14 JANUARY 18, 2018 RIDGEWOOD TIMES WWW.QNS.COM
Holden still a Dem,
gets comm. seats
BY RYAN KELLEY
RKELLEY@RIDGEWOODTIMES.COM
TWITTER @R_KELLEY6
When it came time for
the City Council to list
newly elected Queens
Councilman Robert Holden’s party
affi liation along with the committees
he joined, there wasn’t much of
a decision to be made aft er all.
Although he won the 30th Council
District election aft er accepting the
Republican line, Holden was still
registered as a Democrat all along.
Even if he wanted to switch parties
aft er his victory, it would have taken
until November 2018 for it to become
offi cial. When Holden spoke to QNS
on Wednesday, he said that would
just be a waste of time.
“I don’t feel any diff erent just because
I got elected as a Republican,”
Holden said. “I am who I am, and
the label has no meaning to me
whatsoever.”
Holden has stayed true to that
belief. Even amid questions from
reporters every time he walked
into City Hall after the election,
Holden said his answer was always
the same: “I’ll caucus with whoever
wants to caucus with me.”
No matter how many diff erent
ways he has phrases it, Holden’s
message has always been that he
only cares about representing
his constituents in the best way
possible. He describes himself as a
“moderate Democrat” and said that
he has been pleased by the number
of Democratic Council members he
has met that share some of his views.
Holden also expressed an eagerness
to contribute to the Council
committees he joined, many of
which he has deep personal ties
to. As a member of the Committee
on Higher Education, Holden will
bring 40 years of experience as a
CUNY professor to the group that
has jurisdiction over the universities.
His connection to the Committee
on Mental Health, Disabilities
and Addiction is “near and dear”
to him, Holden said, mentioning his
father’s struggles with alcoholism
aft er serving in World War II.
He is also a member of the
Committee on Immigration, the
Committee on Criminal Justice, the
Committee on Juvenile Justice and
the Committee on Technology.
Holden admits that he is constantly
learning on the job, but he is still
fi lled with pride over his victory
during his fi rst month in offi ce.
“It’s like winning the World Series:
they can’t take that away from
you,” Holden said.
Woodhaven remembers and mourns Maria Thomson
BY RYAN KELLEY
RKELLEY@RIDGEWOODTIMES.COM
TWITTER @R_KELLEY6
The community of Woodhaven
lost one of its warmest personalities
and strongest advocates
on Wednesday when Maria Thomson
died aft er dedicating the last 40 years
of her life to civic activism.
Thomson’s list of achievements is
practically endless. As the president of
the 102nd Precinct Community Council,
she served fi ve terms and was named
the fi rst and only 102nd Precinct Honorary
Police Offi cer of the Month.
In her role as executive director
of the Greater Woodhaven Development
Corporation, Thomson organized
the Wonderful Woodhaven
Street Festival and founded the
Woodhaven Business Improvement
District. Thomson was also a longtime
member of Community Board 9.
She also served as president of the
Woodhaven Residents’ Block Association,
she actively reported illegal
conversions in the community and
prevented the reopening of a bar
where two homicides took place.
Thanks, in a large part, to Thomson’s
persistent activism, the Forest
Park Carousel was named a city
landmark; Fire Engine Company
294 reopened; Fire Engine Company
293 was saved from planned closure
more than a decade ago; and the Jamaica
Avenue elevated train line was
repaired and re-painted.
Councilman Eric Ulrich, who
worked with Thomson on a number
of local issues in the past decade, fi rst
announced the news of her passing in
a statement on Facebook.
“She was a legend and someone
who truly cared,” Ulrich said in the
statement. “Maria had a heart of gold
and dedicated decades of her life to
the betterment of her neighborhood
and borough.”
Thomson’s longevity is one of the
traits that stood out the most to Senator
Joseph Addabbo. He was just a
kid when Addabbo fi rst met Thomson
during the late 1970s when his father,
the late Congressman Joseph Addabbo
Sr., interacted with Thomson on
the civic scene, he said.
As the younger Addabbo became
active in the community, he developed
a working relationship with
Thomson and went on to collaborate
with her while serving as a City Council
member in 2003 on the Jamaica
Avenue elevated train line.
Senator Addabbo said he was
always amazed by Thomson’s drive,
and while he described her personality
as warm and welcoming, he added
that “on the other side of the coin she
was tough for what she believed in.”
“She’s the only person on earth that
can get me to wear a cowboy hat,”
Addabo said with a laugh. “Every
street fair on Jamaica Avenue, she
nicely suggests that we all wear a
Woodhaven cowboy hat. I don’t really
like hats, but for Maria, I’ll do it.”
Other local politicians who worked
with Thomson throughout the years
also expressed their condolences
upon hearing the news.
“Maria represents the best of
the strong civic life trademark to
Queens, and her service spanned
across many capacities,” said
Queens Borough President Melinda
Katz in a statement. “Maria’s
ideas and energy are reflected
throughout many of Woodhaven’s
top initiatives, such as the Wonderful
Woodhaven Street Festival and
street beautifi cation projects. Our
thoughts and prayers are with Maria’s
family and friends during this
diffi cult time.”
Councilman Robert Holden, a former
civic activist whose district includes
a sliver of Woodhaven released
a statement on Facebook.
File Photo/QNS
Maria A. Thomson, longtime advocate
and leader for Woodhaven,
has died.
“I am saddened to hear of the passing
of fellow civic leader Maria Thomson,”
Holden said. “She will be missed by
many.”
Ed Wendell, who served as president
of the Woodhaven Residents’ Block
Association while Thomson was on
the board of directors, said that once
he got to know Thomson he realized
that nobody really understands how
much work it takes to be as involved
as she was.
Aft er hearing the news of her passing
last night, Wendell said he was
out in the community and saw the
Christmas lights on Jamaica Avenue
that go up year aft er year thanks
to Thomson wanting to uphold that
tradition, and he could think of no
better tribute.
“I didn’t have a conversation with
her that didn’t involve the community,”
Wendell said. “Everyone has something
they were born to do, and I think
this is what Maria was born to do.”
Glendale Kiwanis gives back to the Salvation Army
The Kiwanis Club
of Glendale
was thrilled to
recently present a donation
to the Salvation
Army and thank them
for all the good work
they do. Shown at the
check presentation
are (from left to right)
Glendale Kiwanis
President Kerrie Hansen,
Lt. Roberto Ciriaco
of the Salvation Army
and Glendale Kiwanis
President-elect Tony
Sauro. Photo courtesy of Kerrie Hansen
