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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Trade association leaders also applauded the announcement.

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

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

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

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

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

City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer (l.) looks on as Peter Cafiero, of the MTA (second from r.), speaks at a town hall meeting. Photo by Rebecca Henely

City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer (D-Sunnyside) hosted a town hall meeting with representatives of the MTA last week about extensive renovation to the No. 7 line that will mean some Long Island City stops will be out of order for 11 straight weekends.

“I wanted to have this town hall so people have an opportunity to get briefed,” Van Bramer said.

At the town hall, held Jan. 11 at Sunnyside Community Services, at 43-31 39th St., the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s Peter Cafiero said the agency will not run the No. 7 line between Times Square-42nd Street and Queensboro Plaza on all weekends between Saturday, Jan. 21, and Monday, April 2, to modernize the signal system.

The closures will begin at 12:01 a.m. each Saturday and end at 5 a.m. each Monday. In addition, the No. 7 section of the Court Square station will also be closed throughout that period for additional renovations on the platforms.

Demetrius Chrichlow, of the MTA, said the complete shutdown is necessary because the tunnel the No. 7 line uses to enter Manhattan, which is known as the “Steinway Tubes,” was once created for trolleys and is extremely narrow.

“You must shut down in order to perform maintenance on any type of work within the tunnel,” Chrichlow said.

Cafiero said the MTA was choosing to do the work in the winter so as to not interfere with riders going to New York Mets games, the US Open or any events in Flushing Meadows Corona Park during the warmer months.

“If we were to shut down on any of these weekends, the trains would be overwhelmed,” he said.

Lois Tendler, of the MTA, said this work also cannot be done on weeknights, like the work that began earlier this year on the Nos. 4, 5 and 6 lines in Manhattan, because there are fewer alternate transportation opportunities.

Because of the reduced service, the MTA will run double the number of N and Q trains and will also extend the Q train into Astoria for those weekends. The agency will also run a shuttle bus from Court Square to the Vernon Boulevard-Jackson Avenue station and will offer free transfers for those who take the No. 7 to the G train.

Crichlow said the No. 7 train was built in 1904 and 63 percent of the system has not been modernized. Because of the signal problems, reliability of the No. 7 train greatly decreased last year. This caused problems, as the No. 7 line is one of the busiest in New York. On a typical weekday, it serves 425,000 riders, and No. 7 trains leave Grand Central Station every two minutes.

“Any hiccup is astronomical,” he said.

Tender said updating the signals will cost $500 million. Work on the No. 7 train is scheduled into 2016.

Some residents requested that the MTA extend the shuttle buses into Manhattan, but MTA officials said it would be too expensive in the current economic client.

Van Bramer said he found the answer unsatisfying.

“I believe it’s achievable and I have put money on the table to get it done,” Van Bramer said.

Other resident requests included more accurate announcements of train arrivals at the 61st Street-Woodside station and better services for those who live at local stops which are skipped when the No. 7 line goes to express-only.

Judge Toko Serita (c.) performed a wedding ceremony for Therese Lendino (l.) and Laura Casini at Queens Borough Hall July 24, when same-sex marriage went into effect in New York state.

Supreme Court Judge Darrel Gavrin (front l.) completes marriage documents for Darryl Wong and Michael Kandel (r.), of Douglaston, who were one of the 90 couples to get married in Queens the first day same-sex marriages could be performed.

Desiree (l.) and Katrice Bussell, of Jamaica, were one of 90 pairs to get married in Queens July 24, when same-sex marriage was able to be performed in New York state.

Before Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed the bill June 24 that would legalize same-sex marriage in New York state, Astoria LGBT activist Brendan Fay and his husband, Dr. Thomas Moulton, helped same-sex couples in New York cross the border into Canada or into neighboring states to get married.

Now he receives messages from people in Ireland and Poland eager to marry in New York state.

“It was just so great to see couples getting married and right here in our city,” Fay said.

The June 24 vote came down to four Republican senators from upstate New York who voted in support of the measure, but the debate had been fought in Queens for years. The state Assembly had voted for marriage equality in 2007 and 2009.

While 2011 would see all seven Queens senators vote in favor of the bill, in 2009 five of Queens’ senators voted against the measure: current state Sens. Shirley Huntley (D-Jamaica) and Joseph Addabbo Jr. (D-Howard Beach) and former Sens. George Onorato, Hiram Monserrate and Frank Padavan.

In 2011, the Queens political scene looked much different. Onorato retired and was replaced by Michael Gianaris (D-Astoria). Monserrate had been booted from the Senate following a misdemeanor assault conviction and lost the special election for the seat to Jose Peralta (D-East Elmhurst). Padavan, Queens’ only Republican senator, lost to Tony Avella (D-Bayside) in a contentious race.

Queens also now had two openly gay city councilmen — Jimmy Van Bramer (D-Sunnyside) and Daniel Dromm (D-Jackson Heights) — to advocate for the issue.

“The presence of these two capable, community-oriented, active councilmen has shown that gay legislators will do a good job of representing their constituents across the board, which in turn reinforces the idea of gay people as members of the community,” Queens College political science professor Michael Krasner said in an e-mail.

In mid-June, a large swath of Queens legislators, led by U.S. Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-Jackson Heights), held a news conference at Queens Borough Hall in support of marriage equality. Shortly afterward, Huntley and Addabbo announced they had taken polls of their districts and found their constituents now supported it.

Their flipped votes, along with a change of heart by then-Brooklyn Sen. Carl Kruger, meant all New York Senate Democrats except for Sen. Ruben Diaz Sr. (D-Bronx) were in support of the measure.

The act passed June 24 and was signed by Cuomo the same day. A month later, 90 same-sex couples lined up at Queens Borough Hall to be married.

In November, Van Bramer and his longtime partner, Dan Hendrick, announced they will be joining those who have been married in Queens next year.

