Queens Chronicle South Edition 01-31-13 by Queens Chronicle

C M SQ page 1 Y K SOUTH QUEENS EDITION Serving Howard Beach, Ozone Park, Woodhaven, Richmond Hill, South Ozone Park, City Line and JFK Airport

YOUR COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER VOL. XXXVI

NO. 5

THURSDAY, JANUARY 31, 2013

QCHRON.COM

3 MONTHS LATER

PHOTOS BY DOMENICK RAFTER

A look at Howard Beach’s comeback 14 weeks after Sandy PAGES 5-6 AND 14-22

Three months after Hurricane Sandy hit, homes are being fixed, new residents are moving in and shoppers are coming back to Cross Bay Boulevard, but the pre-storm normal is still elusive for many.

Former Rep. Weiner may be eyeing return to politics

THE SOCCER PROPOSAL

LISTENING TO THE ANSWERS

Examining a Flushing Meadows MLS stadium

Boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy asks other ex-girls why she left

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Plan for Willets Point housing is last step Developers say apartments are tied to construction of Van Wyck exits by Josey Bartlett Editor

hey came for information and answers, but the majority of attendees at Tuesday night’s Queens Housing Coalition meeting in Woodside were already very familiar with the plan, approved in a different form by the City Council in 2008, to build a mall, retail spaces and housing at Willets Point. During a question-and-answer segment many speakers asked for the representatives from Related Companies and Sterling Equities, called the Queens Development Group, which plans to revamp a 23-acre plot on the north side of Citi Field and the parking lot on the south side of the stadium, to consider the people. The speakers included an undocumented worker, Marco Neira, who owns one of the many auto shops that dot Willets Point, and the only resident of the area, 80-year-old Joseph Ardizzone. They made passionate speeches about the need for affordable housing instead of a mall. Last year the city announced that it was pushing back the housing component until the project’s final phase, years down the road. Queens Housing Coalition coordinator Ivan Contreras began the informational meeting — translated into Spanish and Korean — by saying, “We will finally understand how the project will affect our lives.” But many speakers said they knew the

Marco Neira, right, here with the event’s interpreter, owns an auto body shop at Willets Point and PHOTO BY JOSEY BARTLETT opposes the plan. $3 billion redevelopment originally proposed by Mayor Bloomberg’s administration would not positively impact them. “The project is really opposed by many people,” Ardizzone said. A representative for the developer, Ethan Goodman, laid out a five-step plan poetically named the “Expanded Vision” — because it’s the plan “approved in 2008 and then even more,” he said. The first step would remediate 23 polluted acres of Willets Point. Until 1932, ash from

burned municipal waste was dumped on the site. From then on the land has been tainted by petroleum from the many auto repair shops there. QDG will not clean the other 38 acres, because the city is not selling that land yet, Goodman said. Next developers would transform 126th Street into an area with a 200-room hotel, 30,000 square feet of retail space and restaurants and an interim 20-acre surface parking area that can be converted to recreational use when the Mets are not playing at home.

The old parking lot called Willets Point West would become a “destination,” Goodman said — a million-square-foot entertainment and shopping space. He never said “mall,” but several audience members shouted out the word. Once the entertainment center is built, the city will build new exits off the Van Wyck Expressway. A few-years-old city environmental study states construction would not be necessary until the mall is wrapped up. The last and fifth step would be to construct 2,500 housing units, 875 of them denoted as affordable, additional retail and a school for about 1,000 students. That step is planned to start in 2025. “Why don’t we start with affordable housing and then the mall?” meeting attendee Dania Joaquin asked. “The answer is simple,” lawyer Jesse Masyr said. “It’s not responsible to let people live in an area with 100 years of pollution.” People yelled out that that didn’t answer the question. The question was posed again by another speaker. “If they build exits off the Van Wyck three years earlier, we will construct housing three years earlier,” Masyr said. The question was asked in a slightly different way again. Masyr added housing could be built continued on page 26

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QUEENS NEWS

Cross Bay businesses: edging back to normal Most mom-and-pop shops open, but some favorites still shuttered by Domenick Rafter Associate Editor

The frigid cold may be what kept crowds off Cross Bay Boulevard last week, but inside Sapienza’s Deli at 164-26 Cross Bay Blvd., people idle by the counter, waiting for the orders and workers in baseball caps slice meat and pack them into cellophane wrapping. “Half-pound pastrami!” a girl behind the counter yells out. A man raises his hand, approaches the register and pays. At first glance, it is hard to believe that it was only 14 weeks ago that this room was dark, cold and wet, devastated by five feet of water that barreled through the front door during Hurricane Sandy. Sapienza’s, only one block from the Addabbo Bridge and Jamaica Bay, was hit hard by the storm. Some of the businesses around it, including a flooring company half a block away, are still out of business. That company’s building on the corner of Cross Bay Boulevard and 165th Avenue is still vacant; its metal rolldown security gates still twisted from the flood. Angelo Mugnolo, owner of Sapienza’s, said he was able to open for business about three weeks after Sandy. “We lost our compressors, our refrigerators, we needed everything new,” Mugnolo said. “Thank God for FEMA.” Mugnolo said his regular customers have

The Cross Bay Diner is one of the few establishments along Cross Bay Boulevard in Howard Beach PHOTO BY DOMENICK RAFTER that is still closed after Hurricane Sandy. come back, especially for his deli’s trademark pastrami sandwiches. His establishment is one of dozens in the neighborhood slowly returning to business as usual three months after the storm that took the community by surprise. Glenn Dybus, a travel agent at Cross Bay Travel, said business at his office is “back to normal.” Their office at 158-20A Cross Bay Blvd. was damaged and needed new floors. Dybus

said the office’s four employees were able to work while the office was shuttered. “We were out until the day after Thanksgiving,” he explained. “We were still able to work from our homes.” Dybus said business is booming as local residents seek escape. “After the shock of the hurricane and its aftermath, people just need to get away I guess,” he said. Like Sapienza’s and Cross Bay Travel, many

businesses on the boulevard are bustling. On Friday afternoon, every chair inside Explosion hair salon at 161-11 Cross Bay Blvd. was occupied and the crowd for lunch at Brother’s Ravioli across the street at 161-16 Cross Bay Blvd. resembled Penn Station at rush hour. Both locations were damaged in the storm surge. Other businesses are partially open. The Surfside Motel, located at Cross Bay Boulevard and 165th Avenue along Shellbank Basin, is open for business, but its first floor rooms are still gutted with spackling on the walls. The motel served evacuees from the Rockaways during the storm, but when the floodwaters came into Howard Beach, the National Guard had to evacuate the refugees from the flooded motel as the waters receded on Oct. 30. Among those evacuated, a Fox news crew, who caught footage of the hurricane’s storm surge barreling ashore from the second floor of the motel. One of the most notable businesses still closed is Cross Bay Diner. The building at 16031 Cross Bay Blvd. is on Shellbank Basin. It’s dining room is elevated and escaped flooding, but the business is still not open. Tamara Jackson, a representative from the Small Business Administration, visited about 40 stores last week along Cross Bay Boulevard, reminding business owners to file applications for aid from the SBA if they haven’t already. continued on page 33

Page 5 QUEENS CHRONICLE, Thursday, January 31, 2013

SOUTH

3 months after Sandy, HB recovery continues Victims say life is getting back to normal by AnnMarie Costella Assistant Editor

Richard Leporin, left, holds his wedding photo, one of the items that survived the Sandy damage. Herlinde Martinez-Fanizza with husband, Robert Fanizza, and their dog, Moka, are doing their best FILE PHOTOS to recover from the storm. “There is still a lot of work to do and there are still papers all over the place, and we’re going back and forth with insurance and cleaning up and assessing the damage, so I guess we’re still in limbo,” Martinez-Fanizza said. “But every day the sun comes up, and we just have to move on.” She is on a waiting list for a contractor to make the rest of the repairs and is scheduled to have them done in April. Meanwhile, she

says she and her husband are in good health and are doing well. Moka, however, has taken to stress eating and put on some weight. “She’s a chow hound,” Martinez-Fanizza said. Asked if she is afraid of another Sandylike storm blowing through the neighborhood in the future, Martinez-Fanizza replied, “You can’t live in fear. Life goes on. We just do the best we can and leave the rest in God’s Q hands.”

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It’s hard to believe, but it was just three months ago when 80-year-old Howard Beach veteran Richard Leporin’s house was ravaged by Hurricane Sandy and escalating flood waters and no electricity left him freezing and huddled under a blanket with his cat until his nephew came to visit and rescued them. It’s taken a lot of hard work, but Leporin said things have gotten much better. He had to gut the water-logged first floor of his house, replacing the wooden beams and all the electrical wiring — something he said took about a day and a half with the help of his nephew and four friends. “Everything is coming along all right,” Leporin told the Chronicle on Friday. “It’s almost back to normal.” Leporin received money from FEMA to assist with his losses. He would not specify the amount, only saying that it was enough to be helpful. With the temperature in his home at a cozy 75 degrees, his utilities restored, part of his home cleaned and repaired and his cat Jasamine, curled up by his feet, Leporin said he feels comfortable and ready to complete the recovery process. Many in the community are in a similar situation.

George Buonocore, whose family had to be evacuated by the National Guard after Sandy because of a gas leak, has returned home and is wrapping up his storm-related repairs, including fixing damage to his chimney, yard and deck, but that wasn’t all. “We had to bring in plumbers to change the pipes,” he said. “Everything had to be done over from scratch.” Buonocore received some money from FEMA and some from his insurance carrier, but most of the repair costs came out of his own pocket, he said. “I guess you just have to be grateful for what you have and move on,” he said. “What else can you do?” Herlinde Martinez-Fanizza, along with her husband, Robert, and dog, Moka, are doing their best to return to normalcy. Using the $8,900 she got from her car insurance company for the total loss of her car, which was flooded in the storm, and some cash from her flood insurance policy, along with money out of her own pocket, Martinez-Fanizza bought a new boiler and gutted the first floor of her house, which included her kitchen, living room and bathroom. She also had it professionally cleaned and the mold removed.

QUEENS CHRONICLE, Thursday, January 31, 2013 Page 6

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Senate approves $50B Sandy aid bill Funds will go to reimburse city for cleanup costs and fund FEMA grants by Domenick Rafter Associate Editor

The U.S. Senate passed the final installment of aid to Hurricane Sandy survivors on Monday and President Obama signed the bill into law Tuesday night. The $50.5 billion in funds passed by a 6236 margin with all Democrats — including both New York senators — and nine Republicans present voting yes. The bill passed the House of Representatives last week and includes $10 billion to repair public transport infrastructure, $5.3 billion to replenish the Federal Emergency Management Agency disaster relief fund and $16 billion in Community Development Block Grant funding, which will be used by municipalities to rebuild homes and businesses damaged in the storm. The money will also go to reimburse the city and state for costs endured during the recovery process, including Sanitation, Police, Fire and other agency expenditures and some will be used to reinforce infrastructure for future disasters. The Senate passed a similar aid bill late last year, but it died in the House earlier this month when some Republicans criticized it for being loaded with spending items that were not related to Sandy. After protests from Congress members from the Northeast, including some

More than $50 billion in Hurricane Sandy relief aid that would pay for a number of costs, including a new boardwalk in Rockaway Beach, above, passed Congress this week after more than a month PHOTO BY DOMENICK RAFTER of consideration. Republicans, House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) split the bill into one that provided $9.7 billion for flood insurance reimbursement and $50.5 billion for other needs. The first bill was passed into law earlier this month. Combined with the flood insurance reimbursements-approved earlier this month, the new measure puts the total at more than $60 million for Sandy aid, still below the $80 bil-

lion originally requested by Gov. Cuomo along with New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy. The trio released a statement upon the Senate’s passage of the bill on Monday. “Our genuine thanks and gratitude goes out to the U.S. Senate for its thoughtful consideration and passage of the Hurricane Sandy disaster relief package,” the statement

read. “Despite the difficult path in getting to this moment, the Senate membership clearly recognized early on the urgency and necessity of approving the full aid package and its importance in rebuilding our battered infrastructure and getting our millions of affected residents back on their feet as quickly as possible. To all Americans, we are grateful for their willingness to come to our aid as we take on the monumental task of rebuilding and we pledge to do the same should our fellow citizens find themselves facing unexpected and harsh devastation.” Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-New York) noted that other bills funding disaster relief were approved quicker and with less controversy. “For decades, taxpayers from New York have sent their money when disasters occurred, with fires on the West Coast or floods in the Missouri and Mississippi valleys or hurricanes in Louisiana and Florida,” Schumer said. “We’ve sent our tax dollars, billions of them — and now, all of a sudden, some are suggesting we should change the rules when we are hit by the first major disaster to hit the New York City region in a very long time. That’s not fair. That’s not right.” The Senate defeated an amendment from Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) that would have offset the money with cuts to discretionary Q spending over the next nine years.

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EDITORIAL

PAGE

Flushing Meadows soccer stadium must be stopped ajor League Soccer is doing its best to rush a misguided plan to build a stadium in Queens through all the hurdles it faces before Mayor Bloomberg leaves office. It cannot be allowed to succeed. League officials have been given every opportunity to be forthcoming about the important details of their proposal and to counter their critics, and they refuse to do so. A similar project they got approved in Harrison, NJ, just over the Hudson River, has failed to live up to its promises and ended up shorting that town’s taxpayers at least $3.6 million. And, above all, their plan for a stadium in Flushing Meadows Corona Park would severely damage what remains the crown jewel of Queens, without enough benefit to residents. The deal MLS seeks with the city would be a steal, literally, in all but the legal sense. It wants a $1 a year lease for up to 13 acres of public parkland — the classic deal politicians and private for-profit businesses cook up behind closed doors to take the citizens’ property without compensation. That deal, which must be stopped, is at the heart of why MLS is in such a rush. If it doesn’t get public land essentially for free, the league will have to buy the 10 to 13 acres it needs for a 25,000 seat arena on the open market.

All that the public would get in exchange is 13 acres of new parkland somewhere else — but not all in one chunk — and the rehab of some existing soccer fields at Flushing Meadows, which should be a city job anyway. MLS also says it would invest tens of millions of dollars in the park, but it’s vague as to how and where, as it is on so many details, even when its president met with us last week. One of the most frustrating vagaries is the league’s site selection process. MLS is dead set on building a stadium in Flushing Meadows, mostly because the land would be free but also because there are so many Latin Americans in nearby neighborhoods and soccer is such a force in that culture, and because of all the transportation options that get people to the park. But we don’t see why a stadium couldn’t be considered for any number of other locations, such as Aqueduct Race Track or the old Flushing Airport, and MLS has not been forthcoming in what other sites it rejected or why. We are not against soccer in Queens; in fact we would welcome it. We are against giving away our parkland. Imagine, as crazy as it sounds, that this project had been proposed for Central Park. Of course it would be rejected out of hand. But if the mayor wants a stadium, maybe he should consider

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putting it there, in his own neighborhood’s crown jewel park. Another major concern with the proposal is the question of team ownership, one of many issues discussed in this week’s Queens Chronicle story “MLS to Queens? Stop by Harrison, NJ first.” The league has yet to select an owner for the team it would locate here, but that means accountability would be hard to pursue should any problems arise as the stadium is built. And the one possible owner that’s been reported on in the press is an Arab oil sheik, a prospect we find troubling. If a Queens soccer team were to go belly up, as two MLS teams have in recent years, what would he care about an empty stadium nearly half a world away? Standard political practice means there is one person who could stop this project today if she wants to: City Councilwoman Julissa Ferreras, whose district includes the northern section of the park. She should see this proposal for the land grab that it is. If she says no to it, the rest of the Council will follow suit, and the plan will be denied — if MLS doesn’t just give up on its own first. We urge you to call Ferreras at (718) 651-1917 or (212) 788-6862, or email her at jferreras@council.nyc.gov, and tell her to keep our park in our hands. MLS can come back with a better site any time.

EDITOR

affordable housing. In his article “Play Ball or Else,” in the Dear Editor: August 2005 Readers’ Digest, Michael If small businesses are supporting Major Crowley notes that economist Allen SanderSoccer League’s attempt to construct a stadi- son of The University of Chicago said, um in Flushing Meadows Corona Park, they “Instead of attracting new money, stadium must have gotten intoxicated on events just move money the snake oil MLS has been around that was already headONLINE pouring on the public (“MLS ed for the city coffers.” promotes small biz support,” If money is to be made from Miss an ar ticle or Jan. 24, multiple editions). letter cited by a writer? a stadium, it will go into the People who watch games go Want news from our pockets of the ballclub owner home afterwards. They do not other editions covering and not the taxpayers, who in stop at small retail shops on the rest of Queens? Find the case of MLS would lose Northern Boulevard to buy a past reports, news from parkland and add to the further pair of socks. across the borough and desecration of the park. For years, multimillionaire Landscape architect Charles more at qchron.com. private for-prof it sports club Birnbaum, the coordinator of owners have been blindsiding the National Park Service Histaxpayers in New York City and elsewhere, toric Landscape Initiative, wrote in Preservaaided and abetted by inept politicians, claim- tion magazine that open space in America’s ing their businesses make important contri- parks is being wiped out by new structures butions to the municipality’s economy. There and parking lots, as municipal officials tend to is no f iscal justif ication for the claim. see such space as a void that must be filled. Instead there is often a raid on the public treasury, along with enormous subsidies and perks. Sports activities in New York City do not account for more than seven-tenths of 1 percent of the city’s gross economy, an amount of money that could be equated with the tip one gives the youngster who delivers your groceries. It does not put more police or firefighters on the streets or build more classrooms or

No soccer stadium

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But, he said, park users themselves aren’t demanding change. Two decades of surveys say that between 70 and 80 percent of American park users visit them specifically for passive reflective experiences, not for entertainment. Birnbaum asks, “When was it decided that strolling in dappled shade under a canopy of trees or roaming a sloping lawn is not sufficient experience in its own right? When did we stop valuing the sound of running water, the humanizing scale and tactile marvels of nature? Who still appreciates historic mosscovered walls and paths or a landscape designer’s choice of plants and ornaments?” His comments should be mandatory reading for all persons seeking public office — particularly people like state Sen. Jose Peralta, who does not view parkland as parkland, but as open space to be sold to the highest bidder, the public be damned. This belief is so obnoxious that in my opinion it makes him unworthy of holding public office. Benjamin M. Haber Flushing

SQ page 9

No way Queensway Dear Editor: I enjoy walking through a park, but it’s disappointing to hear that research funds have been allocated to this Queensway proposal (“Railroad, parkland or nothing at all,” Jan. 10, multiple editions). It makes me question what the governor is thinking. Our Rockaway beaches were destroyed by Superstorm Sandy. Money should be used to rebuild our boardwalk and help prevent beach erosion. Many taxpayers utilize this beach, and I hope I can this summer. The railroad property that would be the Queensway is not currently maintained, and we don’t need another park that won’t be maintained. Maria Concolino Woodhaven

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What gun bans mean Dear Editor: Evil people have committed evil acts since Cain killed Abel yet we persist in the delusion that we can legislate evil into extinction. Good people will abide by the law. Criminals will always find their way around it so before we accept any new firearm legislation, it would behoove us to review and examine the efficacy and consequences of such legislation and contemplate the ramifications. The greatest human tragedies and the greatest loss of innocent human life can be attributed to governments and not to lone gunmen in malls, movie theaters and schools. Registration and confiscation of firearms preceded the extermination of millions of Armenians by the Turks and Jews by Nazi Germany, just to cite two examples. History informs us that gun control is not about guns; it’s about control. Our Founding Fathers in their infinite wisdom put the Second Amendment in place in case politicians ignore the others; it’s definitely not about hunting. Gun banners don’t hate guns. They just don’t like the idea of average citizens having access to them. They don’t complain about military-style uniforms and the heavy-duty firearms granted to police and other government authorities. They consider themselves elites with privileges who depend on guns without which they could accomplish none of their goals and employ armed body guards for their protection. They continued on page 10

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Correction

JOSEPH ARANEO, CPA

Because of an error in a speech by the borough president and its transcript, the name of Dylan Smith’s mother was misreported in the Jan. 24 article “Marshall looks to ’13 as year of hope.” Her name is Q Mary Smith. We regret the error.

