Gov. Andrew Cuomo applauds the state Legislature coming to an agreement on reforming the tax code that will lead to cuts fo middle-class earners. AP Photo/Hans Pennink

Most Queens residents will have more money in their pockets come tax time next year after the state Legislature earlier this month approved tax decreases for those making less than $300,000.

The agreement changes the income tax structure and Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the revisions will add $1.9 billion to the state’s coffers.?

Under the reforms enacted by the Legislature, those making between $300,000 and $2 million will have a base tax rate of 6.85 percent, up from 6.65 percent.

For those earning $2 million and more, the rate will be 8.82 percent, up from the 6.65 percent base rate but less than the 8.97 percent they were paying under the so-called “millionaire’s tax” surcharge.

The governor said 4.4 million New Yorkers will see tax decreases under the plan, including a $690 million reduction in taxes for the middle class, which was defined as earners making $300,000 or less.

That group had a 6.85 percent base tax rate, but those making between $40,000 and $150,000 will have a rate of 6.45 percent.

Those with an income between $150,000 and $300,000 will see their rate slashed from 6.85 percent to 6.65 percent.

State Assemblyman Mike Miller (D-Woodhaven) said the changes to the tax code were needed.

“This tax code reform is a simple matter of fairness,” Miller said. “Reforming the tax code to support middle-class families is the right thing to do and is the best way to stimulate consumer spending and jump-start the economy. This plan will give relief to the struggling middle class and put New York on the path to fiscal stability.”

State Sen. Joseph Addabbo (D-Howard Beach) also applauded the move, which was approved by the Legislature during a special session called by Cuomo earlier this month.

“I am thankful to have been given an opportunity to give the middle class of this state a long-overdue and certainly needed state income tax break,” Addabbo said. “The restructuring of New York state’s tax code creates a fair and progressive tax system and provides equity to citizens across this city and state.”

Since 2009, those making more than $300,000 were hit with the millionaire’s tax on top of their base tax rate that was anywhere from 7.85 percent to 8.97 percent.

State Assemblyman Mike Miller (l.) called on Joe Fox to assist police in the investigation of a Rochdale Little League coach accused of sexually abusing his players.

Nearly two months after a Rochdale Little League coach was accused of sexually abusing his players, a Woodhaven lawmaker called on a former state Assembly hopeful to aid in the investigation.

Assemblyman Mike Miller (D-Woodhaven) released a statement last week saying that alleged pedophile David Hartshorn was the campaign manager for Joe Fox, a Forest Hills lawyer who ran for the Assembly seat held by Andrew Hevesi last year but was defeated in the Democratic primary by the incumbent..

“Fox should immediately provide police with a list of all children brought to campaign events by Hartshorn so they can be interviewed by police and counselors to ensure that they were not also victims of abuse and receive proper counseling if needed,” Miller said in a statement.

But Fox said Hartshorn was hired as a subcontractor by his campaign’s management firm and was not his campaign manager.

“Assemblyman Miller’s attempt to gain political advantage from this tragedy is disgraceful,” Fox said. “Mr. Miller has never met me. If he had, he would know that I do the right thing, regardless of the consequences.”

Fox said he worked for several years in the Special Victims Bureau of the Queens district attorney’s office, which protects and advocates for victimized children, and that he co-founded a nonprofit that focused on helping children and battered women.

“The conduct that Mr. Hartshorn is charged with goes against every grain of my being,” Fox said. “It pains my soul to hear of the alleged abuse.”

Fox added that if he believed he could be of help, he would have already gone to the police.

“As an attorney and officer of the court, I recognize the investigation is continuing,” Fox said. “I stand ready to assist the investigators at any time.”

A spokesman for Miller said that after Hartshorn was charged with the crime, the assemblyman was simply trying to help.

“All Mike was doing was looking out for the children,” the spokesman said.

Former Assemblyman Anthony Seminerio, shown here arriving for a court date last year, died last week in a North Carolina prison at age 75.

While his corruption may have overshadowed his 31-year state Assembly career, former colleagues of disgraced Richmond Hill Assemblyman Anthony Seminerio chose to remember him as an outspoken man who delivered for his constituents.

Seminerio, 75, died last Thursday while serving the first year of a six-year prison sentence, said Edmond Ross, a spokesman for the federal Bureau of Prisons.

Ross could not provide any further details about his death, including why, where, how or what time he died. Seminerio was being held at the Federal Medical Center at the Butner Federal Correctional Complex in North Carolina.

A Manhattan federal judge sentenced Seminerio to six years in prison Feb. 4 for abusing his power as a lawmaker and extorting money out of hospitals, nonprofits and other groups in exchange for lobbying state officials on their behalf.

Former state Sen. Serphin Maltese, who was a close friend of Seminerio’s, said the late lawmaker was ill when he was sentenced and knew he would die in prison.

Maltese would only say that Seminerio had stomach and bleeding problems and “he knew he’d never come out” of prison.

“It’s hard to put aside the 30 years” he was in the Assembly, Maltese said. “He was like a bulldog. He made sure his constituents got help.

“He was the traditional Democrat, the old-style Democrat that believes in meeting the people, helping the people themselves.”

Maltese said Seminerio’s old-fashioned ways are not seen in Albany now.

“He was the type of person you don’t see in politics — his handshake was very good, his word was very good,” Maltese said.

While Maltese said he communicated to Seminerio through letters, he would not go into what the missives said or if Seminerio felt remorse.

“Of course, he felt very bad that his family had to go through,” he said.

Seminerio’s successor, Assemblyman Michael Miller (D-Woodhaven), left out any references to Seminerio’s crimes in a statement.

“For over 30 years, Anthony Seminerio represented the 38th Assembly District with passion and dedication,” Miller said. “We should remember all of the good things that he has done for the community. My heartfelt sympathy goes out to his wife and his children.”

The six-year sentence handed down by U.S. District Judge Naomi Reice Buchwald was far less than the 14 years Seminerio could have received. He was also ordered to pay a $1 million fine.

“When you were elected, you were given a great privilege,” Buchwald told Seminerio during his sentencing hearing. “You abused the trust placed in you.”

Seminerio pleaded guilty in June 2009 to taking more than $300,000 from Jamaica Hospital administrators in exchange for approaching state health officials to promote their interests. The federal prosecutors, led by William Harrington, said Seminerio created a sham consulting agency, Marc Consultants, to squeeze $1 million out of Jamaica Hospital, the Jamaica Chamber of Commerce, Plaza College in Jackson Heights, the Long Island Rail Road and other organizations while in office.

