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By TimesLedger Staff

TimesLedger Newspapers

The 2018 primary election is here Tuesday and there are three races in Queens to keep an eye on.

U.S. Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-Jackson Heights) faces challenger Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in the contest to represent New York’s 14th Congressional District, which covers large sections of western Queens and the Bronx.

Crowley, 56, holds the fourth-highest ranking position in the House Democratic leadership. Ocasio-Cortez, 28, is an insurgent progressive from the Bronx who organized for U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (Ind.-Vt.) during his failed bid for the presidency in 2016. Crowley facing an opponent in a primary for the first time in 14 years.

Ocasio-Cortez criticized Crowley for leading the Queens County Democratic Party while holding elected office, an attack which the incumbent dismissed. Crowley said he had helped many candidates of color get elected, ensuring that the diverse district’s leaders represent their constituencies during his time as head of the Queens Democrats.

Meanwhile, Ocasio-Cortez said she is the only candidate in the race who supports “improved and expanded Medicare for all, a federal jobs guarantee, tuition-free public college and the abolition of ICE.”

Crowley has been a voice for immigrant rights and spoken out repeatedly against gun violence in schools.

Suraj Patel, an attorney and professor, is looking to unseat U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-Astoria), who has served as a congresswomen for 25 years.

Maloney is running on her record of bringing $10 billion in federal funds to her district, spanning the East Side of Manhattan, western Queens and parts of Brooklyn, that went toward the construction of the 2nd Avenue subway and the Kosciuszko Bridge linking Long Island City to Greenpoint. She is working to help pass a Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals measure in the House and is also involved in putting together a hearing about the separation of children from families while crossing the Mexican border into the United States. Maloney is a strong voice for women’s issues in the House.

Patel said he hopes to protect immigrants from the policies of the Trump administration and uplift the science community to take on climate change. He wants to set a different tone for scientific knowledge than his opponent, who for some time questioned whether or not vaccines could cause autism, which he believes lent credence to the same kind of science denial which has led some of the public to disregard climate change science.

Patel is also tackling issues of more localized interest in the district, such as problems experienced by those in NYCHA’s Queensbridge housing project involving mold and lead. About 2,500 of Patel’s 6,000 petition signature were collected from Queensbridge Houses.

U.S. Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-Jamaica) has two opponents in the race to represent the New York’s 5th Congressional District, which comprises parts of both of southeast Queens and Nassau County. Technologist Mizan Choudhury and Carl Achille, a detective and Iraqi war veteran, are trying to upset Meeks in the primary.

Meeks, a 20-year incumbent in his district, wants to save protections that were provided in the Affordable Care Act, which prohibited insurers from denying coverage to people with pre-existing conditions, assured maternity and newborn care and guarded policy holders from being dropped by their providers when they were sick.

Choudhury is a Bengali immigrant who came to the United States in 1997. He works as a technology manager for Northwell Health, a collection of health-care facilities, is a community activist who lives in Bellerose, one of the neighborhoods a few miles outside of the district and is a business owner. He wants to legalize Dreamers, undocumented young people brought to this country illegally as children.

Achille is the son of Haitian immigrants and lives in Elmont. He also believes Meeks is detached from his constituents and the main problems facing the district are the lack of quality jobs and affordable housing. Achille contends that redeveloping the Hempstead Avenue corridor from Jamaica Avenue in Queens to Franklin Square in Nassau County is necessary to for the area’s economy.

There have been some changes to polling sites in recent weeks. To see where you can vote, visit nyc.pollsitelocator.com/search.

We will be visiting the polls and providing updates throughout the day.

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By Carlotta Mohamed

TimesLedger Newspapers

Congresswoman Grace Meng (D-Flushing) awarded Certificates of Congressional Recognition during a ceremony Monday to eight Queens students accepted to the U.S. service academies after nominating them to attend the distinguished institutions.

To congratulate the students, Meng hosted a reception for the students and their families at her northeast Queens office at 40-13 159th St. in Flushing.

Two officials — Capt. Devin Adams and Lt. Raphael Waruinge — from the West Point Academy were special guest speakers at the ceremony.

“Each year I have the honor of nominating local students for our nation’s prestigious service academies and I’m proud to congratulate this year’s group of young men and women,” Meng said. “All are extraordinary individuals who seek to become future military leaders of our nation. I know they’ll make our borough and nation proud, and I thank each of them for their selfless commitment to serve our country. I wish them the very best for success.”

