6 JANUARY 27, 2022 RIDGEWOOD TIMES WWW.QNS.COM
NYC’s #1 Source for Political & Election News
Just about every member of the Queens City
Council delegation named a committee chair
BY BILL PARRY
BPARRY@SCHNEPSMEDIA.COM
@QNS
Northeast Queens Councilwoman
Vickie Paladino was the only
member of the borough delegation
that was not given a committee
leadership position announced by
Speaker Adrienne Adams at last week’s
stated meeting. A Paladino spokesman
confi rmed that the Republican was allowed
to attend the meeting in person
aft er she was granted a waiver to the
city’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate, which
she’s said she doesn’t agree with.
“Council member Paladino does have
a waiver and she has been tested, so
she is allowed on the grounds,” Adams
told reporters on the steps of City Hall.
Her fellow Republican, Councilwoman
Joann Ariola, who now represents
south Queens, was appointed
chair of the Committee on Fire and
Emergency Management.
“In light of what has happened in our
city over the past few weeks where
lives were lost, but more lives were
saved due to the outstanding eff orts
of the Fire Department, NYC’s Department
of Emergency Services and the
Emergency Management Department,
my committee and I will work tirelessly
to make sure they have the necessary
resources needed to continue saving
lives,” Ariola said. “Chairing this important
committee will also help me
better serve my own district, which
consists of historical districts and communities
where many of the homes are
wood-framed and can easily catch fi re.”
Council Majority Whip Selvena
Brooks-Powers, who represents the
eastern portion of the Rockaways, was
appointed as chair of the transportation
committee.
“My district is a transit desert, underserved
by rail and bus services,”
she said. “Our communities truly understand
the urgent need for a public
transportation network that is reliable,
accessible, aff ordable and safe. As we
work with our partners in government
and stakeholders, my highest priority
is to build a more equitable transportation
system for all New Yorkers.”
Forest Hills Councilwoman Lynn
Schulman was elected by her colleague
City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams announced that nearly all of her colleagues on the Queens delegation
were named committee chairs. Photo courtesy of NYC Council
to serve as chair of the Health Committee.
“I have dedicated my personal and
professional life to health care advocacy
and look forward to helping all of
my constituents and all New Yorkers
access aff ordable and equitable healthcare,”
Schulman said.
Flushing Councilwoman Linda
Lee will serve as chair of the Mental
Health Committee.
“Pandemic-driven stress, housing
insecurity, unemployment and other
issues have exacerbated deep-rooted
issues in our city, and if we want to
bring NYC back following the pandemic,
we must acknowledge that these
problems are complex, interrelated
and require multi-faceted solutions,”
Lee said.
Councilwoman Tiff any Cabán will
lead the Women and Gender Equity
Committee, as the fi rst-ever majority
women’s Council gets underway.
“I look forward to working with
my colleagues to use this position
to provide supports to survivors of
gender-based violence, guarantee
dignifi ed conditions for workers in
traditionally gendered professions,
and shift resources and power away
from patriarchal systems of violence
and punishment,’ Cabán said.
Councilwoman Julie Won was
named chair of the Contracts Committee;
Councilwoman Nantasha
Williams takes over the Civil and Human
Rights Committee; Councilman
James Gennaro is the new leader of the
Committee on the Environment; and
Councilwoman Sandra Ung was put in
charge of the Governmental Operation
Committee.
Councilman Robert Holden was
named chair of the Committee on
Veterans.
“We can never do enough for our
veterans aft er the service they have
performed for us all,” Holden said. “I
will work every day to take care of
our city’s veterans and make them a
priority, coordinating closely with the
Department of Veterans’ Services. No
one who has served our country in the
armed forces should be left behind.”
Jackson Heights Councilman Shekar
Krishnan takes over as leader of the
Parks and Recreation Committee.
“In this city, where we live aff ects
everything around us, including
our access to green space and all the
benefi ts that come with it,” Krishnan
said. “As the pandemic has shown us,
we must invest in our parks with the
same urgency as our subways, our
hospitals and our schools. This is especially
true for our most vulnerable
communities. Our parks are a matter
of social justice.”
Finally, Councilman Francisco
Moya, who was the last to challenge
Adams in the Speaker race last month,
was appointed chair of the newly created
Subcommittee on COVID Recovery
and Resiliency.
“We’ve seen the toll of COVID-19 over
the past two years across New York
City, and my district was the epicenter.
As we continue to be challenged by an
ever-evolving pandemic, we need to
ensure that federal and state funding
are being appropriately directed to
protect and provide relief to our most
vulnerable communities and neighborhoods,”
Moya said. “I am grateful
to the Speaker for this opportunity as
we work to build a more resilient and
equitable city.”
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