Seminerio’s sentence is four years less than that given to Brian McLaughlin, the former Flushing assemblyman who originally put Seminerio in touch with an FBI agent posing as a developer. The FBI listened in on and recorded numerous conversations with Seminerio that were later used in court. Seminerio got $25,000 from the FBI agent and in exchange agreed to propose legislation favored by the supposed developer.

McLaughlin is now serving a 10-year jail term for stealing $2.2 million from a neighborhood Little League, city contractors and his own labor union.

Seminerio represented Glendale, Ridgewood, Middle Village, Richmond Hill, Ozone Park, South Ozone Park and Woodhaven for 31 years. Before his legislative career, Seminerio was an executive board member of the city Corrections Officers’ Benevolent Association.

He also had some bit parts in movies, according to his Assembly biography.

Former Assemblyman and current City Councilman Mark Weprin (D-Oakland Gardens) said he does not condone Seminerio’s criminal behavior but said he remembered how Seminerio would always ask how his mother, Sylvia, was doing following the death of his father, the late Assembly Speaker Saul Weprin.

“He was a bigger-than-life figure,” said Weprin, who filled his father’s Assembly seat in 1994. “He was an old-school guy who talked street talk, but I think he was good-hearted and lost his way.”

At a 2008 party honoring Seminerio’s 30 years in the Legislature at La Bella Vita in Ozone Park, before the investigation into Seminerio became known, the legislator reflected on his legacy.

“The bottom line is I helped everybody who needed help,” he said. “On a scale of one to 10, I was a good eight or nine. And I’m proud of that.”

Seminerio is survived by his wife Catherine, son John and daughters Anna and Mabel.

Mark Ferran of the United Fire Officers Association and U.S. Rep. Joe Crowley campaigned with state Assemblywoman Marge Markey outside IS 73 in Maspeth. Photo by Rebecca Henely

Despite a reported anti-incumbent, anti-Democrat mood across the nation, all the seated Democrats won another term in the state Assembly races in western Queens this year, according to unofficial election results from NY1.

Assembly members Andrew Hevesi (D-Forest Hills), Margaret Markey (D-Maspeth), Catherine Nolan (D-Ridgewood), Michael Miller (D-Woodhaven) and Audrey Pheffer (D-Rockaway Beach) beat their Republican rivals Tuesday. Community activist Francisco Moya also stepped into the Elmhurst-Corona Assembly district seat and lawyer Aravella Simotas was unopposed on the Democratic ticket to fill the seat vacated by Assemblyman Michael Gianaris (D-Astoria).

Hevesi, who has been in the Assembly’s Forest Hills seat since 2005, squeaked ahead in a tight race with 54 percent of the vote, beating out law school graduate Alex Powietrzynski, who earned 40 percent of the vote and Independent Joseph Tiraco, who earned a little less than 6 percent, with 100 percent of precincts reporting. The young Republican had called for Hevesi to step down in light of the controversy surrounding Hevesi’s father Alan, who had once held Andrew’s Assembly seat and pleaded guilty recently to corruption in his role as state comptroller.

Andrew Hevesi pushed his record on environmental legislation and touted his support for reform in Albany. Powietrzynski focused on job creation, lowering taxes, Metropolitan Transportation Authority reform and crime reduction.

In a contentious race, Markey, an assemblywoman for Maspeth since 1998, won with 60 percent of the vote over Maspeth businessman and Community Board 5 member Tony Nunziato, with 89 percent of precincts reporting.

Nunziato had accused Markey of not being a presence in the community in the run-up to the election, and they had clashed at a news conference over a plan to reroute trucks in the community. In his campaign, Nunziato focused on job creation, capping government spending, cutting taxes, fiscal responsibility and school vouchers. Markey’s campaign had emphasized her record and working to improve quality of life and creating a viable commercial district.

In nearby Ridgewood, 26-year Nolan defeated actor and bartender John Kevin Wilson by a wide margin with 85 percent of the vote, with 92 percent of precincts reporting. Miller, who won his Woodhaven Assembly district seat in a special election in 2009, netted his first full term and defeated Republican Donna Marie Caltabiano, executive director of the Forest Park Senior Center, with 69 percent of the vote when 93 percent of the precincts were counted. In Rockaway Beach, Pheffer, who has been in office since 1987, beat opponent Dr. Harold Paez, an administrator at a Brooklyn hospital, with 68 percent of the vote in a race where 64 percent of precincts had reported.

In addition, Moya took the vacant 39th Assembly District seat, which covers Elmhurst, Corona and part of Jackson Heights. The seat had been left vacant after previous holder Jose Peralta won the East Elmhurst seat in a special election for the state Senate. Moya initially had a Republican opponent in community activist Humberto Suarezmotta, but he was thrown off the ballot for failing to hand in a cover sheet with his signatures.

Simotas, meanwhile, stepped into Gianaris’ 36th Assembly District seat, which includes Astoria, Long Island City, Ravenswood and Queensbridge, as Gianaris left to run for outgoing state Sen. George Onorato’s (D-Astoria) seat.

Assemblymen Jeffrion Aubry (D-Corona) and Michael DenDekker (D-Jackson Heights), who had no opponents, also won another term this year.

Assemblyman Michael Miller signs in to vote at PS 91 in Glendale. Photo courtesy Michael Miller’s office

State Assemblyman Michael Miller (D-Woodhaven) cruised to victory over his Democratic primary opponent, Community Education Council 24 President Nick Comaianni, 77 percent to 23 percent with 87 percent of the precincts reporting Tuesday night, according to unofficial results, clearing the largest hurdle in his re-election battle.

“It’s a phenomenal victory,” Miller said in a phone interview. “I’m happy the people of my district responded the way they did. They appreciated the fact I’m their full-time assemblyman.”

Miller also handily defeated Forest Park Senior Center Executive Director Donna Marie Caltabiano in a primary on the Conservative line.

He won the seat in a special election last year to replace disgraced former Assemblyman Anthony Seminerio, who pleaded guilty to corruption charges.

Miller ran on his record in office over the past year, including legislation to make Woodhaven Boulevard easier to walk across and making the neighborhood safer from sexual predators.

