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.”

Astoria elected officials State Assemblywoman Aravella Simotas (l.-r.), U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney, District Leader Costa Constantinides and State Sen. Michael Gianaris announce the Grand Post Office on 30th Avenue is off the list of offices to be considered for closure. Photo by Rebecca Henely

A spokeswoman from the U.S. Postal Service said that while Astoria’s Grand station has been saved from the chopping block, four other post offices in Queens are still up for study.

Connie Chirichello of USPS said public meetings will be held to discuss whether or not offices in Holliswood, Rosedale, Arverne and Rockaway Beach will be closed.

“As of right now, meeting dates have not been allocated,” Chirichello said.

The Grand Office, at 45-08 30th Ave. in Astoria, was one of five in Queens on a list of potential post offices that USPS was considering for closure. The others include the Holliswood post office, at 197-33 Hillside Ave.; the Rosedale post office, at 145-06 253rd St.; the Arverne post office, at 329 Beach 59th St.; and the Rockaway Beach post office, at 90-14 Rockaway Beach Blvd.

U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-Astoria) and other Astoria representatives praised USPS’s decision last week to take the Grand Post Office on 30th Avenue off the list.

“This is a critical center,” Maloney said. “It serves many disabled, many elderly, but also the business district of Steinway [Street].”

Astoria’s elected officials and business leaders contended at two rallies this summer that the Grand Post Office did not belong on the list. Maloney said in the past the? nearest post office, at 21-17 Broadway, is nearly half a mile away, making it difficult for seniors and those with disabilities to travel there.

“This is a neighborhood where not many people have cars,” Maloney said. “People walk.”

Maloney collected more than 1,000 signatures to keep the office open, which she gave to U.S. Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe. The congresswoman also maintained that Grand Office remained profitable. USPS considered post offices for closure if they earned less than $600,000 in revenue for fiscal year 2011. The Grand Office missed the mark by less than $40,000 in profit.

Maloney said the office’s adequate profits may have been the most convincing to Donahoe.

Astoria District Leader Costa Constantinides, who held the first rally, called the saving of the post office a “great victory” for the community. He said that with the neighborhood’s ever burgeoning population, the office was a necessity.

“We need critical infrastructure to be maintained and grown,” Constantinides said.

Tony Barsamian, chairman of the Steinway Astoria Partnership, was one of many business leaders who praised Maloney for her efforts.

“We want to have a better, user-friendly community,” Barsamian said.

Maloney denied that USPS was obsolete in the days of e-mail and paperless bills. Maloney said post offices serve the entire country and more heavily trafficked offices in urban areas cover for offices in less populated areas. She said she believes the post offices can become more viable through partnerships with businesses.

“The post office is as vital today as it ever was,” Maloney said.

A new report by city Comptroller John Liu suggests that President Barack Obama's jobs bill would have significant benefits for Queens.

The long-awaited American Jobs Act President Barack Obama proposed Sept. 8 will have more than a billion dollars of direct economic benefit for Queens workers, according to a new report by city Comptroller John Liu.

One of the key aspects of the $447 billion proposal would be the implementation of a $175 billion program to cut payroll taxes in half for all working Americans during 2012 through a slashing of contributions to Social Security taxes.

That payroll tax holiday is estimated to save 1,251,500 Queens workers a total of $1.1 billion for the most of any borough, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Despite the initial return of money to people’s pockets, Liu’s report said the tax cut does raise concerns, especially about how it will undercut the nation’s ability to pay for Social Security benefits.

Though the number of unemployed people in Queens fell from 178,860 in July 2009 to 99,924 in July 2011, according to the federal statistics, there is still a ways to go to get that number back down to the 58,153 people who were unemployed in July 2008 before the global market collapse.

Liu’s report projects that Obama’s jobs act will help continue that trend. Liu estimates one of the most dramatic results of the act’s implementation will be the creation or preservation of more than 50,000 jobs citywide.

The act would also prevent the layoffs of teachers and provide additional support for police officers and firefighters by allocating $700 million to help the city restore 3,700 teaching positions and maintain or increase the ranks at the FDNY and NYPD.

A mortgage refinancing program is also included in the plan and would have great benefits for city residents, Liu’s report said. Southeast Queens is one of the hardest-hit areas in the nation in terms of foreclosures.

“The program to remove barriers for home owners to refinance their mortgages at today’s historically low interest rates could provide $1.3 billion to New York City homeowners, resulting in an average annual savings of more than $6,000, or average monthly savings of $500 per borrower,” the report said.

One other major aspect of the plan is the extension of emergency unemployment benefits, but Liu’s office could not nail down exactly how much it would affect the 190,000 city residents who have been unemployed more than 26 weeks.

The report concludes by saying that though the benefits of the American Jobs Act are myriad and substantial, challenges and uncertainty still remain ahead.

“What is much less clear are which specific revenue strategies will be used to finance the tax cuts and spending measures,” the report said.

U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-Astoria) issued a statement last week expressing her support for Obama’s bill.

“I urge my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to work with us, pass this bill and help address the No. 1 issue on the minds of the American people: job creation,” she said.

U.S. Rep. Bob Turner (r.) chums it up with Mayor Michael Bloomberg over breakfast in Howard Beach, as the two businessmen meet for the first time. Photo by Christina Santucci

The victory by U.S. Rep. Bob Turner (R-Howard Beach) in the race for the 9th Congressional District seat has complicated plans for the congressional redistricting that is set to take place next year.

“It kind of flips things on its head,” said Alex Camarda of the government watchdog group Citizens Union in New York. “It obviously complicates things for the Democrats downstate. That was the seat they were planning to get rid of.”

In the 2010 census, the decline in the state’s population corresponded to losing two seats in Congress, which will bring the number to 27.

The typical thinking would be that each party would lose a seat. One would be picked from upstate and the other from downstate, according to Camarda. Afterward each district in the state would become slightly larger to absorb the people who lost their representatives.

