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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

U.S. Rep. Joseph Crowley asked Gov. Andrew Cuomo to give Queens Hospitals the same consideration recently given to Wyckoff Heights Medical Center, a hospital often frequented by southwest Queens residents, which was looked at by a working group.

U.S. Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-Jackson Heights) wrote a letter to Gov. Andrew Cuomo earlier this month requesting they “start a conversation” on how to address Queens’ and the Bronx’s diminishing health care access following the establishment of a work group to deal with Brooklyn hospitals.

“The focus of late has been on Brooklyn, but we have concerns in Queens County as well,” Crowley said.

The Brooklyn Health Systems Redesign Work Group, or the Berger Commission II, recently released a report at the end of November with recommendations to increase the financial security and quality of care of Brooklyn’s health system.

The study looked at six hospitals, one of which was Wyckoff Heights Medical Center, which many residents in southwest Queens use. The study recommended that Wyckoff, along with Interfaith Medical Center, be integrated into a system with Brooklyn Hospital Center, which has recently emerged from bankruptcy, at the head.

Brooklyn Hospital should then guide Wyckoff and Interfaith in streamlining their care to make it sustainable in a way that helps the communities’ needs and helps the hospitals fix their own financial problems, the study said.

Crowley said while he wants Brooklyn’s health care situation to improve, he wrote to Cuomo Dec. 1 requesting they discuss how to deal with similar issues for Queens and the Bronx’s hospitals.

Crowley said Queens also needs attention after four hospitals closed in the last five years. He said the closings have put a burden on Queens’ existing hospitals and resulted in the lost of hospital beds and emergency rooms in the borough.

“I want to find solutions,” Crowley said. “I want them to be addressed, particularly emergency rooms.”

The hospitals in Queens that have closed include St. Joseph’s Hospital in Flushing, which was converted into the drug abuse support facility Cornerstone of Medical Arts Center in 2007; Parkway Hospital in Forest Hills, which shut its doors in 2008 due to a recommendation from the first Berger Commission; and Mary Immaculate in Jamaica and St. John’s Queens Hospital in Elmhurst, which were closed in 2009 after failing to get $36 million from the state to cover operating costs.

Crowley said the loss of emergency rooms was a particular concern as time could mean the difference between life and death in many situations. He also said that closing a hospital is a loss to the local businesses that employees once patronized.

“Hospitals are an economic engine and they are in our communities,” he said.

The congressman said some possible solutions could be relieving hospitals of their debt or creating a free-standing emergency room like the one being set up at the former site of Manhattan’s St. Vincent Hospital in Greenwich Village.

“I think there’s room for a lot of creativity here,” he said.

Crowley’s district, which encompasses Jackson Heights, East Elmhurst, Elmhurst, Corona, Woodside, Maspeth, College Point and parts of the Bronx, does not include any of the shuttered hospitals, but he said the closings have had an effect on his constituents.

But his district does cover Elmhurst Hospital Center, which has been working to expand its services.

Queens Supreme Court Justice Lee Mayersohn (l.) congratulates Assemblyman Michael Simanowitz, as Simanowitz's wife Jennifer and daughter Elisheva look on. Photo by Christina Santucci

Former Assemblywoman Nettie Mayersohn (l.) shakes hands with Assemblyman Michael Simanowitz, who worked on her staff and won her seat in the Assembly after she retired. Photo by Christina Santucci

Queens Supreme Court Justice Lee Mayersohn (l.) swears in Assemblyman Michael Simanowitz, who is surrounded by his family - daughter Elisheva and parents Sheila and Sherman Simanowitz. Simanowitz was elected to the seat in which Mayersohn's mother, Nettie, had served. Photo by Christina Santucci

Residents of the 27th state Assembly District began a new era for their community as they welcomed the first new Assembly member in nearly three decades to represent Flushing, Whitestone and Fresh Meadows.

Assemblyman Michael Simanowitz (D-Flushing) appeared at a formal ceremony Sunday before various borough and state officials, including Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D-Manhattan), Queens Democratic Chairman U.S. Rep. Joe Crowley (D-Jackson Heights) and Assemblyman Ed Braunstein (D-Bayside).

Simanowitz won the special election for the seat in September after his former boss and predecessor, Nettie Mayersohn, 86, announced her retirement from the Assembly after 28 years in office.

The new Assembly member, who was inaugurated by Mayersohn’s son Judge Lee Mayersohn, promised his constituents at the Electrical Industry Center on Parsons Boulevard in Pomonok that he would carry on the good work she has done over the years.

“Thank you for showing me ?the kind of elected official I want to be,” he told her.

The 27th District also includes the neighborhoods of College Point, Forest Hills, Kew Gardens Hills, Electchester, Pomonok, Briarwood, Kew Gardens and Richmond Hill.

The who’s who of elected officials applauded Mayersohn for her time in office and the various pieces of legislation and programs she supported. Mayersohn pushed for the passage of the Baby AIDS Law in 1996, which requires doctors to tell mothers if their babies are infected with the HIV virus.

