Thompson Warns of Queens Healthcare Crisis

The closing of two borough hospitals earlier this year and the recent swine flu outbreak have resulted in a healthcare crisis in Queens, warns city Comptroller William Thompson.

In a report issued on June 1, Thompson charged that hospitals in Queens, especially in the central and eastern portions, are in a “state of crisis” as their emergency rooms struggle to cope with a “torrent of patients amid H1N1 virus worries and the closures of St. John’s and Mary Immaculate hospitals” in February.

Thompson was joined by Queens Borough President Helen Marshall in front of Jamaica Hospital Center to bring attention to the growing crisis. Jamaica Hospital is among those facing a spike in patients as flu concerns have grown in recent weeks. A study by Thompson found that “emergency rooms are being flooded with patients, many who must now await admission, ambulance turnaround times are rising, and medical professionals are facing extraordinary challenges in their ability to provide care.”

Marshall, who first warned of the imminent closures of the hospitals at her State of the Borough address in January, noted that the state Department of Health has closed four borough hospitals in recent years, including Mary Immaculate and St. John’s, which combined accounted for about 50,000 emergency room visits each year.

“Short term funding from the state was targeted for equipment and infrastructure expansions, but did not address the need for additional healthcare professionals, especially nurses,” said Marshall. “Comptroller Thompson is right when he says that emergency rooms in Queens are in crisis. I warned the Governor’s office that the hospital system in Queens would not be able to handle a major emergency.”

The findings of Thompson’s latest study on the impact of hospital closings and the swine flu outbreak included:

•The number of emergency room patients at the surrounding hospitals soared right after St. John’s and Mary Immaculate hospitals closed earlier this year. For example, from mid-February to the end of March, there were 20 days when Jamaica Hospital’s emergency room exceeded 350 patients, versus only two such days during the same period in 2008.

•The number of patients brought to surrounding hospitals’ emergency rooms by ambulance soared. For example, comparing January to March 2009, the number of patients arriving by ambulance at Queens Hospital Center rose 51 percent, and at North Shore University Hospital-Forest Hills by 40 percent.

•Ambulance turnaround times – the amount of time from arrival at the emergency room until the ambulance is free to make the next call – increased significantly at Jamaica, Queens and North Shore University-Forest Hills hospitals.

•A Queens Hospital Center emergency room doctor with more than two decades of experience told the Comptroller’s office that he now sees 35 patients per shift compared with 20 before the two closures, that the conditions at the hospital have become a “living nightmare,” and that “the state of emergency medicine in Queens is the worst I’ve seen in my career.” His observations echoed other physicians, some of whom spoke of an overwhelming added patient load.

Thompson faulted the state DOH and city Department of Health and Mental Hygiene for “failing to acknowledge the deteriorating financial condition of Mary Immaculate and St. John’s hospitals in a timely fashion and failing to put in place a plan to address the impact of the closures.” After bailing out troubled healthcare provider Caritas, which owns the two closed hospitals, for the past several years, the state refused to provide any additional funding, leading to the closures in February.

“What we are seeing now is a crisis in the hospital and healthcare system in Queens, a version of which may very well spread to the other boroughs if H1N1 virus outbreaks appear in other neighborhoods,” said Thompson. “To be sure, while the timing of H1N1 virus itself was not foreseeable, the likelihood of some event of a similar nature causing a sudden surge in demand was both foreseeable and inevitable.”

Thompson offered a number of recommendations, including that individuals with flu symptoms should be triaged at ambulatory care facilities, the necessary resources to deal with emergencies should be activated, loans and working capital should be provided to cover expansion costs, data on emergency room utilization should be made public, hospitals should be staffed-up to meet increased demand, and gaps in service created by closures must be identified.

“The City and State need to pull key healthcare providers and other stakeholders together immediately to share information, identify patterns and develop solutions to address the current surge in demand stemming from the H1N1 virus,” said Thompson. “If the State Department of Health had begun planning in December 2006, as I suggested, it is likely that much of the current impacts in Queens could have been minimized or avoided entirely.”

Forest Hills Teen Sentenced in Fatal Wreck

Kew Gardens Couple Killed on GCP Service Road

By Conor Greene

A Forest Hills teenager has been sentenced to prison for causing a fatal accident after speeding through a red light while under the influence of painkillers last August on the Grand Central Parkway service road.

Jacob Chubalashvili, who was 17 years old at the time of the accident near 69th Road, will serve between two-and-a-half and seven-and-a-half years in prison under an agreement with the Queens District Attorney’s office.

Chubalashvili, of 62nd Drive, was driving about 60 miles per hour while heading east in a 30-mile-per-hour zone at about 5:30 that morning. Behind the wheel of a Mercedes he had taken without permission, the teenager sped through a steady red light and plowed into an Acura carrying Ki and Hyekyung Kim. The impact split the Acura in half and instantly killed the Kew Gardens couple.

After his arrest, Chubalashvili told police he took the car without permission from a family friend and smoked marijuana before driving. “I remember... jetting down the road and the next thing I remember is waking up in the hospital” he said, according to the DA’s office. The DA also said he later admitted to taking about a dozen pain pills and asked, “How is the Mercedes? That was supposed to be my car” after being told two people had died.

On Tuesday, Chubalashvili’s attorney, Leonard Ressler, said the plea was reached after tests showed that his client “wasn’t as bombed out as police initially said he was.” Ressler said the only drugs that showed up Chubalashvili’s system were the painkillers, which he took to ease pain from dental work.

“The reason he took the plea is because they weren’t prescribed... Nothing [else] showed up, none of the stuff they said at arraignment,” said Ressler. “In all likelihood he passed out,” which is one of the side affects of the pills Chubalashvili took, the attorney added. “Apparently when you get hit in the head, you think of things that don’t exist,” he said when asked about his client’s comments to investigators.

If convicted at trial, Chubalashvili would have faced up to 15 years in prison. According to his attorney, he is unlikely to be paroled until he has served at least two-thirds of the sentence, at which point he will be eligible for early release for good behavior. “Based on past history [in New York State], it doesn’t bode well unless there is a major change,” said Ressler, noting that the current parole board rarely paroles individuals convicted of violent crimes.

The DA’s spokeswoman pointed out that Chubalashvili pleaded guilty to the top charge against him. “If he would have went to trial and if he was convicted of the same [charge], the sentencing guideline is five to 15 years,” she said.

Hyekyung Kim was a supervisor at the city Administration for Children‘s Services and the couple was on their way to work at the time of the accident. Ressler said his client has “always been remorseful” since causing the accident. “It’s tragedy for everyone - his life’s screwed up and they’re dead. It’s a mess,” he said.

Funding for Ridgewood Reservoir Cut

By Conor Greene

With the city struggling to close a $1 billion budget gap, even one of the mayor’s pet projects – the renovation of eight large parks across the five boroughs – is facing a major setback due to proposed funding cuts.

As part of Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s sweeping PlaNYC, the Parks Department embarked two years ago on a $386 million plan to remake eight under-utilized facilities into destination parks. As part of the initiative, $50 million was earmarked for improvements to Ridgewood Reservoir, which is located within Highland Park on the Brooklyn-Queens border.

However, with every city agency facing budget cuts, Parks has been forced to scale back its funding for five of the eight projects – including Ridgewood Reservoir - from a combined $206 million to $102.9 million. The $50 million set aside for the reservoir has been reduced to $19.8 million, according to a Parks spokesman.

“As part of New York City’s response to the fiscal crisis, the Parks Department has restructured its capital plan,” wrote spokesman Philip Abramson in a statement, adding that the “planned reductions are not final until the budget is adopted by the City Council.”

The reduction for Ridgewood Reservoir will be spread out over six years, and a new phasing strategy will be created if the funding is not restored, said Abramson. The first phase of the project recently began and includes new lighting, steps, benches and perimeter fences to improve safety and accessibility at the reservoir. Mark K. Morrison Associations of Manhattan was awarded the $7.7 million contract for that work, and is also in the process of creating three proposals for the future of the property’s three basins.

