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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Trade association leaders also applauded the announcement.

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

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

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

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

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

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.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo addresses the crowd at Queens College. Photo by Christina Santucci

Security moves into place alongside the unidentified heckler. Photo by Christina Santucci

After his Albany address, Gov. Andrew Cuomo presented his budget plan for a second time in Flushing last Thursday morning, which had many Queens officials in the audience nodding their heads in agreement.

Aside from a Queens College professor claiming to represent the “99 percent,” the audience largely hung on the governor’s words as he touted statewide reforms and pushed his idea for a convention center at the Aqueduct Racino in South Ozone Park.

“Let’s build the largest convention center in the nation,” the governor said, his voice rising. “And let’s build it in Queens.”

A recent statewide Siena College poll found the public’s response lukewarm, however, with only 38 percent in favor and 57 percent opposed to the $4.4 billion plan.

But U.S. Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-St. Albans) loved the idea.

“I’m excited about it,” he said in an interview after the address. “It sends a huge message that Queens is a part of New York City.”

Westerns Queens politicians, like City Councilman Peter Vallone Jr. (D-Astoria), were happy to hear Cuomo’s plans for an energy highway connecting the sites in upstate and western New York, where power is generated to areas downstate like New York City, where demand is heavy.

Astoria currently bears a large burden in supplying the city with power. It is home to six power plants, in addition to Vallone’s office.

“It should have been done a long time ago, but we finally have a governor who has the guts to do it,” said Vallone. “My district provides more than 80 percent of the power for the entire city.”

Cuomo also delved into crime during his speech, which drew the attention of District Attorney Richard Brown.

The governor called for DNA information to be taken from anyone who is convicted of a crime, no matter what the crime. Currently DNA information is only taken from about 50 percent of convicted criminals. The governor’s statements echoed those of Brown, who has long called for the blanket DNA sampling.

“DNA is one of the most powerful tools ever developed to solve and prevent crimes, to exonerate the innocent and to bring justice to victims of crime,” Brown said in response to the speech. “It is the fingerprint of the 21st century, yet we are not making full use of this technology.”

At a news conference immediately following the presentation, Cuomo discussed the Cross Bay Bridge toll, saying he would like to reduce the costs for residents of the Rockaways, who use the bridge to travel to work. He has also previously said he would provide refunds to residents of the Rockaways and Broad Channel, effectively ending the tolls.

This was another win for Meeks.

“I think that bridge has more than paid for itself,” he said, hoping that it would be abolished altogether. “I’ll be working with the governor.”

Cuomo also received plaudits for taking the education and governmental bureaucracy to task for not coming up with a method to effectively evaluate teachers.

The federal government gave New York state $700 million in Race to the Top funds on the condition that it come up with an evaluation system, but the impasse means the Obama administration wants its money back.

If that happens, it will nearly negate the $800 million increase in education funding the governor has planned.

Cuomo said he would increase education funding on a state level by a further 4 percent, but only for school districts that come up with an evaluation method.

He did not cover his plans for pension reform, which have drawn criticism from high-profile union leaders.

City Councilman Daniel Dromm (c.) holds a rally with residents demanding the supermarket Trade Fair, on 75th Street and 37th Avenue, in Jackson Heights get rid of its enclosure on the sidewalk and clean up its recycling. Photo courtesy Dromm

City Councilman Daniel Dromm (D-Jackson Heights) and Jackson Heights residents are demanding that the Trade Fair, at 75th Street and 37th Avenue, take down its sidewalk enclosure and make changes to its practices, but the grocery chain denies it is doing anything illegal.

“To me it’s outrageous to think that people can build on the sidewalk and get away with it,” Dromm said.

Trade Fair is an Astoria-based grocery chain with 11 locations in Jackson Heights, Astoria, Woodside, East Elmhurst, Long Island City, Forest Hills and Richmond Hill.

The councilman and various residents held a rally against the 75th Street and 37th Avenue Trade Fair Jan. 17. Dromm said the store had received a partial vacate order in August 2011 for a plastic enclosure it had extended onto the city sidewalk. When it failed to comply, the store received a city Environmental Control Board violation.

