6 The Queens Courier • february 21, 2013 for breaking news visit www.queenscourier.com politics s Mayor delivers last State of the City address BY HELEN KLEIN [email protected] It may have been Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s last opportunity to deliver the State of the City address, but one thing was clear, it was no swan song. Addressing a crowd at downtown Brooklyn’s Barclays Center — arguably the largest development to come to fruition while he occupied City Hall – the mayor spent a full hour going over the achievements of his nearly 12 years at the helm of the city of New York, and promised to keep pushing forward during the last 320 days of his administration. There was a theatricality to the entire event, with performances by the Brooklynettes dance squad and their junior counterparts. With the stage set, the mayor primed the pump for both his elaborate recap and his announcements, which ranged from the clearly popular (support for gun control, immigration reform and the DREAM Act – all of which engendered loud applause) to the considerably less so (a long defense of stop and frisk as well as of the city’s position in the protracted school bus strike). Probably the most discussed announcement beforehand was a proposed ban on Styrofoam take-out containers, something that the mayor said he would work on with the City Council. Another major announcement was the administration’s decision to promote electric cars, adding 50 to the city’s fleet of vehicles and pushing for a third of New York’s taxis to be electric by 2020. In addition, Bloomberg said the city would “pilot curbside vehicle chargers that will allow drivers to fill their battery in as little as 30 minutes.” The goal, he said, is to “create up to 10,000 parking spots for electric vehicles over the next seven years.” The mayor also announced “an executive order waiving all city fees for Sandy-related repair work,” and the creation of a panel to “design eight new high schools based on the most promising college readiness strategies” for students mostly from neighborhoods with high rates of poverty and low rates of college readiness. In addition to citywide initiatives, the mayor spoke about current and future development projects in each borough. In Queens, Bloomberg touched on Cornell’s applied science and engineering campus on Roosevelt Island, calling it “the most exciting economic development project our city has even undertaken,” and the future of Willets Point. “At Willets Point - ignored by the city since Robert Moses failed to turn it into parkland - we’ll work with Borough President Helen Marshall to begin the process of cleaning it up and bringing jobs and open space to the community - and down the road, hopefully even a convention center.” Concluding his speech, Bloomberg said: “By working to finish all this work, we can create a new beginning for the city we love. But for now, the unfinished business awaits. Or, in the words of a poet: we have promises to keep and miles to go before we sleep.” -With additional reporting by Cristabelle Tumola BROOKLYN MEDIA GROUP/Photos by Ted Levin Council District 29: Torodash explores run BY TERENCE M. CULLEN [email protected] Jon Torodash wants to bring “Civic Virtue” back to Queens. The Kew Gardens resident has begun exploring a run as an independent against incumbent Councilmember Karen Koslowitz, a Democrat, for City Council District 29. Born and raised in Forest Hills, Torodash, 31, returned to Queens about five years ago and said he would run a campaign based on government transparency. This platform, and his decision to possibly run, was inspired by his experience as a local advocate in the last few months. Torodash, a software engineer, fought to keep the statue “Triumph of Civic Virtue” on Queens Boulevard in Kew Gardens. The effort failed, however, as the statue was hoisted from its pedestal last December. But Torodash said the exposure showed him the inner workings of government and things he wanted to change. There are three issues that stand out on Torodash’s platform: transportation, safety and education. Bus transit is one of the biggest problems for District 29, he said, with long waits leaving riders out in the cold. Torodash says he will explore new options, especially around Queens Center mall, including making bus schedules more consistent. “There are a lot of common sense proposals that need to be looked at here,” he said. If elected, Torodash said he wants to focus on safety boroughwide. Torodash runs a test-prep business for teachers and taught Latin and English for three years. He said the Department of Education is unorganized and that the current education system does not empower parents and teachers. Opting to run as an independent, he hopes his run will inspire other people to seek public office to affect change. While he said he has no quarrels with either the Democratic or Republican party, Torodash said a lack of history with either party might discourage the ordinary citizen from seeking office. “I think that many people would get discouraged because they don’t have a party history,” he said. Photo courtesy of Jon Torodash 2013 Jon Torodash of Kew Gardens is exploring a run as an independent for City Council in District 29. BOE brouhaha Suit says commish wrongly ousted BY CRISTABELLE TUMOLA [email protected] A recent lawsuit filed by the head of the Queens County GOP, Phil Ragusa, and reportedly funded by Republican mayoral candidate John Catsimatidis, alleges that the Board of Elections Queens County Republican Commissioner was wrongly ousted from the position. According to court records, Ragusa, as well as the ousted commissioner, Judith Stupp, are claiming that three members of the New York City Council’s Republican caucus, including Councilmember Erich Ulrich, appointed Michael Michel as the new Republican Commissioner, even though Stupp had already been appointed to another term. Following procedure, Ragusa said that he signed a Certificate of Recommendation and, according to when he filed it by mail, presumed that it was received by the Office of the Clerk of the Council by November 24 at the latest, and within the time allowed to make the reappointment legitimate. But the caucus, claiming that it wasn’t filed correctly, appointed a new Republican Commissioner, Michel, on January 25. Councilmember Ulrich was the only party reached as of press time and declined to comment.
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