As the election unfolded, it was widely thought that state Assemblyman David Weprin (D-Little Neck) would win the seat, which would then be eliminated, and the Republican Party would pick an upstate seat to dissolve.

But now that Turner is in office, both parties will have to change their strategies.

One factor is that Turner has repeatedly expressed his willingness to stay in Congress, even if his seat is eliminated.

He met with Mayor Michael Bloomberg Monday for the first time over breakfast in Howard Beach. The two businessmen-turned-lawmakers talked about their careers, the acquaintances they had in common and the future of New York City.

Turner said he would run against other incumbents, which means he could become a possible contender for other Democratic seats in the area, which are held by U.S. Reps Gregory Meeks (D-Jamaica), Joe Crowley (D-Jackson Heights) or Gary Ackerman (D-Bayside).?

But Republicans will have to choose whether they want to protect Turner’s seat, which could go back to a Democrat in the future, or protect some upstate legislators who recently won elections, according to Barbara Bartoletti, legislative director for the League of Women Voters.

It also remains to be seen whether Democrats will go after Rep. Kathy Hochul (D-Greece), who won upstate in a heavily Republican area.

Regardless of how the new lines will look, Bartoletti said the process will be decided by party politics behind closed doors.

“The party bosses and special interests gain in situations like this,” she said.

If Turner’s seat is eliminated in Queens, she said the Democratic Party will look to protect more senior members like Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-Astoria).

But Gov. Andrew Cuomo has said he will veto any legislative lines that are not drawn by an independent commission, a position he shares with several Queens lawmakers.

Vincent Tabone, vice chairman of the Queens GOP Party, said the Turner victory was a statement that voters in the district did not want to lose their representation.

“The people of the 9th Congressional District voted to maintain their congressional representation,” he said. “They fully comprehended that had they voted for Weprin, they were consenting to a dissolution of their congressional seat.”

In addition, voters voiced their opinion that the country was heading in the wrong direction, Tabone said.

Realtor Dorothy Buse stands outside a foreclosed home in Florida. U.S. Rep. Gary Ackerman is urging the House to extend the deadline for loan limits to prevent more families from losing their homes. AP Photo-Phelan M. Ebenhack

Queens’ congressional members are pushing their U.S. House of Representatives colleagues to prevent financially strapped homeowners in the borough from falling into a deeper hole and exacerbating the housing crisis.

Rep. Gary Ackerman (D-Bayside) sent a letter last Thursday to leaders of the House Appropriations Committee to urge them to extend the conforming loan limits that are eligible for Federal Housing Administration and Government Sponsored Enterprise insured mortgages.

At the end of the month, an extension to those limits that was issued three years ago will expire and would result not only in fewer mortgages being eligible for guarantees from federal agencies and services such as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, but also force private mortgage lenders to assume risk for loans above the limits.

“Middle-class homeowners are enduring the most painful housing crisis since the Great Depression. In just a few short weeks the pain of the crisis is set to become more acute since mortgage credit for many eligible buyers will evaporate,” Ackerman said in a statement.

His letter was co-signed by a bipartisan group of 36 House members, including Queens members Carolyn Maloney (D-Astoria), Gregory Meeks (D-Jamaica) and Joseph Crowley (D-Jackson Heights).

Ackerman’s office said 4 million American homeowners are either seriously delinquent on their mortgage payments or in foreclosure and 11 million homeowners owe more on their mortgages than their homes are actually worth. The foreclosure crisis has hit southeast Queens the hardest over the last couple of years as neighborhoods such as St. Albans, Springfield Gardens and Jamaica lead the state in the number of foreclosures and thousands of homeowners are fighting to save their houses.

Many homeowners in those communities were tricked into taking out subprime loans by shady lenders and could not make their payments when their monthly interest rose.

If the limit is not extended by Sept. 30, it will fall from $729,750 to $625,500 in New York, according to Ackerman’s office. The congressman said that a nearly $100,000 reduction would be devastating to all homeowners, regardless of how much they owe, because private lenders would be unwilling to assume the extra risk and pass it down to their customers in the form of higher down payments and interest.

“We cannot — at this time — rely on private lenders to provide reasonably priced, long-term, fixed-rate mortgages when they have showed great reluctance to do so over the past few years,” he wrote in his letter.

New York has received $295 million to repair the Harold Interlocking in Sunnyside Yards, a junction that sees trains from the Long Island Rail Road, Amtrak and New Jersey Transit. Photo by Rebecca Henely

The federal government has made available $295 million to improve a Queens railroad bottleneck in Sunnyside and provide a major step in opening the way for high-speed rail from New York to Boston.

U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-Astoria) said the U.S. Department of Transportation money would also create 9,213 jobs and provide a $585.9 million boost in economic activity.

The funding is part of $2 billion in high-speed rail grants announced by the federal government in May. Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority applied for the money after the governor of Florida rejected it for his state.

“I’m delighted that $295 million in federal high-speed rail funding is making an on-time arrival to the MTA,” Maloney said. “This project will relieve one of the worst choke points in our entire transit system, pave the way for high-speed rail, create 9,200 jobs and boost the economy by more than a half-billion dollars.”

Harold Interlocking in Sunnyside Yard is the busiest passenger rail junction in North America, with 783 trains moving through the area each day from three different transit systems: the Long Island Rail Road, Amtrak and New Jersey Transit.

Because of the way Harold Interlocking is currently constructed, conflicts among the three rail lines are frequent, resulting in constant delays and disruptions at Penn Station and on the Northeast Corridor.

The money will allow the MTA to construct a bypass that would provide Amtrak with conflict-free access to Harold Interlocking, reduce delays for trains to and from Boston and pave the way for high-speed rail in the Northeast Corridor.

Construction on the project is scheduled to start in September 2012.

The area of the project is within Maloney’s congressional district, which also includes parts of Manhattan.

In February, Gov. Rick Scott of Florida turned down the federal grant for a high-speed rail line linking Orlando and Tampa.

