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.”

City Comptroller John Liu's campaign has returned all donations collected by fund-raiser Xing Wu "Oliver" Pan.

Embattled city Comptroller John Liu returned nearly $50,000 in contributions and disclosed a list of his campaign bundlers as promised last week amid questions about the finances of his unofficial 2013 campaign for mayor.

Nearly all of the $48,470 Liu gave back to donors was refunded on and after Nov. 16, the day a bundler for his campaign, Xing Wu “Oliver” Pan, was federally charged with skirting campaign finance laws by dividing a large contribution into smaller ones using straw donors.

Bundlers collect contributions on behalf of a candidate. Straw donors are individuals who make campaign contributions on behalf of another person and are reimbursed for their participation in the scheme, which is illegal.

Scrutiny of Liu’s fund-raising practices first surfaced in mid-September after The New York Times found his campaign account was flooded with large donations made by people who appeared unlikely to have the means to make such contributions. The questionable donors had occupations such as cook or cashier or, in some cases, were unemployed.

Liu returned all of the $15,200 in contributions collected by Pan.

An undercover FBI agent posing as a Chinese businessman wanted to contribute $16,000 to Liu’s campaign and, according to federal charges, Pan suggested setting up straw donors to sidestep campaign finance laws.

Pan also showed up on Liu’s recent filing as one of 59 campaign bundlers who collected donations for the comptroller’s 2013 campaign.

This is the first time Liu has made the names of his bundlers public. The list included two colleagues of his in government: City Councilman Peter Koo (D-Flushing) and state Assemblywoman Grace Meng (D-Flushing).

Campaign finance records showed Koo collected $7,200 in donations from nine individuals, while Meng gathered $4,000 from five people.

Koo and Meng are not suspected of any wrongdoing.

The most prolific bundler for Liu was Chung Seto, a consultant in charge of Liu’s comptroller campaign in 2009 who solicited $63,875 in donations from 93 people.

Seto described herself as a political consultant with her own agency, the Chung Seto Group, but a visit to her Manhattan office turned up a doctor’s office. Her phone line was also out of service.

Seto was also a bundler for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton in 2008.

City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer (pictured) was near the top of his class, according to the Urban Justice Center's Human Rights Report Card, whereas Councilman Peter Vallone's score indicated he could use some tutoring.

City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer (D-Sunnyside) is going to have to make some room on his fridge.

The chairman of the Council Committee on Cultural Affairs, Libraries and International Intergroup Relations had the best record of the Queens delegation on human rights issues last year, according to the Urban Justice Center’s 2011 Human Rights Report Card.

The report card identified 72 bills introduced over the past year that focused on housing, voting, disability and workers’ rights as well as issues concerning criminal and juvenile justice, health and government accountability.

Each Council member was graded on his or her votes and sponsorship of these bills as well as their response to a questionnaire.

Van Bramer voted in favor of eight bills, sponsored 52 — including two he was the primary sponsor of — and returned his questionnaire, all of which earned him an “A-.”

He fared particularly well when it came to housing rights and government accountability.

On the other end of the spectrum, Councilman Peter Vallone’s (D-Astoria) score of 12 earned him a grade of “D+,” the lowest in the borough.

Vallone was the primary sponsor of two human rights bills and sponsored three others. He voted in favor of four bills and did not respond to the questionnaire.

The councilman criticized the methodology of the report, calling into question the voting records of other Council members who scored higher than he did.

“Apparently, supporting brutal and repressive dictators gets you an ‘A’ from this supposed human rights group. I’m proud to be at the bottom of any list Charles Barron is at the top of,” he said.

Councilman Barron (D-Brooklyn), who praised the late Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi, earned an “A” on the report card.

Council members James Sanders (D-Laurelton) and Julissa Ferreras (D-East Elmhurst) both received a “B-” and Councilman Daniel Dromm (D-Jackson Heights) got a grade of “B.”

Receiving a grade of “C” were Council members Karen Koslowitz (D-Forest Hills), Elizabeth Crowley (D-Middle Village), Dan Halloran (R-Whitestone) and Leroy Comrie (D-St. Albans).

Councilmen Peter Koo (R-Flushing), Eric Ulrich (R-Ozone Park) and Mark Weprin (D-Oakland Gardens) each scored slightly lower: a “C-.”

Councilman James Gennaro (D-Fresh Meadows) got a “D+” and Councilman Ruben Wills (D-Jamaica), who took office last November, did not receive a grade.

While the report assigned each Council member a grade, its primary criticism was of the political power of the speaker and the Council’s failure to challenge that power.

Of the 72 bills introduced, only eight were brought to a vote, and the report implied this was because Council Speaker Christine Quinn (D-Manhattan) did not support them.

Quinn’s office did not respond to a request for comment.

The report cited two rules that allow the Council to advance the process of legislation that does not have the speaker’s support.

“There are no clear reasons for the Council’s reticence in taking advantage of these two rules. However, based [on] reports that the speaker readily wields political power internally, and on conversations with advocates, we speculate that failure to do so is linked with the desire of most Council members to maintain a relatively friendly relationship with the speaker,” the report read.

“However, given its impact on human rights in New York City, business as usual is not sufficient to protect our human rights. Council members should act — individually and as a collective — to challenge the status quo even in the face of political reprisals,” it continued.

City Councilman Eric Ulrich will be chairing Mitt Romney’s campaign operation in the city. Photo by Christina Santucci

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney has tapped City Councilman Eric Ulrich (R-Ozone Park) to head his campaign operations in New York City.

Ulrich, 26, is a rising star in the Republican Party who was first elected to the Council when he was 24.