“Trade Fair runs a good store, but they can’t keep straight what’s theirs and what belongs to the public,” said Tom Lowenhaupt, a 75th Street resident, in a statement. “They have a take, take, take policy when it comes to the areas adjacent to their stores.”

Martin Jacobson, a certified public accountant representing Trade Fair?, said the company was told by the city the enclosure was fine since it installed a sprinkler system and had places of egress, and that the company planned to defend itself before the city next month.

Dromm said despite this, he still believed Trade Fair was not operating legally in erecting the enclosure. He said it was unfair that an Italian restaurant nearby pays thousands of dollars a year to set up a sidewalk café but Trade Fair allegedly set up an illegal enclosure and does not pay fees.

“You can’t just take over the city sidewalk for your own benefit or your own profit,” Dromm said.

The councilman also complained that Trade Fair had bins with broken bottles near the recycling area and had filled in a tree pit with cement. Dromm said when he had complained to the owner of Trade Fair, the store had only removed part of the cement from the pit.

Jacobson said the store has a maintenance worker who cleans the glass and that the store filled in the pit because it caused problems for delivery workers.

Dromm and the other Jackson Heights residents’ rally earned the sympathy of neighboring Councilwoman Julissa Ferreras (D-East Elmhurst), who said in a statement she had similar problems with the Trade Fair in her district.

“Its history of poor sanitation, parking violations, idling delivery trucks and general disregard for the quality of life of its neighbors is unacceptable,” Ferreras said of the chain.

Some residents have threatened to boycott the store. Dromm said he was not calling for a boycott, but wanted Trade Fair to work better with the community.

“I shop in Trade Fair, but we want them to comply with the law,” he said.

Jacobson said Trade Fair is an asset to the community. He said the store hires from the community and stocks products that adhere to the community’s ethnic composition.

“Trade Fair, as I pointed out, is a very, very responsible company,” he said.

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.

Virginia Salow (c.), a member of the Queens Colony Civic Association, says eastern Queens has been divided into three state Assembly districts for the 30 years she has lived there. Photo by Rich Bockmann

Flushing resident Sunny Hahn voices her opinion on redistricting. Photo by Rich Bockmann

Leaders from more than a dozen eastern Queens civic groups met in Bellerose last week, demanding their communities be united by the state task force that will redraw the area’s legislative lines for the coming decade.

The state Legislative Task Force on Demographic Research and Reapportionment is expected to release its first-draft maps within the next few weeks, and the members of Eastern Queens United stressed the importance of seeing their neighborhoods represented by one state Assembly district.

Currently, Glen Oaks, New Hyde Park, Bellerose, Floral Park and Queens Village are represented by Assembly members David Weprin (D-Little Neck), Ed Braunstein (D-Bayside) and Barbara Clark (D-Queens Village).

“It’s difficult to get any of them to come to my civic association because we are on the fringe,” said Nagassar Ramgarib, president of the Queens Village Civic Association, in the auditorium of the Queens High School of Teaching, Liberal Arts and the Sciences.

Bob Friedrich, president of Glen Oaks Village, said all of these neighborhood share common quality-of-life issues and that the different civic groups all work together.

“It’s important that whoever represents us understands that when our civics speak, their words are backed up by tens of thousands of votes,” he said.

The group invited a number of politicians to the meeting, asking them to pledge their support for its cause, testify at public meetings and pledge to vote “no” on any map that divided the community.

Before leaving to attend a personal engagement, Weprin said he “fully supported keeping the communities united” and would testify at the public meeting that will be scheduled once LATFOR releases its map.

When Friedrich asked the assemblyman to make the pledge, Weprin replied, “I can’t commit to voting ‘no,’” which drew boos from a handful of the approximately 150 attendees.

“I didn’t like that he wouldn’t commit,” said Charlie Vaicels, of the Queens Colony Civic Association in Bellerose. “He probably has commitments to other people.”

Braunstein was attending an event in Whitestone that evening, and Clark did not respond to an invitation, Friedrich said.

“It goes to show you, if you’re on the periphery of their district, they don’t care,” he said.

Eastern Queens United also wants to be represented by one state Senate district.