District Leader Martha Taylor (l.-r. front row), Assemblywoman Grace Meng, U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney and City Councilwoman Karen Koslowitz through their support behind Assemblyman David Weprin's (c.) Congressional campaign last week. Photo by Rebecca Henely

Many female elected officials at the city, state and federal levels endorsed state Assemblyman David Weprin (D-Little Neck) last Thursday at a news conference in front of Queens Borough Hall in Kew Gardens, saying the Democratic candidate for the sprawling congressional district is a tireless advocate for women’s rights.

“Some of the most impassioned speeches supporting women and children have come from David Weprin,” said Assemblywoman Aravella Simotas (D-Astoria).

Joined by his family — wife Ronni Weprin and daughters Stephanie Weprin and Lori Friedman — Weprin picked up the official support of electeds from Queens and beyond in his campaign to fill the seat left vacant by the resignation of U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner two months ago amid a sexting scandal.

Most said they supported Weprin over Republican candidate Bob Turner because of Weprin’s support for abortion rights and access to birth control.

“I will be a strong advocate for the women of the 9th Congressional District as well as our state, city and country,” Weprin said.

Britta Vander Linden, a spokeswoman for Turner’s campaign, said in a statement responding to the endorsements that district women would vote for Turner due to his platform to cut waste, lower taxes and improve the economy. She said the ability of American women to manage their families’ household budgets has been made impossible by “career politicians like Mr. Weprin.”

“Jobs and young people are fleeing New York because of the taxes and debt these politicians have piled on us,” Linden said. “These are the pocketbook issues women in Queens and Brooklyn care about.”

Those who endorsed Weprin included Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-Astoria), state Sen. Toby Stavisky (D-Whitestone), Simotas, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn and Councilwomen Karen Koslowitz (D-Forest Hills), Elizabeth Crowley (D-Middle Village), Diana Reyna (D-Ridgewood), Julissa Ferreras (D-Jackson Heights) and Margaret Chin (D-Manhattan).

Weprin said he was “a little speechless and a little overwhelmed” by the endorsements.

Koslowitz said the members of Congress who have represented the Forest Hills district, from Weiner going back to as far as former Rep. Joseph Addabbo Sr.,? who began his career in the House of Representatives in 1961, have been pro-women’s rights.

“Every one of them helped women. They believed in women,” Koslowitz said.

Others said they were supporting Weprin for his other policy positions. Maloney praised Weprin’s work as chairman of the Finance Committee when he was in the Council and said his financial aptitude would be a boon in Congress.

“I wish he was the chair of the Finance Committee in Congress,” Maloney said.

Ferreras said she hoped the multitude of endorsements by women politicians would encourage women voters to vote for Weprin.

“Every time we send a Republican to Congress, we lose rights as women, we lose rights as families,” Ferreras said.

Turner has received high-profile endorsements from former Mayor Ed Koch and Rep. Peter King (R-Massapequa Park).

U.S. Rep. Joseph Crowley (third from l.) met with members of Make the Road New York in Jackson Heights at a protest against the House Republicans' budget plan. Photo by Rebecca Henely

Two western Queens congressional members denounced the House Republicans’ proposed budget plan at two separate events last week, saying the cuts to Medicare and Medicaid would be an unfair burden on senior citizens.

“We need to pay our bills, but not balance the budget on the backs of our seniors,” U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-Astoria) said.

Maloney and Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-Jackson Heights) held their rallies at Queens spots to coincide with the 45th anniversary of the creation of the Medicare and Medicaid plans. Crowley had a rally last Thursday at Make the Road New York, at 92-10 Roosevelt Ave. in Jackson Heights, and Maloney held hers Friday at the HANAC Senior Center at 27-40 Hoyt Ave. South in Astoria.

The rallies elicited strong reactions in both neighborhoods. Visitors to Make the Road chanted “Si se puede,” a Spanish phrase that translates to, “Yes, it can be done.” Seniors at HANAC applauded when Maloney said she would be committed to saving Medicare and gasped in horror when she described the Republican budget plan.

Both lawmakers said the plan, alternatively called the “Ryan Plan” after House Budget Committee Chairman Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) or “The Path to Prosperity,” makes changes to Medicare and Medicaid that would shift the high cost of health care onto seniors. The GOP proposal passed the House by a 235-193 vote in
April, but was defeated in the Senate.

“It’s hard to believe that Republicans want to balance the budget on the backs of our seniors,” said Leni Juca, a small business owner who attended Crowley’s rally.

The Ryan budget would repeal a part of the Affordable Care Act aimed at to closing the prescription drug coverage gap, in which drug costs between $2,700 and $6,154 need to be paid out of pocket under Medicare Plan Part D?, and change the Medicare system over the course of 10 years. By 2022, Medicare would be replaced with a type of voucher system known as a “premium support payment” that seniors could take to private insurance companies.

“These private plans are going to cost more than the entire Medicare system does today,” Crowley said.

The Medicare plan would also eliminate preventive care and begin increasing the retirement age by two months each year so it becomes 67 by 2033.

“This is the wrong path to take,” Maloney said.

Both members of Congress said that while they understood the country has a debt problem, cutting these programs was not the way to solve it. They also said raising the debt ceiling is necessary to keep market confidence in the United States around the world.

Crowley said he wanted to see Congress push for measures that require a shared sacrifice instead of continuing to give tax cuts to the wealthy. He also called for a bill to create jobs.

“It is six months and we have yet to pass a single jobs bill,” he said.

Maloney urged action to promote job creation, and said ending the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq would save the country money.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rep. Anthony Weiner takes the podium moments before Monday's press conference. Andrew Brietbart claims the shirtless photo (inset) is one of many Weiner sent over the Internet. AP Photo/Richard Drew, inset courtesy BigGovernment.com

The borough’s elected officials have not rushed to support U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-Forest Hills), with most declining to comment after the congressman owned up to tweeting a suggestive picture of himself wearing boxer briefs to a Seattle college student and admitted to having online relationships with six women.

