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By Mark Hallum

TimesLedger Newspapers

It is another year of participatory budget voting success in the district of Councilman Paul Vallone (D-Bayside) with over 8,000 votes cast to fund school, law enforcement and community projects.

Vallone’s district leads the city and Queens in voter turnout for participatory budgeting, which the city introduced four years ago to give communities a direct say in where $1 million is spent.

“These results once again clearly show that our district has overwhelmingly embraced the success of the participatory budgeting process. At a time when voter turnout is at a record low, we have created a way to engage our youth and the youngest voters as to the power and importance of voting,” Vallone said. “The first place finish for NYPD Security Cameras is a clear sign that public safety is a top priority for our neighborhoods. This monumental, eight-month task could not have been possible without the continuous dedication of our delegates, community liaisons, volunteers, staff and especially Vito Tautonico, our director of Constituent Services, who spearheaded the process.”

The 8,000 votes cast this year eclipsed last year’s turnout, which saw about 6,000 and 4,500 in 2016. Participatory voting also engages the youth with a minimum age of 16 to vote for projects.

This year the 111th and 109th precincts received $141,000 for security cameras to be placed at key locations within the two commands as a means of crime prevention.

This year’s recipients thanked Vallone for selecting their projects.

“It is with great police work and crime prevention tools like the NYPD Security Cameras that help the NYPD continue to lower crime rates and keep our city safe,” said Jerry Filippidis, president of the 109th Precinct Community Council.

Bayside High School received $600,000 for music rehearsal resources to convert unused spaces on school grounds into sound-proofed performance rooms and to include storage for musical instruments

“The Bayside High School community is delighted to have our music project selected as a result of the Participatory Budgeting process” said Jonathan Hirata, assistant principal of Bayside High School, who thanked the councilman for giving the students a voice in their community. “This contribution to the school will serve our students for many years to come.”

JHS 194 at 154-60 17 Ave. in Whitestone will get $300,000 to renovate the walls, floors and the safety padding of its gymnasium as well as to replace basketball hoops.

“The gymnasium renovation will be greatly appreciated by all the students and community-based organizations that share our space,” said Ann Lippert, parent coordinator for JHS 194. “We are so grateful to the JHS 194 community, the PTA, our current and former students, their parents, and everyone who participated for their support of this project.”

Reach reporter Mark Hallum by e-mail at mhallum@cnglocal.com or by phone at (718) 260–4564.

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By Naeisha Rose

TimesLedger Newspapers

FLUSHING — A Flushing man has been sentenced to 24 years in prison after pleading guilty to the stabbing death of his 68-year-old ex-wife, whose body was found under a table in the apartment the couple shared in November 2014, Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said.

According to the charges, on Nov. 8, 2014, some time between 7 p.m. and 11:45 p.m., Josefina Mendoza was stabbed more than 300 times. Brown said the victim’s face alone had more than 200 wounds. Naser Alzein, 55, called 911 to report he had found Mendoza’s dead body in the apartment, but Alzein had a cut on his hand and was seen on video surveillance pacing outside the apartment building before going back inside to call police, the charges said.

Brown said this was one of the most violent murder scenes one could imagine.

“The victim had a knife plunged into her body more than 300 times, many of the wounds to the woman’s face,” he said. “The defendant called 911 and claimed he found the victim dead in the apartment, but evidence showed he brutally killed her and then tried to cover it up. To punish him for this criminal act an to protect society, the defendant will likely spend the rest of his life incarcerated.”

— Gina Martinez

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By Larry Penner

TimesLedger Newspapers

Let us all wish a Happy 184th anniversary to the Long Island Rail Road.

On April 24, 1834, the LIRR was officially chartered by the state of New York. In 1900, the Pennsylvania Railroad bought a controlling interest as part of its plan for direct access to Manhattan, which began on Sept. 8, 1910. The Pennsylvania Railroad subsidized the LIRR into the late 1940s. This provided the financial basis for support of expansion and upgrades to service and infrastructure.

At the end of World War II, there began a decline of our LIRR with a corresponding loss of farebox revenues. The Pennsylvania Railroad began to reduce financial support as well. This played a part in the LIRR going into receivership in 1949. In recognition of the role the LIRR played in the economy of both Long Island and New York City, New York state began providing financial assistance to the LIRR in the 1950s and 1960s.