The assemblyman also pointed to his ability to get an assurance out of Genting NY, the winner of the Aqueduct video lottery terminal contract, to hire local people for jobs at the track. The district covers Woodhaven, Richmond Hill, Ozone Park, Ridgewood and Glendale.

Comaianni, the president of CEC 24 and chairman of the Youth and Education Committee of Community Board 9, ran on a platform of improving education and helping small businesses.

Comaianni and Miller were on course to run against each other in last year’s special election, but Comaianni chose not to file petitions to get on the ballot.

In Ridgewood and Glendale, the northern part of the 28th Assembly District, turnout appeared to be light.

Out of roughly 2,500 people registered to vote, only about 150 did so as of 2 p.m. Tuesday at PS 91 in Glendale, according to Joanna Chiaramonte, poll coordinator at the school.

“Primaries don’t draw a lot of people,” said the other coordinator at PS 91, Sig Laemmel.

At PS 88 in Ridgewood, only about 60 people cast ballots as of 2 p.m., according to PS 88 poll coordinator Joseph Mammarino.

An election volunteer said the turnout was discouraging.

“I’m disheartened when I hear people complain about politics” and then not vote, she said.

Glendale resident Virginia Appel said she voted for Miller because her husband is a Kiwanis Club member who knows the assemblyman.

“I’ll vote for anyone who Kiwanis stands behind,” she said.

Miller has no Republican opponent.

Joe Fox (l.) and state Assemblyman Andrew Hevesi will face off in the Democratic primary next week.

State Assemblyman Andrew Hevesi (D-Forest Hills) entered the last throes of the primary campaign with more than twice as much money in his coffers than his Democratic challenger Joe Fox in the race for the 28th Assembly District, according to their last filings with the state Board of Elections.

Assemblyman Michael Miller (D-Woodhaven), fending off a challenge by Community Board 9 member Nick Comaianni, has a 20-1 fund-raising advantage over his opponent in the last days of the campaign, the records showed.

Hevesi has a little more than $41,000 on hand and raised $13,750 in the last filing period, which ran from mid-August to the end of August. Fox, an attorney and member of Community Board 6, has about $16,669 on hand and raised about $14,330 in the last filing period, for which candidates submitted reports Friday.

The 28th Assembly District covers Forest Hills, Rego Park, Middle Village and Glendale.

Of the $13,750 Hevesi raised, the majority of it came from unions, political action committees and other organizations. The Empire State Pride Agenda PAC handed Hevesi his largest chunk of change: $3,800. The Empire State Pride Agenda is a statewide educational and political advocacy organization that works toward equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.

The $14,330 Fox raised included a little more than $8,800 in loans from himself and about $5,000 from individuals. Richard Koral, of South Salem, N.Y., in Westchester County, gave $1,000, the largest donation Fox landed from an individual. Jack Gostl of Forest Hills gave $500, the second largest amount.

In the 38th Assembly District, Miller has $20,920 in cash on hand compared to just $1,903 for Comaianni.

Miller raised $8,700 and spent $5,843, while Comaianni took in $2,025 and spent $4,067.

All but $300 raised by Miller came from corporations, political action committees and other elected officials’ campaign accounts.

Miller took in $6,700 from corporations and PACs, including $2,000 from the Real Estate Board and $1,000 each from Sterling Mets and Plumbers #1 NYC.

The assemblyman also raised $1,700 from two of his colleagues — $1,000 from Rory Lancman Election Committee and $700 from Friends of Grace Meng.

Of the $5,843 spent by Miller, the lion’s share — $3,910 — of his spending went to The Parkside Group, a political consulting firm that is managing his campaign.

Comaianni raised all of his $2,025 from individuals, with the largest — $400 — coming from Glendale resident Tonia Sciarrattta.

Comaianni’s largest expenditures included $1,088 to Shiro of Japan in Woodhaven for fund-raising and $1,000 for rent of his Glendale campaign office.

Miller is also facing a primary for the Conservative Party line against Donna Marie Caltabiano, executive director of the Forest Park Senior Center.

For the borough’s congressional races, the union has backed incumbent U.S. Reps. Gary Ackerman (D-Bayside), Anthony Weiner (D-Forest Hills), Carolyn Maloney (D-Astoria) and Joseph Crowley (D-Jackson Heights) for their reelection campaigns. However, the union did not give an endorsement to U.S. Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-Jamaica) or his Republican opponent Asher Taub.

For state Senate races, DC 37 backed state Senators Shirley Huntley (D-Jamaica), Frank Padavan (R-Bellerose) and Toby Stavisky (D-Whitestone) for their reelection bids, but did not issue endorsements in the races of incumbents Jose Peralta (D-Jackson Heights), Malcolm Smith (D-St. Albans) or Joseph Addabbo (D-Howard Beach), or in the race to replace George Onorato (D-Astoria), in which Assemblyman Michael Gianaris (D-Astoria) is running unopposed.

The union also gave endorsements to several state Assembly candidates including incumbents Audrey Pheffer (D-Rockaway Beach), David Weprin (D-Little Neck), Margaret Markey (D-Maspeth) and Jeffrion Aubry (D-Corona), as well as candidate Francisco Moya, who is facing Hiram Monserrate in a Democratic primary for the 39th Assembly District seat that was vacated by state Sen. Jose Peralta (D-Jackson Heights). The winner of that primary will face Republican Humberto Suarezmotta.

The union did not make endorsements in several Assembly races, including District 26, where there is a Republican candidate and a crowded Democratic primary field vying to replace departing Assemblywoman Ann-Margaret Carrozza; District 28, currently held by Assemblyman Andrew Hevesi (D-Forest Hills), who is facing Joe Fox in a Democratic primary and a Republican opponent, Alex Powietrzynski; District 34, where incumbent Barbara Clark (D-Queens Village) is being challenged in a Democratic primary by Clyde Vanel; District 37, in which incumbent Cathy Nolan (D-Ridgewood) is facing a Republican challenger, John Malone; and District 38, where incumbent Michael Miller (D-Woodhaven) faces a Democratic primary with Nick Comaianni and Republican opponent Donna Marie Caltabiano.

Representatives for DC 37 were not available to comment Friday on why they declined to endorse candidates in certain Queens races.

Michael Miller

In the year since he replaced former state Assemblyman Anthony Seminerio in a special election, Assemblyman Michael Miller (D-Woodhaven) said he has restored the trust people have in the office following his predecessor’s guilty plea on corruption charges.