“Nettie Mayersohn was known in the halls of the U.S. House of Representatives and the halls of the U.S. Senate,” Crowley said.

Mayersohn said she was humbled by the support.

“I want to thank you for the support you gave me as an assemblywoman for 28 years,” she said.

Crowley told Simanowitz, who served as Mayersohn’s chief of staff for 15 years, that the best way to be an effective leader was to reach out to the other aisle and show voters that government can be bipartisan.

“People need a restoration of their faith in government. Michael, my suggestion to you is to make a lot of friends,” Crowley said.

Silver said Simanowitz has already proven to be a strong leader during his first two months in office and will be a major contributor to Albany.

“We look forward to your contributions to our efforts. We know you will serve your constituents and the house with loyalty, patience, honor and integrity,” he said.

Simanowitz said he is focused on several issues, but the top one is boosting the state’s economy and encouraging job growth. He noted that one in six New Yorkers is either underemployed or unemployed, which has caused a huge exodus of young adult residents.

“New York needs to lead, not follow, when it comes to job growth,” he said.

The new assemblyman added that his office is always open and he will be taking the community’s interests and concerns very seriously.

“I may be one of the new kids on the block, but I will run to help the people of the state,” he said.

Christina Santucci contributed to this article.

U.S. Rep. Joseph Crowley nominated Peter Kelly to the post of head of the Queens Surrogate Court.

Attorney John E. “Sean” Crowley is suing a California woman on disability, claiming he was never properly compensated for legal work he had done for her. She and her lawyer, who are fighting the fee, claim his congressman brother’s appointments create a conflict of interest.

Sean Crowley is the brother of U.S. Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-Jackson Heights), chairman of the Queens Democratic Party.

A Forest Hills resident who works for Manhattan firm Davidoff, Malito & Hutcher LLP, Sean Crowley filed a lawsuit in Queens Surrogate Court against Rose McGushin, 49, seeking $10,000 for work he performed on McGushin’s mother’s will more than a decade ago, City Hall News reported.

But McGushin and her lawyer, Manhattan attorney Dan Isaacs, contend the suit over unpaid fees will be compromised.

Isaacs said they do not believe McGushin will get a fair hearing in court because Peter Kelly, head of the Queens Surrogate Court, was nominated for the post by the congressman.

Isaacs, who is also chairman of the Manhattan Republican County Committee, said he had no opinion on Joseph Crowley’s appointments but believed the case hit “a little too close to home.”

“You always want to avoid any appearance of impropriety whatsoever,” Isaacs said.

He said when he appeared before court last Thursday, he was told by Kelly to put in writing the reasons why he thought having Kelly judge the case constituted a conflict of interest. Isaacs is also asking that the case be moved to another court system altogether.

McGushin was not able to attend last Thursday. Their next court date is Nov. 10, Isaacs said.

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

Neither Kelly nor the Queens Surrogate Court made a statement. David Bookstaver, spokesman for the New York State courts, said Friday that Kelly would consider the request after it is put in writing.

“Right now it’s all speculation,” Bookstaver said.

Sean Crowley did not address the alleged conflict of interest, but a spokesman for his firm released a statement saying the lawyer wanted to be compensated for his work.

“This case deserves a fair day in court and we expect the court will rule on this matter based on the merits of the case and nothing else,” the statement read.

U.S. Rep. Gregory Meeks says contrary to a news report, there was no secret meeting held to choose someone to succeed him.

U.S. Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-St. Albans) dismissed a published report that southeast Queens elected officials and U.S. Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-East Elmhurst), chairman of the Queens Democratic Party, met in secret to discuss replacing the Jamaica congressman.

The New York Post, citing two unnamed elected officials who were “familiar” with the meeting, said the alleged sitdown at the Guy R. Brewer Democratic Club led to a decision that state Sen. Malcolm Smith (D-St. Albans) should succeed Meeks, who is reportedly under federal investigation for receiving a $40,000 payment from a Richmond Hill businessman who is charged with mortgage fraud.

“The Post has its own way to create its own facts,” Meeks said in a phone interview Monday, a day after the story was published. “Everybody that was allegedly at this meeting said categorically there was no such meeting.

The newspaper said Smith, Crowley and City Councilmen Leroy Comrie (D-St. Albans) and Ruben Wills (D-Jamaica) met on an unspecified date last month to discuss Meeks.

A spokeswoman for Smith said the senator was not aware of any secret meeting.

“If there was a meeting, the senator had no knowledge of it and the senator never attended the meeting,” she said

Crowley, Comrie and Wills could not be reached for comment.

The story, citing an unnamed source, reported that Meeks’ “premature exit is assumed.”

“Resigning? Are you kidding me? That’s nowhere near what I’m doing,” Meeks said.

Donovan Richards, chief of staff to Councilman James Sanders (D-Laurelton), also said the councilman was not aware of a meeting in southeast Queens.