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Dear Editor: We have repeated mass murders even where there are guns available and people trained to use them, some examples are: • The President Reagan assassination attempt in 1981, where three others were shot and wounded and where Reagan’s press secretary, Jim Brady, was shot in the head; • At the Columbine High School in Colorado in 1999 (15 people killed, 23 wounded), where armed guards were present; • At Virginia Tech in 2007 (32 people killed, 17 wounded), where an armed police force was on duty; • The Fort Hood shooting on November 5, 2009, where in the course of the shooting, a single gunman killed 13 people and wounded 29 others. What could have prevented the 2011 Tucson, Ariz. shooting where U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords and 18 others were shot during a constituent meeting held in a supermarket parking lot and six people died? What could have prevented the mass shooting that occurred on July 20, 2012 at a Century movie theater in Aurora, Colorado, where 12

Dear Editor: The residents of Hamilton Beach understand that many in our city were badly affected by Sandy. We also understand that many areas are in worse shape than ours, but is it too much to ask National Grid to come up with a solution to the constant loss of gas service to our homes? I understand there is water in the gas lines but does it really makes sense to keep sending it back into the main by blowing compressed air into the lines? It would seem to me that they should be removing the water, not sending it to someone else’s home, which it seems like they’re doing. We know how tirelessly Assemblyman Phillip Goldfeder, City Councilman Eric Ulrich and state Sen. Joe Addabbo Jr. have been working with us on everything since the storm hit but now we would like to ask the three of you, united as one, to put pressure on National Grid to solve the problem before someone decides to not call when they should, and a tragedy happens. Roger Gendron President, New Hamilton Beach Civic Association Hamilton Beach

people were killed and 58 others injured ? We should not ignore that the key to gun safety is regulating the guns. The Second Amendment is not under attack, it has never been under attack. We do not ignore car safety, saying cars do not kill people, drivers do. The solution is better gun control. First, Congress should pass the Fix Gun Checks Act, which would close the “private sale loophole.” It would require every gun buyer to pass a background check. Second, it is time to pass an enforceable and effective assault weapons ban. A previous ban expired in 2004, and even though President Bush supported reinstating it, Congress never acted. Congress should also ban the high-capacity magazines that have been used again and again in many mass shootings. Third, the president and Congress should work together to make gun trafficking a felony — as Sen. Gillibrand, Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney and others have proposed. Let’s stand together for the kids and teachers of Newtown and the Americans who die from senseless gun violence on a daily basis in our country perpetrated by people with unregulated access to guns, tools designed to kill. A. Vivona South Ozone Park

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Page 9 QUEENS CHRONICLE, Thursday, January 31, 2013

LETTERS TO THE

SQ page 10 QUEENS CHRONICLE, Thursday, January 31, 2013 Page 10

Letters continued from page 9 are eager and willing to disarm the rest of us and designate where we live, work and play “gun-free” zones where insane killers can inflict maximum mayhem with minimum risk. The current gun debate isn’t about whether guns are good or bad but about which particular groups of people are entitled to own them. Opponents of public gun ownership don’t hate guns. They hate the public. Ed Konecnik Flushing

NRA: Not Relevant Anymore Dear Editor: “The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun,” reader David Rivkin in his letter you published last week, “Guns as protectors.” Where was the good guy with a gun when a 15-year-old NRA poster boy killed five people with an AR-15 in New Mexico last week? And where was the armed good guy when two gun nuts exchanged f ire at a Houston college, wounding one person and frightening several hundred others? That happened right after Texas’ attorney general invited New Yorkers to move to his state to avoid our tough gun laws. What a great invitation. Relocate to the Lone Star State and get caught in the crossfire. The NRA not only opposes a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity ammo clips, but also a ban on armor-piercing bullets, known as “copkiller” bullets. That makes them a cop killer’s best friend as well as a cheerleader for child killers. Congress must not cave in to the gun lobby, which isn’t the all-powerful political force it claims to be. It couldn’t prevent President Obama’s re-election or stop New York legislators from enacting Gov. Cuomo’s tough new gun laws. The NRA does not represent 53 percent of Americans who don’t own guns, and its four million members are just a small fragment of our nation’s 160 million gun owners. NRA stands for Not Relevant Anymore. With enough public pressure, Congress will pass sensible gun control laws and put the kid killers and their enablers out of business. NRA RIP ASAP. Richard Reif Flushing

† Restrictions apply. Contact me for details. *Fare is shown in U.S. Dollars. Fare is cruise only, per person, based on double occupancy. Guests who cancel and rebook must accept this promotion’s Terms and Conditions. Government taxes & fees, and onboard service charges are additional. Offers are based on availability, are capacity controlled, and combinability with other offers is subject to change or cancellation at any time per Norwegian Cruise Line’s discretion. Other restrictions may apply. IMPORTANT NOTICE: NCL reserves the right to charge a fuel supplement without prior notice should the closing price of West Texas Intermediate Fuel increase above $65 per barrel on the NYMEX (New York Mercantile Exchange Index). In the event a fuel supplement is charged, NCL will have sole discretion to apply the supplementary charge to both existing and new bookings, regardless of whether such bookings have been paid in full. Such supplementary charges are not included in the cruise fare. The fuel supplement charge will not exceed $10.00 per passenger per day. Norwegian is not responsible for typographical errors or omissions. ©2012 NCL Corporation LTD. Ships’ Registry: Bahamas and United States of America.

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Benghazi blame game Dear Editor: I think Hillary Clinton did an outstanding job defending herself and the State Department from the disgraceful onslaught by the Republicans on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. However, I must criticize her for one failure. She neglected to ask why, when a bill came up in Congress to increase funding for foreign consulates and embassies, the Republicans voted against it. Hypocrisy, thy name is GOP. Robert La Rosa Whitestone

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Dear Editor: Ever since the stunning GOP defeat last November, the media has been full of inflammatory, stupid, right-wing Republican rhetoric. The recent Senate hearing was full of GOP

attacks on Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. The worst one came from Sen. Rand Paul (RKy.), who said she “would have been fired” if he were president. My real concern is with what House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) said: “Obama is out to annihilate the Republican Party.” A ridiculous charge! While President Obama and friends were enjoying their first inaugural ball on Jan. 20, 2009, a gang of 15 key GOP leaders held a secret dinner just a few blocks away. The purpose was to map out a strategy to annihilate the Obama presidency. For four years they have tried to implement this plan. But thanks to our free press and sharp voter groups, they failed. Folks, if the GOP expects to win the White House in 2016, it will need to do an about face and return the party to moderate leaders. Proof of my views comes from Republican Gov. Bobby Jindal of Louisiana, who said the GOP must “stop being the stupid party” and might need to change everything because it is turning swing voters away. Even Joe Scarborough, the host of “Morning Joe,” agreed with Gov. Jindal. Anthony G. Pilla Forest Hills

Gov. has me fracking worried Dear Editor: Sadly, in regards to fracking, it seems like Gov. Cuomo is becoming as dishonest as the gas industry. In pushing to open New York to fracking, a process we know will endanger our health and pollute our environment, the governor appears to be sacrificing our health and safety for gas company profits. Ample evidence shows that fracking has contaminated drinking water and polluted the environment. In Pennsylvania, we’ve seen families who — before fracking came to town — had enjoyed clean water for decades. Now that drilling has invaded their communities, their water is no longer safe to drink, cook with or shower in. The gas industry is trying to cover up these problems, and they continue to deny the damage fracking has done. It’s clear that they have been, and will continue to be, dishonest. Now, Cuomo appears to be doing the same. The governor proposed rules for fracking before the state has even finished studying its impacts to public health and our environment. How could we possibly know what rules are needed before we know the damage fracking will do? Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like Cuomo cares. It looks like he’s in such a hurry to rubber stamp fracking that he’s cheating his own process. Fracking in New York could mean more than just the contamination of our drinking water. It would also mean the destruction of thousands of acres of family farms and forests. Some of our most beautiful rural and natural landscapes will be leveled as gas companies reap the benefits. Gov. Cuomo — do the right thing. Ban fracking in New York. Alexandra Tsubota Environment New York Manhattan

Writing Letters Letters should be no longer than 400 words. They may be emailed to letters@qchron.com. Please include your phone number, which will not be published. Those received anonymously are discarded. Full names are not necessary for posting comments on stories at qchron.com

C M SQ page 11 Y K Page 11 QUEENS CHRONICLE, Thursday, January 31, 2013

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MLS to Queens? Stop by Harrison, NJ first Stadium didn’t bring boom times to Jersey town; could harm FMCP by Joseph Orovic

MLS a 35-year lease at $1 per year, with no distance of the stadium, gameday can be fruitproperty taxes and no revenue sharing. The ful. MLS last week touted a petition signed by The cold gusts of a January afternoon pass league would foot the $300 million cost of 1,000 businesses across Queens supporting the The Greenroom in Harrison, NJ as a bartender building the stadium itself. MLS President creation of a stadium, fueled by the belief the preps orange and lemon wedges despite what Mark Abbott would not confirm the reported economic benef it will reverberate miles terms of the deal during an interview last beyond the park. will probably be a slow night. But walk three blocks past the Harrison PATH She surveys the empty tables and desolate Thursday with the Queens Chronicle’s editorial train stop, where Harrison Avenue feeds into Ibar in front of her as she serves a lone patron a board. “We’re going to finalize a deal with the city, 280, and business owners casually, and anonypint. It’s usually quiet around this time of year for the bar. “Things get busy when the Red but until that, it would be premature for me to mously, tell a different tale. Gameday shows comment on what the business terms are,” he some uptick, but nothing spectacular, they say. Bulls come play,” she says. Fans catch the game, then catch the train. To her left hangs a jersey signed by the resi- said. In exchange, MLS has promised an engine The results have been positive on a macrodent Major League Soccer club’s striker Kenny Cooper, #33. “But Januaries … They are churning out $60 million a year in economic economic level for New Jersey, according to activity, as well as the rejuvenation of Flushing James Hughes, dean of Rutgers University’s killer.” This sleepy, 1.2-square mile former industri- Meadows Corona Park’s existing soccer fields Bloustein School of Planning and Public Polial town along the snaking Passaic River in and a “significant” further investment in the cy. The net benefit of any structure such as an arena ultimately depends New Jersey may offer a preview of MLS’s park estimated to be on the number of out-ofenduring effect on Queens should its ambitious “tens of millions of dolstate dollars brought in. home in the borough’s largest park come to lars.” ur goal is to move And it is in the over“The most beneficial fruition. this project forward. impact would be if most A steadfast belief in the power of soccer lap of land-for-benefits of the patrons came from itself stands at the heart of the league’s pitch exchanges and a That’s where our New York,” he said. “If for a controversial 25,000-seat stadium in promised economic all the patrons are from Flushing Meadows Corona Park. And it has boon for a jobs-starved attention is.” New Jersey, it’s recycling also fueled hope in Harrison, which has a his- immigrant neighborhood that the similaridollars that are already tory of soccer fanaticism. — Mark Abbott here.” MLS’s talking points have effectively ties to a little New JerPresident, Major League Soccer The creation of a become part of the discourse — that soccer sey town become clear. competing soccer stadium in Queens may or will provide a boost to the economy, that the may not negate that benefit, depending on the Lessons from Harrison effect on the park will be outweighed by the A floundering waterfront brownf ield Red Bulls’ ability to retain their fans, while benefits; that Major League Soccer is a good neighbor and will be part of the community, becomes the focus of an ambitious redevelop- Queens draws new ones. “It really does depend on the individual cirand that the interest in soccer is booming and ment plan calling for a mix of commercial and cumstances,” Hughes said, adding there are no residential uses. the borough shouldn’t miss out. At the heart of the redevelopment: a guarantees. To put it succinctly, Queens is being told it 25,000-seat, state-of-the-art, $200 million needs MLS. Know thy neighbor But the reality is grayer. Municipalities like soccer stadium, the home of MLS’s cherished The league is currently going through the Harrison have experienced a mixed bag of pos- tri-state metropolitan franchise — a projectitives and negatives from MLS’s presence. And doggedly supported by the mayor. It’s within machinations of pre-Uniform Land Use experts say the future of the park is grim if walking distance to a mass transit artery (the Review Procedure preparations, with a water MLS’s stadium becomes a reality. The predict- Harrison PATH train stop) and just off a monitoring kit from eco-study firm Great ed net benefit or loss from the stadium still highway, Interstate 280. The plans also Ecology sitting alongside the Pool of Industry included a rejuvenated local soccer field. in Flushing Meadows. MLS has also enlisted depends on whom you ask. ICON Venue Group, HR&A Advisors, SHoP Or, in the case of The Greenroom, it Starting to sound familiar? The population of Harrison even has a Latin Architects and Langan Engineering to put depends on the month. Because Januaries … they’re killer, and will likely remain so until the tinge similar to Corona’s, with Hispanics mak- together a plan — all on behalf of a yet-to-being up 44 percent of the town’s population, named owner. Red Bulls’ first home game in March. according to the 2010 Census. Legally speaking, Queens residents will Money Talks There is also a local history of soccer fanati- have to interact with the franchise owner in the Much hinges on the terms of a deal that cism, with some hometown heroes such as U.S. long term, the same way nobody calls Major would have to be struck between the city and national team member John Harkes playing on League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig’s MLS for the use of up to 13 acres in Flushing Harrison’s de facto soccer proving ground, col- office when there is an issue with the Mets. Meadows Corona Park. The league’s commis- loquially known as “The Courts,” before their Yet MLS has been deliberative in courting sioner, Donald Garber, characterized discus- careers took off. potential ownerss, stating certification for sions as “at the finish line” in an interview last When the Red Bulls came to town, the rejuve- ULURP is its primary goal. fall, but later walked back the comment. nation of the fenced-in former tennis courts off “I fully anticipate that the ownership group The deal, as reported by Crain’s, would give Frank E. Rodgers Boulevard was part of the deal. here will be of the like of the groups that we Red Bull Arena have in the league now,” Abbott said. “It is a was positioned to be priority to have the best ownership group we the heart of a boom can have for this club. If we can accomplish time for a rejuvenated that prior to the commencement of ULURP, Harrison. But those that would be great. But if we can’t, we’re still times haven’t fully moving forward with the project.” arrived, for either HarThe implicit deadline for submitting proposrison or its businesses. als in time to have them approved within 2013 For taverns and is especially tight, and the stadium is on Mayor restaurants like The Bloomberg’s shortlist of “legacy projects” to be Greenroom, or any completed before his stint in office ends on Red Bull Arena, the promised catalyst of a rejuvenation of Harrison, NJ’s number of bars and Jan. 1, 2014, according to the New York Post. PHOTO BY JOSEPH OROVIC eateries within walking revitalization. The average seven-month length the ULURP Assistant Managing/Online Editor

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Major League Soccer President Mark Abbott. PHOTO BY PETER C. MASTROSIMONE

process usually takes means MLS must be certified and beginning the public review process by May 1 if it has any hope of gaining approval during the last days of Bloomberg’s term. “The plan is to continue to move forward with the ULURP process,” Abbott said. “Our goal is to move this project forward. That’s where our attention is.” A franchise expansion fee would be in the $75 to $100 million range, according to various reports. Bloomberg News reported that Abu Dhabi-based Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who owns British soccer club Manchester City, is in discussions with MLS regarding the proposed Queens franchise. Harrison’s fight with the Red Bulls earlier this year illustrates the importance of knowing Queens’ soccer owner. On Jan. 6, a tax judge ruled the Red Bulls owed Harrison $3.6 million in 2010 and 2011 real estate taxes, which the franchise refused to pay, claiming its property is owned by a taxexempt redevelopment agency. The club promised to appeal the ruling. Meanwhile, Harrison’s rejuvenation reportedly hit the skids. Developers’ payments to the town have slowed to $1.34 million last year, compared to $11.5 million when Red Bull Arena was just completed, according to Businessweek. The town had to borrow almost $3 million to cover debt service on bonds issued six years ago. Its long-term prospects are so dicey, Moody’s cut Harrison’s credit rating five levels, to Ba3, three steps below investment grade.

Stuttering growth The reported outsized expansion fee points to growing popularity and belief in the league. MLS also cites solid attendance numbers as assurances it’s a sports entity that’s here to stay, unlike its failed predecessor, the North American Soccer League. But its finances remain largely unknown. MLS has expanded to 19 clubs since its inception in 1996. Attendance ranks third among major sports in the United States, behind football and baseball. It has touted club-owned, soccer specif ic homes as the bedrock of its model — fueling the push for an continued on page 36

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Post-Sandy housing market remains in flux Interest from buyers may determine future home prices in Howard Beach by Domenick Rafter Associate Editor

It’s too early to tell what effect Hurricane Sandy had on the real estate market in Howard Beach, experts say, as the neighborhood continues to recover from the storm three months later. “There is really no way to figure this out yet,” Arlene Pacchiano, a realtor at ConnexionI on Cross Bay Boulevard, said of the housing market in the neighborhood. Because of how long it takes to sell a house in recent years, many homes in Howard Beach have been listed since before Hurricane Sandy hit. At least one home, located on 95th Street on the banks of Shellbank Basin — one of the worst-hit blocks in Howard Beach — is listed for over $1.6 million. Fred Kolsin, a real estate agent who deals with properties in Howard Beach, said the storm hit an already-struggling market. “The market was bad to begin with,” he said. “You add in all the flood damage, it makes it worse.” Kolsin said the neighborhood is in a different category than Broad Channel and Rockaway neighborhoods like Breezy Point and Belle Harbor because most houses did not suffer structural damage, with the exception of a few in Hamilton Beach and closer to Jamaica Bay.

The effect of Hurricane Sandy on Howard Beach’s real estate market is still not certain, some realtors in the neighborhood said, and will depend on whether the storm and its aftermath keep prospective PHOTO BY DOMENICK RAFTER buyers away. “We didn’t have what we had on the Rockaway Peninsula,” he said. “Most of the damage is easily fixable. Now we’re in the recovery stage.” Once flood-damaged homes are f ixed, then the market’s condition will depend on demand. Do people still want to buy in Howard Beach? Pacchiano said there is still

interest among buyers in the neighborhood and the real problem is realtors’ inability to show houses while they are being repaired. “After the homes are fixed, things could go back to normal,” she sad. “There is no reason they shouldn’t.” She believes most buyers will still be attracted to the same attributes that brought

prospective residents to the neighborhood before, and that they would acknowledge the flood risk as real, but any flood issues are usually minor and rare. The last time the neighborhood experienced a storm surge like that of Sandy’s was in 1960 during Hurricane Donna, but even that storm did not do the damage Sandy did, and the neighborhood was not as developed as it is now. The Federal Emergency Management Agency has redrawn its flood maps to include the entire neighborhood south of the Belt Parkway and Lindenwood west of 84th Street as “flood zones,” which will require residents to get flood insurance — already mandated on new mortgages — and could lead to many homes being upgraded to withstand floods. Kolsin said the effect of the new flood maps on prospective buyers is another factor to watch. Also in question is whether residents would leave, even if they move to a higher part of the community, such as the high-rise co-ops of Lindenwood. That section of the neighborhood not only escaped the flooding from the storm, but also kept electricity throughout the aftermath. Kolsin said there has not been an outmigration from the neighborhood as of yet and Q he suspects most residents will stay.

