On Wednesday, September 16th Woodhaven held its' monthly Town Hall Meeting, sponsored by The Woodhaven Residents' Block Association. Once again, we had a very healthy turnout, and a large number of guests. We've noticed people showing up earlier and earlier for our Town Halls, which gives everyone extra time to catch up on the events of the past month.
The big news this week was the primaries and the Special Election, in which Mike Miller became our new Assemblyman (see here, here, and here for more info). Mr. Miller turned out for our Town Hall to thank the residents of Woodhaven for their support (below, left). He noted that he is looking to open an office here in Woodhaven, on Jamaica Avenue -- a big boost to our community! As noted during the meeting, it's been over a dozen years since we've had any representation housed in our neighborhood.
These meetings are a wonderful opportunity to get to know your elected officials on a personal level instead of just names you read in the papers. And they are an excellent opportunity to make your voice heard.
With the November Elections on the horizon, many of the candidates turned out, as well. Below, Tom Ognibene (District 30) and Frank Gulluscio (District 32) greet each other. Please take note that many of these folks will be back in Woodhaven on Tuesday, September 22nd when The Greater Woodhaven Development Corporation hosts a Candidates' Night. The festivities start at 7:30 PM, at St. Thomas the Apostle School, 87-49 87th Street.
As noted earlier we had a good crowd, a lively bunch. And we were also joined by representatives of the local media with reporters from The Queens Courier, The Queens Ledger and Leader-Observer.
Each representative and candidate took a turn at the microphone, addressing the residents and taking questions. Councilman Eric Ulrich reported on the success of his program to battle graffiti, which we reported on here. More than 300 different locations have been cleaned in the month since the program began, as well as an additional 50 constituent complaints, many of them right here in Woodhaven. Remember, you can get your graffiti vandalism cleaned for free by calling 718-738-1429.
Tom Ognibene reminded everyone that he was our representative in the City Council for 10 years and left because of term limits. He will be facing off against our current representative, Elizabeth Crowley in November. Frank Gullusico also addressed the crowd and spoke about the importance of voting. He made a very good point, similar to one we've been making with regards to attendance at our local meetings. When you have a low turnout, such as you did for Tuesday's election, it sends a message to the powers that be -- and that message is that these people don't care. That can result is less dollars, less services, less attention. Here are some highlights from the meeting, a sampling of each speaker:
We took a small break during the meeting to get everyone together for a group photo.
Seated: Roger Hennin (WRBA), Arlene Annunziata (WRBA), Maria Thomson (WRBA)
Standing: Gerri Dispenzeri (WRBA), Former Assembly Candidate Farouk Samaroo, Council Candidate (Dist 32) Frank Gulluscio, City Councilman (Dist 32) Eric Ulrich, Council Candidate (Dist 30) Tom Ognibene, Fred Manbahal (WRBA), Assemblyman Mike Miller, Vance Barbour (President - WRBA), Janet Chan Smith (WRBA), Edward K. Wendell (WRBA), Former Assembly Candidate Albert Baldeo
Here's some more video. First up, former candidate for the Assembly Albert Baldeo questions Mike Miller on why he's opening up an office in Woodhaven instead of taking over Anthony Seminerio's office in Richmond Hill. Hmmmm . . . maybe it has something to do with the fact that it was recently broken into and robbed had something to do with it (technically, making it a crime scene twice!) In any event, Mr. Miller makes it clear that he will invest in Woodhaven.
Also on this video is Kate Mooney, representing Council Member Elizabeth Crowley, discussing some upcoming events. First up is the Green Expo, to be held on Thursday, September 24th at Le Cordon Bleu (6:30 PM to 9 PM). Also, there will be a Health Fair on October 17th at the Woodhaven-Richmond Hill Volunteer Ambulance Corp (78-15 Jamaica Avenue). Free Mammograms will also be available on that day, courtesy of the American-Italian Cancer Foundation and Senator Joe Addabbo.
Also of interest is a discussion about the Forest Park Carousel. Ms. Mooney notes that the carousel needs major restoration work, and it's not just a million dollar restoration, it's a multi-million dollar restoration. It turns out that all of the gears and mechanisms inside the carousel are old and authentic and there are only a handful of experts in the United States capable of handling its' restoration.
All in all it was a very interesting evening. Many thanks, as always, to our guests, and to the residents that came out. Later in the evening, we opened the floor and discussed the issues that effect us. We'll be bringing coverage of that to you shortly.
If you have any comments, or would like to suggest other projects, drop us a line at info@projectwoodhaven.com or projectwoodhaven@aol.com.
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