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.”

Mayor Michael Bloomberg delivers his 2012 State of the City address in the Bronx. AP Photo/Mary Altaffer

Mayor Michael Bloomberg proposed incentives, including merit pay, so the city can retain and recruit the best teachers during his State of the City address last Thursday in the Bronx.

The mayor also called on the state to pass minimum wage legislation so the pay is higher than federal standards.

“The single most important factor in a student’s progress is the effectiveness of the classroom teacher and we are going to find new ways to attract, reward and retain great teachers,” the mayor said.

Bloomberg said the burden of paying back student loans from top colleges sometimes causes those interested in teaching not to consider it as a career choice.

“But we need their talents in our classrooms,” the mayor said. “Our kids need them.”

Bloomberg proposed having the city pay off up to $25,000 in student loans from anyone who finishes in the top tier of his or her college class and wants to be a teacher.

“Our teachers deserve that and so do our children,” the mayor said.

Bloomberg also wants the city to offer top teachers a $20,000-a-year raise if they are rated highly for two consecutive years.

Any of the mayor’s suggestions outlined in the State of the City would need to be approved by the powerful United Federation of Teachers.

“Historically, teachers unions around the country have opposed rewarding great teaching through merit pay, but more and more teachers are asking, ‘Why?’ and we’ve seen how well this can work in other cities,” Bloomberg said.

The mayor said the city would back state Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver’s (D-Manhattan) proposal to raise the minimum wage in the state above the federal standard.

“Our city just cannot afford to wait for Washington,” Bloomberg said. “Not when it comes to illegal guns, not when it comes to climate change, not when it comes to creating jobs and not when it comes to raising the minimum wage.”

City Comptroller John Liu said it was “great to hear” Bloomberg talk about bumping up the minimum wage and said increasing it “would help eliminate the increasing income gap that New York has experienced in recent years.”

On immigration, Bloomberg said the city will “help lead the charge” for the New York State Dream Act, legislation modeled after a federal bill that would allow children who were brought to the country illegally to apply for state-sponsored college loans, grants and scholarships.

“We can’t blame them for being brought here as infants or teens,” the mayor said. “And since they are here to stay, it’s in New York City’s best interest to make sure they are able to become productive members of society.”

State Assemblyman Francisco Moya (D-Corona) praised Bloomberg for endorsing the state legislation.

“It is imperative that we work toward equal educational opportunities for all New Yorkers and to remove roadblocks that stand between youth and a productive future in this city and state,” he said.

State Sen. Tony Avella wants the city Department of Sanitation to turn its policies on trash pickups into formal rules. Photo by Rebecca Henely

State Sen. Tony Avella (D-Bayside) slammed the city Department of Sanitation Friday for fines that have been levied against residents for putting their trash cans out too early the day before collection.

Avella said he suspected the levied fines, which are a minimum of $100 but can be as high as $300, were not supported by city law.

“It’s a huge mistake on behalf of the agency,” he said.?

The senator said he wanted Sanitation to stop enforcing the policy and to return fines paid to the city under the policy.

Sanitation said in a statement responding to Avella that the current trash pickup times were negotiated between the department and the City Council in 2006, when Tony Avella was a part of the Council.

“It was also agreed that the department would amend its Digest of Codes to reflect this change, which has been beneficial to the public by preventing waste from being stored at curbside,” Sanitation said.

Avella said that about a month ago, he received calls and letters from constituents who said they had been fined for putting out their trash bins for collection the day before. In accordance with Sanitation’s policy, residents are not supposed to put out their trash bins on the day prior to collection before 4 p.m. from Oct. 1 to April 1 or before 5 p.m. at all other times during the year. The policy also dictates the fines.

The senator said enforcing laws for this policy may not be legal. He said the policy never became an official rule, which needs to be published and put up for public comment in accordance with the City Administrative Procedure Act.

“They’re issuing tickets based on public policy,” Avella said.

In light of this, Avella said Sanitation should stop enforcing the policy and move to making the policy a formal rule.

“We should be giving a warning to these individuals rather than a ticket,” Avella said.

The senator said he had received five or six contacts from constituents complaining about fines due to putting out trash cans early in the last few weeks. Trash is collected on Wednesdays and Saturdays in Avella’s district, which covers Bayside, Whitestone, College Point, Little Neck, Bellerose, Queens Village, Hollis, Auburndale, Floral Park, New Hyde Park, Glen Oaks, Fresh Meadows and Jamaica Estates.?

Avella said he thought more rigid enforcement of the policy, which he said was not well-advertised as the earliest time residents were able to put out their trash bins changed?, may be a way to get money.

“It’s always my belief that Mayor [Michael] Bloomberg tells the city agencies, ‘Go out and get revenue,’” Bloomberg said.

Jackson Heights Imam Mohd Qayyoom (c.) attends Mayor Michael Bloomberg's interfaith breakfast despite protests from other Muslims in Queens. Photo courtesy Qayyoom

Several Queens Muslim leaders and their allies from other faiths added their names to a letter calling for a boycott of Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s annual interfaith breakfast, which was held Friday.

The boycott was called in response to revelations in an Associated Press report in November that said the NYPD sent undercover officers into mosques, hookah bars, ethnic bookstores, restaurants and cafes to look for signs of radicalism among the city’s Muslim populations. The Dec. 29 letter criticized the mayor for defending the NYPD’s actions.

“We seek your clear, unambiguous, public support for the rights and privacy of all New Yorkers, including Muslims,” the letter said, “and a condemnation of all policies that profile and target communities and community groups solely based on their religion or the color of their skin.”