The strongest encouragement came from Weiner’s mentor and predecessor, U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.).

“By fully explaining himself, apologizing to all he hurt and taking full responsibility for his wrongful actions, Anthony did the right thing,” Schumer said in a statement. “He remains a talented and committed public servant, and I pray he and his family can get through these difficult times.”

Weiner, who choked up at times during a news conference he called Monday to take responsibility for the picture, said he was not resigning because he does not believe he violated his congressional oath or any laws.

“I have made terrible mistakes that have hurt the people I care about the most and I am deeply sorry,” an emotional Weiner told reporters at the Sheraton Hotel in Manhattan. “I have not been honest with myself, my family, my supporters.”

The revelation led House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to call for an ethics investigation into Weiner, who said he welcomed the probe and claimed no government resources were used in his indiscretions.

Reince Preibus, head of the Republican National Committee, called on Weiner to resign, but the congressman said he was not stepping down.

Weiner’s colleague, Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-Astoria), called the scandal “a sad situation.

“My heart goes out to Congressman Weiner’s family during this difficult time,” she said.

Many of the borough’s elected officials, including Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-Jamaica), state Assemblyman Rory Lancman (D-Fresh Meadows) and City Councilman James Sanders (D-Laurelton), declined to comment.

A Democratic insider said Weiner could have avoided the media circus if he had told the truth about the tweet from the onset.

The insider said Weiner probably will not be in Congress next year, but it would be due to redistricting, not the sexting scandal.

Weiner’s district may largely be carved up between Reps. Joe Crowley (D-Jackson Heights) and Gary Ackerman (D-Bayside), the insider said.

“I’d bet a beer right now that he won’t be in Congress in 18 months because of redistricting,” the insider said.

After days of denials and maintaining that his Twitter account was hacked, Weiner admitted Monday to sending the lewd photo that was intended to be seen only by 21-year-old Gennette Cordova, but was viewable to thousands of his followers on the social media website.

Weiner said the photo of his crotch was intended as a direct message to Cordova “that was a joke,” but he panicked when he realized the picture could be seen by anyone following his Twitter account and took it down himself.

The congressman called the news conference after more photos showing Weiner shirtless were released Monday by right-wing blogger Andrew Breitbart.

“The picture was of me and I sent it,” Weiner said in stunning admission.

The congressman also admitted to engaging in “inappropriate conversations, e-mail, Twitter” and pictures of “explicit images” that he shared with six women, although he said he had no physical relationships with them.

Phil Ragusa, chairman of the Queens Republican Party, said Weiner should have resigned.

“It’s really a shame because he’s supposed to be doing the people’s work and what’s he doing? He’s twittering, he’s sending lewd photos,” Ragusa said. “If he lies about things like this, how can you trust a guy like this?”

Weiner said his wife, Huma Abedin — an aide to U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton — was aware of the online relationships before they were married last summer and that the relationships started before the marriage.

“I should not have done this and I should not have done this while I was married,” he said.

Weiner said the online exchanges were conducted on his personal BlackBerry and his home computer and that government property was not used.

The congressman said that in some cases he initiated contact with the women and most of them he met on Facebook, but said he never met them in person.

Ann Jawin, president of the Center for the Women of New York, said she was both heartsick and disturbed by Weiner’s actions.

“He’s a very effective congressman and he’s represented the area very well,” she said. “What he did … was a personal thing, but people in public office have to consider that their personal life is not personal anymore.”

Jawin said Weiner’s conduct “sounds like the behavior of a teenager that didn’t grow up.”

When asked if he deserves another term in office, Weiner said it is up to voters to decide.

“My constituents have to make that determination,” he said. “I’m going to go back to work and I’m going to convince them this was a personal failing.”

Von Stewart, a Forest Hills resident of five years, said Weiner has his vote next year, but said the congressman destroyed his mayoral aspirations.

“I’m a New Yorker. I think New Yorkers will forgive him, but the chance of him becoming mayor is slim now,” Stewart said.

Weiner, who has more than 65,000 Twitter followers, said he will still use the social media site.

“I don’t believe I’ll use it the same way, that’s for sure,” he said.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“This country developed around infrastructure,” Richardson said.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Borough President Helen Marshall introduced Maloney at Dazies.

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

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

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

Geraldine Ferraro explains her and her husband's finances during an Aug. 21, 1984, news conference in Queens. Ferraro, the first woman to run for vice president on a major party ticket, died Saturday at 75. AP Photo

Then-Vice President George H.W. Bush shakes hands with Democratic vice presidential candidate Geraldine Ferraro before the beginning of their 1984 debate in Philadelphia. AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar

Geraldine Ferraro gathers with her family at a hotel in New York as they await returns of the presidential election in 1984, when she became the first woman to run for vice president on a major party ticket.

Geraldine Ferraro (c.) is presented with a plaque by U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney (r.) during the renaming of the post office in Long Island City for Ferraro last year as former U.S. Rep. Barbara Kennelly looks on. Photo by Christina Santucci

Geraldine Ferraro, the first woman to run for vice president on a major party ticket and a congresswoman who championed Queens in the House for six years, died Saturday in Boston after a 12-year battle with multiple myeloma, a blood cancer. She was 75.

“I remember shedding a tear when she was nominated for vice president at the Democratic convention in 1984,” said former Borough President Claire Shulman. “It was so exciting. It was a historic moment. I’m so glad Gerry had the opportunity. She represented us extremely well.”

Shulman said Ferraro “had the guts and the courage to run for vice president and really blazed a trail for everyone else. She was perfectly suited for that role because she had a lot of dignity and presence. She handled it with grace and intelligence.”

Born in upstate Newburgh, Ferraro moved to the South Bronx as a child and later settled in Forest Hills Gardens after marrying Forest Hills resident John Zaccaro.