He is one of five Republicans on the Council and among three GOP councilmen from Queens.

Romney, a former governor of Massachusetts, is the frontrunner for the GOP nomination in the race to decide who will face President Barack Obama in November 2012.

The announcement came from Romney’s New York state chairman, Guy Molinari, the former Staten Island borough president and congressman.

“Since being elected in 2009, Eric Ulrich has emerged as one of the rising stars in the Republican Party,” Molinari said in a statement. “I am honored that he has agreed to work with me to ensure that Gov. Romney assembles a formidable organization here in New York City for our party’s primary and we return New York to the Republican column next November.”

Ulrich said he believes Romney is the best candidate in a crowded Republican field.

“As the debate over our nation’s future reaches a critical stage, I am certain that Gov. Romney has the experience and ideas needed to get our country moving again,” the councilman said in a statement. “In 2009 and 2010 the Republican Party in New York City experienced remarkable gains in city, state and congressional elections. I am looking forward to working with Guy Molinari to build on those successes and elect Mitt Romney the next president of the United States.”

The gains Ulrich was referring to include U.S. Rep. Bob Turner’s (R-Kew Gardens) upset victory in September over state Assemblyman David Weprin (D-Little Neck) in the special election to replace former U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner and the elections of GOP City Councilmen Peter Koo (R-Flushing) and Dan Halloran (R-Whitestone).

Grace Meng chats with the Queensboro Hill Civic Association as members nosh at Flushing's Palace Diner. Photo by Rich Bockmann

State Assemblywoman Grace Meng (D-Flushing) paid a visit to the Palace Diner on Main Street last week — not to chow down on burgers and fries, but to dish with members of the Queensboro Hill Civic Association about 2012 legislative initiatives such as the creation of a city liquor authority and an English-language signage bill.

Back in her district before returning to the capital in January, Meng spoke about the difficulties of relating city issues to Albany, 150 miles away, and vice versa Oct. 26.

One example she pointed to was the state Liquor Authority, which she criticized for its ineffectiveness in properly regulating establishments that sell alcohol.

“When places apply for a liquor license, the state doesn’t know what’s going on in the community,” she said. “A city liquor authority would be more responsive.”

Meng said she would also like to see businesses such as delis and gas stations to be required to seek community board recommendations for selling alcoholic beverages.

“In many ways, they’re more dangerous. Minors purchase alcohol from them and the community board has no say,” she said.

The assemblywoman also said she would work on legislation at the request of Queens District Attorney Richard Brown that would give his office the power to intervene in Housing Court proceedings. She said her office constantly receives complaints about fliers, some for illegal massage parlors, posted around the neighborhood.

“We are in America, and we can’t tell them not? to distribute flyers,” she said, admitting her own propensity for distributing fliers during campaign season.

She said landlords who wish to evict unsavory tenants often face a lengthy and sometimes prohibitively expensive process in the city’s Housing Court and that she was looking into more innovative ways to find a solution, such as allowing the DA to intervene.

Meng also said she was in the process of putting the final touches on an English-language sign bill, which would replace the one currently sitting on the books, unenforced. It calls for imprisonment for violators.

She said the legislation would work hand-in-hand with a city bill being drafted by City Councilmen Peter Koo (R-Flushing) and Dan Halloran (R-Whitestone) that would have the city Department of Consumer Affairs enforce a 60 percent English-language requirement.

“This is not just a Flushing business problem. With every new wave of immigrants there is this concern,” she said. “The problem has existed for decades, and we’re not going to change the law overnight.”

Newly elected U.S. Rep. Bob Turner talks to TimesLedger staff about his first weeks in office. Photo by Christina Santucci

Newly elected U.S. Rep. Bob Turner (R-Howard Beach) met with his predecessor, Anthony Weiner, for an hour last week to discuss ongoing issues in the 9th Congressional District.

Turner requested the tete-a-tete to try and make his transition to Congress as smooth as possible for constituents, he said in an interview at TimesLedger Newspapers’ office last Thursday.

“There are a lot of things in the pipeline,” Turner said of the roughly 166 active case files Weiner’s staff has stayed to work on since the former Democratic congressman resigned in June amid a sexting scandal. “It was all business. I never asked how he was feeling.”

Turner already has his sights on several Queens issues.

He will pick up the torch on many problems Weiner worked on or was at least aware of, Turner said, even though the two men are from polar opposites of the political spectrum. The Republican congressman, for example, plans to intervene on behalf of Middle Village residents who are tormented by trains running through their neighborhood, he said.

Turner also expressed concern for the eroding beaches of Rockaway, the gas pipeline running through Broad Channel and his opposition to the expansion of a John F. Kennedy International Airport runway into environmentally fragile Jamaica Bay.

Turner has not met with many other members of the Queens congressional delegation to talk about issues that affect the borough. He did sit down, however, with City Councilman Peter Koo (R-Flushing),? despite the fact that Turner’s district encompasses only a small piece of Koo’s Flushing. The councilman endorsed Turner’s opponent, state Assemblyman David Weprin (D-Little Neck), in the special election race that culminated Sept. 13. Koo met with Turner to talk about the issues facing groups of Asian immigrants since some live in Turner’s district.?

Turner has also been under the wing of Rep. Peter King (R-Massapequa Park), who Turner said has been charged with easing the neophyte into his new job.

“This has been a whirlwind,” Turner said, saying he did not have the luxury of attending introductory sessions that helped some of his freshmen colleagues acclimate last year.

He has already voted about 20 times, and like most congressmen he has had little time to actually read what he was voting on.