That $7.7 million has already been allocated and is not included in the $19.8 million remaining for Ridgewood Reservoir, according to Steve Fiedler, who is chairman of Community Board 5’s Parks Committee and opposes development of ballfields.

Gary Giordano, district manager of Community Board 5 in Queens, stressed that it is “very important” that phase one proceed “As far as the cuts go, one problem is that the funding for [Ridgewood Reservoir] may have been cut more so than for other destination park projects, so that’s an issue,” he said. “The truth of the matter is, I still think we can probably get a lot done with the remaining funding, and I think that’s what we need to look at.”

At listening sessions held over the past few months, many participants pushed for a plan that involves preserving the basins instead of building ballfields there, according to attendees. Some residents have argued that the money should instead be used to renovate the existing baseball fields in Highland Park, which have fallen into disrepair. In his statement, Abramson noted that ballfields have been requested by community groups such as the East Brooklyn Congregations.

However, a study by the group Highland Park-Ridgewood Reservoir Alliance, which is pushing for the three basins to be preserved, showed that permits were issued for the existing ballfields for just a fraction of the available time during the past two years. “These results are especially disturbing given that Mayor Bloomberg is willing to spend $40 million dollars on a project that nobody in the community wants, is unnecessary, but more important, is at a time when he is also discussing closing firehouses and cutting the budget for the NYPD,” the group wrote on its site, ridgewoodreservoir.blogspot.com.

In response, Parks argued that pickup games allowed there when the fields are not reserved are “unaccounted hours of ball field use.” Highland Park serves “some of the city’s areas with the least amount of green space,” said Abramson in a statement. “Frequent use of existing ballfields indicates a need and demand for field space, which also does not account for the hours of pickup games that are allowed when the fields are not [reserved].”

Still, Fiedler questioned the motives of the East Brooklyn Congregations and doubts their claims that they cannot secure time at Highland Park’s existing fields. “His organization is pushing for fields at the top of basin three on eight acres, for what reason God only knows,” he said. “I hate to say that someone is lying for political gains, but the proof is in the pudding,” he added regarding the field usage.

The funding cut could have a silver lining for preservationists, as it may restrict Park’s ability to develop ballfields there. As the Ridgewood Reservoir Alliance noted on its website, “Perhaps leadership within the parks department will make an astute observation and come to the conclusion that they could use the remaining funding to fix up Highland Park proper. Better yet, a project to maintain and upgrade the current fields so they could finally be used more frequently and by more people. Nah…”

Fiedler called the funding cut “a double edge sword” since it would also require “a lot of funding” should Parks agree to move forward with a plan to preserve the reservoir. “It could be good news, but it could be detrimental too because you need a lot of work to make that a nature conservancy… Maybe they will realize they can’t build ball fields.”

Giordano agreed that the funding cut “would diminish the opportunity to build ballfields within one of the basins.” He is pushing for “improvements to the existing ballfields at Highland Park sooner rather than later [to] give them better ballfields and diminish the need to build anything in the Ridgewood Reservoir.”

In its statement Parks said that the city “remains committed to historic levels of investment in the Parks system under PlaNYC, the mayor’s far-reaching plan to fight global warming and create a more livable city.”

Despite the reduction, the department’s “historic $2 billion capital plan is an all-time high,” noted Abramson. “Even as we restructured to respond to the fiscal crisis, we are still building more parks than at any time since the 1930s, with 844 projects currently underway citywide. To ensure that all New Yorkers have access to high-quality parks, we made strategic choices so that no area was disproportionally impacted.”

Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley (D-Middle Village) called this week on the Mayor and Parks Department “to do the right thing for Western Queens and not cut the $50 million allocated to restore our city’s lost reservoir.” She added that, “despite these tough budget times, we have an opportunity to invest in the Ridgewood Reservoir and Highland Park to create a place where we can learn about preservation and conservation for future generations.”

Parks held three listening sessions over the past few months to gain feedback as to how the reservoir should be developed. However, a meeting scheduled for last week to unveil the results was postponed after the funding cut was announced. No new date has been announced, and Parks has not said how the funding cut will impact the input collected from the public.

Crime Update at COMET Civic Meeting

“Sharp Decline” in Maspeth Over Last Month

By Conor Greene

This month’s meeting of Communities of Maspeth and Elmhurst Together - the civic group’s final session before the summer hiatus - included an update on crime within the three police precincts that patrol the neighborhoods.

Cop of the Month

Honored at the meeting inside Bethzatha Church of God in Elmhurst was Police Officer Wayne Lowery, the 108th Precinct’s summonses officer. He won COMET’s acclaim through his efforts to cut down on illegal commuter vans operating in the area. “They’re very hard to catch and it’s a very time consuming job,” said the group’s chairwoman, Roe Daraio, who added that the vans often block intersections and cause traffic problems, aside from other safety concerns.

Officer Lowery said that he checks to see if the driver is meeting requirements such as keeping an accurate travel log and has the necessary safety equipment including fire extinguishers. “I try to enforce as many [laws] as I can,” he said, adding that he grew up in the area and is “more than willing to help” with traffic issues.

“So often people go unrecognized as they make the community better,” said Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley, who also honored Officer Lowery.

One resident expressed frustration that even a ticket blitz doesn’t seem to deter the vans from operation or parking in the neighborhood. “What really bothers me is that your ticket really doesn’t mean anything to these people because they come back,” he said.

104th Precinct Update

Within the 104th Precinct’s portion of Maspeth, there were six major crimes in the past 28 days, according to Community Affairs Officer Tommy Bell, who called that a “sharp decline from last month.” Overall, major crime is down across the 104th Precinct by about nine percent over the past month, he said.

The lone assault was a domestic assault on 69th Street near 54th Avenue. There were two grand larcenies: a boyfriend-girlfriend dispute on 65th Place and a wallet stolen from an unattended vehicle parked near 53-30 72nd Place. “I don’t know why people continue to leave valuables in their vehicles,” said Officer Bell. The three auto thefts occurred on 63rd Street at 53rd Drive, 62nd Street at 53rd Avenue and on 77th Place.

A resident asked about cracking down on prostitution along Flushing Avenue. Officer Bell said operations were recently conducted along Starr Street to combat a problem there. However, the resident said there is also a problem further east towards Grand Avenue near the Moonlight Bar and Grill at 60-58 Flushing Avenue. He said a house across the street being used for prostitution, which Officer Bell said the precinct would investigate.

Fatal Maspeth Wreck

Three men died last Thursday night when their car slammed into a concrete barrier on Laurel Hill Boulevard after skidding across the road. Police say the driver lost control of his 1992 Volvo while trying to pass another car at a high rate of speed.

A bottle of vodka and small amount of cocaine were later found inside the obliterated car, according to Deputy Inspector Thomas Kavanagh, commanding officer of the 108th Precinct. There was a witness to the crash, which happened at about 10:30 p.m. near 58th Street, where the boulevard runs beneath the expressway and through the cemetery.

The driver, 26-year-old Pedro Sanchez of Brooklyn, and his two passengers, Thomas Owens and Eric Sanguenette, both 27 of Woodside, were pronounced dead at Elmhurst Hospital.

Officer Lowery said he routinely catches people speeding when he patrols that stretch of road. He said the DOT changed the timing of the traffic light at the cemetery entrance to always turn red every few minutes, instead of only when cars exit the cemetery. While this wasn’t a case of drag racing, he said arrests have been made there in the past during crackdowns.

Maspeth resident Tony Nunziato noted that speeding and drag racing has historically been a problem there. “They’ve been racing there since I was a kid... It’s a shame that the DOT can’t come up with something.” However, Deputy Inspector Kavanagh said that traffic-calming measures such as speed bumps are highly unlikely. “They’re not going to do anything there. There is too much traffic,” he said.

