8 The Courier sun • january 30, 2014 for breaking news visit www.couriersun.com FILE PHOTO Councilmember Jimmy Van Bramer was appointed Majority Leader of the City Council on January 22 by newly elected City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito. de Blasio presents plans for UPK BY CRISTABELLE TUMOLA [email protected] Mayor Bill de Blasio headed to Albany this week to garner support for his plan to provide free full-day pre-kindergarten for every four-yearold in the city by increasing taxes on the wealthy. He released an interagency report on Monday, January 27 detailing his proposal for pre-kindergarten expansion, the same day he gave testimony at the state capital on the plan. “The reality is that today, fewer than 27 percent of four-year-olds in New York City have access to full-day pre-K,” the mayor said. To authorize the tax hikes, he will need permission from Albany lawmakers. Specifically, he is asking for an income tax surcharge, which would increase the current 3.9 percent rate to a 4.4 percent rate, on those with annual incomes of a half-million dollars or more over the next five years. It would also allow for the expansion of middle school extended learning programs, de Blasio said. At an average cost of $10,239 per child, under the plan, 73,250 children would be eligible for full-day pre-kindergarten by the 2015-2016 school year, beginning with 53,604 in September, 2014. The total cost is estimated at $340 million annually, and would require approximately 2,000 new classrooms in public schools and community-based settings across the city. Governor Andrew Cuomo proposed a statewide plan for universal, full-day pre-kindergarten in his budget address last week, with an estimated cost of $1.5 billion over the next five years. The state would fully fund the program. “That’s an idea we strongly endorse and we appreciate his leadership on this issue,” de Blasio said. But he said the funding must be “predictable and consistent,” and isolated from the state budget. “Universal pre-K and after-school programs must have a dedicated funding stream, a locked box, shielded from what we all know is the inevitable give and take of the budgeting process,” the mayor said. politics Mulling a run against Markey BY LIAM LA GUERE [email protected] There may be a showdown in the Democratic primary race for Assembly District 30 later this year. Middle Village resident Dmytro Fedkowskyj, a former member of the city’s Panel for Education Policy (PEP), which serves to improve the welfare of schools and students in the city, is giving a lot of thought about running against incumbent Marge Markey. “I had many people come up to me and ask me, ‘what are you going to do now? You’ve tackled and handled that job so well, why don’t you run for office,’” Fedkowskyj said. District 30 is comprised of Maspeth, Photo courtesy Dominick Totino Photography Dmytro Fedkowskyj is eyeing a run in the State Assembly against Margaret Markey. Woodside and parts of Long Island City, Middle Village, Astoria and Sunnyside. Fedkowskyj, an accountant and father of three, was a member of the PEP for five years, since former Borough President Helen Marshall appointed him in 2008. He advocated for Queens students and parents in the position, until he resigned on December 31, as Marshall left office. Former colleagues say what makes Fedkowskyj special is his ability to draw people together. A graduate of Grover Cleveland High School, Fedkowskyj started his community outreach with Community Education Council District 24. He served as chair of the School Construction and Zoning Committee before he was appointed to the PEP. Despite his experience, challenging Markey, who has held office since 1998, may be difficult. Markey has won at least 60 percent of votes in her last three elections against Republican opponents. But given that the area is mostly Democratic, Fedkowskyj criticized her wins. “In an Assembly district that holds almost 2-1 Democrat over Republican voters, one has to question why she hasn’t won a general election by a larger margin,” Fedkowskyj said. “Maybe voters are just looking for change.” Michael Armstrong, a spokesperson for Markey, said that she will run for re-election, but didn’t comment on Fedkowskyj. Van Bramer’s vision for Majority Leader role BY ANGY ALTAMIRANO [email protected] Councilmember Jimmy Van Bramer is looking forward to the next four years as Majority Leader. Van Bramer was appointed on Wednesday, January 22 by newly elected City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito. “It’s a great honor, not only for me, but for our district, for our team and for Queens,” Van Bramer said. “It was a very humbling experience. It took a while to sink in.” As Majority Leader, his key role is working together with the 48 Democratic members of the City Council and serving as a bridge between them and Mark-Viverito. Van Bramer has also been named co-chair of the Council’s Budget Negotiating Team. Since his appointment, the councilmember has hit the ground running and plans to get involved in working on subjects such as paid sick leave and universal pre-kindergarten. “We are active every single day and I am looking forward to being a very influential Majority Leader over the next four years,” he said. Van Bramer hopes to work together with his fellow councilmembers to help in any way he can. “I’m here to help them achieve their goals and to use my office and my proximity to the Speaker to advance their goals, their agendas and their districts,” he said. “I hope that they will call on me anytime they need and I will go to the Speaker and advocate for them in every way I can. That’s the kind of Majority Leader I want to be.” The councilmember also retained his position as chair of the Council’s Cultural Affairs Committee. He plans to continue working with the libraries and growing cultural community to make sure the budgets and appropriate funds work for them. “I’m excited about the work ahead,” said Van Bramer. “It’s a great time and I feel reinvigorated. I am going to work incredibly hard in being the best Majority Leader that I can be and then the future will take care of itself.” FOR MORE POLITICS SEE PAGE 19 VISIT QueensCourier.com FOR MORE STORIES
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