He espoused many of his campaign talking points — namely his desire to repeal the National Health Care Act and rein in government spending as well as his aversion to taxes and the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.

Turner said there is a desire on the Republican Party’s part to keep the 9th CD instead of redistricting it out of existence as Democrats might have done had they won the seat. Either way he still plans to run again for office.

Turner was mum about the current infighting between two factions of the Queens GOP, saying he was above the fray since he worked in Washington.

He also has not picked a favorite in the Republican presidential race.

The 70-year-old Turner also revealed a few nuggets about his formative years, and they confirm he will not be changing his political ideology anytime soon.

In college, Turner was part of Young Americans for Freedom, a politically conservative action group that stood in stark contrast to other radical student groups at the time.

“Most students were radical, bomb-throwing,” he joked. “But I took a different turn.”

State Assemblywoman Grace Meng (l.-r.) and Peter Tu, executive director of the Flushing Business Association, are on hand as Assemblyman David Weprin accepts the endorsement of City Councilman Peter Koo. Photo by Connor Adams Sheets

City Councilman Peter Koo (R-Flushing) crossed party lines last Thursday to endorse state Assemblyman David Weprin (D-Little Neck) in his bid for the 9th Congressional District seat vacated by Anthony Weiner amid a scandal in June.

Koo, who has endorsed Democrats in the past, including Andrew Cuomo when he was running for governor, said he made his decision based on his assessment of the relative strengths of Weprin and his Republican opponent, Bob Turner.

“I may not always agree with David on the issues, and we may see things differently from time to time, but I believe he is a better choice for Congress in the 9th Congressional District,” Koo said at an event Aug. 18 at the headquarters of the Flushing Chinese Business Association. “As I have done in the past, I am crossing party lines to support a candidate I feel who will be the best for our community.”

Weprin thanked Koo for the endorsement and said he is committed to fighting for the people of Flushing.

“I am very honored to accept this endorsement for Congress,” Weprin said at the event. “I will do everything I can to protect Social Security and Medicare and to create jobs …. I will be there fighting each and every way for the people of Queens and Brooklyn.”

The Flushing Chinese Business Association also threw its support behind Weprin, saying he has been a committed advocate for the Asian-American and small business communities in Flushing.

“He’s a longtime friend in Flushing for the Asian community. We are very serious about working with him,” the nonprofit’s executive director, Peter Tu, said. “We respect him and this is an opportunity to welcome him.”

Koo took some heat from the Republican Party’s state leadership — his chief of staff, James McClelland, said Koo received a “flurry of calls” — after choosing to endorse Weprin despite an entreaty by Turner’s campaign to back his candidacy, but Koo said he wants to do what is best for the community.

“I always tell them if it’s the right to do for the community, then I will do it,” Koo said. “Of course, they are not happy, but this is my decision. I think David is a better, more experienced representative for our community.”

Assemblywoman Grace Meng (D-Flushing), who has endorsed Weprin, also attended the announcement.

“Assemblyman Weprin has been a consistent advocate for our community,” she said. “Bob Turner has not worked for our community. I’ve never even met him. David Weprin has been working for years, on and off camera, to help our community.”

The Uniformed Fire Officers Association and the Uniformed Firefighters Association both threw their weight behind Weprin last week as well.

City Councilmen Dan Halloran (l. to r.) and Peter Koo speak with Terence Park and members of the Asian-American Advisory Committee. Photo by Rich Bockmann

City Councilmen Dan Halloran (R-Whitestone) and Peter Koo (R-Flushing) met with a handful of members of the Asian-American community last week to discuss how the ever-growing segment of the northeast Queens population is served and represented in that area.

The July 27 meeting was the second with the Asian-American Advisory Committee, a group composed in total of about 40 members that was formed at the request of the first-term councilmen shortly after they took office.

In his office at 166-08 24th Road, Halloran pointed out that the Asian populations — which include Koreans, Chinese, native Americans and a growing cadre of Indians and Southeast Asians — in schools such as Bayside High School are approaching or actually are the majority of the student bodies.

“The Asian-American population really snuck up on this community,” he said, pointing out that even though School Districts 25 and 26 are ranked among the best in the state, poor English language learning proficiency scores highlighted an inability to teach children whose parents do not speak the language at home.

Committee member Terence Park said the student body of PS 130 in Bayside is 69 percent Asian, but the school has only one Chinese-American teacher. Halloran suggested language barriers in grade schools could be avoided by sending ELL students to two-year language immersion schools. He admitted, though, that creating such schools would be difficult given budget restraints.

The Council recently passed a budget that saved 4,000 teachers from being laid off, but the loss of 2,600 positions due to attrition will leave many classes overcrowded in the coming year.

“Yes, it saves layoffs, but what we actually need are new hires,” Halloran said.

The members of the committee also said they believed they were under-represented in the Police Department.

“We all know new immigrants are not very familiar with the laws and regulations and it’s imperative that [the police] understand the diverse culture and community,” said Park, who added that Asian Americans represented less that 2 percent and 3 percent of officers in the 110th and 111th precincts.

Halloran said these problems were present back in 1990, when he was an officer in the 109th. He said Asian Americans were the fastest-growing demographic in the department, but most were second- or third-generation who are not native English speakers.

The councilman said he and Koo would request information on the languages of officers being deployed, and that he would like to see at least two or three Asian-language-speaking officers on each tour.

“That’s six officers in a day — that’s not a lot. It alleviates 80 percent of the problem,” he said.