110th Precinct

Over the 28 days ending May 31, there were 14 major crimes within the two sectors of the 110th Precinct covering parts of Maspeth and Elmhurst. Among these incidents were three felony assaults, four grand larcenies, three burglaries and one robbery, according to Sergeant Thomas Passolo.

The grand larcenies included another case of a purse stolen from an unattended car at a local gas station, this time the Hess at Albion Avenue and Queens Boulevard. The officers noted that this is part of an ongoing pattern that seems to be targeting Asian drivers. The precinct’s Technical Assistance Response Unit has set up surveillance cameras in the area which might have captured an image of the suspect and getaway vehicle.

Another grand larceny occurred at Bally’s Total Fitness on Queens Boulevard near Jacobus Place. The victim left $300 inside their locker and discovered it was missing after working out. In a similar incident, a resident left his wallet containing credit cards inside his unlocked car overnight. The sergeant called these “crimes of opportunity” and stressed the need to lock up all valuables. The fourth grand larceny was a case of identity theft and involved the victim’s checking account.

The three assaults all took place in the early morning hours after clubs along Queens Boulevard close. They involved “Hispanic men... fighting with bottles and belts” between 4:30 a.m. and 5:30 a.m. “As the clubs empty out... fights do tend to break out,” said Sgt. Passolo, adding there were arrests in all three incidents.

The lone robbery reported within the Maspeth and Elmhurst portions of the 110th Precinct happened in the Grand Avenue subway station after school. A teenager stole another student’s cell phone but was arrested by transit police soon after. “There are problems with kids coming along Queens Boulevard to the subway station,” he said. It was also noted that there are problems along Grand Avenue after IS 73 students are dismissed.

While there were three burglaries reported, the sergeant doesn’t think there is a pattern in the area. One incident involved a suspect entering a home near 83rd Street and 54th Avenue through an unlocked basement window before fleeing with cash and electronics. The second was a front-door break-in near 84th Street and 57th Road with cash and a television taken. Finally, a perpetrator entered a Queens Boulevard pizza restaurant through the roof. Both residential burglaries occurred on weekday afternoons and the commercial break-in happened after closing last Friday night.

Crowley Discusses Budget

Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley (D-Middle Village), who has now represented the 30th District for five months, dropped in to provide an update on the city budget negotiations and to introduce herself to the COMET members.

Crowley noted that proposed FDNY funding cuts would result in the closure of several ladder and engine companies – including Co. 271, which serves Ridgewood. “Right now it looks very positive” she said of the effort to avoid any major cuts that would jeopardize public safety. While about $1 billion still needs to be cut from the approximately $59 billion spending plan, Crowley said negotiations haven’t been “as stressful as I thought they would be.”

So far, the City Council has strongly opposed the mayor’s proposal for a five-cent fee on plastic bags and a sales tax on all clothing purchases. Instead, the mayor and City Council have agreed to increase the city’s sales tax by half a percentage point, to 8.875 percent, and begin charging tax on clothing above $110. Still, Crowley said the situation could be worse. “We’re not in the same type of position that the state is in.”

One resident asked about the state legislation’s decision in 1999 to eliminate the commuter tax – and noted that Assemblywoman Marge Markey (D-Maspeth) was among those who voted to end it. “They live cheaply [in surrounding states] and then come here and use our jobs,” the resident said. Crowley said she “agrees one hundred percent” but said there isn’t enough support throughout the state to reinstate it. “It never should have been taken away,” she said, adding that eliminating it has cost the city about $4 billion.

Politics Unusual: Bishop Bullies Legislators; Boundless Blogger is Out of Line

By Patricia Adams

The separation of church and state is one that we have long heard bantered about. But a recent New York Post article that highlighted what some feel were rather irreverent comments by the head of the Brooklyn Diocese, Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio, may add dimension to a new brand of separation.

Last October, the Bishop held a legislative breakfast for New York state assembly members, senators, city council members and their staff at the Bishop’s residence. The group was divided into two rooms and the morning meal was punctuated by a lengthy lecture about the fiscal state of the Catholic Church.

But it was the aftermath of the financial briefing that has sent shock waves through many. Between the two rooms of legislators and lawmakers stood Bishop DiMarzio. He addressed a bill sent before the state legislature by Assemblywoman Marge Markey that would extend the statute of limitations for lawsuits involving the rape or molesting of children.

Joe Addabbo, who was a city Councilman at the time, was in the room. “The bishop stood there and made a very clear statement,” said Addabbo. “With regards to Markey’s bill he said ‘If you’re on it, I want you off it. If it passes and you vote for it, I’ll close a church in your district.”

Addabbo says the threats of the bishop were surprising, but none the less, the bill and the bishop’s comments have now become the center of a storm that pegs Markey’s proposed legislation as the potential bankrupter of the Catholic Church.

Insiders from the church say that they now feel that the Bishop’s remarks have swayed people in the opposite direction they would have hoped for. “If the Bishop had not tried to bully his way through this, the Markey bill would have gained no sympathy,” said one source who insisted on anonymity.

Addabbo says that the state senate that has about three more weeks to its session is not even talking about the bill. But he says there has been a surge of victims who have come forward to tell their harrowing stories of abuse since the news first broke.

Now a State Senator, Addabbo says lawmakers need to seriously consider the Markey bill that according to Addabbo “is severely restrictive and focuses on private institutions, namely the Catholic Church. We need to consider another bill by Assemblyman Vito Lopez that involves a broader range of inclusion and also focuses on criminal penalties.” Addabbo says that he hopes legislators can come to terms with this important issue and develop a bill that results in the best resolution for the victims.

Meanwhile, opponents to the Markey bill are still lining up to cry foul over the assemblywoman’s proposal. Community activist Tony Nunziato, who ran for Markey’s seat in the last election, says the bill should not be a consideration. “It’s directed only towards the Catholic Church or groups like Boy Scouts. If there is sexual misconduct in a public school, you have 90 days. If you don’t do it in 90 days, it’s done.”

According to Nunziato, Markey is targeting Catholics. “A similar law was passed in California, and it wiped out the Catholic Church. She’s not only playing with constitutional law; they’re targeting one major entity — the Catholic Church. They’re being slammed, and not rightfully.”

And so now the wait begins. We have on more than one occasion come down on the opposite side of Bishop DiMarzio. His comments and lobbying tactics in this case are at best shameful. We hope the bishop was just having a really, really bad day. But the fact that count’s most here is the limiting and restrictive nature of Markey’s bill is a disaster not only for the church, but for the victims as well. Compromise must be set in place to derail the lunacy that has come spurting from Marge Markey.

Lastly this week, we came upon a rather sad and deranged blog entry we feel obligated to share. The blog has long been the suspected poison pen outlet of a certain former city councilman who decided that a privilege of his office was to sexually impose himself on a female victim back in the summer of ’07.

Now it appears he’s back blogging against another innocent bystander, Councilmember Eric Ulrich. Seems that the blogger found another Eric Ulrich, living in Garvin County Oklahoma who is accused of nine counts of lewd acts or proposals to minors. This limp attack was intended to poke fun at the freshman councilman but what about readers who may be foolish enough to take the confusion seriously. We have respect for many bloggers out there who do an earnest job of trying to bring news and opinion to local and national markets in a timely and interesting fashion. But then we run into a vehicle like this that does nothing more than attempt to discredit the reputable, mock volunteers and a host of other violations. We find the comparison of Oklahoma’s Eric Ulrich the molester and New York’s Eric Ulrich disgusting.

But if we had to add a little humor to the equation, how do you think Alabama’s Dennis Gallagher, who is a Space Plasma Physicist for NASA would feel about sharing his name with New York’s Dennis Gallagher, the convicted sexual offender. Bottom line, make sure the face goes with the name before you believe what you shouldn’t even be reading in the first place.

Until next week...

