complete with Election Day drama that left many veteran pundits and pols stunned.

In what is shaping up to be a striking upset, public defender Tiffany Cabán leads Borough President Melinda Katz in the Democratic Primary for district attorney. As of Wednesday afternoon, with counts at 99 percent of precincts completed, Cabán topped Katz by 1,090 tallies. The Richmond Hill native garnered 33,814 votes (39.57 percent), while Forest Hills’ Katz compiled 32,724 votes (38.30 percent).

More than 85,000 votes have been counted so far, with roughly 3,400 absentee ballots remaining to be calculated.

Still, Cabán, 31, declared victory Tuesday night in Woodside.

“We won the District Attorney’s Office!” she beamed to her elated supporters.

However, Katz, 53, and her allies would not concede.

“I want everyone to know we are doing a recount,” she asserted at her reception in Forest Hills.

“This thing ain’t over folks,” Queens Democratic Party Chairman Greg Meeks added. “Every vote will be counted.”

The political veteran Katz trails Cabán by 1,090 votes.
Photo Courtesy of the Office of the Borough President

A crowded six-candidate race has ultimately come down to two starkly different counselors. Katz is a career elected official, with her legal experience coming in the private sector. She has held seats in the Assembly, City Council, and has been borough president since 2014. As for her platform, Katz has said that preventing crime and stopping people from becoming victims in the first place will always be the better solution. To that end, she has promised arrest, bail and sentencing reforms; ending marijuana prosecution and arrests; and to establish a Conviction Integrity Unit to examine cases and make recommendations for exoneration.

Cabán has been a public defender, “working for people who did not have resources to defend themselves against the brutal system of mass incarceration,” since graduating from New York Law School.

“I am running to transform the Queens District Attorney’s Office after years of witnessing its abuses on the front lines,” she said upon entering the fray.

Cabán garnered headlines, and ultimately the endorsements of The New York Times, U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-Queens and Bronx), and U.S. Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), by running on a platform to end Broken Windows prosecuting; decriminalize sex work and recreational use of marijuana; and work with safe injection facilities to help reduce overdose deaths.

According to the City Board of Elections, the 3,400 absentee ballots can’t be counted until July 3.

“You are going to have to go back and study the history books to come up with a session that did more good than this session did,” Gov. Cuomo declared on Friday.

By Michael V. Cusenza

Ever since the 2019 Legislative Session wrapped up last week, Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the Democrat-led Legislature have seemingly been on a victory lap, touting “historic progressive accomplishments” notched during what Cuomo has called the most productive Albany legislative confab “in modern political history.”
Even Mayor Bill de Blasio was effusive in his praise of the Executive and the Legislature.
“We haven’t seen a session this daring, productive, and progressive in decades,” Hizzoner gushed Friday.
Hyperbole aside, said “accomplishments” included:
• Passed the Jose R. Peralta DREAM Act, giving undocumented New York students the same advantages afforded to their citizen peers, including access to the Tuition Assistance Program and State-administered scholarships.
• Passed the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, creating what Cuomo has characterized as “the most aggressive climate change program in the nation” with goals to: reach zero carbon emissions in the electricity sector by 2040; and directs State entities to work toward a goal of investing 40 percent of clean energy and energy efficiency resources to benefit disadvantaged communities. Additionally, the law creates the Climate Action Council comprised of the leaders of various state agencies and authorities as well as legislative appointments to develop a plan outlining how the State will achieve an 85 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from 1990 levels by 2050, and eventually net zero emissions in all sectors of the economy.
• Made permanent the 2 percent property tax cap, building upon the approximate $25 billion in taxpayer savings since it was implemented in 2012.
• Funded the Metropolitan Transportation Authority with an estimated $25 billion raised through a promised congestion pricing plan, a new progressive mansion tax, and the elimination of the internet tax advantage.
• Enacted legislation in support of LGBTQ rights, including the elimination of the gay and trans panic defense—closing a loophole in State law that allowed individuals to use the gay and trans panic defenses after attacking another based upon that victim’s gender, gender identity, or sexual orientation. The governor also signed into law the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act and a ban on LGBTQ conversion therapy.
• Enacted additional sexual harassment protections via a package of reforms that will lower the high bar set for employees to hold employers accountable under the New York Human Rights Law for sexual harassment by amending the requirement that conduct be “severe or pervasive” to constitute actionable conduct; extend the statute of limitations for employment sexual harassment claims filed with the Division of Human Rights from one year to three years; and protect employees’ rights to pursue complaints by mandating that all non-disclosure agreements in employment contracts include language stating that employees may still participate in government investigations conducted by local, state, and federal anti-discrimination agencies
• Enacted legislation extending the statute of limitations for second- and third-degree rape and expanding the civil statute of limitations for claims related to these offenses, allowing victims greater opportunity to obtain justice.
• Increased school aid by more than $1 billion, bringing total school aid to a record $27.9 billion. In addition, Cuomo noted that new reporting requirements will address imbalances in the distribution of resources by prioritizing funding at the individual school level in order to advance a more transparent, equitable education system.
• Delivered criminal justice reform by, among other aspects, eliminating cash bail for misdemeanors and non-violent offenses, ensuring the right to a speedy trial, and transforming the discovery process.
“This was I believe, the most productive session in modern political history. You are going to have to go back and study the history books to come up with a session that did more good than this session did,” Cuomo added on Friday in an end-of-session media availability in the Red Room of the Capitol. “We laid out a 100-day agenda back in last December and said that this is a moment where we can make great change. You know change comes when the planets line up and the people are ready for change. Change is hard. The status quo is very difficult to overcome. It takes a lot of energy. It takes a lot of work. It takes a lot of advocacy. And it takes a lot of intelligence because it is not just, I want to change. Change to what? And what are the consequences of that change? It’s not just the political intent to make a change. It’s the legal effect of what that change is. It goes from politics to government. The political part is easy. I want to make change. Okay, the governmental part is hard. How do you do it and what are the consequences, et cetera? But we did it and the people were ready for change.”