The breakfast, which has been an annual tradition for Bloomberg for the past 11 years, took place Friday morning at the New York Public Library, at 42nd Street and Fifth Avenue in Manhattan.

Signers of the pledge came from mosques in all five boroughs, and about eight were from Queens religious organizations. Queens has large Muslim communities in Jackson Heights, Astoria and Flushing, as well as mosques in Jamaica.

Robina Niaz, executive director of the Flushing-based Muslim women’s group Turning Point for Women & Families, said that while she was not invited, she signed the pledge because she believed the NYPD’s actions would further marginalize the Muslim population.

“It’s time for Muslim leaders to stand up and say, ‘This needs to stop,’” Niaz said.

The Jackson Heights-based Desis Rising Up and Moving also participated in the boycott.

“We have members who have directly been affected by the NYPD’s policies and have been speaking out about them from even before the Associated Press confirmations,” said Fahd Ahmed, legal and policy director for the group.

But not all Queens Muslims protested the breakfast.

Imam Mohd Qayyoom, of the Muhammadi Community Center of Jackson Heights, attended the event.

“It was very great,” Qayyoom said. “We exchanged views with all other faiths.”

Qayyoom, who makes it one of the central tenants of his mosque to fight against terrorism, said he was for the surveillance and said the NYPD must be able to do its job.

“We must prepare to keep the peace in the community,” he said. “We must cooperate with officials.”

U.S. Rep. Bob Turner (l.) replaced former Congressman Anthony Weiner in a November special election when Turner became the first Republican to hold the Queens-Brooklyn seat since 1920.

Heading into 2011, the Queens political scene was supposed to be uneventful, with District Attorney Richard Brown facing no opposition and the foregone conclusion that Democratic judicial candidates would defeat their Republican rivals as they have for every year in recent memory.

And while the November elections went as expected — Brown won a sixth term and the six Democratic judges on the ballot won seats on the bench — one unforeseen contest in September with an improbable ending would shock the borough and the country.

A showdown between state Assemblyman David Weprin (D-Little Neck) and retired Republican businessman Bob Turner was set in motion after then-U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner began a fall from grace when he lied about sending a lewd photograph of his crotch to his followers on Twitter.

As the scandal started to unfold in early June, Weiner, who at the time was considered the odds-on favorite to be the next mayor, said the photo was not of him and that his Twitter account was hacked.

But then later that month, an X-rated photo of Weiner that he sent to a Twitter follower was released and the congressman admitted it was indeed him who sent the pictures.

As calls for his resignation grew louder, Weiner at first was granted a leave of absence and said he would go to rehab.

Ultimately, as his support diminished, Weiner held a news conference in late June at the Brooklyn senior center where he launched his political career to announce his resignation from Congress, saying the distraction he caused made it impossible for him to do his job.

As soon as Weiner left his seat and Gov. Andrew Cuomo called a Sept. 13 special election to succeed the congressman, speculation grew over who the Democratic Party would select to run on its line.

In the end, Democratic leaders from Brooklyn and Queens chose Weprin and Republicans turned to Turner, who ran unsuccessfully against Weiner in 2010.

In what was widely believed to be a cakewalk for Weprin, Turner’s campaign built momentum as the weeks went by, first gaining support from former Democratic Mayor Ed Koch and endorsements from the Daily News and the New York Post.

Weprin had a number of Democratic elected officials on his side, including U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.).

A series of debates between the two candidates drew hecklers on one occasion as both men challenged each other’s views on federal spending, the deficit, Israel, Medicare and Social Security.

Early polls showed Weprin ahead, but as Sept. 13 grew closer, Turner had the upper hand.

Turner went on to defeat Weprin 53 percent to 46 percent and became the first Republican to hold that particular congressional seat since 1920.?

In Queens, Weprin bested Turner 52 percent to 47 percent, but Turner dominated the Brooklyn portion of the district 67 percent to 33 percent.

The shocking result was attributed by political observers to President Barack Obama’s unpopularity at the time and Turner’s success in making the race a referendum on Obama’s policies.

Also this year, the retirement of then-Assemblywomen Audrey Pheffer and Nettie Mayersohn opened the political stage to two aides who had served behind the scenes for years.

Phil Goldfeder, a former aide to Pheffer, Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Schumer, defeated Republican District Leader Jane Deacy to succeed Pheffer while Mayersohn’s longtime chief of staff, Michael Simanowitz, defeated College Point Republican Marco DeSena to replace Mayersohn.

Queens political operative John Haggerty of Forest Hills was sentenced in Manhattan Supreme Court on Monday. AP Photo/Richard Drew

The Queens Republican operative convicted of stealing more than a million dollars from the mayor was led off to prison Monday to begin serving a sentence of at least a year.

Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Ronald Zweibel denied the request made by John Haggerty’s attorneys to give the Forest Hills resident probation for his October conviction on grand larceny and money laundering charges and ordered that he be held in prison for 1 1/3 to four years.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who testified against Haggerty during the trial, gave the state Independence Party $1.1 million, which was meant to pay Haggerty for hiring poll watchers on Election Day. The 41-year-old, however, used almost all of that money to buy out his brother’s share of their late father’s Forest Hills Gardens home.

During closing arguments, Assistant District Attorney Eric Seidel said Haggerty was motivated to commit the theft because he wanted the Forest Hills Gardens home.

At the sentencing, Haggerty attorney Dennis Vacco said Seidel was correct but that Haggerty was not driven by greed to steal Bloomberg’s money, explaining that Haggerty was 15 years old when his mother died and his father was rarely home.