“If there was one, we weren’t invited,” Richards said.

Bob Turner (c.) speaks to supporters during an Election Night party with his wife, Peggy (second from r.), by his side. Photo by Christina Santucci

Democrats may have a 3-1 advantage over Republicans in the 9th Congressional District, but President Barack Obama’s unpopularity and the state of the economy sank state Assemblyman David Weprin’s (D-Little Neck) chances of winning the seat over Republican Bob Turner, according to political observers.

“I think there was a lot of anger about the economy and a lot of anxiety about jobs,” said Elizabeth Holtzman, who held the seat for four terms in the 1970s and 1980s and expressed interest in running this time around, but was passed over in favor of Weprin by Queens Democratic Party Chairman U.S. Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-Jackson Heights). “People are angry and worried and it’s not only in the 9th Congressional District.”

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

In an interview, Weprin said his poor showing in Brooklyn was due to Turner’s having more recognition there — he ran for the seat two years ago — and Weprin’s vote in favor of gay marriage in the state Assembly.

“My support for marriage equality hurt me with the Orthodox [Jewish] community,” he said.

“It was a perfect storm against me,” said Weprin, including “the fact that my opponent successfully made the race a referendum on Obama.”

Weprin said his campaign tried to get out the message that Turner wants to cut the federal budget by 35 percent and slash Medicare and Social Security.

“The media didn’t cover any of that,” he said.

Holtzman, who has strong ties to Brooklyn — she used to be the Brooklyn district attorney — and is familiar to Queens residents for her stint in the House seat that was up for grabs last week, said she believes she would have been a stronger candidate.

“People knew me as a very strong, outspoken fighter for many causes,” she said. “As someone who stood up to a lot of presidents — from Richard Nixon to Gerald Ford to Jimmy Carter, regardless of party — I think people understood I could be a very strong messenger.”?

But one political observer said the candidates did not matter as much in the special election as someone who was not running: Obama.

“Congressional elections are generally viewed in the context of the president,” the observer said. “When you’re a Democrat running against a Republican and George Bush is the president, you do well. When you’re a Democrat and Barack Obama is the president, you don’t do as well.”

The observer said the most telling indicator of the outcome of the special election was a Public Policy Polling poll released four days before the contest that showed Obama with a 31 percent approval rating in the 9th Congressional District and a less than 50 percent approval rating among Democrats in the district.

“In the end, I don’t think it mattered much about the candidates,” the observer said. “In a race for Congress, people look first and foremost to the president.”

Turner appeared to gain momentum early in the race when he picked up his first high-profile endorsement, when former Democratic Mayor Ed Koch backed him.

In endorsing Turner, Koch urged voters to cast their ballot for the Republican “to send a message to Obama” on his Israel policy.

“Once Koch injected ‘send a message,’ that was all she wrote for David Weprin,” the observer said. “Koch was not relevant except that he was able to give voice that people who wanted to send a message to Obama [should] send a message to Obama. It was not about gay marriage, it was not about Israel.”

Holtzman agreed the election gave voters unhappy with Obama a reason to vote for Turner.

“Once the race was viewed as sending a message to Washington, there were a lot of people who wanted to send a message to Washington, particularly on the economy,” she said.

In a May congressional special election upstate, the Democratic candidate was not expected to win, but the race occurred a week after Osama bin Laden was killed and Obama’s approval rating at the time was 48 percent.

The Democrat captured 48 percent of the vote and won the election in a three-way race.

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.

The race between congressional candidates David Weprin (l.) and Bob Turner has garnered national attention. Photos by Christina Santucci

Political action committees have donated to Assemblyman David Weprin’s (D-Little Neck) campaign at a rate nearly 50 times as high as his Republican rival, Bob Turner, in the race for the 9th Congressional District seat, Federal Election Commission records showed.

Weprin raised more than $291,000 from PACs while Turner received only $6,000, according to the FEC records.

The Republican Congressional Campaign Committee gave $5,000 to Turner with the New York State Conservative Party donating $1,000.

Dozens of congressman and other elected officials have donated to Weprin, including $2,000 apiece from House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and U.S. Reps. Joseph Crowley (D-Jackson Heights), Jerry Nadler (D-Manhattan) and Gary Ackerman (D-Bayside).

Weprin also heavily benefitted from contributions from unions, which accounted for a large portion of the $291,000 he raised from PACs.

Turner received $1,000 each from U.S. Reps. Michael Grimm (R-Staten Island) and Peter King (R-Massapequa Park), according to the FEC.

Weprin also had 269 individual contributors compared to Turner’s 134 individual donors.

Turner’s campaign received more than $138,000 in contributions, not including a $65,000 loan Turner gave himself, and spent more than $118,000, leaving him with more than $93,700 in cash on hand, according to the latest FEC disclosure information.