City Councilman Peter Koo (r.) listens to UFT District 25 Representative Joseph Kessler (l.) speak about the challenges facing schools in District 25. Photo by Connor Adams Sheets

Dozens of parents and teachers from Community District Education Council 25 joined together last Thursday at PS 107 in Flushing to protest Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s threat to lay off more than 4,400 teachers under his new budget.

The occasion — hosted by City Councilman Peter Koo (R-Flushing) and the District 25 chapter of the United Federation of Teachers — was one of several town hall meetings held by Queens Council members in recent days in response to Bloomberg’s proposed education cuts.

Koo emphasized that he believes a reversal by the mayor on the cutbacks can be achieved if educators, parents, students and officials rally behind the cause and make their displeasure heard.

“If the mayor carries out his plan, that is unconscionable. We need the teachers in the classroom to teach our kids,” he told the crowd, drawing enthusiastic applause. “I need you to call your elected officials, call the mayor’s office and call 311 to voice your anger at the mayor’s plan to lay off teachers. I think if we all work together we can get the mayor to reconsider these layoffs.”

The city would save about $250 million if the layoffs go through, according to UFT District 25 Representative Joseph Kessler, who pointed out that the money could be taken from a $3.2 billion surplus the mayor said he wants to save for the future.

“There’s a $3.2 billion surplus. There should be no layoffs,” Kessler said. “In the layoff situation, $250 million is all that’s needed. That’s a lot of money, but if you do the math that’s still a lot of surplus left. If there are any more cuts, you can’t imagine what will happen.”

Teachers told tales at the meeting at PS 107, at 167-02 45th Ave., of what is already occurring in the district under current funding levels: classes in closets, students using radiators for chairs and high school students unable to play sports because their extended class day ends at 6 p.m.

“The children are the future, and they aren’t putting them first. They’re taking services away from the children,” said Nadine Elhathat, a pre-kindergarten teacher at PS 107. “Smaller class size is the key issue. You have to keep teachers if you want to have small classes. I started teaching 18 years ago and at the time there were classes with 35 to 40 kids. They stopped that, but now they’re going back to that. It’s like we’re moving backwards.”

Sean Montgomery has a daughter at PS 130, also in District 25. He said he, too, believes the city no longer shoots for the stars with education and other services.

“I want to see if we can do something about teachers being laid off. Face it: They get laid off, the student-teacher ratio increases and the student dropout ratio goes up for borderline students,” he said. “Our children’s future and our future suffer when our children get substandard educations.”

Flushing elected officials, residents and community leaders are hashing out a compromise on the issue of how to ensure all businesses in the neighborhood have English-language signs. Photo by Christina Santucci

The issue of English-language signage in downtown Flushing is dividing? the community like no other issue as new voices get involved in the fracas.

For years signs with only a foreign ?language printed on them have adorned many businesses in downtown Flushing, angering many residents who speak only English.

Now community leaders are working to find a solution, but some critics say they are moving too slowly and that their efforts will not have enough of an impact, while business owners are concerned about the cost of changing their signs.

State Assemblywoman Grace Meng (D-Flushing) boldly created an English signage advisory board last year in hopes of bringing people together to find a way to address the concern.

Meng, who does not read Chinese fluently herself, has presided over a number of increasingly raucous meetings of the board, exposing herself politically in a way that no former Flushing politician has been willing to do. City Councilman Peter Koo (R-Flushing) and state Sen. Toby Stavisky (D-Whitestone) have joined in the effort, as have a number of residents and representatives of local community groups.

Fred Fu, president of the Flushing Development Center and former president of the Flushing Chinese Business Association, seconded Koo’s remarks, but said he believes that existing businesses cannot be forced in a down economy to foot the bill for replacing their signs.

“We should do English signs, but we should let the business owners do it themselves. The elected officials should get funds so they can do it for free, because then why not do it? But if they have to pay for it, it’s too expensive,” Fu said. “Everybody knows English signs are needed, but how should they do it? It’s very difficult to get from A to B. The business groups and elected officials should help them.”

James Trikas, a community leader and member of the advisory board, takes umbrage with the contention that the shopkeepers are entitled to monetary assistance.

“I totally disagree there. They got away with not following the rules and regulations that were there. It’s not the burden for us to find funding for them, it is their burden,” he said. “They’re saying we don’t have any money. You created the situation, you created the environment of alienation by doing those signs that way and implying that others are not welcome.”

Meng, Koo and Stavisky have said repeatedly that it will take time to get business owners to change their signs and that a compromise must be worked out.

Koo, who immigrated to America from Hong Kong in 1971 and later founded and became CEO and president of the Starside Pharmacy chain in Flushing,? said all new businesses should be educated about the importance of installing English signs, which he believes is the best way to encourage them to do so.

“In the long term, we have to educate business people and business associations that before they open the store they need to have English first, then their own language on signs,” he said. “As a business owner, they can make their own decision, but I think if they do business here, they should have English on their signs so people know what kind of business they are.”

Matt Simmons (far l.), of the Parks Department, answers a question at a Flushing town hall with panel members Councilman Peter Koo (l. to r.), 109th Precinct Deputy Inspector Brian McGuire and Karen Ellis from the Department of Environment Protection. Photo by Joe Anuta

Flushing residents got a rare opportunity to cut through the bureaucratic tape at a town-hall meeting hosted by City Councilman Peter Koo (R-Flushing) last Thursday and they held nothing back.

Representatives from city agencies had to answer to problems affecting the entire neighborhood, a block or the living room in someone’s house. The queries ranged from the tough to the bizarre, but Koo and the officials took time to answer each.

The first question brought a contentious issue to the forefront right away: an idea under discussion that would require all signs in the city to have English as the largest font.

