State Assemblyman Rory Lancman (l.) is pleased with the boundaries of his proposed district under redistricting, but Assemblyman David Weprin is not.

The proposed districts of state Assemblymen David Weprin (l.) and Rory Lancman look drastically different under the newly released plans.

Reactions were mixed after two state Assembly districts in eastern Queens were drastically changed last Thursday by a state panel in charge of redrawing political boundaries.

Assemblymen Rory Lancman (D-Fresh Meadows) and David Weprin (D-Little Neck) saw their districts — the 25th and 24th, respectively — morph to include different neighborhoods throughout northeast Queens, with Lancman’s being turned into a much-discussed majority Asian district.

Weprin vowed to testify against the current maps, calling his proposed district less cohesive, while Lancman touted his proposed district as just the opposite.

The redistricting process happens every decade after the results of the U.S. census are made final. A state body made up of politicians and civilians, called the Legislative Task Force on Demographic Research and Reapportionment, adjusts political lines to accommodate for population increases.

The majority party in each house draws the maps, so Democrats created the Assembly lines and Republicans the Senate lines. The process is often controversial, and this time around is no different.

In 2002, the last time the lines were drawn, Lancman’s District 25 was largely aligned on a north-south axis. His district stretched all the way from portions of Richmond Hill in the south through Briarwood, Kew Gardens Hills, Fresh Meadows and Flushing and finally up to Whitestone in the north. It encompasses six community boards, six police precincts and four school districts.

The proposed district would be oriented east to west and lose the far-flung neighborhoods to the north and south, like Whitestone and Richmond Hill, and instead concentrate more on Flushing, Fresh Meadows and parts of Bayside.

And that would cut the number of community boards, police precincts and school districts for the seat in half.

“It helps keeps communities together,” said Eric Walker, spokesman for Lancman. “We’re happy with the outcome and look forward to reporting to our new constituents.”

The district would also be more than 50 percent Asian — which includes people of all Asian backgrounds — which is something advocated for by The Asian American Community Coalition on Redistricting and Democracy.

The coalition has said the rising Asian population in New York City warranted at least four Assembly districts so the populations could be adequately represented in government, according to James Hong, spokesman for the coalition.

The coalition ultimately supports the Unity Maps, an alternate proposal drawn up by several groups throughout the state, but Hong echoed Lancman and said the proposed District 25 is an improvement over the 2002 version.

“It is more reflective of a community that exists here in northeast Queens,” he said. “We are definitely appreciative of what the Assembly side of [the task force] has attempted to do here.”

But Hong said the coalition’s cautious optimism does not carry over to other neighborhoods like Richmond Hill, which has long been splintered into several Assembly districts.

A portion of that neighborhood was formerly represented by Lancman, but under the proposed maps, a portion of it would go to Weprin’s District 24 instead.

District 24 is currently compact and vaguely rectangular. It covers neighborhoods including Jamaica Estates and Auburndale to the west and runs through Fresh Meadows, Douglaston, Little Neck, Glen Oaks and Floral Park in the east.

The proposed district is much thinner and would run from Richmond Hill in the east and then follow the Grand Central Parkway west through Jamaica Hills, Jamaica Estates, Holliswood and Fresh Meadows before ending up again in Oakland Gardens.

“Following the publication of the draft redistricting maps, I want to state my opposition to the changes made to the 24th Assembly district,” Weprin said in a statement. “Northeast Queens is a special and distinct geographic region, whose residents and community leaders have voiced their desire to be kept together in a contiguous district rather than be divided.”

Congressman Joseph Crowley (back) puts his arms on Councilman Peter Koo's shoulders during an event to announce that Koo was switching his affiliation from the Republican to the Democratic Party. Councilmen Jimmy Van Bramer (second r.) and Ruben Wills look on. Photo by Christina Santucci

Councilman Peter Koo (c.) shakes hands with state Sen. Toby Stavisky (l.). Photo by Christina Santucci

Councilman Peter Koo (front r.) shakes hands with Barbara Conacchio, the chief clerk for the Board of Elections' Queens office, after his registration card was stamped. Photo by Christina Santucci

City Councilman Peter Koo (D-Flushing) officially registered with the Democratic Party Monday at the Queens Board of Elections offices in Kew Gardens after running on the GOP line three years ago to win a seat on the Council.

Koo is the wealthy owner of the Starside Drugs pharmacy chain and self-financed his campaign.

“We cherish the diversity of our party,” said U.S. Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-East Elmhurst), chairman of the Queens Democratic Party, during a news conference Monday at the BOE. “Peter’s joining this effort is a boon to our party and I think it’s great for Flushing in particular.”

Koo said infighting within the Queens GOP was part of his decision to switch parties. He said Democrats had “more leadership” and “more members” on the Council.

“From the beginning, I was always a Democrat at heart,” Koo said.

Queens GOP spokesman Robert Hornak said the party expects to work with Koo in the future.

“We’re disappointed to see him go, but we’ve always had a good relationship with him and we think highly of him,” Hornak said.

City Comptroller John Liu, Koo’s predecessor on the Council, said Koo’s stances on social issues were more in line with Democratic views.

“The issues that he’s talked about … [are] ?really much in line with our Queens delegation,” Liu said, shortly before Koo handed in his registration form to Barbara Conacchio, chief clerk at the BOE. “So it’s only rational that Peter Koo is about to be a Democrat.”

Koo’s switch to the Democratic side means Queens has only three GOP elected officials: U.S. Rep. Bob Turner (R-Middle Village) and Councilmen Dan Halloran (R-Bayside) and Eric Ulrich (R-Ozone Park).

“We’re used to electing Democrats, not always converting them,” Crowley said.

After Koo’s switch, Halloran said, “political parties aren’t everything.

“Peter is still my friend and colleague, and I’ll still work with him to cut taxes and create jobs in northeast Queens,” he said.

During Turner’s race, Koo went against his party and endorsed state Assemblyman David Weprin (D-Little Neck).

When Koo ran in 2009, the Democratic field had five candidates running in the primary.

Koo also said the Republican presidential primary process “was a small part of my decision … especially on immigrant issues.

“I understand how hard it is to be a newcomer,” he said.

State Assemblyman Rory Lancman (D-Fresh Meadows) joked that he was mystified why Koo first joined the Republicans in the first place.

“I never quite understood why he was a Republican,” Lancman said. “Such a nice guy. He likes people, he likes the immigrant community.”

Councilman Leroy Comrie (D-St. Albans), dean of the Queens Council delegation, said the party always had a good working relationship with Koo.

“We always treated you like one of our own,” he told Koo. “We always treated him as an equal part of the delegation because it’s about serving people.”

