14 The Queens Courier • january 23, 2014 for breaking news visit www.queenscourier.com a day with the new council As the freshman class of councilmembers took office, The Courier spent some time with the legislators . . . VALLONE’S BIG IDEAS FOR HIS DISTRICT BY MELISA CHAN mchan@queenscourier.com Councilmember Paul Vallone wants sparks to fly during his time in office. The freshman legislator launched idea after idea — including shooting fireworks on Bell Boulevard and hosting movie and game nights — during a two-hour interview with The Courier. “I want to bring back that old-time feel,” he said, gazing at the boulevard out of his fifth floor Bell Plaza windows. “You look at things from a different perspective,” he said. “As a father, I think, ‘What would my kids want to do?” His long list of plans for the district also include having quarterly roundtables with the district’s community groups and starting up a new Student Ambassadors program in February with three local high schools. The initiative allows about 10 juniors from Holy Cross High School, Bayside High School and World Journalism Preparatory to serve for a year as community representatives. The teens would organize food collections and cleanups, take trips to City Hall and even draft a bill to be introduced in the City Council. “It’s the next generation’s input,” Vallone said. “I’m not going to touch it, whatever they draft.” As for his own bill, Vallone filed his first piece of legislation January 9, calling for the city to recognize Lunar New Year as a major holiday. It supports a law already introduced in the State Senate and Assembly that has not moved for years. The lawmaker also plans to continue participatory budgeting, which begins in 2015 at its earliest. The city initiative gives residents the chance to develop and vote on physical infrastructure projects they want to see in their neighborhoods. At the top of his growing list of priorities is still making sure a school is not built in the former Whitestone Jewels site. “This is nonstop,” he said. “We’re still watching.” THE COURIER/Photo by Melissa Chan Councilmember Paul Vallone discussed his first few weeks in office during a two-hour interview with The Courier. Lancman’s smooth transition BY MELISA CHAN mchan@queenscourier.com It may have been the smoothest transition in the city. Councilmember Rory Lancman, sipping a 7-Eleven Super Big Gulp, detailed his seamless move from the State Assembly to the City Council in a sit-down interview with The Courier. “It’s a different ball game, when everything you deal with is the five boroughs,” he said. “But in terms of the district office and serving the community, there’s no difference at all.” New to City Hall, but not to New York politics, Lancman, 44, won the open District 24 seat in a landslide victory on November 5. He succeeds term-limited Councilmember James Gennaro in a district almost identical to the one he served in the Assembly from 2007 to 2013. “Jim and I have known each other for a THE COURIER/Photo by Melissa Chan Councilmember Rory Lancman detailed his smooth transition from state to city office. Costa is committed to community BY ANGY ALTAMIRANO aaltamirano@queenscourier.com Councilmember Costa Constantinides wants his constituents to know he is here for them and plans on keeping his two campaign promises – to work hard for them and never lie. It has been almost four weeks since Constantinides began his position as District 22’s newest councilmember representing Astoria and parts of Long Island City, Woodside, East Elmhurst and Jackson Heights. From moving into his brand new office, located at 31-09 Newton Avenue in Astoria, to going around meeting his constituents and introducing himself to the community, Constantinides has been busy. “I understand the work the people in this district have sent me to City Hall to do and I’m making sure their voice is continually heard at City Hall and that’s my job,” he said during an interview with The Courier. The freshman legislator refers to his new office as the “people’s house” and encourages his constituents to stop by. “It’s real easy to hear how I’m doing,” he said. “I take a lot of cues from my constituents on the ground as to how things are really working out in the district.” His plans for the district include working with the New York City Economic Development Corporation to bring ferry service to western Queens and also create what he calls a “multi-module transportation system,” including bike lanes and increased bus service. Constantinides also plans to work on improving schools in the district, whether it be helping reduce subway noise congestion at P.S. 85 or discussing with the Department of Education technological upgrades to bring schools to the 21st century. Constantinides also wants to introduce a bill requiring corner garbage pickup at the end of every business day, and bring The Doe Fund to the area to help keep the community clean. “I think we have a great staff,” he said. “We’re really excited to get out to the neighborhood. We’re really going to be out in the community, hearing concerns that our neighbors have and finding ways to address those concerns. We’re going to be active in being out in the community and being a resource for them to make government better.” long time. He and I supported each other politically and legislatively for many years,” Lancman said. “I don’t think there could have been a more natural or productive handoff of responsibilities.” The Fresh Meadows attorney said even during his tenure in the Assembly, nearly all constituent services were related to city issues. Drinking Diet Pepsi, with a splash of lemon — his choice of beverage every morning — Lancman is quick with a quip. In between multiple phone calls that he answers with his Bluetooth headset, Lancman is still trying to perfect his office space. “We need a space heater in the conference room,” he tells his chief-of-staff. “Everybody is cold.” As he slips into his next meeting, Super Big Gulp in hand, he apologizes to his guests from the Wildlife Conservation Society. “I promise next time there will be coffee and warmth,” he said. THE COURIER/ Photo by Angy Altamirano It has been almost four weeks since Councilmember Costa Constantinides started representing District 22 and he plans on making sure the government works for his constituents. SE MORE POLITICS, PAGE 18, AND OUR POLITICAL COLUMN, PAGE 26
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