“Of course, I support English as primary language. We are all Americans,” Koo answered. “But Flushing … is an immigrant city. It takes time for them to assimilate to America.”

Throughout the evening, questions were translated into Chinese and Korean.

Traffic concerns were some of the most common, with city Department of Transportation Borough Commissioner Maura McCarthy fielding many questions about stop signs, one-way streets and even bathrooms. She explained that the department conducts feasibility studies before installing signage or changing traffic patterns.

One resident wanted shuttle buses installed so everyone in Flushing could reach the new Sky View? Parc shopping center on College Point Boulevard.?

Koo said his office was already looking into commuter vans.

A Flushing doctor wanted the DOT to physically move a bus stop that his patients use as a drop-off and pick-up point. Not surprisingly, the patients constantly received tickets and passed them along to the doctor at $115 a pop.

“It’s difficult to relocate a bus stop,” McCarthy told him, adding that she would look into installing an Access-A-Ride stop.

Other complaints were more cultural in nature.

Neighborhood resident Bill Ehmer said he wanted to get the word out that certain things are just not done, like hanging laundry on fire escapes or suspending meat from door frames.

“We are an up-and-coming area. We shouldn’t have to go back to the tenement days,” he said. “It’s not the American way.”

Another woman, who said she had trouble getting served at an Asian restaurant,? complained about racism in the neighborhood. “A garden is not a garden without many kinds of flowers. Life is a beautiful garden.”

Many of the concerns simply required clarification about the rules of the city.

“Most of the buildings here are ugly,” one woman said to a representative of the city Department of Buildings. He replied that his department cannot regulate the aesthetics of a structure.

Another resident wanted to know about mysterious smoke emanating from PS 20,? which he thought was due to a faulty boiler, and why a large tree was chopped down near the school. He waved around a picture he had taken.

“Chopping down a tree is tens of thousands of dollars in fines,” said Mark Simmons of the city Parks Department. “We take that very seriously.”

State Sen. Frank Padavan (second from r.) points out his colleague's lack of a tie to the delight of Philip Sica (from r.), James Trent and Dan Halloran. Photo by Christina Santucci

Former state Sen. Frank Padavan was his usual self at a Queens Village Republican Club dinner held in his honor Sunday after the political veteran suffered a minor stroke at his home late last month.

Padavan spoke toward the end of the evening and doled out many thanks to his friends and family, along with a few good-natured jabs.

“To quote America’s greatest humorist, the rumors of my demise were grossly exaggerated — personally, political or otherwise,” he said to boisterous applause after taking the stage at Antun’s in Queens Village.

The former senator has not lost any of his toughness.? He cited a 1996 New York Times article that referred to him as “the curmudgeon of the state Senate.”

“I want to explain that,” he said. “It’s because I don’t take crap from anybody.”

But Padavan offered plentiful thanks to the people who have supported him throughout his 38-year stint as the Republican senator for the 11th District, which covers a large swath of northeast Queens. “To all of you, in so many different ways, thank you so much,” he said.

Republicans who praised the former senator from the borough and beyond included Sen. Marty Golden (R-Brooklyn).

Padavan even garnered bipartisan support in the form of state Assemblywoman Barbara Clark (D-Queens Village), who thanked him for his service and for helping her with a bill problem before she entered politics.

“You’re the big ‘R.’ I’m the big ‘D.’ But that’s OK. We were both representatives of people in this room and in many parts of the community, and we worked very well together,” she said.

After the speeches concluded, Padavan said that he would not step out of the world of politics entirely.

“We’ll try to be as helpful as we can to everybody,” he said, referring to any community organization and fellow Republicans. “Many have already called for one reason or another.”

The evening was emceed by City Councilman Dan Halloran (R-Whitestone), who was an Eagle Scout when he first met the former senator.

“He’s been my senator for my entire life,” Halloran said. “When I decided to run for office, he came and guided me throughout. He still does.”

Padavan, who lost a fierce race for re-election against now-Sen. Tony Avella (D-Bayside), leaves behind an important legacy, according to Halloran.

The former senator fought hard for education, mental health patient rights and fairness in the criminal justice system, he said.

Councilman Peter Koo (R-Flushing) also spoke glowingly about the senator, but drew laughs from the crowd. He was encouraged to enter politics by Padavan three years ago, but heard that the senator was “very mean.”

Padavan’s loss in November was a loss for the Republicans as well, but Halloran said the party can bounce back in the future.

“I think the Republicans need to look at winnable seats,” he said, mentioning the seat of Sen. Joseph Addabbo (D-Howard Beach) and Padavan’s former seat as possibilities. Serphin Maltese, former head of the Queens Republican Party, lost the seat to Addabbo in 2008.

City Councilman Peter Koo (c.) presents New York City Council proclamations to four community members in honor of Black History Month. Photo courtesy Peter Koo

City Councilman Peter Koo (R-Flushing) honored four members of the African-American community last week in celebration of Black History Month.

Koo presented Council Proclamations Friday afternoon to the Rev. Calvin Leander Gibson, Nicole Labades, Craig Kinsey Sr. and the Rev. Richard McEachern.

“I am honored to acknowledge the contributions of outstanding members of our community in observance of Black History Month,” Koo said in a statement. “[The honorees] are all upstanding citizens of New York and great assets to our community. They are civic-minded individuals who give with their hearts and exhibit selfless dedication to the people they serve.”

Gibson is pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Flushing, Labades is president of the Latimer Gardens Community Center Advisory Board and recording secretary of the Latimer Gardens Tenant Association, Kinsey is a local community activist for the Bland Houses in Flushing and McEachern is pastor at Macedonia A.M.E. Church in Flushing.