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Cuomo suggests coast dwellers might move Governor’s budget funds buyouts or reinforcings of shorefront homes by Domenick Rafter Associate Editor

Do you live in a community that was flooded during Hur ricane Sandy? Gov. Cuomo suggests maybe you should considering moving. In an interview with the Daily News editorial board, the governor said people who live in flood zones on the coast should consider moving away. “At one point, you have to say maybe Mother Nature doesn’t want you here,” the governor said. “Maybe she’s trying to tell you something.” Hurricane Sandy’s storm surge flooded over 90 percent of the Rockaway Peninsula and all of Broad Channel and Howard Beach south of the Belt Parkway. Nearly all of the flood zone from Sandy coincided with the city’s pre-Sandy designation of “500-year flood” areas. But some of the locations, including Breezy Point, Broad Channel and Hamilton Beach, were also flooded in Irene last August. As part of his proposed budget, Cuomo plans to authorize state buyouts of properties in areas flooded by Sandy if people want to sell their land and move using some of the $50 billion that was approved by Congress this month. But his budget would also include funds to help residents who want to stay rebuild their

Gov. Cuomo’s executive budget proposed last week would include billions to buy out or reinforce property along the shoreline devastated by Hurricane Sandy, including badly damaged Breezy PHOTO BY RIYAD HASAN Point, above. homes to be less susceptible to the elements — including building new houses and buildings out of concrete or higher above the ground. Cuomo said the state would take whatever land people sell to it and consider turning it into parkland. Among the areas that could be left partially abandoned after the storm is

Breezy Point, where more than 100 homes were burned down in a fire that erupted at the height of the hurricane and where some residents still have not returned — and may never. In some neighborhoods, older residents have left permanently to live with children, many in other states.

In a blog post published on the Huffington Post, Mayor Bloomberg said waterfront communities should work to prepare themselves for storms like Sandy, but added he did not expect an exodus from the neighborhoods. “The question I have gotten most often since the storm is not about the damage Sandy caused, but about whether people can rebuild their homes in coastal communities,” the mayor wrote. “Let me be clear: We are not going to abandon the waterfront. But we cannot just rebuild what was there and hope for the best. We have to build smarter and stronger and more sustainable.” Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder (D-Far Rockaway), who noted nearly three-quarters of his district was underwater during the storm, said he approved of the governor’s budget plans. “I commend the governor for putting forward money to allow people who want to move to move,” he said. “And I commend the governor for also offering to help those who want to stay.” Goldfeder, whose own house in Far Rockaway was damaged by the storm, said he expected many of his constituents would stay. “I know my district and I’m quite certain that no one will want to move,” he said. “I’ll make sure they have what they need to Q recover.”

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Cross Bay chains come back Duane Reade so far only store closing after Sandy by Domenick Rafter Associate Editor

The big chain stores that line Cross Bay Boulevard are slowly coming back, though at least one store shut down for good. Every commerical space along the boulevard was hit by the storm surge and many chain stores have been closed for weeks. Duane Reade announced that its store at 163-30 Cross Bay Blvd. — the former site of the Waterview Diner — has closed for good. A few blocks to the north, a big sign outside Rite Aid at 160-10 Cross Bay Blvd. advertises that the store is welcoming customers who had their prescriptions at Duane Reade. Next door to Duane Reade, the Staples store at 163-50 Cross Bay Blvd. is still vacant. Workers cleaning the inside of the empty store on Friday said they did not know if Staples would reopen the location. The chain had recently announced it was closing some stores — though this one was not on the closure list. The company headquarters did not respond to a request for comment. Petco’s store at 157-20 Cross Bay Blvd. is also still closed, though in a statement, John Drew, Petco’s vice president for

regional operations for the Northeast, said the company will reopen the location. “Our landlord is currently working on repairs to the building where our Howard Beach store is located,” the statement said. “When that’s complete, we’ll go in and begin setting up our store with an eye toward reopening sometime this spring. The Howard Beach community has been very supportive of Petco, both before and through Sandy’s aftermath; we’re looking forward to returning that support and getting back to serving pet parents in the area.” TD Bank’s branch at 162-02 Cross Bay Blvd. is a brand new building, which opened earlier this year. The bank opened a temporary location in trailers in the parking lot a few weeks after the storm and as of Monday, was still seeing customers there. Inside the branch, there is a sign of progress — new chairs, still wrapped in cellophane sit at sparkling new desks. The site also flooded during Irene last year while the branch was under construction. Other chain stores, including CVS Pharmacy, Starbucks and the Gap, have reopened for business. CVS’s store at the corner of 157th Avenue and Cross Bay Boulevard recently reopened after a

TD Bank’s Cross Bay Boulevard branch reopened in temporary trailers in the parking lot a few weeks after Hurricane Sandy while they repair PHOTO BY DOMENICK RAFTER their office, above. massive renovation. For large chains, the recovery from storms like Sandy is typically easier to bear than it is for small businesses with only one store, as the bigger retailers often steer customers Q to nearby, unaffected locations.

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Several Howard Beach residents were the victims of a spree of attempted house burglaries the night of Jan. 25, when two unknown suspects unsuccessfully tried to break into three homes in the area. According to one resident, the would-be burglars attempted to break through her door and ran away as they heard her approaching. The suspects escaped in a white four-door sedan, she said. The victim said the same suspects, a man and a woman, unsuccessfully tried to break into a nearby home the following night. Along with the attempted house burglaries, several Howard Beach residents also say they have been the victims of recent car break-ins. Community Board 10 Chairwoman Betty Braton said residents have been facing many obstacles securing their homes and possessions since Hurricane Sandy struck the area. “Property owners need to take every effort to be vigilant, to secure their valuables and to report any criminal activity or suspicious circumstances Q that they see,” Braton said. — Ramiro S. Funez

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FEMA filing deadline extended to Feb. 27 Housing assistance will end Feb. 10 Associate Editor

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has extended the deadline to file for FEMA assistance for another month. The final day to file for help from the agency in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy will be Feb. 27. The deadline had been Jan. 28. FEMA extended the time frame to apply at the request of Gov. Cuomo. Individuals also can register with FEMA online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov or via smartphone or tablet by going to m.fema.gov or by downloading the FEMA app. Survivors also can call (800) -6213362. The toll-free telephone number operates 7 a.m. to 1 a.m. seven days a week until further notice. Survivors who have questions regarding the registration process, the status of their application and available disaster assistance programs are encouraged to visit a Disaster Recovery Center or contact FEMA. There are seven DRCs in Queens

— five of which are in the Rockaways and the other two at the American Legion Hall at 209 Cross Bay Blvd. in Broad Channel and 159-53 102 St. in Howard Beach near Coleman Square. All centers are open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The centers are closed on Sundays The deadline for those displaced from their homes and living in hotels or motels as part of the Transitional Sheltering Assistance Program has also been extended to Feb. 10. The last day storm victims could stay in hotels without paying for a room out of pocket under the program was Jan. 27. According to FEMA, 1,902 people are still staying in hotels or motel as of Jan. 23. More than 264,000 people have applied for FEMA aid in the 13 counties in New York State that were declared disaster areas after Sandy. They include the five boroughs of New York City, Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester, Rockland, Orange, Putnam, Sullivan and Ulster counties. The agency said it has paid out more than Q $862 million.

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Sandy finds her way into the classroom

Sandy cleanup in Jamaica Bay ongoing

Some teachers using storm in lessons

Marshes likely minimized damage

by Domenick Rafter Associate Editor

With neighborhoods like Howard Beach serving as a popular home for young families, children and teenagers bore a brunt of the personal trauma from Hurricane Sandy. Though a number of teachers say the storm has not made its way into lessons, the topic has appeared in a few instructors’ classrooms Jamie Maiello, a fifth-grade teacher at PS 62 in Richmond Hill, said she is bringing Hurricane Sandy into a larger discussion about the climate. “I am teaching about the intensity of hurricanes in general due to global warming,” she explained. “I was going to mention Katrina, Irene and Sandy.” Janine Pizzariella, a pre-K teacher at PS 207, said she has not broached the subject in lessons with her children as of yet, but did notice that the storm has influenced their play time activities. “At this point, they’re working with dramatic play,” she said. “So they’re dealing with issues from home.”

Pizzariella said she knew many of her colleagues at the Howard Beach school have incorporated the storm into their lessons. “I know when we first came back, they [brought it up].” she said. “I know that they did lessons on weather, flooding, hurricanes, but that’s about it.” Earlier this month, the school hosted Stars of Hope, an organization that allows children in areas affected by natural disasters to paint stars with hopeful messages to be displayed in the community and future sites of catastrophes. Pizzariella added that the storm did come up in her colleagues’ classrooms during the two month period when PS 207 was closed due to damage from the storm. Stefania Lessen, a student at Forest Hills High School who lives in Howard Beach, said the storm has not yet made its way into her classwork, but was definitely a topic of conversation among her friends and even her teachers outside of the classroom. “We certainly talk about it all the Q time,” she said.

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Like businesses and residents living and working on its shores, Jamaica Bay is also slowly creeping back to normal after taking a beating in Hurricane Sandy. “The bay is fine,” said Don Riepe, president of the northeast chapter of the American Littoral Society. “We didn’t see any signs of wildlife damage.” He said a lot of debris has washed up on the shores and is being cleaned up. Dan Mundy Sr. of Jamaica Bay Ecowatchers said the marshland in the bay was undamaged. “The restoration projects to date have survived the storm without any major damage,” he said. “That’s a big thing because if these projects had failed, there would be no sense in doing them anymore.” Mundy added that marshes that are currently being worked on also survived. “That will give us the ability to do the planting a few months from now,” he explained. Mundy credited the marshland for min-

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imizing the destruction on the shores of the bay and said the situation could have been much worse. He said without the marshes, portions of the Belt Parkway could have been washed away by waves. Dan Hendrick, vice president of external affairs for the League of Conservation Voters, who is also working on a film on Jamaica Bay, said the marshes did not do much to prevent storm surge, but did help prevent the type of destruction that occurred on the oceanfront. “The marshes certainly helped control the wave action,” he said. As for the damage to East and West ponds in the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, both of which breached into Jamaica Bay, the situation is improving. East Pond’s breaches were f illed in to repair the subway tracks that run alongside the pond. The pipeline that controls the water levels was undamaged. As for West Pond, the breach would likely be fixed, Riepe said, and repairs would be paid for with money from the aid bill Q passed by Congress this week.

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Stefania Lessen, left, and Halle Fitzgerald will represent New York state at the national finals of the “We The People” competition in April in PHOTO COURTESY STEFANIA LESSEN Washington DC. speeches on all three topics they are assigned. Some of the events in the national finals will be held in actual Congressional hearing rooms on Capitol Hill. For both girls, the competition came at a rough time. Their homes in Howard Beach were both hit hard by Hurricane Sandy. “I needed something to keep my mind off what was going on at home,” Stefania said. “I mean at certain points it was stressful. It Q was a necessary distraction.”

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Trains running from Beach 90th Street to Far Rockaway-Mott Avenue now operate between 5:10 a.m. and 9:40 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 4:30 a.m. to 12:30 a.m. on weekends. The MTA is continuing to provide free nonstop shuttle bus service between its A line station, located at 159th Avenue in Howard Beach, and Far Rockaway-Mott Avenue. Trains on the A line operate between 207th Street in upper Manhattan and both Howard Beach-JFK Airport and Lefferts Q Boulevard.

Rockaway train reminder The Metropolitan Transportation Authority is reminding commuters from and to the Rockaways that times for its free H line subway shuttle have been changed in order to accommodate ongoing repairs to infrastructure damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Sandy this past October. Service on the H line between Far Rockaway-Mott Avenue and Beach 90th Street now runs from 4:55 a.m. to 9:25 p.m. from Monday through Friday. On weekends it runs from 4 a.m. to midnight.

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by Domenick Rafter Howard Beach teenagers Stefania Lessen and Halle Fitzgerald are heading to the nation’s capital. No, they’re not new members of Congress — at least not yet. The Forest Hills High School seniors are going to Washington, DC to compete in the national finals of the We The People competition from April 26-29. Stefania and Halle won the state competition in Albany on Jan. 12 and will be part of a team of 35 students from New York that will represent the state in the finals — only the second time in the competition’s 25-year history that a New York City school will represent the state. The girls said they found out about the competition through the program’s alumni who promoted it at their school. “They came around to our AP class and recruited,” Stefania said. “Anyone who signs up for it has to write an essay and interview. We were interviewed by alumni of the old ‘We The People’ class. They just make sure you have an interest in government.” Halle said she and Stefania both have the encouragement of acquantainces they knew who had taken part in the program before. “We had a lot of friends in the class who loved it,“ she said. “We thought it would fun.” Both girls said politics and government was a topic that had interested them for a while and were excited to take part in the event. “They divide us into units,” Stefania said. “As a unit, you’re given three different speech questions and prepare speeches for all three.” As part of the competition, they are asked questions on one of the three prepared topics. But in the national finals, the girls said they will have to answer questions and give

Page 21 QUEENS CHRONICLE, Thursday, January 31, 2013

Stefania and Halle go to Washington

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QUEENS CHRONICLE, Thursday, January 31, 2013 Page 22

SQ page 22

ESSAYS

Some progress, but so much left to do by Joseph P. Addabbo Jr. On the day after Superstorm Sandy, I got in my car and toured the district. My Howard Beach office was destroyed like many of the homes in the area, there was a boat in the middle of Cross Bay Boulevard in Broad Channel, schools were closed, and the boardwalk in Rockaway was blown two blocks from the beach where it should have been. Today, my office is restored, the boat in Broad Channel is gone, schools are open and the boardwalk in Rockaway — well, there’s still so much work to do. It has been three long months since Sandy hit our communities and yet, the southern one-third of my district is recuperating. At this time, over 7,000 residents and businesses are without power in Rockaway. The areas of Broad Channel, Howard Beach and Hamilton Beach are suffering economically and emotionally. But it is important for residents and small businesses to know that they are not in this rebuilding period alone. Practically each day, I reassure people throughout my district that they can use my office as a resource for information and programs that have been established in the wake of Sandy, visit the FEMA office located next door to my Howard Beach office, or that I can merely be the person to talk to when an individual needs to vent. Currently, my Howard Beach off ice is still answering 30 to 40 phone calls a day just on Sandy issues from residents of Howard Beach, Hamilton Beach and Ozone Park. The complaints reference the slowness of Rapid Recovery, FEMA rejection and how to appeal, property insurance coverage rejections, payments jointly made to the homeowner and the mortgage holder, National Grid, frozen gas lines, unemployment and temporary housing issues for those who were displaced by the storm. Still so much work to do. The situation seems to get worse as I travel south through Broad Channel and Rockaway. My staff member handling the storm-related problems in those areas, Sandee Doremus (what a time to have a name pronounced the same way as the storm!) still receives a number of new cases daily. While some of the issues in the southern part of the district are the same as the northern part, in Rockaway, we have to address the upcoming beach season and the rebuilding of the boardwalk. In my Middle Village satellite office, my staff handled a call from a Glendale constituent about his summer bungalow in Breezy Point and its related insurance problem, and from a Middle Village woman whose decades-long summer home in Rocky Point, LI, was near a private road that was badly in need of repair. Still so much work to do. A concern that stretches throughout my district is the future fate of the local businesses in the area. From the larger chain stores like Staples to the critically important neighborhood stores like Sal’s Meat Market, it is essential to the morale of the community and employment of local people that these businesses get the assistance they need to reopen.

As elected officials, we are given a unique opportunity to assist during the aftermath of Sandy. Whether it’s legislatively or financially through governmental funding, we need to exhaust every means possible to address the concerns of our people. Currently, as a member of the Senate Bipartisan Task Force on Hurricane Sandy, I am working with a group of other legislators, whose districts were particularly devastated by the superstorm, to address its many tragic human and economic consequences. In light of the tremendous damage that was done to local businesses that found themselves in the direct path of Sandy, I am also working on legislation to lend a helping hand to merchants whose buildings were harmed by the storm. Legislatively, I am also cosponsoring legislation (S.2128) known as the “New York City Hurricane Sandy Assessment Relief Act,” which is designed to reduce property tax burdens for New York City homeowners whose properties were badly damaged by the storm. Without question, people who have already

A scene in Broad Channel repeated all around South Queens. seen their homes crumble in the wake of Sandy shouldn’t bear the emotional and financial burden of trying to pay full property taxes on their devastated properties. Apart from individual pieces of legislation, the proposed State Budget for 2013-

The whole is far greater than the sum of its parts by Eric A. Ulrich I am a light sleeper, always have been. Now that I’m a father of a newborn baby, you can imagine how much less sleep I get each night. I have a lot on my mind these days. Two-thirds of my district was devastated by Hurricane Sandy. The people I represent have experienced physical, financial and emotional pain beyond compare. And despite all of the progress that has been made over the past several months, there is still so much work to do before life gets back to “normal.” There is no rest for the weary. Now that the massive relief effort launched to help people in our area is winding down, we are moving into phase two of the recovery effort, providing for the long-term needs generated by the storm including: housing assistance, legal counseling, job-training, building requirements and more. I am confident that by working together we can find solutions to these problems and overcome [them]. Interestingly enough, how we stay connected has also changed. In the days and weeks after the storm, social media played a critical role in keeping residents up-todate with the latest information. One might ask, where would we be without Facebook

and Twitter? Whether it was finding out when school would reopen or how long it would take for utility companies to restore power and heat, most of us read it online and communicated it to others. In these very difficult times, it is important for us to remember that we are all in this together. We are recovering together, rebuilding together and like the phoenix, we will rise from the ashes. It will take more than a hurricane to break the spirit of a true New Yorker. We are resilient, indomitable and possess a rare and enviable ability to get the job done. I am hopeful that this period in time will not be remembered for the lives that were shattered or the homes that were destroyed but rather for the strong sense of community that brought us closer to one another. It is in times such as these that we realize we need others and others Q need us. Eric A. Ulrich is New York City Councilman for the 32nd District in South Queens.

PHOTO BY VON

2014 will clearly focus in large part on New York’s response to Sandy both now and in the future. We will be receiving billions of dollars from the federal government to aid in these efforts and the Legislature, in the coming months, will be reviewing the governor’s Executive Budget to determine the best use of these resources. The governor has proposed an array of initiatives to address the impact of Sandy — ranging from community and home rebuilding programs, to broad infrastructure improvements designed to reduce potential damage from future storms, to new efforts to bolster our emergency response network throughout New York. Together with my Senate and Assembly colleagues, and particularly with my fellow legislators on the Hurricane Sandy Task Force, I will be reviewing these recommendations very carefully. I encourage residents and business owners to reach out to their elected officials for additional information on governmental assistance — from the city, state and federal levels — and other programs that exist to help them recover. For the sake of our communities, for the sake of our neighbors, for the sake of our business owners, we must work together to get the people of South Queens back on their feet and thriving again. I know I will eventually get to witness the stores along Cross Bay Boulevard reopen, walk the rebuilt boardwalk in Rockaway and see the sand-replenished beaches protected by more rock jetties as a result of federal funding. But I also realize that many homes and businesses in my district that were destroyed by the storm will not be back. In addition to all the Sandy-related issues, I now need to work with my constituents and inform them of the requirements brought by the new proposed flood maps. Three months after Sandy: some progress, Q but still so much work to do. Joseph P. Addabbo Jr. is New York State Senator for the 15th District in South and Central Queens.

SQ page 23

Comptroller discusses city finances, federal investigation and higher office by Michael Gannon Editor

New York City Comptroller John Liu has a lot of balls in the air — and hasn’t even off icially announced his campaign for mayor yet. Liu discussed city finances, his presumptive campaign for this year’s Democratic mayoral nomination and the ongoing federal investigation into members of his campaign finances and staff on Jan. 24 in a meeting with the editorial board of the Queens Chronicle. Liu said a formal announcement of his mayoral candidacy would come within a few weeks. “But my potential opponents have not announced, except maybe one,” he said. “I’m no outlier here ... I’ve been told by socalled professionals that you don’t want to announce too far in advance, and in the dead of winter.” Liu, who turned 43 this month, is the chief financial official for the city, overseeing auditing, contracts and employee pension funds. But he spoke at least part of the time as a candidate for Mayor Bloomberg’s job. He has been critical of Bloomberg’s handling of the expired labor contracts for most of the city’s unions, accusing him of leaving them for his successor to work out.