NYRA Set to Auction 64 Ozone Park Lots

By Patricia Adams

Wednesday, June 10th will see 64 tax lots in the Centerville area, currently owned by the New York Racing Association, on the auction block. David R. Maltz & Co., Inc., Auctioneers/Real Estate Brokers will conduct the auction of the lots all of which are residentially zoned. The auction is scheduled to begin at 1:00 pm and will take place at Aqueduct Racetrack. Registration for the auction begins at 11:00 am.

The lots being offered by NYRA through the Maltz firm’s auction range in size and are being offered in assemblages from from 2,000 square feet to more than 75,000 square feet. Landlocked properties will not be offered individually.

According to the auctioneers, three scenarios will be utilized in the auction process. “In order to provide all investors, large or small, with the opportunity to buy property, the lots will be offered for sale in bulk, 22 assemblages and individually. The properties will be sold under whichever scenario realizes the highest or best offer.”

Some local residents whose properties abut NYRA-owned properties included in the auction have expressed interest in buying lots adjacent to theirs but are concerned that the offering of lots in assemblages may see them losing out on purchasing individual lots. Many local residents in the Centerville area had hoped that NYRA would engage in negotiated sales by offering lots first to adjacent property owners.

David R. Maltz & Co., Inc., is a full service auction company specializing in the timely sale of real estate with a reputation for doing so in a professional manner. The firm has conducted thousands of auctions on behalf of clients that, like NYRA, have been involved in actions before the United States Bankruptcy Courts. Substantial amounts of the funds to be generated by Wednesday’s auction will go towards paying down NYRA’s tax debt.

All properties will be sold free & clear of all monetary liens with closing required to occur within 45 days of the auction. A $7,500/lot deposit will be required in order to register to bid. For example, if there are 4 lots in an offering, a posting of a $30,000 deposit will be required. A $350,000 deposit will be required in order to bid on all 64 lots in bulk.

Within 48 hours following the auction the successful bidder must remit a total of 16%of the high bid at auction, a 10% deposit plus a 6% buyer's premium. All deposits are required to be in certified funds and made payable to "Certilman, Balin, Adler & Hyman LLP as Escrow Agent". All of the properties included in this auction will be sold on an “as is, where is” basis.

Queensboro Bridge Turns 100

By Patricia Adams

Among revelers at the 100th birthday bash for the Queensboro Bridge on Sunday, was Queens Borough President Helen Marshall, who crossed over the structure in a 1919 Dodge to mark the birthday of the East River’s longest span, already immortalized in book and song. A Grucci fireworks show Sunday evening on the southern tip of Roosevelt Island brought the celebration to a brilliant close.

A week of festivities that includes exhibits, lectures, walking will continue through this weekend. (A complete list of events can be found by going to www.nycbridges100.org.

Joing the Queens borough president were Ms. Francesca Lindenthal Gebhardt, daughter of the bridge’s engineer, Gustav Lindenthal, and her grandson, Allen Renz. Their 8 a.m. crossing commemorated the official opening of the cantilevered bridge on June 12, 1909. Despite years needed to complete construction of the 7,449-foot crossing, the total cost was approximately $17 million.

The trip across the bridge was marked with a midway point meeting of Helen marshal and Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer. There were remarks about the history and modern-day role of the bridge followed by a red, white and blue water salute from the FDNY Fireboat Kevin Kane.

“This bridge not only helped to transform our agrarian economy into a modern metropolis,”” said Marshall, “but also has aged well and looks as good today as it did a century ago – and it continues to make people feel ‘groovy.’ ”

The bridge is also credited with starting a home building boom that brought the first apartment building to Astoria and doubled the community’s population in just a few years. Today, the East River crossing is traversed daily by more than 183,000 vehicles, 800 bicycles and numerous pedestrians.

In his book, ”Queens A Pictorial History,” historian Vincent Seyfreid notes that the Queensboro Bridge “was the first (bridge) to end the isolation of Queens by connecting Long Island City with 59th Street, Manhattan.

It was F. Scott Fitzgerald who helped to immortalize the bridge in “The Great Gatsby,” and singers/songwriters Simon and Garfunkel who sang about in the “59th Street Bridge” song in a 1966 album that looked at the fun in “feelin’ groovy.” Marshall noted that, “Even though we love the song, the plaque on the bridge says Queensboro Bridge.” The bridge has also made appearances in movies including “Annie Hall” and “Spiderman.”

Marshall thanked the members of the NYC Bridge Centennial Commission for organizing Sunday’s event and especially Sam Schwartz for his “dedicated efforts to bring us together today in recognition of this historic event.”

The NYC Bridge Centennial Commission, Celebrating a Century of Great Bridges, is working in partnership with the Office of the Mayor, the Offices of the Borough Presidents of Queens, Manhattan and Brooklyn, the City Departments of Transportation and Parks and Recreation and the Landmarks Preservation Commission.

The Forum Newsgroup/photo courtesy of DOMINICK TOTINO

This Week's Forum West and South

Fallen Heroes Honored on Memorial Day

Thousands of residents packed streets throughout Queens for annual Memorial Day parades and ceremonies, including along Grand Avenue in Maspeth, Myrtle Avenue in Glendale and Ridgewood and Metropolitan Avenue in Forest Hills.

In Maspeth, the community celebrated Memorial Day on Sunday with a parade for the 25th consecutive year, followed by a ceremony at Maspeth Memorial Park. Justice Charles Markey was this year’s grand marshal, and Cpl. Abe Kleiner, U.S Army Ret. WWII, was presented the Maspeth Veteran Award. In addition, St. Stanislaus Girl Scout Troop #4311, which pushed for the revival of the annual parade 25 years ago, and essay contest winners from local schools were also honored at the ceremony.

Pat Toro, president of the United Veterans and Fraternal Organizations of Maspeth, reminded those in attendance that “veterans continue to make the ultimate sacrifice. It is important for us to remember and honor those who could not return… Thank you for remembering, and to the veterans here today, I salute your service.”

A similar scene unfolded the following day along Myrtle Avenue in Glendale and Ridgewood, followed by a ceremony. Former State Senator and veteran Serf Maltese reminded the crowd that most World War II veterans are now between 85 and 87 years old and “unfortunately are passing on at a very high rate.” He reminded residents to “express your appreciation for what they did” for our nation.

Also on Monday, the American Legion Continental Post 124 in Forest Hills held its annual parade, followed by a ceremony at Remsen Memorial Park “to honor those who served our country in the defense of liberty for all.”

Click Here For More Memorial Day Photos

Parents, Teachers Criticial of City's Handling of Swine Flu Outbreak

By Conor Greene

As swine flu continues to spread around the city, contributing to several more deaths and resulting in additional school closures, many parents and teachers feel the city isn’t taking the threat seriously enough.

Deputy Mayor Dennis Walcott touched on the city’s response to the outbreak at a meeting on mayoral control last week in Middle Village, and Dr. Roger Platt, assistant commissioner of the Department of Health’s Bureau of School Health answered questions at Tuesday night’s Community Education Council 24 meeting in Glendale.

However, despite hearing the city’s rationale behind closing some schools while leaving others open, many parents and teachers expressed displeasures with the city’s handling of the H1N1 outbreak, which now has contributed to four deaths across the city.

“We’ve tried to be very consistent as far as the criteria for closing schools,” Walcott told concerned parents last week, adding that it is not based solely on attendance rates or trips to the nurse’s office. “I totally disagree with you that it’s not being taken seriously” he told one teacher who criticized the city’s response. “It’s important that we have a citywide standard… System wide closing has not proven to be effective.”

At CEC 24’s monthly session, which was moved to PS 113 because PS 58 was one of the schools closed due to the outbreak, Superintendent Catherine Powis reported that PS 143 and IS 73 were set to reopen Wednesday (May 27) and PS 58 was to open the following day. However, many parents later expressed dismay over the criteria used to make decisions regarding school closures.