The “Line of the Dashing Dan” was officially chartered on April 24, 1965 by the state. Prior to 1965, the LIRR derived almost 100 percent of its funding for both capital and operating expenses from fares. Chartered by the state Legislature in 1965 as the Metropolitan Commuter Transportation Authority, it was created to purchase and operate the bankrupt LIRR.

In 1966, New York state bought the railroad’s controlling stock from the Pennsylvania Rail Road and put it under the newly formed Metropolitan Commuter Transportation Authority. The MCTA changed its name to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority in 1968 when it took over operations of the New York City Transit Authority.

With MTA subsidies, the LIRR modernized further and grew into the busiest commuter railroad in the United States. Over the past 50 years, several billion dollars in combined county, city, state and federal taxpayer-generated dollars have subsidized both the capital and operating costs for the LIRR.

Riders must remember that fare hikes are periodically required if the MTA is to provide the services millions of New Yorkers use daily. They are inevitable due to inflation, along with increasing costs of labor, power, fuel, supplies, materials, routine safety, state of good repair, replacement of worn out rolling stock, upgrades to stations, yards and shops along with system expansion projects necessary to run any transit system.

Half-hour weekly and weekend service on the Port Washington LIRR branch proves why it pays for my wife and me, along with many of our neighbors, to live in Great Neck and northeast Queens. It is easier seven days a week to attend Met games, other Citi Field events, the US Open at Arthur Ashe Stadium, Flushing Meadows Park, Queens Zoo, Madison Square Garden activities and Broadway shows on a regular basis. Those of us in the know already had moved to communities adjacent to the Long Island Rail Road’s Port Washington branch stations years or even decades ago. The Little Neck, Douglaston, Bayside and Auburndale school district in Queens is ranked among the best in the Metropolitan New York area. We have great air quality along with a low crime rate, abundant parks, libraries, shopping, entertainment, movie theaters, hospitals and medical facilities.

Riders on the Port Washington branch have far more abundant seating and a quick 30-minute-or-less trip into Penn Station without having to change at Jamaica as LIRR commuters on other branches may do. Port Washington branch riders miss most service disruptions.

In the end, the quality and frequency of service are dependent upon secure revenue streams. We all have to contribute — be it at the fare box or tax revenues generated by different levels of government redistributed back to the MTA.

TANSTAFFL or “There Ain’t No Such Thing As A Free Lunch,” or in this case, a free ride

Larry Penner

Great Neck

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By Mark Hallum

TimesLedger Newspapers

The MTA board approved an amendment to the 2015-2019 capital plan to make 17 stations, including three in Queens, Americans with Disabilities Act compliant by installing elevators as well as redesigning stairwells and mezzanines to help the flow of people during busy hours.

About $200 million will go toward elevators and other ADA accessible improvements to the Astoria Boulevard station on N/W lines, Court Square to the G line and the Woodhaven Boulevard stop on the J line.

“We are putting an increased focus on accessibility with all of our planning moving forward, and this plan amendment is a direct result of that promise,” said MTA Chairman Joseph Lhota. “We have a lot more work to do, but this plan amendment – as well as our board working group on accessibility and the commitment of NYC Transit President Andy Byford — demonstrate our commitment to accessibility for all of our customers.”

The Astoria Boulevard station will have four elevators installed with two rising from the street to the elevated mezzanine and two more taking riders from the mezzanine up to the platforms.

The station will be closed in February 2019 for nine months as reconstruction brings improvements to the station along with the elevators.

This station overhaul will begin as similar work will be completed in June 30 on the 30th and 36th avenue stations on the N/W lines for infrastructure repairs which closed the two in October.

But while elected officials praised the coming of ADA-accessibility at the Astoria station, they voiced opposition to the closure of the 30th and 36th avenue stations.

“Our community has spent years advocating for elevators at the station to improve accessibility for people with disabilities, parents with strollers and seniors,” City Councilman Costa Constantinides (D-Astoria) said. “However, our community’s experience with the MTA’s 30th Avenue station closure has left us with many burdens, concerns, and unanswered questions. While closing the station will bring some negative effects to our neighborhood during the construction, including longer commute times and more crowded stations, the added accessibility features will bring essential long-term infrastructure improvements to the station. I will continue to hold the authority accountable on this and other similar projects.”

