8
L E H A V R E
N E W S
O C T O B E R Election 2018: Meet the Candidates
Name: Raymond Valdes
Residency at Le Havre:
18 months
Occupation: Retired
NYPD Detective
Have you ever served on
any Co-op or Condo board,
including Le Havre? No (Note:
Currently Building Captain for
Building 6)
What special experience,
qualifications, or abilities
can you provide as a Board
member? Please include
your educational background.
As a retired NYPD Detective
1st Grade, I have received an
extensive and diverse variety
of training, experience and
problem-solving ability to
enhance my formal education.
My journey in the NYPD
immediately exposed me to
a diverse group of colleagues
who eventually became
comrades and friends as we
8 LEHAVRE COURIER | OCTOBER 2018 | WWW.QNS.COM
learned about our differences
as well as our shared values
that comprise the uniqueness
of New York City. Each one of
us shared in the same goals
of compassion and achievement
for a greater good.
My experience in the
Police Academy was further
enhanced when I was
assigned as a uniformed
C.P.O.P officer (Community
Police Officer Program). As
a “beat” cop, I forged relationships
built upon trust and
shared goals with residents,
shop owners and local community
leaders.
As I progressed through
my career, first through the
Narcotics Division of the
Organized Crime Control
Bureau (O.C.C.B) and then,
through Internal Affairs as
an undercover officer and
investigator, my primary
assignment was to ensure the
safety and well-being of law
abiding citizens while simultaneously
ensuring a proactive
enforcement approach with
those individuals who did not
conform to established societal
norms.
Prior to my career with
the New York City Police
Department, I had over ten
years’ varied experience in
several disciplines including:
retail management as well as
personnel management with
CBS and Burns Security.
My varied professional
experience coupled with my
undergraduate degree have
provided me with the tools
to effectively assess, analyze
and develop solutions for the
shareholders and all interested
parties in the Le Havre
community.
I am honored to be
share-holder at Le Havre. It
would be a privilege to serve
this very special community
as a Board Member. I pledge
that if I were to represent
the residents, it would be
with the commitment and
persistence that I focused on
my professional career. My
goal is ensuring that the Le
Havre Corporation remains
a residential community that
is financially stable with a
high quality of life. I would be
grateful to contribute to the
Board’s proven track record
of success to preserving this
gem. Education Background:
Graduate, NYPD Police
Academy; Bachelor of Arts,
Marist College
What do you see as the
major priorities for Le
Havre for the next year?
To fulfill the goals previously
set by the Board and
Management; to continue to
improve the conditions and
the quality of life of all the
shareholders and all those
involved with the Le Havre
Corp.
Name: Steven Young
Residency at Le Havre:
44 years
Occupation: Retired
Drug & Alcohol Counselor
Have you ever served on
any Co-op or Condo board,
including Le Havre? If Yes,
Specify:
Le Havre Owners Corp.
1998-2002 Board
Member & President
2010-2015 Board
Member
2015-Present Vice
President
What special experience,
qualifications, or abilities
can you provide as a Board
member? Please include
your educational background.
BA, CASAC License, graduate
studies in substance abuse,
1199 Delegate, member of
arbitration committee, labor
Management board member,
budget committee member
What do you see as the
major priorities for Le
Havre for the next year?
Maintaining the stability of
maintenance
Five year plan for capital projects
to include cement work
on all 32 buildings.
Maintain amenities, see that
the co-op is advertised better
and improve the marketing of
the co-op
Additional Information:
As a resident of Le Havre
for the last 44 years and a
prior board member for seven
years, I remain committed
to the betterment of the
Le Havre community. I’ve
watched the neighborhood
grow over the years with
new members and families,
and noticed so many of our
existing members remaining.
There are countless reasons
folks choose to join us and
decline to leave.
From serving as the Board
President for two years
and as a member of the
Recreation and Budget committees,
I have contributed
to this community on myriad
levels. I have been involved
with the cement work on
our porticos under our buildings
and helped re-design
our clubhouse & gym. I feel
our amenities help make
our co-op one of the prime
developments in Queens. I
was involved in our recent
successful fight against the
city tax increase and have
been working to bring our
community together through
mediation. I have a good
sense of what the community
cares about, and I know that
certain issues such as potential
maintenance increases
are extremely unpalatable.
If I am elected to the board,
my hard work and dedication
to this neighborhood will be
put forward to ensure that the
costs of living here are not
further increased, that the
expectation of residents are
met and that Le Havre continues
to be a great place to live.
Name: Tom Tsounis
Residency at Le Havre:
25 years
Occupation: Retired
Have you ever served on
any Co-op or Condo board,
including LeHavre? If Yes,
Specify:
Le Havre Owners Corp.
10/2000-10/2006 Vice
President
10/2008-10/2009 Board
Member
What special experience,
qualifications, or abilities
can you provide as a Board
member? Please include
your educational background.
President and Treasurer of
Queensborough C.C. Alumni;
Executive Board Member
of ATU Union for 3 years;
Democratic Committee man
for 4 years, State Committee
member for Working Families
Party for 10 years. B.A. from
Queens College, Associates
from QCC, member of Who’s
Who in both colleges.
What do you see as the
major priorities for Le
Havre for the next year?
Minimize maintenance &
assessment increases
Find ways to generate income
& lower operational costs
Additional Information:
Need to achieve a quorum or
lower the requirements for a
quorum to ensure an election
every year. The annual election
will allow Board Members
to be elected instead of the
previous year’s Board remaining
in power by default. Any
vacancies on the Board
should be filled from the list
of candidates in vote order
instead of being appointed by
the Board itself.