Mayor Michael Bloomberg (c.) celebrates an 18 percent drop in construction accidents compared to last year at an apartment complex being built in Long Island City. He was joined by Buildings Commissioner Robert LiMandri (r.). Photo by Rebecca Henely

Mayor Michael Bloomberg visited an apartment complex under construction in Long Island City Monday to announce what he called a step in the right direction: an 18 percent drop in construction accidents citywide from 2010-11.

“This is good for the agency. This is good for the public,” Bloomberg said.

The mayor said there were 152 accidents in 2011 compared to 165 accidents in 2010, even though the city issued 7.7 percent more permits for construction in 2011.

But the news was not all good. There were five construction-related deaths in 2011 compared to four in 2010.

“Five is five too many, but it is a 73 percent decrease compared to 2008,” Bloomberg said.

The mayor’s office attributed the success to a series of reforms the department implemented in recent years. These include a revising of the city’s construction codes in 2009, creating a unit to inspect stalled construction sites, launching a campaign focused on preventing falls on construction sites and implementing more than 25 new construction safety laws.

Some of these laws include required training for tower crane workers, uniform color-coding and disallowing smoking on site.

“There’s nothing more important than keeping our citizens safe,” said U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-Astoria), who along with other Queens elected officials joined Bloomberg at a new apartment complex being built on Center Boulevard north of 47th Avenue.

City Department of Buildings Commissioner Robert LiMandri said the administration has been working toward making it easier to build in New York City while also doing it safely.

“It’s been an honor to be on your team,” LiMandri said to Bloomberg.

State Assemblyman Rory Lancman (D-Fresh Meadows), who chairs the Assembly Subcommittee on Workplace Safety, said he was impressed with the progress the city has made.

“A safe workplace is not a privilege but a right,” Lancman said.

Trade association leaders also applauded the announcement.

Steve Spinola, president of the Real Estate Board of New York, said the construction industry is worth $28 billion and provides 125,000 jobs.

“The city continues to support this critical industry while keeping our workers and the public safe,” he said.

Lou Coletti, president of the Building Trades Employer’s Association, said the only industry that kills and injures more people is mining.

City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer (D-Sunnyside) said he would like to see more buildings and safer buildings in the city.

“You can see cranes going up all around Long Island City,” he said. “That’s a good thing.”

University of Seoul student Kyung Rok Park (l.) is working for state Assemblyman Rory Lancman through an exchange program facilitated by his school. Photo courtesy Rory Lancman's office

The office of state Assemblyman Rory Lancman (D-Fresh Meadows) is building bridges to Asia in hopes of boosting its connection to the sizable Asian-American communities in his district.

The face of the newest iteration of this ongoing effort is 26-year-old Kyung Rok Park, a University of Seoul student who is living for 12 weeks in Hillside and working to help Lancman engage the many Korean Americans he represents in Albany through an exchange program facilitated by ?his school.

He is following in the footsteps of other students — including two who came from the University? of Hong Kong this summer — who are helping Lancman build ties with some of his most important constituencies.

Park, who goes by “Steve” in America, said he has already learned a lot in the couple of short weeks he has been here and that he has enhanced his knowledge of community service. Upon graduation, he hopes to start a business based around helping others, in addition to working for his family’s automotive company in South Korea. Park has no interest in entering politics, although he said it informs all aspects of life including business, which is his major in school.

“I really enjoy doing this because when I graduate from university I want to start what’s called a social responsibility company,” Park said. “This experience helps me a lot to learn how I can help people and reach people, so I really enjoy it.”?

Lancman said Park has been a great addition to his office’s team and his influence will be felt even once he has returned back across the Pacific. The most invaluable thing Park has been able to offer, Lancman said, is his ability to communicate ?with members of the Korean-American community and inform them about what Lancman’s office can do for them.

“For many Korean-American church leaders, community leaders and other constituents, English is not their first language, so he’s really been helpful in speaking with them, finding out what they need, establishing relationships and finding out what their concerns and questions may be,” Lancman said. “It’s a combination of community outreach, interacting with individual Korean constituents who have concerns, and also keeping me abreast of what’s going on in the Korean community.”

In his work for the assemblyman, Park also scans local Korean newspapers for stories Lancman should be aware of and liaise ?with the Korean language press on Lancman’s behalf.

“It’s very helpful for me to have someone who knows the language and the culture as well as how the Korean community is organized,” Lancman said.

State Assemblyman Rory Lancman (r.) chats with his newly elected colleague Phil Goldfeder on Election Day. Photo by Christina Santucci

Newly elected U.S. Rep. Bob Turner (R-Howard Beach) weighed in on his first piece of legislation the same day he was sworn in to the House last Thursday, which a Democratic lawmaker in Queens said is indicative of why the 9th Congressional District voted Turner into office for the wrong reasons.

“Literally on Day 1, he was sworn in in the morning and by the end of the day he had voted to not only undermine very basic protections that American workers have against abuse and retaliation, but literally pave the way for American jobs to be outsourced overseas,” said state Assemblyman Rory Lancman (D-Fresh Meadows) the day after the vote.

Turner voted along with much of the Republican Party to pass the Protecting Jobs from Government Interference Act in Congress with a vote of 238-186.

The act seeks to deprive the National Labor Relations Board of power to regulate how private companies ?deal with unions, according to Lancman, who chairs the Subcommittee on Workplace Safety and reportedly had his eye on the 9th District seat before the Queens Democratic Party picked state Assemblyman David Weprin (D-Little Neck) as its candidate.

Currently, if a company moves a factory out of a particular area and the NLRB deems it was moved to avoid unions, the board can force the company to move the factory back under the National Labor Relations Act.

The legislation that Turner voted for in Congress would take that power away.

Lancman said companies have the right to build factories and move wherever they want, but not if that move is in retaliation for workers exercising their right to organize.

But Turner said he voted with regard to the aircraft manufacturing company Boeing, which wanted to build a new facility in South Carolina, but was being prevented by the NLRB.

“They were blocking the building of the plant,” Turner said, adding that he vote was meant to help the company create 10,000 jobs that would be a part of the new plant.

Turner’s upset election has alternatively been referred to as a referendum on Obama’s administration, his policy on Israel and even the issue of gay marriage, and the former television executive even had many Democratic politicians supporting him.

But that message was sent Sept. 13, Lancman said, and now voters are left with Turner’s conservative Republican political leanings for the rest of the term.

“I think that those who voted for Mr. Turner to make a protest against Obama on Israel or health care … that protest was on Tuesday,” he said. “But now the philosophy that Bob Turner represents is going to be reflected in the votes he takes and those are going to be conservative Republican votes.”

In this particular vote, Lancman said that since Queens is made up of largely working-class residents, many of whom are members of unions, it was a vote that was not in line with his constituency’s best interests and instead was simply along party lines.

“If he’s going to be a solider in John Boehner’s conservative, anti-government army in Washington, then I’m going to continue to call him on it,” Lancman said.

