When public hearings were held last month about reapportionment of legislative districts in Queens, I spoke out strongly about the importance of preserving the integrity of neighborhoods in the redrawing of the new districts.

Reapportionment takes place every ten years following the U.S. Census and a joint legislative task force has been holding hearings throughout the state as it makes recommendations for new lines for Assembly, Senate, and Congressional districts.

Every community has its own distinct civic, institutional, and social structure and dividing large communities into different legislative districts is unfair to residents because of confusion over which representative to look to for help and assistance. Legislators, who must deal with overlapping jurisdictions of such services as police, fire, health, education and planning, are more effective for constituents when entire neighborhoods are included in their districts.

Our work on behalf of constituents is already complicated by overlapping jurisdictions of local government districts dealing with such services as police, fire, health, education, and planning. The more “pieces” of communities we represent, the more difficult it is to be effective on behalf of each of them.

I understand the state’s mandate to draw district lines that meet a specific population target figure. However, I urged these task force members to do so by respecting the integrity of recognized community boundaries in order to minimize the number of different communities that are included.

Long-standing community complaints about noise and odor problems along the railroad line that passes through Middle Village may be alleviated this fall thanks to an agreement that local elected officials, including me, have worked out with railroad operators.

Long plagued by excessive noise from early-morning switching operations, residents who live adjacent to the Fresh Pond Yards will be pleased to hear that CSX and New York & Atlantic Railroad have agreed to relocate required train-assembly operations to a new location near 69th Street which is not immediately adjacent to residences.

The commitment by the transportation companies, expected to be implemented before the end of the year, comes after several years of effort on the part of civic organizations and public officials to convince the railroads to adjust their operations to respond to community concerns as traffic on the line is increasing as a result of new solid municipal waste cargo.

ABOVE: Maspeth Federal’s Kenneth Rudzwick and I admire the new addition to the 9-11 memorial after anniversary ceremonies at Maspeth Memorial Park, which is adjacent to the Squad 288/HazMat 1 firehouse.

LEFT: I was honored to participate in a memorial program at Rescue 4 in Woodside where a portion of Queens Boulevard was renamed “Boulevard of Bravery.”

Congressman Joseph Crowley and I were among those taking part in the Patriots’ Day 9-11 memorial program at Doughboy Park in Woodside. We are flanked by Ed Bergendahl (right), President of the Woodside Civic Association, and Commander Gerald F. Olt, St. Sebastian’s CWV Post.

Remembering Our
Heroes on Anniversary

Ten 9-11 anniversary dates have come and gone since that fateful day in 2001. As we gathered at locations throughout the city last month to note this latest anniversary, we were reminded that 9-11 isn’t only a date on the calendar or a day to remember once a year. 9-11 is something that is always with us—every day.

We now live in a world that is sensitized to a whole new way of life under the threat of terrorism. 9-11 is also a constant in the lives of the families and surviving members of police, fire and public safety workers; and it is a continuing presence in the lives of survivors who face continuing health issues.

Memorial events like those pictured here provide an opportunity for us to stand together in mutual support and draw strength from each other as we face the future. They also represent our pledge to always remember and commemorate the bravery of fathers, family members and neighbors who died that day doing their duty.

Talk About Quality of Life Concerns: I recently met with 108th Precinct Commander Captain Donald Powers to discuss crime and quality of life concerns in the Woodside-Sunnyside-LIC precinct. With me, from left, are: Community Affairs Officer Maro Youssef, Captain Powers, and Community Affairs Officer Louis Sorrentino.

Thank You from Broadway Library: I strongly support the work of the Queens Public Library and was recently honored to be greeted at the Broadway Library in Astoria which hosted a community reception to celebrate renewed State and City funding for the library and its branches after budget cuts threatened continued full service. With me, from left are: Senator Michael Gianaris, Library Manager Logan Ragsdale, Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer, and George Stamatiades.

Sweet Syrup for Smile on Maspeth Day: I was pleased to sponsor a visit of the “Maple Van” at this event in September. New York State is second in the nation in the production of maple syrup and this traveling exhibit, staffed by members of the Future Farmers of America, gave Maspeth residents an opportunity to learn about how it is produced.

In this tough economy, you or a neighbor might need assistance to stay warm during the cold winter months to come and New York State has assistance available for working families and seniors who may have trouble paying their heating bills this winter.

The Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) is a federally funded program that issues heating benefits to eligible Queens residents to help them supplement their household’s annual energy cost.

The regular HEAP benefit assists lower-income New Yorkers with the cost of heating their homes or apartments. These benefits are based on income, the primary heating source, and the presence of a household member who is under age 6, age 60 or older or permanently disabled. Regular benefits for households that pay directly for heat based on actual usage are paid to the vendor of the household’s primary source of heat.

You may be eligible for a regular benefit if: you and your household members are United States citizens or qualified aliens; your household’s gross monthly income is at or below the current income guidelines for your household size; you receive food stamps; you receive temporary assistance; or you receive Code A Supplemental Security Income (SSI living alone).

In addition to regular benefits, HEAP also provides emergency benefits to New Yorkers who are facing a heat or heat-related energy emergency and do not have the resources available to fix the crisis. This may include assistance if your electricity or gas is scheduled to be shut off, or you are in danger of running out of fuel, or even heating equipment repair for low-income homeowners to fix or replace furnaces, boilers, and other direct-heating equipment.

Emergency HEAP benefits are based on income, available resources, the number of household members, and the primary fuel type. Benefit amounts are based on the actual cost incurred for repair or replacement of the appliance, up to $6,000.

A warm home is critical during the long, cold winter months and household heating cost increases have created a serious issue for many Queens residents. HEAP assistance provides added protection for those who need it most and I am committed to supporting HEAP to ensure that seniors on fixed incomes and working families struggling to make ends meet do not have to choose between heating their homes and putting food on the table.

For further information about HEAP, please call the NYC Human Resources Administration Department of Social Services toll-free number at 800-692-0557, or visit the HRA/DSS website at www.nyc.gov/html/hra/html/directory/heap.shtml. As always, please do not hesitate to contact my office with any questions or concerns at 718-651-3185.

When the Port Authority announced massive new increases in tolls on Port Authority bridges and tunnels that went into effect this fall, I reached out to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to strenuously object to their decision.

In a letter to the PA Executive Director, I said that forcing drivers and truckers to pay for the Authority’s commercial real estate ventures seems wrong to me. It is an inappropriate diversion from your agency’s mandate to create and enhance transportation and port facilities in the New York metropolitan region. Bridges and tunnels under the Port Authority jurisdiction should not be treated as “cash cows” for commercial development in Lower Manhattan.

Just as the agency has chosen to do by pledging PATH fare increases to the improvement of PATH service and facilities, you should dedicate fare and toll revenue largely or totally to the service or facility from which you derive it.

Income from regional transit, transportation, post and airport facilities should be ploughed back into the cost of maintaining and improving those services for the benefit of commerce and all the residents of the region, not diverted to real estate goals in Manhattan.

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