He also believes Bloomberg’s mandate that no retroactive raises be granted is unrealistic. “This is a huge crisis that I have been warning about year after year,” he said. “Unresolved labor contracts have huge hidden costs that are not being reflected in the city’s financials. At this point that is an abdication of Mayor Bloomberg’s responsibilities.” He has faulted Bloomberg for the breakdown in negotiations with the teachers’ union over evaluations, which is costing the city hundreds of millions in education dollars. But the comptroller disputes the notion that he courts city employee union support in the course of seeking higher office. “I’ve worked with unions, like I have worked with the administration, but I haven’t courted their support,” he said. “In a campaign I would like to have their support, just as every one of my Democratic opponents and some Republicans do. He has been an outspoken opponent of the NYPD’s stop-and-frisk procedures, and said there is virtually no chance he would retain popular Police Commissioner Ray Kelly. “Nobody has even asked him if he wants to stay on,” Liu said. “He’s been

there 16 years, four under Mayor Dinkins and the last 12 under Mayor Bloomberg. In a job where you are exposed to so many pressures, that’s a long time for anybody.” Liu said he would like to eliminate some of the city’s corporate taxes on small businesses to the tune of $200 million, a hole he said could be filled by removing an exemption from general corporation taxes now enjoyed by insurance companies. “They get $300 million ... every year,” he said. Liu bristled at the suggestion that Connecticut or New Jersey might be able to lure one or more insurance companies to their state by offering the exemptions that Liu would like to take away. He said studies show that the benefits promised by companies in exchange for tax consideration in new states either do not materialize or do not last. Next week, Liu’s former campaign treasurer Jia (Jenny) Hou and former fundraiser Xing Wu (Oliver) Pan will go to trial on charges of conspiring to defraud the city by rounding up straw donors to Liu’s campaign. Published reports on Wednesday said Sharon Lee, a former press secretary in Liu’s office who currently works there in continued on page 52

Page 23 QUEENS CHRONICLE, Thursday, January 31, 2013

Liu talking like a mayoral candidate

New York City Comptroller said he will formally kick off his campaign for mayor “in a couple of weeks” in an interview at the Queens Chronicle. PHOTO BY PETER C. MASTROSIMONE

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Rep. Jeffries and the Rev. Al Sharpton at the Congressman’s district swearing-in at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn on Sunday. PHOTOS COURTESY US CONGRESS

Rep. Jeffries holds district swearing-in More than 1,000 well-wishers celebrated the inauguration of Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-Brooklyn, Queens) at a district ceremony at Memorial Hall Auditorium at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn on Sunday. Jeffries, a former assemblyman from Fort Green, Brooklyn, was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in November for the 8th Congressional District, which includes Howard Beach and Ozone Park, as well as most of eastern and souther n Brooklyn, including BedfordStuyvesant, East New York, Canarsie, Marine Park and Coney Island. Assemblyman Karim Camara (D-Brooklyn), chairman of the Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic & Asian Legislative Caucus, served as emcee for the evening. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) — who once represented much of the district in the House — Reps. Jerrold Nadler (D-Brooklyn) and Yvette Clarke (D-Brooklyn) and former Rep. Edolphus Towns, the Rev. Al Sharpton, numerous city and state representatives, judges from the civil and state courts and area district leaders were also in attendance. Musical guests included Alisa Renaud and Kelcey Phillips. The all-male choral group

MANIFEST, out of Emmanuel Baptist Church of Brooklyn, opened the program. Members of the Brown Memorial Baptist Church choir, also of Brooklyn provided musical selections and their senior pastor, Rev. Clinton Miller, delivered the benediction. A close friend of Jeffries, f ilmmaker and district resident Wilkie Cornelius, produced a video that highlighted his journey to Congress. The short film featured inter views with community leaders, including Rev. Lawrence Aker, III, Jeffries' pastor, Council Member Al Vann (DBrooklyn) and Anita Garcia, a Coney Island resident and former principal of PS 329 in Brooklyn. The ceremony ended with Rep. Jeffries giving his inauguration address. "We’re going to give you the government that you deserve,” he said in his speech. “A government that provides for the poor, works for working families, makes sense for the middle class, stands up for senior citizens, innovates in the inner city, looks out for the left-behind, and promotes prosperity for the greatest number of Americans possible. That’s my charge. That’s my goal. That’s Q my mission.”

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A visit from Rep. Peter King Rep. Peter King (R-LI), chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, paid a visit to Howard Beach on Monday to talk to Republican party faithful and discuss a number of topics. King’s visit was part of a joint meeting of the Ronald Reagan, Rockaway, Angelo Graci and Old Glory Republican clubs and was held at Lenny’s Clam Bar on Cross Bay Boulevard. King, center right, spoke on a number of topics, including the Federal Emergency

Management Agency, which is under the jurisdiction of the Department of Homeland Security — the cabinet agency King’s committee oversees. Joining King for the photo were, Bill Johnert, left, President of the Old Glory Republican Club; Councilman Eric Ulrich; Joe Iabone, president of the Ronald Reagan Republican Club; Margaret Wagner, president of the Rockaway Republican Club and Bernie Solow, president of the Angelo Graci Republican Club.

continued from page 2 instead of the hotel in step 2, but it would not have a support system, healthcare or a school. Another point of contention remains what would happen to the business owners in Willets Point. “What is going to happen to us when the building starts?” Neira asked. “We won’t get the jobs because we are undocumented.” The plans would create 7,100 permanent jobs and 12,000 construction jobs, according to the city’s Economic Development Corp. In 2008 Small Business Services, along with the EDC, began a worker assistance program that offers English classes, job training and placement and referrals to immigration services. Workers have been critical of how effective those services are. “I think the man knows the answer to his question,” Masyr said. “His attorney has been working with the city. It’s between the city, the workers and the businesses.”

A main point of the presentation that Goodman stressed was that the plan would not touch any green space in Flushing Meadows Corona Park. Willets Point West is technically public land although it’s covered with pavement not grass. Goodman reiterated that point again at the end of his presentation. “No open space will be touched,” Goodman said. The map Goodman showed of the park did not point out the proposed Major League Soccer stadium that could develop 10 to 13 acres on top of the Pool of Industry in the park. Three approvals need to be vetted before the Iron Triangle project will commence: The environmental review needs an OK. Secondly, the city must rezone Willets Point to allow surface parking, which would accommodate the shift of the Citi Field parking lot from Willets Point West, the spot of the proposed mall, to Willets Point. Lastly, the lease for Q Willets Point West must be modified.

Representatives from the company that intends to redevelop Willets Point answered questions and PHOTO BY JOSEY BARTLETT presented their plan at a Tuesday night Queens Housing Coalition meeting.

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BOE mulls nixing runoff elections State Legislature would have to vote on change for city races by Domenick Rafter Associate Editor

With an eye on this year’s citywide elections, the city Board of Elections is considering eliminating the expensive runoffs that often yield low turnouts. According to the city’s election law, runoffs are scheduled for primary races in citywide and City Council seats if no candidate receives 40 percent or more in the first round. The board mulled at least two ideas on how to change the law, including instituting instant runoff voting. In that scenario, voters rank their preference among a list of candidates and the top-two vote getters then compete for the second-place votes of those who chose the eliminated candidates first. The method allows for a runoff without the need for a separate election a few weeks later. For example, a voter would rank his or her choice among three candidates. If Candidate A and Candidate C both get the highest and second highest totals, that would eliminate Candidate B. Then the second choices of those who voted for B would be split among A and C. The candidate with the highest number of votes would win. The BOE is also open to the idea of eliminating the runoff entirely and allowing the victor to be whichever candidate wins a plurality in the primary election. But some say that would lead to a winning candidate being elected with a minority of the vote, especially in races where one party is favored over another in the general election, as is the case with many city contests. With a number of candidates vying for citywide and Council races, the runoff could play a factor in the ultimate winner. At least five Democratic candidates are planning to run for mayor, meaning the Democratic nominee could emerge with just 21 percent of the vote if there is no runoff.

In 2009, both the public advocate and comptroller races went into runoffs. In the former race, only 233,000 of the more than 2 million registered Democrats turned out for the runoff in which Bill de Blasio defeated former Public Advocate Mark Green with more than 60 percent of the vote after outpolling Green by 1 percent in the primary. About 241,000 people turned out for the runoff between John Liu and David Yassky for comptroller that year. The runoffs are only mandated for city elections and include mayor, public advocate, comptroller and city council primaries. They are usually held two weeks after the original primary election at the end of September. The dates for the 2013 primaries have not yet been finalized. Valerie Vazquez, a spokeswoman for the city BOE, said changes to election law would need to be made at the state level. State Sen. Joe Addabbo Jr. (D-Howard Beach), who chaired the Senate Elections Committee from 2009 to 2011 and chaired the same committee in the City Council, said he supported the idea of eliminating the runoff. “It’s a very costly endeavor and can happen often in the city,” Addabbo said. “I had advocated we need to do away with runoffs. Certainly given the budgetary situation in the Board of Elections and city, we should do away with runoffs.” Addabbo said he has sponsored a bill with Sen. Bill Perkins (D-Manhattan) that would eliminate the runoff. “I don’t know if we could justify spending hundreds of millions of dollars on runoffs when you have schools and senior centers facing budget cuts,” he said. “Would you rather pay for a runoff or pay for a senior center or school?” Similar legislation passed the Senate but not the Assembly in 2009, and died in committee Q in the upper house in 2011.

Two busted for drugs at JFK In less than 24 hours last month, U. S. Customs and Border Protection arrested two people arriving at JFK Airport for allegedly attempting to smuggle drugs into the country. On the night of Jan. 12, CBP officers arrested Luz Massiel Pérez Arlequín — a passenger arriving from the Dominican Republic. During inspection of her luggage, the officers found a pair of sneakers with unusually thick soles. CFP agents discovered a white powder in the sneakers that they said tested positive for cocaine. Officers also found an unusually thick

bra with what they allege was cocaine inside. The following morning, officers intercepted Samuel Osafo, arriving on a flight from Ghana, and found the side of his suitcase to be unusually thick. The officers found 11 pounds of what they said is heroin. The two passengers were turned over to agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations to face federal narcotics smuggling Q charges. — Domenick Rafter

C M SQ page 29 Y K

Page 29 QUEENS CHRONICLE, Thursday, January 31, 2013

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Phone poll fuels talk of Weiner run Unknown source questioning city voters about former mayoral fave by Michael Gannon Editor

Few people if any expected former Congressman Anthony Weiner to retire to the role of Mr. Mom. And reports of a new telephone poll asking people’s opinions about Weiner in connection with a possible citywide race have fueled speculation that the one-time mayoral favorite is testing the waters of public opinion. Weiner was a seven-term congressman representing Queens and Brooklyn when he was forced to resign in 2011 after texting inappropriate pictures of himself to several women, and then lying about the photos’ origins. According to the Daily News, numerous people throughout the city have been contacted by an unknown pollster asking questions pertaining to Weiner and a possible run for mayor or comptroller. And political experts contacted by the Chronicle in an unscientific poll said they would not be surprised to see Weiner attempt a comeback sooner rather than later. “Rumors of Anthony Weiner returning are nothing new,” said Andrew Moesel a political consultant with the firm Sheinkopf, Ltd. “I’m interested in where the poll is coming from, who is doing it,” he said. “Is it a poll that Weiner is directing or a potential opponent who is concerned and is asking questions about him?” Moesel’s firm is not yet representing any citywide candidates this year. Consultant Michael Tobman of Hudson TG, whose clients this year include Queens borough president hopeful Melinda Katz and public advocate candidate Letitia James, primarily works for Democrats.

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“You have two tracks here,” Tobman said. “Anthony Weiner is talented and sorely missed, but in my opinion this is too soon,” he said. “Another business model employed by some consultants is to generate interest and buzz ahead of the candidate.” Both consultants and Brian Browne, an adjunct professor of government and politics at St. John’s University, believe Weiner’s sights would more likely be on a citywide rather than local race. “Anthony Weiner is a political animal,” said Browne, who serves as St. John’s vice president for governmental affairs. “He has only known public service in his entire career ... It would be an uphill battle, and he would have to explain the whole Twitter scandal.” But Browne also said in his opinion Weiner would desire a citywide race, such as for mayor or comptroller. He added that an old cliche could prove true in this case. “Follow the money,” he said. “He has $4.5 million in his war chest, and he would be eligible for another $1.5 million in matching funds — but he would have to spend it this year. Big personality, big race. Go big or go home.” Moesel said local races, even if they were to Weiner’s liking, might prove problematic. “The question is what would he run for?” he said. “His congressional district has been eliminated. Brooklyn borough president is wide open but the Queens borough president race is a crowded minefield.” The comptroller’s race has no incumbent with John Liu planning to run for mayor. Democratic Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer has not declared but is considered a likely candidate. “You have a city of 9 million people and Scott Stringer is the continued on page 52

Former Democratic Congressman Anthony Weiner could be back on the campaign trail if the poll numbers, timing and money are FILE PHOTO right.

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Ulrich storm crime bill backed by Quinn Targets felonies in evacuation zones by Domenick Rafter Associate Editor

City Council Speaker Christine Quinn (D-Manhattan) announced that she would back a bill sponsored by Councilman Eric Ulrich (R-Ozone Park) that would add penalties to certain crimes committed in parts of the city under mandatory evacuations during emergencies like Hurricane Sandy, a development that may bring the bill closer to passage. “Crimes committed during and in the aftermath of Sandy and in any other time of crisis are crimes of opportunity carried out against vulnerable people and communities struggling to rebuild,” Quinn said. “In fact, such crimes are even worse because they divert critical resources from helping victims recover from disasters. These acts must therefore be treated with the utmost seriousness and result in significant penalties.” The bill would add a $50,000 fine for those convicted of crimes, such as looting and fraud, committed against people in areas under mandatory evacuation orders.

After Sandy, there were scattered reports of looting in the Rockaways and in parts of Brooklyn and Staten Island. Some residents in Howard Beach and other neighborhoods reported that people disguised as relief or construction workers attempted to defraud or successfully defrauded storm victims. Ulrich said the bill’s intention is to target people who take advantage of situations like Sandy for their own gain. “This bill would punish those who capitalize on others’ misfortune and act as a deterrent for anyone who thinks they can get away with breaking the law,” he said. Councilman Peter Vallone Jr. (D-Astoria), chairman of the Public Safety Committee, also threw his support behind the bill. “It is disgusting to think that anyone would scam or loot during an emergency, but this law will help make sure these crooks think twice before they act and are punished more severely if they do,” he said. In addition to criminal penalties, the legislation also authorizes the City’s Corporation Counsel to pursue civil actions against Q perpetrators.

WOODHAVEN

More muni-meters and police officers by Maria A. Thomson Executive Director GWDC

The last two weeks have proven that we are in January and winter truly is here. This year is not like last year when we had spring-like weather and we were spoiled. So bundle up and think warm thoughts for Daylight Savings is only 41 days away and the beginning of spring only 51 days away. Recently there was a graduation at the New York Police Academy. Our 102nd Precinct has received no additional police officers for two of the last three years. This year we have good news: We have received seven new police off icers. This is so important for Woodhaven. We thank our 102nd Precinct new captain, Henry Sautner, our lieutenants, sergeants and police officers for holding the line and know that our good thoughts and prayers are with each one of them as they patrol our streets and keep us safe. Remember, leave your porch lights on. Also if you see people loitering or walking into driveways or on the side of your homes, do not confront them, call 911. Important telephone numbers — for the 102nd Precinct, (718) 805-3200 then dial 0; Community Affairs Officer Joseph Martins and Patrol Officer Jose Severino, (718) 8053215; anti-terror hotline 1-888-nyc-safe (692-7233). If anyone presents themselves as a police officer, ask to see a badge and identification before admitting them to your

Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer invites you to attend

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home, if they hesitate, call 911. This past week we experienced “Surprise Monday” for all along Jamaica Avenue and our side streets wherever we had standing parking meters we now have muni-meters. These muni-meters are being installed throughout Queens, on all commercial strips. So, here we are with this new type of meter. At the inception of our Woodhaven Business Improvement District 20 years ago, I had requested two-hour parking meters. This change from one to two hours has been very positive for our shoppers, businesses and store owners. This more so now with the installation of munimeters. These meters have been installed throughout New York City. No one was given a choice. So, when you see these blue, standing structures, you know what they are. During the last weeks two great leaders — who happen to be ladies — were sworn into their respective offices. They are, Congresswoman Nydia Velasquez and Queens Borough President Helen Marshall. I have always stated that Woodhaven was so fortunate to have such great and supportive elected officials. These ladies exemplify professional, committed elected representatives who have worked with us and have always had our community’s best interest at heart. To them I state congratulations and thank you. Remember to fly our American flag above all others and may God bless our armed Q forces and may God bless America.

You must meet the following requirements: • Reside in the United States as a permanent resident for five years (three years if living with and married to the same U.S. citizen) • Live in the United States for half of the five or three year period • You are at least 18 years old What to bring: • Green card and all passports since obtaining green card • Home addresses for the last five or three years • Children’s information (date of birth, A#, addresses)* • School/Employment history for the last five or three years* • Marital history/criminal history* *(If applicable)

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continued from page 5 “I’m encouraging those homeowners and businesses who have filled out applications to return [them],” she said. “We want them to know all the options we can present to them for help.” Jackson said most of the businesses she visited have applied or are in the process of applying. She reminded any business owner who had not applied to SBA that they can do so up until Feb. 27 by visiting any of FEMA’s Disaster Recovery Centers in the area. State Sen. Joe Addabbo Jr. (D-Howard

Beach) said he still has concerns about the state of businesses along Cross Bay Boulevard and in Coleman Square near the subway station, which was also devastated by the storm. He said it was both economically and psychologically important for these establishments to be open. “We need them up and running for the morale and service provided by these businesses,” Addabbo said. Despite business chugging back to normal on the boulevard, some say it will still be some time before the neighborhood looks like it did before Sandy. “It’ll be two to three more months before Howard Beach is back to normal,” Q Mugnolo said.

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on Jan. 17, only hours before the deadline. That allegation is backed by State Education Mayor Bloomberg wants the state Legisla- Commissioner John King, who said last week ture to change the law so the state cannot he was under the impression both provisions deny education funds to city schools if the were agreed to by both sides. Bloomberg’s assertions caught the ire of city and teachers unions fail to reach an the committee’s chairwoman, Assemblyagreement on teacher evaluations. Testifying in front of a state legislative woman Catherine Nolan (D-Ridgewood). “How can you not accept some responsibilicommittee in Albany on Monday, he asked legislators to change state law to prevent ty for this disaster?” Nolan asked Bloomberg Gov. Cuomo’s off ice from withholding at the hearing. “Forty percent of students in this state are going to be school aid, calling the punished because the procedure “irrational.” adults couldn’t work The governor said the said it was unlikely things out.” city will lose $250 million Bloomberg’s request to in school funding because the unions would recoup the lost money the Department of Educafrom the governor has tion and United Federaever agree to an gotten some support from tion of Teachers failed to evaluations plan. Assembly Speaker Shelreach an agreement on a don Silver (D-Manhatteacher evaluations plan I should have tan). Though Silver has by midnight Jan. 17. said ‘impossible.’” not come out to support Placing the blame for the idea publicly, the failure of a deal —Mayor Mike Bloomberg Bloomberg praised his squarely on the UFT, support at the hearing. Bloomberg said the loss Cuomo said last week that he would not of state aid would hurt students the worst. “Do not punish our schoolchildren for the entertain requests to give the city the $250 obstructionism of the UFT,” he told the million in lost aid. However, in a letter to Assembly Education Committee. “They have Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott, King said the city could still receive some or all of done nothing wrong.” The deal failed because the city and the $200 million in grants — some or all of unions disagreed on two sticking points — a which would come from federal Race To The provision that would sunset the deal in 2015 Top funding — if the city and UFT agree on and another that allowed for more arbitration a teacher evaluations deal by Feb. 18. But at the hearing, Bloomberg expressed for grievances filed by terminated teachers. Mayor Bloomberg said both provisions doubt that his administration and the UFT would make any deal “a sham,” although most would find common ground. “I said it was unlikely that unions would of the deals struck with other school districts in the state had a sunset provision. The mayor ever agree to an evaluations plan,” he told slammed those plans, and said he would not Nolan. “I should have said ‘impossible.’” Bloomberg said without the funding, 700 accept one like those in the city. The UFT said the Bloomberg administra- teachers will be lost through attrition this Q tion had agreed to both provisions, but balked year and an additional 1,800 next year.