Assemblyman Rory Lancman (third from l.) presents a proclamation to Jimmy Bua (fourth from l.) of Local 3 during a news conference where he thanked the union and Con Edison employee's for their clean-up work following Hurricane Irene. Photo by Howard Koplowitz

State Assemblyman Rory Lancman (D-Fresh Meadows) presented a state proclamation Tuesday to electrical workers and Con Edison, thanking them for their efforts in removing downed trees and restoring power in the aftermath of Hurricane Irene.

Lancman, chairman of the Assembly Subcommittee on Workplace Safety, said Con Ed and members of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 3 operate under “often dangerous conditions” and noted there were no serious injuries as they did their jobs following the hurricane.

“It’s the focus at Local 3 and other places … who go out there and do some dangerous work,” the assemblyman said. “That result is not by accident or happenstance. It is a commitment to workplace safety.”

Jimmy Bua, business representative for Local 3, said the fact that nobody got hurt “is just a testament to the training that the IBEW does.”

George Reinhardt of Hawkeye Construction said the linemen, who inspected downed power lines to see if they were live, had a dangerous job.

“These people put their lives on hold for 16 hours a day to restore your power,” he said.

Lancman said there were 32,000 power outages in the borough — the most in the city — after Irene and that 95 percent of those without power had it restored within three days of the hurricane.

The assemblyman said 346 Con Ed crews were deployed in Queens along with 47 mutual aid crews, or workers who were brought in from other jurisdictions, and they repaired 442 primary or secondary power lines.

Richard Bagwell, director of employee and labor relations for Con Ed, said the storm “hammered our service territories.”

City Councilman James Gennaro (D-Fresh Meadows) also thanked the workers.

“This was an opportunity for the city to see Local 3 and what they’re made of,” he said.

Unionized health care workers picket in front of Cornerstone Medical Arts Center ahead of a possible strike and in hopes of negotiating a better contract. Photo by Joe Anuta

Workers from 1199 SEIU, a health care workers union, rally outside a Fresh Meadows substance abuse clinic. Photo by Joe Anuta

Health care workers from a Fresh Meadows substance abuse clinic picketed for a raise and benefits Friday, and they were supported by the lawmaker who works across the street.

Roughly 80 people marched outside of Cornerstone of Medical Arts Center as union organizers held a vote on whether or not to strike. The vote was set to be tallied this week.

State Assemblyman Rory Lancman (D-Fresh Meadows) said the unionized workers deserved a raise, which they had not had since 2005, for keeping the once-unpopular substance abuse facility running smoothly.

“To go six years without a raise and contract is unfair,” he said.

The workers had been in negotiations with hospital brass since 2005, when the facility wanted to renegotiate the conditions of the employees’ contracts. The hospital wanted to end the benefit program, and when the union refused the workers were denied raises and contracts.

On Friday, workers wearing purple shirts marched along the sidewalk outside the quiet medical facility, at 159-05 Union Tnpk., in an effort to keep their pensions, family health care and dental and vision coverage in addition to getting a raise.

In the summer of 2008?, when Cornerstone moved into the Union Turnpike facility from the one in Midtown Manhattan?, it was met with vehement opposition from the community, which did not want a substance abuse facility in its backyard, according to Lancman.

But 1199 SEIU, the health care workers union, convinced local officials that the facility would be run professionally.

Due to the low turnover in the workforce — many of those picketing had worked for longer than a decade, some as long as 30 years — and high caliber of the employees, the facility has seen few problems since relocating from Manhattan, he said.

Lancman took up the fight when he heard that the workers had been denied a pay increase.

“I was shocked,” he said. “Things have really reached a critical point.”

If the quality of workers decreases, Lancman said, the quality of the hospital would decline.

“If there is turnover and lack of professionalism and training, it’s going to have a very negative effect,” he said.

Negotiations had been fruitless.

“We have been trying to negotiate a contract for the last six years,” said Donald Crosswell, vice president of the union.

The median salary for the 120 workers is roughly $30,000, and without a 3 percent raise for the last five years many workers have lost out on about $4,500.

Many have second jobs to support their families, according to Crosswell and depend on the benefits offered by Cornerstone.

While the unionized workers have been at the table for more than half a decade, Crosswell said management staff has enjoyed both benefits and raises over the years.

“We’ve become somewhat second-class employees,” Crosswell said.

Former U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner announces his resignation from Congress during a news conference in Brooklyn. Nominees for his seat from the heads of the borough's two major parties are expected to be announced by July 11.

The heads of the borough’s two major parties are expected to name their nominees to replace former U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner by later this week at the earliest after Gov. Andrew Cuomo called for a Sept. 13 special election to fill the vacant 9th Congressional District seat in Forest Hills.

Weiner resigned in disgrace last month after admitting to tweeting a photo of his boxer-clad crotch to a Seattle college student. He initially lied and claimed his Twitter account was hacked.

A source close to the Queens Democratic Party said state Assemblyman Rory Lancman (D-Fresh Meadows) is the odds-on favorite to be picked as the Democratic candidate for the seat by Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-Jackson Heights), who also doubles as the Queens Democratic Party chairman.

“If I was gambling, I would bet on Rory,” the source said, claiming the assemblyman is out of favor with Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D-Manhattan).

“He’s had some run-ins with Shelly,” the source said.

But Lancman denied butting heads with the speaker.

“I haven’t had clashes with [Silver],” Lancman said. “We have a good relationship, I have excellent committee assignments.”

On the Republican side, the Queens GOP is not tipping its hand as to who it will designate as the party’s nominee, but among the contenders is retired Rockaway businessman Bob Turner, who mounted an unsuccessful campaign against Weiner in 2009.

City Councilman Eric Ulrich (R-Ozone Park) said Tuesday he would not run for the seat.

Queens GOP spokesman Robert Hornak said seven or eight candidates have expressed interest in running on the Republican side.

“We’re going to screen every potential candidate before we make a final decision,” he said. “We’ve cast a wide net.”

Both parties have until Monday to name their nominee, who will run under the party’s line during the special election.

With the state set to lose two congressional seats due to redistricting following the 2010 census, most political observers believe the 9th Congressional District — which covers Forest Hills, Rego Park, Kew Gardens, Richmond Hill, Howard Beach, part of the Rockaways and Brooklyn — will be eliminated, which makes the seat less attractive to ambitious politicians.

Other Democratic names mentioned to be in the running include former City Council members Eric Gioia and Melinda Katz, City Councilmen Mark Weprin (D-Oakland Gardens) and Peter Vallone Jr. (D-Astoria), Assemblyman David Weprin (D-Little Neck), former Borough President Claire Shulman and former Congresswoman and city Comptroller Elizabeth Holtzman of Brooklyn.