Always proud of her ties to Queens, Ferraro introduced the borough to the rest of the country in her 1984 convention speech, telling how schoolchildren pass by subway stops on their way to school, residents hang flags on Grand Avenue on the Fourth of July and small businesses “take pride in supporting their families through hard work and initiative.”

Ferraro, who represented Forest Hills and parts of western Queens for six years in the House, lived in the same Forest Hills Gardens house from the beginning of her congressional career in 1978 until the early 2000s, and patronized the restaurant belonging to lifelong friends the Abbracciamento family.

“She never forgot about the community, even when she moved,” said John Abbracciamento, who is now chef and owner of his late father’s eponymous restaurant, Joe Abbracciamento. “She was a wonderful woman. We knew her so well she was like an aunt.”

Ferraro often ate at the storied Italian restaurant with colleagues and, later in her career, sometimes a large press entourage.

“I would be in the kitchen workings away and she would come in and say, ‘John, don’t worry about it. Just get it done.’” Abbracciamento said. “I met so many people who came through those doors without every having to leave.”

Abbracciamento said that his family remained close to Ferraro even after she left for Manhattan to be closer to her doctors.

After receiving a degree from Marymount Manhattan College, Ferraro worked as an elementary school teacher in Astoria and took night classes at Fordham Law School.

In 1974, Ferraro created the Special Victims Bureau of the Queens district attorney’s office, where headed the bureau responsible for sex crimes, child abuse and domestic violence.

Former City Council Speaker Peter Vallone Sr., a classmate of Ferraro at Fordham Law, said she was “an innovative DA.”

“She was always very active. She was always interested in Queens, what was happening in Queens,” he said.

Four year later, Ferraro entered the 1978 Democratic primary for the Ninth Congressional District, defeating then-City Councilman Tom Manton, who later succeeded Ferraro in the U.S. House of Representatives and was the longtime Queens Democratic Party boss, by 53 percent to 28 percent. A third candidate received 18 percent of the vote.

Ferraro then won the general election, defeating Republican Party and Conservative Party candidate Alfred DelliBovi 54 percent to 44 percent.

Shortly after her election, Ferraro became a rising star in the Democratic Party and became close with then-House Speaker Tip O’Neill.

She was elected to leadership positions in the House, including secretary of the House Democratic Caucus from 1981-85.

In Congress, Ferraro was known for highlighting women’s issues, including the pay disparity between men and women.

She would win re-election in 1980 and 1982.

In 1984, Vice President and Democratic nominee for president Walter Mondale chose Ferraro as his running mate, making her the first woman and first Italian American to run on a major party ticket.

While the presidential campaign enjoyed a boost days after the announcement, it lost momentum after the press scrutinized the finances of Ferraro’s husband and she declined to release her tax returns after promising to do so.

Vallone, who said he believed the media attention was unfair, went on “Nightline” to stick up for Ferraro.

“I was the highest-ranking public official to defend her,” he said. “She survived that like she survived everything else.”

U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-Astoria), who helped rename the Long Island City post office after Ferraro in August and was a convention delegate back in 1984, recalled watching Ferraro address the convention floor and the American people as she broke barriers.

“As an eager young delegate to the 1984 Democratic National Convention, I can tell you first-hand that Geraldine Ferraro thrilled us when she took the stage as the first woman ever nominated by a major political party to be its candidate for vice president of the United States,” Maloney said in a statement. “It was electrifying. She changed my life and she blazed a new path for American women.”

The Mondale-Ferraro campaign lost in a landslide to Ronald Reagan, who won re-election by carrying every state except Mondale’s home state of Minnesota and the District of Columbia.

Ferraro continued her political aspirations after the loss, but ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate in New York in 1992 and 1998.

Both times she lost in the Democratic primary.

Maloney said the country “has lost a great leader who was wise as she was warm, a trailblazer who broke down barriers for women and a mentor who opened the doors of possibility to many.

“For women everywhere, Geraldine Ferraro was a champion and heroine,” she said.

Ferraro’s funeral, a private service only for family and friends, is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. Thursday at the Church of St. Vincent Ferrer in Manhattan.

Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy (r.) talks with Liz Bishop-Goldsmith, (second r.) the founder of Mothers Against Guns, following a news conference, where several elected officials called for tighter gun restrictions. Photo by Christina Santucci

Queens elected officials, many of whom worked alongside U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.), called for the government to crack down on the spread of guns to suspicious people and urged an end to the kind of hateful political rhetoric that targeted the congresswoman before she was critically wounded by a lone gunman.

Several House members from the borough expressed their condolences to Giffords, 40, who was shot in the head at point-blank range Saturday in Tucson while she was holding a public event with her constituents in a parking lot.

The suspected 22-year-old shooter, Jared Lee Loughner, was allegedly fueled by hatred for the government and had targeted the congresswoman during his rampage that killed six and wounded 13, according to investigators. The 9-year-old granddaughter of a former New York Mets manager was among the victims.

Elected officials, such as Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-Astoria), condemned the shooting and stop the violent rhetoric against opposing parties.

“Guns kill. And those who glamorize gunplay or worship gun ownership do no service to humanity,” she said in a statement.

Giffords, who was re-elected to her third term in November following a bitter campaign against a Tea Party candidate, survived the shot but was listed in critical condition as of press time Tuesday.

Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-Jackson Heights) worked with her on the New Democrat Coalition Political Action Committee and said she was a kind woman who got along well with members of both sides of the aisle.

“Gabby is more than a colleague. She is a great friend whose dedication to her constituents, country and family is evident to all those whose lives she has touched,” he said in a statement.

The congresswoman, who voted for last year’s health-care package, had been the subject of various nasty campaign ads during the election by the controversial political group, including one that appeared on Sarah Palin’s website and Facebook page that used an image of a crosshair on her congressional district.

Palin redirected her Twitter followers to the page with a tweet, “Don’t Retreat, Instead — RELOAD!”

A protester left a gun at a meeting she held in 2009 where she discussed the health-care bill, and when it was voted on, someone shot a bullet through the glass door of her district office. No one was apprehended in either case.