Dr. Platt stressed that closing schools “is not going to prevent the spread of this flu through the city” and warned that he doesn’t “think that absentee rates is a good guide” as to whether a school should be shut. He also repeatedly argued that for the “vast, vast majority” the symptoms only last several days and are not life-threatening for those who are otherwise in good health. “The most important message in all of this is, if you’re someone in a high risk category… at the very first sign of illness you must contact your doctor… Those are the people we are trying to protect when we close schools.”

The doctor also noted that closing schools obviously doesn’t prevent children from mingling in other settings. “We have to be realistic from a public health perspective as to what we can accomplish when we close schools,” he said.

Nick Comaianni, president of CEC 24, said he was one of those who wanted all schools closed, at least throughout the hard-hit district, when the outbreak first occurred. “Obviously it’s easier to transmit the virus in closed quarters,” he said, adding that school closings “give parents piece of mind” knowing the building was thoroughly cleaned. “Most of these absences… are due to parents keeping their children home due to anxiety,” he said.

Dr. Platt responded that, while it is “difficult for people to accept,” there is “little or no” benefit to closing schools since the virus doesn’t live for long on ordinary surfaces. “Should we observe routine hygiene standards in schools? No question about that.” But closing and cleaning is not a strategy that is “supported by any experts… People expect it, and it does make people feel better about the schools, but it is not really useful to stop the spread of flu.”

CEC Vice President Peter Verccessi asked what percentage of students must have flu symptoms for a school to be closed. Dr. Platt said that the “rule of thumb” is for a nurse to report to the Department of Health if at least five students have a fever. At that point the school is placed on a watch list, meaning health officials “look very carefully at that school” several times a day. If two percent of the population has symptoms on a given day, or if a pattern is detected, “it is very likely [the DOH] will recommend it close.”

CEC member Bill Kregler suggested that the handling of the situation is being controlled by politics instead of health factors. “Our children are pawns once again on an issue that politicians are bouncing back and forth.”

At one point the doctor admitted that there is “no question” that closing every school and quarantining all students would slow the spread of N1H1. “The question is, is it worth the price?” he added, drawing yells from members of the audience who clearly feel that the disruption to the school year is warranted.

One resident asked if the city will be prepared for flu season, considering how hard this virus has hit the city during warmer months. Dr. Platt said that the Center for Disease Control is working “furiously” to develop a swine flu vaccine. He warned it “may very well come back in October” in “more severe form… That’s what people [health experts] are worried about.”

A teacher from PS 229 told the doctor that it “infuriates” her when officials say the symptoms are mild. “I think it’s being downplayed,” she said, adding that two faculty members at PS 229, including one 30-year-old teacher, are still recovering from the flu. Dr. Platt responded that the two to three days of symptoms is merely an average. “I don’t think there is any question people are sick with that illness for longer.” He also said it’s possible those teachers don’t have swine flu.

Still, despite all the assurances that this situation is not much different from flu outbreaks that occur every week, some, including teacher Rosemary Parker, remained unconvinced. “I have never seen 40 kids lined up outside the nurse’s office,” she said. “I don’t think the DOH is taking this serious enough.”

“They’ve been playing politics with our health… for two weeks now and it has to stop,” added teacher Dermot Smyth.

Jeanette Bartels, parent of three students at PS 229, said that it seems like the city is “playing with a loaded gun.” She pointed out that students are transported to schools on buses that are also used for students at schools that were closed such as PS 58. “Why didn’t we just shut the system down?” she asked, repeating a question that was asked numerous times throughout the meeting.

Gulluscio Gets Nod from Queens County Democratic Party

Will Face Ulrich in November for Council Seat

By Patricia Adams

Queens County Democrats have cleared the field for Frank Gulluscio to return to the race for the City Council seat in the 32nd district in November. Gulluscio failed to make the ballot for the special election in February and Republican Eric Ulrich landed the seat by defeating Democratic challengers Lew Simon, Geraldine Chapey, Glenn DiResto and fellow Republican Mike Ricatto.

In a party selection process held at county on Tuesday morning, Gulluscio garnered the support not only of county party brass but also from his two former challengers, Simon and Chapey. “I was running right up to the end,” said Lew Simon. “Unfortunately the many people who wanted me to run could not afford to give me the financial backing I needed.” Simon said the difficult economic times were a major contributing factor in his decision not to run. “At the end of the day, I support Frank because that is what is for the best of the party, and it’s the right thing to do.”

“I’m ecstatic that the party has come together,” said Gulluscio, “and I look forward to a good race based on the issues and the principles that people are interested in.” Gulluscio said he enters the upcoming race without a primary challenge and with much support he is pleased to have.

Incumbent Councilman Eric Ulrich says that the voters will decide who is best to lead the district as of November. "Elections are not about chances, they're about choices. The people elected me to serve them,” Ulrich said, “and I will seek re-election on my own merits and on my own record, regardless of whom my opponent may be. November is a long way off. Right now, my sole focus is on doing the job the people have asked me to do."

Both candidates have repeatedly expressed their disdain at the type of political antics that were so much a part of the special election for the seat and have vowed to concentrate on the issues and focus on the people in the 32nd Council district.

The county dems also gave the nod to mayoral candidate Bill Thompson, John Liu for city comptroller, Eric Gioa for public advocate and Helen Marshal for Queens borough president.

Debate Over Mayoral Control Continues

Vote on Extending Law Nears

By Conor Greene

With the state law granting the mayor full control over city schools set to expire, the debate over the system is underway in Albany and in town hall meetings, including one hosted by Senator Joseph Addabbo last week in Middle Village.

A 2002 vote by the state legislature established the school governance system known as mayoral control, which allowed Mayor Bloomberg to abolish the local board of educations and hire a chancellor to run the public school system. However, due to a sunset provision, the law expires on June 30 unless lawmakers renew it.

“This is an opportunity to make this process a better process,” said Senator Addabbo (D-Howard Beach) at last Wednesday’s town hall session, which was also attended by Deputy Mayor Dennis Walcott, who oversees the city’s Education Department for the Bloomberg Administration. “The legislature shouldn’t vote without input” from residents and other stakeholders, added Addabbo.

Walcott called himself a “firm believer in mayoral control” and said there have been “significant improvements in the system” since it was established seven years ago. He cited areas such as test scores and the number of seats created through new construction as examples of progress made since Mayor Bloomberg was granted full authority. “The bottom line for me is accountability, transparency and parental involvement.”

However, many of the parents, teachers and officials who spoke later in the meeting argued that mayoral control has stifled their voices, making it hard to seek out answers from administrators and has left local superintendents with little power.

Jo Ann Berger, who has three children in PS 153 in Maspeth, said parents have been relegated to “leaving voicemails and never getting a call back” when they seek information from administrators. “There is little to no response to parents… There is no place a parent can to go” due to the elimination of local offices, she added.

Berger also took issue with the Bloomberg Administration use of test scores to gauge progress, especially since students spend three months prepping for the exams. “That’s what you are basing our performance on? I don’t think that’s fair,” she said.

Another bone of contention for many is the Panel for Educational Policy (PEP), which was formed along with Community Education Councils after the Boards of Education were abolished. Under the old system, the mayor appointed two of the seven Board of Education members, while he appoints eight of the 13 PEP members.

That has led critics to argue that the members don’t hold real power – especially after three members appointed by Mayor Bloomberg were fired in 2004 for questioning a Department of Education plan. At last week’s hearing, Dermot Smyth, a teacher at IS 5 in Elmhurst, said that the teacher’s union supports mayoral control, despite several “little flaws we’re looking to address.” He argued that the panel needs “independent voices who can work collaboratively with the chancellor” instead of political appointees.