Councilman Eric Ulrich this week announced his intention to run in the special election for Public Advocate.

By Michael V. Cusenza

After weeks of speculation, City Councilman Eric Ulrich (R-Ozone Park) announced on Monday that he is running for Public Advocate in the upcoming special election for the citywide post that Tish James will vacate on Jan. 1 when she is sworn in as State attorney general.

Ulrich, 33, made it official with a 70-second YouTube video filmed in his native Ozone Park.

“Now, more than ever, New Yorkers are looking for someone who’s willing to stand up to Mayor de Blasio and his so-called progressive agenda,” Ulrich said.

For years, the councilman, who has represented South Queens on the council since 2009, has been quite vocal about his disdain for de Blasio and his politics, often relishing his role as the wily fly in Hizzoner’s liberal liniment.

“If you ask the mayor who on the City Council annoys him the most,” Ulrich said at a 2017 Howard Beach Lindenwood Civic meeting, “he’ll tell you it’s me.”

The YouTube clip presents more of that anti-de Blasio bravado. Ulrich uses the platform to make his case as the best man to bring checks and balances back to Gotham politics.

“I’m running for Public Advocate because I believe that we as a city deserve better, and because I want to give a voice to the majority of New Yorkers who this mayor continues to ignore,” Ulrich said. “Time and time again, this mayor has let us down, or he sold out the people of this city in exchange for a campaign contribution or a political favor. It’s no secret that it’s the special-interest groups and the lobbyists that are calling the shots at City Hall. It must end. And it can end.”

Ulrich enters an already crowded fray. On Wednesday, Gotham Gazette estimated that there are “roughly two-dozen candidates who have officially declared or indicated they are exploring a run in the expected February special election for New York City Public Advocate.”

Martinez and Velazquez last week allegedly tried to steal mail from this box on Lefferts Boulevard in Richmond Hill.

By Michael V. Cusenza

Two men have been charged with “fishing” mail out of blue U.S. Postal Service collection boxes in Richmond Hill and Forest Hills in October and November, Queens District Attorney Richard Brown announced on Friday.

Alvaro Martinez, 28, of Manhattan, and Luis Velazquez, 22, of the Bronx, were arraigned Thursday night on three complaints charging them with third-degree burglary, first-degree criminal tampering, third-degree criminal possession of stolen property, first-degree identity theft, and possession of burglar’s tools. Bail for Martinez was set at $25,000; Velazquez’s bail was set at $13,000. As of Wednesday afternoon, neither had posted bail, according to City Department of Correction records.