“It’s going to be interesting,” the source said.

The special election is set for Sept. 13, Primary Day, when there will also be special elections to fill the seats of former Assemblywomen Nettie Mayersohn in Flushing and Audrey Pheffer in Rockaway Beach.

Mayersohn, 85, retired in April after nearly 30 years in the Assembly, while Pheffer stepped down last month to fill the vacant county clerk position.

U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner announces his resignation from Congress in the same Brooklyn senior center where he started his political career. Photo by Christina Santucci

After three weeks of media frenzy surrounding Weinergate and a curt final press conference last Thursday, U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner officially left Congress Tuesday, creating a unique political vacuum in his district that stretches across much of Queens into Brooklyn.

The Forest Hills Democrat submitted his official resignation letter Monday and was out at midnight Tuesday. His staff will continue to operate his offices for the time being, but the names of several Queens prospects are already being tossed around as replacements for the disgraced lawmaker.

Elected officials like City Council members James Gennaro (D-Fresh Meadows), Eric Ulrich (R-Ozone Park), Elizabeth Crowley (D-Middle Village) and Mark Weprin (D-Oakland Gardens) as well as state Assemblymen Rory Lancman (D-Fresh Meadows) and David Weprin (D-Little Neck) have already been mentioned as possible successors to Weiner.

Republican Bob Turner, who ran against Weiner last year, and former Council members Melinda Katz and Eric Gioia, both Democrats, have also been mentioned as possible replacements.

Most on the list could not be reached for comment by press time, but talk about the vacant seat has increased now that Weiner has ceased to make headlines around the country and draw a hoard of photographers who followed him from home to office and even to the Laundromat. The frenzy culminated with last Thursday’s press conference, where scores of reporters gathered and a heckler interrupted his farewell speech.

“It is a great privilege to serve as a member of the City Council and as chairman of its Committee on Environmental Protection, and I have been very fortunate to have had my environmental work recognized nationally. And, as the only prospective candidate for the 9th Congressional District who has a national profile on any important issue, it makes sense that I consider this opportunity, which I am doing,” Gennaro said in a statement. “But I cherish my current job, and have not yet made a decision.”

Gov. Andrew Cuomo will ultimately decide how the seat will be filled. Cuomo can call a special election, which must take place 70 to 80 days after the announcement.

If the governor wanted to hold the election on Primary Day, since voters will already be out and machines set up, he would have to call the election no later than June 24. Alternatively, Cuomo could choose to leave the seat vacant until 2012.

According to political insiders familiar with the situation, the seat will most likely be in existence for one year only.

After each census, state lawmakers appoint a committee to redraw the lines of electoral districts to reflect any shift in population. ?Since New York will is set to lose two seats, congressional and state politicians from both parties will each decide one seat to eliminate. Since nobody is likely to volunteer, Weiner’s seat was basically served on a silver platter, sources said.

Because of the position’s limited lifespan, Democrats must be careful not to endorse anyone too ambitious, sources said. If the seat is eliminated, the newly elected lawmaker, now out of a job, might try to run against other party members to gain a seat again, sources said.

But Democrats cannot put up too weak of a contender, other insiders said, since the Republican Party had a strong candidate last year in the form of Bob Turner.

Turner garnered 41 percent of the vote and has publicly expressed his desire for the seat.

“This is more than a place holder,” Turner said. “I think there will be many important points that Congress will make running up to the 2012 election of the president.”

But for each party, picking the right candidate right after a scandal also proves complicated, sources said, which is why a woman might do well to take constituents’ minds off the scandal.

Former IMF head Dominique Strauss-Kahn (l.) appears at his arraignment on charges of sexually assaulting a Manhattan hotel maid at state Supreme Court. AP Photo/Allan Tannenbaum

State Assemblyman Rory Lancman’s (D-Fresh Meadows) bill requiring hotels to provide housekeepers with panic alert buttons in the wake of attempted sexual assault charges against former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn has a state Senate sponsor and is closer to becoming law, his office said Monday.

Lancman penned the legislation, dubbed the Hotel Worker Protection Act, after Strauss-Kahn was charged with allegedly forcing a maid, an immigrant from Guinea, at the Sofitel Hotel in Midtown to perform a sex act.

Lancman’s office said Sen. Martin Golden (R-Brooklyn) introduced the legislation in the Senate and the assemblyman announced on Twitter Tuesday that the bill passed the Assembly Labor Committee.

The pending legislation does not prevent hotels from taking preventative measures and Lancman said two hotels have done just that, including the Sofitel and the Pierre on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, where another maid was allegedly sexually assaulted.

“It’s great that the Sofitel and Pierre hotels have voluntarily agreed to provide their housekeepers with panic alert buttons to prevent a recurrence of the Dominique Strauss-Khan and Mahmoud Abdel-Salam Omar incidents, but every housekeeper in every hotel deserves the same protection,” Lancman said in a statement.

Abdel-Salam Omar, an Egyptian businessman, was also arrested last month for allegedly assaulting the maid inside his room at the Pierre.

U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner, who has taken a leave of absence from Congress, carries his laundry to a cleaner near his Forest Hills apartment. AP photo/David Karp

Calls for U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner’s (D-Forest Hills) resignation grew stronger this week, but the embattled congressman had still not caved in to pressure.

Weiner asked for and was granted a two-week leave of absence and announced he was entering rehab after his embarassing Twitter scandal came to light, although it was unclear what kind of help he was seeking or where the facility was.

The congressman’s pregnant wife, Huma Abedin was due back in the country Thursday after traveling overseas with her boss, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

President Barack Obama, who initially declined to comment on Weiner’s situation, suggested Monday that the congressman should step down.

“If it were me, I would resign,” Obama said.

Weiner’s predecessor in the House, U.S. Sen Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), said he was “heartbroken” over the congressman’s behavior.

“For those of us who are longtime friends of Anthony Weiner his wrongful behavior is distressing and saddening,” Schumer said. “It’s clear he needs professional help and I am glad he is seeking it.”

Many top Democrats have urged Weiner to resign, including House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), who ordered an ethics investigation to determine whether Weiner used any government resources in the texting scandal.

The House Ethics Committee began a preliminary investigation Monday into Weiner.

When Weiner held a news conference last week to admit to sending a photo of his boxer-clad crotch to a college co-ed on Twitter, he claimed he used his private phone and personal computer to communicate with the woman and six others.

Momentum for Weiner’s resignation gained steam after an X-rated photo of the congressman was made public along with shots that appeared to show the Forest Hills Democrat taking pictures of himself from the House gym.

Among the candidates whose names have been floated to succeed Weiner if he resigns are former City Council members Eric Gioia and Melinda Katz, state Assemblyman Rory Lancman (D-Fresh Meadows) and City Councilman Mark Weprin (D-Oakland Gardens).