“The house clouded his vision. The house clouded his judgment,” Vacco said. “This was a desperate attempt to hang on to a family life that passed him by and [he] never had ?since the death of his mother.”

Prosecutors wanted Haggerty to be sentenced to four to 12 years. ?Zweibel said his sentence was needed “to restore the public’s confidence in the electoral process.”

In addition to the prison time, Haggerty was ordered to pay $750,000 in restitution and will have a three-year conditional discharge following his stay in prison.

He was apologetic in court during the proceeding.

“If I could do it all over again, I’d do it much differently,” he said before being handcuffed and escorted by court officers for processing.

In arguing for probation, Vacco said the blow to Haggerty’s reputation and the loss of his home were punishment enough. He pointed out that Haggerty had no living parents, lived alone, had no children and was divorced.

“What a terrible sentence that is,” Vacco said.

Seidel asked Zweibel to sentence Haggerty to four to 12 years in prison.

“This defendant just flat out lied, misrepresented, covered up,” Seidel said. “It’s a significant amount of money and it wasn’t just stolen, it was laundered.”

Jurors found Haggerty stole the money and laundered it through a company he created called Special Election Operations.

Raymond Castello, another attorney for Haggerty, said 48 people wrote letters to Zweibel seeking leniency for his client, whom he called “a man of integrity.

Castello disputed prosecutors’ claims that Haggerty showed no remorse for his crimes.

“Certainly he has expressed that he is very sorry for what has happened here,” he said, noting that Haggerty plans to make full restitution of $750,000 by selling the Forest Hills Gardens home he bought with the stolen funds.

A horse pulls a carriage down a Midtown Manhattan street.

State Sen. Tony Avella (D-Bayside) said a recent string of highly publicized accidents in Manhattan involving horse-drawn carriages demonstrates the need to ban the industry from operating in New York City.

In 2011, there have been seven carriage horse incidents investigated by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, which regulates the industry in Central Park. In the most recent, a horse fell two weeks ago while being driven with four passengers. The horse was examined by its veterinarian and inspected by the ASPCA, and has been cleared to return to work.

“This issue is clearly coming to a head just because of a number of accidents reported lately,” the senator said. “The industry is trying to be on its best behavior and it’s still happening.”

As a city council member, Avella sponsored a bill calling for a ban on the industry in New York City. In May, he introduced a similar bill in the Senate, and state Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal (D-Manhattan) introduced a companion bill in the Assembly.

Eva Hughes, a Bayside resident and constituent of Avella’s, is also the vice president of the Horse and Carriage Association of New York, and sharply disagrees with the senator.

“Sen. Avella has been made aware of our stellar safety record. He can say it’s dangerous all he wants all day long. The fact is, statistically, our industry is the safest equine pursuit,” she said. “With only three deaths in 30 years, it’s not a good record; it’s an extraordinary record.”

Hughes said she estimates about half a dozen owners and drivers live in Bayside.

“Tony Avella should hang his head in shame for wanting to put working families out of business,” she said.

Avella’s bill does not have any co-sponsors, but he believes that after years of trying the tide of public opinion is finally turning in his favor.

“Once the [legislative] session begins again in January, I’m going to lobby my colleagues in the Senate and put together a lobbying day for the animal rights groups,” he said.

Avella said the industry is inherently detrimental to the animals’ health in a modern metropolis.

“The ASPCA said earlier … that there’s no way for the industry to operate in Midtown traffic and not be cruel to animals,” he said. The city [Department of Health], on its website, has a training manual for drivers of horse carriages and in one section? it lists the number of things that can spook a horse, like air brakes on a truck and horns honking. That happens every second in Midtown.”

In response to the most recent accident, Mayor Michael Bloomberg defended the practice.

“Carriage horses have traditionally been a part of New York City,” he said. “The tourists love them, and we’ve used from time immemorial animals to pull things. They are well-treated, and we’ll continue to make sure that they are well-treated.”

Avella disagreed with that line of reasoning.

“The mayor doesn’t know what he’s talking about. They didn’t always exist. The horse carriage industry as we know it today started in 1935, and it was only in the late 1990s that they could go beyond Central Park. To say it’s always existed is to be oblivious,” he said.

The senator also disagreed with the mayor’s implication that the industry should be preserved for the sake of increased tourism.

“This is the stupidest statement. You’re not going to tell me that someone from Europe or California is not going to come if we ban horse carriages? That’s just an insult to everything else New York City has to offer,” he said.

On a trip to LaGuardia Community College, led by President Gail Mellow (r.), Mayor Michael Bloomberg (l.) criticized U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius' (second from l.) decision to bar girls 16 and younger from buying morning-after pills. Photo courtesy Bloomberg

Mayor Michael Bloomberg criticized U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius for making the morning-after pill unavailable to women younger than 17 at a LaGuardia Community College event Monday morning.

“It would be much better if these young girls didn’t get pregnant, but once that happens I think this should be available,” Bloomberg said.

The morning-after pill, also known as emergency contraceptive pills, do not cause abortions but deliver a large dose of levonorgestrel, a synthetic hormone found in most birth control pills. They are meant to be taken within a few days after having sex to prevent pregnancy. The pills are available to women 17 and older.

Sebelius made the decision despite the recommendation of FDA Commissioner Dr. Margaret Hamburg, who worked as the city’s Health Commissioner for Mayor David Dinkins.

The secretary said she acted not because of politics but because she did not believe the scientific data collected justified making the pill available to all ages.

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.

Mohammed Bichri, who runs a food cart in Astoria, said he believes he would get an "A" if state Sen. Jose Peralta's proposed legislation to institute a grading system for vendys is passed. Photo by Christina Santucci

State Sen. Jose Peralta (D-East Elmhurst) said he will introduce legislation to institute a letter grading system for food cart vendors similar to those for restaurants and other eateries.