“Black History Month provides us with a special opportunity to reflect upon the countless African Americans whose legacies have woven the rich quilt of our great nation,” Koo said. “Let us take care and pride to remember the numerous sacrifices they made in the name of freedom, justice and equality for all Americans …. We recognize that this road was paved for them by other remarkable individuals who have made the ultimate sacrifice so that others may enjoy the freedoms that endure today. The individuals here today are exemplary leaders and a shining example of extraordinary citizens.”

City Councilman Peter Koo (c.) stands with recipients of his personal awards for community service and others at an event he hosted in Flushing. Photo courtesy Peter Koo

Flushing’s city councilman has announced he will be running to remain in that role for another four years.

Peter Koo (R-Flushing) made the official disclosure before a crowd of hundreds at a gala ceremony at Mudan Banquet Celebration Center Feb. 17, drawing cheers of support and rousing applause.

“Tonight I am raising money to help me as I seek re-election as your Council member. I know firsthand how tough these economic times are for all of us and, therefore, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your support and generosity,” he said. “With your friendship, help and support, not only will we be victorious in 2013, but we will create a better community for our loved ones.”

The event at Mudan, on the second floor at 136-17 39th Ave., brought together a wide group of local community members, civic leaders and a range of Koo’s Republican colleagues, including Councilmen Dan Halloran (R-Whitestone) and Eric Ulrich (R-Ozone Park). It also attracted people of various nationalities, including many members of both the Chinese-American and Korean-American communities,? demonstrating the cross-appeal Koo has built in his ethnically diverse district.

James McClelland, Koo’s chief of staff, said it exceeded their expectations for fund-raising, although he declined to say how much the councilman actually raised. That number will be available when Koo next submits a campaign finance disclosure statement.

“What was revealed was the amount of support Peter has today rather than when he first ran. There’s a wider base of support,” McClelland said. “We had over 350 people there for his first re-election event. It’s definitely encouraging to see all these people come out to support him.”

No challengers were listed Tuesday on the city Campaign Finance Board’s web site as planning to run against Koo in 2013, but the race is still in its absolute infancy and there are rumblings among northeast Queens political types that the field could eventually include as many as six or seven candidates as it did in 2009.

Koo has officially begun the gritty work of raising money for his campaign, but his remarks still focused in large part on the future during his address Tuesday night.

“Government can no longer turn a blind eye to the plight of the people or deaf ear to the pleas of the hardworking taxpayer,” he said. “I will fight for the real change that will make a positive difference in people’s lives.”

Koo also distributed personal awards for community service to eight local leaders, including Don Capalbi, president of the Queensboro Hill Neighborhood Association.

“To me, a recognition for community service has special meaning when coming from Peter Koo, who has long exemplified generosity to our community,” Capalbi said.

Conservative radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh has refused to apologize for ridiculing the way Chinese President Hu Jintao speaks. AP Photo/Rob Carr

An angry outburst at state Assemblywoman Grace Meng (D-Flushing) over her repeated request that controversial radio host Rush Limbaugh apologize for his impersonation of Chinese President Hu Jintao seems to be ebbing after she received no phone calls and few racially charged e-mails from the talk show’s supporters over the weekend, according to Meng spokeswoman Linda Sun.

But she, City Councilman Peter Koo (D-Flushing) and city Public Advocate Bill de Blasio want to keep up the pressure on Limbaugh to take back his comments, and Koo gave Meng his backing over the weekend, offering to join her in her effort to calling the shock jock to task for offending the Chinese-American community. De Blasio issued a statement expressing his support of Meng on Monday.

Meng’s office has been inundated with more than 50 hateful and racist phone calls and e-mails since she publicly criticized Limbaugh for mocking the way Jintao speaks during a segment of his radio show Jan. 19.

On Thursday and Friday alone, Meng received about 30 calls and e-mails from people across the United States, some of whom used anti-Chinese slurs and profanity when lambasting Meng for asking that Limbaugh apologize for performing what she described as a racially insensitive impression of the Chinese leader.

On his radio show Jan. 19, Limbaugh lamented that a speech Hu gave during a recent visit to the White House was not translated as he listened to it on television.

“Hu Jintao, he was speaking and they weren’t translating and they normally have some translator every couple of words, but Hu Jintao was just going ‘Ching chong. Ching chong, chong chong!’” he said during the show, proceeding to spend more than 15 seconds mocking and imitating Hu’s accent. The AP reported that on the following day he addressed his remarks but did not make an apology.

“We’ve been getting e-mails and phone calls from all over the country. People telling us to go back to our country and that Asians work for them and if we don’t like it we can go back to our country,” Meng’s spokeswoman said Friday afternoon. “The majority of the phone calls have been from outside of [New York], people yelling at us. People have said to us that we’re defending China or China’s policy. That’s not our intention. We’re just standing up for all our fellow Chinese Americans.”

Meng is the only Asian American in the state Legislature. Koo, the successor to John Liu, the first Asian American city Council member, said on Monday that Limbaugh’s comments were out of line.

“We don’t want other people to make fun of minority groups, especially a public figure like Limbaugh,” Koo said. “The FCC, they have some regulations against it. You can’t use profanity and you also can’t discriminate against a group of people.”

Meng has stood by her comments despite the conservative backlash, saying in a follow-up statement that she still wants an apology from Limbaugh.

“I still stand fervently by my statement. I want to clarify that while any private citizen is free to say anything they want, I do not believe it is appropriate for anyone, especially a person with national recognition, to imitate the manner in which a group of people talks,” she said. “As someone who is proud to have been born in America and to be an American, I was often saddened and hurt as a child when people made fun of the way I looked or the accent they automatically assumed I had.”