“I think the main impact has been to solidify the alliances between the gay community and the other liberal groups in the Democratic Party,” Krasner said. “I also think it may have the long-term effect of isolating anti-gay marriage groups.”

Some states have seen a backlash after granting same-sex marriages. The Supreme Court of California’s decision to allow gay couples to marry ended when voters passed the constitutional amendment known as Proposition 8. Iowa voters defeated three judges who ruled in favor of marriage equality.

Krasner said Assemblyman David Weprin’s (D-Little Neck) pro-marriage equality vote may have contributed to some religious groups voting for now-Rep. Bob Turner (R-Middle Village) in the race for the 9th Congressional District, but he said the main reasons for Weprin’s defeat were his weakness as a candidate and an anti-President Barack Obama sentiment.

Krasner said Addabbo and Huntley, as incumbents, will remain hard to beat.

Fay said that while a potential backlash was a concern, he nevertheless believes the vote was a turning point.

“I look forward to the day when all other states follow New York,” he said.

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.

George Stamatiades (c.), of the Dutch Kills Civic Association, speaks at a press conference held by Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer (third from l.) calling for BSA reform. Also attending were Assemblyman Michael DenDekker (second from l.), CB 2 Chairman Joseph Conley (fourth from r.) and other civic leaders. Photo by Rebecca Henely

City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer (D-Sunnyside) announced last week he was introducing four pieces of legislation dedicated to reforming the city Board of Standards and Appeals.

The councilman said the BSA, which he calls a “bogus agency,” regularly ignores community protests against out-of-character developments and dismisses community board recommendations to satisfy the wants of developers. Van Bramer said that of the 2,855 appeals to the BSA by developers between 2001 and 2005, only 2.7 percent were rejected.

“These folks to go the BSA, claim a hardship and boom, they’re able to be approved,” Van Bramer said.

The BSA said they had no comment on the legislation.

Van Bramer’s first piece of legislation, called Intro 678, would create a standard procedure for the BSA that would incorporate City Planning?, community boards, borough boards, leasees and tenants into the BSA’s decision on whether to grant a variance to a developer. These groups can currently comment on a variance, but their concerns often do not factor into the decision, Van Bramer said.?

Intro 679 to 681 would expand the BSA to include appointees from the city public advocate, each borough president and each community board; create a formal complaint procedure for community members; and require the mayor’s appointees to be approved by the Council.

State Assemblyman Michael DenDekker (D-Jackson Heights), Community Board 2 Chairman Joseph Conley, CB 1 District Manager Lucille Hartmann and numerous civic leaders joined Van Bramer for his announcement Dec. 14 at a site at 64-01 Woodside Ave. in Woodside.

Van Bramer said the developer of the site has filed to create an eight-story building with 27 apartments, although the new Sunnyside-Woodside rezoning only allows for five stories and 17 apartments. The building will sit on a block with residential houses and some small businesses across the street.

“You have to ensure the quality of life in the neighborhood,” said Rose Daraio, president of the Communities of Maspeth and Elmhurst Together, “and you have to build in the context of the neighborhood.”

A number for the owners of the property, listed on the city Department of Buildings’ website as 64-01 Woodside Realty, was disconnected.

Van Bramer’s proposals are similar to two pieces of legislation Councilman Dan Halloran (R-Whitestone) introduced in August.

Halloran’s bills would require the community board and the borough president to have advisory input into a BSA decision, have the BSA notify property owners when they need to apply for new variances and make the BSA levy fines if owners operate without a variance for six months.

Halloran said he was worried that Van Bramer’s idea to have the Council appoint BSA members would violate the separation of powers between the city’s executive and legislative branches, but hoped the best part of the six bills could be merged in committee meetings.

“I think Jimmy’s got some great ideas,” he said.

Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer (second r.), visits the Queensbridge Senior Center. The center is sponsored by Jacob A. Riis Neighborhood Settlement House Inc., which received more than $70,000 of the councilman's discretionary funding. Photo courtesy Van Bramer

City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer’s (D-Sunnyside) $556,000 in discretionary funding this year largely went to nonprofits that provide a wide range of services, although some money went to public housing associations, LGBT groups and a private park.

“State and federal funding in some cases has been decreased or dried up entirely, and they really need this funding to stay open to keep providing the services that they do,” Van Bramer said of his recipients.

Most of the councilman’s funding went to nonprofits which provide across-the-board services. The largest recipient was the Jacob A. Riis Neighborhood Settlement House Inc., which got $70,250 in two grants to provide after-school and summer programs for kids and healthy meals, exercise and health education for seniors.

Other recipients to receive large amounts of Van Bramer’s funds provide similar services. Sunnyside Community Services Center got $40,000 for education programs for children and adults, as well as an internship program and a community center in Elmhurst.

The YMCA, which has a Long Island City location, received $50,714 for a baseball program for 4-to-14-year-olds similar to Little League. The East River Development Alliance got $36,975 to provide services to teens and seniors in public housing. Samaritan Village Inc., which is in Briarwood and runs the Woodside Senior Center, received $36,050 for physical exercise programs, day trips and food at the center.

“Senior centers are obviously very, very important,” Van Bramer said.

The Sunnyside Chamber of Commerce also received $39,500 for a graffiti-cleaning program the chamber runs via a hotline through the councilman’s office.

Van Bramer also gave funds to associations based around the public housing in his district, giving $10,000 each to Queensbridge Tenants’ Association, Ravenswood Residents Association and the Woodside Houses Tenants Association.

“I’m proud to support all the residents associations and the tenants associations because those organizations allow those residents of public housing to have a voice,” Van Bramer said.

The money that Van Bramer sent out-of-district tended to go to LGBT groups. Astoria’s Queens Community House received $7,857 for its LGBTQ youth center, Manhattan’s Services and Advocacy for GLBT Elders received $5,000 and Jackson Heights’ Make the Road New York got $5,000 for an anti-discrimination project. The councilman said that while these services were out of his district, they serve those in the district.