Ozone Park resident and blogger David Quintana agreed that the mayor’s appointment of eight of the 13 PEP members means “he has a slam dunk on anything he does.” He called the local school boards “the most basic form of democracy we have.” Instead, they have been replaced with “powerless” local Community Education Councils. “Parental involvement has gone down the drain under this administration.” To prevent the PEP from being controlled by the mayor, the teacher’s union has suggested that the city comptroller, the public advocate and City Council speaker each appoint a member, leaving the mayor with five appointees.

Marge Kolb, president of the District 24 PTA Presidents’ Council, said there “needs to be a lot of adjusting” to the current system. She agreed that PEPs “should not be controlled by the mayor” and argued that some members should have educational credentials. “I don’t know where the mayor came up with the curriculum he purchased, but it wasn’t in consultation with educational professionals,” she said.

Former Assemblyman Michael Cohen, who was in office for the initial vote granting mayoral control in 2002 said he was “very uneasy voting for this bill [because] it is giving the mayor absolute control over the system.” Instead, he agreed that the city needs “accredited educational professionals to make educational policy.”

Community Board 6 District Manager Frank Gulluscio said his office has received numerous complaints from parents who feel the current system has stifled their opinions. “We want to be heard. We don’t just want lip service,” he said echoing the complaints his office has heard regarding mayoral control.

The harshest criticism of the evening towards the Bloomberg Administration’s governance of the school system came from Juniper Park Civic Association President Robert Holden, who accused officials of lying to the public.

“At one time I was for mayoral control. Then I saw the mayor in action. Then I saw Deputy Mayor Walcott in action. They just do as they please,” he said before criticizing the city’s decision to build a high school in Maspeth despite strong community opposition. “You just completely lie. You don’t tell the truth, you hide things,” he said to Walcott. “We have a dictator who says you will have this whether it’s good or not.”

Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley (D-Middle Village) said that city officials “really don’t have much oversight on how [the $22 billion budgeted for education] is spent.” She also argued that the current system “doesn’t give fair representation” to community members. She also hears “a lot of complaints” about students being “taught for tests.”

“I do believe for the most part that the quality of education has improved over the years,” said Crowley. However, she added that much of the gains are because elected officials have made education “a top priority” for funding.

A recent Quinnipiac University poll shows that New Yorkers support mayoral control, with 55 percent saying the system should continue.

State Senator Joseph Addabbo, Deputy Mayor Dennis Walcott and Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley listen (top photo) as residents weigh in on mayoral control. The Forum Newsgroup/photos by CONOR GREENE

Crime Down, Arrests Up Across 104th Precinct

Brooklyn Pair Charged in 20 Local Burglaries

By Conor Greene

Major crime is down nearly eight percent in the 104th Precinct through the first 20 weeks of 2009, residents learned at last Wednesday’s COP 104 meeting in Maspeth Town Hall. While burglaries mark the only major crime to have increased so far this year, residents learned of a major arrest police officials hope will put a dent in that category.

To date, arrests are up by 17 percent for all crimes, and up 30 percent for major crimes, which include murder, rape, robbery, felony assault, burglary, grand larceny and auto theft. According to Deputy Inspector Keith Green, there have been 580 major crimes so far this year within the precinct, which covers Ridgewood, Glendale, Maspeth and Middle Village, compared to 629 at the same time last year.

Notably, robberies are down 11 percent, with 83 so far compared to 93 through the first 20 weeks of 2008. Felony assaults are down seven from last year to 41, while car thefts are down slightly, with 120 so far compared to 129 last year. The biggest improvement has come in grand larceny, with 164 this year compared to 199 last year, a decrease of more than 17 percent.

Major Burglary Arrest

On the flip side, burglary marks the only major crime that has increased compared to last year, according to Deputy Inspector Green, with 164 in 2009 compared to 152 at the same point last year, an eight percent jump. However, he hopes burglary incidents slow down with the arrest of two individuals responsible for at least 20 residential breakins in the Glendale area.

Helen Velasquez, 43, and Jose DeJesus, 22, were responsible for a “very noticeable” burglary pattern between 65th and 67th streets and Otto and Central avenues in Glendale, according to Deputy Inspector Green. Velasquez, of 387 Woodbine Street and DeJesus, of 218 Boerum Street, were recently caught breaking into a home and have been charged in connection with 20 incidents. They may be charged in additional break-ins as the investigation unfolds, said Deputy Inspector Green. “That is how burglary tends to go- one or two people can really hit us hard,” he said.

Overall, burglaries have been “spread out” across the precinct, with about 70% targeting residences and 30% commercial buildings, said Deputy Inspector Green. “They really are pretty well spread out when we don’t have a pattern,” he said, noting that the current residential/commercial ratio has been skewed by the rash of Glendale burglaries. Those perpetrators were targeting residences both at night and during the day, mainly entering through windows accessed by fire escapes and roofs.

Rounding out the major crime statistics, there has been one murder this year – the unsolved killing of 64-year-old Rosario Prestigiacomo inside his home at 20-33 Green Avenue in Ridgewood. Police responding to a 911 call at about 2:15 p.m. on February 10 found the Italian landlord lying on the floor with multiple stab wounds. There were no murders at the same time last year, and all four homicides that eventually occurred within the precinct in 2008 were connected to a fatal fire on Metropolitan Avenue that investigators say was deliberately set. There have been seven rapes this year compared to eight last year, and there have been 120 car thefts so far, a decrease of 9.

Residents Express Concerns

During the public comment portion of the meeting, Roe Dario, president of the civic group Communities of Maspeth and Elmhurst Together, asked the precinct about cracking down on unauthorized commuter vans, which she said cause traffic issues.

“There are a lot of open issues with the vans, so civically we don’t want them in our community,” she said. “Hopefully we can get them out of here… We have enough traffic.” Deputy Inspector Green said the precinct is working on a crackdown of commuter vans, which must get a permit from the city to be legal.

However, there was one issue raised at the meeting that the deputy inspector declined to comment on. A resident asked about potential funding cuts the NYPD is facing due to the city’s budget woes, and rumors that civilian administrative jobs would be cut. Under that scenario, uniformed officers would be taken off the streets and put into those administrative roles, the resident claimed, asking how that situation would impact the 104th Precinct specifically.

“Right now it is just ‘a what if’ [scenario] and is not an issue I’m free to discuss,” responded Deputy Inspector Green. He told the resident he must contact NYPD headquarters at One Police Plaza about that issue and noted that the precinct is currently fully staffed to the same levels as two years ago.

Robert Holden, president of the Juniper Park Civic Association, asked the precinct to crack down on vandalism in the park. He said that several trees were recently planted throughout the 55-acre park in Middle Village and already some have been snapped by vandals. “It is most likely youth hanging out in the park,” he said, adding that there have been incidents of vandalism almost nightly and noting that the bleacher area near the roller hockey rink has become a “big hangout.”

Another resident asked Deputy Inspector Green to address speeding along 77th Place between Caldwell Avenue and 58th Avenue. “I tell you I hear the engines as they go racing down that block,” the resident said.

Finally, a resident complained about noise and disturbances at the Moonlight Bar, which he said prompted him to call the precinct and 311 numerous times. “I know it’s minor for you guys, but what can I do?” he asked the officers. He said a lot of the problem stems from the fact that the bar’s front door is often left open as a DJ plays music inside. When neighbors complained, the “owners said call the police, we don’t care,” the resident said.

Deputy Inspector Green said officers have “been there quite a bit lately” to deal with calls. He said the bar at 6058 Flushing Avenue in Maspeth “is on our list” of establishments that have received numerous complaints in recent months. He said the bar “has had problems in the past, was shut down for a while, then reopened and was okay for a while, and is now a problem again.” He said the Community Board 5 has also received “a lot of calls” regarding Moonlight Bar.

Blagojevich vs. Paterson: Who Do We Hate More?