“I’ll go to those hearings and scream my head off, but the issue will be decided behind closed doors,” said Sen. Tony Avella (D-Bayside), who affirmed Friedrich’s pledge.

City Councilman Mark Weprin (D-Oakland Gardens), who used to hold his brother’s Assembly seat, wrote a letter to the heads of LATFOR urging the task force to create a district that resembled the one he represents in the council.

He said the real problem is that the current process is set up so that each political party can keep its majorities in the two legislative houses.

“Independent redistricting is important today because people don’t respect the government,” he said.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo has said he would veto any map not created by an independent commission, sending the decision to the courts to be decided.

“That might be the best way to go,” the councilman said. “I like that I can say, ‘The politicians didn’t do it.’”

A Facebook group is promoting Leroy Comrie's potential run for Borough President. The councilman, however, has remained coy about his future.

City Councilman Leroy Comrie (D-St. Albans) has been gearing up to make a big run during the 2013 election season, according to records, and the southeast Queens elected official is getting some major support online.

Comrie, who will be term limited out of office in 2013, has not officially declared his run for borough president, but a Facebook group called “Leroy Comrie for Queens Borough President in 2013” launched last week and already has eight members.

There is no person associated with the creation of the page, which only features the official Council portrait, and the description states that it is made up of a “coalition of concerned citizens.”

Comrie said he saw the site shortly after it launched last week and was humbled by the show of support.

“I had no idea that was being put out there. I’m being honored that someone is doing something for me,” he said.

The page has shown support for other political Facebook groups, including “Ruben Diaz Jr. for Mayor in 2013” and “Albany County Young Democrats,” along with other groups such as “Lord and Taylor and the Ellen DeGeneres Show.”

Borough President Helen Marshall was not available for comment about the election by press time Tuesday. In 2013, she, the mayor and the majority of the Queens Council members will be term limited out of office.

Sources have said Comrie was mulling a run for borough president back in 2009, but he changed his mind once the Council voted to extend term limits. Although the election for the seat is more than a year away, campaign finance records indicate that Comrie has already started the wheels turning on a run for a city office.

He has collected $6,831 for an undeclared 2013 campaign, according to campaign finance records. The largest donation came from the I.U.O.E. Local 94, 94A, 94B Union, an engineers union; the Uniformed Firefighters Association; New Yorker’s for Affordable Housing; and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters’ Joint Council 16, each of which donated $500 to Comrie’s campaign, the campaign finance board said.

He has spent $6,450 on his pending campaign so far with his largest expenditure of $682.50 paid to Leigh Carter for consulting, according to the records.

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.

A Facebook group called “Leroy Comrie for Queens Borough President in 2013” was launched this week and there were eight members as of Thursday morning. The group was created by a “coalition of concerned citizens” and the page shows support for other political-themed groups on the social network such as Ruben Diaz Jr. for Mayor in 2013 and Albany County Young Democrats.

Comrie, who has not officially announced his run for the office, said he was flattered by the support.

“I had no idea that was being put out there. I’m being honored that someone is doing something for me,” he said.

Several sources said the councilman had thought about running for the borough president seat back in 2009 but changed his mind after the Council voted to extend term limits for all city elected offices. He, along with the majority of Queens City Council members and Borough President Helen Marshall, will be term limited out of office in 2013.

City Councilman Leroy Comrie (l.) talks with commuter van operators about changes to their routes in downtown Jamaica. Photo by Ivan Pereira

Dollar vans will have a new drop off spot in downtown Jamaica. Photo by Ivan Pereira

Dollar vans in downtown Jamaica will be traveling a new route that will not only make it safer for motorists who ride through the streets daily, but also pedestrians who use the vans to get home.

City Councilman Leroy Comrie (D-St. Albans) met with several commuter van operators Dec. 14 at the corner of Archer Avenue and 153rd Street, where they can now stop and unload passengers. The councilman helped to push the city to create a new official commuter van stop at the corner in anticipation of a series of changes that are planned for the downtown area.

“We’re making progress,” he said.