Friends of Sunnyside Gardens Park received $47,600 of Van Bramer’s funds for operating its private park. Van Bramer’s office said that despite being private, the park is often open to the public and $2.4 million has been given to public parks across the city this year.

Van Bramer said this year’s budget was a tough one.

“No budget is ever perfect,” the councilman said, “but it was a budget that protected the core vital services of the city.”

City Speaker Christine Quinn and Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer check out the Central Library's new Discovery science center. Photo by Ivan Pereira

Just weeks after City Council Speaker Christine Quinn (D-Manhattan) and the rest of her Council colleagues saved the Queens Library from massive cuts in the city budget, she took a tour and saw exactly where the money went.

Quinn met with staff members at the Central Branch, at 89-11 Merrick Blvd., last week to thank them for their raising their voices because it helped give the Council the backing it needed to? reduce the cuts to the system from $25 million to $2 million during this fiscal year’s budget. The original cuts would have resulted in dozens of staff layoffs and a reduction in hours and services across the borough.

The speaker, who was joined by Queens Library Chief Executive Officer Thomas Galante and Councilmen Jimmy Van Bramer (D-Sunnyside), Leroy Comrie (D-St. Albans), Ruben Wills (D-Jamaica) and Vincent J. Gentile (D-Brooklyn), said the library was an important resource for New Yorkers during the tough economic times.

“We want? to keep libraries as big and robust as possible,” she said.

Several rallies were held at branches all over Queens during the weeks of budget negotiations, and dozens of staff members and library users of all ages came out to show their support. The proposed reduction in the budget would have caused libraries to be open less than five days a week.

Van Bramer, who chairs the Council Libraries & International Intergroup Relations Committee and who also used to work as the Queens Library’s government liaison, said he and his fellow elected officials refused to accept balancing the city’s books on the backs of hardworking members of the branches.

“We saved a lot of jobs in the budget and we saved a lot of hope,” he said.

Comrie added that the branches in southeast Queens have offered his constituents needed services, such as Internet access and a place for seniors and youth to meet during their free time.

“I know the impact of the libraries,” he said.

The delegation got a tour of the central branch’s newest addition, the Discovery Center, which has already attracted library users of all ages. The center includes an upgraded children’s section and several interactive science exhibits.

The $38 million space was made possible from a funding from the Council over the years.

“We are so grateful to have a group that is there for the library,” Galante said.

City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer (second from l.) hugs his partner Dan Hendricks as Councilman Daniel Dromm (l. to r.), the Rev. Ronald Tompkins and Yessika Giraldo, president of the Queens Pride Lions Club, look on. Photo by Christina Santucci

Jackson Heights resident Jackie Lui (front r.), a gay supporter of the marriage law, shakes hands with state Sen. Jose Peralta after the event. Photo by Christina Santucci

After Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed same-sex marriage into law, a city councilman had a chance to break out a long-awaited wedding cake and officials were already speculating how much revenue would come from the legislation.

By a 33-29 vote, the state Legislature passed the controversial measure late Friday night to end the summer session, drawing praise from gay rights activists across Queens and condemnation from prominent religious figures.

“New York state has said ‘I do’ to equality,” said City Councilman Daniel Dromm (D-Jackson Heights), an openly gay legislator.

Dromm stood outside the Jackson Heights Post Office Saturday with a white cake bedecked in rainbow-colored candy. Someone began playing the traditional processional wedding song on a nearby piano as Dromm cut the cake along with openly gay Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer (D-Sunnyside) and state Sen. Jose Peralta (D-East Elmhurst), who had just returned from casting his vote in Albany.

“Yesterday was a ‘where were you?’ moment,” Peralta told a small crowd gathered on the sidewalk. “Where were you when equality became a reality?”

It was unclear whether the bill would actually pass until state Sens. Stephen Saland (R-Poughkeepsie) and Mark Grisanti (R-Buffalo) announced their last-minute support on the floor and brought the total to four Republicans in support of the bill after state Sens. James Alesi (R-Fairport) and Mark Grisanti (R-Buffalo) hopped on board earlier last week.

A crucial moment for Queens lawmakers came on June 14, when state Sens. Joseph Addabbo (D-Howard Beach) and Shirley Huntley (D-St. Albans) announced a sea change in their districts and flipped positions after voting against a similar bill in 2009.

The bill has divided religious organizations, but Mayor Michael Bloomberg welcomed the economic boon that gay couples will provide to the city.

“Stay in a hotel. Buy flowers, clothes, a meal or whatever. It’s good for the economy,” he said Monday, adding that the city will have extra judges on hand to dole out marriage licenses the first day it is legal to do so on July 24.

State Sen. Malcolm Smith (D-St. Albans) wasted no time in announcing he will host a mass same-sex wedding ceremony in Bethpage State Park July 29.

Several wedding halls around the borough, like Terrace in the Park, had not received any bookings for same-sex marriage receptions yet and Queens Chamber of Commerce Executive Vice President Jack Friedman wondered just how big the impact on the borough would be.

“I don’t think it’s going to be major. It could have a minor, positive impact on the economy,” he said.

One Queens activist wanted no part in the possible economic benefits and blasted Albany for not putting in protections for private businesses.

“I pose this question, what about catering houses? Do they have the right to discriminate against these wild, flamboyant parties?” asked Frank Skala, president of the East Bayside Homeowners Association.

Archbishop Timothy Dolan, of the Catholic Archdiocese of New York, opposed the bill and issued a statement expressing his dissatisfaction.

“We worry that both marriage and the family will be undermined by this tragic presumption of government in passing this legislation that attempts to redefine these cornerstones of civilization,” the statement said.

But not all religious figures were against the bill.

The Rev. Ronald Tompkins, a former Jackson Heights pastor, blessed the crowd at the post office Saturday and offered his congratulations to Dromm and the LGBT couples in attendance.