By Steve Tiszenkel

Racked by scandal, alienated from his state’s political establishment and facing constant calls from the media and his colleagues for his resignation, Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich got an opportunity he called “golden” on Nov. 4 of last year. His state’s junior senator, Barack Obama, had been elected president, and it was left to him to fill the Congressional vacancy left by the new president-elect’s departure. Many of Illinois’ top Democrats desperately wanted the seat, and Blagojevich figured they’d be willing to pay—in cash and in favors—to get it. With such power, Blagojevich thought, maybe his tenure as governor wasn’t doomed after all.

But as precisely everyone but the governor could have figured out, because he was already under investigation for assorted other crimes, the feds uncovered Blagojevich’s scheme in record time. As he adamantly refused to resign while providing no real defense for his actions, an Illinois populace that already hated their twice-elected chief executive further turned on him. By the humiliating end, as the former most powerful man in the Land of Lincoln faced an impeachment trial with virtually no chance of acquittal, his approval rating stood at 7 percent.

Nobody has ever seriously accused David Paterson of taking bribes, or, really, corruption of any sort—by most accounts, he’s an honorable, upstanding public servant. But after dealing with a high-profile Senate vacancy of his own not long afterBlagojevich, Paterson’s approval rating is an abysmal 19 percent, just 12 points higher than a man who was recently ejected from office in disgrace and immediately attempted to sign up as a contestant on “I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!”

It doesn’t seem to add up. Yes, Paterson faces a horrendous financial crisis and hasn’t done much to fix it, but the same is true of every governor in America. And sure, New York never voted for Paterson, but he did seem like a breath of fresh air after the self-destruction of Eliot Spitzer—even if he did acknowledge having a relationship with “a woman other than my wife” mere days before he was sworn in to replace our last elected governor.

What I find most confusing about Paterson’s monumentally low approval ratings is that he hasn’t seemed to do anything particularly bad—besides get mocked for his blindness on Saturday Night live—but has managed to defy the odds and accomplish some good. Most recently and notably, when commuters were held hostage by the MTA and threatened with shockingly high fare increases and service cuts that could have been devastating for working people in Queens and beyond, Paterson managed to broker a miraculous compromise that will see the cuts rolled back and the fare hikes reduced substantially. Commuter advocates complained about the compromise, but isn’t that just Paterson’s luck? It’s miles better than the alternative, which would have raised the price of a monthly MetroCard to $103.

So why is Paterson so unpopular? I’d venture it has almost everything to do with his Blagojevich moment, the Senate selection process I thought he handled beautifully but on which the local media skewered him at every turn. Political novice Caroline Kennedy, by virtue of her influential support of Obama and the most famous family name in American politics, decided she wanted to replace Hillary Clinton as New York’s junior senator when Clinton accepted a post as Secretary of State in the new administration. The Kennedy family has a whole lot of smart, powerful friends, and it seemed clear that some of them were working hard behind the scenes.

Though the law states that the governor and only the governor gets to fill a Senate vacancy, they expertly painted a portrait of Kennedy as frontrunner by manipulating the always-gullible tabloids—as if there could be such a thing as a frontrunner when race with exactly one voter. Though Paterson’s aides repeatedly said Kennedy wasn’t the frontrunner, and poll after poll after poll showed that New Yorkers didn’t want her in the job, when Paterson picked little-known moderate Kirsten Gillibrand instead, the Kennedy people managed to whip up a firestorm of outrage over the supposed snub and Paterson’s alleged mishandling of the situation. None of it really made sense, but in the New York media, things don’t really have to make sense.

If this had happened in Illinois, Kennedy’s people could have won the seat by writing a fat check. But they were dealing with Paterson, so they needed leverage of a different sort. They needed to threaten his young governorship with ruin if he dared deny them. And ruin his governorship is exactly what they did.

Paterson is up for re-election next year. It’s not looking good for him, even in the Democratic primary, where Andrew Cuomo is polling far higher and voters are even starting to express nostalgia for Spitzer, who’s hard at work trying to remake and redeem himself. But our governor has never really shown himself to be anyone other than someone who’s working hard for the kind of people at risk of getting left behind in 21st-century New York, the kind of people who live in our neighborhoods. I’m not here to make endorsements. Maybe Paterson is too liberal for you; maybe he’s just not your cup of tea. The statistics say you want him gone, and soon. It’s always nice to be part of an 81-percent majority, but whatever you decide, take a moment to ask yourself whether this is a governor worthy of Blagojevich-level contempt.

The writer, Steve Tiszenkel is the host of the Website, queenscentral.com to read more about Forest Hills and surrounding neighborhoods.

More Photos of Memorial Day Events

This Week's Forum South and West

Swine Flu Fears Renewed with City's First Death

By Conor Greene

A Queens assistant principal was laid to rest this week – the city’s first apparent swine flu victim – as the number of confirmed cases continues to rise.

With cases of the H1N1 virus mounting, officials scrambled over the past few days to shut schools that have apparent outbreaks of students with flu-like symptoms. At the same time, the Bloomberg administration has found itself defending its decision on to close all city public schools when the outbreak first hit Queens several weeks ago.

“We can’t stop the virus from spreading, unless you were to go wall yourself off and not have any contact with other humans,” said Mayor Bloomberg at a press conference earlier this week. “Our goal is to minimize the threat to those who are most at risk… We should not be surprised to see more serious illness.”

On Wednesday afternoon, family, friends and students gathered at Sinai Chapels in Fresh Meadows to pay their final respects to Mitchell Wiener, an assistant principal at IS 238 in Hollis. While city officials claim Wiener had a pre-existing health condition that contributed to his death on Sunday evening, the 55-year-old man’s family said he was in good health before he came down with flu-like symptoms.

Schools have been closed on a one-by-one basis, and some elected officials are now criticizing the Bloomberg administration for not taking broader action sooner. On Tuesday, Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley (D-Middle Village) called on Chancellor Joel Klein all schools in District 24, which she called “one of the city’s most infected areas.” The request came a day after Klein, teacher’s union president Randi Weingarten and other held a press conference at IS 73in Maspeth after 330 out of 1,700 students called out sick.

“Given the high number of student and teacher absences, coupled with the tragic deaths of Assistant Principal Wiener and the 16-month-old baby in Corona, I believe we must close all the schools in District 24… [to] allow cleaning crews enough time to sanitize the schools in order to stop the spread of the virus and to ease concerns of parents, teachers, students and administrators throughout the area,” wrote Crowley in a letter to Klein.

A DOE spokeswoman said on Wednesday the decision to close schools is “subjective” and made on a “case-by-case basis” as determined by the Department of Health. “The DOH recommends to the DOE to close the school, and once that happens we do so immediately,” she said. Having all kids stay home “is not necessarily the answer” and doesn’t provide assurances that “it is going to protect anyone else from getting it.”

Crowley also called on the DOH to open more testing centers for residents. “There needs to be enough free testing options available for constituents who are without healthcare in order to keep all of our community members safe,” she said.

The criticism of Bloomberg’s decision not to close more public schools was echoed by Councilman Tony Avella (D-Bayside). “It is absolutely clear that Mike Bloomberg and DOH failed to hear the concerns of parents and through their inaction allowed the spread of this virus,” he said. “As I suggested back in late April, a more aggressive approach should have been taken to close public schools in northeast Queens. There is no doubt in my mind that by taking preemptive measures we could have helped quell the number of cases within New York City.”

Around the city, hospital emergency rooms were flooded with residents suffering from flulike symptoms. The pediatric emergency room at Elmhurst Hospital Center had waits of up to 10 hours, and Queens Hospital Center erected a yellow tent in the parking lot to handle its overflow of patients.

Mayor Bloomberg stressed that all ill residents should receive medical help, regardless of their immigration status. “Whether you have health insurance coverage or your immigration status is in question, it doesn’t matter. We will not ask about that,” he said. “The only question that matters is, are you severely ill? And if you are, our hospitals are there to take care of you.”