Four students from Flushing to attend West Point Academy later on this month include: Acacia Chai, of Francis Lewis High School; Thomas Knight, of Xavier High School; Allard Peng, of Stuyvesant High School; and Evan Zhang, of Mercersburg Academy in Pennsylvania.

Queens students Crystal Zhang, of Francis Lewis High School, will be attending West Point; Kelly White, of Bayside High School, will attend the Naval Academy; Szymon Szabat of Aviation High School will attend the Airforce Preparatory Academy; and Charles Lo, of Aviation High School will attend the Air Force Academy.

The academies consist of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point: U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, Md.; U.S. Air Force Academy at Colorado Springs, Colo.; U.S. Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point, NY; and the U.S. Coast Guard Academy at New London, Conn.

Students seeking to attend the nation’s service academies are nominated by their members of Congress. The institutions evaluate all the nominations from across the nation, and decide which nominees to accept.

This year, Meng submitted a total of 25 nominations. Students nominated compete against students from throughout the country and must meet the highly competitive educational, physical, and extracurricular standards set by the individual institutions, according to Meng.

Knight, 18, of Flushing, who will be attending West Point, realized he wanted to be become a part of the military during his sophomore year in high school.

“There was a teacher at my school who was a retired lieutenant colonel in the army…he was a role model to me,” said Knight. “Just the kind of character and leadership that he had, I just thought wow if I can get that from the Army and West Point. that’s where else would I want to go.”

Zhang, 18, of Fresh Meadows, looks forward to becoming a great leader at West Point.

“I think what I’m worried about the most is that I’ll be a small fish in a big pond there, but I think physically, mentally, and academically I am prepared,” said Zhang. “My four years of high school has prepared me for this, and everything else will be up to me..how well I can undergo the challenges and the part of me to survive this basic training.”

The elite service academies prepare college-aged Americans to be officers of the U.S. uniformed services. After four years of study, service academy graduates become commissioned as officers in the active or reserve components of the U.S. military or merchant marine for a minimum of five years, according to Meng.

Adams, the New York City engagement officer for the Admissions Department at West Point, said the academy seeks to develop its cadets through four pillars: academic, physical, military and character.

“What we’re trying to do is to get the cadets to understand that you need to be able to stretch yourself, your mind, and who you are, and try to find those weaknesses in yourself,” Adams said. “By identifying those weaknesses in yourself and trying to fill those holes, you start to learn that anything is possible.”

This fall Meng plans to once again sponsor “U.S. Service Academy Information Night” for Queens students who are interested in applying to the U.S. aervice academies. When asked why he decided to become a part of the military, Peng, 18, of Stuyvesant said, “I love my country and I want to serve my country.”

Reach reporter Carlotta Mohamed by e-mail at cmohamed@cnglocal.com or by phone at (718) 260–4526.

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Source: Times Ledger

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By Carlotta Mohamed

TimesLedger Newspapers

FOREST HILLS — A Forest Hills man was charged with criminal possession of a weapon, criminal possession of a controlled substance, and other crimes for allegedly collecting several illegal firearms, ammunition, ammo magazines — in addition to illegal narcotics, according to Queens District Attorney Richard Brown.

“An early morning raid at the home of the defendant uncovered a lethal force of illegal weapons and drugs,” Brown said. “The defendant in this case allegedly admitted at the time of his arrest that he likes to collect guns and does not have a license for them. Illegal firearms in our communities pose a grave risk to everyone. The defendant has now been arrested, charged and faces a long term of incarceration for his alleged actions.”

The defendant, George Mirzayans, 52, of Thorton Place in Forest Hills, was arraigned before Queens Criminal Court Judge John Zoll on a criminal complaint charging him with possession of a controlled substance, marijuana and a weapon as well as using drug paraphernalia and unlawful possession of pistol or revolver ammunition, according to the DA’s office.

On Saturday, June 9, at around 6 a.m., police executed a court-authorized search warrant at Mirzanyans’ residence. During the raid police recovered rifles, pistols, ammunition, and magazines for ammunition and drugs, according to Brown. In all, seven firearms were seized, including a Winchester Super X Rifle, a loaded .380 caliber semi-automatic pistol, a .30 caliber lever action rifle and a .25 caliber semi-automatic pistol, according to Brown.

Police also recovered approximately 10 pounds of marijuana, over eight ounces of cocaine, liquid marijuana, a measuring scale, and spoons with cocaine residue on them, Brown said.