“I read the Bible. I don’t know what they are reading,” he said following the cake-cutting, in reference to religious figures who condemned the legislation. “I wish more churches were here to celebrate this moment.”

Due to language in the bill, it is up to the houses of worship to decide whether or not to perform same-sex marriage ceremonies, but those who choose not to may be missing out.

Rep. Carolyn Maloney (fifth from l., back row) is joined by City Year Corps members and PS 112 students to announce a $2,921,000 AmeriCorps grant to fund City Year corps members serving in Long Island City schools. Photo courtesy Carolyn Maloney

U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-Astoria) has announced a federal grant of $552,000 for volunteer mentoring and tutoring in an effort to increase attendance and graduation rates in Long Island City schools.

The money is part of a $2.9 million grant for such activities throughout New York City.

“With tough budgets in Washington, federal education grants are becoming tougher to secure — which is why I’m so delighted that City Year will be getting $2.9 million to help New York students,” Maloney said Monday at PS 112, at 25-05 37th Ave. in Long Island City.

“Citizen service is an essential part of the solution to many of the problems facing our city, especially in difficult economic times,” Maloney said. “Thanks to this grant, City Year corps members will be helping our children learn and strengthening our community as they develop civic and leadership skills that will last a lifetime.”

Since 2005, City Year has placed teams of committed young adults in Long Island City schools. This year 48 City Year members will serve full time in two elementary schools and two middle schools in Long Island City — PS 111, PS 112, IS 126 and IS 204 — and are partnering with the Jacob A. Riis Neighborhood Settlement House for after-school time.

The program is working to improve both tests scores and attendance rates. Students mentored by City Year corps members at IS 204 have increased their attendance rates from 77 percent last year to 85 percent this year.

Borough President Helen Marshall said “these dollars are a wonderful resource and a shot in the arm for students here in western Queens. We have already seen the good results of what can happen as the result of the services these dollars provide.”

City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer (D-Sunnyside) and state Sen. Michael Gianaris (D-Astoria) both praised Maloney for her efforts and the program the money makes available.

The money is made available by AmeriCorps, the national service program that encourages Americans of all ages and backgrounds to serve in activities to help schools, nonprofit and faith-based groups in rural and urban communities.

City Year is a national nonprofit that partners with New York City public schools to improve the chances of students graduating from high school in neighborhoods where one out of every two students is at risk of dropping out.

Much of the grant money is to be spent for stipends to tutors and mentors at such schools, according to Ian Rees of City Year.

“These mentors and tutors are on duty typically from 7:30 a.m. to after 6 p.m.,” Rees said.

U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney (second from l.) was joined by City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer (l.), State Sen. Michael Gianaris (third from l.), contractors and representatives from the MTA as she announced the jobs that would come from a $294.7 million grant to improve the Sunnyside Yards. Photo by Rebecca Henely

U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-Astoria) visited Sunnyside Yards last Thursday to tout not only a federal grant to fix the bottlenecking of trains at the yards and prepare the yards for high-speed rail, but also the jobs and economic boost expected to come from the construction work.

“The first high-speed rail project in America is going to be this one,” Maloney said.

The congresswoman was joined by state Sen. Michael Gianaris (D-Astoria), City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer (D-Sunnyside) and representatives from the transportation and contractor fields when she visited the yards to explain the benefits of the grant, which New York received after Florida rejected $2 million in federal funds for high-speed rail.

Within the $354 million allotted to New York state, $294.7 million will be used to improve the Harold Interlocking at Sunnyside Yards in Sunnyside near Skillman Avenue and 39th Street. This part of the yards, named after the former moniker of Skillman Avenue, “Harold Avenue,” services multiple divisions of the Long Island Rail Road, Amtrak and New Jersey Transit, which use the Sunnyside Yards to turn around after coming out of the four East River Tunnels from Penn Station in Manhattan. The interlocking is crisscrossed by about 800 trains a day, many of them using the same tracks.

Denise Richardson, managing director of the General Contractors Association of New York, said the grant will reconfigure the tracks so each company has its own and will allow them to add signaling and switches for the purpose. Some overlays will also be built to create the equivalent of rail bridges over existing tracks. This project will enable Amtrak to create a high-speed rail line from New York to Boston.

“The objective here is to take what we have and make it work more efficiently,” Richardson said.

Maloney predicted during the five years it will take to improve the Harold Interlocking that the project would create 9,213 jobs and after it is done would give a $585.9 million boost to the economy, create millions in tax revenue, reduce commuter times along all three lines and establish tens of thousands of jobs throughout the economy.

“Florida’s loss in high-speed rail money is New York’s gain,” she said.

Gianaris called the grant a tremendous success. Van Bramer also praised Maloney’s ability to bring resources into the neighborhood.

“We need jobs now more than ever and we need good jobs,” Van Bramer said.

Richardson praised Maloney for the investment in high-speed rail, saying it would boost the economy like the construction of the First Transcontinental Railroad or the Interstate Highway System.

“This country developed around infrastructure,” Richardson said.

A fundraiser for U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney (c.) was attended by former Council Speaker Peter Vallone Sr. (l.-r.), attorney Perry Vallone and City Councilmen Peter Vallone Jr. and Jimmy Van Bramer, among others. Photo by Rebecca Henely

At a fund-raiser in a Sunnyside restaurant Monday, U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-Astoria) announced the state had secured a nearly $295 million grant to improve part of the Sunnyside Yards and ready the system for high-speed rail.

“New York is going to put high-speed rail on the map,” Maloney predicted at Dazies Restaurant, at 39-41 Queens Blvd.

The congresswoman, who was fresh from a trip to Iraq where she met with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, had the support of about 60 people, from electeds to civic activists to old friends at the dinner. After saying she believed troops could be out of Iraq by 2013, Maloney touted the grant for the Sunnyside Yards, which run near the south side of Northern Boulevard and Jackson Avenue in the neighborhood.

