8 The QUEE NS Courier • february 12, 2015 for breaking news visit www.queenscourier.com Queens BP Melinda Katz names Melva Miller as her new deputy BP BY ERIC JANKIEWICZ ejankiewicz@queenscourier.com @EricJankiewicz Melva Miller, a top economic development official in the Queens borough president’s office for the past eight years, was promoted on Feb. 10 to deputy borough president. Borough President Melinda Katz announced the appointment during a speech before a breakfast meeting of the Queens Chamber of Commerce at St. John’s University. Miller will fill the vacancy left after Leroy Comrie departed to take his seat in the New York State Senate last month. “Economic development is a key priority of my agenda for Queens, and Melva’s multidimensional expertise to this end is second to none,” Katz said. “Her understanding of Queens’ neighborhoods is extensive and comprehensive, from both the holistic, macro-policy level to a block-by-block community basis. Melva’s ideas, professionalism and experience in government have been tremendous assets to my administration. For the communities, her focus is relentless, her passion is unwavering.” Katz made the announcement in front of an audience made up of community board members and dozens of Queens residents. Many in the audience were graduates of St. John’s, a point that the school’s new president Conrado Gempesaw noted before introducing Katz. “What’s good for Queens is good for St. John’s,” Gempesaw told the group of community leaders. Miller, a lifelong resident of Southeast Queens, has served as the director of economic development for the Queens Borough President’s Office since 2007. Previously, she was the founding executive director of the Sutphin Boulevard Business Improvement District and of KECDE!, a nonprofit dedicated to bringing the arts to community youth through dance. Miller was also previously the project director for the Downtown Jamaica Cultural District and a community organizer for the Laurelton Local Development Corporation. “It’s an honor to be tapped by Borough President Katz to help execute her vision for the World’s Borough,” Miller said. “Government makes the biggest impact when it is continually engaged with our communities. I am grateful that Borough President Katz chose to promote from within and is allowing me the opportunity to continue building the economic viability of the borough and expand to other service areas of the borough. Across all issues — from education to housing to quality of life to tourism and culture — economic development and community development are one and the same.” Speaking at the the D’Angelo center on the school’s campus, Katz made several other announcements about her economic development strategy for the borough. She mentioned that $6 million has been collected to restore the New York State Pavilion, a site from the 1964 World’s Fair that Katz called a “treasure” that could become a tourist attraction. She expressed a desire to create jobs on the western Flushing waterfront, an area that Mayor de Blasio singled out for affordable housing during last week’s State of the City speech. Katz also talked about the “Jamaica initiative” to stimulate the business district’s economic activity. “We want to invest heavily in Jamaica’s infrastructure and local businesses,” she said, without elaborating on any specific projects. As former head of the borough’s economic development team and now as deputy borough president, Miller will play a key role in helping Katz to push forward Queens projects. “This is an exciting time for Queens, and in this chapter of growth, development and opportunities for our borough, it’s an absolute privilege to work with a dynamic leader of such passion and vision,” Miller said. Photo courtesy of Office of Queens BP Melinda Katz Deputy BP Melva Miller, right City Comptroller Scott Stringer discusses community concerns at legislative breakfast BY QUEENS COURIER STAF editorial@queenscourier.com @QueensCourier The conversion of an East Elmhurst motel into a homeless shelter was one of many topics addressed by the city’s comptroller during a breakfast last week with western Queens community leaders and elected officials. Comptroller Scott Stringer was a guest at the United Community Civic Association’s 2015 Legislative/ Executive Breakfast on Feb. 6 where members voiced their concerns about air, noise and traffic pollution, unaffordable costs of residential rents, and hospital closings. “Many of you in this room are at this meeting not just because of yourselves. You believe in New York City, and you love it like I do,” Stringer said at the breakfast. “But we’re also doing this for our children, making sure that the economy is going to fit what they have to do.” Stringer added that the key idea is to think about the economy in 10 to 15 years and start to think about it as a high-technology economy. He also said that the economy should no longer be Manhattan-centric; instead, all the boroughs should be transformed into economic hubs. “The government cannot just be in sound bites telling people what they want to hear,” Stringer said. “We’ve got to create a five-borough economic plan and make sure that people can access the middle class. That is how this city was built.” Residents and community leaders at the breakfast discussed in detail the issue of dealing with the city’s Department of Homeless Services’ decision to convert the Westway Motor Inn, located at 72-05 Astoria Blvd., into a permanent homeless shelter. Recently, the community voiced its outrage against the city’s decision to house registered sex offender James Bryant at the shelter, which is home to over 100 families with children. Bryant was removed from the shelter on Feb. 5. Since then, the DHS has proposed changes to its policy to prevent level 2 or 3 sex offenders from being placed in shelters with families and instead referring them to shelters for single adults. In response, Stringer said that city agencies should have a dialogue with the communities and sit down with leaders to work out issues and “respect people.” Stringer also said he will personally go to the Westway Motor Inn, tour the facility, look at the issues brought up by community members and take suggestions on what can be done differently. “We have to make sure the voices of our neighborhoods are heard,” Stringer added. “We will monitor, we will watch and we will speak out.” THE COURIER/Photo by Angy Altamirano
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