“New York City street food is famous around the world,” Peralta said. “And if you add this letter grade, our street food will also be known for its safety and cleanliness.”

The city Health Department and Mayor Michael Bloomberg introduced a letter grading system for what was called “eating establishments” in July 2010, which requires restaurants to post a letter grade in their windows depending on how many health code violation points they receive upon inspection. Since then the grades have become a common sight throughout the five boroughs.

Eating establishments are defined as restaurants, coffee shops, bars, nightclubs, cafeterias, retail bakeries and fixed-site food stands, but vendys have not been included in the system. At the one-year anniversary announcement of the letter grades this summer, Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley said the constant movement of food vendors would make surprise re-inspections difficult.

Bloomberg, however, was in support of the idea.

“I would love to see, before I buy from a cart, a sign up there telling me whether or not the guy washed his hands before he reaches in and pulls out the hotdog,” Bloomberg said earlier this year.

Mohammed Bichri, who runs the halal food cart at the corner of Ditmars Boulevard and 31st Street in Astoria, said he would welcome a letter grading and would expect to get an “A.”

The vendor advocacy group The Street Vendor Project also came out in favor of Peralta’s proposal.

“Most mobile food vendors want letter grades just like restaurants receive,” the Project said in a statement. “The vast majority of them sell clean, delicious food and they want to be recognized for that.”

Peralta said he believed instituting letter grades for food vendors would be a boon to patrons.

“Consumers should know that what they’re eating has, by the most part, met certain health and safety standards,” Peralta said.

The senator said that while some restaurant owners have claimed their business has been hurt by letter grades of less than an “A,” he said fixing a violation that could cause harm to the consumer should be the greater priority since a consumer’s bad word of mouth could also damage a restaurateur’s or vendor’s reputation.

Peralta added that a positive grade could be an asset to a vendor.

“People are going to pass by and say, ‘Hey, that unit got an ‘A,’ so maybe I’ll stop and eat there,’” Peralta said.

He said re-inspecting the vendys should not be too much of a problem since legitimate vendors are registered and stay in one place.

The senator said he was working on finding a co-sponsor for the proposed legislation in the state Assembly and finding other co-sponsors as well.

Christina Santucci contributed reporting to this article.

Patrick Moore, of Greenspirit Strategies, discusses an energy strategy for New York alongside Kevin Lanahan, of Con Edison, and Jonathan Baylor, who is repowering an energy facility in Astoria. Photo by Joe Anuta

Patrick Moore, of Greenspirit Strategies, discusses an energy strategy for New York alongside Kevin Lanahan, of Con Edison, and Jonathan Baylor, who is repowering an energy facility in Astoria. Photo by Joe Anuta

Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani spoke at an energy symposium in Astoria Friday to discuss which area will power New York City in the future, and some panelists said it should not be Queens.

Giuliani painted an ominous portrait of the city’s energy use, drawing on his tenure as mayor.

“We are operating in a dangerous situation,” Giuliani said. “We’re pushing it. We’re at the brink.”

He warned that the region needed to expand its energy production or New York may not have enough power to supply the entire city in the next 15 years.

And that would be bad for business.

Without a comprehensive plan to ensure businesses that their energy needs will be met, the city will have trouble growing its economy, he said.

“I see Queens as very important for job growth,” Giuliani said after the talk.

If businesses are not convinced they will have adequate energy, they will simply go somewhere else, he said, repeatedly citing the amount of nuclear power plants that China and India are building.

First and foremost, Giuliani called on New York to keep the nearby Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant open in Westchester County, since its license is up for renewal.

Second, he discussed the possibility of adding more power plants to the city’s network.

Jerry Kremer, of the New York Affordable Reliable Electricity Alliance, agreed that New York City needed a plan for more energy, but he said one borough has already done its part.

“How many more power plants do we need in Queens to satisfy the needs of the area?” he said. “I think Queens is entitled to a reprieve from any new facilities. It has done its share.”

State Sen. Michael Gianaris (D-Astoria) also said his district has disproportionately borne the brunt of providing the city with energy.

Just in Astoria, there are six power plants, he said.

Many of them are aging fossil fuel plants that belch pollution into the air and threaten the health of his constituents.

But Gianaris welcomed construction at one plant in the area.

NRG is a company that specializes in repowering outdated power plants and bought an aging facility from Con Edison, which it will convert to a plant that uses natural gas to generate electricity.

“We view it all as an upside,” Gianaris said, citing the fact that the repowering will increase the amount of electricity flowing to the city, while reducing emissions.

The discussion was called “A Cleaner, Greener, More Sustainable Queens,” but little of the talk, which focused on nuclear energy and conservation, was about sustainable energy sources.

Giuliani dismissed wind and solar power as a good cause, but still too expensive to provide a significant portion of the city’s energy needs.

One man stood up and told the former mayor that solar panels on the roofs of Queens houses could provide 50 percent of the borough’s heating needs.

“I don’t know what you’re smoking,” Giuliani told the man. “But you’re smoking something, baby.”

Assemblyman Phillip Goldfeder (c.) is sworn into office as his wife, children and U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer (from second r.) and state Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver look on. Photo by Ivan Pereira

Assemblyman Phillip Goldfeder (l.) talks with state Sen. Malcolm Smith following his inauguration. Photo by Ivan Pereira

Elected officials from all over the state gathered at Junior High School 210 in Ozone Park Sunday to pass the torch to the community’s newest representative in Albany.