According to the DA, police also recovered nearly $5,000 in cash in the home and Mirzanyans said in sum and substance that he likes guns, he collects guns and does not have a license for any of them. He also allegedly told police that “I sling coke a little bit at a time. I smoke weed and I sling a little bit,” according to the complaint.

Zoll set bail at $100,000 and ordered the defendant to return to court June 25.

— Carlotta Mohamed

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By Carlotta Mohamed

TimesLedger Newspapers

State Assemblyman Ron Kim (D-Flushing) introduced a resolution proclaiming June 13 as Taiwan Heritage Day in New York, and acknowledged the importance of instituting a reciprocating driver’s license program between Taiwan and New York state.

The celebration, held in the capitol’s Legislative Office Building — with hosts state Assemblywoman Yuh-Line Niou (D-Manhattan) and state Sen. Toby Stavisky (D-Flushing) — commemorated the diplomatic and cultural relationship between the New York state and Taiwan, and created an opportunity for the attendees to share and learn about Taiwan’s culture and traditions. The lawmakers were joined by the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office of New York, as well as key Taiwanese American leaders from across the state.

“We are pleased to join our colleagues in introducing this Assembly resolution commemorating Taiwan Heritage Day and celebrating the many years of friendship between the state of New York and Taiwan,” Kim said. “It is difficult to overstate the importance of our longstanding partnership, and we must continue to take the steps needed to support the bonds between our two communities.”

More than a dozen other states have signed an agreement with Taiwan for reciprocal driver’s licenses, Kim said.

According to the American Institute in Taiwan, an international driving license is required to drive in Taiwan, which the people can apply for in their home country. People from countries with reciprocal agreements with Taiwan can use their driving license for up to 30 days. Those who wish to stay longer than 30 days and continue to drive need to complete an International Driving License Permit Application for their individual country.

So far, 21 states have adopted reciprocal driver’s license agreements with Taiwan, including Virginia, Kentucky, Maryland, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Idaho, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, Washington, West Virginia, Oregon, Arizona, Alabama, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Nevada, Tennessee and Colorado, according to the American Institute in Taiwan.

Reach reporter Carlotta Mohamed by e-mail at cmohamed@cnglocal.com or by phone at (718) 260–4526.

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By Mark Hallum

TimesLedger Newspapers

In two years time, residents living under the elevated track of the No. 7 train may no longer have to worry about lead particles imperiling their own health and the well-being of their families.

New York City Transit President Andy Byford announced Tuesday a $45 million plan to strip the elevated trestle of the No. 7 train down to bare steel, make structural repairs and remediate the lead issue revealed in early 2017.

The first phase of the project will run from 82nd Street and Citi Field, according to Byford.

“This is a project that we’ve needed to do for some time. It’s not easy because we’re talking about elevated structures that have decades of lead paint on them, decades of dust and dirt, and this needs to be very carefully cleaned off,” Byford said, explaining that a specialist union contractor would take responsibility for the task removing miles of lead-based paint.

“It’s not just a repainting, we’re actually going to be doing some pretty substantial structural repairs at the same time, and this will see this critical structure for the 7 line — this critical structure within the wonderful borough of Queens — this will see that stricture made good and cared for decades to come,” he added.

Joining Byford at the Tuesday news conference in front of the 74th Street – Jackson Heights station was U.S. Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-Jackson Heights) and City Councilman Daniel Dromm (D-Jackson Heights).

“For years our community has sought to address the lead paint peeling from the 7 line tracks which pose a severe health risk to our families,” Crowley said. “The project we’re announcing today will prioritize addressing this health risk. I just want to say as well, I think aside from the health risk, there’s also an aesthetic issue here as well… We’re proud of the 7 line and what it has done to accomplish for the people of our borough and our city, but it needs love and care and attention, and for too long it’s been neglected.”

A report published by the District 9 International Union of Painters and Allied Trades in early 2017 showed the paint on the No. 7 tracks contained 224,000 parts per million of lead paint, more than 40 times the 5,000 parts per million legal threshold.

“It’s been years of neglect that we have had to endure here in this community,” Dromm said, indicating the appearance as well as the health risks associated with the trestle. “We have worked with a whole host of people within this community to make this happen and finally it is becoming a reality.”

State Sen. Jose Peralta (D-East Elmhurst) passed legislation signed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo in December 2017 requiring the MTA to address the issue as part of any work that takes place on the tracks.

The repainting project begins in July and has a two-year completion date that will bring the tracks one step closer to modernization alongside the installation of communication-base train control, the digital technology slated to replace the current analog system with components dating back to the construction of the track in 1917.