Some of Weiner’s constituents, including members of the Juniper Park Civic Association, protested outside his Kew Gardens Road office over the weekend demanding his resignation.

“It’s a question of morality,” said Howard Beach resident Ed Kampermann. “He has tarnished his office. He cannot bring home the bacon for the district.”

The protest drew a separate crowd, who said they were standing by their congressman.

“It’s easier to crucify and abandon someone when they are down than to stand up for them,” said 47-year-old Jim Sideris of Flushing, who was a classmate of Weiner’s at Brooklyn Technical High School.

Weiner has a sizable campaign war chest and led all Democratic challengers in fund-raising in the 2013 mayoral race, although it appears unlikely that he will run for that post following the scandal.

Evan Bell, a Manhattan donor to Weiner’s campaigns, said he would support the congressman “financially and emotionally” should he decide to tough it out and seek re-election.

Borough organizations that have been beneficiaries of Weiner’s member item allocations have stayed silent on his situation, including Queens College, where Weiner steered $540,000 in federal funds for various programs over the last two years.

Rep. Anthony Weiner takes the podium moments before Monday's press conference. Andrew Brietbart claims the shirtless photo (inset) is one of many Weiner sent over the Internet. AP Photo/Richard Drew, inset courtesy BigGovernment.com

The borough’s elected officials have not rushed to support U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-Forest Hills), with most declining to comment after the congressman owned up to tweeting a suggestive picture of himself wearing boxer briefs to a Seattle college student and admitted to having online relationships with six women.

The strongest encouragement came from Weiner’s mentor and predecessor, U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.).

“By fully explaining himself, apologizing to all he hurt and taking full responsibility for his wrongful actions, Anthony did the right thing,” Schumer said in a statement. “He remains a talented and committed public servant, and I pray he and his family can get through these difficult times.”

Weiner, who choked up at times during a news conference he called Monday to take responsibility for the picture, said he was not resigning because he does not believe he violated his congressional oath or any laws.

“I have made terrible mistakes that have hurt the people I care about the most and I am deeply sorry,” an emotional Weiner told reporters at the Sheraton Hotel in Manhattan. “I have not been honest with myself, my family, my supporters.”

The revelation led House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to call for an ethics investigation into Weiner, who said he welcomed the probe and claimed no government resources were used in his indiscretions.

Reince Preibus, head of the Republican National Committee, called on Weiner to resign, but the congressman said he was not stepping down.

Weiner’s colleague, Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-Astoria), called the scandal “a sad situation.

“My heart goes out to Congressman Weiner’s family during this difficult time,” she said.

Many of the borough’s elected officials, including Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-Jamaica), state Assemblyman Rory Lancman (D-Fresh Meadows) and City Councilman James Sanders (D-Laurelton), declined to comment.

A Democratic insider said Weiner could have avoided the media circus if he had told the truth about the tweet from the onset.

The insider said Weiner probably will not be in Congress next year, but it would be due to redistricting, not the sexting scandal.

Weiner’s district may largely be carved up between Reps. Joe Crowley (D-Jackson Heights) and Gary Ackerman (D-Bayside), the insider said.

“I’d bet a beer right now that he won’t be in Congress in 18 months because of redistricting,” the insider said.

After days of denials and maintaining that his Twitter account was hacked, Weiner admitted Monday to sending the lewd photo that was intended to be seen only by 21-year-old Gennette Cordova, but was viewable to thousands of his followers on the social media website.

Weiner said the photo of his crotch was intended as a direct message to Cordova “that was a joke,” but he panicked when he realized the picture could be seen by anyone following his Twitter account and took it down himself.

The congressman called the news conference after more photos showing Weiner shirtless were released Monday by right-wing blogger Andrew Breitbart.

“The picture was of me and I sent it,” Weiner said in stunning admission.

The congressman also admitted to engaging in “inappropriate conversations, e-mail, Twitter” and pictures of “explicit images” that he shared with six women, although he said he had no physical relationships with them.

Phil Ragusa, chairman of the Queens Republican Party, said Weiner should have resigned.

“It’s really a shame because he’s supposed to be doing the people’s work and what’s he doing? He’s twittering, he’s sending lewd photos,” Ragusa said. “If he lies about things like this, how can you trust a guy like this?”

Weiner said his wife, Huma Abedin — an aide to U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton — was aware of the online relationships before they were married last summer and that the relationships started before the marriage.

“I should not have done this and I should not have done this while I was married,” he said.

Weiner said the online exchanges were conducted on his personal BlackBerry and his home computer and that government property was not used.

The congressman said that in some cases he initiated contact with the women and most of them he met on Facebook, but said he never met them in person.

Ann Jawin, president of the Center for the Women of New York, said she was both heartsick and disturbed by Weiner’s actions.

“He’s a very effective congressman and he’s represented the area very well,” she said. “What he did … was a personal thing, but people in public office have to consider that their personal life is not personal anymore.”

Jawin said Weiner’s conduct “sounds like the behavior of a teenager that didn’t grow up.”

When asked if he deserves another term in office, Weiner said it is up to voters to decide.

“My constituents have to make that determination,” he said. “I’m going to go back to work and I’m going to convince them this was a personal failing.”

Von Stewart, a Forest Hills resident of five years, said Weiner has his vote next year, but said the congressman destroyed his mayoral aspirations.

“I’m a New Yorker. I think New Yorkers will forgive him, but the chance of him becoming mayor is slim now,” Stewart said.

Weiner, who has more than 65,000 Twitter followers, said he will still use the social media site.

“I don’t believe I’ll use it the same way, that’s for sure,” he said.

Former International Monetary Fund head Dominique Stauss-Kahn listens to proceedings in his case in State Supreme Court in Manhattan. Assemblyman Rory Lancman has crafted a bill following allegations Strauss-Kahn sexually assaulted a hotel maid that would give hotel staff a device that would alert hotel security of an emergency. AP Photo/Richard Drew

Following former International Monetary Fund Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn’s indictment last week on charges he sexually assaulted a maid in a midtown Manhattan hotel, state Assemblyman Rory Lancman (D-Fresh Meadows) authored a bill requiring hotels to provide staff with electronic panic alert devices that notify hotel security of an emergency.

“We can no longer send housekeepers into hotel rooms, isolated from other workers and hotel security, without giving them means to immediately access help in the event of an assault,” said Lancman, who held a news conference Sunday outside the Sofitel New York Hotel on West 44th Street, where the alleged sexual assault occurred a week earlier.

Lancman, chairman of the Assembly Subcommittee on Workplace Safety, said he was drawn to drawing up the bill after reports surfaced about hotel maids who claimed they were groped or inappropriately propositioned by hotel guests while working alone in a hotel room.