State Assemblyman Phillip Goldfeder (D-Howard Beach) was inaugurated before his family, friends, community members and fellow elected officials.

Goldfeder, who worked in the political offices of City Councilman James Sanders (D-Laurelton), Mayor Michael Bloomberg and U.S. Sen Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), succeeded former Assemblywoman Audrey Pheffer, who became the Queens county clerk in June after serving the 23rd Assembly District for 24 years.

The new Assembly member said he was grateful for all the support he received from both the party and constituents and vowed to improve their quality of life.

“As the new assemblyman, I’m going to do the things I promised on the campaign,” he said.

The district includes the neighborhoods of the Rockaways, Howard Beach and portions of South Ozone Park.

Several Democratic members of the state Legislature, including state Sen. Malcolm Smith (D-St. Albans), Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D-Manhattan) and Assemblywoman Grace Meng (D-Flushing), were in attendance for the event, at 93-11 101st Ave., ?and said the rookie elected official will be making big waves in office.

Smith noted that two key Republicans — U.S. Rep. Bob Turner (R-Kew Gardens) and Councilman Eric Ulrich (R-Ozone Park) — were at the inauguration and he called on Goldfeder to continue to lead in a bipartisan manner.

“The aisles shouldn’t matter. You should do what is right,” he said.

Silver agreed and said Goldfeder’s long career in the New York political arena has made him a strong community activist, and he would not only be able to convey the community’s voice to Albany but also bring Albany’s side of the issues back home.

“You are part of a young collection of leaders who continue to define themselves as defenders of working families,” he said.

Pheffer, who was Goldfeder’s former boss, said she was confident he would be able to fill her shoes.

“There are so many, many problems that need to be worked on,” she said. “I am confident that he is going to do a better job [than me]. ?He is confident.”

Goldfeder said he is working on solving those issues, including the elimination of the toll at the Cross Bay Bridge and creating new incentives for neighborhood store owners during the down economic times.

“Right here, there are many businesses that need to survive,” he said.

The judge who is scheduled to sentence Queens campaign aide John Haggerty (pictured) can decide at minimum to give him probation or can hand down a maximum senntence of 15 years in prison. AP Photo/Seth Wenig

Queens Republican operative John Haggerty, found guilty last month of stealing $1.1 million from Mayor Michael Bloomberg during the mayor’s 2009 re-election campaign, can receive a sentence ranging from probation to 15 years in prison when he is set to be sentenced Friday by a Manhattan Supreme Court judge.

The Manhattan district attorney’s office said it could not comment on the sentencing possibilities for Haggerty, an unpaid volunteer during the re-election campaign.

But if Haggerty’s defense team files an immediate appeal, the Forest Hills resident will not be sent directly to jail if Manhattan Supreme Court Judge Ronald Zweibel gives him a sentence that includes prison time.

A jury found Haggerty guilty Oct. 21 of stealing $1.1 million from the mayor to buy out his brother’s share of their late father’s Forest Hills Gardens home instead of spending the money on a poll-watching operation as Bloomberg intended.

During the trial, prosecutors said Haggerty spent about $32,000 on so-called ballot security and pocketed the rest to buy the home.

As prosecutors and Haggerty’s attorneys argued over bail, which was eventually set at $250,000 and which Haggerty posted the day after the verdict, Queens Assistant District Attorney Eric Seidel said he was concerned that Haggerty posed a flight risk. He cited an e-mail exchange in which Haggerty said he has an Irish passport.

There is no extradition agreement between Ireland and the United States.

Maura Kearney, an employee of the Bloomberg campaign, argued with Haggerty over who was more Irish, with Kearney saying she was because “I was born there. I eat black pudding.”

Haggerty responded, “I have a house there and an Irish passport and an Irish terrier named Seamus” in the e-mail, a copy of which was obtained by the New York Post. “I can drink you under the table and went to many more Wolfetones concerts than you did. I am sure that I have been interrogated many more times by? British ‘personnel’ than you have. So there!”

Haggerty attorney Dennis Vacco said the comment about the passport “was a joke,” but Zweibel said, “I’m not convinced that it was a joke.”

City Councilman Dan Halloran (l.) hosts his second annual town hall meeting. Photo by Rich Bockmann

With representatives from a number of city departments sharing the stage with him at Holy Cross High School on Francis Lewis Boulevard, City Councilman Dan Halloran (R-Whitestone) hosted his second annual town hall meeting, where he sharply criticized the city for what he characterized as either neglect, malfeasance or outright targeting of his northeast Queens district.

The city Departments of Finance and Education, Water Board and Board of Standards and Appeals were all targeted by the councilman.

He took umbrage with Finance’s over-assessment of co-ops earlier this year and the DOE’s handling of yellow bus service to College Point Junior High School and its failure to provide more seats despite growth and over-saturation in his district’s schools.

He called the Water Board’s rate increase a back-door tax that fills the city’s coffers and railed against the BSA for granting unpopular variances at the Oct. 25 meeting.

As for Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Halloran said he held him accountable for the reduction of 6,000 police officers and 900 firefighters since he took office, for the over-budget overhauls of 311 and 911, the CityTime scandal and for a focus on Manhattan at the expense of the outer boroughs.

“There are some things about this position that bother me, and there are some things that I really love. I don’t love hearing about city waste,” he said. “I’m going to be critical of the mayor. It is what it is.”

Halloran also invited 109th Precinct Commanding Officer Brian Maguire to update the community on crime. He said major crime in the precinct was down nearly 5 percent over the previous year, but noted that robberies, especially of rims and tires, were on the rise.