This grant, made up of federal monies from the U.S. Department of Transportation, would improve the Harold Interlocking” at the yards. The rail switching center is used by three separate railroads — the Long Island Rail Road, Amtrak and New Jersey Transit — which altogether send 783 trains moving through the interlocking every day, making it the busiest in North America.

The renovation would mean Amtrak could access the interlocking without delays or bottlenecks?, allowing trains to travel more quickly to and from Boston as well as preparing the system for high-speed rail.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Metropolitan Transportation Authority Chairman Jay Walder had applied for the $294.7 million grant in April, and Maloney later wrote a letter to U.S. DOT Secretary Ray LaHood in support of it. In the letter, Maloney said the full project would cost $368.4 million, with the MTA providing 20 percent of the funding for the local match.

“I love infrastructure dollars because it’s an investment in the future and because it creates new jobs, union jobs,” Maloney said.

Maloney said the improvements would complement the $2 billion ?secured for the East Side Access Project, which will bring the LIRR to Grand Central Terminal, and the $54 million for renovations at Queens Plaza.

She also touted the work she has been doing in Congress, such as the 2009 passage of the Credit Card Holder’s Bill of Rights, and protecting the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which was enacted under the 2010 Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and which some Republicans in Congress wish to see reworked.

“She’s a real leader in Washington who has proven again and again that she can bring significant resources back home to Queens,” City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer (D-Sunnyside) said at the dinner.

Borough President Helen Marshall introduced Maloney at Dazies.

“She’s doing so much for our borough and so much for our country,” Marshall said.

Former Forest Hills Councilman Morton Povman said he had been close friends with Maloney ever since he had visited Israel with her while they were both on the Council.

“She’s a wonderful person,” Povman said. “Great congresswoman.”

City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer (c.) honored eight black community members at his Black History Month event. Photo by Rebecca Henely

When more than 100 people came out to the Jacob Riis House Monday evening, they did so not only to witness eight members of their community be honored but to make a difference in the life of one sick little boy.

At 10-25 41st Ave. in Queensbridge, eight individuals ranging from civic activists to artists received proclamations from City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer (D-Sunnyside) in celebration of Black History Month. In conjunction with the event, Van Bramer invited Long Island City’s Icla Da Silva Foundation to hold a bone marrow drive for Lloyd Jones, a 10-year-old Florida boy now living in New York City with the rare and potentially fatal blood disease called hypereosinophilic syndrome.

Van Bramer said that for his first Black History Month celebration he and his staff brainstormed whom to recognize and ended up picking some who had been honored many times and others who had never been. Those chosen included East River Development Alliance founder Bishop Mitchell Taylor, Astoria/Long Island City NAACP President Marion Jeffries, 747 Seminars CEO Sharon Cadiz, NY1 news reporter Ruschell Boone, PS 111 Principal Randy Seabrook, NYC Ballet member Aaron Franklin, U.S. Army veteran John D. Smith and Woodside Senior Center President Yeteva Rich-Virgil.

“We wanted to get a real cross-section of people who are making a difference in their community,” Van Bramer said.

The event also featured a bone marrow drive. Andy Wurtele, board chairman of the Icla Da Silva Foundation, said the organization focuses on finding donors of ethnic minority groups. Lloyd, who is multi-racial, has been searching for a donor for several months. Wurtele said 17 people had signed up as bone marrow donors that night.

“His story helped bring some folks out and encouraged people to get swabbed,” Van Bramer said.

A number of the honorees thanked Van Bramer for the proclamation and spoke about their work and the communities they came from.

“I’m overwhelmed to receive this proclamation because I never thought I would,” said Smith, who is more than 80 years old.

In addition to the awards, there were also musical performances by the Queensbridge Senior Shakers and the Center of Hope Choir. Van Bramer and Taylor got in on the act. Both of them danced with the Shakers, and later Taylor sang a song he wrote, which he dedicated to Lloyd, who could not attend the event.

Van Bramer said he hoped visitors at the event took a sense of pride in the accomplishments of the black leaders in their community.

“It’s a wonderful opportunity to pause and reflect on the amazing journey that black Americans have traveled and are still traveling,” Van Bramer said.

To donate to the foundation, visit icla.org.

CB 2 Chairman Joe Conley (l. to r.), Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer and CB 2 member Dorothy Morehead called for stricter laws for those who dig near petroleum pipelines. Photo by Rebecca Henely

In response to last week’s natural gas pipeline explosion in Allentown, Pa., City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer (D-Sunnyside) touted legislation Tuesday that he and his colleagues in government were writing to prevent the same thing from happening in western Queens, statewide and nationally.

“We have to make sure these pipelines are not a danger,” Van Bramer said.

Standing with Community Board 2 members and other residents on the Sunnyside street corner of 43rd Street and Skillman Avenue, which is bordered by apartment houses and the Lou Lodati Playground, Van Bramer drew attention to a marking that told residents of the Buckeye Pipeline running beneath the streets. He said the pipeline delivers jet fuel to LaGuardia and John F. Kennedy International airports, and there are thousands of miles of such pipelines throughout the city.

On Feb. 9, five people, including a 4-month-old baby, were killed in an explosion in Allentown, Pa., suspected of being caused or fueled by a natural gas pipeline, The New York Times reported. Van Bramer said he was worried such a tragedy could happen in Sunnyside. In 2009, a construction worker struck a pipe at Skillman Avenue and 39th Street, spilling 500 gallons of fuel onto the streets.

“It could have been much worse,” Van Bramer said.

The councilman said one of the reasons the 2009 accident occurred was because the contractor did not call 811, a number those who dig in the city are supposed to dial for information about underground pipelines so that they do not hit one. He introduced legislation in December calling on the state Legislature to institute fines for those who do not call the number — $2,500 for the first offense and $15,000 for every subsequent offense — and said he has been working with state Assemblywoman Cathy Nolan (D-Ridgewood) in this area.