Although Palin and other Tea Party members have also expressed condolences and made calls for peace, other leaders like Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-Jamaica) urged caution about using inflammatory language about politics.

“The essential features of our democracy is the dynamic of elected officials listening to the issues of our neighbors raise and assembling with them freely in open dialogue without fear, intimidation or violence,” he said in a statement.

Meeks’ office is going to set up surveillance cameras outside his district office in light of the shooting, according to a spokeswoman.

Aside from one of Giffords’ staff members and a federal judge, none the victims who were killed worked for government offices.

The youngest person killed in the massacre was 9-year-old Christina Green, who was interested in politics and wanted to meet the congresswoman face to face, according to her family. She is the granddaughter of Dallas Green, who finished his Major League Baseball career with the Mets in 1966 and eventually went on to manage the team from 1993-96.

He told the Associated Press that he thanked his fans for their prayers and support but said he and his family were “having a hard time” dealing with the girl’s death.

State Sen. Malcolm Smith (D-St. Albans) joined U.S. Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-Garden City) and other leaders outside the 113th Precinct Monday to call for tighter gun restrictions in light of the incident. The shooter bought his gun legally and McCarthy, whose husband was killed and son critically wounded in a 1993 mass shooting on the Long Island Rail Road, said that in today’s Internet-driven world, words can go a long way.

“It almost gives them permission,” she said of the rhetoric. “They say, ‘I don’t like this person. I’m going to go after them.’”

President Barack Obama shakes hands with Vice President Joe Biden (l.) after signing the $858 billion tax deal into law during a ceremony in Washington, D.C. AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais

The $858 billion bipartisan tax compromise bill President Barack Obama signed into law Friday exposed divisions on economic issues between Queens Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives.

While Reps. Gregory Meeks (D-Jamaica), Joseph Crowley (D-Jackson Heights) and Carolyn Maloney (D-Astoria) voted to approve the bill, Reps. Gary Ackerman (D-Bayside) and Anthony Weiner (D-Forest Hills) strongly opposed and voted against the legislation, which passed the House by a vote of 277-148.

Meeks’ southeast Queens district has the highest foreclosure rate in the state and 15 percent unemployment, so he said he voted for the legislation because the stimulative aspects of its $801 billion in tax cuts — which keep all Bush-era tax rates for two years, lower estate taxes and provide a one-year payroll tax cut for most workers — and $57 billion in extended unemployment benefits will help his constituents.

“Though I have reservations about the impact on the deficit resulting from a tax cut for millionaires and an estate tax package that is overly generous, taken as a whole, I believe this deal will have a strong, stimulative effect on the economy,” he said in a statement before the House vote. “The deal the president has reached will provide essential relief to my constituents.”

Ackerman said he chose to vote against the plan because major tax cuts for billionaires and its estate tax changes will saddle the country with debt while doing nothing for the vast majority of his constituents. “When it came to giving money to the billionaires, they didn’t care if it added to the deficit,” he said. “These are billionaires, the wealthiest people in the country. It’s just adding debt to our grandchildren’s accounts, and we’re going to be paying for the rest of our lives, too.”

Maloney voted for the bill, although she expressed conflicting views on its provisions during floor remarks last Thursday.

“This is the best deal struggling Americans are going to get. The bill extends tax cuts for middle-class families …. The bill’s one-year payroll tax reduction will deliver $120 billion in tax relief for working families …. 160,000 New Yorkers who will lose their unemployment benefits this month unless Congress takes action to extend them,” she said. “However, this bill is far from perfect. With rising income inequality and mounting national debt, it is deeply troubling that we are extending tax cuts to the wealthiest among us despite their proven lack of stimulative effect.”

Weiner said he voted against the bill because he believes it will have a lasting negative impact on the middle class, who will spend years paying large sums of money to fund tax cuts for the very wealthy.

“I think it’s irresponsible to borrow money from the Chinese to give big tax cuts to millionaires and billionaires,” he said. “I don’t think that we got as good a bargain as we should have but now we’re moving forward. Hopefully this is not a template for negotiations in the future.”

But Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-Jackson Heights) said the bill’s middle-classe provisions were too important to let it fail.

“The Obama tax proposal will help middle-class Americans who are struggling to make ends meet and ensure American businesses and workers are able to compete in the global economy,” he said. “While this bill is not perfect, it will ensure that nearly 40,000 middle-class residents in my district won’t see their income taxes go up January 1.”

U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner signs in to vote at PS 101 in Forest Hills Tuesday. Photo by Anna Gustafson

Five Queens Democratic Congressional incumbents beat back challenges from Republican opponents Tuesday, securing the Democratic lock on the borough’s representation in the House as expected.

U.S. Reps. Gary Ackerman (D-Bayside), Joseph Crowley (D-Jackson Heights), Carolyn Maloney (D-Astoria), Gregory Meeks (D-Jamaica), and Anthony Weiner (D-Forest Hills) easily won their races in a political climate that has been hostile to other Democrats across the country.

With 73.5 percent of the vote counted early Wednesday morning, Ackerman received 66.3 percent of the vote, while his Republican opponent, Dr. James Milano, landed 32.9 percent, and Elizabeth Berney, who was on the ballot on the Tax Revolt Party line, got 0.8 percent of votes, according to unofficial election results released by NY1.

Crowley landed 78.7 percent, while GOP candidate Ken Reynolds received 20.1 percent and Green Party challenger Anthony Gronowicz garnered 1.2 percent with 79.3 percent of the votes counted, according to NY1.

Maloney received 75.2 percent of the vote, while her GOP challenger David Brumberg drew 21.3 percent, Independent Dino LaVerghetta got 2.03 percent and Conservative candidate Timothy Healy netted 1.4 percent, NY1 reported.

Meeks captured 84.3 percent, easily surpassing Asher Taub, his Republican opponent, who had 15.7 percent, with 74.8 percent of precincts counted, according to NY1.

