Ulrich sworn in for second term BY MAGIE HAYES mhayes@queenscourier.com 14 The Courier sun • FEBRUARY 6, 2014 for breaking news visit www.couriersun.com politics Councilmember Eric Ulrich kicked off another term, ready to “hit the ground running,” at an inauguration ceremony at his elementary school alma mater. “To be able to stand on the stage and take an oath of office in front of the whole community on the same stage I stood on 24 years ago and graduated kindergarten, it was very nostalgic,” Ulrich said. “It was a lot of fun.” Assemblymember Phillip Goldfeder stepped in at the last minute to induct his “colleague and friend” into his second term in the City Council at P.S. 63 on Thursday, January 30. “Eric and I don’t always agree on every issue, but we both work tirelessly together to help every neighborhood we represent,” Goldfeder said on Facebook. Ulrich, recently appointed to chair the City Council’s Committee on Veterans, plans to address veterans’ issues as part of the start to his term. “We have a lot of good ideas, and we’re putting those into action very soon,” he said. “We have a lot of great work to do.” Ulrich initially became a member of the City Council after winning a special election in 2009, and was re-elected last November after beating Democratic opponent Lew Simon. Councilmember Eric Ulrich was sworn in to office to begin his second term in the City Council. MAYOR CREATES, NAMES Deputy Mayor for Strategic Policy Initiatives Mayor Bill de Blasio created a new post this week that will help launch his pre-kindergarten plan and lead other interagency efforts. Richard Buery was appointed as the city’s Deputy Mayor for Strategic Policy Initiatives on Tuesday, February 4. In the position, Buery will “direct many of the administration’s signature initiatives requiring major interagency collaboration, from providing free, full-day pre-kindergarten to every child, to launching 100 new community schools that support families in low-income neighborhoods,” the mayor’s office said. The Brooklyn native has been the president and CEO of The Children’s Aid Society since 2009. Committee created post-Sandy BY MAGIE HAYES mhayes@queenscourier.com Rebuilding Sandy-devastated areas more resilient than before has been at the forefront of local leaders’ agendas since the superstorm hit. Now, several of those leaders are members of a new City Council committee tailored towards recovery. Councilmembers Donovan Richards and Eric Ulrich sit on the newly-formed Committee on Recovery and Resiliency, chaired by Coney Island Councilmember Mark Treyger. “The beauty of this committee is that every councilmember’s district was affected by Sandy,” Richards said. “We all have an interest in seeing the city move forward with more funding and putting things in place that are going to help our constituents.” Richards said this was a committee that City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito wanted to create prior to her official appointment. “I think this committee will provide a very unique opportunity for me and my colleagues,” Ulrich said. “We should take a look at how the money has been spent and how much money is needed to fully fund a recovery that is making sure that our community is more resilient in the future.” Both Ulrich and Richards said the committee will specifically look at the city’s Build-it-Back program. In addition, they will study long-term resiliency and capital projects set for the future, such as building sand dunes and other protective measures in coastal communities, Richards said. Ulrich hopes the committee will also work with FEMA and address constituents’ concerns about spiking flood insurance premiums. “No issue will be too big or too small that this committee can investigate and bring to life,” he said. PHOTO COURTESY OF ASSEMBLYMEMBER PHILIP GOLDFEDER
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