Page 33 QUEENS CHRONICLE, Thursday, January 31, 2013

Mayor in Albany, pleads PEERLESS BOILERS for lost school funds

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QUEENS CHRONICLE, Thursday, January 31, 2013 Page 34

SQ page 34

Iraq vet and service Mayor slams teachers dog witness history union in budget message Van Thach and Liz at inaugural parade

Says it could cost city at least $724M

by AnnMarie Costella

by Peter C. Mastrosimone

Assistant Editor

Editor-in-Chief

It was an awe-f illed moment as Capt. James Van Thach, a disabled Iraq War veteran from Bellerose Manor, waved to President Obama at his inaugural parade in Washington, DC on Jan. 21. “I could feel this patriotic aura around me,” Van Thach said. “Everyone was wearing Obama shirts and hats and pins that said 57th inauguration on them.” Van Thach, 36, was at the historic event representing Canine Companions for Independence, the nonprofit organization that provided him with his mobility service dog, Liz, who also joined him at the parade. Rather than march the length of the route, they, along with Van Thach’s mother, Ngoc Peterkin, and some CCI staffers, sat on the organization’s float, because Van Thach’s injuries prevent him from walking for extended periods of time. The off icer sustained Capt. James Van Thach stands in front of the CCI float with his service PHOTO COURTESY VAN THACH severe damage to his brain, dog, Liz, at the presidential inaugural parade. eyes, neck, back and legs “Seeing the diversity of the people who were during his two consecutive years of duty in Iraq. Thach survived bomb blasts, was hospital- there joining the celebration for our country ized five times and suffered a traumatic brain and our president was very inspiring,” Van injury that impaired his vision and forces him Thach said. “It seemed to me, on the outside to wear an eye patch. He’s been awarded the looking in, that we are moving forward toward Bronze Star, the Purple Heart, the Combat the same goal.” Before being united with Liz, whom Thach Infantry Badge and the Joint Service Achievecalls his hero, the veteran found living an indement Medal. The float was crowned with a large inflatable pendent lifestyle difficult, because his injuries version of CCI’s mascot, a service dog named forced him to rely on family members and others. Specially trained canines, like Liz, can cost Independence. upwards of $45,000 but CCI, which was founded in 1975, doesn’t charge recipients. “Liz was very inquisitive,” Van Thach said of the dog’s behavior at the parade. “She was wagging her tail and looking around. She was attentive and observant.” CCI flew Van Thach and Liz to the parade at no charge and they sat in the first-class section of the plane where there was plenty of room for both of them. It was the first time Van Thach had ever been to an inaugural parade, and although he didn’t actually get to meet Obama, he said if he had the opportunity to go to another in the future, he would definitely attend. “I am humbled and Obama waves to the CCI members on their float. thankful to have had this experience,” Van Q PHOTO COURTESY WHITE HOUSE Thach said.

Mayor Bloomberg released his final budget proposal Tuesday, outlining a $70.1 billion plan that he said reduces controllable costs and does not hike taxes — and taking the opportunity to blast the teachers union for, he claimed, costing the city at least $724 million due to its intransigence on a failed evaluations deal. The administration and the union were unable to come to an agreement this month on how teachers should be graded, forcing the loss of $250 million in state aid this fiscal year alone. Each side blames the other. “The mayor has requested that state legislators act to ensure New York City schoolchildren are not harmed by the union’s refusal to agree to an evaluation system,” Bloomberg’s budget announcement says. He objects to Gov. Cuomo’s insistence that state aid be tied to a teacher evaluation agreement. The lack of funds from Albany is forcing the loss of 700 teaching positions through attrition this fiscal year, which ends June 30, the mayor said, and could result in the cut-

ting of 1,800 more next year if another $250 million in aid — plus $224 million in other state spending — is forfeited over the evaluation issue. And the costs could keep rising. The UFT and its supporters blame Bloomberg for the failed negotiations and subsequent loss of funding. “In order to make up the budget shortfall resulting from City Hall’s failed negotiating strategy on teacher evaluations, the mayor has decided to scapegoat our city’s public school teachers,” City Comptroller John Liu, who intends to run for mayor next year, said in a prepared statement on the budget. “The real fault, however, lies with his own misguided ideology, which could cost our children over $720 million this year alone.” Liu, like other critics of the mayor, says the city spends too much on contracts for consultants and should cut those instead. According to the mayor, the fiscal year 2014 budget plan reduces “controllable” spending by $254 million, or 1.1 percent, while costs not fully controlled by the city, such as those for pensions and Medicaid, rise Q by $1.8 billion, or 6.8 percent.

UNEMPLOYMENT WATCH

Queens jobless rate right where it was a year ago by Peter C. Mastrosimone Editor-in-Chief

As Sir Isaac Newton taught us more than 300 years ago, and as recurring TV ads for the prescription drug Celebrex remind us today, a body at rest tends to stay at rest, while a body in motion tends to stay in motion. So it is, one might say, with the unemployment rates in Queens and New York City as a whole. They are bodies at rest, according to the latest figures from the state Department of Labor, those for December. The jobless rate in Queens last month was 7.9 percent, exactly where it was one year earlier. It was a tenth of a percent higher than in November, but yearto-year comparisons are the most valid ones due to seasonal factors, job analysts say. The city’s unemployment rate was 8.8 percent in both December 2011 and December 2012. Joblessness was worse in the Bronx, where unemployment was at 11.9 percent last month, and Brooklyn, where it was 9.5 percent, than it was in

Queens. But it was better in Manhattan, where the rate was 7.3 percent; and Staten Island tied this borough at 7.9 percent. Statewide, unemployment rose to 8.2 percent in December, up from 7.9 percent in November and 8 percent in December 2011. Nationally it improved to 7.6 percent, compared to 8.3 percent a year earlier, though it had been 7.4 percent in November. Though the unemployment rate was flat, the number of Queens residents with jobs rose to 1,038,800 in December, from 1,030,000 the year before. The state’s monthly jobs reports and Q other data are available at labor.ny.gov.

Unemployment rates Location

Queens NYC NYS U.S.

Dec. 2011 Nov. 2012

7.9% 8.8% 8.0% 8.3%

7.8% 8.6% 7.9% 7.4%

Dec. 2012

7.9% 8.8% 8.2% 7.6%

Source: NYS Department of Labor

SQ page 35 Page 35 QUEENS CHRONICLE, Thursday, January 31, 2013

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Chili may be the official dish of Texas, but a bunch of folks in Whitestone put together a cook-off on Sunday that would have left even San Antonians drooling. The first-ever event, held last Saturday as a fundraiser for Grace Episcopal Church on Clintonville Street, brought together dozens of hungry area residents and a total of 10 competitors, all vying for a custom-made trophy and $25 gift card, not to mention bragging rights as the “Chili Champion of Whitestone.” The contest was the brainchild of Nicholas Irons, a member of the church’s vestry, who couldn’t help but notice that the spicy stew with countless variations “strikes a chord with people in the winter-time.” According to Irons, the church “put forward funds for the equipment,” such as the Sternos used to keep the dishes warm, so that contestants had to provide nothing but their edible delights. Irons entered the competition with his own special recipe, which he calls “Irons’ Famous 5-Meat Chili”; the ingredients include beef, pork, chicken, chorizo, and veal. “I like meat,” he confessed. “I try to put as much into it as possible.” The contest was open to the entire community and the final roster included eight individuals and two area businesses, resulting in some unique takes on the basic dish, including a vegetarian option and a turkey variation. Among the entries, several of which bore names that reflected personal stories, was “Chili Con Gratitude,” a dish created by

Eric Rosen, who came all the way from Howard Beach to participate. For Rosen, who said he suffered a loss of $175,000 to his home at the hands of Hurricane Sandy, the event was “a break I desperately needed.” A substance abuse counselor who is currently unemployed, Rosen said he was removed from his home for two months because of the devastation and saw the cookoff as a much-welcome respite from his recent grueling rebuilding schedule. Rosen’s dish, which he began cooking the night before in preparation for Saturday’s challenge, uses a recipe he has been following for the past 25 years and includes no fewer than five different kinds of peppers and three varieties of onions. “At 1 a.m., with my eyes closed, I was standing over the stove,” he said. The name for the dish is new, one Rosen took as a suggestion from the contractor who has seen what he’s been through in recent weeks. “I love good food,” he said. “Doing this would get me out of my own head. I enjoy seeing the faces of the people who eat it.” Among those sampling his work was Rosen’s friend Charlie Gruber from Little Neck, who found it “Delicious! Awesome. Never had better.” Another contestant, Margaret Reis, a member of the church’s congregation, called her dish “Willie’s Chili,” in honor of her beloved dog, who died three years ago. “I wing it every time,” she said. “I change the spices. I don’t have a particular recipe. It’s whatever I have in the closet.” Normally, Reis said, she prepares her chili continued on page 54

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Ice Jewelry: where the owners Major League Soccer stadium can relate to their clients continued from page 12 exclusive Queens home over using an existing site like Citi Field. It also points to the success of the Seattle Sounders, with a notable average attendance of 44,000 per game, as proof of the sport’s growing popularity. Yet the Sounders share CenturyLink Field with the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks. And as a private entity, the league does not offer dollar figures to vet. Its history suggests a stuttering growth. In 2002, Garber shrunk the league down, nixing its two Florida franchises, the Miami Fusion and Tampa Bay Mutiny, for financial reasons. Fewer than one-third of the league’s franchises finished the 2011 season in the black, with crown jewel clubs like the Los Angeles Galaxy failing to generate a profit, according to a Los Angeles Times report. Abbott did not divulge the exact number of profitable clubs, but said the overall standing of the league’s franchises has improved since 2011. “We don’t talk specifically about that,” Abbott said. “I will say there are a number of teams that don’t make money. There are more every year that are.”

WW W.I CE JEW ELRY BUY ING SER VIC E.C OM

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like it’s a one-shot deal and we don’t do that,” Elias said. In addition to buying gold, silver, diamonds, Recently, a woman and her boyfriend went watches and coins, Ice Jewelry Buying also into an unassuming gold buying and cash loan offers instant cash loans for jewelry and eBay shop on Queens Boulevard. She had a $35 selling services. offer on her ring from another area shop, but Their cash loans program is straightforward and was looking to get a better deal. In what may simple. “It’s a perfect solution for someone who be viewed as poor business acumen, she told has a bill due and a check on the way,” Goldberg her new prospective buyer what her previous said. “But we make sure they have a game plan to offer was. Still, after examining her piece, he buy their jewelry back before the end of the term. offered her $1,600. He did so, as he says, Sometimes these are people’s heirlooms we’re “...because that’s what it was worth.” talking about and we respect that.” The plight of the worker who’s hard-up for For those who are less Internet-savvy or cash in today’s economy is something that just don’t have the time, Ice Jewelry Buying Arthur Elias and Edward Goldberg can relate to offers a convenient eBay sales service. If what first-hand, having been laid off from their jobs a customer has isn’t an item that Ice Jewelry in jewelry manufacturing. They understand Buying would purchase, like a handbag or that people get into situations where they just antique furniture, they can help find a buyer need a little cash fast to make the bills and Ice on their eBay store. Elias consults with the Jewelry Buying Service hopes to help out in customer to find a target the most honest way they can. price and let the internet STORE HOURS “For this, I like to think we’re auctioneers handle the rest. doing the community a service,” MON.-FRI. 11am - 7pm For anyone who has Elias said. “We’re in the business SAT. 10am - 5pm ever dealt with the hassle of helping people who are in a SUN. by Appointment of selling and shipping tough spot. They can come to an item on eBay — all the our store and know that we can forms involved in setting up a user and paypal educate them on what they have and we’ll give account, the 10-15 percent fee that Ice them what their items are worth. When that Jewelry Buying charges to do all the work is woman told me her previous offer, it made me really a bargain deal. wonder how many times this happens — how “At the end of the day, I just want people many people who really need that money get to feel comfortable doing business with us. taken advantage of?” People have this conception of gold buying Elias opened his Rego Park shop with stores as these slimy places with slimy Goldberg less than a year ago, and already people, and they’re typically right. But we they’re seeing a lot of repeat customers and want to be different. I don’t think it’s cool to referrals. This is a sign to them that they’re see someone buy a ring for $200 and put it in doing something right — the pawn business their counter for $800. We don’t do that.” typically deals in one-time transactions but Ice Jewelry Buying Services is located at Elias is determined to break that mold, 98-30 Queens Blvd. in Rego Park. Hours of building a reputation on trust. operation are Monday-Friday from 11am to “Everyone around here is buying gold these 7:00pm and Saturday 10am to 5pm; Sunday days; you can go into the barber shop down private appoinments are available. Call for the road and sell your jewelry. The problem Q more information (718) 830-0030. with all these places is they treat everything

by Denis Deck

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Chronicle Contributor

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The expanse of Flushing Meadows Corona Park stands as a testament to the transformative properties of willpower, ambition and development. Few of its nearly 1,000 acres betray its past life as a dumping ground for coal ash in the 19th century. MLS’s stadium at the site of the Pool of Industry has been portrayed as a welcome addition to the park, a private-interest land grab, and all points in between. Groups such as the Fairness Coalition of Queens and a newly created grass roots campaign called “Save Flushing Meadows Corona Park” have led the charge against the project. The league said it looked at 20 sites around the city, and chose the park because it fit three criteria: it matched size requirements, which include a north-south orientation; nearby transportation and a devoted fan base. It has since been seeking community input on the project. It must also designate up to 13 acres of replacement parkland for the amount lost to the area. The replacement parkland may not end up in a single plot. “Whether we get all 13 acres in one location or not remains to be seen, but I think that there’s likely to be some portion that would be rather large and some areas that would be small,” Abbott said, adding that all the replacement acres would be in Queens, though he could not confirm the league would pay for the land itself. It has yet to provide assessable figures about the stadium’s impact on the park or a rendering with depth of field and proportions that would give a sense of size. That was by design, according to Abbott. “The criticism would have been ‘Hey, you showed up, you just decided all this stuff and you didn’t seek anyone’s input,’” he said. A better picture of the stadium’s affect on the park will emerge when MLS submits its

draft Environmental Impact Statement as part of ULURP. But a draft EIS submitted by the United States Tennis Association as part of its expansion plans offers a peek into the soccer stadium’s possible effects. Some procedural hurdles loom. The 6.6acre Pool of Industry is part of a water management system that controls the flow of water to Flushing Bay and partially mitigates the tide’s effects on Meadow and Willow Lakes. Filling it would require mitigation efforts allowing the flow of water to continue. The water table is also particularly high in the park, which Abbott said MLS will alleviate by building the stadium on an elevation. Any changes to the Pool of Industry may be subject to oversight and approval of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the state’s Department of Environmental Conservation, according to the USTA’s draft EIS. Those approvals would have to come after the project has gained local approval and successfully navigated ULURP. “There’s a very rigorous regulatory environment around the building of this site, and the stadium is not going to get built unless we comply with that, and we’re prepared to,” Abbott said. Two former parks employees with long ties to Flushing Meadows Corona Park expressed strong dismay over the stadium proposal. Arne Abramowitz, the park’s administrator from 1986 to 1993, acknowledged the strong role soccer plays in the park, but said a stadium is not a logical next step. “There’s no bigger advocate for soccer than myself,” he said. “However, that’s recreational.” The impact on the park would be “tremendous,” he added. Of particular concern is the loss of trees, which the USTA’s draft EIS pegs at about 71, a figure which Abbott could not confirm. Though the trees are required to be replaced by law, arboreal growth in park is a dicey proposition. Due to the park’s past use, a thick layer of ash remains below its soil surface, Abramowitz said. Getting a tree to stick is tough, and conditions prevent trees from ever reaching their full size. “What you won’t see in Flushing Meadows Corona Park is giant heritage trees,” he said. The feasibility of a stadium is not the question — it can be built, according to David Carlson, who worked for the Parks Department as a landscape architect at FMCP’s own Olmstead Center for 32 years. “Anything is feasible if you throw enough money at it,” he said. What would be lost, according to Carlson, is the heritage of the park. “It’s the historic core of the park that you have to protect,” Carson added. This, of course, is not the first time a stadium has been mulled within Flushing Meadows Corona Park. The Jets explored the possibility of building a football stadium there a decade ago. “Every couple of years, people have great ideas for the park,” Abramowitz said. “We Q don’t need their ideas.”

PHOTO BY JOSEY BARTLETT

ARTS, CULTURE & LIVING

Page 37 QUEENS CHRONICLE, Thursday, January 31, 2013

January 31, 2013

SQ page 37

Sergio LoDolce, as the cocky TV personality Tom Lawrence, and Amanda Rodhe as Leah, one of his ex-girlfriends, practice lines for “Survey,“ playing for just one night on Feb. 8 at the Little Theater.

Boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy asks other ex-girls why she left It’s a familiar plot — a recently dumped boyfriend goes on a quest through his little black book to find out what went wrong. The scenario plays through in the book “High Fidelity,” which eventually became the movie with John Cusack as the floundering record shop owner and lousy boyfriend. “We took that one section of ‘High Fidelity’ and made it a lot more exaggerated and explored what you could learn from [the exes],” said Michael Brody, writer and director of the professional show, “Survey,” which will be performed at the Little Theater in Long Island City on Feb. 8. The LaGuardia Performing Arts Center awarded Brody a Lab

101 grant — which aims to present works in progress — to produce the free show. If Friday’s show goes well, Brody hopes more will be on the horizon. The plot is an idea many men and women on the rebound from a serious relationship have probably played with. “The script is based on my life. I was recently out of a relationship where I knew I had done wrong and it occurred to me to ask my ex-girlfriends,” Brody said at a rehearsal on Saturday morning at the LaGuardia Performing Arts Center. “But I realized I might have the answers to the problems. For the sake of life it seemed Continued page continued onon page 42 like a bad idea to actually go back and ask.”

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by Josey Bartlett

QUEENS CHRONICLE, Thursday, January 31, 2013 Page 38

SQ page 38

qb boro EXHIBITS

LECTURE

A new exhibition at the Godwin-Ternbach Museum at Queens College, 65-30 Kissena Blvd., Flushing, Re-Forming the Image in the Dutch Golden Age, on view through March 23, results from a student seminar. The works on display include paintings, prints, sculpture and historical artifacts form 16th and 18th century Europe and colonial New York. Friends and family of the students will be invited to view their work at an opening reception on Tuesday, Feb. 5 from 6-8 p.m. The public is also welcome. Museum hours are Monday-Thursday, 11a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

On Friday, Feb. 1 at 1 p.m. Regina Druz, MD, chief of nuclear cardiology at North Shore University HospitalManhasset will lecture on Women and Heart Disease at Forest Hills Hospital, 102-01 66 Rd. Contact the hospital at (718) 830-1964 or at tlehmann@nshs.edu for more information. This lecture is free. A lecture entitled American Jewry and the Civil War will be presented by historian and author Bud Livingston on Sunday, Feb. 3 at 2:30 p.m. at the Rego Park Jewish Center, 97-30 Queens Blvd. Cake and coffee will be served after the lecture. Cost is $5 per person. Call (718) 459-1000 for more information.