The 2015-2019 capital plan already includes $400 million to replace 69 existing elevators and escalators, though the MTA did not confirm before press time whether the escalator at the Woodside-61st Street station which has been closed for extended periods of time for repeated repairs in the past year would be included.

Reach reporter Mark Hallum by e-mail at mhallum@cnglocal.com or by phone at (718) 260–4564.

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By Bill Parry

TimesLedger Newspapers

Jazz great Louis Armstrong’s love affair with Corona will be celebrated throughout May and June as Queens Library partners with the Kupferberg Center for the Arts at Queens College and the Louis Armstrong House Museum in Corona to bring events to all 62 of the system’s branches.

Free workshops, concerts, lectures, videos and surprise events will focus on the 50th anniversary of the release of Armstrong’s classic “What a Wonderful World,” which was inspired by the neighborhood around his home at 34-56 107th where he and his wife Lucille Wilson lived from 1943 to 1971.

“There is so much in ‘Wonderful World’ that brings me back to my neighborhood where I live in Corona, New York,” Armstrong recalled in a 1968 interview. “Lucille and I, ever since we’re married, we’ve been right there in that block. And everybody keeps their little homes up like we do and it’s just like one big family. I saw three generations come up on that block. And they’re all with their children, grandchildren, they come back and see Uncle Satchmo and Aunt Lucille. That’s why I can say, “I hear babies cry/ I watch them grow/ they’ll learn much more/ then I’ll ever know.’ And I look at all them kids’ faces. And I got pictures of them when they was 5, 6 and 7 years old. So when they hand me this “Wonderful World,’ I didn’t look no further, that was it.”

Highlights of the celebration includes a variety of musical performances, including Grammy Award-nominee David Ostwald and his ensemble, The Louis Armstrong Eternity Band, which will play at the Langston Hughes Library in Corona on May 24 at 6 p.m., the Flushing Library June 14 at 6:30 p.m. and the Peninsula Library in Rockaway Beach June 29 at 6 p.m.

“While the song reflects Louis Armstrong’s feelings about the neighborhood of Corona and (the) borough of Queens, it also applies to the way many of our customers experience our libraries,” Queens Library President and CEO Dennis Walcott said. “It speaks of the joy of discovery and the satisfaction of learning that occurs each time people come to us for information that helps them succeed in their lives.”

Experts and archivists from the Louis Armstrong House Museum will offer lectures on the life and times of Louis Armstrong and his “undeterred love for Queens and its people” at the Glen Oaks Library May 18 at 1 p.m. and the Forest Hills Library June 25 at 6:30 p.m. The team will also deliver lectures in Spanish at the Jackson Heights Library June 2 at 3 p.m. and the Astoria Library June 4 at 5:30 p.m.

“The Louis Armstrong House Museum is thrilled to be sharing the legacy of the great Louis Armstrong throughout the borough of Queens and beyond the neighborhood of Corona he loved so much where the museum is based,” David Ostwald, the Chairman of the board and leader of the Louis Armstrong Eternity Band, said.

Following Armstrong’s death in 1971, his house on 107th Street was transformed into the museum, which now has a visitors center and a performance space.

“We are thrilled to be working with the Queens Library to bring ‘What a Wonderful World’ programming to all 62 library branches in the borough and in turn make the arts more accessible to everyone in Queens,” Queens College President Felix Matos Rodriguez said. “What better way to communicate our college’s mission to serve the students and families of our borough than through a celebration of one of America’s and Queens’ most-beloved cultural icons?”

For more information and schedules, visit connect.queenslibrary.org/2610.

Reach reporter Bill Parry by e-mail at bparry@cnglocal.com or by phone at (718) 260–4538.

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By Mark Hallum

TimesLedger Newspapers

The city Dept. of Environmental Protection announced a $12.7 million project to bring better storm sewer management to Glen Oaks is nearly complete to help the community manage water runoff from rain.