While health officials determined that a 16-month-old Corona baby’s death was not caused by swine flu, the national death toll rose to eight with the death of a 44-year-old St. Louis man. Of the approximately 5,500 cases nationwide, fewer than 300 are in New York. In the past week, 19 city schools – mostly in Queens - have been ordered to close by the health department, and another five did so voluntarily. There are also at least four confirmed swine flu cases at Rikers Island.

Ognibene to Challenge Crowley in November

By Conor Greene

It’s not even summer yet, but this fall’s City Council race in the 30th District just got more interesting with Thomas Ognibene’s decision to challenge incumbent Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley in a bid to regain his former job.

“The last time I ran, I think the biggest problem was we had two viable candidates at loggerheads,” said Ognibene, referring to fellow Republican Anthony Como’s victory in last summer’s special election to replace Dennis Gallagher. Crowley finished second in that race, followed by Ognibene, who said that a lone Republican on the ballot “clearly would have won the election and would have carried that into the general election.”

Ognibene, a Middle Village resident with a local practice, said the events leading up to his decision to run began when the Queens Republican Party leaders asked him if he would consider running for mayor on the Republican ticket if the party decided to not endorse Mayor Bloomberg. Ognibene was the Conservative Party’s candidate for mayor in 2005 and had discussed the possibility of challenging Bloomberg again this year.

However, the path was cleared for Ognibene to run for his old City Council seat, which he held from 1992 until term limits forced him out of office in 2001, when Como recently told him “he was going in another direction” and would not be challenging Crowley his fall. Around the same time, the Queens GOP decided it would in fact support Bloomberg.

The result, according to Ognibene, is a Queens Republican Party that is devoid of internal strife for the first time in recent memory. “This probably is the first time for the Republican Party in this county that everyone is aligned behind one guy,” he said. “During my final meeting with Mayor Bloomberg, he said, ‘Tom, I would love to have you support me, and I would love to support you.’”

Como was unable to be reached before press time because he was traveling, but a source said he is being considered for an appointment by the Bloomberg administration to a position in the Department of Housing. An announcement is expected once the standard vetting process is completed.

Ognibene sat out last November’s election, when Crowley (D-Middle Village) defeated Como by 12% out of 33,000 votes cast in the district, which includes Maspeth, Middle Village, Glendale and parts of Ridgewood, Woodhaven and Richmond Hill. The win allowed the Democratic Party to regain one of three seats that were held by Republicans at the time. (The GOP has since gained one seat back with the election of Ozone Park resident Eric Ulrich in the 32nd District).

Crowley said on Tuesday that her focus now is solely on representing the district. Still, she left no doubt that she will definitely seek re-election. “Yeah. I love my job. I want to have a full term. I would be honored to represent the people for a full four-year term,” she said.

With a full slate of issues to deal with, including the proposed Maspeth high school and the swine flu outbreak, Crowley is “not concentrating on reelection right now... I’m a fulltime councilwoman, and when it comes time for campaigning I hope my job will speak for itself, the good work I’ve done. When the people of the district come out to vote I think they will re-elect me as their Councilmember.”

It is likely Ognibene, who represented the district from 1992 until term limits forced him out in 2001, will tout his experience and his relationship with Bloomberg. “The most important thing is that the people living in this community need aggressive leadership. I know from my ten years experience where to go, where to look [to solve problems].”

Ognibene declined to comment on how he thinks the district has been represented since November. “I just feel it’s a short period of time and it’s hard for me to judge,” he said of Crowley’s time in office. “I think it really is up to the people to make that judgment so I’m not going to comment on that. I will run and people can then make a decision.”

One message he will push is the benefits his relationship with Mayor Bloomberg would provide for district residents. “The person who has the advantage as a councilmember is the person who can work closely with the mayor, that is the single most important thing,” said Ognibene. “No matter what powers the City Council has, they really do not measure up to the ability of the mayor to do things in a community that are positive, and to keep things from happening that are not positive. I feel I can bring that to the community.”

In terms of pertinent issues for the district, Ognibene mentioned the problems last summer caused by trains transporting garbage that were idling near residential areas and Christ the King High School. “I think you have to pay special attention clearly to the issue with what I call the garbage train,” he said, noting that action in federal court will likely be necessary. “Then there are the usual issues: school control, improving schools, the economic issues and trying to ameliorate the impact of the economic downturn.”

Parents Unhappy Over Catholic School Restructuring

Ridgewood School to Become Academy Under Diocese's Plan

By Conor Greene

Parents and students who are unhappy with changes coming to Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal School rallied in Ridgewood on Tuesday to demand answers, which they say have not been forthcoming.

Under a restructuring plan announced by the Brooklyn Diocese, several schools including OLMM will be converted into Catholic academies. As a result, OLMM will be renamed the Notre Dame Catholic Academy of Ridgewood when it reopens in September. Under the new arrangement, the academy will be run by a lay board of directors.

Many parents who rallied Tuesday at the corner of Bleecker and 61st streets say they were upset by the name change, but understand it is necessary. The last straw for many came when it was announced that the OLMM’s longtime principal, Margaret Baxter, was not being retained for next year. Instead, Virginia Daly, the former principal at St. Aloysius School - which is set to close - has been hired to fill that position. In addition, all staff members had to reapply for their positions, and parents are worried the new principal will bring most of her staff with her to OLMM.

Among those who rallied was Maria Birkic, who previously switched her daughter from St. Aloysius to OLMM and said she was “horrified” to learn that Mrs. Baxter wouldn’t be retained. “Mrs. Baxter opened doors for my daughter. She took her under her wing and was nurturing,” said Birkic. “They were not honest with us. We feel very betrayed, like our voices mean nothing to them.”

At the center of the parents’ anger is OLMM pastor Msgr. Edward Ryan, whom they say has been refusing to answer questions or discuss the situation with them. Msgr. Ryan was not present during the protests, but discussed the situation in an interview that afternoon. He noted that as part the restructuring, it is necessary to hire a whole new staff, which is why current employees were forced to reapply for their positions.

Msgr. Ryan expressed displeasure that parents had children participate in the rally, which attracted dozens of participants waiving signs. “I understand that a number of children were involved, and would be disappointed if they were being used to put across points adults wish to make,” he said. “I don’t think it is helpful to involve the children at this point.”

A meeting between the new board of directors – which was appointed by a board of corporation members, including Msgr. Ryan – and parents of OLMM and St. Aloysius parents is scheduled for Tuesday, at which time “hopefully the issues will be calmly and rationally discussed and answered,” said Msgr. Ryan.

While there are several concerns with the restructuring plan among students and parents, Msgr. Ryan termed the issues surrounding the principal’s position “the large issue.” He said a board of director’s sub committee interviewed four candidates for the principal’s job. “They rated each of those candidates on several different areas… [and] selected the person they believe to have the best accord with the vision of the new structure of Catholic education where the principal will dynamically lead the educational community and work with the board of directors.”

Responding to criticism that Daly oversaw the decline of St. Aloysius, Msgr. Ryan noted that under the new structure, the principal “will not be responsible for the financial well-being of the school. The principal’s responsibility will be the educational mission of the school.” He added that St. Aloysius’ difficulties “go back many years” and have finally reached a point where that parish couldn’t keep up with its debt. “The attempt is to build up new academies to be as strong as they can be in terms of enrollment.”

Msgr. Ryan also refuted claims that parents have been left in the dark as the process has unfolded. “No information was withheld and we interviewed everyone who applied. The person who emerged with the highest rating was recommended,” he said.

While Msgr. Ryan criticized the parents for allowing the students to participate in the protest, many of the children who attended expressed heartbreak at what is happening at OLMM. “She’s been like a mother to us and listens to all our problems,” said Elizabeth Sweeney, an eighth grade student who is the third generation of her family to attend OLMM. “It’s ironic how they’re giving us the principal of a school that is being shut down.”

“They made us who we are today, and they’re taking it all away,” said fellow eighth-grader Josephine O’Malley.