“Mailbox fishing” is a federal crime in which envelopes containing checks and sensitive documents are “fished out” of curbside mailboxes by crooks using a makeshift rod: an adhesive slathered all over a weighted, 16 ounce-20 ounce bottle attached to the end of a string or rope.

According to the charging documents, around 4:35 a.m. on Monday, Oct. 29, Velazquez was seen on surveillance footage standing in front of a USPS mailbox at 64th Avenue and 108th Street, and a second box roughly a block away, in Forest Hills. The video allegedly shows Velazquez inserting an object into the mailboxes and pulling it out again along with pieces of mail.

According to the complaints, shortly after 4 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 17, Martinez was observed on surveillance video standing in front of a blue mailbox at 62nd Drive and 108th Street, also in Forest Hills. Martinez allegedly could be seen on camera placing something inside the mailbox and then retrieving that item along with mail attached to it, the complaints noted.

And on Wednesday, Nov. 29, Martinez and Velazquez were seen around 3:50 a.m. at the intersection of Lefferts Boulevard and Jamaica Avenue in Richmond Hill, according to the charges. Martinez was allegedly observed with his hands near the opening slot of a mailbox and Velazquez was leaning on the box. As a detective approached, both men moved away from the box, but a shoestring was left dangling from the slot. A member of the U.S. Postal Police opened the box and found the shoestring attached to a juice bottle that was covered with glue. Velazquez allegedly admitted that a nearby vehicle belonged to him and inside that car police recovered dozens of pieces of both unopened and opened mail along with mouse and rat glue traps. The complaints noted that at least one envelope recovered contained a check for $4,000.

Mailbox fishing has hit Gotham hard in recent years—especially Queens. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service told The Forum on Wednesday that the agency has already replaced approximately 40 percent of the old collection boxes in Queens with new, virtually “fishing-proof” ones.

“The plan has always been to replace all of these boxes; it’s the most prudent approach,” USPIS Public Information Officer Donna Harris said. “We know it works.”

Indeed, since all of the old collection boxes were replaced in the 104th Precinct, USPIS has not recorded a single mailbox fishing complaint in that part of Queens, Harris noted.

“We’ve done a lot, but we’ve still got a ways to go,” the spokeswoman added.

The meeting was held on Tuesday evening at the Howard Beach Library.

By Michael V. Cusenza
For generations, excessive noise has been a seemingly endless source of irritation from Breezy Point to Beechhurst.
And in recent weeks, Queens’ quality-of-life cacophony has created a summer of discontent for several Howard Beach residents who brought the issue to the attention of 106th Precinct Neighborhood Coordination Officers Tuesday evening at the Sector A (Howard Beach, Lindenwood) Build the Block meeting.
The “mystery music,” along with decidedly not harmonious sounds are emanating from the Howard Beach-Brooklyn border. The 106 NCOs Pete Paese and Mike Petrizzo indicated that they have discussed the problem with their colleagues in East New York’s 75th Precinct.
“Brooklyn deals with a lot more than Howard Beach deals with,” Petrizzo said. “Noise might not be a priority for them.”
The NCOs on Tuesday also encouraged meeting attendees gathered in the Howard Beach Library to continue calling and/or texting 311.
Some weary residents let out exasperated sighs when the city’s non-emergency governmental services and information line was even mentioned.
“311 is not good at responding, but they are a very good tracking system,” said long-time Community Board 10 Chairwoman Betty Braton, who later noted that Howard Beach isn’t even the noisiest patch of the precinct. That honor is shared by South Ozone Park and Richmond Hill.

Search warrants netted numerous illegal guns, including an AR-15 (similar to the one pictured).