Up to 4,600 feet of new storm sewers have been installed in an 11-block section of the neighborhood mostly comprised of co-ops and condos and will redirect water from Royal Ranch through Glen Oaks and into Little Neck Parkway.

“The hills and valleys of the Glen Oaks neighborhood presented a rather unique engineering challenge and our team partnered with DDC to develop a drainage plan that we are confident will help to better manage stormwater, reduce flooding and make the roadways safer for everyone,” DEP Commissioner Vincent Sapienza said. “We are excited that the final work, roadway resurfacing, will be completed in the coming weeks and residents will be able to enjoy an improved quality of life.”

Bob Friedrich is the president of Glen Oaks Village, one of the largest co-op developments in the city with about 10,000 residents in 3,000 units covering 125 acres, according to DEP.

“We are at the bottom of the highest point in Queens so water really does have a tendency to rush through this community and create all kinds of problems,” said Friedrich. “After a big rain event we would have debris in the street we’d have to clean up. But I’ve seen the improvements. In the areas this project affects the flooding is gone. Years ago we used dye to track where the water lowed down the hill, and a lot of that water is now captured.”

State Sen. Tony Avella (D-Bayside), who has long opposed alternative methods for stormwater runoff such as bioswales, praised the effort of the city agencies to address the problem with improved infrastructure.

“Homeowners in this community have expended substantial time and resources over the years trying to contain the damage done by flooding,” Avella said. “It’s a great relief to know that their concerns have been addressed.”

The project brought 58 new catch basins to the area along with resurfaced roads and storm sewer pipes from 3.5- to 4-feet in width.

“In 2013, I wrote to DEP and DDC requesting that they address the flooding problem that has had a detrimental impact on the Glen Oaks area,” state Assemblyman Edward Braunstein (D-Bayside) said. “I am thankful to both agencies for completing this project, which will bring much needed storm sewers and catch basins to both Glen Oaks and Royal Ranch.”

Reach reporter Mark Hallum by e-mail at mhallum@cnglocal.com or by phone at (718) 260–4564.

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By Andrew Schatkin

TimesLedger Newspapers

I would like to respond to your reporter’s article concerning the president’s travel ban.

In this article, the reporter quotes Attorney General Eric Schneiderman as saying that the president’s ban is discriminatory and undermines the state’s residents and businesses. He reports a coalition of 17 attorneys general have filed a brief opposing this ban. I find the statement in this article completely inaccurate as targeting the president as biased against Muslims.

For some years, there have been a series of violent attacks from probably a small minority within certain Muslim countries. The president does not include in this ban the most populist Muslim countries such as Indonesia, Algeria and Egypt. Hence, it is not a Muslim ban.

More to the point, there have been a long series of jihadist attacks not only involving our country, but a number of European countries. A Jewish woman in France was set on fire and stabbed by Muslim jihadists. Let me state that I am fully convinced that most Muslim people are law-abiding citizens, except for a small minority in their societies who engage in these attacks.

I must state I recently had an email from a Christian woman in Pakistan who stated that she had been praying for the election of President Trump. For better or for worse, Christians are in a state of persecution in many countries.

Most recently in Palm Beach, there was a stabbing and homicide by a Muslim jihadist. Personally, I entertain no hate or prejudice to the Muslim community, who God significantly loves, values and cherishes. The president’s ban is a response on the ground of national security to protect American lives.

The article by your reporter ignores these attacks, which have consistently occurred over many years. In the face of this violence brought about by a thin minority in the present world, the president has no choice but to impose this ban on a practical basis.

Attorney General Schneiderman filed a suit in federal court to block the citizenship question for the 2020 Census. The purpose of this question is to determine the number of people illegally here in the United States. The president is concerned with illegal citizens who take jobs away from the most vulnerable persons in our society — including black and Latino residents — for low wages and no benefits.

The president’s actions toward persons here illegally here does not make him anti-immigrant, but anti-illegal-immigrant, and makes him a person who cares about the needy who reside in our country. Both of these lawsuits against President Trump brought about by the state attorney general of New York miss the point of the travel ban and citizenship question.

That point is the president cares about the lives of the American people and cares about the employment that they so desperately need. These poverty-stricken legal residents may be forced to join the army and then die in the battlefields of the Middle East.