An Associated Press story quoting Meng and headlined “Asian-American Lawmakers Demand Limbaugh Apology” was listed as the most-e-mailed article on Yahoo! News Friday afternoon. In the AP article, Meng was joined by California state Sen. Leland Yee (D-San Francisco) in calling for a Limbaugh apology.

Sun said Yee, who was more prominently featured in the AP piece than Meng, has received some of the most offensive calls and e-mails. His office has released a fax Yee received Jan. 26 that read “Death to Marxists!” and “Fish Head Leeland” accompanied by a drawing of a noose around President Barack Obama’s disembodied head being dragged by a pick-up truck bearing an American flag. Yee’s office forwarded the fax to the California state Senate sergeant-at-arms.

Dave Backer, a Guilford, Ill., man who owns two companies that deal with various aspects of the radon industry, sent an e-mail to Meng after seeing the AP article on his Yahoo! News home page. He said in a phone interview Friday that Meng should apologize to her constituents for wasting taxpayer money and time by asking for an apology.

“Rush does not owe you or anyone else an apology. How about instead of thrying [sic] to grab headlines with crap you get out and actually do your job which is helping Americans. Yeah did you forget we still live in this country and you work for us,” Backer’s e-mail read. “Anyone who is Asian and has such thin skin when they are in our country should leave. So here is a suggestion for you. Either get a little thicker skin or take your ass back to where it is you came from. Back to your ancestry that you think we are picking on. Ching chong,chang!”

DeBlasio added his name to the growing number of officials calling for Limbaugh to take back his words.

“The recent threats sent to Assemblywoman Grace Meng are ugly and bigoted. Grace was right to speak out against Rush Limbaugh’s offensive parody of Chinese President Hu Jintao,” de Blasio said. “That doing so made her a target of harassment demonstrates the inherent dangers intolerant speech like Mr. Limbaugh’s can let loose. We must never be afraid call out intolerance when we see it, and we must all work to prevent our words from inciting division.”

Flushing community member Terence Park (r.) speaks at a rally calling for more police in Flushing led by Councilmen (l.-r.) Peter Koo, Dan Halloran and Peter Vallone, Jr. Photo by Christina Santucci

City Councilmen Peter Koo (R-Flushing) and Peter Vallone Jr. (D-Astoria) held a rally for greater police presence in Flushing at the James A. Bland Community Center at 133-36 Roosevelt Ave., across the street from the Mobil gas station where Pakistani immigrant Nadeem Khan was killed July 25.

“Since taking office in January, I have been calling for more police protection in our community,” Koo said. “I am deeply concerned with the recent rash of violent crimes and the general perception of residents that the streets of Flushing are unsafe.”

The councilmen also teamed up with the Community Mutual Aid Teams of Neighborhood Watch, a community watch group that Michael Chu, its leader, said began a week after the May 16 rape and murder of 23-year-old Chinese immigrant Yu Yao.

Yao was murdered on a busy street in downtown Flushing, where Chu said people did not stop to help her.

“We don’t want a tragedy like Yao or the gentleman who was killed the other evening to happen again,” Chu said.

Chu said the watch will be giving out 5,000 whistles and educating people on crime prevention. They are also working with the 109th Precinct to organize a graffiti cleanup. The 109th will decide the time and place.

Koo said that while he understands the 109th is understaffed, the community has unique needs and more protection is required to meet them. He cited the four murders that have happened in Flushing this year, as well as the 13 rapes and 20 percent increase in burglaries.

“Police protection is not a luxury, but it is a necessity and a right of each and every New York resident,” Koo said.

Koo also said he has obtained $100,000 each for Flushing’s Bland Houses, at 40-21 College Point Blvd., and Latimer Gardens, at 35-45 Linden Place, to have security cameras installed. He said he expects this project to be funded with the help of Council Speaker Christine Quinn (D-Manhattan) by 2011.

Vallone, chairman of the Council Public Safety Committee, said he was also concerned about the increase of crime and quality-of-life issues in Queens.

He said he believed the city has forgotten the lessons of the 1991 Safe Streets, Safe City Program, which put more police on the streets and instituted, tougher laws and longer jail sentences. He also condemned the recent state law preventing the city Police Department from keeping a database of those who it stops and frisks, saying he would have rather see names purged after one year in the database as a compromise with those who said keeping innocent people who had been stopped but were not charged with a crime on a database indefinitely was an infringement on civil liberties.

“You combine this lax attitude on law enforcement with fewer police, you get what you see here,” Vallone said.

State Assemblywoman Grace Meng, who could not attend the rally, also released a statement in support of more police in the area, and said she would be meeting with the 109th soon to establish a civilian patrol group.

“We demand more police presence in our community,” Meng said. “There should be just as many police officers patrolling our streets as there are traffic agents issuing parking tickets.”

Drivers will have five-minute parking grace period after the City Council overrode the mayor’s veto. Photo by Christina Santucci

The City Council meets next week to vote on whether to override Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s veto of legislation that would provide a five-minute grace period for drivers who get parking tickets.

The Council Transportation Committee paved the way to a final vote Monday by voting 10-1 to override the veto.

Bloomberg vetoed the parking legislation, saying it would cause chaos and bring confusion as well as confrontations between motorists and traffic enforcement officers.

The full Council is also scheduled to vote Dec. 21 on overriding the mayor’s veto of the clergy parking bill, providing more clergy members the right to free city parking passes and redefining rules governing who is eligible.