Weprin’s campaign took in more than $450,000 in contributions, spent about $250,000 and has more than $202,000 in cash on hand — more than double the amount Turner has left, according to FEC records.

Weprin and Turner were thrust into the race after U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner resigned in May amid a sexting scandal.

The 9th CD seat that they are vying for includes Forest Hills, Fresh Meadows, Oakland Gardens, Kew Gardens, Kew Gardens Hills, Howard Beach, Ozone Park and parts of the Rockaways and Brooklyn.

The race has been defined by the candidates’ stances on the federal budget, entitlement programs and Israel, although both Turner and Weprin oppose President Barack Obama’s idea that the Jewish state go back to its pre-1967 war borders as a precondition for negotiations with the Palestinians.

Weprin has attacked Turner, saying his plan to cut the federal budget by 35 percent is not feasible if Turner also wants to preserve Medicare and Social Security.

Turner is slamming Weprin for being a “career politician,” having positions that mimic the unpopular Obama and for failing to state the correct figure when asked what the federal deficit was.

Both campaigns earned critical endorsements in the race, with Turner getting the backing of former Mayor Ed Koch, King, the New York Daily News, the New York Post and the Jewish Week, while the United Federation of Teachers, U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the firefighters’ union are throwing their weight behind Weprin.

Earlier in the race, a Siena College poll found Weprin leading Turner by six points, but both campaigns had surveys conducted on their behalf last week.

A poll conducted by McLaughlin & Associated and commissioned by Turner found him and Weprin in a dead heat, with both men at 46 percent.

Weprin released his own survey, done by Global Strategy Group, that showed the assemblyman with an eight-point lead over Turner.

In the final days of the campaign, the contest has taken a turn for the weird.

Weprin, a Democrat, had a borough magician named “Wendy Wizard” endorse Turner outside a Rockaway fund-raiser last week, playing off a New York Times editorial that urged voters to cast their ballot for Weprin.

In the endorsement, the Times criticized Turner, a retired businessman from Rockaway, for saying he wants to slash the federal budget while keeping Social Security and Medicare intact.

“That would take a magician, not a businessman,” The Times said.

Turner’s campaign said the Weprin camp was going off the deep end.

“The Weprin campaign is becoming increasingly bizarre. We suggest they all head back to Hogwarts and regroup,” Turner campaign spokesman Bill O’Reilly said, referring to the fictional wizard school from the Harry Potter books.

Turner’s campaign accused the Weprin camp of sending in spies that purported to be Turner volunteers while Weprin’s campaign said they had no knowledge of such incidents.

Republican Assembly candidate Marco DeSena (l.) is accusing Democrats of rigging the timing of the race so that Democratic candidate Michael Simanowitz (r.) has a better chance of winning. Photos by Connor Adams Sheets

The Republican candidate to replace Nettie Mayersohn, who retired in April from the 27th District state Assembly seat she held for 28 years, contends that the Queens Democratic Party manipulated the timing of the special election to replace her.

Marco DeSena alleges that the county Democratic Party’s leaders — under the guidance of its chairman, U.S. Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-Jackson Heights) — orchestrated a situation whereby Mayersohn would win re-election in 2010 based on her name recognition, then step down in order to make way for her chief of staff, Michael Simanowitz, to take her place.

DeSena says he believes the party’s leaders, counting on more Democrats to vote in a city special election than Republicans, waited until a few months after Mayersohn won, then had her step down quietly, keeping the limelight off the race and — they hope — allowing for Simanowitz to take her place relatively easily.

“That’s the incredibly shady way they tried to get the Democrats elected. Assemblywoman Mayersohn retiring four months into her tenure this year is, I think, unfair to the voters. I truly believe it was orchestrated this way,” DeSena said.

But the Simanowitz camp denies those allegations.

“Mr. DeSena is delusional,” Ross Wallenstein, campaign manager for Simanowitz, said in response to the charges leveled by DeSena. The Simanowitz campaign declined to speak to individual allegations.

DeSena sees a conspiracy on behalf of the Democrats he believes undermines the democratic process. He said the vast majority of voters he speaks with have no idea there is even a special election going on in their area, and DeSena says that could have been remedied by allowing for a longer campaign.

“Instead of lengthening the election so voters are informed and we have a longer period of time to run a proper campaign, they shortened it even more so the election is on Primary Day because there are way more Democratic primaries in New York City than there are Republican ones. Democrats are more used to voting in primaries,” he said. “Before anyone notices, the whole thing will be done.”

Queens Democratic Party Executive Secretary Michael Reich said the party had no part in helping Mayersohn decide when to step down.

“All I can tell you is it was entirely Nettie Mayersohn’s decision to retire when she wanted to. She was entitled to do that, and no one should take away all those years of service to the Queens community,” he said. “I don’t even know why he’s wasting his time running. He has no qualifications.”

Robert Hornak, DeSena’s chief of staff, said he believes there are some advantages for his candidate to a short campaign, and that his campaign believes he has the ability to win the seat for the Republicans.