Most of the vans pick up their customers from the Jamaica Center subway station at Parsons Boulevard and take them to other parts of southeast Queens. The van service has drawn more riders over the last couple of years as the Metropolitan Transportation Authority has eliminated several bus routes that went to areas like Rosedale, Springfield Gardens and Laurelton.

The city Department of Transportation has announced that it will be changing the lanes in downtown Jamaica to alleviate the massive traffic jams that occur daily. In addition to adding more bus lanes on Archer Avenue between Parsons and Merrick boulevards, the city will be making 91st Avenue between 146th Street and 144th Place a one-way, westbound street.

Several of the van operators agreed to alter their routes to accommodate the changes.

The vans will be using Liberty Avenue and 153rd Street to enter Archer Avenue and will have drop-off locations at that corner.

Hector Ricketts, president of Community Transportation Systems, which operates several vans in southeast Queens, said he and his fellow drivers did not hesitate to make changes to their longtime routes.

The driver said his riders’ safety is important to him and downtown Jamaica can be hazardous sometimes.

“When you open a door, there is potential for disaster. When you pull up to a curb, it’s dangerous,” he said.

Although Ricketts said the new DOT street rules would enhance their operations, he said more needed to be done to help drivers,

He urged Comrie to get the city to crack down on illegal van drivers who steal their customers.

“They need to enforce the laws,” he said.

Hiram Monserrate (r.), seen here with girlfriend Karla Giraldo, lost an appeal of his misdemeanor assault conviction for dragging Giraldo through his Jackson Heights apartment building.

Former state Sen. Hiram Monserrate lost in court again Friday when the state Court of Appeals confirmed his misdemeanor assault conviction for dragging his girlfriend Karla Giraldo through his Jackson Heights apartment in December 2008, the Queens district attorney’s office said.

A panel of four judges determined the evidence against Monserrate, whose conviction eventually led to his February 2010 expulsion from the Senate, was sufficient to render Queens Supreme Court Justice William Erlbaum’s October 2009 guilty verdict, the DA said.

The evidence cited included Giraldo’s “weakened state from severe facial injuries, the manner in which the injuries to her arm were inflicted” and “the visual depiction of [Giraldo’s] facial expressions in reaction” to Monserrate’s attack, the DA said.

Monserrate and Giraldo had an argument in his apartment December 2008 over another man’s card, which he found in her purse. During the argument, Giraldo’s face ended up being slashed with glass. The two later claimed it was an accident, although the medical staff at North Shore-LIJ, where Monserrate took Giraldo, testified they thought the slashing was deliberate.

Giraldo received about 40 stitches around her left eye, the DA said.

Erlbaum ended up dropping the charge related to the face-slashing but hit Monserrate with misdemeanor assault after a surveillance video showed him dragging Giraldo by the arm down the stairs and through the lobby of his apartment building.

After being convicted, Monserrate was sentenced in December 2009 to three years supervised probation, 52 weeks of counseling, 250 hours of community service and a $1,000 fine, the DA said. Giraldo also received an order of protection against Monserrate that prevented him from contacting her, but Erlbaum reduced the protection order July 14, 2010, and they have been dating ever since.

“The Appellate Division’s affirmance of the trial court’s verdict and sentence conveys a clear message that domestic violence is a serious crime that can never be condoned,” District Attorney Richard Brown said in a statement.

Giraldo filed a $35 million suit against the city, the Queens district attorney’s office and North Shore-LIJ in December 2010, alleging the doctors conspired with the city to coerce her into saying Monserrate had assaulted her.

Monserrate is also facing charges in Manhattan federal court of using more than $100,000 in City Council discretionary funds allocated to the nonprofit LIBRE to finance his 2006 Senate campaign against former Sen. John Sabini, according to court papers. Monserrate was influential in selecting the nonprofit’s board and staff members.

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.

The United States Postal Service is proposing to close down the College Point sorting facility as part of a national consolidation effort.

A group of postal workers and two politicians voiced their opposition Friday night to the U.S. Postal Service’s proposed closure of a College Point facility that could leave hundreds of jobs in limbo.

Stephen Larkin, vice president of the Flushing chapter of the United Postal Workers Union, said that USPS has not made clear what will happen to the workers at the plant who number about 1,000.

