20 THE QUEENS COURIER • DECEMBER 9, 2021 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
Queens lawmaker introduces bill to rename St.
Albans Park in honor of late Archie Spigner
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
cmohamed@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
Councilman I. Daneek Miller introduced
legislation on Tuesday, Nov. 23, to
honor the late Archie Spigner, a former
southeast Queens councilman and district
leader, with a park renaming.
Miller’s legislation, Intro. 2462, would
immediately rename St. Albans Park to
Archie Spigner Park, and amend the offi -
cial map of the city of New York accordingly.
“Archie Spigner was a champion of
southeast Queens, and it is truly an honor
to introduce legislation to rename St.
Albans Park in his honor,” Miller said.
“He was a shining example of public service
and living life in service to others. His
contributions are too numerous to count,
but those who knew him knew of his love
for St. Albans Park and the special place it
held in his heart, having been so instrumental
in its complete renovation.”
Spigner, who was a beloved leader in
southeast Queens and represented the
27th Council District from 1974 to 2001,
died at the age of 92 on Oct. 29, 2020.
Known as “Th e Dean,” he was an instrumental
fi gure in several high-profi le developments
for the betterment of southeast
Queens, including the location for York
College in Jamaica, as well as a subway
extension to the downtown area and the
placement of the regional headquarters of
the Social Security Administration.
During Spigner’s tenure as a Council
member in 2001, he secured $1,000,000
in funding for the renovation of St. Albans
Park, working closely with members of
the community and civic and religious
leaders to sponsor cleanups as well.
Years later, Spigner worked with his
successor, Councilman Leroy Comrie to
secure an additional $900,000 for the
park, including the installation of new
tennis courts, handball courts, basketball
courts, fi tness equipment, paths, benches,
plantings, additional drainage and other
upgrades.
File photo
Archie Spigner
Cabán sworn in, becomes fi rst queer Latina councilwoman to serve District 22
BY JULIA MORO
editorial@qns.com
@QNS
Tiff any Cabán was sworn
in Wednesday, Dec. 1, as the
fi rst Latina and queer woman
to serve as the City Council
member for District 22.
Cabán didn’t spare any time
aft er her swearing-in ceremony
and signed on to co-sponsor
20 pieces of legislation. Th e
bills cover a variety of issues,
including non-citizen voting
rights, banning solitary confi
nement and paid sick leave,
among others.
“As Council member, I am
committed to advancing policy
that will save lives and investing
in the services, supports
and systems that will ensure
every New Yorker’s right to a
healthy and safe community,”
Cabán said.
Cabán took 63% of the votes
in the general election. She
beat Republican candidate
Felicia Kalan, who took 31.2%
of the votes, and Green Party
candidate Edwin DeJesus, who
had 5.9% of the votes.
District 22 — encompassing
Astoria, Rikers Island and parts
of Jackson Heights, Woodside
and East Elmhurst — was previously
represented by termlimited
Costa Constantinides,
who resigned almost nine
months ago to take on the role
of CEO of the Variety Boys and
Girls Club of Queens.
Cabán easily took the race
with her signifi cant name
recognition and high-profile
endorsements from
Congresswoman Alexandria
Ocasio-Cortez and Senator
Bernie Sanders. Thencandidate
Cabán ran a progressive
campaign on ideas
like ending the carceral system,
establishing a care economy
and implementing a Green
New Deal for New York City.
Th e councilwoman previously
served as a public defender
and ran for Queens district
attorney in 2019, narrowly losing
to Melinda Katz. She also
joined the Working Families
Party as a political organizer to
help elect progressive prosecutors
across the country.
“I look forward to working
in partnership with my current
and future colleagues,
other partners in government
and community advocates to
dismantle existing inequitable
systems of harm and make
sure that every neighborhood
has the resources it needs to
truly thrive,” Cabán said. “Th is
is a time to reimagine our city.
A time to transform our reality.
A time to take a people-centered
approach to ending the
devastation of the pandemic
and rethinking public health.
And I’m ready to get to work.”
Photo credit: Corey Torpie
Tiff any Cabán was sworn in to represent District 22 in the New York City Council on Dec. 1.
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