“This is going to be a ridiculously low turnout election. A high estimate would be 10,000 [votes cast]. We think if we could get about 4,000 people out, we’d have a good chance of winning,” Hornak said. “We really see this because it’s a low turnout race as being less media-driven. We’ve got to give them a reason to come out and vote.”

A Siena College poll shows Assemblyman David Weprin (l.) with a slim 6-point lead over Republican Bob Turner in the race to replace former U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner. Photos by Christina Santucci

State Assemblyman David Weprin (D-Little Neck) is holding a slim six-point lead over Republican Bob Turner for former U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner’s seat, according to a poll released last week by Siena College.

“Five weeks until Election Day and this special election is a wide-open race with both candidates trying to become more known to the voters of the district and earn their support,” said Siena College pollster Steven Greenberg. “With a low turnout expected and limited media exposure in the nation’s most expensive media market, the test of both campaigns will be to mount strong voter identification efforts and effective get-out-the-vote operations. The campaign that does a better job on those crucial campaign tasks will likely produce a victory for their candidate.”

The poll of 501 likely voters in the district, conducted between Aug. 3 and Aug. 8, showed Weprin edging out Turner 48 percent to 42 percent with 9 percent undecided. The district covers parts of Queens and Brooklyn.

Eight in 10 Republicans said they would vote for Turner while a little more than six in 10 Democrats said they would pull the lever for Weprin.

Turner had a slight lead among independents: 46 percent to 42 percent.

Weprin had a 50 percent to 40 percent edge over Turner among Queens residents of the congressional district while Turner led among Brooklyn voters 49 percent to 43 percent.

A Weprin campaign spokeswoman said the poll showed Weprin leading because he is right on the issues.

“This poll simply confirms what we already know — that David Weprin is winning this election because New Yorkers know they can trust him to protect Medicare and Social Security and reform the tax code to make millionaires and Big Oil pay for their fair share,” Elizabeth Kerr said. “Voters will reject Bob Turner because he supports a plan that will end Medicare as we know it so he can extend the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans and protect tax loopholes for corporations that ship jobs overseas.”

A Turner campaign spokesman could not be reached for comment.

Weprin has large support among Democratic elected officials in Queens, headed by U.S. Rep. Joe Crowley (D-Jackson Heights), Queens Democratic Party chairman, while Turner has former Mayors Ed Koch and Rudolph Giuliani and U.S. Rep. Peter King (R-Massapequa Park) in his corner.

Of six current and former elected officials, 40 percent of those polled say an endorsement from U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) would make them the most likely to support the candidate Schumer chooses to back.

Behind Schumer, an endorsement from Gov. Andrew Cuomo would carry the second-most weight, with 39 percent saying they would support whichever candidate gets the governor’s endorsement.

Weiner, who resigned amid a sexting scandal, is unlikely to make an endorsement but was included in the poll.

Only 15 percent of those polled said they would be more likely to support a candidate Weiner backs, with 34 percent saying they would be less likely to support such a candidate and 49 percent saying it would have no effect.

The poll showed Turner pulling in about a third of registered Democrats and Greenberg said the retired Rockaway businessman will have to do at least that well or better on the day of the election to win.

“This figures to be an interesting five weeks, so stay tuned,” Greenberg said.

Assembly candidate Phil Goldfeder talks to supporters during the kickoff to his campaign in Howard Beach. Photo by Howard Koplowitz

Some of the Queens Democratic Party’s heaviest hitters helped kick off the campaign of state Assembly candidate Phil Goldfeder at his Howard Beach campaign office last Thursday night.

Goldfeder is running to replace former Assemblywoman Audrey Pheffer, who retired after taking the vacant Queens county clerk position.

“He has shoes to fill, there’s no doubt about it,” said U.S. Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-Jackson Heights), who is also head of the Queens Democratic Party.

Crowley said Goldfeder’s age, 30, will not be a detriment to his campaign, noting that Goldfeder has kids and a mortgage.

“It doesn’t matter how old you are to some degree if you have those responsibilities,” Crowley said. “That is something that transcends gender. That is something that transcends race, religion. I’m very happy that Phil is representing our party and when he’s elected he’ll represent this district well.”

Goldfeder, a former staffer to U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Mayor Michael Bloomberg, said he was “humble” about getting the backing of the Democratic Party.

Goldfeder said the people of the Assembly district he wants to represent — Howard Beach, Ozone Park, Broad Channel and parts of the Rockaways — are just like him.

“I struggle every month to pay the mortgage and pay the bills on time,” he said. “These are the things I hear all across this district; we’re struggling.”

Goldfeder, who also worked for Pheffer and City Councilman James Sanders (D-Laurelton), appeared to take a swipe at his Republican opponent, District Leader Jane Deacy, saying now is “not the time for on-the-job training.”

Democratic District Leader and Goldfeder supporter Frank Gulluscio said he knew Goldfeder from his days in Pheffer’s office.