CBTC has shown the ability to increase service on train lines by about 30 to 36 trains per hour depending on the number of available trains and storage capacity, according to Byford.

Three coats of paint will be applied that Byford claimed would last decades and the work will take place in phases along different lengths of track to limit the impact on commuters.

Crowley repeated the phrase a couple times during the news conference “short-term pain, long-term gain,” indicating that commuter should brace for limited service during the two-year work period.

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

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Source: Times Ledger

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By Steven Goodstein

TimesLedger Newspapers

A Bayside assemblyman’s bill passed again this week to eliminate gun violence and help ensure the safety of individuals.

State Assemblyman Edward Braunstein (D-Bayside) announced Tuesday that a strengthened version of his bill, which passed in March, made it through the Assembly again to prevent mass shootings, domestic violence homicides gun suicides and any violence involving firearms.

To become law the bill must go to the Republican-controlled state Senate, where it must be introduced and then face an uphill battle to be passed.

According to Braunstein, the measure would establish extreme risk protection orders to keep guns out of the hands of people who have previously demonstrated behavior that is a serious threat to society. The orders would prevent the subject from buying or possession a firearm for up to a year.

The legislation also gives courts the ability to issue a restraining order (or a risk protection order) against a person who has exhibited serious signs of being a threat to themselves or others.

On the revised version, school officials, including teachers and counselors, have been added to the list of individuals who are eligible to petition for the protection order.

The fine-tuning of the bill recognizes the fact that school teachers and counselors are often among the first to witness the initial warning signs and red flags that eventually lead to school shootings.

“All too frequently, we are hearing reports of disturbed individuals using guns to take innocent lives,” Braunstein said. “We need to be taking real action to combat this growing problem, and one of the most significant steps we can take is making sure that people who exhibit clear warning signs do not have access to guns.”

The court can also issue a temporary order in emergency scenarios, which would restrict an individual’s access to firearms pending the final hearing.

“Thoughts and prayers will never be enough – they will not bring victims back and they will not keep guns out of the hands of dangerous individuals,” Braunstein added. “Too many lives have been lost to gun violence and this legislation is an important step toward protecting New Yorkers from harm.”

Braunstein has spoken about eliminating gun violence on several occasions this year, including at a North Shore Towers Political Action Committee-led rally last month as well as at the Jefferson Democratic Club monthly meeting on Thursday, June 7.

The Domestic Violence Escalation Prevention Act, which prohibits convicted individuals from purchasing or possessing firearms, was passed earlier this year in the Assembly. Legislation was also passed to ban all enhancements, including trigger cranks and bump-fire devices that accelerate the firing rate of firearms, in the lower House.

Reach Steven Goodstein by e-mail at sgoodstein@cnglocal.com or by phone at (718) 260–4566.

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By Bill Parry

TimesLedger Newspapers

The Fortune Society, a Long Island City-based non-profit that has helped formerly incarcerated citizens reintegrate into the community since 1967, has launched a new program to prevent people released from Rikers Island from relapsing into substance abuse.

Fortune’s Connections to Care Program has received a nearly $500,000 grant from the OneCity Health Innovation Fund to implement its project, which connects these individuals with primary health care and holistic support services in the community. The program is focused on chronically ill, Medicaid-eligible adults with opioid use disorders.

While incarcerated, participants anticipating discharge will receive a physical, behavioral and social health assessment. Upon discharge, they will be offered transportation and then be directly connected to NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue Hospital Transitions Clinic, NYC Health + Hospitals/Gotham Health sites, and other health care providers to receive essential health care, including medication-assisted treatment for those with opioid use disorder.

“Most of the people on Rikers are medically and socially vulnerable,” Fortune Society President and CEO JoAnne Page said. “Too many have undiagnosed and untreated mental illness, substance use disorders, and HIV/AIDS. They have an eight-fold higher risk of death from drug-related causes during the first two weeks following release. Fortune’s Connections to Care program will provide these underserved New Yorkers with critically needed care — a safety net that will save lives.”

OneCity Health, the NYC Health + Hospitals’ performing Provider System, selected eight community partners to receive funding from its $5 million Innovation Fund to implement programs that will reduce avoidable hospitalizations, improve community health outcomes, and address social determinants of health, like food literacy. The fund is open to all OneCity Health partners, which includes more than 160 community-based organizations, hospitals, physician practices, pharmacies, behavioral health practitioners and others. OneCity Health encouraged partners to collaborate and submit joint applications, ultimately receiving 41 applications from 55 partners.