GEAR, located at 61-08 Myrtle Ave. near Fresh Pond Road in Glendale, will be hosting an emerging artists show and reception on Friday, Feb. 8 from 6 to 9 p.m. and on Saturday, Feb. 9 from 1 to 6 p.m. Admission is free and refreshments will be served. Email pattig213@aol.com for more information. Museum of the Moving Image, 36-01 35 Ave., Astoria, hosts a month-long series which includes 36 independent feature and short films by black filmmakers beginning in the 1970s, with personal appearances by director Haile Gerima and series curator Jacqueline Stewart from Feb. 2-24. Admission is $12. Visit movingimage.us for hours. Queens College, 65-30 Kissena Blvd., Flushing, celebrates its 75th anniversary and its Art Center celebrates its 25th anniversary with a gallery exhibit entitled “25/75: The Silver and Diamond Jubilees/ Then and Now,” on display from Feb. 7-March 22. This exhibition assembles recent work by 25 artists, one from each season since the Art Center’s 1988 inauguration and selected by its three curators. Queens Botanical Garden, 43-50 Main St. in Flushing, hosts a new art exhibition “Repetition in Design,” a series of oil paintings by Queens artist Gennadyi Gurman, from through April 15. For more information call (718) 886-3800.

AUDITIONS

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W H AT ’ S H A P P E N I N G

The Queens College Choral Society seeks new members for its Spring 2013 concert season, which will feature the performance of J.S. Bach’s B Minor Mass on Saturday, May 18. Auditions for new members will take place from 6-7:15 p.m. in the Music Building Room 246, 65-30 Kissena Blvd., on Wednesday, Feb. 6. Rehearsals will be held on Wednesdays from 7:309:45 p.m. in room 270. Auditions consist of basic singing skills. No preparation is necessary. For further information visit qcchoralsociety.org. To schedule an audition contact James John, Music Director, at (718) 997-3818 or jmsjhn@aol.com FSF Community Theater Group presents open auditions for “Let’s Hear It for Queens,” an original musical about the history and people of the borough of Queens, on Tuesday and Wednesday, Feb. 12 and 13 at 7:30 p.m. at Free Synagogue of Flushing, 41-60 Kissena Blvd. Performances are on May 4, 5, 11 and 12. Seeking actors, dancers, singers and vocal impressionists. Email lordflibbit@aol.com for further information.

The portrait of Erasmus of Rotterdam by Durer is in the Dutch Art Exhibit, on view through March 23, at the GodwinPHOTO COURTESY QUEENS COLLEGE Ternbach Museum at Queens College, Flushing.

THEATRE Black Spectrum Theatre at the Roy Wilkens Recreation Center at 177th Street and Baisley Boulevard, Jamaica, presents the world premiere of the play, DUMAS, the fascinating life of Alexandre Dumas, the author of “The Three Muskateers” and “The Count of Monte Cristo,” on Thursday-Sunday, Feb. 7-10. Admission is $25. Call Nena Rollins at (718) 723-1800 ext. 14. On Saturday, Feb. 16 at the Black Spectrum Theatre, 177 Street and Baisley Boulevard, Jamaica, the SABC Performing Arts Ministry premiers a new stage play entitled “It’s Time To Take a Stand” for two performances only, at 2 and 6 p.m. Tickets are $30 for general admission. Group discount rate available. Purchase 10 tickets and receive a 10 percent discount. For further information call (718) 723-8005 or email SABCPerformingArts@yahoo.com. In honor of Valentine’s Day, LaGuardia Performing Arts Center will present “Survey,” a one-act play, on Friday, Feb. 8 at 8 p.m. LaGuardia Community College is located at 31-10 Thomson Ave., Long Island City. Admission is free. For more information call (718) 482-5151 or visit lagcc.usny.edu/lpac or see the preview article in this Qboro. The Ridgewood Older Adult Center will host a bus trup to the Queensborough Performing Arts Center’s preview of “Black Stars of the Great White Way” on Sunday, Feb. 17 at 3 p.m. Lunch will be served at 12:30 p.m. The bus departs at 2 p.m. sharp from the Ridgewood Older Adult Center, 59-14 70 Ave. Tickets are $8 in advance and $10 at the door. See Audrey, Karen or Jackie or call (718) 456-2000 for tickets and information.

FILM The 1931 film “Little Ceasar,” starring Edward G. Robinson, will be presented on Feb. 9 at 1 p.m. at Greater Astoria Historical Society, 35-20 Broadway, 4th floor, Long Island City. It tells the story of a

hoodlum who ascends the ranks of organized crime, and his inevitable downfall. This film is free. Call (718) 278-0700 for more information.

Kevin Walsh presents a lecture, The VIllage of Astoria, a Forgotten New York, on Monday, Feb. 4 at 7 p.m. at the Greater Astoria Historical Society, 35-20 Broadway, 4th floor, Long Island City focusing on Astoria Village, which is now vanishing quickly to new housing and development. Free to GAHS members, $5 to the public. Call (718) 2780700 for more information.

CLASSES

On Sunday, Feb. 3 at 3 p.m. Kaissa will blend African, reggae, jazz, R&B, makossa and Brazilian fusion in her performance at Central Library, 89-11 Merrick Blvd., Jamaica. Call (718) 990-0700.

Registration opens on Friday, Feb. 1 for Kids With Cameras Making Movies at the Center at Maple Grove Cemetery, 127-15 Kew Gardens Road, Kew Gardens, for 10 kids ages 11 to 15. The five-week program, beginning Feb. 23 from 2-4 p.m., is free but the Friends of Maple Grove are requesting a $10 registration fee to secure the reservation. Send fee to Friends of Maple Grove at Maple Grove Cemetery, at the same address. Call (347) 878-6614 to reserve.

A “Salute to Israel” concert will be held on Sunday, Feb., 10 at 7 p.m. at LeFrak Concert Hall at Queens College on Reeves Avenue and 150th Street. For tickets call (718) 776-3500. Tickets cost between $50 and $75.

Queens Library Enrich Your Life presents magic tricks workshops for teens on Wednesday, Feb. 6 at 3:30 p.m. at Briarwood Library, 85-12 Main St., (718) 658-1680. Admission is free. Call your library for more information or visit queenslibrary.org.

Dino Rosi, international recording artist, sings in five languages on Friday, Feb. 8 at 2 p.m. at Middle Village Library, 72-31 Metropolitan Ave. Call (718) 3261390 for more information.

A drum workshop for teens will be held on: Thursday, Feb. 7 at 3:30 p.m. at Rochdale Village library, 169-06 137 Ave., Jamaica. (718) 723-4440; Monday, Feb. 11 at 4 p.m. at Ridgewood library, 20-12 Madison St. (718) 821-4770; Thursday, Feb. 21 at 4 p.m. at Queens Village library, 94-11 217 St. (718) 7766800. Admission is free but space is limited. Call your local library to reserve or visit queenslibrary.org.

MUSIC

Members of the Con Brio Ensemble will perform works by Schumann, Franck and Franz Mittler at a twilight concert at the Church-in-the-Gardens, 50 Ascan Ave., Forest Hills, on Sunday, Feb. 10 at 4:30 p.m. Tickets are $12 ($10 for students and senior citizens). TDF vouchers are accepted. Call (718) 459-1277 or email dianamittler@aol.com for more information. The Eddie Allen Quintet pays tribute to legendary trumpeters on Saturday, Feb. 9 at 3:30 p.m. with “Music from the Mind of the Trumpet” at Queens Library at Langston Hughes, 100-01 Northern Blvd., Corona. Call (718) 651-1100 for more information.

FLEA MARKETS St. Josaphat’s R.C. Church of Bayside, 34-32 210 St., will hold a flea market plus ethnic Polish bake sale on Sunday, Feb. 10 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Parish Hall on 35th Avenue and 210th Street. Call Steve at (718) 224-3052 for more information. Free parking.

A series of classes, Expression in the Arts, will take place at Rego Park Jewish Center, 97-30 Queens Blvd., on Sunday, Feb. 10 at 11:30 a.m. featuring: “The Magic of Masks” with Leora Agron; “Knitting Scarves” with Reina Goodman (bring size 7 or 8 needles and yarn); “Story Writing-Telling” with Penny Cooper; “Beloved Yiddish Songs” with Mildred Pelton. Refreshments will be served. Cost is $5 per person. Call (718) 459-1000. The Central Queens YM & YWHA 67-09 108 St., Forest Hills, announces the return of PERC, a club for retirees. Come meet and speak with others about what concerns you Tuesday mornings from 10-11:30 a.m. Free for members of the CQY. Nonmembers free for first session, then $2 per session. Call the Adult and Senior department at (718) 268-5011 ext. 160 or 622 for more information.

To submit a theater, music, art or entertainment item to What’s Happening, email artslistingqchron@gmail.com

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Frozen moments on the streets of Paris qboro Editor

Woodside resident George Romanation’s black-and-white photography book of Paris is a long time coming. Romanation, 58, a Parson School of Design graduate and travel consultant for corporations and for the United Nations, has been visiting the City of Love for 25 years. With each trip he snaps more pictures of everyday life — a day at the cafe, a ride on a carousel and a cat nap at the Louvre.

Street photographer George COURTESY PHOTO Romanation.

“The common thread that runs through many of the photos is an expression of life’s emotions — love, affection, sadness, humor,” Romanation said. “I hope my pictures convey how fleeting and precious these moments are.”

Romanation’s style in the book “Paris Personal” emulates street photographers of the ’40s and ’50s, the type of work seen in “National Geographic” and “Life” magazines during that era, he said. Romanation likes to pick a neighborhood, museum or locale like the banks of the Seine to walk around for the day with his 35 mm Nikon and a surplus of black-and-white film. He gives himself no boundaries or stipulations, but takes pictures of the moments that strike him. Sometimes he gets lucky, as on one visit in 1995 when he took five of the images that a r e p u b lished in the book;

other times he’ll go days without pressing the shutter release. One day he’ll take several images, but other times he just has one chance. That was the case one day at the Louvre museum. Romanation glanced at a bench next to a classic nude sculpture about 50 yards away using his zoom lens. What caught his eye was a slouched woman with her forehead on her knees. “I don't know if she was upset or depressed or if she was just taking a power nap,” he said. “I took one frame. A second later she got up, shook her head and went about her day.” Those moments he thought were perfect can be interpreted completely differently by someone else. “That’s the fascinating part of street photography,” he said. “It’s in the eye of the beholder.” Or that moment could be ruined by a tourist who wanders

The 28th Annual Langston Hughes Celebration Co-Sponsored by Queens Borough President Helen M. Marshall and City Council Member Julissa Ferreras

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Film Screening: Hughes’ Dream Harlem Darralyn Hudson (2002) Lecture: A Life of Rebellion and Reinvention Jamal Joseph Special Reception: Literary Landmarks Dedication Ceremony Rocco Staino, Board Member Emeritus United for Libraries, ALTAFF, ALA The Jacob Lawrence Migration Series Marcia Garcia, MOMA African American Heritage Month Scholarships Presented By Helen M. Marshall, Queens Borough President Speaker: The Harlem Renaissance Rashidah Ismaili Abu Bakr, New York University, IAAS Music from the Mind of the Trumpet Eddie Allen and Friends *program subject to change

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seemingly out of nowhere and into the frame. Or perhaps what he clicked isn’t seen until he prints it out. That was the case with his favorite photo of the famous Cafe de Flore where Jean-Paul

Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir and Albert Camus would write, chat and sip coffee. Romanation would also end his days there while on his vacations. The cover picture on 00 continued on page 44

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A painting sans paint, a sculpture on canvas apart. They used to be seen as radically different, but that’s over for now.” About a year ago curators Jessica Duffett The change gives artists the chance to and Tamara Gonzales began discussing spread their wings, she said, unlike in the what would become their show, running ’70s and other epochs when sculpture had through March 10 at the nonprofit Dorsky to showcase the materials. Painting a wood Gallery Curatorial Programs. piece was “a big no-no,” Gonzales said — a The duo would meet at the Second Stop funny rule that cited the masters whose Cafe, located in a “pocket neighborhood“ clean white sculptures stood as a beacon of they call home where what the genre should Bushwick meets be, though in reality Williamsburg. They those sculptures were would feast on addictive painted bright primary When: Through March 10 donut muffins — sugary colors that had faded Where: Dorsky Gallery confections shaped like away over time. 11-03 45 Ave., LIC muffins but made with In the exhibition, Sarah Tickets: free, dorsky.org, doughnut dough. It’s a Braman’s works combine (718) 937-6317 treat that straddles two found pieces of wood worlds, quite fitting given with splashes of colorful their exhibition’s theme, and would eventu- paint. David Dorsky, a cofounder of the ally become the title. nonprofit gallery, admires the wood’s pithi“Donut Muffin,” the show not the pas- ness, but doesn’t mind the paint either. try, exhibits a host of works that are both “The human body is naturally beautiful. paintings and sculptures. Or paintings that Especially a woman, but we still put clothes are made without paint, or sculptures paint- on,” he said. “The clothes add and ed on canvas. enhance.” “The two have always been sisters,” Some pieces in the show only blur the Gonzales said. “They are closer than far line slightly if at all, such as Ariel Dill’s oil

by Josey Bartlett qboro Editor

‘Donut Muffin’

Experience The New

Villa Marcello

Page 41 QUEENS CHRONICLE, Thursday, January 31, 2013

boro

Curator Tamara Gonzales, left, with Ariel Dill and Christian Sampson’s Orgone Accumulator blanket, based on Austrian psychoanalyst Wilhelm Reich’s design to disperse bad energy, on her lap while under Sampson’s light installation. Robert Rhee’s gourds PHOTOS BY JOSEY BARTLETT experiment with many objects. painting on canvas that resembles a basket weaving. Chris Martin’s piece toes the line with rows of Wonder Bread completely painted white. Then there are Joe Fyfe’s hanging swatches of cloth — a big green square with an abstract waving swatch of pink and yellow down the center almost like

a painting by Rothko. “The colors are organized how you might organize a highly modernized painting,” Gonzales said. “He’s asking very painterly questions, but it’s a muddy line.” It’s a painting without paint — “a classic Q donut muffin,” Gonzales said.

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What you’ll miss when ears are closed continued from page 00 37 But in “Survey” the main character, talk show host Tom Lawrence, played by Astoriabased actor and screenplay writer Sergio LoDolce, plunges into the past without reservation. Lawrence has all the swag and self confidence of a Conan O’Brien or Jay Leno. On the job he’s accustomed to asking superficial questions of celebrities, but not needing to truly listen to the answers. That doesn’t translate well into his personal life and when his fiancee unexpectedly packs up her bags and kicks him to the curb, the reason why escapes him.

He cooks up a brilliant plan to ask his three most significant exgirlfriends what went wrong between them, beginning with his high school sweetheart, Angie, who is now married and mother of a two-year-old. “It’s eight years in the past,” said actress Mandy Striph. “The hurt isn’t there and there’s sort of the possibility they could be friends.” He doesn’t get off so easy with the other two in this romantic comedy/drama. “He’s like a truck going though roadblocks, one after the other until there’s an abrupt stop — until his arrogance is broken down,” LoDolce said.

‘Survey’ When: Feb. 8 at 8 p.m. Where: Little Theater at LaGuardia Community College, 31-10 Thomson Ave., Long Island City Tickets: Free (718) 482-5151, lagcc.cuny.edu/lpac/

Clockwise from top left, Sergio LoDolce plays Tom Lawrence, the smug, got-it-all-wrong-in-love talk show host; Sasha Diamond plays Renee, the recently ex-fiancee Lawrence will fight for; Robert Eigen is Douglas Steven Randolph, a great actor and guest on Lawrence’s show; Renee Heitmann is Karen, Renee’s sister; Matthew McDonald plays Greg, Lawrence’s friend who is about at the end of his rope; Mandy Striph is Angie, Lawrence’s popular high school sweetheart; Amanda Rodhe plays Leah, the second girlfriend who finally tells her side of why she did what she did; and Kasey Lee Huizinga plays COURTESY PHOTOS Grace, the third girlfriend who unleashes the fury. With each meeting, Lawrence learns a little more about listening and how by doing so maybe

he could have been a better partner. “It sends a simple message: If

you want a good Valentine’s Day you should listen. Open up your Q ears,” Brody said.

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A meeting of the Parashat and Haftarat Club of Rego Park Jewish Center, 97-30 Queens Blvd., will take place on Saturday, Feb. 16 at 12:30 p.m. following Shabbat services. Discuss Torah portion Teruma with Rabbi Samuel Waidenbaum, Rabbi Romiel Daniel and Charles Lehat. Lite bite will be served. No charge. Qualified instructors from Flotilla 12-01 of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary will be teaching the About Boating Safety class at Fort Totten in Bayside on Sunday, Feb. 17 at 8:30 a.m. This class is for recreational boaters and includes the proper use of safety equipment, maintenance, rules of navigation and the legal requirements for operating boats and personal watercraft. Certification is required for boating in NJ waters and operating a PWC in the Tri-State waters. The fee is $65; learning materials included. Pre-registration is a must for driving a motor vehicle on the base at Fort Totten. For more information call Mike Kaff at (917) 952-7014 or Ralph Traub at (347) 336-5866 or email 12-01@verizon.net. To register online and for more information visit uscgaux1201.org. Italian Charities of American, 83-20 Queens Blvd., Elmhurst, announces Italian classes for beginners starting on Tuesday, Feb. 19 from 7-9 p.m. for 14 weeks. Price is $80 per adult. Call (718) 478-3100 for more information.

SPECIAL EVENTS The Samuel Field Y has two weekday programs for preschool children ages 3-5 with developmental disabilities and their families. On Mondays from 3 to 4:30 p.m. there is Monday Magic: Learn and Play at the Bay Terrace Center: 212-00 23 Ave., Bayside. On Wednesdays from 3-4:30 there is Gym and Creative Exploration at the Little Neck Site, 5820 Little Neck Pkwy. Contact Amanda at (718) 225-6750 ext. 262 or email asmith@sfy.org for more information.

Come to a Lunar New Year celebration at Flushing Town Hall, 137-35 Northern Blvd., with the Momenta Quartet and Min Xiao-Fen on Saturday, Feb. 2 at 3 and 5 p.m. Cost is $15 for the general public, $10 for members, seniors and students with ID. Visit flushingtownhall.org or call (718) 463-7700 for more information. A discussion with Ben Vereen, Lou Gossett, Jr., LeVar Burton and Leslie Uggams, moderated by Donald Thoms, will take place at the Museum of the Moving Image, 36-01 35 Ave., Astoria, on Monday, Feb. 4 at 7 p.m. about the 1977 miniseries “Roots.” Tickets are $15 for the public, $9 for museum members, free for Silver Screen members and above. Order online or call (718) 777-6800 to reserve.

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Human Growth Foundation, a national nonprofit organization whose mission is to help children and adults with disorders of growth and growth hormone, will host its first annual 4.8K Step Up and Walk on Sunday, April 21 from 7 a.m. to noon at Flushing Meadows Corona Park, 113-01 Roosevelt Ave, Flushing. Individual and team registration is now open online at hgfound.org/stepupandwalk_event_registration.html.

