CANDIDATES SQUARE OFF

Two candidates seeking the Democratic nomination to face Mayor Michael Bloomberg in the November general election, City Council Member Tony Avella (top) and City Comptroller William Thompson, stumped for votes during last Tuesday's Forest Hills Community and Civic Association meeting at Continental Post 1424. (photos: Robert Pozarycki) Though Mayor Michael Bloomberg was a no-show to the Forest Hills Community and Civic Association's (FHCCA) mayoral candidates forum last Tuesday, June 9, two of his challengers were on hand to make their case to neighborhood voters.

City Comptroller William Thompson and City Council Member Tony Avella—who are competing against each other for the Democratic nomination in the September primary— showed up at Continental Post 1424 to discuss their platforms and ideas should they win the November general election against the incumbent.

Though the mayor was invited to attend last Tuesday's session, FHCCA President Barbara Stuchinski told the audience at the start that Bloomberg had cancelled hours prior to the meeting and would appear at a meeting of the civic group sometime after its summer hiatus.

Avella: Give communities control

First to speak at the candidate's forum was Avella, a Bayside-based legislator and former civic activist who was first elected to the City Council in 2001. Having served as president of six different civic organizations in northeastern Queens, he observed that he knows "what the community needs and deserves," adding that city government has strayed from its responsibilities to the people.

"Unfortunately, we've lost control of city government," Avella said. "They now tell us what's in our best interests. We have to fight with our own government to protect communities from overdevelopment."

The Council member stated that he would put more emphasis on local neighborhoods as mayor, pledging to curb overdevelopment by ensuring that new projects developed across the city match the existing housing stock and character in a given community. He also pledged to give greater responsibilities and power to local community boards, observing that such a move would make government "more responsive to the people."

With the future of mayoral control of the city's education system in question, Avella charged that the mayor and Schools Chancellor Joel Klein have operated the Department of Education more as a business than a public institution. He also remained skeptical of news regarding higher test scores achieved on city tests, observing that city students have shown no improvement on national standardized exams in the last eight years.

If elected, he vowed to "fire Joel Klein" and make changes to the Department of Education to provide for greater accountability and parental involvement. Responding to a question from Dorie Figliola regarding reductions in school supply budgets, the candidate charged that the city should provide the funding along with policies to help schools succeed.

"If education is a priority, let's make it so and cut out the nonsense. There is money; let's fund it," the Council member said.

Avella also touched upon traffic issues, noting that many communities have been denied in requests for traffic safety devices since a local street or intersection does not meet federal traffic guidelines. He called for the creation of separate traffic guidelines for New York City, noting that city streets have vastly different conditions than other roadways across the country.

Thompson touts experience

Elected comptroller in the same year Bloomberg was first elected mayor, Thompson told residents of some of the policies and campaigns he formulated in his eight years as the city's chief financial officer.

The Brooklyn native, who previously served as president of the Board of Education, noted that he worked to create programs to help spur business in the city, including the creation of banking development districts to bring banks to underserved neighborhoods. He also stated his opposition to cutbacks in services in recent years, including proposed closures of senior centers and charging rent to families living in city homeless shelters.

"The middle and working classes of New York are getting squeezed every day. Soon they will leave," Thompson said, charging that the current mayor represents only the interests of the wealthiest of New Yorkers. "I believe I can win and we can put someone in City Hall who could change things."

Asked about how to diversify the city's economy in the wake of the financial sector meltdown, the comptroller stated that the city needs to make it easier for small businesses to grow and flourish. He also proposed programs to assist New Yorkers who are self-employed, noting that the number of independent workers has grown to over 20 percent.

Regarding mayoral control of the city's school system, Thompson said he supports continuing the program with a number of revisions, including enhancing parental involvement and authority in community education councils and parent-teacher associations. He also favored the creation of an independent testing authority to administer and analyze standardized tests to accurately track student progress.

"The DOE is the most fiscally irresponsible entity in the world," he said, claiming that the department continually issues no-bid contracts and overpays "for almost everything" by about 10 percent, causing the city to waste tens of millions of dollars.

As for cutbacks to community boards, Thompson charged that the proposed reductions were an attempt by the mayor to make them inefficient to the point where they would become obsolete. He called on the city to keep the advisory bodies well funded and to trim expenses elsewhere to close budget deficits.

City Council candidate

Not in attendance for the FHCCA's April meeting featuring candidates for the 29th City Council District seat being vacated by Melinda Katz, Mel Gagarin stopped by to make his pitch to local residents.

The Kew Gardens resident and former aide to Rep. Anthony Weiner told the audience that it was time for "a new generation of ideas" to come forward. He pledged to support efforts to increase community involvement in the land use review process and to fight cuts to city services that would damage social programs.

Gagarin also called for the installation of global positioning systems (GPS) on all Access-a-Ride buses serving senior and disabled persons in New York City, adding that the devices would help participants in the program know where their buses are.

School complaints Several parents in attendance complained about construction activities at the site of a new public school complex being built off Metropolitan Avenue near Selfridge Street. They charged that work has started as early as 6:15 a.m., and trucks hauling equipment to the site have been causing loud noise and vibrations to nearby homes on Sybilla Street.

Stuchinski said that a special meeting will be held in the fall regarding progress at the Metropolitan Avenue school site.

Warning on burglaries

Though overall crime has plunged by nearly 20 percent year-to-date in the 112th Precinct, homeowners and tenants were urged by police to take extra steps to safeguard their houses and apartments from potential burglars.

P.O. Gigi Redezematovic of the Community Affairs Unit reminded residents to lock their doors and windows whenever leaving home or being away from a room for an extended period. The perimeter around a home should also be kept well lit at night to deter criminals from trespassing and breaking into a residence.

When going away on vacation, Officer Redezematovic advised against allowing mail and fliers to pile up on the front porch or in mailboxes. She suggested asking a neighbor to collect mail daily or to ask the U.S. Postal Service to temporarily stop deliveries.

In the aftermath of the rape of a woman in the vicinity of 67th Road and Queens Boulevard last month, the officer suggested that all persons be careful of their surroundings at all hours of the day and to avoid walking alone during nighttime hours. Regarding the case, Redezematovic noted that no arrests had been made and the investigation is ongoing.

The Forest Hills Community and Civic Association will not meet in July and August. Their next session is scheduled to take place on Tuesday, Sept. 8 at 7:30 p.m. at American Legion Continental Post 1424, located at 107-15 Metropolitan Ave. For more information, visit www.fh civic.org.