Andrew Schatkin

Bayside

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By Gina Martinez

TimesLedger Newspapers

New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman’s lawsuit against the Trump administration’s demand for citizenship information in the 2020 census has been amended and growing, with more cities, states and counties coming on board.

The lawsuit, filed last month in U.S. District Court in Manhattan was amended to add the state of Colorado and cities, including Central Falls, RI, Columbus, Ohio, and Pittsburgh, Pa., as well as Cameron County, Texas; El Paso County, Texas; Hidalgo County, Texas and Monterey County, Calif. as co-plaintiffs. The bipartisan coalition now includes a total of 18 States, including the district of Columbia, nine cities, four counties, and the U.S. Conference of Mayors.

Schneiderman said requiring citizenship information on the Census would depress voter turnout in states with large immigrant populations.

“Demanding citizenship status would threaten both our fair representation and the billions in federal dollars that fund our schools, social services, and so much more,” he said. “The federal government has a fundamental obligation to ensure a fair and accurate count of all people in the country, period. For decades, administrations of both parties have upheld this constitutional requirement. Our growing coalition is sending a clear message: We won’t allow the Trump administration to recklessly abandon nearly 70 years of practice in an attempt to jeopardize the basic rights of those we represent.”

The amended complaint specifically highlights the billions of dollars at risk for states and localities around the country. Schneiderman said in New York alone, that includes $1.2 billion in Title I funds used to help students at risk and $781 million in special education funds for New York school districts, and $198 million in Child Care and Development grants. The complaint also highlights the extensive funding and resources plaintiffs have already dedicated toward encouraging participation in the 2020 Census. New York City had budgeted $4 million to hire staff and develop programs around Census participation, before the addition of the citizenship demand. Schneiderman said those funds are now insufficient to cover the type of public outreach necessary to encourage anxious residents, particularly in immigrant communities, to participate.

The census controversy began Dec. 12, when the U.S. Department of Justice requested that the Census Bureau demand citizenship information in the 2020 census form sent to every household in the United States even though the census is supposed to count all persons, citizens and non-citizens alike. The DOJ argued that the collection of citizenship information was necessary to ensure proper enforcement of the 1965 Voting Rights Act.

But according to Schneiderman and 18 other states in a letter sent to the Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross in February, the demand would have the opposite effect by driving down participation in immigrant communities. The potential undercount would deprive immigrant communities of fair representation when legislative seats are apportioned and district lines are drawn, the letter said.

Queens is the nation’s most ethnically diverse county, where nearly half of the residents are foreign-born.

Schneiderman’s lawsuit was brought under the Enumeration Clause of the U.S. Constitution, arguing that by asking for citizenship information, the Trump administration will impede an “actual enumeration” required by the Constitution. It was also brought under the Administrative Procedure Act, which allows courts to set aside unlawful or arbitrary and capricious agency decisions.

Schneiderman pointed out that the Census Bureau’s own research shows that the decision to demand citizenship information will “inevitably jeopardize the overall accuracy of the population count” by significantly deterring participation in immigrant communities, because of concerns about how the federal government will use citizenship information. Schneiderman and other lawmakers said these concerns have only been amplified by President Trump’s anti-immigrant rhetoric and pattern of actions that target immigrant communities.

The Census Bureau rejected the addition of a citizenship question in 1980, saying “questions as to citizenship are particularly sensitive in minority communities and would inevitably trigger hostility, resentment and refusal to cooperate.”

Reach Gina Martinez by e-mail at gmartinez@cnglocal.com or by phone at (718) 260–4566.

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By Bill Parry

TimesLedger Newspapers

Calling it one step closer to a “concrete way to give back to those who have given of themselves in service to our nation,” state Sen. Joseph Addabbo (D-Howard Beach) announced committee approval of his legislation, S.3675, which would enable New Yorkers to check off a box on their personal income tax returns to assist veterans’ service organizations.

Under the bill, the contributions would be held in a fund maintained by the state comptroller and the state Division of Taxation and Finance, and monies would be provided to veterans’ service organizations to enable them to better assist former military members in assessing necessary benefits and programs. The contributions would be gifts and not reduce the amount of tax owed by check-off program participants.