Strauss-Kahn, 62, who was a leading candidate for the French presidency and stepped down as head of the IMF in the wake of the charges, allegedly forced the 32-year-old maid, an immigrant from Guinea, to perform oral sex May 14.

He was indicted on sexual assault charges May 18 and freed on $1 million bail and a $5 million bond.

Strauss-Kahn is now staying at a Manhattan apartment under house arrest and his attorneys claimed the encounter with the maid may have been consensual.

Peter Ward, president of the New York Hotel & Motel Trades Council, said he supported Lancman’s bill.

“As we have seen, workers in hotels often face dangerous situations alone,” he said. “This reasonable proposal would ensure that thousands of hotel workers are not put at unnecessary risk.”

Assemblyman Rory Lancman says the culture of Albany has changed since Gov. Andrew Cuomo took office.

State Assemblyman Rory Lancman (D-Fresh Meadows) has only been in office for five years, but he is already dealing with his third governor.

Lancman said the culture in Albany, known for its corruption and inability to get things done, has changed now that Gov. Andrew Cuomo has arrived on the scene.

“It’s very different,” Lancman said. “In these 4 1/2 years, I’ve seen a lot. It’s been a very wild ride. I’m on my third governor already.”

In the 3 1/2 years before Cuomo took office, Lancman said the Democratic-controlled Assembly led the government due to former Govs. Eliot Spitzer’s prostitution scandal, the perceived lack of leadership by David Paterson and the state Senate dealing with infighting, as the so-called Gang of Four held the institution hostage over leadership positions.?

“The Assembly was really the driving force behind state government because the Assembly was the most stable,” Lancman said during an interview last Thursday at the Bayside offices of TimesLedger Newspapers.

Lancman said the budget, which was adopted earlier than the April 1 deadline for the first time in more than 20 years, “wasn’t rushed,” but legislators acknowledged that the public was fed up with Albany’s dysfunction and an on-time budget would set a better example.

“There is a feeling among the public that the state doesn’t know how to manage its finances. It’s essential that the public has confidence in government,” he said. “It was not the budget I would have adopted, but it was orderly. It was probably the best deal that we could get at this moment in time.”

In Lancman’s district, which stretches from parts of Whitestone ?in northeast Queens to Richmond Hill in the southern part of the borough, constituents fear school closures and school overcrowding.

The city is going ahead with plans to close Jamaica HS and Richmond Hill is on the cusp of being shuttered, while Francis Lewis is among the most crowded schools in the city.

“Francis Lewis [HS] is not in any danger of closing, but their classes open at 7 a.m.,” Lancman said.

With a diverse district, Lancman said constituent needs vary, such as making sure South Asian immigrants in Richmond Hill are aware of their rights while North Flushing residents are concerned with quality-of-life and zoning issues as well as graffiti cleanups.

“It’s often very, very different,” the assemblyman said, noting he has a map of the district in his office with notes attached detailing what the office is doing to help constituents in every area. “They have different needs and issues.”

Lancman’s office is working to get Indo-Caribbean civic groups to come together and become more involved in the “civic mainstream,” such as the local community board, precinct community council and school board.

“One of the challenges of representing a community of new immigrants is the kind of civic social infrastructure is not in place,” the assemblyman said.

Lancman has organized around 12 to 20 such groups and efforts, included increasing participation in the 2010 census and possibly creating a cricket tournament.

Getting back to education, Lancman said Jamaica HS “has not been performing as it should be,” but at the same time the city is “on a mission to close large high schools and has been looking for candidates” for closure.

Lancman contended that larger high schools are better equipped to handle specialized populations, such as the nursery program for teen mothers at Hillcrest HS, than smaller schools.

“By definition, small serves a very narrow band of students,” he said, predicting that in 15 years, administrators will abandon the small-school model in favor of larger high schools.

Assemblyman Rory Lancman (c.) urges the producers of the show "Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark" to respond to his concerns about the safety of the Broadway production as his colleagues look on. Photo courtesy Rory Lancman's office. Photo courtesy Rory Lancman

State Assemblyman Rory Lancman (D-Fresh Meadows) called on the producer of the accident-plagued “Spider-Man” musical to make the production safer before it goes on with any more shows.

“Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark” is going through previews on Broadway. During one of the previews, an audience watched in horror last week as a stuntman fell three stories while attempting a jump. He suffered serious injuries.

“Several actors have been injured during the show’s short preview season, and the danger to actors, theater employees and audience members seems to have reached unacceptable levels,” Lancman, wrote to “Spider-Man” producer Michael Cohl.

Lancman is chairman of the Assembly’s Subcommittee on Workplace Safety and said it is contemplating holding hearings on the production and urged the musical not to hold any further performances until it satisfies certain conditions.

The Fresh Meadows assemblyman said the “Spider-Man” musical should be in full compliance with state Occupational Safety and Health Administration and state Labor Department recommendations that call for an independent expert evaulate flying and safety line sequences in the production.

Lancman also said he wanted sufficient rehearsals for understudies performing aerial or tethered sequences and that the crew and stage management could run the show safely.

He said the final sequence of the production, known as “The Net,”should either be changed or removed from the musical.

“We think of theaters as a place for entertainment and fun, but for the actors, musicians, stagehands and other theater employees who make the shows happen, theaters are a work place, and every New Yorker is entitled to a safe work place,” said Lancman, who held a news conference last Thursday outside the Foxwood Theater, where the “Spider-Man” musical puts on its production. “Work place safety cannot be achieved by trial and error and the producers of “Spider-Man” need to make this work place safe before the show can be allowed to go on.”

Ed Braunstein (l.) receives a congratulatory hug from his father Ed, Sr. Photo by Christina Santucci

The increasingly bitter campaign for the northeast Queens state Assembly seat came to an end Tuesday night with Democrat Ed Braunstein’s victory over his Republican challenger Vince Tabone.

After receiving 58.5 percent of the vote in Tuesday’s election, Braunstein will replace fellow Democratic Ann-Margaret Carrozza as the assemblyman, based on unofficial results with all precincts reporting early Wednesday morning, NY1 said. The district covers Bayside, Little Neck, Douglaston, College Point and Whitestone.

Tabone garnered 41.5 percent of votes, according to NY1, in his failed bid to succeed Carrozza, who announced earlier this year that she would not run for re-election to the seat she has held since 1996.

In other northeast Queens results, Assemblyman David Weprin (D-Bayside) was re-elected after he defeated Republican Timothy Furey and Bob Friedrich, who ran on the Conservative line after losing the Democratic primary to Weprin.

Weprin got 67.1 percent of the vote with all precincts reporting, according to NY1, while Furey received 23.6 percent and Friedrich pulled in 9.2 percent.

Tabone, who conceded to Braunstein late Tuesday night, said he will continue to serve the community despite losing the election.