“I’m responsive to the people and people see that,” Miller said during an interview at his campaign headquarters on Myrtle Avenue in Glendale. “When people come in my office, they say Miller gets results.”

“It’s a trust thing?,” he said. “You have to gain the trust of the people and I’ve worked hard for that.”

Miller pointed to a number of bills he has sponsored that would improve the quality of life of his district’s residents and the guarantee he secured from Genting NY, the presumptive winner of the Aqueduct video lottery terminal contract, to hire local residents in his district as steps he has taken that make him worthy of re-election.

Miller, who has the backing of the Democratic and Conservative parties, faces Community Board 9 member and Community Education Council 24 President Nick Comaianni in the Democratic primary. He also has a primary with Forest Park Senior Center Donna Caltabiano, who is a write-in candidate on the Conservative line and also running as a Republican.

The district includes Glendale, Ridgewood, Woodhaven, Richmond Hill and Ozone Park.

Miller said creating jobs and reducing costs incurred by small businesses are two of his top priorities.

“Things are tough in every community and jobs are a big issue,” he said, noting he teamed up with state Sen. Joseph Addabbo (D-Howard Beach), Con Edison and National Grid to inform small businesses of steps they can take to reduce energy costs.

He said the Aqueduct VLT project, when it is approved, will become a source of jobs for district residents.

“That should help our community with jobs in the immediate future,” he said.

Miller said quality-of-life issues, ranging from difficulties in crossing Woodhaven Boulevard in Woodhaven to noisy trains in Glendale to graffiti throughout the district, are among the major problems facing the 38th Assembly District.

“Graffiti is still an issue,” he said. “It’s important to get the graffiti off as quickly as it comes up.”

Miller has sponsored a bill in the Assembly requiring businesses that hire workers dealing with children to do sex offender background checks, which was inspired by a karate school in his district that unwittingly hired a sex offender.

The assemblyman was also the co-sponsor of a bill preventing the city from implementing mid-year cuts to education and was instrumental in bringing a senior center back to Jamaica Avenue in Woodhaven.

On education, Miller noted School District 24 is the most overcrowded in the city and applauded his colleagues for opening a new school on Metropolitan Avenue and said he would ensure that John Adams High School, which was taken off the cutting block by the city Department of Education, never closes.

The assemblyman also co-sponsored the complete streets bill with Addabbo, which led the city Department of Transportation to announce plans to install countdown clocks on Woodhaven Boulevard, which is difficult for seniors and the disabled to cross.

Before his election to the Assembly, Miller was a member of CB 5 and has been an adult leader with Boy Scout Troop No. 439 in Ridgewood. He was also involved with the Greater Ridgewood Youth Council, which saw its budget grow from $200,000 to $5 million while he was there.

“There were many nights when people were sleeping, I was driving in the snow to help them,” Miller said.

The assemblyman said he expects to draw support from a wide variety of voters come election time.

“I want them to come and vote for me because I’ve done a great job,” he said. “I’m a hero of reform. I’m different. We should be upfront with people and it’s about representing people in the Assembly.”

Nick Comaianni. Photo by Howard Koplowitz

State Assembly candidate Nick Comaianni is running on a platform of reforming education, boosting small businesses, cutting wasteful spending and taxes and addressing quality-of-life issues in his primary election battle against Assemblyman Michael Miller (D-Woodhaven).

Comaianni, a member of Community Board 9 and chairman of the board’s youth and education committee who has also been the president of Community Educational Council 24 for seven years, intended to run in a Democratic primary against Miller for former Assemblyman Anthony Seminerio’s seat last year, but gave up his bid when Gov. David Paterson called a special election for the seat.

“This year is an actual election for the Democratic primary,” Comaianni said, referring to the uphill battle he would have been faced with if he had run in the special election. This would have required him to carry independent nominating petitions in a short amount of time after Miller got the backing of the Democratic Party.

“Last year, three people in a backroom decided who was going to be the Assembly person, giving the incumbent a big edge,” Comaianni said, referring to the district leaders who chose Miller for the Democratic line.

As the president of CEC 24, Comaianni said he understands the educational needs of the district, which includes Glendale, Ridgewood, Woodhaven, Richmond Hill and Ozone Park.

“Education is a big issue,” he said during an interview at his campaign headquarters on Myrtle Avenue in Glendale. “There’s a lot of fixing of the education system that we need to do for New York City.”

Comaianni said the state funding formula for education is unfair, saying the city pays more in taxes than it receives in funding.

He noted that District 24 has more overcrowded schools than anywhere in the city and credited CEC 24 with opening either 14 new schools or extension to schools in the last seven years.

Comaianni said CEC 24 is pushing for another seven schools to open in the district.

He said the idea that schools with higher percentage of students who receive free or reduced lunch get more funding is unfair and said all students should receive free lunches.

“We pay enough in taxes in this state and in this city that that’s something we deserve,” he said. “How much can we tax the people? You’re going to tax their kids as well?”

He slammed the state budget for including $800 million in taxes and suggested $800 million worth of wasteful programs be eliminated instead.

Helping small businesses and creating jobs are other important issues in the district, Comaianni said, pointing out he is a small business owner himself.

“I look all around the neighborhood … and I see businesses closing everywhere,” he said.

Comaianni said inspectors from city agencies have been showing up to small businesses five times a year to see if they can hand out any fines, saying it is “coming to the point of harassment.”

“We have to be business-friendly,” he said.

Comaianni said more needs to be done to insure that contractors for state projects, which are usually large, multimillion-dollar corporations, hire subcontractors from within the state instead of New Jersey, Pennsylvania or Connecticut.

“The bottom line is keep the business in New York,” he said, noting that most small business owners employ locally. “If you want to stimulate the economy, it’s not done by raising taxes — it’s done by creating jobs.”

Comaianni said the district is also suffering from quality-of-life issues, such as fewer sanitation pickups on the district’s main thoroughfares.

“As we cut services, it affects the quality of life,” he said.

If elected, Comaianni said he would be an independent-thinking Democrat in the Assembly.

“I will work with everyone because I’m a team player, but I won’t stay silent when it comes to items of my district,” he said.