“Congratulations to our partners for submitting creative ideas that cover a range of topics, from opioid dependency to improving connections to care. Their innovations will help improve the health of our patient,” OneCity Health CEO Israel Rocha said. “These innovative solutions help to bridge a gap to a value-based payment environment, and the collaborations between our community partners demonstrate a holistic approach to creating an integrated delivery system. We look forward to helping to foster these programs over the next year and seeing their results.”

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

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By Merle Exit

TimesLedger Newspapers

Flushing Town Hall has a celebration planned to honor jazz legend Jimmy Heath’s Queens Jazz Orchestra.

On June 29 at 8 p.m., the air will be filled with music to celebrate the orchestra’s 10th anniversary. all performed by jazz heroes. Since 2008, FTH’s Queens Jazz Orchestra, under the direction of NEA Jazz Master Dr. Jimmy Heath, has performed for thousands of jazz lovers. The 10th anniversary concert will be a journey through Heath’s life.

Heath, a Corona resident, has long been recognized as a both a brilliant instrumentalist and a magnificent composer and arranger. After having just concluded 11 years as a professor of music at the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College, Heath, 91, maintains an extensive performance schedule. Aside from performing with his band, he conducts workshops and clinics throughout the United States, Europe, and Canada.

“I was one of the people who started the big band at FTH,” Heath said.

He recorded his first album, “Little Man, Big Band,” when he first put the band together. His other recorded albums include, “Turn Up the Heath” and “Togetherness.”

“New York is the jazz capital of the world,” Heath said. “Jazz played in Harlem before moving to the Village. Many members of the present band have been playing with me for all of the 10 years.

Heath said he was “raised up with the big bands such as Glen Miller, Tommy Dorsey and Duke Ellington,” and had a big band in Philadelphia before moving to New York.

In 1986, he began teaching composition and arrangement for saxophone music at Queens College.

Heath brought his band to perform at the Louis Armstrong House Museum when it was named as a landmark in 1988. He has been performing with his big band each year at Flushing Town Hall and plays once a year with the jazz masters. Health said that he considers jazz to be “America’s classical music.”

“We are thrilled to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Flushing Town Hall’s Queens Jazz Orchestra by honoring National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master Jimmy Heath, who has led the orchestra since its inception,” said Ellen Kodadek, the executive and artistic director at Flushing Town Hall. “Like so many of his peers from Queens, Dr. Heath has made countless contributions to jazz, and we are so grateful that he continues to share his gifts and passion with us.”

Jazz Big Band consists of Jimmy Heath (music director, leader, tenor saxophone), Antonio Hart (alto and soprano saxophone), Sharel Cassidy (alto and soprano saxophone), Bobby LaVell (tenor saxophone), Sam Dillon, (tenor saxophone), Gary Smulyan (baritone saxophone), John Mosca (trombone), Steve Davis (trombone), Jason Jackson (trombone), Douglas Purviance (bass trombone), Frank Greene (trumpet), Nathan Eklund (trumpet), Mike Rodriguez (trumpet), Freddie Hendrix (trumpet), Michael Weiss (piano), Mike Karn (bass), and Willie Jones III (drums).

Flushing Town Hall’s theatre — located at 137-35 Northern Boulevard — will be rearranged, removing the row seats and substituting tables and chairs for a more cabaret setting.

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By Naeisha Rose

TimesLedger Newspapers

U.S. Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-Jamaica) is facing two very different challengers in the June 26 Democratic Primary for the 5th Congressional District, which comprises parts of both of Queens and Nassau County.

Meeks is a 20-year incumbent in the district, where he is up against technologist Mizan Choudhury and Carl Achille, a detective and Iraqi war veteran.

His top campaign goals are to fight for health care, push through reforms for gun control and tackle immigration in the Trump era.

“I work seven days a week, from morning to night, to fight for my constituency in the 5th Congressional District,” said Meeks, who represents a wide swath of southeast Queens, including St. Albans, South Ozone Park and Rosesdale up to Jamaica Estates.

Meeks wants to save protections that were provided in the Affordable Care Act, which prohibited insurers from denying coverage to people with pre-existing conditions, assured maternity and newborn care and guarded policy holders from being dropped by their providers when they were sick.