“I’ve had a wonderful opportunity to serve the public in city and state government for almost 15 years and I’ve served the community,” said Tabone, a Bayside resident and attorney for John Catsimitidis’ Manhattan-based Red Apple Group with a long career of civic involvement. “For me it’s not the end of the world. I’ve had a wonderful opportunity to serve the community … and I’m not going to go away.”

Braunstein, a former aide to Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D-Manhattan) and current member of Community Board 11, said he will be getting straight to work now that he is headed to Albany on behalf of his native northeast Queens.

“I’m going to start on Jan. 1 working on the things I spoke about throughout the campaign,” Braunstein said during his victory speech at his campaign’s post-election celebration Tuesday night at Cascarino’s Brick Oven Pizzeria in Bayside. “We need to bring a new emphasis on ethics reforms in Albany, we need to create jobs in this down economy and we need to ensure northeast Queens remains the best place to live in New York state.”

Both candidates sent enthusiastic campaign teams to polling sites throughout northeast Queens, where they touted their qualifications for higher office.

Luigi Farina, a Whitestone resident, handed out campaign literature and spoke to voters about Tabone at PS 193 in his hometown, saying he was the best choice for the community.

“Vincent has a lot of experience. I think he’ll bring it to Albany,” he said. “He’s already worked for [former Mayor Rudy] Giuliani, and he’ll bring that experience to Albany.”

Adam Lombardi, a volunteer with Braunstein’s camp, used a megaphone, literature and conversations with voters to get voters to choose his candidate.

“Ed’s message is from the people, for the people, and that message has reverberated throughout the community,” he said. “The sentiment among the community about Ed Braunstein for assemblyman is simply outstanding.”

Ever since he announced his candidacy, Braunstein, 29, has campaigned on a platform of cutting spending, reforming Albany and protecting quality of life in northeast Queens, particularly for schoolchildren and seniors.

Tabone, 44, trumpeted his experience as a former employee in the city Economic Development Corp. as proof that he had the ability to reform the fiscal situation in Albany. He also argued that his longer period of experience in government and community advocacy made him the better candidate to represent the community.

Both candidates accused one another of being too entrenched in the system to be in a position to cast themselves as the outsiders they both claimed to be, and concerns about campaign donations from questionable donors arose on both sides of the campaign.

Weprin campaigned on his experience both in his two terms on the City Council, where he served as chairman of the Finance Committee, and his short tenure as an assemblyman since he was elected to that office in a special election in February. He said he plans to use his financial acumen to benefit the residents of Queens and New York state.

Weprin’s Assembly district covers Bellerose, Bayside, Douglaston, Floral Park, Fresh Meadows, Glen Oaks, Hollis, Holliswood, Little Neck, New Hyde Park, Oakland Gardens and Queens Village.

Assemblyman Rory Lancman (D-Fresh Meadows) and Assemblywomen Grace Meng (D-Flushing) and Nettie Mayersohn (D-Flushing), who were unopposed for re-election, retained their seats and are headed back to Albany.

The lightning round elicits laughs from state Sen. Frank Padavan (l. to r.), Republican Assembly candidate Timothy Furey, state Sen. Toby Stavisky, state Assemblyman Rory Lancman, and Democratic Senate candidate Tony Avella during a candidate's forum at St. John's University this week. Photo by Christina Santucci

State Sen. Frank Padavan (R-Bellerose) does not own an iPod.

His challenger, former Democratic City Councilman Tony Avella, would rather have a beer with Republican gubernatorial candidate Carl Paladino instead of Paladino’s Democratic opponent, state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, “because it might end in a big argument.”

These answers were revealed during a candidate’s forum at St. John’s University Monday night, where candidates were asked at one point to respond with one word to a series of lightning round questions.

On a more serious note, they spent the rest of the evening explaining how they would deal with reforming Albany the state’s budget deficit and root out state corruption.

The forum was co-sponsored by TimesLedger Newspapers and the Queens Chronicle in conjunction with St. John’s and featured questions from a panel made up of reporters from the two weekly newspapers and New York 1 as well as two St. John’s students.

Assembly members Rory Lancman (D-Fresh Meadows) and Toby Stavisky (D-Whitestone) participated in the forum despite not having any opponents. Also included in the discussion were Assemblyman David Weprin (D-Little Neck) and his Repubican opponent, Bayside resident Timothy Furey.

On the issue of reform, Avella said he is in favor of term limits for state legislators, campaign finance reform and “eliminating pay-to-play by lobbyists.”

Avella said lulus – money given to the heads of committees on the City Council and state Legislature – and stipends should be eliminated, saying he refused to accept his $8,000-a-year lulu while he was head of the Zoning and Franchises Committee on the City Council because the payments are used “to control votes.”

The former councilman said he is also in favor of redistricting through independent means instead of the state Legislature doing it.

“The 11th Senatorial District is one of the worst gerrymandered districts in the state,” he said, referring to Bayside, Douglaston, Bay Terrace Queens Village, Bellerose, Flushing, Whitestone, Little Neck, College Point, Hollis, Jamaica Estates, Glen Oaks and Floral Park.

Padavan disagreed, saying his district is three-to-one Democrats to Republicans, which makes the district more advantageous to a Democrat than to him.

“If that’s gerrymandering, then we’re really in trouble,” he said.

On reform, Padavan said it was the Republican majority in 2006 that reformed the budget process, implementing conference committees that he said were abandoned when Democrats took control of the Senate in 2009 and 2010.

“Those in charge virtually ignored that reform,” he said. “I’m endorsed by the Citizens Union because of my position on reform.”

Stavisky said it was the Democrats who led reforms in the Senate, saying as chairwoman of the Higher Education Committee she has allowed both Democratic and Republican-sponsored bills to go to the floor of the body, which was not the case under Republican control.

She also said under the GOP, Senate Republican senators receiving $10 in resources for every dollar allocated to Democrats.

On dealing with the state’s projected $9.4 billion budget deficit, Avella suggested the state “should look to alternative sources of revenue.”

Avella said legalizing sports betting in the state would be a large source of revenue, saying $2 billion is wagered in the city alone with the proceeds going to organized crime.

Padavan said going after Medicaid fraud and consolidating functions of local government such as school and water districts are ways to cut spending.

But the senator, a strong opponent of state-sponsored gambling, disagreed with Avella on making sports wagers legal.

He said it is generally “low- to middle-income people” who gamble and legalizing betting is “counterproductive and will cause more problems than it’s worth.”

On the issue of gay marriage, Padavan said he was in favor of civil unions while Avella, who supports gay marriage, said the issue was the starkest difference between the two of them and noted that no Republican voted in favor of the issue when it came ot a vote in the Senate this year.

Lancman, who said he maintains a “modest” side law practice, was the only member of the panel who said state legislators should be allowed to receive side income.