He said his precinct had successfully closed five problem bars in the area, to which Halloran quipped that Bell Boulevard in the 111th Precinct has 600 bars on one block.

The 111th precinct’s commanding officer, Capt. Ron Leyson, said robberies were up, especially among students at the precinct’s large high schools.

“They’re after the iPhones, the iPads and the iPods that are out there,” he said.

Leyson was satisfied, he said, with the precinct’s crime statistics on stolen cars for the year.

“We have 85 stolen cars for the year, which unless it’s your car is a great number,” he said.

Halloran also invited his constituents to bring their questions and concerns before representatives from some of the city’s departments.

Henry Euler, of the Auburndale Improvement Association, wanted to know what the city Department of Buildings did with all the money in fines issues for violations at construction sites. A DOB representative said the city Environmental Control Board collected the fines and that the DOB was working on a plan to place liens on property owners.

Halloran said he was working on legislation that would impose escalating fines for violations.

Queens campaign aide John Haggerty faces up to 15 years in prison after being convicted of stealing $1.1 million from Mayor Michael Bloomberg. AP Photo/Seth Wenig

Queens political operative John Haggerty was sprung from jail Saturday after posting $250,000 bail but faces up to 15 years in prison after he was found guilty Friday by a Manhattan jury of grand larceny and money laundering after being accused of stealing $1.1 million from Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Manhattan Supreme Court Judge Ronald Zweibel set Haggerty’s bail at $250,000 shortly after the verdict and Haggerty was released from jail Saturday, according to city Department of Corrections data.

Prosecutors requested $500,000 bail while Haggerty’s lawyers asked that no bail be set, arguing that the Republican campaign adviser had shown up at every court appearance and should not be considered a flight risk.

But the assistant district attorney’s office said it was concerned Haggerty might try to leave the country, pointing to an e-mail he wrote to a Bloomberg campaign employee in which he said he had an Irish passport.

Ireland does not have an extradition agreement with the United States.

Haggerty said the statement was a joke and prosecutors could not produce proof that he actually had such a passport.

After nearly two days of deliberations, the Manhattan Supreme Court jury found that Haggerty misled Bloomberg’s 2009 re-election campaign by using most of the $1.1 million to buy out his brother’s share of their late father’s Forest Hills Gardens home rather than spending it on a ballot security operation.

The jury acquitted Haggerty of the most serious charge, first-degree grand larceny, but convicted him of second-degree grand larceny and money laundering.

Haggerty faces up to 15 years in prison and at minimum could receive probation when he is sentenced Nov. 4.

“Well, obviously we’re disappointed in the verdict, although we’re pleased that they acquitted him on the top count,” said Haggerty attorney Dennis Vacco, who said he plans to appeal the verdict. “So while we’re disappointed, we have another day to fight.”

The $1.1 million was given by Bloomberg to the state Independence Party, which was to pay Haggerty for a ballot security operation that entailed hiring poll watchers on Election Day.

Prosecutors said Haggerty performed only $32,000 in ballot security work and used the rest to buy the Forest Hills Gardens home.

The jury did not buy the arguments from Haggerty’s attorneys that the $1.1 million donation constituted a gift and that Bloomberg had no control over the money’s use once it left his account.

During closing arguments last week, Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Eric Seidel said Haggerty created phony invoices to give the appearance that he was running a legitimate operation.

“It was a fiction,” Seidel said. “This is pure fiction. It was a con.”

Juror Stephen Conroy said the jury came to its decision in part because it believed the Independence Party was an agent for Bloomberg.

Vacco was surprised by that conclusion.

“That’s startling to me because there is absolutely nothing in the record which would indicate that the Independence Party was an agent, and while I have maintained from the outset that the $1.2 million contribution was not illegal, indeed if the Independence Party was an agent for Michael Bloomberg, that contribution was illegal,” Vacco said. “It’s startling to me that after four weeks of testimony, after five hours of summations, that anybody would walk away with the impression that the Independence Party was Michael Bloomberg’s agent. Quite frankly, that is a frightening concept.”

City Comptroller John Liu has come under fire for his campaign finance practices.

A series of alleged campaign finance irregularities has raised questions about City Comptroller John Liu, the former councilman from Flushing and a possible top-tier candidate to succeed Mayor Michael Bloomberg in 2013.

Last week The New York Times released a biting, front-page critique of Liu’s campaign finance practices since his election, forcing the city’s finance chief — who has not declared for the 2013 race — to respond by promising to audit his own campaign’s finances. But The Times and The New York Post are pushing the city Campaign Finance Board to conduct an independent audit in light of the seriousness of the allegations.

Liu’s office did not return several requests from the TimesLedger Newspapers on the Times story.

The Times said it visited the reported homes and workplaces of nearly 100 donors included on Liu’s campaign finance reports and found two dozen alleged discrepancies in the data, including people who say they never donated to his campaign or that their boss or another donor made a contribution on their behalf, according to the Oct. 11 Times story. Some could not be located by Times reporters at all.

The newspaper went on to contend that Liu, a Democrat, has broken city campaign finance law by failing to release names of bundlers who gathered contributions from individuals and not undertaking due diligence to avoid the use of “straw donors” by ensuring that one person fills out only one card. The Times reported that in numerous instances one person filled out Liu donor cards for a number of other people.

“I’m responsible for my campaign,” Liu told the Times. “To the extent that I think something has been done wrong, or people engaged in behavior that broke my rules, we’ll reverse anything.”

TimesLedger Newspapers made calls to all the available listed phone numbers for people with names and addresses correlating to the donors listed in the Times story as being involved in the irregularities, but in each case was either greeted by people who did not speak English, an answerer saying the person in question did not reside or work at the residence or business being contacted or a disconnected phone.