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SENIOR ACTIVITIES The Innovative SNAP of Eastern Queens Senior Center, 80-45 Winchester Blvd., Queens Village, offers a wide array of programs and services including: healthy lunches, current events, diabetes selfmanagement classes, yoga and the Reminiscence Groups. Receive information on benefits and entitlements or share your life story in a safe, private setting. For more information on classes and transportation call Kathleen at (718) 454-2100 or visit snapqueens.org.

Valentine’s Day Thursday, Feb. 14th Romance and Great Food What a Combination!

Matteo’s Will Be Serving Their Regular Menu

Remember, You Come To Matteo’s As Friends, Leave As Family

The Atria Forest Hills, 112-50 72 Ave., welcomes older adults and family to several free events: Be My Valentine flute and piano concert with a dinner afterwards on Sunday, Feb. 3 at 2:15 p.m.; piano and harp performances by Olivia Lu on Wednesday, Feb. 6 at 3 p.m.; musical delight with Julliard students on Sunday, Feb. 10 at 2:15 p.m. Parking on request. Contact Bella Kirschner at (718) 261-5300. The Ridgewood Older Adult Center, 59-14 70 Ave., Ridgewood, welcomes seniors age 60 and older, Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. A food pantry is available Tuesdays-Thursdays from 1-3 p.m. Other activities include daily hot lunch, mini-trips, daily exercise classes, monthly birthday parties and theme parties. The MetroCard van is at the Center on the fourth Thursday of every month. There will be a bus trip to Yonkers on Monday, Feb. 11. The next AARP defensive driving class is on Monday, Feb. 11. Movies are held every Monday or Tuesday at 1:15 p.m. Art classes are held every Monday at 12:30 p.m. Call Karen at (718) 456-2000 for more information.

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The Brooks Senior Center, 143-22 109 Ave., Jamaica, welcomes all seniors age 60+. Come and enjoy a healthy lunch from noon to 1 p.m., activities such as Wii sports, bowling, bingo, lap top classes, exercise, ceramics, cards and board games, blood pressure checks, trips, monthly nutrition presentations and monthly birthday celebrations and theme parties. Suggested contribution is $1.25. For more information call (718) 291-3935.

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LISTING INFORMATION Items for the Community Calendar must be sent two weeks before the date of the event. Listings should be typed, from a nonprofit organization, either free or moderately priced, and be open to the public. Keep the information to one paragraph. Because of the large number of requests for the free calendar listings, we cannot include every event submitted. Send to: Queens Chronicle, Community Calendar, P.O. Box 74-7769, Rego Park, NY 11374, fax to (718) 205-0150.

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The Bayside Historical Society, 208 Totten Ave., Bayside, will host the author of “Greeks in Queens,” Christina Rozeas, on Friday, Feb. 1 at 7 p.m. She will offer a presentation of her work and hold a book signing. General admission is $5, BHS members are free. Call (718) 352-1548, visit baysidehistorical.org or email info@baysidehistorical for more information.

MATTEO’S

Italian Charities of America, 83-20 Queens Blvd., Elmhurst, will host a dance with instructions every Monday and Friday from 7:15-8 p.m. From 8-11 p.m. there will be a social dance. Call (718) 478-3100 for more information. Cost is $10 per person or you can buy a series card.

Italian Charities of America, 83-20 Queens Blvd., Elmhurst, will host Saturday night dances on Feb. 9 and 23 and March 9 and 23 from 8 p.m. to midnight. Call (718) 478-3100 for more information.

CLASSES

Page 43 QUEENS CHRONICLE, Thursday, January 31, 2013

boro

QUEENS CHRONICLE, Thursday, January 31, 2013 Page 44

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boro

King Crossword Puzzle ACROSS 1 Practice boxing 5 Has permission 8 Suspend 12 Mah-jongg piece 13 Yoko of music 14 By word of mouth 15 Surmounting 16 Kvetch 17 Shrek is one 18 Fancy French cake 20 Offer as an example 22 $ dispenser 23 Comic DeLuise 24 Light bulb measure 27 Lengthwise and contiguous 32 Hearty quaff 33 “The Matrix” role 34 “There’s - in team” 35 Huge 38 Norms (Abbr.) 39 GIs’ entertainers 40 Work with 42 “The - of the Shrew” 45 Finicky cat in TV ads 49 Eye layer 50 Gorilla 52 Facility 53 German city 54 PC linking system 55 Cleo’s river 56 Picnic invaders 57 “Guinness Book” suffix 58 Paradise

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his book is one such moment “The menu and the woman in the center with two shopping bags are aligned perfectly,” Romanation said. “Everything in my view fell in perfect harmony, but it’s

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EVERYONE IS WELCOME. Ask at any Y about the Financial Assistance program.

11 Jane Lynch’s show 19 What @ means 21 Banned pesticide 24 Humorist 25 - Baba 26 Enveloping membrane 28 Verdi’s “- giardin del bello” 29 Paper 30 Affirmative action? 31 Insult (Sl.)

36 Easterners 37 “Smoking or -?” 38 Tranquil 41 Therefore 42 Big brass 43 Shakespeare’s river 44 Strong wind 46 Incursion 47 Wight or Man 48 Witnessed 51 - de deux

Answers below

a completely random street moment. It’s completely a split second frozen in time.” “It also has sentimental value,” he said. The self-published book, which is available on blurb.com for $44, or $60 for a hardcover, compiles the Woodsider’s 30 favorite photos from Paris beginning with the first year he visited, 1988, to the arbitrary end year of 2000. “It took a long time,” Romanation said. “Life kept getting in the way.” Romanation plans to compile a book of his home city in the future. Let’s hope we won’t need to wait another quarter Q century for a glimpse.

Crossword Answers

A woman at the Louvre. PHOTO BY GEORGE ROMANATION

C M SQ page 45 Y K

They made Marion into 63rd by Ron Marzlock Chronicle Contributor

SPORTS

Marion Avenue, now 63rd Avenue, looking south from the corner of Queens Boulevard on May 22, 1925. At right are the backs of houses being built on Booth Street.

Mets sign Marcum Chronicle Contributor

ing dinner for one of its philanthropies, the Baseball Assistance Team, which provides financial and medical aid to those in the baseball community facing hardship. Yankees reliever Joba Chamberlain and Mets starter Johan Santana were honored for their charitable efforts, though Johan couldn’t make it because of a conflicting commitment in his hometown of Tovar, Venezuela. Also attending the BAT dinner was former Mets pitcher Jon Matlack, who was a key contributor to their 1973 “You Gotta Believe” pennant-winning team. I asked Jon if Mets management had contacted him about honoring the 40th anniversary of that team at Citi Field. “I haven’t heard diddly!” he replied with a smile. It sounds like the Mets will do for the 1973 squad what they did to commemorate their 50th anniversary last season, basically next to nothing. Former Mets managers Jeff Torborg and Art Howe were among the many attendees at the memorial service for legendary Major League Baseball Players Association executive director Marvin Miller, who died at age 95 this past fall. Both gentlemen managed underwhelming teams but it could be argued that the tenure of either was a golden age for Mets fans compared to what 2013 looks to be for the not so Amazin’s. “Terry (Collins) is going to have his work cut out for him,” both ex-managers said. Q

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The Mets’ signing of free agent pitcher Shawn Marcum wouldn’t normally generate a headline except that it’s big news whenever the Mets spend money on anyone who has ever played in Major League Baseball. They were the last MLB team to sign a veteran free agent this year. The Mets gave Marcus a guaranteed $4 million contract. As has long been the case with most Mets acquisitions, there are red flags. Marcus did not pitch much last season because of elbow issues. When healthy, he’s capable of winning 15 games with a good team such as his former club, the Milwaukee Brewers. My guess is that Mets general manager Sandy Alderson is throwing away owner Fred Wilson’s money because (a) Mets pitchers rarely stay healthy and that goes double for reclamation projects such as Marcus, and (b) the Mets offense is so puny it would be hard for any pitcher to post a good record with the team. While the Mets were welcoming Marcum, they were saying farewell to outfielder Scott Hairston, who signed a lucrative free agent contract with the Cubs. Hairston belted 20 home runs in a part-time role, but, more importantly, added a much-needed touch of veteran leadership to a team bereft of it. Last Tuesday MLB held its annual fundrais-

FOOTBALL SPECTACULAR

trees and landscaping was removed to accommodate the heavy flow of cars. Shortly afterward, the part of 63rd Avenue north of the Long Island Rail Road tracks was made one way — first northbound and later southbound, as it remains today. West of Woodhaven Boulevard, in Middle Village, the traffic islands are still present, saved because of that neighborhood’s slower pace. And traffic still runs in two directions. In 1929, before the name change, an apartment building named Marion Court was erected at the corner of Marion and Saunders Street. Still carrying the name today, the building is all that remains of MarQ ion Avenue’s original identity.

BEAT

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The gateway from Queens Boulevard to the new neighborhood known as Rego Park was Marion Avenue. The long, sloping street, now 63rd Avenue, was unusually wide to accommodate the beautiful traffic island built in between its north- and southbound lanes. The avenue was named by Walter G. Eliot, head of the Queens Topographical Bureau, for his daughter Marion. Eliot also named Carlton Street, which ran into Marion, for his son-in-law, real estate agent James Carlton. Two blocks west of Marion, Eliot named another street for himself. Unlike Marion, Eliot Avenue and Carlton Street have both kept their names (Eliot was briefly changed to 61st Avenue but then changed back). Marion’s name was changed to 63rd in 1931 because there were multiple Marion avenues and streets throughout the borough. Eliot was retired by that time and could not block the change. In the 1940s, as Rego Park’s traffic grew, most of the beautiful lush island with its

Page 45 QUEENS CHRONICLE, Thursday, January 31, 2013

I HAVE OFTEN WALKED

QUEENS CHRONICLE, Thursday, January 31, 2013 Page 46

C M SQ page 46 Y K

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Notice of Formation of limited liability company. Name: ALEXANDRIA REAL ESTATE HOLDINGS LLC. Articles of Organization were filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 11/27/2012. Office location is Queens County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to the LLC, 420 West 144th Street, New York, NY 10031-5201. The general purpose: For any lawful purpose.

62 27 136TH ST LLC, a domestic LLC, Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 9/20/12. Office location: Queens County. SSNY is designated as agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: The LLC, 62 27 136th St., Flushing, NY 11367. General Purposes.

JONG SHIOU LLC, a domestic LLC, Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 12/4/12. Office location: Queens County. SSNY is designated as agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: The LLC, 43-62 Smart St., Flushing, NY 113552153. General Purposes.

NOTICE is hereby given that an Order entered by the Civil Court, Queens County on 1/17/13, bearing Index Number NC-001006-12/QU, a copy of which may be examined at the Office of the Clerk, located at 89-17 Sutphin Blvd., Jamaica, New York, in Record Room 357, grants me the right to assume the name of Gabriel Darlin Espinoza. My present name is Gabriel Darlin Espinoza Castro aka Gabriel Darlin Espinoza, aka Gabriel D Espinoza, aka Darlin G Espinoza. My present address is 8240 Austin St., Apt. 4A, Kew Gardens, NY 11415. My place of birth is Ecuador. My date of birth is July 4, 1983.

MG CONSTRUCTION AND MECHANICAL LLC, a domestic LLC, Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 1/14/13. Office location: Queens County. SSNY is designated as agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: Marek Grabowski, 102-10 66th Rd., Apt. 27A, Forest Hills, NY 11375. General Purposes.

HELLOPMG, LLC, Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 12/19/2012. Office loc: Queens County. SSNY has been designated as agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: 93-20A Roosevelt Ave., Suite 3D-I, Jackson Heights, NY 11372. Purpose: Any Lawful Purpose.

LC UNITED 816 LLC, a domestic LLC, Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 10/10/12. Office location: Queens County. SSNY is designated as agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: Cathy Chen, 80-18 217 St., Queens Village, NY 11427. General Purposes.

HUI FAMILY COMPANY, LLC, a domestic LLC, Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 12/5/12. Office location: Queens County. SSNY is designated as agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: The LLC, Attn: Mr. Hor Ken Hui, 80-84 Kent St., Jamaica Estates, NY 11432. General Purposes.

NOTICE OF FORMATION OF LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY. NAME: 14-42 30TH DRIVE LLC. Articles of Organization were filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 12/05/12. Office location: Queens County. SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail a copy of process to the LLC, c/o Hector Alexiades, Esq., 3110 37th Avenue, Suite 301, Long Island City, New York 11101. Purpose: For any lawful purpose.

GOLDEN AU T UMN INVESTORS LLC, a domestic LLC, Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 1/9/13. Office location: Queens County. SSNY is designated as agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: The LLC, P.O. Box 541325, Flushing, NY 11354. General Purposes.

Notice of Formation of 657659 West 179th Street, LLC. Arts. of Org. filed Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 12/27/12. Off. loc.: Queens County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: 31-10 37th Ave., Ste. 500, Long Island City, NY 11101. Purpose: any lawful activity.

NOTICE OF FORMATION OF LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY. NAME: JCIAMPA COMPANY LLC. Articles of Organization were filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 01/03/13. Office location: Queens County. SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail a copy of process to the LLC, 136-26 37th Avenue, Flushing, New York 11354. Purpose: For any lawful purpose.

NOTICE is hereby given that an Order entered by the Civil Court, Queens County on 10/25/12, bearing Index Number NC-000703-12/QU, a copy of which may be examined at the Office of the Clerk, located at 89-17 Sutphin Blvd., Jamaica, New York, in Record Room 357, grants me the right to assume the name of Siran Onik Balian-Kasparyan. My present name is Siran Kasparoglu aka Siran Balian, aka Siran Onik Balian, aka Siran Balian-Kasparyan. My present address is 65-23 183rd St., Fresh Meadows, NY 11365. My place of birth is Bronx, NY. My date of birth is September 10, 1975.

Notice is hereby given that a restaurant wine license, #TBA has been applied for by Flushing Star Cafe Inc. d/b/a Flushing Star Cafe to sell beer and wine at retail in an on-premises establishment. For onpremises consumption under the ABC Law at 13676 Roosevelt Avenue, 2nd Floor, Flushing NY 11354.

NOTICE is hereby given that an Order entered by the Civil Court, Queens County on 1/15/13, bearing Index Number NC-000027-13/QU, a copy of which may be examined at the Office of the Clerk, located at 89-17 Sutphin Blvd., Jamaica, New York, in Record Room 357, grants me the right to assume the name of Sofya Janashvili. My present name is Sofya Dzhanashvili aka Sofya Janashvili. My present address is 71-36 110th Street, Apt. #7J, Forest Hills, NY 113754859. My place of birth is Georgia. My date of birth is March 16, 1988.

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SQ page 49

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Page 49 QUEENS CHRONICLE, Thursday, January 31, 2013

Chronicle CLASSIFIEDS

QUEENS CHRONICLE, Thursday, January 31, 2013 Page 50

SQ page 50

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SUMMONS (Family Law) NOTICE TO RESPONDENT (Name): MOHAMEDSALIM ISMALBAHI GADIWALA You are being sued. Petitionerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s name is: MEGGAN ODELL CASE NUMBER: BD543131 You have 30 calendar days after this Summons and Petition are served on you to file a Response (form FL-120 or FL-123) at the court and have a copy served on the petitioner. A letter or phone call will not protect you. If you do not file your Response on time, the court may make orders affecting your marriage or domestic partnership, your property, and custody of your children. You may be ordered to pay support and attorney fees and costs. If you cannot pay the filing fee, ask the clerk for a fee waiver form. If you want legal advice, contact a lawyer immediately. You can get information about finding lawyers at the California Courts Online SeIf-Help Center (www.courtinfo.ca.gov/selfhelp), at the California Legal Services Website (www.lawhelpcalifornia.org), or by contacting your local county bar association. NOTICE: The restraining orders on page 2 are effective against both spouses or domestic partners until the petition is dismissed, a judgment is entered, or the court makes further orders. These orders are enforceable anywhere in California by any law enforcement officer who has received or seen a copy of them. A DECLARATION OF PRELIMINARY DISCLOSURE HAS BEEN FILED BY PETITIONER. SEE COURT FILE FOR MORE PARTICULARS. NOTE: If a Judgment or support order is entered, the court may order you to pay all or part or the fees and costs that the court waived for yourself or for the other party. If this happens, the party ordered to pay fees shall be given notice and an opportunity to request a hearing, to set aside the order to pay waived court fees. 1. The name and address of the court are: SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, 111 N. HILL ST., LOS ANGELES, CA 90012 2. The name, address, and telephone number of petitionerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s attorney, or the petitioner without an attorney, are: MARC S. ROTHENBERG, ESQ., SBN 72448, THE LAW FIRM OF MARC S. ROTHENBERG, 4326 ATLANTIC AVE., LONG BEACH, CA 90807-2804 562-424-0502 Dates Pub: Jan. 17, 24, 31 Feb. 7, 2013 John A. Clarke, Executive Officer/Clerk By (Secretario, por) D. Ward, Deputy (Asistente)

NOTICE OF FORMATION, GHOTRA MANAGEMENT LLC Articles of Organization filed with Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 10/10/2012. Office location: QUEENS COUNTY. SSNY designated for service of process. SSNY shall mail copies of any process served against the LLC to c/o: THE LLC, 11804 95TH AVE, RICHMOND HILL, NY 11419. Purpose: any lawful purpose or activity. Notice of Formation of limited liability company. Name: SUREWAY MAINTENANCE LLC. Articles of Organization were filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 9/12/2012. Office location is Queens County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to Dhani Dhaniram, 10520 130th Street, South Richmond Hill, NY 11419. The general purpose: For any lawful purpose.

SQ page 51

To Advertise Call 718-205-8000 NOTICE OF ACTION BEFORE THE BOARD OF MASSAGE THERAPY IN RE: The license to practice massage therapy of Dianping Li, L.M.T., 61-17 Palmetto Street, 2nd Floor, Ridgewood, New York 11385. CASE NO.: 2012-07060 LICENSE NO.: MA 66612 The Department of Health has filed an Administrative Complaint against you, a copy of which may be obtained by contacting Cecilie Sykes, Assistant General Counsel, Prosecution Services Unit, 4052 Bald Cypress Way, Bin #C65, Tallahassee, Florida 32399-3265, (850) 245-4640 If no contact has been made by you concerning the above by March 7, 2013, the matter of the Administrative Complaint will be presented at an ensuing meeting of the Board of Massage Therapy in an informal proceeding. In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, persons needing a special accommodation to participate in this proceeding should contact the individual or agency sending this notice not later than seven days prior to the proceeding at the address given on the notice. Telephone:(850) 245-4640, 1-800-955-877(TDD) or 1-800-955-8770 (V), via Florida Relay Service.

ARIS DIAGNOSTIC MEDICAL, PLLC, a domestic PLLC, Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 9/24/12. Office location: Queens County. SSNY is designated as agent upon whom process against the PLLC may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: Simon Ryoo, 88-09 101 Avenue, Ozone Park, NY 11416. Purpose: Medicine.

Notice of Formation of NEW YORK GOLDWATER FUND I, L.P. Certificate of Limited Partnership filed with the Secy. of State of New York (SSNY) on 12/4/2012. Office located Queens County. Princ. office of L.P. is 5002 97th Place, Corona, NY 11368. SSNY has been designated as agent upon whom process against the L.P. may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of any process served against the L.P. to the Partnership, 5002 97th Place, Corona, NY 11368. Name and business address of each general partner are available from the SSNY. Latest date upon which the L.P. is to dissolve is 10/31/2032. Purpose: For any lawful purpose.

31ST DRIVE LLC 1, Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 12/14/2012. Office loc: Queens County. SSNY has been designated as agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: Philip Loria, 37-20 Broadway, 2nd FL, Astoria, NY 11103. Purpose: Any Lawful Purpose.

