FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM JANUARY 27, 2022 • THE QUEENS COURIER 15
Just about every member of the Queens City
Council delegation named a committee chair
BY BILL PARRY
bparry@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
Northeast Queens Councilwoman
Vickie Paladino was the only member
of the borough delegation that was not
given a committee leadership position
announced by Speaker Adrienne Adams
at last week’s stated meeting. A Paladino
spokesman confi rmed that the Republican
was allowed to attend the meeting in
person aft er she was granted a waiver to
the city’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate,
which she’s said she doesn’t agree with.
“Council member Paladino does have
a waiver and she has been tested, so she
is allowed on the grounds,” Adams told
reporters on the steps of City Hall.
Her fellow Republican, Councilwoman
Joann Ariola, who now represents
south Queens, was appointed chair of
the Committee on Fire and Emergency
Management.
“In light of what has happened in our
city over the past few weeks where lives
were lost, but more lives were saved due
to the outstanding eff orts of the Fire
Department, NYC’s Department of
Emergency Services and the Emergency
Management Department, my committee
and I will work tirelessly to make
sure they have the necessary resources
needed to continue saving lives,” Ariola
said. “Chairing this important committee
will also help me better serve my
own district, which consists of historical
districts and communities where many
of the homes are wood-framed and can
easily catch fi re.”
Council Majority Whip Selvena Brooks-
Powers, who represents the eastern portion
of the Rockaways, was appointed as
chair of the transportation committee.
“My district is a transit desert, underserved
by rail and bus services,” she said.
“Our communities truly understand the
urgent need for a public transportation
network that is reliable, accessible, aff ordable
and safe. As we work with our partners
in government and stakeholders, my
highest priority is to build a more equitable
transportation system for all New
Yorkers.”
Forest Hills Councilwoman Lynn
Schulman was elected by her colleague to
serve as chair of the Health Committee.
“I have dedicated my personal and professional
life to health care advocacy and
look forward to helping all of my constituents
City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams announced that nearly all of her colleagues on the Queens delegation were named committee chairs.
and all New Yorkers access aff ordable
and equitable healthcare,” Schulman said.
Flushing Councilwoman Linda Lee
will serve as chair of the Mental Health
Committee.
“Pandemic-driven stress, housing insecurity,
unemployment and other issues
have exacerbated deep-rooted issues in
our city, and if we want to bring NYC
back following the pandemic, we must
acknowledge that these problems are
complex, interrelated and require multifaceted
solutions,” Lee said.
Councilwoman Tiff any Cabán will
lead the Women and Gender Equity
Committee, as the fi rst-ever majority
women’s Council gets underway.
“I look forward to working with my
colleagues to use this position to provide
supports to survivors of gender-based
violence, guarantee dignifi ed conditions
for workers in traditionally gendered professions,
and shift resources and power
away from patriarchal systems of violence
and punishment,’ Cabán said.
Councilwoman Julie Won was named
chair of the Contracts Committee;
Councilwoman Nantasha Williams
takes over the Civil and Human Rights
Committee; Councilman James Gennaro
is the new leader of the Committee on
the Environment; and Councilwoman
Sandra Ung was put in charge of the
Governmental Operation Committee.
Councilman Robert Holden was named
chair of the Committee on Veterans.
“We can never do enough for our veterans
aft er the service they have performed
for us all,” Holden said. “I will
work every day to take care of our city’s
veterans and make them a priority, coordinating
closely with the Department of
Veterans’ Services. No one who has served
our country in the armed forces should be
left behind.”
Jackson Heights Councilman Shekar
Krishnan takes over as leader of the Parks
and Recreation Committee.
“In this city, where we live aff ects everything
around us, including our access to
Photo courtesy of NYC Council
green space and all the benefi ts that come
with it,” Krishnan said. “As the pandemic
has shown us, we must invest in our
parks with the same urgency as our subways,
our hospitals and our schools. Th is
is especially true for our most vulnerable
communities. Our parks are a matter of
social justice.”
Finally, Councilman Francisco Moya,
who was the last to challenge Adams in the
Speaker race last month, was appointed
chair of the newly created Subcommittee
on COVID Recovery and Resiliency.
“We’ve seen the toll of COVID-19 over
the past two years across New York City,
and my district was the epicenter. As we
continue to be challenged by an everevolving
pandemic, we need to ensure
that federal and state funding are being
appropriately directed to protect and provide
relief to our most vulnerable communities
and neighborhoods,” Moya said.
“I am grateful to the Speaker for this
opportunity as we work to build a more
resilient and equitable city.”
link
/WWW.QNS.COM
link