“I believe it’s a new generation of leadership,” Gulluscio said of Goldfeder’s candidacy. “I look forward to working with him. It’s important to have someone follow in Audrey’s footsteps that’s aware of both national issues and more importantly the local issues to the benefit of the constituents.”

State Sen. Joseph Addabbo (D-Howard Beach) pointed to Goldfeder’s government involvement as an attribute that suits him well in the race.

“I look for candidates who ‘get it’ and Phil ‘gets it,’” Addabbo said. “Hard work pays off. Because he gets it in that way, he’ll get the position.”

Howard Beach resident Barbara Friedman said she has known Goldfeder for four years.

“Phil is a wonderful individual to follow in Audrey’s footsteps,” she said. “He has experience working in both local and national issues. Working in Bloomberg’s office and also Schumer’s office brings nonpartisan decision-making to the community.”

Sanders noted that Goldfeder got his start in politics working in his office.

“I would like to think that I saw something first in him,” the councilman said. “I share the Rockaways with the seat that was held by Audrey Pheffer. She had left such a gap that we have to ensure that we have quality representation for my community and the neighborhood.”

U.S. Rep. Joseph Crowley (inset) says this Woodside home is his main residence, although he also owns a home in Arlington, Va. A Woodside neighbor of Crowley's who asked not to be named said he sees the congressman on the block about once a month. Photos by Christina Santucci

U.S. Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-Jackson Heights) said there is “no controversy” over his residency Monday after it was revealed that he owns a home in Virginia and sends his children to school in that state despite representing Queens and parts of the Bronx in Congress.

“No controversy. I live in Woodside, Queens. My home and my residence is Woodside, Queens,” Crowley said after a news conference Monday outside Queens Borough Hall, where he put on his Queens Democratic Party chairman hat to drum up support for two Democratic state Assembly candidates. “I pay state and city taxes like any other New Yorker, but I am also a father. I like to wake up with my kids when I can.”

The New York Post first reported Crowley owns a home in Virginia and noted that bumper stickers are affixed to his cars that indicate his children go to schools there instead of in New York.

According to the U.S. Constitution, members of Congress are required to live in the state they choose to represent “when elected.”

The law is murkier about whether the members have to reside in the state year-round.

At a breakfast with the Queens Chamber of Commerce earlier Monday, the congressman defended his decision to own a home in Virginia, which he said was for the benefit of his three young children: 11-year-old Cullen, 10-year-old Kenzie and 5-year-old Liam.

“I think they have a more fulfilling life that I’m able to be around them more,” he told the crowd.

But when Congress is not in session, Crowley said, he lives in Woodside and noted that he woke up in his Woodside house Monday morning.

“It gives me the ability when I’m home to do what I need to do for my constituency,” the congressman said to applause from the chamber.

When asked whether he spent more time at his Woodside home or his Virginia residence, Crowley said it was impossible to tell and that it depends on whether or not Congress is in session.

“The reality is I have to be in Washington, D.C., for my job,” he said.

At the Borough Hall news conference, Crowley also said he bought the Virginia home to be close to his kids.

“If being a good father is not a good requisite to be a member of Congress, so be it,” he said.

Crowley told the TimesLedger he and his wife, Kasey, had tried keeping their children mostly in Woodside, but it had created tensions in the past.

He conceded that his family’s current arrangement shuttling between Queens and Virginia may not work in the future.

Democratic state Assembly candidates Philip Goldfeder (l.) and Mike Simanowitz (r.) get support from U.S. Rep. Joe Crowley (third from l.), City Councilman Mark Weprin (fourth from l.) and forme Aseemblywoman Nettie Mayersohn (front) during the kick-off to their campaigns at Queens Borough Hall. Photo by Howard Koplowitz

U.S. Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-Jackson Heights), chairman of the Queens County Democratic Party, helped kick off the campaigns of two Democratic candidates seeking to fill vacancies in the state Assembly left by former Assemblywomen Nettie Mayersohn and Audrey Pheffer.

Both special elections are being held Sept. 13, Primary Day, the same day some Queens voters will head to the polls to pick a successor to dishonored former Rep. Anthony Weiner.

Mike Simanowitz, Mayersohn’s former chief of staff, is the party’s pick to succeed her in the Assembly.

Crowley pointed to the 15 years Simanowitz spent on Mayersohn’s staff to say he was qualified to fill her shoes.

“He knows this district like the back of his hand,” Crowley said of Simanowitz.

The district includes Flushing, College Point, Pomonok, Fresh Meadows, Electchester, Kew Gardens and Richmond Hill.

“I look forward to be a voice for all of those communities,” Simanowitz said.

Crowley also noted Simanowitz served in the 107th Precinct’s auxiliary police department and was the youngest person to be deputy inspector of the auxiliary service.

Simanowitz said Mayersohn, who was among the elected officials who attended the kick-off Monday outside Queens Borough Hall, taught him how to be an effective legislator.