“We have clerks, mail handlers, maintenance and motor vehicle operators that will be affected and they won’t give us any information about what they plan to do,” he said.

A spokeswoman for the USPS said that about 700 workers will be relocated to other jobs.

The proposed closure of the facility — one of nearly 300 that USPS would like to shutter across the nation at the expense of 35,000 jobs — would save the struggling system nearly $31 million, according the spokeswoman said.

Larkin said that there is a layoff clause in their contract, but that he suspects the USPS will try to circumvent it anyway.

The spokeswoman said “changes are being sought after” with regard to the contracts, though USPS would work to find everybody a landing spot.

If the plant is eventually consolidated or closed, the work would instead be done in Brooklyn or in Manhattan.

The switch would not cause any delay in service, the spokeswoman said, but USPS is changing the definition of first-class mail on a national level.

Instead of some mail arriving in one day, it will soon take two to three days if the cost-cutting proposal goes through in March and is approved by Congress.

A USPS spokeswoman said that while the mail will be slower because of the policy change, it will not be due to the consolation of facilities all over the country.

But City Councilman Dan Halloran (R-Whitestone) cited traffic between the two boroughs as reason to question USPS’s statement.

He also took issue as to why the Queens facility was slated for closure in the first place.

“They wouldn’t tell us how they reached the conclusion to close this the facility instead of Brooklyn,” he said.

But the USPS’s budget woes have another source as well, according to state Sen. Tony Avella (D-Bayside) who also spoke at the hearing.

In 2006 the U.S. Congress passed legislation requiring the USPS to pay pension costs for an employee upfront — a process that Avella called “absurd,” and U.S. Rep. Gary Ackerman (D-Bayside) sought to overturn by co-signing legislation earlier this year.

Pre-funding pensions means that when a new employee is hired, the USPS must pony up the money for that person’s benefits in one lump sum. It costs the postal service, which is the only agency required to do so, about $5.5 billion a year, Avella said.

Workers will find out in March whether the facility will be closed or consolidated pending congressional approval.

Queens GOP Chairman Phil Ragusa (l.) shakes hands with Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich. Photo courtesy Queens Republican Party

Republican presidential frontrunner Newt Gingrich met with Queens GOP Chairman Phil Ragusa during a stop in Staten Island Saturday, and while Ragusa heaped glowing praise on the former House speaker, he stopped short of backing him.

Gingrich, a former Georgia congressman and House speaker in the early 1990s, vaulted past former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney in national polls in recent weeks to claim the top spot among Republican primary voters.

Gingrich made an appearance at the Staten Island Hilton before a crowd of Tea Party voters.

New York is such a reliably Democratic state in presidential politics that ?candidates of both parties barely make any appearances here except for raising funds from deep-pocketed city residents.?

The last time a Republican presidential contender won the state’s electoral votes was Ronald Reagan in 1984.

“I am extremely pleased Newt Gingrich took time out to talk with me and some of my Queens leadership team to discuss his plans,” Ragusa said in a statement Monday. “Clearly the speaker appreciates the important role Queens continues to play, and he demonstrated a keen knowledge of the concerns of Queens’ voters.

“Newt Gingrich is a strong and very impressive candidate and is someone I think the American people would have great confidence in when it comes time to turn around our failing economy and put America back on the right track.”

Gingrich’s visit to the city came a week after City Councilman Eric Ulrich (R-Ozone Park) was selected to head Romney’s campaign in the city.

Queens GOP spokesman Robert Hornak said Ragusa has not backed a candidate for president yet.

“This is not an endorsement and there’s no final decision made,” Hornak said.

But a source familiar with Ragusa’s thinking said, “Phil is leaning toward Gingrich.”

Ragusa said Gingrich has “an incredible command of the issues.

“Even former President Clinton described Speaker Gingrich as a problem solver and the thought of him debating Obama is almost irresistible,” he said. “One thing is clear — a mere month to go before the Iowa caucus, the field is thinning and Newt Gingrich is demonstrating his experience and intellectual vigor. I look forward to discussing the Republican slate with my leadership in the coming week. It is great that we have such a strong field!”

