THE POWER OF THE POSITION BY CLAIRE SHULMAN Why the borough president, I am asked. The 1989 Charter has the council voting on both land use and budgets, so what do you do to warrant the existence of the office? I will tell you. I can best describe it by telling you what we did before and after the 1989 Charter revision. My staff and I were determined to make a difference in Queens. Before 1989 we had to negotiate for money; after 1989 the borough president got five percent of the enhancements in the expense budget and five percent of the capital budget. Queens got 33 percent of the five percent capital money, which enabled us not only to build, but to influence the construction of the following institutions: Queens Museum of Art New York Hall of Science Queens Hospital Center Flushing Town Hall Family Court Civil Court Queens Theatre Queens Zoo Roy Wilkins Park and Recreation Center Creedmoor Educational Company Flushing Library Claire Shulman P.S.1 Townsend Harris High School SE552, $100 million sewer project to relieve flooding in SE Queens American Museum of the Moving Image Flushing Meadows swimming pool and ice skating rink BP and the mayor’s office get Fort Totten from the feds These are just a few things we accomplished which makes the borough president’s office one of the best bargains in New York City. We helped to enliven the cultural life of Queens, thereby creating a harmony in a very diverse population. We were involved in so much, none of which was mentioned or prohibited in the Charter. For example we spent five years saving non-eviction conversion co-ops, thousands of units that helped cooperators, renters and neighborhoods survive. There are many people currently running for this office because they want to continue the effort. This is a big city and one cannot know everything, so local government, the planning boards, the council and the BP’s office are our good government. Together we help deliver services through the Borough Cabinet where it is needed and deal with land use issues and budgets through the Borough Board. If borough presidents didn’t exist it is my opinion that Manhattan would walk away with all the resources that currently cover major projects in Queens. I will continue to advocate for the office of borough president and the relative autonomy of our great borough. Don’t fool yourself -- if you are elected by a county of two million people, that’s power and everyone listens! Claire Shulman was the first female borough president, serving from 1986 until 2002. op-ed Inquiring Photographer: What are your plans for Mother’s Day? BY LUKE TABET I want to make breakfast in bed for my mom-- her favorite, cereal with milk. Anna Ducroiset I hope to spend it with my family, which means two grandkids, three great-grandsons, and my son-in-law. Doris Shankman Probably go out to dinner, a couple years ago we had wine and cheese on the Cryder Point dock. John Ducroiset I’ll have my 89-year-old mother over for dinner at my apartment, with my two kids, my brother, and his family. Julie Cunningham I think we’re going out to dinner, we usually go to Donovan’s in Bayside off Bell Boulevard. Katie Keehner CRYDER POINT • T h e O f f i c i a l N e w s p a p e r o f C r y d e r P o i n t • “We’re All About You” Publisher & Editor Victoria Schneps-Yunis Associate Publisher Joshua A. Schneps Editor In Chief Toni Cimino Cryder Point Courier, 38-15 Bell Blvd. Bayside, NY 11361 718-224-5863 • Fax 718-224-5441 Sales fax: 718-631-3498 e-mail: [email protected] Art Director Jennifer Decio Artists Stephen Reina, Nirmal Singh, Ron Torina, Cheryl Gallagher Entire Contents Copyright 2013 by the Cryder Point Courier. All letters sent to CRYDER POINT COURIER should be brief and are subject to condensing. Writers should include a full address and home and office telephone numbers, where available, as well as affiliation, indicating special interest. Anonymous letters are not printed. Only letters with a name given will be accepted. No such ad or any part thereof may be reproduced without prior permission of CRYDER POINT COURIER. The publishers will not be responsible for any error in advertising beyond the cost of the space occupied by the error. Errors must be reported to CRYDER POINT COURIER within five days of publication. Ad position cannot be guaranteed unless paid prior to publication. CRYDER POINT COURIER assumes no liability for the content or reply to any ads. The advertiser assumes all liability for the content of and all replies. The advertiser agrees to hold CRYDER POINT COURIER and its employees harmless from all cost, expenses, liabilities, and damages resulting from or caused by the publication or recording placed by the advertiser or any reply to any such advertisement. C R Y D E R P O I N T 8 may 8 cryder point courier | may 2013 | WWW.QUEENSCOURIER.COM
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