With 315 of 512 precincts counted, Weiner had 58.5 percent of the vote, compared to Republican Bob Turner’s 41.5 percent.

“This was a brutally difficult year for Democrats nationwide,” Weiner said. “I welcomed the chance to have a real debate on the issues with Mr. Turner. This was a real debate on national issues here on a local state, and I didn’t flinch from that debate for one moment.”

Weiner, who was first elected to the 9th Congressional District in 1999, and Turner, a businessman who grew up in Woodhaven, sparred over a number of issues throughout the race, including campaign finances and the federal health care bill.

Weiner said he planned to work with the new Republican majority in the House.

“I’m committed to going back to Washington and working with Republicans whenever I can, but I’ll stand up and fight for the things I think are important,” Weiner said.

Ackerman’s win ensured the Rosyln Heights, L.I., resident will return to Washington for his 15th term representing the people of the 5th Congressional District.

An Ackerman spokesman did not return calls for comment.

Ackerman, 67, who was first elected in 1983, was slammed by Tea Party activists during a series of protests and disturbances at his public appearances for grievances including his vote for President Barack Obama’s health-care overhaul.

But Ackerman said in April he did not believe the vote would preclude him from holding onto his seat, a prediction which proved true Tuesday.

Milano, 43, a fellow Roslyn Heights resident and emergency room physician at St. Francis Heart Hospital in Roslyn, L.I. and Berney a built bases of supporters throughout northeast Queens and western Nassau County as a result of conservative views including their opposition to health-care reform and their commitment to fiscal conservatism, but were unable to pull off an upset.

“I know he called [Ackerman] to congratulate him, I don’t know if he got through. There’s really not much to say, I guess the people spoke,” Milano spokesman Anthony Carollo said. “He’s going to go back and spend some time with his family and go back to his job at the hospital and take it day-by-day.”

Meeks said he will continue to work on behalf of his constituents.

“I am delighted to have the confidence of the people of southeast Queens to serve in the 112th United States Congress,” he said in a statement. “I look forward to working on your behalf on issues critical to the district.”

Ackerman’s district covers northeast Queens and neighboring areas of Nassau County. Weiner’s District covers Queens neighborhoods from Bayside to Maspeth, and parts of Brooklyn. Meeks’s district covers southeast Queens.

Maloney faced an acrimonious primary against Reshma Saujani, a lawyer who sent a barrage of negative mailings about her opponent. Maloney landed about 81 percent of the vote, while Saujani garnered approximately 19 percent.

Maloney’s district covers Astoria, Long Island City and parts of Manhattan. Crowley’s district covers parts of western Queens and the Bronx.

Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney with Loula Loi Alafoyiannis, founder of the Euro-American Women's Council. Photo by Christina Santucci

Manhattan attorney Reshma Saujani may have been U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney’s (D-Astoria) toughest opposition in years, but the longtime congresswoman handily defeated her challenger in last week’s Democratic primary because she has been visible in her district, political insiders said.

Maloney, who was first elected to Congress in 1992 and serves as the House’s chairwoman of the Joint Economic Committee, took 81 percent of the vote in the Sept. 14 primary. Saujani, a Manhattan lawyer who formerly worked on Wall Street, received 19 percent.

Maloney will now face Republican Ryan Brumberg in the Nov. 2 general election.

Queens political insiders said they have seen anti-incumbent sentiments toward congressional members across the United States. But they believed Maloney was able to fend off her primary opponent because the residents of her district did not appear to harbor those sentiments toward her.

“While there is certainly an anti-incumbent move, I don’t think it’s nearly powerful enough to unseat politicians who are on good terms with their district,” said Michael Krasner, a political science professor at Queens College and the co-director of the Taft Institute. “The general rule is that it’s hard to beat an incumbent unless there is a personal scandal or some kind of major tidal wave involving the party.”

Krasner said he believed the race possibly appeared to be closer because Saujani did not shy away from attacking the congresswoman.

“I think maybe that impression came about because [Saujani] was aggressive and articulate,” he said. “But it was hard to see Maloney losing, even though she had an intelligent and spirited opponent. She’s had a pretty high profile and has been very visible with medical services for 9/11 workers. She’s had a public stance on issues that have real emotional resonance in her district. I think all that stood her in good stead.”

Maloney said one of her goals would be to pass a health and compensation act for Ground Zero workers who were at the World Trade Center site following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

State Assemblyman Michael Gianaris (D-Astoria) said he believed Saujani would have likely drawn more votes had she run in a different race.

“She was running at the right time in the wrong place,” he said. “In a year when voters want change, they are also intelligent enough to realize that Maloney is part of the solution, not the problem.”

The race between Maloney and Saujani often became acrimonious. Saujani’s campaign sent out fliers that accused the congresswoman of taking campaign funds from special interests as well as holding a fund-raiser with members of political action committees at an event where musicians James Taylor and Carole King played.

Maloney’s camp sent out a mailer that attempted to link Saujani to Hassan Nemazee, a former finance chairman for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee who pleaded guilty in March to defrauding three banks out of loans totalling more than $200 million.

James Allen, a spokesman for Saujani’s campaign, said the Manhattan attorney was “definitely staying in public service,” but was not sure what office she would target next.

“I think she’s still looking at this election and what happened,” he said. “I’m sure she’ll be running for office again, but I wouldn’t say that she’s declaring that she’s running against Maloney in 2012. Reshma is proud of the way she was able to activate some of the communities that have been ignored for so long. Ultimately, it’s really, really tough to take on an 18-year incumbent with name recognition and twice as much money.”

Maloney’s district covers Astoria, Long Island City and Manhattan’s Upper East Side.

U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney (l.) greets poll worker Carolyn Scarano while visiting PS 85 in Astoria. Photo by Christina Santucci

U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-Astoria) will remain western Queens’s voice in Congress after handily defeating challenger Reshma Saujani in Tuesday’s Democratic primary, according to unofficial election results.