A number of the irregularities listed in the story involve people who were listed as having donated $800 to Liu’s campaign but later told the Times they never donated or that their boss donated on their behalf.

But some community members, such as Auburndale resident Adam Lombardi, who has worked on numerous Democratic campaigns, including Liu’s successful 2009 bid, have said they do not believe he would knowingly take illegal donations.

“I say this is a waste of time,” Lombardi said. “It would be nice to have a guy like this as mayor. Really, it’s true …. He’s a number cruncher that works on behalf of taxpayers — to make sure we get the most out of our buck.”

Liu had collected 2,265 individual donations totaling just over $1.5 million for his 2013 campaign as of Tuesday, according to the Campaign Finance Board.

Council Speaker Christine Quinn (D-Manhattan), the best-funded of the field of undeclared mayoral hopefuls and the one Bloomberg seems to want to succeed him, has brought in $4.5 million.

Political operative John Haggerty leaves Manhattan Supreme Court. A campaign committee run by Haggerty is three months late in filing its disclosure statement to the state Board of Elections. AP Photo/Seth Wenig

A campaign committee controlled by Queens Republican political operative John Haggerty, who is on trial for allegedly stealing $1.1 million of Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s money, is three months late in filing its disclosure report with the state Board of Elections, a BOE spokesman said Tuesday.

Haggerty, a Forest Hills resident, started the 28th Assembly District Republican Committee in October 2009 with a $20 deposit, according to campaign finance records.

In November 2009, about three weeks after he was elected to a third term, Bloomberg wired $120,000 to the committee, records showed.

Campaign committees are required to file their disclosure reports every six months with the BOE.

The last filing for the 28th Assembly District Republican Committee was made in January. It has yet to report its July disclosures.

Haggerty attorney Dennis Vacco could not be reached for comment.

If a committee misses a filing five days after the due date, a letter is sent requesting the committee to make the filing.

If there is still no response after five weeks, the BOE warns committees that they will be sued for up to $500 if they do not file their disclosure report.

BOE spokesman John Conklin said Haggerty’s campaign committee is on the agency’s “judgment list,” but the $500 fine has yet to be posted to the campaign committee’s account.

Haggerty is on trial for larceny in Manhattan Supreme Court for allegedly stealing $1.1 million of Bloomberg’s money.

Bloomberg made a $1.2 million contribution to the state Independence Party and the mayor said the funds were supposed to be used for a ballot security operation.

But prosecutors argue Haggerty only spent about $30,000 on ballot security and used the rest to buy out his brother’s share in their late father’s Forest Hills Gardens home.

Haggerty’s attorneys are arguing the donation to the Independence Party was a gift and Bloomberg had no control over how the money was to be spent.

In this courtroom sketch, Mayor Michael Bloomberg (c.) takes the stand in Manhattan Supreme Court as a witness against former campaign aide John Haggerty, who is accused of stealing $1.1 million of the mayor's money. AP Photo/Elizabeth Williams

Mayor Michael Bloomberg was grilled Monday by a defense attorney in the $1.1 million theft case against a former campaign aide and Queens Republican political operative, John Haggerty.

The mayor gave the $1.1 million to the Independence Party in 2009 to be used by Haggerty for poll watching during the election.

Bloomberg testified Monday in Manhattan Supreme Court that he only authorized the money for a ballot security operation when he sought a third term in 2009, not to enable Haggerty to buy out his brother’s share in their father’s Forest Hills home as prosecutors claim.??

About $750,000 ?of the $1.1 million reached Haggerty through a donation Bloomberg made to the state Independence Party’s housekeeping account that the mayor said was supposed to be used for hiring poll watchers.

Haggerty’s lawyers claimed Bloomberg, who was given immunity when he testified before a grand jury in the case?, had the Independence Party contract out the ballot security operation? instead of his own campaign so he he could skirt campaign finance laws and not have the expenditure show up on his campaign’s finance data.

Haggerty faces up to 44 years in prison if convicted on charges of grand larceny, money laundering and falsifying business records.

The mayor received treatment usually reserved for criminal defendants or judges as his car had access to the judge’s entrance to Manhattan Supreme Court, which let him dodge photographers hoping to snap a shot of Bloomberg arriving into court.

A phalanx of television cameras and still photographers camped outside the packed courtroom waiting for a chance to get a glimpse of Bloomberg.

Haggerty, who was an unpaid volunteer during the mayor’s campaigns in 2005 and 2009, is charged with billing Bloomberg’s campaign for $1.1 million for ballot security and then failing to deliver, allegedly putting only $35,000 into the operation.

Bloomberg backed up the prosecution’s claims during a more than two-hour session on the witness stand.

Haggerty “promised things he did not do,” the mayor told one of Haggerty’s defense attorneys, Raymond Castello.

In a move apparently designed to get a rise out of Bloomberg, Castello responded, “Isn’t that what you repeatedly did at Salomon Brothers?,” referring to the mayor’s time at the investment house.

“I have no idea,” the mayor with a look of disbelief.?

Haggerty’s lawyers are arguing that the $1.1 million Bloomberg gave to the Independence Party constituted a gift, which means the mayor had no control over how the money was spent.?

The mayor said the Independence Party was to pay a company set up by Haggerty for the ballot security operation.

Bloomberg testified that he gave the Independence Party the money in part to support candidates on that line, but when Castello asked the mayor if he knew any candidates who had that party’s line, he said he could not remember.

The mayor also said he did not enter into a written contract for the services Haggerty was entrusted to carry out on behalf of the campaign.