“With the pipeline running under most of our community in western Queens, it is important that there are ongoing reviews of the regulations to make sure that the residents are kept safe,” Nolan said in a statement.

Van Bramer also said he introduced legislation in May to require those doing ground work near pipelines or other flammable materials to alert the Fire Department in advance. In addition, he praised U.S. Sens. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) and Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) for legislation to increase pipeline safety.

CB 2 member Dorothy Morehead, chairwoman of the board’s Environmental Committee, said she did not oppose having a pipeline in her community, but was concerned about the safety of the residents, a sentiment also espoused by CB 2 Chairman Joe Conley.

“This is about health and safety and we should move on this immediately,” Conley said.

City Council Speaker Christine Quinn (c.), joined by City Councilmen Jimmy Van Bramer and Danny Dromm, state Sen. Jose Peralta and Queens Borough President Helen Marshall's Chief of Staff Alex Rosa, speaks in support of marriages for LGBT New Yorkers. Photo by Rebecca Henely

Legislators in Jackson Heights told their gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender constituents as well as their allies Monday to vote for pro-marriage equality candidates in the Nov. 2 election.

“We are inches away of reaching that magical number 29,” said state Sen. Jose Peralta (D-East Elmhurst), referring to the number of votes needed in the Senate to pass a bill allowing people of the same sex to marry.

At the Jewish Center of Jackson Heights, legislators and constituents discussed the best strategy to use to pass a pro-LGBT marriage bill in 2011, partly in response to the recent suicides by teenagers who were gay or perceived to be gay and the recent hate crimes against gay people in the city: an assault of a bartender at Julius Bar in Manhattan Oct. 11 and an attack on three gay men in the Bronx by nine attackers Oct. 3.

“If people are thinking of copycatting [these crimes], they know that’s not going to work, because the days of us not going to the police are over,” said City Council Speaker Christine Quinn (D-Manhattan).

Elected officials at the event included Quinn, Peralta, Councilmen Danny Dromm (D-Jackson Heights) and Jimmy Van Bramer (D-Sunnyside), state Assemblyman Michael DenDekker (D-Jackson Heights) and Assembly candidate Francisco Moya. Quinn, Dromm and Van Bramer are all openly gay.

“Like many of you, I would like to be married one day,” said Van Bramer, who has been with his partner for 11 1/2 years.

Dromm said a crucial win for allies of gay marriage would be to elect Tony Avella, a former Democratic councilman who is running in Bayside against Sen. Frank Padavan (R-Bellerose).

Peralta said electing Avella would mean the Senate would have a better chance of passing a marriage equality bill in 2011, now that George Onorato (D-Astoria) is retiring and former Sen. Hiram Monserrate, whose seat Peralta won, was ousted for a misdemeanor assault charge. Padavan, Onorato and Monserrate had voted against the legislation in 2009.

“Right now this is the moment for the LGBT community,” said Alexandra Rosa, chief of staff for Borough President Helen Marshall. Rosa’s child is gay.

Suzanne Ramos, board chairwoman of Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays New York, was one of many community activists at the meeting who encouraged constituents to go to their representatives and tell them their stories of wanting to marry their partners.

“These things really tug? at the heartstrings and we have to keep doing that,” Ramos said.

Many at the meeting agreed it was marriage the LGBT community needed, not domestic partnerships or civil unions. Cathy Moreno Thomas, board president of Marriage Equality New York, said there are 1,300 tangible rights LGBT people are denied that their straight, married neighbors receive.

“It’s not separate but equal,” Dromm said, “It’s about true equality.”

Dromm also said that members of the LGBT community should team up with immigrant communities and support issues pertaining to immigrants such as the Park51 mosque to fight against hate and prejudice.

“We have to work as a united front,” he said.

City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer, who has recently begun an anti-graffiti hotline for members of his district, paints over graffiti at the 99 Cent Store on 58th Street and Woodside Avenue. Photo courtesy Van Bramer's office.

For western Queens residents and shop owners who have had their buildings tagged or otherwise vandalized by graffiti, City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer’s (D-Sunnyside) new hotline will lessen their hardship at no cost.

In conjunction with the Sunnyside Chamber of Commerce and CitySolve, a graffiti-removal organization, Van Bramer has secured $30,000 for an anti-graffiti hotline, his office said.

Residents of Sunnyside, Woodside, Long Island City, Hunters Point, Dutch Kills, Blissville, Astoria and Maspeth can call 718-383-9566, Ext. 3, and put in a request for a local clean-up crew to remove any graffiti on their buildings. The clean-up crews will arrive within seven days and clean at no cost to the resident. Residents can also contact the hotline at vanbramerfightsgraffiti@gmail.com.

“Graffiti vandalism cannot and will not be tolerated in our communities,” Van Bramer said.

Charnee Perez, spokeswoman for Van Bramer, said the hotline came about when the Sunnyside Chamber of Commerce applied for discretionary funding from Van Bramer. The chamber used the funds to secure CitySolve as a clean-up crew for the district. CitySolve will continue to operate the cleaning crews for the hotline.

This hotline will be remain in service until June 2011, as the funds are allocated for FY 2011, which ends next June, Perez said. She said if the program is successful, the office hopes to renew it.

In addition to the hotline, Van Bramer’s office has also targeted four areas for graffiti cleanup and consistent maintenance: Woodside Avenue between 69th Street and Roosevelt Avenue, 47th Avenue between 38th and 51st streets, Broadway between 38th to 58th streets and 21st Street between Queens Boulevard and 34th Avenue.

To kick off the program, Van Bramer removed graffiti at the 99-cent store on 58th Street and Woodside Avenue Aug. 10.

Councilmen Jimmy Van Bramer and Daniel Dromm speak at a press conference outside Dromm’s office after being selected as grand marshals of Sunday’s Queens Gay Pride Parade. Photo by Chauncey Alcorn

City Councilmen Danny Dromm (D-Jackson Heights) and Jimmy Van Bramer (D-Sunnyside) are still riding high months after their historic election as the first two openly gay men to serve Queens on the Council, but this week they will be riding even higher.