“My proposal would establish a veterans’ service organization fund, which would be supported through the generosity of New York residents who decide that they want to contribute to veterans’ groups when they file their state personal income tax returns,” Addabbo, the ranking member of the Senate Committee on Veterans, Homeland Security and Military Affairs, said. “I am grateful my colleagues on the Senate Veterans Committee have joined me in advancing this initiative.”

Other check-off programs in New York state include those that support breast cancer research, prostate cancer research, wildlife and conservation efforts, Alzheimer’s disease services, and state veteran’ cemeteries.

“I think it’s fitting that New York taxpayers be provided with the opportunity to voluntarily support brave and selfless men and women who have put their lives on hold at home and their lives at risk overseas — all in service to our country,” Addabbo said. “By helping veterans’ service organizations expand their programs, we will be thanking our veterans in a truly meaningful manner.”

The bill’s next step towards full Senate passage is consideration by the Senate Finance Committee. In the Assembly, the legislation is under review by the Ways and Means Committee.

“Veterans are often in need of a variety of services when they return home, but do not always know where to turn to find out about an array of programs that exist to help them,” Addabbo said. “Veterans’ service organizations serve as the key liaison between veterans and appropriate government agencies, and their efforts are vital to ensuring that our returning servicemen and women gain access to the health, employment, education and other services available to them.”

Reach reporter Bill Parry by e-mail at bparry@cnglocal.com or by phone at (718) 260–4538.

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By Mark Hallum

TimesLedger Newspapers

Mayor Bill de Blasio released a fiscal 2019 executive budget of $89 billion with clear animosity toward Albany for its mandate in the state budget requiring the city to pay half of the more than $836 million tab for the Subway Action Plan to repair the failing public transit system.,

Not only did de Blasio call for full accounting on the funds put toward the Subway Action Plan, the administration did not answer the call of many for the city to include Fair Fares, government-funded, half-priced MetroCard swipes for low-income New Yorkers, in the 2019 budget. The new fiscal year begins July 1.

The Mayor’s office did not respond to inquiries regarding when the budget would be enacted before press time.

“What does it mean if the city pays for another MTA expense that should be covered by the MTA? And this has happened over and over again, including most recently with the ‘Subway Action Plan,’ which cost us over $400 million,” de Blasio said on the Brian Lehrer Show Friday of his refusal to earmark the $212 million for Fair Fares.

De Blasio turned some of his criticism toward the East Side Access Project, giving the LIRR riders from Queens and Long Island the ability to commute into Grand Central instead of Penn Station.

“When we give money to the MTA as we just did, we need full accounting of what is being done with the money,” de Blasio continued. “We just saw this ludicrous story on the ‘East Side Access Project’ (about) the MTA having a billion-dollar cost overrun. This is yet another cost overrun, yet another delay in a project that seems to just take up money all the time, but yet the state is asking the city to give money to an agency that clearly does not know how to use its money properly and on the right things.”

De Blasio and Gov. Andrew Cuomo have dueled over how much, if any, the city would contribute to the Subway Action Plan since it was unveiled in July as a short-term approach to stabilize the meltdown-prone city transit system, which is operated by the state.

But de Blasio was defiant about committing funds until the state budget, passed in April, requiring the city pay up.

Riders Alliance, a transit advocacy group, called on de Blasio to stand with other city leaders and adopt Fair Fares in the budget by pointing out the $212 million initiative would only be a small portion of the “nearly $90 billion budget” de Blasio claimed was driven by the desire to make New York the “fairest big city in America.”

“Speaker Corey Johnson and the City Council made Fair Fares the centerpiece of their response to the mayor’s preliminary budget, but Mayor de Blasio has yet to embrace the idea. The mayor is ignoring the needs of hundreds of thousands of his constituents and the recommendations of several dozens of elected officials, representing hundreds of diverse New York City neighborhoods, who are united for half-price MetroCards for low-income New Yorkers,” the Riders Alliance said in a statement. “In the coming weeks, as we look toward adoption of the budget, the coalition looks forward to working side-by-side with Speaker Corey Johnson and his colleagues to push Fair Fares across the finish line.”

Reach reporter Mark Hallum by e-mail at mhallum@cnglocal.com or by phone at (718) 260–4564.

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