State Assemblyman Mike Miller (D-Woodhaven, second l.) applauds with members of the Ridgewood Older Adult Center as he is endorsed by U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-Forest Hills). Photo by Rebecca Henely

U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-Forest Hills) and state Assemblyman Mike Miller (D-Woodhaven) took the stage at the Ridgewood Older Adult Center last Thursday to announce Weiner’s endorsement of Miller in his re-election campaign.

They made the endorsement while many visitors to the center, which is located at 59-14 70th Ave., were having lunch. Weiner asked the seniors to “join arms” and re-elect Miller.

“Mike Miller has not been in office long, but he has been a breath of fresh air,” Weiner said.

Miller is running for re-election in the 38th Assembly District, a seat he won in a 2009 special election. He currently faces opposition from Community Board 9 and Community Educational Council 24 member Nick Comaianni, a Democrat, and Forest Park Senior Center Executive Director Donna Caltabiano, a Republican.

Weiner also is running for re-election this year. He has a Republican challenger in retired businessman Bob Turner.

In his endorsement, Weiner described Miller as an assemblyman who in tough financial times makes sure that while the budget is tight, he cuts only the excess and not important services. He pointed out that Miller fought for more beat cops in his district, which covers Ridgewood, Glendale, Woodhaven and Ozone Park.

The congressman also described Miller as a man who knew his district well.

“There is not a street corner in [this district] that he doesn’t know from experience because he lives here,” Weiner said.

Miller said Weiner planned to endorse him one month ago, and they had just now found a good time and place to announce it. They chose the center as the location because of what they see as the strong value of seniors to the city.

“They struggled all their life to get to this point,” Miller said. “And I feel it’s very unfair that when they look at the budget the first thing they cut are senior services and senior centers.”

Weiner also mentioned seniors in his endorsement.

“The people in this room helped build this city,” Weiner said.

Miller described himself to the audience as an assemblyman who stands up for the rights of seniors.

“We have to be here to protect you and serve you and that’s what we do,” Miller said.

Miller also received an endorsement from the United Federation of Teachers Monday.

In a release, Addabbo called Miller “a champion for Queens families.”

“Whether it is protecting our children from sexual predators, working to increase the availability of affordable housing or fighting to expand access to quality healthcare, Mike has been the hardworking leader Queens families deserve.  For the residents of the 38th Assembly District, there is no better choice for the state Assembly than Mike Miller,” Addabbo said.

Crowley said in a release Miller had a “depth of experience and the fresh ideas we need.”

“Since his time in the Assembly, Mike Miller has been one of our community’s strongest voices for better schools, more affordable housing, improved public safety and creating jobs right here in Queens,” Crowley said.

Miller also received endorsements from various other civic leaders in the community.

“I am proud to have the support of these local Democratic elected officials and civic activists from every corner of our community,” Miller said in a release. “This support shows that the momentum is on our side.”

Assemblyman Michael Miller’s (l.) campaign says Farouk Samaroo’s criticism of his sex offender bill is “insulting” to Queens families.

State Assemblyman Michael Miller (D-Woodhaven) said an attack launched against him by a supporter of his primary opponent, Nick Comaianni, on a sex offender bill he sponsored was full of inaccuracies and denied claims that the legislation was watered down due to concerns from special interest groups.

Farouk Samaroo, who co-founded a Democratic club with Comaianni, said in a letter sent to TimesLedger Newspapers that the bill, which would require employers who hire workers who supervise or come into contact with children to run a sex offender check on prospective employees, is a “complete fraud.”

Miller’s campaign said, “Nick Comaianni’s campaign supporters should be ashamed of themselves for criticizing a bill that will protect New York’s families and children. It is a shame that Mr. Comaianni has resorted to negative campaigning and baseless attacks, which is an insult to the families of Queens.”

Comaianni said he had nothing to do with Samaroo’s statement.

Samaroo claimed the first version of the bill would have required the check to be done by all businesses, but was changed June 15 to just businesses whose workers deal with children because Miller raised “tens of thousands of dollars from his new Albany lobbyist and special interests friends.”

Campaign finance records showed Miller raised $15,000 from corporate donors and about $11,000 so far from individuals.

“It’s not like [Miller’s] getting massive corporate dollars at all,” a source with Miller’s campaign said.

The source said the bill has bipartisan support and no businesses were lobbying against the legislation.

Samaroo also claimed the bill would only affect 1 percent of businesses in the state, but he could not be reached to find out where he got that statistic.

Miller’s campaign said the bill was amended not because of special interests, but because it was “too expansive legislatively to make it work out.”

“The bill was still very vast in its scope. This was the best bill they could come up with and it’s still a groundbreaking bill,” the source said. “As far as where Farouk got the 99 percent thing, I honestly don’t know. I think he pulled it out of thin air. Farouk’s two main points, both are completely on their face invalid.”

Under the bill, which is currently in the Assembly Codes Committee, employers who do not run the sex offender registry check would be fined up to $100.

Senators, Assembly and Congress members and those running for those positions have signed pledges on Wednesday by New York Uprising, a non-partisan, independent group formed by Koch that has a mission to “end corruption in Albany and reinstate the public’s faith in government by offering real, honest and sensible solutions that legislators and candidates can implement, adhere to and be held accountable for executing once elected or re-elected to office.”

New York Uprising has actively sought support for commitments to reform from all candidates seeking office during the 2010 election cycle. Queens state Senators who have signed the pledge include Sens. Joseph Addabbo (D-Howard Beach),  Shirley Huntley (D-Jamaica), Jose Peralta (D-Jackson Heights), Frank Padavan (R-Bellerose), and Toby Stavisky (D-Whitestone). Senate candidates who have signed it include Tony Avella, a Democrat running against Padavan; Anthony Como, a Republican running for Addabbo’s seat; Lynn Nunes, a Democrat running against Huntley; Assemblyman Michael Gianaris (D-Astoria), who is running for the seat being vacated by the retiring George Onorato; and Isaac Sasson, a Democrat running for Stavisky’s seat.