“Their handshake is worth more to me than a piece of paper,” he testified.

Haggerty’s ex-mistress ?and Bloomberg campaign aide Fiona Reid was expected to take the witness stand Tuesday.

Prosecutors allege Haggerty had an affair with Reid, who approved his ballot security expenditures, as part of his scheme to steal the mayor’s money.

Haggerty’s lawyers are attempting to prevent Reid from taking the stand.

State Sen. Tony Avella says his voice carries greater weight in Albany than it did when he was on the City Council. Photo by Joe Anuta

State Sen. Tony Avella (D-Bayside) may be one of 62 senators, but the lawmaker said he has a stronger voice among his colleagues than when he was on the City Council, where he was one of 51 legislators — 48 of them Democrats.

“I have more influence in Albany than I’ve had in the City Council,” Avella said last Thursday during an interview at the Bayside offices of TimesLedger Newspapers, explaining that Council Speaker Christine Quinn (D-Manhattan) wields more power than Senate leaders because the state body is more evenly divided among the two parties.

Avella said he and other freshman senators from both sides of the aisle as well as Gov. Andrew Cuomo ran on reforming Albany — dubbed the most dysfunctional legislature in the country — and their progress is starting to be felt.

“We’re all sort of new and we want to change things,” he said. “The beginning of the fresh blood is starting to make a change.”

Avella said there is more discussion among his Democratic colleagues in the Senate and that he stopped going to Democratic conference meetings in the Council because Quinn “would just do what she wanted.”

Avella, who defeated 38-year incumbent Republican Frank Padavan in November 2010, also said Albany has more of an impact on how Mayor Michael Bloomberg governs than the other way around, with just the threat of a state law passing putting enough pressure? on Bloomberg to act in the city.

“Up in Albany, the mayor does not have the influence whatsoever that he has down here,” Avella said.

While Avella ran on a reform platform and the state has taken steps to be more transparent in the areas of ethics reform, he said more should be done, including limiting legislators’ outside income.

“There still needs to be more openness,” he said.

Avella also said there should be campaign finance reform, pointing out that state legislators can receive higher contributions to their campaigns than mayoral candidates and lobbyists are not required to disclose that they are bundling contributions from many donors.

With the state in financial trouble, Avella is advocating for a one-time “true millionaire’s tax,” which he said would raise $4 billion and affect 79,000 tax filers with incomes exceeding $1 million. Previous versions of the charge were known as a “millionaire’s tax,” but those making $200,000 a year or more were included .

Avella said the argument that millionaires would leave the state if the tax were put into effect does not carry water because of the 79,000 affected, 39,000 of them do not live in the state.

The senator said he is also in favor of legalizing sports betting to raise revenue, claiming organized crime takes in $300 billion a year through sports betting, which Avella said is used to fund their illegal activities.

Avella said being a state senator has given him more visibility when it comes to the media — he said more television crews cover his news conferences since he made the switch from councilman to senator — but calls from constituents are mostly the same, except from a few who now contact him more about state legislation.

“Most of the calls are still ‘fix my pothole,’” he said.

Vallone said increased funding and hours for receiving centers across the city does not make up for Queens not having an animal shelter. Animals found in Queens are often sent to other boroughs, like Wilbur the pig, who was found in College Point but sent to Manhattan.

City Councilman Peter Vallone Jr. (D-Astoria) criticized a bill passed by his fellow Council members and championed by Mayor Michael Bloomberg that increases funding and the hours of operation for animal receiving centers but gets rid of a requirement for full-service shelters in Queens and the Bronx.

“We will probably see it rain cats and dogs in Queens before we ever see a shelter,” Vallone said.

The law provides more than $10 million in funding to Animal Care and Control, the nonprofit group which runs the city’s animal shelters. The operating hours of receiving centers, which take in animals so they can be put through the shelter system, have also been increased from eight hours a day once or twice a week to 12 hours a day seven days a week.

“This bill paves the way for a significant increase in public funding for the city’s animal shelters, which will greatly expand and improve care for homeless animals,” Council Speaker Christine Quinn (D-Manhattan) said in a statement.

In exchange, the city will no longer be required to build two full-service shelters, one for Queens and one for the Bronx, in accordance with a law passed in 2000. Vallone Jr.’s father, former Council Speaker Peter Vallone Sr., oversaw the passage of the previous law.

The new law was passed Sept. 21, with 46 votes in favor. Four Queens councilmen — Vallone Jr., Leroy Comrie (D-St. Albans), Dan Halloran (R-Whitestone) and Eric Ulrich (R-Ozone Park) — were the only ones to vote against it. Bloomberg signed the bill Tuesday.

Vallone Jr. said that while he was in favor of the increased funding and hours, a receiving center was no substitute for a shelter. He said he had heard a story about one family who lost their dog and after they eventually tracked it to a Manhattan shelter six hours later, they found the dog had been killed, with the shelter claiming it was sick. Vallone Jr. said he believed the situation could have been avoided if Queens had had a shelter.

The councilman said that since 2009, the nonprofit Stray from the Heart has sued the city Department of Health for not complying with the 2000 law and claimed Bloomberg pushed the new law to avoid an unfavorable court ruling. Stray from the Heart won its suit in New York Supreme Court, but lost a Health Department appeal that said the nonprofit did not have the standing to bring the claim to court. Vallone Jr. said the nonprofit was working to appeal the decision.

“The mayor wanted it done so there would not be a court ruling that the city was in contempt of the law and the City Council did it for him,” Vallone Jr. said.

The mayor’s office did not respond to requests for comment on Vallone Jr.’s claim.