Category Archives: Politics
The Forest Park Civic Association’s inaugural meeting started with politics last week on Wednesday, May 2. The organization is trying to be an umbrella group for civics around Forest Park. It began to find its feet, searched for a core group of supporters and heard from all the candidates running for the area’s congressional seat. “This meeting is more or less to get to know each other, introduce ourselves to each other,” said the 26-year-old leader of the group, Paul … Continue reading
Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s vetoes of individual member items last month took tens of thousands of dollars away from Queens nonprofits, leaving some worried that a trend of disappearing grants will leave them bruised. After the state budget’s approval in May, Cuomo used his veto pen like a scalpel. He individually removed 126 items, mostly comprised of small grants to local organizations that legislators put into the budget. Ultimately, Cuomo removed $640,000 of spending from the final document. Maspeth Town Hall … Continue reading
In an unconventional announcement, City Councilman Eric Ulrich surprised most of the political scene when he posted a YouTube video at 10 a.m. on Tuesday saying he will run for State Senate. “Today I am excited to announce that I will be a candidate for State Senate in District 15,” Ulrich said in the video. “This was not an easy decision for me to make. I love the job that I already have, and I had every intention of running … Continue reading
Legislators are pushing back against a proposed plan that would require nonprofit organizations to start paying the city for trash pickup. Last year, the Department of Sanitation announced it would start charging a fee to collect trash at buildings that have a tax-exempt status for nonprofit use. However, Brooklyn Councilman David Greenfield and now Queens Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer (D-Maspeth, Woodside) are objecting and have introduced legislation to counter the plan. The two say the policy would put an undue … Continue reading
Members of the South Asian and Indo-Caribbean communities in Queens rallied behind Assemblywoman Grace Meng on Monday. They formed South Asians for Grace to bolster her campaign as she fights through a contentious Democratic primary against Assemblyman Rory Lancman and Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley. “When elected officials attack immigrants, they are really attacking the American Dream,” said Sayu Bhojwani, former NYC Commissioner of Immigrant Affairs. “In Congress, Grace Meng will protect the values that make our country great by fighting for … Continue reading
Residents of several neighborhoods around the city got a small taste of what it’s like to be involved in the city budget process. Councilman Eric Ulrich (R-Ozone Park) was among the four council members that were involved in a participatory budget, which allowed residents of their district to vote on what programs or local facilities get funding in their neighborhoods. Ulrich did this for people that live in the Rockaways and Broad Channel, which is part of his district. They … Continue reading
Residents at last week’s Woodhaven Residents’ Block Association meeting (WRBA), raised concerns about kids from Junior High School 210 causing trouble, including standing near moving cars in the street, after they get out of school. Two politicians in the running for a seat in congress also stopped by to speak with residents, who they would represent should they win that seat. Suzanne Catoggio and Sharisse Sexton, two school safety officers from the 102nd Precinct, spoke to residents regarding problems after … Continue reading
In a shocking announcement at 10 this morning, Republican City Councilman Eric Ulrich posted a video saying he will challenge Democrat Joe Addabbo for his New York State Senate seat. Just this week, City and State reported that Ulrich, a second-term councilman, was unlikely to run for senate. He is, however, a top choice of Queens GOP officials. The 27-year-old is viewed as a rising star on the Republican horizon. Addabbo and Ulrich will battle for the 15th District, … Continue reading
Almost 70 years passed between the time Anton Dietrich Jr. was wounded during a battle in North Africa and when he received a Purple Heart for his bravery just last week. Dietrich is a 93-year-old WWII Army veteran who lives in Richmond Hill. He fought in Tunisia, landed in Sicily as well as Normandy, and spent 32 months at Walter Reed Medical Center when a mortar shell tore into his legs, arm and back. Dietrich was awarded a host of … Continue reading
Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley, Assemblyman Rory Lancman and Assemblywoman Grace Meng rolled out more endorsements in the past week and all tried to show their chops as champions of working-class voters in the run for the 6th Congressional District. Meng and Lancman had events on April 16, both adding to their stable of backers. The two followed the trend of previous endorsements, with Lancman adding another union and Meng adding more politicians. On the steps of city hall four likely mayoral … Continue reading
Observers got their first official glimpse this week at how candidates in the 6th Congressional District stack up in terms of fund raising. April 15 was the deadline to file quarterly finance reports with the Federal Election Commission that cover all fundraising up to March 31. The three main contenders in the Democratic primary—Assemblywoman Grace Meng, Assemblyman Rory Lancman and Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley—laid out their numbers. Meng led the pack by a wide margin. Her campaign, which is backed by … Continue reading
Controversy erupted in the Queens congressional race when a fourth contender jumped into the democratic primary at the last minute—sparking accusations that the party was trying to split the vote with a fake candidate. News broke Monday that Jeff Gottlieb, a 70-year-old Board of Elections employee and longtime member of the JFK Regular Democratic Club, was gathering signatures to be a part of the primary. Gottlieb, a former teacher, has long had ties with Queens Democrats. He made his way … Continue reading
Queens council members are scoring high on green issues, according to rankings released last week by the New York League of Conservative Voters (NYLCV). Based on their votes on environmental legislation in 2010 and 2011, the glowing report scored each councilperson from 1 to 100. The Queens delegation averaged a 93, trailing only Manhattan representatives who averaged a 95. Representatives from Brooklyn, Staten Island and the Bronx averaged a 92, 88 and 76, respectively. “The current City Council is one … Continue reading
The union for some NYPD commanders endorsed Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley in her bid for congress last week, adding to the stable of first-responders backing herThe Captains Endowment Association represents captains, deputy inspectors, inspectors, and deputy chiefs. On April 5, they joined the Uniformed Firefighters Association in backing Crowley. She heads the Fire and Criminal Justice Committee in the council. “Throughout her career, Elizabeth Crowley has fought to protect the public safety of New Yorkers,” said Captains Endowment Association President Roy … Continue reading
In response to a recent spate of arrests for sexual offenses in New York City schools, Assemblyman Andrew Hevesi (D-Forest Hills) is trying to tighten the regulations on school employees convicted of abuse. Hevesi introduced two bills to that effect recently. “These bills are about accountability; when it is a matter of our children’s safety there is no room for finger pointing,” Hevesi said. Bill A9600 would require school superintendents to report all allegations of child abuse by school employees … Continue reading