The Council Transportation Committee unanimously voted to override Bloomberg’s veto of the measure.

“New York City’s rules on eligibility for clergy parking are out of date and out of touch,” said City Councilman John Liu (D-Flushing), chairman of the Transportation Committee.

The parking grace period bill, sponsored by Councilman Simcha Felder (D-Brooklyn), provides a five-minute leeway for motorists who park cars at Muni-Meters or where signs explain parking regulations.

“In a time of fiscal austerity, the allure of the parking ticket cash cow may be difficult for the city to resist,” Liu said. “That’s precisely why this bill is needed: to ensure that the city focuses parking enforcement on safety and traffic flow and not on generating revenue. A five-minute grace period had been the practice for many years prior to this administration and it’s time to restore some civility to parking enforcement by the city.”

New York City parking regulations now exclude from parking permits clergy whose income is mostly from non-religious work. Critics said the rules  discriminated against pastors from poor areas.

Members of the clergy may now park in no-parking areas only for limited periods, but not outside schools or houses or at funerals. The new rules would merely require that a clergy member work an average of 20 hours a week for a religious-based entity and specifies no income for parking pass recipients.

Campaign staffer Lawrence Semmons, 24, of Brooklyn, allegedly stole Liu’s routing and account numbers from a paycheck, police said, then made three payments totaling $3,919 on his AT&T telephone bill from his campaign account by pretending to be the councilman.

“The important thing was it was detected immediately and as soon as we detected it, it was reported to the police, and as soon as it was reported, they dealt with it effectively,” Liu spokeswoman Sharon Lee said Monday. “It wasn’t a significant amount, fortunately, and nevertheless we did report it immediately.”

Semmons was arrested Friday on the following charges: one count of identity theft, one count of third-degree grand larceny, one count of fourth-degree grand larceny, one count of unlawful possession of identification and two counts of petty larceny, police said.

Lee did not have any further comment on the incident.

In an unrelated issue, about 60 managers in the city comptroller’s office have been told they will be out of a job when Liu takes over for Bill Thompson next year, the New York Post reported Tuesday.

“This is part of any transition,” Sharon Lee, Liu’s spokeswoman, told the Post. “As with any new administration, the provisional staff work at the pleasure of the comptroller-elect. I’m fairly certain this happened in 2001 when Comptroller Thompson entered the office.”

Sources told the Post that Thompson personally told each of his top managers the news.

Flushing community leader S.J. Jung (l.) receives an award from District Leader Julia Harrison (c.) and state Assemblywoman Grace Meng (D-Flushing) (r.) of the Democratic Club of Flushing at the group’s awards and year-end dinner Sunday. Photo courtesy Office of S.J. Jung

The Democratic Club of Flushing recognized longtime Flushing community leader S.J. Jung Sunday for his more than 20 years of commitment to the area and its people.

He received the award at the group’s annual awards and year-end dinner at the Sheraton LaGuardia East Hotel in Flushing for “raising the standard of the September 2009 Democratic primary race,” according to a statement.

Hosted by Club President Shirley Gilbert, district leader Julia Harrison and state Assemblywoman Grace Meng (D-Flushing), the event was a chance to honor Jung along with community leaders Catherine Williams, Edwin Salas, Harinakshi Bengaga and Philip Sillman.

“I’m humbled to receive this special recognition and to be included with the other honorees … whose lifetime dedication and contributions are an inspiration to all of us,” he said. “This award is important to me because it symbolizes that we are connected around our common issues and our common vision”

A South Korean native who arrived in America in 1986, Jung joined the Young Koreans United of USA in 1987, eventually serving as its president. The group works to help working families, senior citizens and youths.

A member of the steering committee of the One New York Coalition: Fighting for Fairness, which promotes dialogue between immigrants and the African-American community, he is also on the board of directors of the New York Immigration Coalition.

Jung ran this year for Councilman John Liu’s (D-Flushing) seat in order to “fight for the powerless,” as he said during the campaign, but ultimately lost the Democratic primary to Yen Chou, who was defeated in the general election by Republican Peter Koo.

City Councilman John Liu’s (D-Flushing) campaign for city comptroller is facing $543,900 in potential fines for illegally posted campaign signs in the city.

The city has fined City Councilman John Liu’s (D-Flushing) successful campaign for city comptroller more than $500,000 for illegally posting signs, according to the city Sanitation Department.

His campaign was issued 7,252 summonses, generating $543,900 in potential fines, for signs posted on light poles and along streets in ways that violate city law, Sanitation spokesman Keith Mellis said. The city levies a $75 fine for each illegally posted sign.

“It’s defacing the property of the city,” Mellis said.

Liu’s campaign raised nearly $3.55 million during the 2009 election cycle in the race for comptroller, but spent more than $5.21 million, according to the city Board of Elections. The campaign would not speak to issues such as how it plans to pay for the tickets.

“We are reviewing the summonses, and we are taking steps to resolve them. That’s all I can really tell you,” said Liu’s spokeswoman, Sharon Lee.

The mayoral candidates also received fines for illegally posting signs. Comptroller William Thompson, the Democratic contender, took the brunt, with $531,975 in potential fines for 8,665 violations resulting in 7,093 individual summonses, Mellis said.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s campaign, on the other hand, only received 70 tickets, or $5,250 in fines, down from the nearly $308,000 the campaign had to pay in sign-posting fines during the last mayoral campaign in 2005.

Councilman-elect Mark Weprin, who won the seat in northeast Queens, was issued 571 notices of sign violations by the Sanitation Department this campaign cycle, according to Mellis, for a total of $42,825 in fines.