The pioneering duo will be riding floats as grand marshals of the Queens Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Parade, an honor bestowed by the borough Lesbian and Gay Pride Committee.

The Queens gay pride celebration starts at 11:30 a.m. Sunday with a multicultural festival on 37th Road between 74th and 77th streets. The parade begins at noon and runs along 37th Avenue between 75th and 85th streets.

“Queens used to be a community divided by intolerance, hate crimes and a homophobic school board president,” said Matt Hinojosa, media chairman for the Queens Gay Pride Parade. “After all these years, we now see a community of integration, justice and what better way than to see the election of two of our openly gay councilmen? Over the years you see that there has been a change in how big the visibility of the gay community is. So this is the reason why we selected them as our grand marshals this year.”

In addition to representing the needs and views of their various constituents to the city, Dromm and Van Bramer continue to embrace the pioneer moniker rather than sweeping it under the rug after winning their races.

They also have been using their positions as a platform to champion gay rights, evidenced by their comments at a recent news conference about being grand marshals.

“Lesbian, bisexual, gay and transgender people are your family, your friends and your neighbors, but this year for the first time they are your councilmen,” Dromm said. “I think that’s what is different about this year’s parade.”

Being outed or coming out publicly as a homosexual for many politicians over the years has been a political death trap, but Van Bramer said he thinks that is changing — even in the face of a devastating December defeat of a state Assembly bill to legalize same-sex marriage.

“The folks you’re talking about are fewer and fewer all the time,” he said about homophobic people who do not support openly gay public officials. “I think most people are open-minded folks who want good, hardworking, ethical elected officials. I think we just have to move elected officials to those places.”

As for one day getting gay marriage legalized and subsequently gaining equal rights for the LGBT community, Dromm said changing people’s minds about gay rights depends on more gay people coming out of the closet to their loved ones and the public.

“This whole issue of visibility and coming out is going to attract people to our cause,” he said. “It’s very hard to discriminate against people you know personally, your friends, your family, your neighbors …. One of the main purposes of the pride parade is to shed light on this issue.”

Dromm said there are at least 1,300 rights heterosexual married people have that gay people do not have.

“We certainly want to act as advocates,” he said. “We need legislators to know when they vote against marriage equality, it’s something very personal to me. We are talking about basic civil rights.”

The last attempt to pass a pro-gay marriage bill was defeated in December by the state Senate after being passed in May by the Assembly.

Kelly Simon, legislative director for Assemblywoman Audrey Pheffer (D-Rockaway Beach), said the issue is not likely to be raised again until 2011, after a new session of the Senate is elected and takes office.

She said Pheffer supports the bill.

“It’s on our calendar but won’t be brought up until something changes in the Senate, [rather than] bring up a one-house bill that will continue to be defeated,” she said.

This Costco in Astoria was one of two where the wholesale company tested out their food stamp program. Photo by Connor Adams Sheets

After a successful pilot program in Astoria and Brooklyn, Costco Wholesale announced last week that it would begin accepting food stamps at all locations nationwide, making one Queens elected official very happy.

“This is a big victory for the millions of Americans who use food stamps, and Costco deserves a lot of credit for helping food stamp recipients in tough economic times,” said City Councilman Eric Gioia (D-Sunnyside), who discovered the company did not accept food stamps when he was living on them as part of a poverty awareness campaign in 2007. “By accepting food stamps, Costco will allow millions of New Yorkers and Americans to eat healthier for less.”

Gioia said he was told the wholesale giant might provide a way for him to stretch his food budget. When he instead discovered Costco did not accept food stamps at all, he started to pressure CEO James Sinegal to change the company’s food stamp policy.

When Costco announced the pilot program in May, Sinegal said in the past the company was not convinced the demand was sufficient to warrant a food stamp program.

“However, we are mindful that many of our fellow citizens are facing unprecedented economic challenges at this time, and it seemed to us that it was worth reconsidering our position in that light,” he said in a statement. Costco expects half of its 410 stores to accept food stamps by Thanksgiving.

In New York City, from January 2008 to August 2009, food stamp enrollment increased by 354,000, or about 30 percent, the largest jump since the 1970s, city Comptroller William Thompson’s office said.

As of June 2009, more than 35 million Americans received food stamp benefits, a 23 percent increase from September 2008, Thompson’s office said.

Thompson can claim some credit for the program, too. As chief executive officer of New York City Pension Funds, which collectively hold 1.5 million shares in the publicly traded company, he sent Sinegal a letter requesting food stamp acceptance.

“Costco’s corporate reputation will improve as they join with their competitors in accepting food stamps,” Thompson said. “This is a win-win for all involved.”

The Queens and Brooklyn Costco locations were selected as pilots for the test because of the high concentration of food stamp recipients in the surrounding areas, Sinegal said.

Reach reporter Jeremy Walsh by e-mail at jewalsh@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 154.

Van Bramer will face Republican Angelo Maragos for control of the heavily Democratic district in the general election Nov. 3.

“I’m endorsing Jimmy Van Bramer because I know what it takes to work for us here in Queens,” Weiner said in a statement Thursday.  “Jimmy’s great work for the Queens Libraries and his deep community roots make him an excellent choice for the City Council.  I look forward to working with him.”

From the release:

“Congressman Weiner has been a great ally for New Yorkers, both in City Hall and on Capitol Hill,” said Jimmy Van Bramer.  “I’m honored to have his endorsement, and will work closely with him to improve the lives of Queens residents.”

Long-time community activist Jerry Iannece (r.) participates in 9/11 ceremony. Iannece was beaten in the District 19 City Council primary by Kevin Kim. Photo by Christina Santucci

Queens residents cut the cord that towed the Democratic Party line in last week’s primary elections, and while some say politics in the borough is in a state of upheaval, the long-dominant political machine says it is as strong as ever.