He noted he does not represent any clients with business before the state and said the idea of conflicts of interest is the main argument for a full-time legislature.

Speaking on corruption, Furey said there should be stiffer penalties for legislators found guilty of violating the law because they should be held to a higher standard.

On gay marriage, Weprin said he voted for a similar bill when he was on the City Council that recognizes gay marriages in other jurisdictions.

In the lightning round where only “yes” and “no” answers were accepted, Padavan and Furey struggled when asked if they would support Paladino for governor.

“There is no ‘yes’ or ‘no,’” Padavan said during the light-hearted moment. “I say he’s a loose cannon, alright?”

Furey would also not commit to a “yes” or “no,” but said he was “thrown off” by some of Paladino’s statements.

Reach reporter Howard Koplowitz by e-mail at hkoplowitz@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4573.

State Assemblyman Rory Lancman and state Sen. Shirley Huntley talk about the hospital closure act. Photo by Ivan Pereira

State Assemblyman Rory Lancman (D-Fresh Meadows) and state Sen. Shirley Huntley (D-Jamaica) appeared in front of the former site of Mary Immaculate Hospital Friday to urge the governor to sign a bill they sponsored that would help New York communities that face similar health-care voids.

The state legislators are the co-sponsors of the Hospital Closure Planning Act, which would mandate that the state Department of Health go through a process that would prepare neighborhoods around hospitals that are slated for closure.

Lancman and Huntley said that when Mary Immaculate in Jamaica and St. John’s Hospital in Elmhurst? closed last year, the community was given little warning and elected officials, community leaders and other hospitals did not have enough time to adapt.

“You would expect when a hospital this big closes down, the government would give a plan,” Lancman said.

The bill, which has passed in the Assembly and Senate, would require the DOH to hold a special meeting with residents within 30 days before a hospital’s closing. The department would then come back with a detailed report on the state of the health care following the closure and plans on how to meet the community’s needs.

Huntley said that if such a plan were made for Mary Immaculate, which served more than 100,000 patients a year, the other hospitals would have been able to better cope with the extra load.

“My constituents have no place to go,” she said.

The bill is currently waiting for Gov. David Paterson’s signature and must be signed by midnight Friday, according to Lancman. A representative from the governor’s office said Paterson is going over the logistics of the bill.

“The governor is reviewing this bill and will act on it by the deadline,” said spokesman Morgan Hook.

Lancman said the governor needed to put the bill on the top of his priority list, since it was initially vetoed last year over Paterson’s concerns about how the public meeting would be conducted.

The legislators changed the guidelines for the hearings addressing the governor’s considerations.?

“The senator and I have a responsibility to legislate not only for the community but also the state,” he said.

State Sen. Toby Stavisky and Assemblyman Rory Lancman said Gov. David Paterson should have signed a bill that would have changed the configuration of boards governing New York's public colleges and universities. AP Photo-Seth Wenig

State Sen. Toby Stavisky (D-Whitestone) and state Assemblyman Rory Lancman (D-Fresh Meadows) lambasted Gov. David Paterson this week for vetoing legislation they sponsored that they said would result in more objective State University of New York and City University of New York boards of trustees.

The legislation, passed by the Senate and Assembly, would have mandated that any SUNY or CUNY trustee could not work directly for the mayor or governor, which is currently allowed.

“When our bill passed both houses of the Legislature, I believed it heralded an end to trustees who felt they owed their jobs to the politician appointing them, and a beginning of an era in which they saw they were to be accountable to the students of New York and their educational goals,” Stavisky said. “Instead, the governor has chosen to exercise his authority to maintain a system wherein his appointees could be influenced to carry out his policies and not necessarily those that benefit our public university systems.”

The governor appoints 15 of SUNY’s 17 trustees, who are joined by one student and one non-voting faculty member. CUNY’s 16 board members are appointed by the governor and mayor, and the board also has one student and one non-voting faculty member. The boards have decision-making power over many aspects of the school systems. The SUNY board, for example, can appoint and approve university leadership, including the chancellor and campus presidents. They regulate school tuition and fees and grant the thousands of degrees, diplomas and honorary degrees that SUNY issues annually.

Paterson said he vetoed Stavisky’s and Lancman’s legislation because state lawmakers already have a say in who is appointed. Lawmakers must give their stamp of approval to Paterson’s appointees.

“Further, should the people of New York find that the appointees of the governor are not well-suited or find that those who are nominated to a board do not serve the interests of the institution, there is a political and electoral process by which those grievances can be aired,” Paterson wrote in his veto message. “Unfortunately, the Legislature has chosen to place broad and unnecessary limitations on executive authority to appoint appropriate members to public university boards rather than use its existing constitutional powers of advice and consent. I simply cannot agree to straightjacket future executives in this manner, in regard to such important public bodies.”

But Lancman had a different take on the existing process.

“Too often governors and mayors have appointed their senior staff to the boards of SUNY and CUNY as a means of controlling a bloc of votes on those boards, preferring toadies to trustees of higher education in the truest sense of the word,” Lancman said. “It’s a pity that the governor’s veto will extend this distorted practice.”

The union, which represents 90,000 freelancers, consultants, independent contractors, temps, part-timers, and self-employed workers in New York state – including 80,000 in New York City – named priority candidates as well as general endorsements.

For state Senate it endorsed incumbent Toby Ann Stavisky (D-Whitestone) in the 16th District, incumbent Joseph Addabbo (D-Howard Beach) in the 15th District, and Democrat Tony Avella in the 11th District. For state Assembly the group endorsed Democrat Francisco Moya in the 39th District, Democrat Aravella Simotas in the 36th District, incumbent Jeff Aubry (D-Corona) in the 35th District, incumbent Andrew Hevesi (D-Forest Hills) in the 28th District, Ed Braunstein in the 26th District, and incumbent Rory Lancman (D-Fresh Meadows) in the 25th District. It endorsed Democrat Andrew Cuomo for Governor, Democrat Eric Schneiderman for state Attorney General and Democratic incumbent Thomas DiNapoli for state Comptroller.

“Freelancers Union is growing a powerful political operation to give New York’s freelancers a strong voice in Albany,” Sara Horowitz, executive director of Freelancers Union who founded it as Working Today in 1995, said in a statement. “Independent workers are a third of the workforce, but without unemployment insurance and nonpayment protection, they’re getting left behind. This election season we’re working to change that by mobilizing New York’s massive network of plugged-in ‘twitteratti’.”

The reference to Twitter, the ubiquitous Web site, refers to the group’s plans to utilize social networking, as well as “traditional on the ground strategies, as well as viral and guerrilla marketing tactics” as a means to help the candidates it supports.

“The new workforce needs champions, and these candidates are those champions. We look forward to working hard for them on the campaign trail, so they can work hard for us in the state capitol,” Horowitz said.