The state’s presidential primary is scheduled for April 24.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg (second from l.) announces the opening of PS 69's renovated playground with Sen. Jose Peralta (l.-r.), Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott, Councilman Daniel Dromm, David Bragdon of the Office of Long-Term Planning and Sustainability, Assemblyman Francisco Moya and PS 69 Principal Martha Vasquez. Photo by Rebecca Henely

Mayor Michael Bloomberg visited Jackson Heights, the neighborhood most starved for park space in Queens, last week to celebrate the upcoming opening of PS 69’s student-designed playground, which comes complete with a human sundial and rock wall with “fossils.”

The playground is the 200th schoolyard in the city to be converted to an open space accessible to the public through Bloomberg’s PlaNYC, a wide-scale initiative to improve the city in preparation for the 1 million more residents the city is expected to have in 2030.

“Nothing is more important than building a future for our children and that includes having a safe place to play,” Bloomberg said.

As part of the goal to ensure all New Yorkers live within a 10-minute walk of a park, Bloomberg said the city is scheduled to convert 230 schoolyards into publicly accessible playgrounds by 2013. The schoolyard of PS 69, at 77-02 37th Ave. in Jackson Heights, is No. 200.

David Bragdon, director of the mayor’s Office of Long-Term Planning and Sustainability, said this is the largest expansion of public space in the city since legendary city planner Robert Moses’ work in the mid-20th century.

“They all reflect the values of PlaNYC and the mayor’s vision for the future,” Bragdon said.

The park was funded by a partnership between the city and the land conservation nonprofit The Trust for Public Land, Bloomberg said.

Bragdon said the renovation of the park was championed by Ed Westley of the Jackson Heights Beautification Group and designed by children from PS 69.

“This is really kid-friendly,” said City Councilman Daniel Dromm (D-Jackson Heights). “It’s a wonderful addition to this community.”

Mary Alice Lee, a member of the trust, said the design began in December 2009. The new Jackson Heights park includes a running track, an AstroTurf field, a rock climbing wall decorated with fossils, a slide, a human sundial, hopscotch and benches shaped like caterpillars.

“It is truly beautiful,” said city Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott. “It’s open to all.”

City Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe said the renovation cost $376,000, and while a few more trees need to be added, the new playground park came under the average cost for transforming a school yard at $400,000.

“It’s a great bang for the buck,” Benepe said.

The playground is not yet open to the public but will soon be available during non-school hours from dawn until dusk.

PS 69 Principal Martha Vazquez said children have been enjoying the playground since the beginning of the year.

“I feel as though we’re the recipients of a jewel in Jackson Heights,” Vazquez said.

Borough President Helen Marshall said she used to be a teacher and the playground was a great change from the concrete lots the schools had when she worked in the public school system.

“They’ve just been enhanced so much with these wonderful programs,” Marshall said.

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).

Bill Thompson (l.) speaks with Sandy Contreras (r.) about education reform as state Assemblywoman Grace Meng (c.) looks on. Photo by Rich Bockmann

As city Comptroller John Liu’s political future hangs ?in limbo amid a fund-raising scandal surrounding his 2013 mayoral campaign, Bill Thompson met with the Northeast Queens Multicultural Democratic Club in Flushing Sunday to discuss his campaign for the mayoral election.

State Assemblywoman Grace Meng (D-Flushing), a member of the club who was not acting in any official capacity, said Thompson was supposed to attend the group’s meeting last month, and that his visit had been planned quite some time ago.

Liu, who represented Flushing in the City Council, was viewed as a strong Democratic contender for mayor before questions were raised about some donors to his current campaign?. Council Speaker Christine Quinn (D-Manhattan) is another potential contender.

“We welcome all candidates for any office,” Meng said.

When it came to politics, Thompson cited his “active and aggressive” approach to the Flushing community during his two successful campaigns for city comptroller and his 2009 campaign for mayor.

“It’s important that candidates reach out to the community,” he told a group of reporters, and said he enjoys visiting Flushing for its restaurants, shops and bubble teas.