There were 10 primaries for City Council seats in Queens Sept. 15, six of which were competitive. As the dust settled on the night of the primary, four candidates backed by the Queens Democratic Organization — John Choe, Deirdre Feerick, Jerry Iannece and incumbent Councilwoman Helen Sears (D-Jackson Heights) — had been defeated — some badly — while a fifth, Councilman Tom White (D-South Ozone Park), led by a mere six votes.

The slate of Council winners in those races were propelled by varied sources.

Two, Yen Chou in Flushing and Kevin Kim in Bayside, were aided by an exceptionally high turnout among Asian-American voters exit polls show were primarily led by enthusiasm for Councilman John Liu’s (D-Flushing) city comptroller run.

Two others, Daniel Dromm in Jackson Heights and Jimmy Van Bramer in Sunnyside, were supported by the Working Families Party — a labor-backed political party that ran an aggressive, albeit legally disputed, get-out-the-vote campaign.

The final candidate, Jamaica-seat hopeful Lynn Nunes, is a political insurgent who ran a grassroots campaign against incumbent White in the southeast Queens community hit hard in recent years by the economic collapse and foreclosure crisis.

The primary also brought out only 11 percent of eligible voters, something Evan Stavisky, whose consulting firm the Parkside Group represented all 10 of the Queens Democratic organization-backed candidates, said could be to blame for the results.

“In a low turnout election anything can happen and usually does and this is an example of it,” he said. “In general, no matter what the circumstances are, you’re still better off being backed by the party than not.”
Stavisky pointed to the six contests Democratic Party-backed candidates had won and added “that’s still a batting average that would get you into the hall of fame first ballot.”

But Steven Choi, whose group YKASEC conducted exit polls alongside the Asian American Legal Defense Fund, said the victories of Chou and Kim indicated a larger movement is afoot.

“A lot of immigrant communities are growing quickly here and starting to organize these grassroots campaigns,” Choi said. “I believe that to a large extent this primary showed machine politics are not going to work here. I don’t think that the immigrant communities are as beholden to the Queens Democratic club.”

The primary season also saw the rise of the Working Families Party, which flexed its muscle as a major political player when its candidates for citywide races — Liu for comptroller and Councilman Bill di Blasio (D-Brooklyn) for public advocate — prevailed over the other two candidates and were headed to run-off elections Sept. 29.

Seven Council candidates supported by the WFP, including Dromm and Van Bramer, won their elections over incumbents or county organization-backed candidates.

“I think they’ve definitely emerged as a player and a rival in to any of the county organizations,” said Michael Krasner, a political science professor at Queens College.

Democratic sources say the party is uniting around its slate of candidates for the general election and contend the results do not represent a major hit for the party.

“It’s not like there’s been some big sea change,” one source said. “With a low turnout a couple hundred votes can make a difference. And in some of these cases, these guys have been active in the party for a while. Take Kevin Kim, he works for [U.S. Rep.] Gary Ackerman [D-Bayside]. It’s not like the party looks weak because he’s a Democratic insurgent.”

Krasner agreed that the Queens Democratic Party is not in complete disarray, but said the elections showed that hot-button issues like term limits can sway an election. The City Council voted in November to extend the number of terms a Council member can serve from two to three, a move that spawned much controversy in the months that followed.

“I think that’s a good part of what drove this,” he said. “The situation in the state Senate that I think has only served to further sour things … and sort of driven home the idea that the best thing you can do is throw the bums out and hope the new guy is better.”

Jimmy Van Bramer talks with a voter outside the Queensbridge Houses. Photo by Jeremy Walsh.

Queens Library External Affairs Director Jimmy Van Bramer handily won what turned out to be a rigorous primary contest against Deirdre Feerick, the City Council attorney endorsed by the Queens Democratic Party, in the race for Councilman Eric Gioia’s (D-Sunnyside) seat.

Van Bramer now goes on to face Republican candidate Angelo Maragos in the general election in November.

Feerick called before 11 p.m. Tuesday to congratulate Van Bramer, her spokesman Michael Meenan said. Van Bramer was not available for comment by press time Tuesday night.

“This was a hard fought race where I always kept the interests of the place I love most in the world, the 26th DistrIct, at the forefront,” Feerick said in a statement. “And I plan to continue to work hard for the people in this district.”

Van Bramer had 45.9 percent of the vote, while Feerick brought in 37.3 percent, according to preliminary results from the city Board of Elections. Long Island City corporate attorney Brent O’Leary came in third with 16.7 percent of the vote. A fourth candidate, David Rosasco, was tossed off the ballot but said he would run as a write-in candidate. It appeared there was no write-in slot on the primary ballots, however.

A grand total of 6,565 votes were cast in the race, according to the BOE.

The race for the seat started out genially enough, but allegations that Feerick had taken advantage of the services of a lawyer from the Queens Dems without any cost and that Van Bramer had made illegal use of resources from a for-profit offshoot of the Working Families Party darkened the tone toward the end.

Both sides claim not to have violated any campaign finance laws.

Van Bramer, 40, got his start in politics volunteering for Tom Duane’s successful Council campaign in 1991.

He has lived in Sunnyside and Woodside for 10 years, although not always in the 26th District. In 2001, while living in Woodside, he ran against Councilwoman Helen Sears (D-Jackson Heights) in the race for her 25th Council District seat, losing in the primary by fewer than 800 votes. He moved to Sunnyside Gardens six years ago.

He became the borough’s first openly gay state committeeman in 2004 and has served on Community Board 2 for three years.

Van Bramer, who was born in Woodside and grew up in Astoria, studied criminal justice at St. John’s University thinking he would become a lawyer, but got sidetracked by activism.

He worked as a field director for Citizens Action New York’s “Clean Money, Clean Elections” campaign in 1998, which reformed campaign finance laws for municipal elections. He joined the Queens Library in 1999.