18 The Queens Courier • june 25, 2015 for breaking news visit www.queenscourier.com Retired NYPD Captain eyes Council seat BY ROBERT POZARYCKI [email protected] @robbpoz When he first campaigned for City Council two years ago, retired NYPD Capt. Joseph Concannon ran on the Reform Party line and was trounced at the polls on Election Day by the incumbent, Councilman Mark Weprin. Now that Weprin is out of the City Council and in with the Cuomo administration, Concannon is going for the now-vacant 23rd Council District seat again, but this time as a Republican. Concannon formally announced his campaign on June 22, alongside Queens GOP leaders and supporters in front of the 105th Precinct stationhouse in Queens Village. “Over the past few weeks and months, my close friends and family have been encouraging me to take my zeal for public service and community activism to the next level,” Concannon said in a press release issued on June 18. “Many of my friends as well as the people I meet every day express their dismay with the current leadership in the City Council, our mayor and the direction this city is headed in as a whole.” While five Democrats are seeking the party’s nomination in the September primary, the Republicans appear to be unifying early around Concannon. Sources with the Queens GOP indicated last week that he is the only Republican seeking the seat. More evidence of GOP unity was on display at Concannon’s announcement, as Queens GOP Chairman Bob Turner, Councilman Eric Ulrich — the lone Queens Republican in the city legislature — and Queens Conservative Party Chairman Tom Long came to offer their public support for his candidacy. In August 2013, Concannon launched a challenge to then-Councilman Weprin after the City Council passed into law the Community Safety Act, two bills bringing greater oversight to the NYPD and aiming to end “bias-based profiling.” Concannon opposed the act, claiming the regulations would impede police officers in their service, and received the support of numerous unions representing members of the NYPD. Even so, Weprin was re-elected in November with 84 percent of the vote in the district covering all or parts of Bayside Hills, Bellerose, Douglaston, Floral Park, Fresh Meadows, Glen Oaks, Hollis, Little Neck, New Hyde Park, Oakland Gardens and Queens Village. Since then, Concannon has remained politically active in holding rallies calling for public support of the NYPD, most recently following the murders of Police Officers Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu in Brooklyn last December, and P.O. Brian Moore in Queens Village in May. “Not since the violence and division this city faced decades ago have people felt so disconnected from their government,” Concannon said in the June 18 press release. “I am running to restore some respect and common sense to our local government, the kind of common sense that is embarrassingly lacking in the NYC Council.” Concannon added that he plans “to spend the next few weeks and months earning the right to be their voice and champion.” Photo via Facebook/Joseph Concannon Retired NYPD Capt. Joseph Concannon is running for the City Council seat vacated by Mark Weprin. Photo courtesy of Kevin Fuchs/Welcome To Whitestone The Whitestone “Rainbow” will be closing sometime in late July, according to store employees. Popular Rainbow clothing store in Whitestone to close BY ALINA SURIEL [email protected] @alinangelica Teen clothing chain Rainbow will be closing its location in the Whitestone Shopping Center. Residents were disappointed to view a large banner in front of the store and posters in the window declaring the impending closure, which store employees believe will happen sometime in late July. Devon O’Connor, president of the Welcome to Whitestone Civic Association, believed that competition from online retailers could be partially to blame for the chain shuttering its Whitestone outpost at 153-39 Cross Island Pkwy. “It’s sad to see that a business that has been in the community for so many years is closing down,” said O’Connor. “It’s hard for retail stores to remain in business when it’s getting easier and easier to purchase items online from the comfort of your own home.” Rainbow Shops opened up their first location in New York City in 1935, and the company has since expanded to 1,100 locations within 37 states, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The chain is known for providing clothing and accessories to women and teenage girls at a low price point. Representatives for Rainbow did not immediately respond to The Courier for comment. NYPD to sign 20-year lease for College Point tow pound BY ALINA SURIEL [email protected] @alinangelica Community Board 7 gave the NYPD its blessing on June 22 to sign a 20-year lease on a tow pound previously under a temporary agreement to operate at 31-22 College Point Blvd. After hearing both sides of the debate, the board voted overwhelmingly to recommend that the tow pound stay, with 29 votes supporting the long-term arrangement and 14 votes against. The tow pound appeared on the lot in 2013 to the chagrin of College Point residents, who feared that the facility would increase traffic and weaken streets already riddled with potholes and deteriorating roads. The area also hosts a new police training academy which opened in January of 2015. With an average of 40-50 cars towed into the facility daily, the tow pound is estimated to generate additional traffic of around 60 cars per day including cars towed and employee vehicles. The location has on-site parking for employees, and can accommodate 157 cars. Despite area residents’ initial reservations, police say they have not received any complaints in the two years of the tow pound’s operation in College Point. Owners Jerry and George Filippidis, brothers who are both residents of the area, assured board members that they were trying to consider the good of the neighborhood by choosing the relatively lower traffic tow pound than a big box retailer. The area is currently zoned for retail use, so no additional approvals would be needed for a large store to occupy the building. According to Jerry Filippidis, a large retail store could generate traffic of more than 50 cars and trucks per hour coming into the site. “I wanted to be able to look every single one of you in the eye and let you know that we made the right decision,” said Jerry Filippidis, who has lived in the community for 25 years. THE COURIER/Photo courtesy of George Filippidis The temporary NYPD tow pound in College Point will be made a long-term fixture after signing a 20-year lease.
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