16 DECEMBER 6, 2018 RIDGEWOOD TIMES WWW.QNS.COM
Holden, other Queens pols fume over Esposito dismissal
BY BILL PARRY
BPARRY@CNGLOCAL.COM
Seven members of the Queens
delegation to the City Council
signed a letter to Mayor Bill de
Blasio Monday expressing their strong
support for Joe Esposito, the outgoing
commissioner of the city’s Offi ce of
Emergency Management (OEM).
Esposito was reportedly fi red on
Nov. 30 by a deputy mayor for the
poor response to an unexpected snow
storm Nov. 15 that caused gridlock in
many areas of the city. The New York
Post, however, reported that Esposito
showed up to work on Monday, and
the mayor said later in the day that
Esposito would remain on the job until
a replacement is found.
“We have started the process of
leadership change at New York City
Emergency Management,” de Blasio
said in a Monday night statement.
“Commissioner Joe Esposito will
continue to lead OEM as we conduct a
national search for his successor.”
In all, 28 council members signed the
letter in less than two hours saying they
were “shocked and dismayed” that Esposito
was to be “ousted as a scapegoat”
and called for the decision to be reversed.
“How can he be blamed for the fact
that the Department of Sanitation,
Department of Transportation and
other agencies were wholly unprepared
for the storm?” Councilman
Robert Holden said. According to
some accounts, the OEM and National
Weather Service advised our city
agencies that the forecast would be
heavier than expected and to prepare
for the worst. Our city agencies were
not prepared, and it’s appalling that
Esposito is seemingly the fall guy for
this.”
Councilman Eric Ulrich called
Esposito “One of the few competent
people left in the de Blasio administration”
on Twitter while Councilman
Barry Grodenchik called the
episode “a disaster, man made, on
more levels than I can count,” in a
tweet.
Esposito had a 45-year career in the
NYPD that began in 1968. He rose to
the level of Chief of the Department in
2000, making him the highest ranked
uniformed offi cer in the department
until he retired in 2013.
He took over the OEM leadership one
year later. Esposito was responsible for
oversight of the city’s eff orts to plan and
prepare for emergencies, educate the
public about preparedness, coordinate
emergency response and recovery, and
disseminate emergency information.
Esposito earned praise for his leadership
during and aft er the 9/11 terror
attacks and he oversaw the NYPD’s
response to Hurricane Sandy.
“As City Council members, when we
contact a City Commissioner, we are
oft en subject to the same bureaucracy
that we fi ght through our constituents.
That is never the case with Commissioner
Esposito, who personally
responds to inquiries overnight or
during the weekend,” the letter to the
Mayor read.
Councilman Francisco Moya expounded
on Twitter saying it spoke
to Esposito’s character “that he kept
doing his job over the weekend even
aft er he was fi red on Friday,” and that
he was “shamelessly scapegoated.”
Esposito was out of town on vacation
during the freak snowstorm.
AP Photo
City Council members are outraged that the de Blasio administration
fi red Offi ce of Emergency Management Commissioner Joe Esposito over
the city’s poor response to last month’s snow storm.
Woodhaven BID has a brand new boss
BY NAEISHA ROSE
NROSE@CNGLOCAL.COM
Raquel Oliveras of Downtown
Manhattan was chosen to be the
new executive director of the
Woodhaven Business Improvement
District, according to an announcement
made by the BID last week.
She will be stepping into the shoes
of Maria Thomson, the well-beloved
former executive director who passed
away eight months ago in her 80s,
according to Woodhaven BID Vice
President Matthew Xenakis.
“Our previous executive director
was Maria Thomson and she was like
‘Mrs. Woodhaven,’” said Xenakis. “She
cared about the community… we didn’t
want to give the position to anybody.”
As the new executive director, Oliveras
will oversee the day-to-day functions
of the business improvement
district and execute programming
and services for commercial tenants
along a 25-block stretch of Jamaica
Avenue, which includes 369 ground
floor storefronts, according to the
Woodhaven BID.
“I feel fantastic about getting the
position,” said Oliveras. “The previous
ED was working at that position
for a long, long time…and people in
the community deserve someone that
will continue the work and do it well.”
Oliveras previously served as the
program director of the Cypress Hills
Business Partners at the Cypress Hills
Local Development Corporation in the
neighboring Brooklyn town where
she conducted a Commercial District
Needs Assessment in partnership
with the city’s Small Business Services
agency, according to Woodhaven BID.
During her four-year tenure, she
implemented a multitude of organizing,
marketing, and revitalization programming
based on needs identifi ed
by the CDNA, which is a compilation
of extensive engagements with local
organizations through meetings and
surveys that aims to highlight the
strengths, weaknesses and potential
for opportunities in commercial
districts.
“I love the neighborhood,” said
Oliveras. “Woodhaven has so much
history and so much culture and it is so
diverse and has a lot to off er. I hope in
my position I can advertise everything
that it has.”
Xenakis hopes that with this appointment
that Oliveras will help with
Photo courtesy of the Woodhaven Business Improvement District
Raquel Oliveras has been chosen to bring help lead the Woodhaven BID.
revitalizing the businesses and bring
the BID into the future.
“Going forward we are looking to
get more people involved in the BID,
to get the message out about what we
do…get our website going the right
way, do more social media,” said Xenakis.
“We are looking to make our
neighborhood cleaner, graffi ti-free,
and we want her to make sure that
there are no vacancies or very low
vacancies.”
The new executive director can’t
wait to take the Woodhaven BID to
another level.
“They have a clear vision where
there is more business coming to the
avenue, they want it to be safer, cleaner,
and we would like to attract more
customers,” said Oliveras. “We don’t
want people from the neighborhood
to have to go to another neighborhood
to shop and that’s the goal…to
have a more vibrant Jamaica Avenue.”
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