“To the detriment of Americans benefitting from the Affordable Care Act’s protections, the GOP and this administration have practiced sabotage and repeal,” said Meeks. “We cannot go backwards. We shouldn’t return to a time when needing medical help too often left families bankrupt.”

With the prevalence of shootings at schools in America, Meeks wants to tighten federal laws on guns.

“My priorities are closing the gun show loophole and implementing universal background checks, reinstating the Federal Assault Weapons Ban, and stopping the flow of guns into New York from less restrictive states,” said Meeks. “It is my hope that with a Democratic Congress, we will be able to finally push through these overdue reforms. I have also introduced legislation, the Investor Choice Against Gun Proliferation Act, to require public companies to disclose their relationship with the gun industry.”

Immigration is one of the top three priorities for both Choudhury and Meeks.

Choudhury is a Bengali immigrant who came to the United States in 1997. He works as a technology manager for Northwell Health, a collection of health-care facilities, is a community activist who lives in Bellerose, one of the neighborhoods a few miles outside of the district and is a business owner.

The U.S. Constitution only requires congressional candidates to be at least 25-years-old, and to have been a U.S. citizen and a resident of the state you represent for seven years.

Choudhury wants to legalize Dreamers, undocumented young people brought to this country illegally as children.

“I plan support Dreamers,” said Choudhury. “We need to introduce legislation to curtail the power of the executive administration.”

Meeks also wants to fight for Dreamers and has joined an amicus brief to oppose the legal status question proposed in the 2020 census.

Outside of their shared goal of advocating for immigrants, Choudhury believes that Meeks is out of touch with his constituents and that the other main issues that should be focused on in southeast Queens, the Rockaway Peninsula and the Nassau County towns that border Queens are jobs and affordable housing.

“My opponent, current Congressman Gregory Meeks, has been in office for 20 years but has not done much,” said Choudhury. “His office never returns phone calls and does not provide constituency services.”

Achille is the son of Haitian immigrants and lives in Elmont. He also believes Meeks is detached from his constituents and the main problems facing the district are the lack of quality jobs and affordable housing.

“Millenials are some of the highest educated individuals in history and it is real difficult for them to find jobs after college,” said Achille. “They can’t afford a simple place to live and that is unfair to us as people who live in this district.”

Choudhury has 18 years of experience working as an information specialist for Fortune 500 companies like Verizon, and is the owner of the Mirch restaurant in Jamaica.

The national unemployment rate is 3.8 percent, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures, but in Meeks’ district it is nearly 8.2 percent said Choudhury. The Census also depicts the unemployment rate for the area at 8.2 percent.

“I propose a tech-hub with a vocational training institute to create 1,000-plus jobs and focus on our youths and their future for economic and social prosperity and mobility,” said Choudhury, who wants the tech incubator to be in Jamaica.

Achille believes that redeveloping the Hempstead Avenue corridor from Jamaica Avenue in Queens to Franklin Square in Nassau County is necessary to for the area’s economy.

“We want the businesses to fit,” said Achille. “We want the type of businesses that are there to be something that draw people in and make them want to come live in the district and make it flourish,” added the former vice president of the Elmont Chamber of Commerce.

Choudhury wants more affordable housing and rental units to be built in the district, more senior centers for the elderly, more access to loans for working families, and he wants to close the HUD budget gap.

Achille wants to see affordable housing built in Queens and Nassau County.

“I would love to see housing in Far Rockaway — Far Rockaway is a gem,” said Achille. “There are parts of Far Rockaway that are dilapidated and run down that could use an economic boost.”

Achille also wants an increase investment for transportation in the district and to reduce pollution and noise pollution from John F. Kennedy Airport.

Meeks maintains that he is the best candidate in this three-way race.

“My tenure in Congress has given me a substantial voice in Washington, D.C., to argue for the things that matter for my district, our state, and the United States of America,” said Meeks.

Choudhury believes his ideas to help the 5th Congressional District will help him win.

“Carl Achille is relatively a novice at politics, a police officer and war veteran. He has not laid out his vision for CD 5 and does not have the plan to turn CD 5 around,” said Choudhury.

Achille, 34, has has lived in the district since he was three days old and has family is spread out through it, and he said his familiarity with both the Queens and Nassau County sides will give him the edge in this race.

“I am no stranger to this district,” said Achille “I’m not some outsider trying to see an opportunity and take it…I’ve lived here longer than any of the candidates and it makes me the most acquainted with it.”

Reach reporter Naeisha Rose by e-mail at nrose@cnglocal.com or by phone at (718) 260–4573.

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