“I learned a great deal from Nettie,” he said. “I want to continue to fight for the people she has fought for throughout the years. I’m gratified by the outpouring of support I’ve received.”

Simanowitz said his campaign platform includes tax incentives for small businesses, which he described as “the backbone of our community,” and ensuring that Queens jobs stay in the borough.

He also criticized Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s plan this year to shutter city firehouses, which was rejected in the budget agreement passed by the City Council.

“Public safety should not be and will not be a bargaining chip in the future,” he said.

Crowley also touted the credentials of Rockaway resident Y. Philip Goldfeder, who the Queens Democratic Party nominated to replace Pheffer in the Assembly.

The Dem chairman said Goldfeder “has been part of the fabric of the Rockaways his entire life.”

The district includes part of the Rockaways, Howard Beach, Ozone Park and Richmond Hill.

Crowley said Goldfeder, who previously served as U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer’s (D-N.Y.) director of intergovernmental affairs, will not only make the district proud, but the rest of Queens as well.

Goldfeder said Pheffer created a void when she chose to accept the Queens county clerk position in June.

“I intend to fill that void,” he said.

Goldfeder, who also previously served as head of the Queens branch of Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s Community Assistance Unit, said his platform includes “strong qualifications” and “genuine accomplishments.”

Crowley said both districts strongly lean Democratic, but the party will not rest on its laurels and think of Goldfeder’s and Simanowitz’s elections as inevitable.

“These are solid Democratic districts, but we take nothing for granted,” he said. “I know that Phil Goldfeder is going to do a wonderful job. I know that Mike Simanowitz is going to represent all of the communities. They are suited to represent these communities well.”

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.

Former U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner announces his resignation from Congress during a news conference in Brooklyn. Nominees for his seat from the heads of the borough's two major parties are expected to be announced by July 11.

The heads of the borough’s two major parties are expected to name their nominees to replace former U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner by later this week at the earliest after Gov. Andrew Cuomo called for a Sept. 13 special election to fill the vacant 9th Congressional District seat in Forest Hills.

Weiner resigned in disgrace last month after admitting to tweeting a photo of his boxer-clad crotch to a Seattle college student. He initially lied and claimed his Twitter account was hacked.

A source close to the Queens Democratic Party said state Assemblyman Rory Lancman (D-Fresh Meadows) is the odds-on favorite to be picked as the Democratic candidate for the seat by Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-Jackson Heights), who also doubles as the Queens Democratic Party chairman.

“If I was gambling, I would bet on Rory,” the source said, claiming the assemblyman is out of favor with Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D-Manhattan).

“He’s had some run-ins with Shelly,” the source said.

But Lancman denied butting heads with the speaker.

“I haven’t had clashes with [Silver],” Lancman said. “We have a good relationship, I have excellent committee assignments.”

On the Republican side, the Queens GOP is not tipping its hand as to who it will designate as the party’s nominee, but among the contenders is retired Rockaway businessman Bob Turner, who mounted an unsuccessful campaign against Weiner in 2009.

City Councilman Eric Ulrich (R-Ozone Park) said Tuesday he would not run for the seat.

Queens GOP spokesman Robert Hornak said seven or eight candidates have expressed interest in running on the Republican side.

“We’re going to screen every potential candidate before we make a final decision,” he said. “We’ve cast a wide net.”

Both parties have until Monday to name their nominee, who will run under the party’s line during the special election.

With the state set to lose two congressional seats due to redistricting following the 2010 census, most political observers believe the 9th Congressional District — which covers Forest Hills, Rego Park, Kew Gardens, Richmond Hill, Howard Beach, part of the Rockaways and Brooklyn — will be eliminated, which makes the seat less attractive to ambitious politicians.

Other Democratic names mentioned to be in the running include former City Council members Eric Gioia and Melinda Katz, City Councilmen Mark Weprin (D-Oakland Gardens) and Peter Vallone Jr. (D-Astoria), Assemblyman David Weprin (D-Little Neck), former Borough President Claire Shulman and former Congresswoman and city Comptroller Elizabeth Holtzman of Brooklyn.

“It’s going to be interesting,” the source said.

The special election is set for Sept. 13, Primary Day, when there will also be special elections to fill the seats of former Assemblywomen Nettie Mayersohn in Flushing and Audrey Pheffer in Rockaway Beach.

Mayersohn, 85, retired in April after nearly 30 years in the Assembly, while Pheffer stepped down last month to fill the vacant county clerk position.

Borough President Helen Marshall (front) congratulates her colleagues Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley (from l.), Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe, Rep. Joseph Crowley, Assemblywoman Marge Markey and Mayor Michael Bloomberg, on helping to create the recently completed Elmhurst Park. Photo by Joe Anuta

Officer Joy of the NYPD watches for trouble outside a jungle gym at newly christened Elmhurst Park during the mayor's visit. Photo by Joe Anuta

Mayor Michael Bloom­berg visited Maspeth to officially open a new park Monday, but some civic leaders accused lawmakers of joining the celebrations when they actually hindered the park’s progress.