Assembly members who have signed it include Andrew Hevesi (D-Forest Hills), Grace Meng (D-Flushing), Michael Miller (D-Glendale), and Audrey Pheffer (D-Rockaway Beach). Assembly candidates who have signed it include Steve Behar, a Democrat running for Assemblywoman Ann-Margaret Carrozza’s seat; Joe Fox, a Democrat running against Hevesi; Bob Friedrich, a Democrat running against state Assemblyman David Weprin (D-Little Neck); Alex Powietrzynski, a Republican running for Hevesi’s seat; Aravella Simotas, a Democrat running for the seat being vacated by Gianaris; and Vince Tabone, a Republican in the race for Carrozza’s seat. U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-Astoria) and her Democratic opponent Reshma Saujani signed the pledge as well

Joining Koch in his effort to stop what he called the downward spiral of New York politics are Citizens Union director Dick Dady, former city Parks Commissioner and New York Civic Director Henry Stern; and a number of other officials including former Gov. Mario Cuomo and former Mayor Rudy Giuliani.

State health officials have asked the state Attorney General's office to investigate MediSys, which runs Jamaica and Flushing hospitals. Former state Assemblyman Anthony Seminerio (inset) pleaded guilty last year to pushing legislation that benefitted Jamaica Hospital in exchange for more than $300,000.

State Health Department officials said they have asked state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo to investigate MediSys Health Network, which runs Jamaica and Flushing hospitals, after the health network was linked to a scandal that involved corrupt Assemblyman Anthony Seminerio pushing the interests of Jamaica Hospital administrators at the state level in exchange for hundreds of thousands of dollars.

While Cuomo’s office did not comment on whether or not it was investigating MediSys, a state Department of Health spokeswoman confirmed that officials asked the attorney general to look into possible wrongdoings by the health network.

A spokesman for MediSys said the network had no comment.

“We made the referral and as far as what they do with it, it’s up to them,” said DOH spokeswoman Claudia Hutton.

A Manhattan federal judge sentenced Seminerio, of Richmond Hill, to six years in prison in February for abusing his power as a lawmaker and extorting money out of hospitals, nonprofits and other groups in exchange for lobbying state officials on their behalf.

Seminerio pleaded guilty in June 2009 to taking more than $300,000 from Jamaica Hospital administrators in exchange for approaching state health officials to promote their interests. Federal prosecutors said the Richmond Hill lawmaker created a sham consulting agency, Marc Consultants, to squeeze $1 million out of Jamaica Hospital, the Jamaica Chamber of Commerce, Plaza College in Jackson Heights, the Long Island Rail Road and other organizations while in office.

The judge said Seminerio accepted money from Jamaica Hospital in exchange for ramming through legislation that favored and secured funding for the medical institution. He also found that Seminerio favored Jamaica Hospital because of the bribe money and advocated against Parkway Hospital in Forest Hills. Parkway officials have contended in a $100 million civil lawsuit that the hospital was forced to close down after it did not pay bribes to Seminerio.

The state health officials’ request follows a lawsuit filed by Margaret Johnson, MediSys’ former general counsel. Her suit, which was filed last month in federal court in Brooklyn, contends the MediSys board directed trustees at Brookdale Hospital in Brooklyn to fire Johnson after she ended the hospital’s relationship with Victor Rocco, a criminal defense attorney who has represented MediSys when federal investigators were looking into Seminerio’s relationship with the health network.

Johnson said in the suit that she terminated Rocco’s services after he directly spoke with MediSys CEO David Rosen and said she was concerned the “interaction between Defendant Rosen and Attorney Rocco could cause a charge of obstruction of justice” against MediSys.

The lot at 61-50 Metropolitan Ave. is the site of an abandoned newsstand and convenience store. Plans to develop the property date back to the 2003 fiscal year and an item was included in the MTA’s current five-year capital plan, Crowley’s office said.

“For the past decade this abandoned old newsstand has invited graffiti, vandalism and traffic,” Crowley said. “As one of the busiest intersections in Queens, beautifying this corner will help ease traffic tension, reduce crime and attract consumers to surrounding businesses.”

Crowley’s office said more details about the project would emerge in January, noting the councilwoman is working with state legislators to secure capital review board funding and will meet with the city Parks Department to try to help find funding sources.

The total cost of the project is expected to be about $100,000 she said.

The community use of the property is not expected to be affected by the MTA’s announcement of impending budget cuts to close a $383 million deficit, Crowley’s spokeswoman said, noting they expect any state funding to come from legislators and not the LIRR.

The park area will probably be temporary since Community Board 5 District Manager Gary Giordano said the city Department of Transportation had plans to refurbish the bridge carrying Metropolitan Avenue over the LIRR tracks, postponing the railroad’s plans for the site.

Crowley brought the lot to the LIRR’s attention in September when the Metropolitan Transportation Authority held hearings on its 2014 capital improvements plan.

“I am pleased to see that the MTA is willing to improve their property that has been a blight on the area for years,” state Sen. Joseph Addabbo (D-Howard Beach) said in a statement.

“Improvements to this area will benefit local businesses and the entire neighborhood,” state Assemblyman Mike Miller (D-Glendale) said in a statement.

Former Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno (l.) leaves federal court in Albany. A federal grand jury found Bruno guilty of two counts of corruption and not guilty on five others after a landmark trial that exposed Albany’s practice of influence peddling by lawmakers. They deadlocked on an eighth count. AP Photo/Mike Groll

Former state Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno (R-Saratoga Springs) was found guilty Monday of two federal corruption charges stemming from his relationship with an Albany businessman.

After deliberating for eight days in federal court in Albany, the jury convicted Bruno on two out of eight counts involving influence peddling in the state’s capital.

Bruno was charged with and found guilty of failing to disclose payments made to him by Albany businessman Jared Abbruzzese, who looked to Bruno for help with a nanotechnology company seeking state funds and paid him for his influence in Albany, according to prosecutors.

Consulting firms tied to Abbruzzese paid Bruno $200,000 in 2004 to advocate for him in Albany. In the second charge, Abbruzzese also forgave a $40,000 debt owed by Bruno and paid him $40,000 for a horse stemming from a horse-breeding partnership the two entered into and dissolved in 2005.

Prosecutors maintained Bruno defrauded the public of his honest services through his relationship with Abbruzzese, a charge similar to that against former state Assemblyman Anthony Seminerio (D-Richmond Hill), who took illegal payments from Jamaica Hospital, which sought his influence in Albany.

Seminerio set up a fake consulting company, Marc Consulting, to funnel the payments. In the indictment against Seminerio, it said he got the idea to establish Marc Consultants from an unnamed state senator.Bruno was a senator at the time of the indictment.

Bruno faces up to 20 years in prison for each corruption count as well as $250,000 in fines for each count when he is sentenced.