Notice of Formation of limited liability company. Name: ROCK ANGEL PUBLICATIONS LLC. Articles of Organization were filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 09/06/2012. Office location is Queens County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to UNITED STATES CORPORATION AGENTS, INC., 7014 13TH AVENUE, SUITE 202, BROOKLYN, NY 11228. The general purpose: For any lawful purpose.

Notice of formation of Limited Liability Company. Name: 333 Lenox Associates LLC (“LLC”). Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of the State of New York (“SSNY”) on December 17, 2012. NY office location: Queens County. The SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. The SSNY shall mail a copy of any process to 333 Lenox Associates LLC, 140-16 45th Avenue, Flushing, NY 11355. Purpose/character of LLC is to engage in any lawful act or activity.

117-13 LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 11/21/12. Office in Queens County. SSNY designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to 102-10 Metropolitan Ave., Ste. 2000, Forest Hills, NY 11375. Purpose: General.

NOTICE OF FORMATION OF LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY. NAME: MINIPAT, LLC. Articles of Organization were filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 12/07/12. Office location: Queens County. SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail a copy of process to the LLC, 111-16 101 Avenue, Richmond Hill, New York 11419. Purpose: For any lawful purpose.

21-24 21ST ROAD LLC, a domestic LLC, Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 8/1/12. Office location: Queens County. SSNY is designated as agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: Rosalie Mollica, 1117 30th Rd., Astoria, NY 11102. General Purposes.

NOTICE OF FORMATION OF LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY. NAME: BHASIN MANAGEMENT L.L.C. Articles of Organization were filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 11/21/12. Office location: Queens County. SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail a copy of process to the LLC, 120-05 Liberty Avenue, South Richmond Hill, New York 11419. Purpose: For any lawful purpose.

Notice of Formation of limited liability company. Name: STARTING NOW LLC. Articles of Organization were filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 11/20/2012. Office location is Queens County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to the LLC, 3420 79th Street, #6D, Jackson Heights, NY 11372. The general purpose: For any lawful purpose.

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To Advertise Call 718-205-8000

Real Estate EQUAL HOUSING. Federal, New York State and local laws prohibit discrimination because of race, color, sex, religion, age, national origin, marital status, familial status or disability in connection with the sale or rental of residential real estate. Queens Chronicle does not knowingly accept advertising in violation of these laws. When you suspect housing discrimination call the Open Housing Center (the Fair Housing Agency for the five boroughs of New York) at 212-941-6101, or the New York City Commission of Human Rights Hotline at 212306-7500. The Queens Chronicle reserves the right to alter wording in ads to conform with Federal Fair Housing regulations.

Apts. For Rent Howard Beach, exclusive agent for studios & 1 BR apts, absentee L/L. Call Joe Trotta, Broker, 718843-3333

Houses For Sale

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HOWARD BEACH 98-19 161 AVE. Beautiful low ranch in pristine condition! Completely renovated corner property, boasts new brick, perfectly manicured landscaping, 2 car garage, finished basement, amazing backyard, pool, BBQ area, originally 3 BRs, converted to 2 BRs for more living space, extra BR in bsmt, great mother/daughter set up, many upgrades for your comfort, $649K $599K HUGE PRICE REDUCTION!

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Apts. For Rent

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Howard Beach/Lindenwood, 2 fl, 3 BRs, 2 baths, wood fls, no smoking/pets, credit check & refs req. $1,850/mo. Owner, 646-8015760.

Howard Beach/Astoria, lg, nicely furn rm, close to shops, restaurants, parks. Utils/cable, Internet incl. 718-704-4639

Howard Beach/Rockwood Park, brand new 1 BR, no pets/smoking, $1,300/mo incls G&E, W/D, use of yard. Owner, 917-991-7435

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Howard Beach/Rockwood Park, 1 BR walk-in, all new, stainless steel appl, G&E, CAC incl, $1,250/mo. Broker, 347-846-7809 Old Howard Beach, 1 BR, LR, EIK, DR, full bath, CAC, util incl, $1,275/mo, avail Mar 1, 718-8486431 Old Howard Beach, 2 apts avail, 1 fl, 1 BR, EIK, DR, LR, dvwy & gar incl, $1,600/mo. 2nd & 3rd fl, 1 BR, LR, EIK, den or 2nd BR, no pets/smoking, $1,400/mo. Owner 516-983-3311

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HOWARD BEACH LINDENWOOD Lindenwood Gardens 1st Fl 2 BR Garden Co-op, FDR, Pet friendly, Parking available. $159K Neg. Owner motivated! A Must See! Channel Team Exlusive!

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Old Howard Beach, 2nd fl, 3 BRs, Sebastian, Florida Affordable cuscredit check, $1,600/mo. Call tom factory constructed homes Broker, 347-846-7809 $45,900+, Friendly community, No Ozone Park, near all trans, newly Real Estate or State Income Taxes renov, 1 1/2 BR, 1 bath, no pets, ,minutes to Atlantic Ocean. 772$1,200/mo. ref req, 516-993-5628 581-0080, www.beach-cove.com. Ozone Park, studio apt, pvt ent, Limited seasonal rentals

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NOTICE OF QUALIFICATION OF ARTAIUS MANAGEMENT, LLC. Application for Authority filed with the Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 12/04/2012. LLC formed in DELAWARE on 11/30/2012. Office location: QUEENS County, at 211-63 46th Avenue, Bayside, NY 11361. SSNY has been designated as agent upon whom process against it may be served. The Post Office address to which the SSNY shall mail a copy of any process against the LLC served upon him/her is: CT Corporation System, 111 Eighth Avenue, 13th Floor, New York, NY 10011, which is the address of the LLC’s registered agent in the State of New York. The address of the office required to be maintained in the jurisdiction of the LLC’s formation is The Corporation Trust Company, 1209 Orange Street, Wilmington, DE 19801. CERTIFICATE OF FORMATION filed with the Secretary of State of the State of DELAWARE at 401 Federal Street, Suite 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: any lawful act or activity.

LIMAH FUNDING LLC, a domestic LLC, Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 11/30/12. Office location: Queens County. SSNY is designated as agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: The LLC, 3601 43rd Ave., Long Island City, NY 11001. General Purposes.

Chronicle

Page 51 QUEENS CHRONICLE, Thursday, January 31, 2013

LEGAL NOTICES

QUEENS CHRONICLE, Thursday, January 31, 2013 Page 52

SQ page 52

Mobster sentenced to life for 2 murders

John Liu sit-down continued from page 23 what The New York Times calls a research and liaison role, has agreed to testify as a prosecution witness under a grant of immunity from prosecution. Straw donor schemes typically collect small amounts of money from people who then are paid back by deep-pocketed donors as a way to circumvent campaign contribution limits. New York City currently limits individual contributions to $4,950. Liu said he first learned of the investigation in a 2011 article in the Times. “It came as a shock to me,” he said. “Then a month later one of my supporters is indicted. I don’t do anything different from my potential rivals.” Liu said, if anything, he has set the bar higher by not accepting contributions from Wall Street or anyone doing or seeking business with the comptroller’s office. “I’m proud of our campaign and the way we conduct fundraising,” he said. He also set a self-imposed limit of $800 per individual. “I thought The New York Times would love that, but then they turned it around and made some sort of freaky Chinese thing out of it,” he said referring to reports of the number 8 having significance in Chinese culture. “It came as an even bigger surprise to find out they had been tapping my phones for 18 months,” he said. “The trial is com-

ing up Feb. 4. I’m looking forward to it. I think the more information that comes out, the better it is for me, my campaign and for the public.” Liu’s off ice launched an audit that revealed the CityTime payroll scandal, and recouped $500 million for city coffers; is examining the infamous and overbudget 911 system upgrades from numerous directions; and recently announced an innovative initiative to invest city pension funds in revenue-producing infrastructure projects. When asked about the 1 1/2 percent return for the pension fund in 2012, Liu said their return on investments rivals or exceeds most of the other public pension funds in the country under “terrible” market conditions. Yet he says the most important operation of his office also might be considered the most mundane to outsiders. “Our accounting bureau,” he said. “My office pays the bills for the entire city government so that the city can continue to run. If our auditing department doesn’t run for a couple of months, it’s not the end of the world,” he said. “If our contract review process gets held up for a couple of months, some contracts might get held up, but it’s not the end of the world. “But if our accounting department, with payroll processing and keeping the city’s books, if that goes off for two months, Q that’s a disaster.”

Gambino associate convicted in June by Domenick Rafter

was shot in the back of the head on the boardwalk in the Rockaways, and the July A former mobster and drug dealer will 12, 1996 murder of John Gebert, who was slain under a pool table spend the rest of his life in in a bar on Jamaica prison after being convictAvenue in Woodhaven. ed of two murders in South According to trial Queens during the 1990s. testimony, Burke was a John Burke, a longtime trusted Gambino famiassociate of the Gambino ly enforcer and drug organized crime family of dealer for nearly three La Cosa Nostra — fordecades. As part of the merly run by the late John racketeering conspiraGotti — was sentenced cy, Burke participated Friday to life imprisonin numerous acts of ment without parole plus violence, including 10 years for the murder of fatal shootings and a rival drug dealer in aid home-invasion robof racketeering, racketeerberies, as well as drug ing conspiracy and other John Burke traff icking involving charges. PHOTO COURTESY US ATTORNEY cocaine and marijuana. On June 8, 2012, folThe jury also found lowing a four-week trial in Brooklyn federal court, Burke was Burke guilty of the murder of Gebert as part of racketeering, murdering him as part found guilty of all charges. Burke was convicted of two killings — of a continuing criminal enterprise, and a Q the 1991 murder of Bruce Gotterup, who firearms charge. Associate Editor

ATTENTION STUDENTS & PARENTS

Worker dies in construction

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A construction worker died in Astoria after he plummeted into a 10-foot-deep hole on Jan. 24, officials say. At about 3:15 p.m. the man fell into a construction ditch at 45-11 Broadway, hitting his head on a steel girder. The man’s name had not been released by press time, according to the Fire Department. The worker was taken to Mt. Sinai Queens Hospital, where he died of his injuries. The Department of Buildings issued a stop-work order during the ongoing inves-

tigation of the accident. Work at the site, being developed by Centex Builders, was stopped last March when neighbors said the excavation was causing their houses to sink. This is the second construction-related accident to occur to Western Queens this month. On Jan. 8 a crane collapsed at 46th Avenue and Center Boulevard, where new condominiums are being built on the waterfront, trapping several people and injuring seven. No one died in that inciQ dent.

Weiner calls

Browne said New Yorkers and Americans in general tend to be forgiving people, and that Gothamites have a history of judging elected officials on job performance. He cited Mayor Jimmy Walker, who served from 1926 to 1932 before political scandals did force him to resign. “He was corrupt,” Browne said. “He left his wife for a showgirl. And he got reelected. Rudy Giuliani also had some personal issues, but New Yorkers tended to look the other way.” Moesel was asked if Weiner’s return is inevitable, be it this year or another. “He is a very gifted politician, and he has the bug,” Moesel said. “I don’t think Q he’ll stay away indefinitely.”

continued from page 30 only one running for comptroller?” Tobman asked. “Is that possible?” All three men added that Weiner has name recognition, and always has been extremely popular among his constituents. “Dynamics in Manhattan are different,” Tobman said. “This is the outer-borough guy who could have been mayor.” In regard to the forgiving nature of the New York City electorate, Tobman believes voters would be more understandinging of the texting incidents themselves than the lying afterward.

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Transit retiree gives his home a makeover, thanks to Housing Rehabilitation Assistance be finished. Formerly a bit drab, it now features new granite countertops and complementary floor tiles in soft, eye-pleasing earthtones, rich real-wood cabinets, a ceramic brick backsplash and wall treatment, a gleaming stainless steel stove, new lighting, energy-efficient windows and a new door. “I love these cabinets; they still smell like wood,” Soto said as he made himself dinner one recent night. “These are not the cabinets you buy in your local Home Depot. And the ceramic brick is beautiful; it’s a beautiful selection.” It’s not just the parts you see that have been upgraded, though. The HRA-approved crew removed and replaced all the walls, the floor, the joists below it and the ceiling. Because the home had settled over the years, when they replaced the rafters they also had to raise the floor. To make up for the difference, they then lifted the ceiling a little, allowing those new wood cabinets to fit as well as they do. Since the kitchen juts out of the rear of the house, and none of the secondfloor rooms are above it, they were able to make the adjustments without causing any other issues. That’s how it is with the contractors HRA suppor ts — they respond to whatever unique needs a client has. The only thing Soto decided to change after the kitchen was done was the color of the door, so he was repainting that when he received a visitor recently. Soto just couldn’t resist getting in on the work somehow. “I love projects,” he said. In the foyer, which looks out over the hilly street, the crew removed the old ceiling, walls and front windows. They replaced any beams that had rotted because of the

Soto’s HRA-approved contractors replaced inefficient windows in the foyer with a beautiful new bay window, adding tremendously to his home’s curb appeal.

Soto enjoys his cozy new kitchen, but decided to repaint the door. — ADVERTISEMENT —

Rich wood cabinets, granite countertops and ceramic brick make Tito Soto’s kitchen more inviting than it’s ever been. leak and put in a beautiful new bay window that gives the home’s curb appeal a major boost. Since there’s nothing like a first impression, that window alone will have a big impact on prospective buyers. “It’s a tremendous, tremendous difference,” he said. “Without a doubt, just seeing it adds value to the house.” Like many HRA clients, Soto found out about the program through a card that came in the mail. Deciding it was worth checking out, he called and met with HRA representatives, who explained how the program works. “T hey were ver y amiable,”

he said. “They make you feel comfortable, because it is a big investment.” He received financial assistance for the window treatments and help with getting the loan that covered most of the project, and has remained in touch with his HRA representative as the work continues. “I would recommend them to anybody,” Soto said. To find out if you qualify for the Housing Rehabilitation Assistance program, just call HRA toll-free at 866-791-6302. Tell them you read about the great job they’re doing for Tito Soto, and they’ll be sure to give you the same level of excellent service.

For the latest news visit qchron.com

HRA-approved contractors are done to the homeowner’s satisfaction.” Soto cer tainly is. “I’m quite pleased with the work and would definitely recommend them to anybody interested in spending a little money to fix up their house,” he said. Soto’s home, built in 1920 in a hilly section of the Bronx, provides a perfect example of how utilizing HRA can help the homeowner. Though solid overall, it had a roof that leaked for years, a drafty foyer, some bad floor joists and a small kitchen that needed a modern makeover. It wasn’t that Soto wanted to upgrade the home he’s lived in for 27 years just for himself. With his daughter and his grandchildren having moved out for a place in the suburbs a few years ago, he’s decided it’s getting near time to sell. So he needed more curb appeal and a more inviting interior, one where the kitchen and foyer matched the quality of other rooms he remodeled himself over the years. He will miss his home, but Soto has been retired for nearly 23 years and says it’s time to move to an apartment where someone else can take care of the maintenance. “I’m fixing it up for the next owner,” he said. “It’s cozy and I love it, and if it wasn’t for the snow and the grass and everything else, I’d stay here. But I don’t need a house. It’s just me; the kids are gone, and it’s time to move on.” Until he does sell, Soto’s enjoying a new level of comfort and style provided by those HRAapproved workers he’s so glad to be employing. The first thing they did was replace the roof, taking care of the leaks. On the inside, the kitchen was the first part of the project to

Tito Soto likes to see people working, especially in these difficult times. So when he decided it was time to do major renovations on his house — more than he could do himself, though he’s always working on some project or another — he was glad to hire the crew of construction workers that has been doing the job. “They’re hardworking guys, very hardworking guys,” said Soto, who learned something about hard work during his 32 years as an electrician for the MTA. “I’m happy to be putting people to work with the way the economy is. I told them every day, ‘I’m glad to see you guys working.’” Soto didn’t select the crew all on his own, however. The company was prescreened for him by the group that helped make the entire project — and the jobs it created — possible: Housing Rehabilitation Assistance. HRA is the organization that’s helping homeowners all over the city and on Long Island do the home renovations of their dreams, by not just screening for the best contractors but working with banks to get the loans for major projects, finding extra financial assistance for clients who qualify, explaining the tax breaks that come with energy-efficient door and window treatments and new insulation — and ensuring that the job is always done right by holding contractors’ payments in escrow until clients certify that they’re absolutely satisfied. “The services offered by the HRA extend beyond just financial assistance for home improvement projects,” an administrator with the program explains. “We have implemented numerous processes to ensure that projects completed by

Page 53 QUEENS CHRONICLE, Thursday, January 31, 2013

A new level of style and comfort

Whitestone chili cookoff continued from page 35 for her family using about one pound of meat. But she admitted that the eight pounds she used for the contest proved a bit overwhelming. “I put so much work into it,” she said. “I was expecting a lot more people. I hope everyone eats it.” The Rev. Brian Blayer, the church’s pastor, seemed pleased with the event, which not only served as a fundraiser for the church but also as a community reach-out. “We thought it would be nice for the neighborhood,” he said. “It’s important for our community. That’s why we’re here.” Blayer expressed hope that more businesses would take part in future cook-offs. “We hope to get more restaurants involved,” he said, “to get their names out there.” The two represented this year were Flushing’s Mike & Maggie’s Pizzeria, which had a self-named entry, and Steve Bago’s Bellerose-based online catering service, Bagocue, which offered a dish called “Bagocue Chipotle Chorizo Chili,” one that seemed an early favorite among the samplers. For $2, hungry patrons could sample any three of the entries, or opt for the more challenging 10 tastings for $5. Whitestone resident Susan Bondy, an occasional chili eater who arrived with her daughter Katie and a family friend, found one dish particularly inviting, citing

it for a gravy that was “rich and thick” and saying the “black beans added extra special flavor.” Katie liked the same dish, calling it “sweet and spicy.” Katie’s friend, Shannon Tracy, could be considered something of a chili maven. Her father, she explained, “makes a huge pot of chili, a two-week supply.” By the time it runs low, he’s on to preparing the next batch. “I had it for breakfast before I knew about this,” she said. Congregation member James Barrios offered a dish of his own creation, “Chili by Barrios,” which he said he makes frequently during football season. “I try to stay healthy,” he said, explaining his use of turkey or chicken as the main ingredient. “It’s not as spicy, not as salty.” Surveying the room, he said, “It’s a great idea. Something different. We’re always trying to get people into church. Everyone loves chili.” When all the votes were tallied, it was “Irons’ Famous 5-Meat Chili” that took home the coveted trophy, with the entry from Mike & Maggie’s Pizzeria coming in a close second. According to Irons, the contest helped raised a few hundred dollars for the church. He said all the participants are already looking forward to next year. Q

PHOTO COURTESY NYS ASSEMBLY

QUEENS CHRONICLE, Thursday, January 31, 2013 Page 54

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Summer reading superstars Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder joined Principal Diane Marino to present certificates to over a dozen well-deserving students who participated and completed the New York State Assembly Summer Reading Challenge at PS 63 in Ozone Park last summer. As part of the challenge, Goldfeder provided parents of the students with a calendar to mark off how many days during the months of July and August their child read

a book. The children who read 40 days or more in the two-month period received a special certificate. The presentation was due to take place in November, but was delayed due to Hurricane Sandy. Above, students who received the certificates join Goldfeder, Marino and school librarian Kathleen Cavanugh at the presentation of certificates last week.

Mardi Gras celebration set for Feb. 6 School Sisters of North Dame Educational Center will hold a Mardi Gras Celebration on Wednesday, Feb. 6 from 6 to 10 p.m. at Roman View Catering, 160-05 Cross Bay Blvd., Howard Beach. Tickets are $65 per person and includes dinner and an open bar. RSVP by Q Friday, Feb. 1. Call (718) 738-0588 or email ssndcc@aol.com for more information.

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Page 55 QUEENS CHRONICLE, Thursday, January 31, 2013

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