“It’s a wonderful space,” Bloomberg said of the $20 million, 6.5-acre Elmhurst Park. “It is difficult to recall what this industrial site used to look like.”

But City Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley (D-Middle Village), who was also on hand, remembers exactly what it used to look like.

The parcel of land used to be home to the Maspeth Tanks, large red cylinders 275 feet in diameter that housed natural gas for the area. They were owned by Keyspan, which later was purchased by National Grid.

Even as a child Crowley wanted the space to be used for the entire neighborhood.

“I used to imagine that the gas tanks could be swimming pools,” she said. “However, a new generation can appreciate this space in a whole different way.”

The tanks were removed in the 1990s and a complicated series of events resulted in Keyspan selling the plot to the city for $1.

U.S. Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-Jackson Heights) called the park a “wonderful, wonderful victory” and state Assemblywoman Marge Markey (D-Maspeth) said “great things happen when the government and the community work together.”

But some members of the community wondered why Crowley and Markey were there in the first place.

According to activists Tony Nunziato and Robert Holden, president of the Juniper Valley Park Association, the congressman and the assemblywoman stood in the way of the community’s quest to obtain the park.

“It’s tough to see some of the people here that didn’t lend a hand and told us not to continue,” Holden said.

Holden and the civic campaigned extensively for the city to buy the park and brokered a deal with Keyspan to hold off on selling the property until they could raise enough money.

But he said that before the agreed-upon time had elapsed, Crowley met with Keyspan and found out the company planned to develop the property instead. But Crowley never told Holden and the civic.

“It set us back two months,” Holden said.

And Markey told the two men Keyspan owed it to its stockholders to develop the property and advised Nunziato and Holden to stop advocating for the park after it appeared hopeless that the civic would get its wish, according to Nunziato.

“She is riding our coattails,” Nunziato said. “But when the champagne is popping, she is right there to pull out a glass.”

But they wore “Thank you Mayor” stickers on their suits with complete sincerity.

“This is one thing that he did that was great,” Holden said.

Bloomberg was instrumental in getting Keyspan to turn over the property for $1. Markey and Crowley also negotiated with the energy company for the property.

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.

In this 1998 file photo, Osama bin Laden speaks to journaists in Khost, Afghanistan. AP Photo/Mazhar Ali Khan

The borough’s elected officials said the death of Osama bin Laden, the mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in which 76 firefighters from Queens were killed, was a tremendous achievement but cautioned that the killing does not mean the country no longer has to worry about terrorism.

U.S. Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-Jamaica), a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said he was told of the operation that killed bin Laden about one hour before President Barack Obama addressed the nation late Sunday night.

Although members of Congress are privy to sensitive intelligence on occasion, Meeks said he and his colleagues were not briefed on the operation or that the administration had bin Laden in its sights.

“I think this was at the upper-most levels of intelligence, as it should have been,” he said. “We knew that it was a focus of the president, but the specifics — where in Pakistan? — of course not. That was top secret. But we knew that they were hunting him down.”

With bin Laden identified as the FBI’s most wanted man since 2001, Meeks said the operation, which was carried out early Monday morning in Pakistan — Sunday afternoon Eastern Standard Time — should make those who plot against America think again.

“I think it sent the message to terrorists: It may take us a year, it may take us five years, it may take us 10 years, but we’re going to get you,” Meeks said.

But the congressman said bin Laden’s killing does not mean America will stop its counter-terrorism activities.

“This does not end the war on terror,” Meeks said.

His colleague, Rep. Gary Ackerman (D-Bayside), who also sits on the Foreign Affairs Committee, agreed.

“The head of the al-Qaeda worm has been cut off,” Ackerman said. “But we must remember, worms grow new heads.”

Ackerman called the operation that killed bin Laden “a huge victory for the United States and proof that no matter how hard they try, our foes cannot hide from us.”

Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-Jackson Heights), whose firefighter cousin, John Moran, was killed in the World Trade Center attacks, said the killing of bin Laden reminded him of those who lost their lives Sept. 11.

Queens had 76 firefighters who were killed in the attacks — about 22 percent of the total number of firefighters who died responding to the terror attack.

“In particular, my thoughts are with the families from New York and across America who lost loved ones on Sept. 11, 2001. There is no doubt the world is a safer place without bin Laden, but our efforts to eradicate the threat of terror will continue without pause and on behalf of everyone who has been killed or injured as a result of senseless terror and violence.”

City Councilman Dan Halloran (R-Whitestone) also had a family member who died Sept. 11; his cousin, FDNY Lt. Vincent Halloran, perished when the Twin Towers fell.

“Today I will remember him and the many other victims of Osama bin Laden’s violence,” Halloran said. “The families of the victims can finally enjoy some degree of closure.”