Seminerio has also yet to be sentenced after pleading guilty to honest services mail fraud.

Santo Petrocelli Sr., 74, former owner of the Petrocelli Electric Co., pleaded guilty in July to making tens of thousands of dollars in illegal payments to McLaughlin, who represented Local 3 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, in 2004.

When Petrocelli is released, he will face two years of supervised release, the DOI said. He could have been sentenced to a maximum of five years in prison.

At the sentencing in Manhattan federal court, Judge Miriam Cedarbaum said she hoped the case would cause “people who may be tempted, as Mr. Petrocelli was tempted, [to] be discouraged from being drawn into supporting a corrupt union official over many, many years.”

McLaughlin, who was head of the Central Labor Council,  pleaded guilty in March 2008 to racketeering and making a false statement on a loan application after stealing $2.2 million from groups, including unions and the Electchester Little League. He was sentenced in May to 10 years in prison.

Petrocelli, whose company employed Local 3 union members and won contracts with the city to maintain and install street lights and traffic signals, admitted to bribing McLaughlin with cash and the use of a company car.

Petrocelli left Petrocelli Electric in 2006 and investigators have said they will not pursue charges against the company.

“Today’s sentencing underscores the important message: City contractors who choose to engage in fraud not only risk arrest and prosecution but also their business with the city and potentially their freedom,” DOI Commissioner Rose Gill Hearn said in a prepared statement.

McLaughlin was a highly respected assemblyman who had held the seat for nearly 14 years and was considering a mayoral bid when he was arrested in October 2006. Among the thefts he admitted to in 2008 were $95,000 stolen from the Electchester Little League and more than $100,000 from the electrical workers union. He continued to work for the union after his arrest, doing electrical work at a Midtown Manhattan apartment complex.

McLaughlin’s sentencing was delayed for a year while he co-operated with federal investigators, helping to secure indictments against both Petrocelli and former Queens Assemblyman Anthony Seminerio. Prosecutors cited McLaughlin’s “detailed account of the history and nature of his dealings with Petrocelli” as part of a letter to the judge in charge of sentencing the former legislator.

Anthony Seminerio

After the attorney representing former state Assemblyman Anthony Seminerio argued that his client was a hardworking public servant who bent over backward for his constituents, U.S. District Judge Naomi Reice Buchwald expressed reservations about the defense’s statements.

“Someone who is elected is supposed to support his constituents without being paid more than his salary,” Buchwald said.

It was a phrase Buchwald frequently repeated several times throughout the defense’s daylong arguments at the Oct. 30 pre-sentencing hearing for Seminerio, a politician from Richmond Hill who pleaded guilty in June to taking money from Jamaica Hospital administrators in exchange for lobbying state health officials on their behalf.

“Mr. Seminerio admitted what he did was wrong, but it was not the full-fledged scheme the government alleges,” said Pery Krinsky, an attorney for Seminerio.

Krinsky spent the day in Manhattan federal court last Thursday refuting prosecutors’ statements that the former lawmaker created a sham consulting agency that he used as a bully pulpit to squeeze money out of such organizations as the Jamaica Chamber of Commerce and Long Island Rail Road.

Seminerio twice wrote to the state Ethics Committee, in 1996 and 2001, to advise them of Marc Consultants, his company, and he was advised that it was fine for him to make money as a consultant provided he did not make financial gain at the expense of the public nor advocate for state legislation that would exclusively benefit the groups or individuals who were paying him, Krinsky said. He therefore found nothing wrong with accepting money from a variety of Queens groups, according to his lawyer.

Prosecutors had said last week that Seminerio had accepted money from various organizations not as a consultant but rather as bribe money to help the groups by advocating for them in Albany.

“The government has said Mr. Seminerio provided no bona fide services,” Krinsky said. “… Mr. Seminerio provided very real consulting services for very real clients. Mr. Seminerio did make introductions, did open doors for people.”

Buchwald, again, said she was not persuaded by the defense’s arguments.

“Making phone calls and opening doors seems to be a great deal of what elected officials are expected to do for their constituents,” Buchwald said.

The judge also asked whether Seminerio had any clients who were not constituents, to which Krinsky said there was one: Winston Financial.

Prosecutors charged that Seminerio extorted Jamaica Chamber of Commerce President Robert Richards in 1999. After Seminerio threatened he would squash any legislation that would help the chamber if Richards refused to become a client, the chamber president began paying Seminerio about $700 per month for so-called consulting fees, the government said.

Jo-Anne Rickert, Seminerio’s chief of staff, painted a different picture, saying Richards and Seminerio had a longstanding close relationship and that Richards would frequently spend all day in the former lawmaker’s Albany office.

“He came to our office every day,” Rickert said. “He read the paper, made phone calls, acted up with the girls. He’d spend the day with us .… He was so proud Tony was his daughter’s godfather.”

Rickert said she had not known during that time that the Jamaica Chamber of Commerce was a consulting client of Seminerio’s.

Krinsky also said that while a former LIRR administrator had told prosecutors that Seminerio “called the Long Island Rail Road more frequently than other politicians and tried to get people jobs,” the total number of people he tried to help was about five.

“In approximately an eight-year period, Mr. Seminerio called to assist people in obtaining jobs at the Long Island Rail Road,” Krinsky said. “He sought jobs for one to two of his constituents about every two years.”
Buchwald emphasized to defense attorneys that Seminerio had been caught on tape saying he expected to land jobs for people after finding state funding for the MTA subsidiary.

“Any time that I would give them a $250,000 contribution, or $500,000, for repairs on the rail in to here, I need two jobs,” Seminerio said about the LIRR to former Assemblyman Brian McLaughlin, who wore a wire at the request of the federal government, according to court transcripts, to reduce his own jail term for corruption. “Even if I didn’t have anybody, then I find two people and get them jobs.”

Reach reporter Anna Gustafson by e-mail at agustafson@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 174.

He pleaded guilty in June to taking money from Jamaica Hospital administrators in exchange for lobbying state health officials on their behalf.

Prosecutor William Harrington described what he said were corrupt relationships Seminerio had with the LIRR and Plaza College at the Oct. 21 hearing before U.S. District Judge Naomi Reice Buchwald in Manhattan federal court.

Harrington said Seminerio numerous times tried to get friends and family members jobs at the LIRR after securing funding for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority subsidiary.