When it came to politicians, he avoided pointing the finger at either Liu — “He should have the opportunity to set the record straight” — or members of the Council who may be perceived to be in the mayor’s pocket? — “There are a lot of very good, hardworking members of the City Council, and I’m going to leave it at that.”

He did, however, have some harsh words of criticism for the man he hopes to replace.

“It was disgraceful,” he said of Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s decision to challenge the law prohibiting a third term, requesting the Council to vote on a term-limits extension rather than putting the vote to a public referendum.

“Let me be blunt about that. I thought it was morally wrong,” Thompson said. “We change presidents in the middle of wars. We definitely change mayors in the middle of this crisis.”

As for the current crisis, the former comptroller said issues such as economic disparity, affordable housing and education needed to be addressed in all five boroughs.

“I firmly believe right now that we’re going in the wrong direction,” he said.

He told the two dozen or so club members in attendance he would make education a top priority. Bringing arts back into the schools and focusing on a more full measure of students would be included in his agenda.

“I used to play the viola while I was in school. I may not have been that great, but it taught me a lot,” he joked.

The success of small businesses was another concern he said he would focus on.

“Flushing is a business of small businesses,” Thompson told reporters. “New York City treats small businesses like they’re there to generate revenue. I want the small business of today to be the mid-size business of tomorrow.”

Despite his penchant for firing off sound bites, Thompson promised the group his campaign would not be reduced to a platitudinous maxim.

“Trust me, by the time we get to the campaign, I’m sure there will be a slogan, but I’m not going to run on a slogan,” he said.

State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli (second from r.) is joined by Jackson Heights-area legislators -- state Assemblyman Michael DenDekker, state Sen. Jose Peralta and City Councilman Daniel Dromm -- as he presents his overview of the neighborhood and surrounding area's economy last week. Photo by Rebecca Henely

State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli painted a mostly positive portrait of Jackson Heights and its surrounding neighborhoods’ economy on a visit to the community last week, saying small businesses owned by immigrants bring in much money and the area has enormous potential growth.

“The economic future of northwestern Queens is a bright one,” DiNapoli said.

The comptroller’s “economic snapshot” of Jackson Heights, Corona, Elmhurst and East Elmhurst was prompted by state Sen. Jose Peralta (D-East Elmhurst).

Peralta joined DiNapoli, along with state Assemblyman Michael DenDekker (D-Jackson Heights) and City Councilman Daniel Dromm (D-Jackson Heights), at the unveiling of the findings at the Jewish Center of Jackson Heights, at 37-06 77th St.

The senator said DiNapoli’s analysis could help developers understand the community’s needs?.

“It’s very important for our community to have this kind of document to move forward,” Peralta said.

DiNapoli’s portrait goes back more than 10 years, covering the neighborhoods both before and after the 2009 recession. He said immigrants from 71 countries live in the four neighborhoods, many of whom are small business owners. From 2000-09, the number of businesses grew by 18.1 percent, a percentage three times larger than the rest of the city, and most of these businesses employed less than 10 people.

“People from all over the world continue to come here to live, work and raise their families,” DiNapoli said.

The recession did have an effect on the neighborhoods, however. While private sector wages grew by 6 percent each year from 2004-08, they dropped by 1.5 percent from 2008-10.

The average rent also changed from taking up an average of more than 30 percent of residents’ income? in 2002 to taking up an average of 43 percent to 48 percent of residents’ income in 2008.?

He suggested the long-planned revitalization of Willets Point could bring opportunity much-needed by residents.

“Public and private investment is needed,” DiNapoli said.

DiNapoli said the area had remarkable draws, such as Flushing Meadows Corona Park and the Louis Armstrong Museum, but one problem was school overcrowding — 19 of the area’s 22 elementary schools are above capacity.

DenDekker said he hoped the report would spur development without hurting small businesses. He also suggested that leaders should find ways to help small businesses comply with regulations without just levying fines.

“We don’t want to upset the balance of losing our small businesses,” he said.

Dromm said he believed the economic growth in the area earlier this century is related to the? immigrant population. He said he buys everything he needs from small businesses run by immigrants within a block of where he lives.

“I’m very proud of this neighborhood,” he said.