Maloney, who was first elected in 1992 and serves as the House’s chairwoman of the Joint Economic Committee, received 80 percent of the vote. Saujani, a Manhattan attorney who formerly worked on Wall Street, took 19 percent, according to unofficial election results.

“I am honored and humbled by the overwhelming show of support from voters from every corner of the district,” Maloney said. “From standing up for consumers to creating jobs to standing up for women, children and families, I am more dedicated than ever to the causes I have championed throughout my career. I never stop fighting for New Yorkers – and in tough times, I fight even harder.”

On the Republican line, Manhattan’s Ryan Brumberg took 62 percent while Dino LaVerghetta of Manhattan took 27 percent and attorney Roger Blank received 9 percent.

Maloney will face Brumberg in the Nov. 2 general election.

The congresswoman and her Democratic opponent both made job creation and economic issues top priorities during a race that often became acrimonious.

Saujani’s campaign sent out fliers that accused the congresswoman of taking campaign funds from special interests as well as holding a fund-raiser with members of political action committees at an event where musicians James Taylor and Carole King played.

She also criticized Maloney for not taking part in debates that her campaign requested.

The two opponents took part in one debate Sept. 7 that was hosted by WWRL 1600 radio.

A flier sent out by Maloney’s campaign questioned Saujani’s ethics, alleging that she had links to Hassan Nemazee, an investment banker who was arrested on fraud charges in 2009.

Both candidates also listed improvements to Queens senior centers and schools as well as additional hospital space for western Queens as key issues this year.

Maloney said one of her goals would be to pass a 9/11 health and compensation act for Ground Zero workers who were at the World Trade Center site after Sept. 11, 2001.

Both candidates racked up high-profile endorsements. Maloney was picked by The New York Times and former President Bill Clinton, while Saujani was supported by the Daily News and The New York Observer.

Maloney is the chairwoman of the House Joint Economic Committee. She also sits on the House’s Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and Committee on Financial Services.

Saujani previously worked as the deputy general counsel of the liquid markets business at Fortress Investment Group. Her parents, of Indian origin, fled to the United States after escaping the regime of Idi Amin in Uganda.

LaVerghetta has worked as an attorney for Debevoise & Plimpton LLP, while Brumberg worked as a management consultant at McKinsey and Co. Blank founded his own law firm in Manhattan.

The district covers Astoria, Long Island City and Manhattan’s East Side.

Reshma Saujani (l.) is challenging U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney (r.) for her seat. Photos courtesy of Saujani/by Christina Santucci

U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-Astoria) will face off against Manhattan’s Reshma Saujani next week to retain her seat in a race the congresswoman said has become dominated by one issue: “jobs, jobs, jobs.”

Both Maloney, who was first elected in 1992 and serves as the House’s chairwoman of the Joint Economic Committee, and Saujani, a Manhattan attorney who previously worked on Wall Street and worked as deputy general counsel for Fortress Investment Group, have prioritized economic issues in their bids for the seat leading up to the Sept. 14 Democratic primary.

The congresswoman, whose district covers Astoria, Long Island City and Manhattan’s Upper East Side, said getting residents in the neighborhoods she represents back to work was this year’s primary goal.

“I’d say the top concern in the district is jobs,” she said. “As chairwoman of the Joint Economic Committee, I’ve been working tirelessly to create jobs and get our economy back on track. I’ve secured funding for infrastructure jobs, such as the Queens-Manhattan connector. And because small businesses are the backbone of our community, we’ve worked on a small business tax credit that will allow businesses to hire unemployed workers.”

Saujani said she believes the district’s western Queens neighborhoods are currently suffering under the economic downturn.

“We’re bleeding jobs and not growing enough in the private sector,” she said. “People are unemployed and terrified. They can’t put food on the table.”

Both candidates said they believed improvements to Queens senior centers and schools were also top priorities.

“I can’t tell you how many seniors I’ve talked to who say they have lived in apartments for 30 years and rents are going up,” Saujani said. “I think we need an advocate who will push for renters’ rights. And we need to make sure we have resources for schools in Queens and that after-school programs are not getting cut.”

Maloney said she has helped to get senior housing built in Astoria, such as the Hellenic American Neighborhood Action Committee’s George Douris tower along Hoyt Avenue, and allocated money to western Queens schools including LaGuardia Community College and Astoria’s Frank Sinatra School for the Arts.

The congresswoman and her challenger also believe western Queens is in dire need of more hospital space.

“Mt. Sinai needs to expand and I’m trying to work with them,” Maloney said. “The amount of demand is overflowing. They need more space and parking. They are bursting at the gills.”

Saujani said she wants more federal money to go toward funding hospitals in the district.

The Manhattan lawyer said she will also push for ethics and campaign finance reform for Congress.

“I think there is a leadership deficit in Washington right now,” she said. “I think we need to send a new crop of leaders to Albany and Washington. I talked to 100 voters a night and they all say they have lost faith in their politicians. There are too many special interests.”

Maloney said one of her goals would be to help pass a 9/11 health and compensation act for Ground Zero workers who were at the World Trade Center site after Sept. 11, 2001. She also wants to ensure that the creation of new development in Long Island City continues.

“I predict Queens will become the second most-important business district in the entire city,” she said. “The amount of activity and investment coming to Queens is really important.”

Clinton wrote a letter to Maloney’s campaign in which he said, “New York is better off because of Carolyn’s leadership.”

“Decades from now, we will all still be reaping the benefits of Carolyn’s extraordinary work,” Clinton wrote.

Maloney was first elected to Congress in 1982.

Simmons, a legendary hip-hop producer from Hollis, said he thought Saujani, a Manhattan Democrat who formerly worked on Wall Street, was the best choice for the seat.

“Reshma is exactly the type of person we need to send to Washington right now,” Simmons said in a statement. “It’s refreshing to have a politician who speaks her mind and advocates for what she believes is right, no matter what the political consequences.”