Seminerio also obtained $170,000 between 2000 and 2007 from Collegiate Management Associates, which Harrington said was headed by Charles Callahan, vice president and provost of Plaza College. During that time, Harrington said Seminerio, a Democrat, sponsored Assembly bills that would help Plaza College, which issues bachelor’s degrees in business administration and offers associate degree programs.

Only Seminerio has been charged with wrongdoing.

Callahan did not return a phone call for comment.

A former LIRR executive told Harrington that while he was employed with the railroad, Seminerio “called the Long Island Rail Road more frequently than other politicians and tried to get people jobs,” according to prosecutors.

“Any time that I would give them a $250,000 contribution, or $500,000, for repairs on the rail in to here, I need two jobs,” Seminerio said about the LIRR to former Assemblyman Brian McLaughlin, who wore a wire at the request of the federal government, according to court transcripts. “Even if I didn’t have anybody, then I find two people and get them jobs.”

The prosecution played phone calls they intercepted between Seminerio and LIRR officials, including one in February 2008 between Seminerio and LIRR official Joe Calderone, during which Seminerio attempted to land a job for his son’s friend, George Dilieto.

After telling Calderone he hoped to get Dilieto a job, he informed the LIRR official that he “did a lot of work on the railroad yards for you guys.”

“I got a lot of capital funding money,” Seminerio said, according to the phone excerpt played in court Wednesday. “So, Joe, please, this is a favor that I want to pay the family for being so good to me after 30 years.”

Following Seminerio’s conversation with Calderone, he called Dilieto and told him to tell Seminerio’s son that “I took care of you.”

Seminerio, who sat through most of Wednesday’s hearing, laughed and shook his head after the phone call with Dilieto was played in court — one of the few times he showed any emotion. He sat staring at the ground for much of the afternoon, only occasionally glancing up to look at the judge or Harrington.

The former assemblyman resigned from office and pleaded guilty to fraud charges in June following a massive investigation by the federal government that included testimony from McLaughlin, who was convicted of federal corruption charges last year and is now in jail.

Seminerio created a phony consulting company called Marc Consultants that he used to illegally extort money from groups in Queens and throughout the city in exchange for favorable legislation, the government said.

Prosecutors charged that Seminerio received the $170,000 between 2000 and 2007 from the company controlled by Plaza College’s vice president in exchange for his support for legislation that would make it difficult for institutions offering similar services as Plaza to open.

Seminerio also nominated Callahan to the New State Workforce Investment Act Governing Board, which allowed Callahan to work with Seminerio on bills involving state and federal funding for schools, Harrington said.

Prosecutors wrapped up their pre-sentence arguments Wednesday, saying Seminerio had abused his power as an assemblyman to extort money from a wide range of groups and repeated what Seminerio said to McLaughlin in Richmond Hill’s Atlantic Diner in 2007.

“I was doing favors for these sons of b—— there, you know, they were making thousands,” Seminerio told McLaughlin about hospitals and health care facilities, according to court documents. “So I said, ‘Screw you, from now on, you know, I’m a consultant.’”

Harrington further criticized Seminerio’s dealings with city groups and officials.

“Seminerio didn’t follow the letter of the law, and he didn’t even believe in the letter of the law,” Harrington said.

Reach reporter Anna Gustafson by e-mail at agustafson@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 174.

Former state Assemblyman Anthony Seminerio arrives in Manhattan federal court for a pre-sentencing hearing. Photo by Christina Santucci

A close associate of former state Assemblyman Anthony Seminerio testified before a federal judge Tuesday that the corrupt Richmond Hill politician used her organization to bilk funds from other groups and ruined not only their friendship but her business when he did not get his way.

Although Tuesday was to be the day Seminerio was to find out his punishment for illegally lobbying state health officials through a fake consulting firm, federal prosecutors began a set of pre-sentencing hearings that allowed U.S. District Judge Naomi Reice Buchwald to hear from various witnesses who painted a more detailed picture of his schemes.

Arlene Pedone, a former campaign worker and business associate, took the stand against him.

“We have the opportunity to show that there is a bit of evidence against Mr. Seminerio,” prosecutor Bill Harrington said in Manhattan federal court.

Seminerio resigned from office and pleaded guilty to fraud charges in June following a massive investigation by the federal government that included testimony from former Assemblyman Brian McLaughlin, who was convicted of federal corruption charges last year. Seminerio created a phony consulting company called Marc Consultants that he used to illegally extort money from Queens groups in exchange for favorable legislation, the government said.

He took money from administrators from Jamaica Hospital to acquire an undisclosed hospital and act in their favor for a health-related Assembly bill. according to his plea.

Harrington played a portion of a recorded conversation between McLaughlin and Seminerio in the fall of 2007. Seminerio told the Flushing Democrat, who was wearing a wire for the feds, how easy it was to extort health officials with his consulting firm.

“I don’t have to do nothing except meet with hospital CEOs and ask them for favors,” he said. “I was doing favors for the sons of b——.”

Pedone, who had worked for Seminerio as finance chairwoman for his election committees in the 1980s, took the stand to say how he ruined her consulting firm, Neighborhood Marketing Services. Pedone, 72, started the Jamaica group in 1996 along with her daughter and contracted Seminerio to do work for the organization to help educate Queens groups on Medicaid policies.

She said Seminerio got permission from the Assembly’s ethics board and she paid him $25,000 a year.
The longtime community activist said Seminerio forced her to pay him for doing consulting work with the nonprofit group HeartShare Human Services sometime in the mid-’90s.

“He went to HeartShare and demanded that my bills be sent to him and he would not release the checks until I paid him,” she testified.

In 1998, the relationship between the two soured after the elected official asked for 50 percent of the group’s profits and claimed he “made the company,” according to Pedone.

“I told him the company was owned by me and my daughter and there was no room for anyone else outside of contract work,” she said.

Pedone testified after that incident Seminerio sent out letters to various constituents and her clients, saying the two were not doing business and that he set up Marc Consultants, his own firm. Eventually Neighborhood Marketing Services lost nearly 70 percent of its annual revenue, according to Pedone.

She said she was upset and devastated by Seminerio’s behavior because she had treated him like “a brother” for decades.

“After all the years of working together, my volunteer time running his campaigns, all of a sudden this came up,” Pedone said.

Reach reporter Ivan Pereira by e-mail at ipereira@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 146.