By Forum Staff

An acting captain in the Gambino crime family has admitted to his involvement in acts of loansharking and illegal gambling in Nassau and Suffolk counties on Long Island, federal authorities announced on Thursday.
John “Johnny Boy” Ambrosio, 74, pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy in federal court in Central Islip. Prosecutors noted that the Huntington resident is the last defendant to plead guilty in a superseding indictment that charged him and six members and associates of the Gambino family and a member of the Bonanno family. Co-conspirators Frank Salerno, 43, of Whitestone; Thomas Anzalone, 44, of Ozone Park; and Alessandro Damelio, 49, of Whitestone; as well as Joseph Durso, Anthony Rodolico and Anthony Saladino, all Gambino associates and residents of Long Island, have previously entered pleas of guilty to racketeering conspiracy.
According to the superseding indictment, between January 2014 and December 2017, Ambrosio and his co-conspirators engaged in a racketeering conspiracy, which included loansharking, operating illegal gambling businesses, narcotics distribution conspiracy, and obstruction of justice conspiracy.At his guilty plea, Ambrosio admitted to participating in the affairs of the Gambino family by collecting an extortionate loan from one victim, and supervising a gambling business involving poker games, electronic gaming machines and sports betting. As part of his plea agreement with the government, Ambrosio will forfeit $100,000, including $66,116 in cash that was seized from his home at the time he was taken into custody.
When Ambrosio and his co-conspirators were arrested on Dec. 12, 2017, law enforcement agents executed search warrants at various locations, including a storage facility in Nassau County, and recovered gambling and loan sharking records, electronic gaming machines, narcotics and narcotics paraphernalia, and numerous firearms, including an AR-15, a .38-caliber revolver, and a sawed-off shotgun. Agents also recovered letters addressed to Ambrosio from Bonanno family boss Michael “The Nose” Mancuso and former Gambino family boss, and Howard Beach resident, John Gotti.
When sentenced later this year, Ambrosio, Anzalone, Damelio, Durso, and Rodolico each face a maximum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment. Saladino and Salerno each face a mandatory minimum of five years’ imprisonment and up to 40 years for the cocaine distribution conspiracy offenses.

Hizzoner actually showed his cards in old emails that recently surfaced. On Thursday, the City finally handed over a massive trove of more than 4,000 electronic correspondences to Spectrum News NY1 and the New York Post. Earlier this month, following prolonged litigation, State Appellate Division Judge Anil Singh upheld a lower court’s ruling that the administration must disclose all emails between City Hall and outside consultants that de Blasio famously dubbed “agents of the City.”

These secret “agents” actually were from the private consulting firm BerlinRosen, led by long-time de Blasio confidant Jonathan Rosen. In its argument against NY1 and the Post’s Freedom of Information Law request, the City claimed that though Rosen and several other private consultants were not public servants, they served as “agents of the City,” exempting them from such FOIL requests.

Let’s stop for a moment and think back to those halcyon days four or five years ago when Mayor de Blasio promised to run the most honest, transparent, and accessible administration this city has ever seen.

How long did that last?

Instead, we see this email from the mayor in August 2015:

“First of all, the news media is pitiful and it’s sad for our city and nation. We can make a conscience decision to surrender…or we can govern. They will never defeat us.”

While we’d never lump together de Blasio and Queens’ own President Donald Trump—they are polar opposites in every sense. However, that quote, to us at least, rings eerily similar to one of many from Mr. Trump in which he gleefully blasts the press.

“The fake news media is the enemy of the American people,” the President tweeted in February 2017.

De Blasio on Friday attempted to expound on the email during his weekly spot on “The Brian Lehrer Show” on WNYC-FM.

“I think there’s a problem with mainstream media. I mean, I’ll get to the specifics but I think the broad point is there’s a problem with mainstream media. I have felt this my whole life,” de Blasio said on Friday during his weekly spot on “The Brian Lehrer Show” on WNYC-FM. “This is not new to my role as mayor. We have a corporate media. It is based on a free-enterprise model. It’s based on selling things. I don’t think that’s healthy. I think that leads to a lot of distortions. I am a big fan of public radio and public TV. I’m a big fan of alternative media and subscription-based media like The Guardian that are trying to take some of the bias out of the equation that is based—that comes from needing clicks and having a mentality that connects to a corporate structure.”

He later added, “Look, I don’t think the coverage has reflected the work we’re doing or the impact it’s having on the people of this city.”

So, because the press doesn’t write that which you’d like it to write about you and your “accomplishments,” it’s “pitiful” and “sad”? Is that even mature?

Wake up, Mr. Mayor. This is New York City. We’ll praise you for honest-to-goodness progress—and we’ll tear you a new one when you, or any other elected leader, deserves it.

If you don’t like it, take your ball and go back to Boston.

We’re people too.