City Council celebrates Vallone Sr.’s 85th birthday
BY JENNA BAGCAL
The City Council threw
an early birthday celebration
for former councilman
and longest-serving City
Council Speaker Peter Vallone
Sr.
Dozens of council members,
staff, family and
friends gathered after the
Dec. 10 Stated Meeting for
the 85-year-old’s surprise
fête. Back in 2014, City Hall
celebrated Vallone’s 80th
birthday and honored him
with a portrait in the Members
Lounge.
“A very happy and blessed
85th birthday to my father,
former New York City Council
Speaker Peter Vallone
Sr.!” said Councilman Paul
Vallone. “I’m incredibly
grateful to Speaker Johnson
and the Council Members
and staff who helped my
family celebrate this joyous
occasion. It was a very special
surprise my family and
I will never forget!”
Vallone’s longstanding
political career as New York
City Councilman spanned
nearly three decades from
1974 to 2001. He served as the
council member for Districts
20 and 22 in Queens before
becoming the majority leader
and first-ever Speaker of
the City Council.
Under Vallone’s leadership
as Speaker, the city
NOTICE OF PUBLIC INFORMATION SESSIONS
LaGuardia Airport Access Improvement Project
Environmental Impact Statement
TIMESLEDGER |22 QNS.COM | JAN. 3-JAN. 9, 2020
eliminated the city’s Board
of Estimate, a government
body formerly responsible
for several areas of municipal
policy and decisions.
In 1989, the Supreme Court
of the United States deemed
the Board of Estimate unconstitutional
based on the
grounds that Brooklyn, the
city’s most populous borough,
had “no greater effective representation”
than the city’s
least-populous borough, Staten
Island. Following that ruling,
the city budget, land use
and zoning came under City
Council purview.
Vallone teamed with former
Mayor David Dinkins
to propose the Safe Streets
Safe City program, which
allowed the city to impose a
surcharge on the personal
income tax in order to hire
more police officers. In the
early ’90s, the police force
rose from 26,0000 to 41,000 officers,
resulting in the lowest
crime rates since the 1960s.
“As the longtime City
Council Speaker, Peter Vallone
Sr. made New Yorker
greater and has been an inspiration
to so many who followed
him in that important
role, including myself. He is
a true public servant and it
was my honor to co-host his
85th surprise birthday party
at City Hall with his family,
friends, former colleagues
and all the Council Members
and staff he influenced. Happy
Birthday, Speaker!” said
Speaker Corey Johnson.
Reach reporter Jenna
Bagcal by e-mail at jbagcal@
qns.com or by phone at (718)
260-2583.
Council Member Paul Vallone and Speaker Corey Johnson celebrate Former Speaker Peter Vallone
Senior’s 85th Birthday with a surprise party at City Hall. Peter Vallone Sr. is the longest serving City
Council Speaker. Courtesy of Vallone’s offi ce
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announces its intent to hold Public Information Sessions to present the Draft Alternatives Analysis for the Proposed LaGuardia Airport
(LGA) Access Improvement Project Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), New York City, Queens County, New York. The FAA is the lead agency on the preparation of the EIS in
compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.).
The Port Authority, the operator of LGA, proposes to construct an automated people mover system to provide a time-certain transportation option for air passenger and employee
access to LGA.
The FAA is required to consider a range of reasonable alternatives that could potentially meet the purpose and need of the Proposed Action. A total of 47 project alternatives have
been identified for the Proposed Action from various sources including the Port Authority, public and agency scoping comments, past studies, and the FAA. Because of the number
of alternatives considered and the complexity of the Draft Alternatives Analysis, the FAA is affording the public an opportunity to ask questions on the Draft Alternatives Analysis
prior to release of the Draft EIS, which is currently scheduled for summer 2020.
Two public information sessions for the general public will be held, one from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Eastern Time on Tuesday, January 14, 2020 and the second from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30
p.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday, January 15, 2020. The same information will be provided at each session. The public information sessions will be conducted at the New York
LaGuardia Airport Marriott, 102-05 Ditmars Boulevard, East Elmhurst, New York. The public information sessions will be conducted in an open house format with project information
displayed and representatives from the FAA and the EIS Team available to answer questions. The FAA cannot accept verbal testimony or formal comments at the information
sessions. These sessions will be limited to discussing the FAA’s alternatives screening criteria and analysis. The FAA has not yet selected a preferred alternative. Any environmental
impacts or mitigation associated with a preferred alternative will be addressed in the Draft EIS. The FAA solicited comments during the scoping period and comments on the Draft
Alternatives Analysis and the overall project will be solicited during the review of the Draft EIS.
Translation services, including an assistive listening device, and sign and oral interpretation can be made available at the information sessions, if requested 10 calendar days
before the sessions. The information sessions will be open to all persons on a space-available basis. There will be no admission fee or other charge, including parking, to attend and
participate (parking validation will be available). For additional information, please contact: Ms. Maria Bernardez, Ricondo & Associates, Inc., at 312-606-0611, x374 or
mgbernardez@ricondo.com. Si desea esta información en español, llame a (312) 606-0611, x374.
More information about the project sponsor’s Proposed Action
and the public information sessions can be found at: www.LgaAccessEIS.com.
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