The proposed districts of state Sens. Toby Stavisky (l.) and Tony Avella. Stavisky's home was not included in her proposed district, meaning she would have to run against Avella.

After a state body released redrawn lines for New York’s state Senate districts, cries of political gerrymandering were heard from northeast Queens all the way to Albany.

In particular, political sources pointed to the proposed districts of Sens. Toby Stavisky (D-Whitestone) and Tony Avella (D-Bayside), who would have to run against each other if the boundaries are adopted.

A state body called the Legislative Task Force on Demographic Research and Reapportionment released redrawn political boundaries last week as part of a process that happens every 10 years to accommodate population growth.

Stavisky and Avella’s districts — the 16th and 11th, respectively — were already some of the most gerrymandered seats in the state, according to the two lawmakers.

Avella’s district is only contiguous during low tide, and a portion of Stavisky’s district is the unpopulated Cross Island Parkway.

Neither Stavisky or Avella could be reached for comment on the plan.

The proposed lines, drawn by Senate Republicans, took Stavisky out of her own district.

Every politician has to live, or at least spend a certain amount of time, at a residence in the district. Stavisky lists her address in Beechhurst, which would now lie in the same district as Avella under the proposed lines.

In the previous maps from 2002, the Beechhurst portion of District 16 already looked like a strange addition, an isolated lobe sticking out from the neighborhood of Bay Terrace. Even Stavisky has said the addition of Bay Terrace, which is thinly connected to the rest of the district by the Cross Island Parkway, smacked of gerrymandering.

A source knowledgeable about partisan politics said the Republicans might be trying to create as much infighting as possible in the Democratic Party ahead of the 2013 elections by pitting the likes of Avella and Stavisky in eastern Queens and Sens. Jose Peralta (D-East Elmhurst) and Michael Gianaris (D-Astoria) in the west against each other.

The infighting could mean expensive primaries between Democrats at a time when Republicans enjoy a large fund-raising advantage statewide, the source said.

According to the state Board of Elections, as of January the state Democratic Senate Campaign Committee had $164,163 in its coffers, while the state Senate Republican Campaign Committee had more than $3.7 million, which means Republicans have about 22 times as much funding as their blue counterparts.

But if Stavisky did not want to run against Avella, who once worked as her chief of staff before rising through the political ranks to his current seat, she could always move somewhere else within District 11.

The proposed District 16 also brought mixed reactions from groups calling for independent redistricting.

The Asian American Community Coalition on Redistricting and Democracy had called for a majority Asian Senate seat to represent the people with ethnic backgrounds ranging from Chinese to Bangladeshi whose population has soared.

The proposed District 16 would be an Asian-majority Senate seat, and the coalition praised the task force for at least hearing its side of the argument, according to spokesman James Hong.

But Hong said the coalition could not support the bizarre and gerrymandered shape of the district in its proposed form and would rather have seen a district centralized more around the Flushing area and eastward toward Bayside.

The proposed lines, however, might not be the final chapter in the redistricting fight. Gov. Andrew Cuomo called the proposed lines “hyper-partisan” in Albany and vowed to veto them.

A state task force proposes these state Senate districts for Queens, which has received wide criticism in the borough.

No matter how you slice it, the redistricting plan drawn up by a state task force last week was widely panned in Queens by critics who said the proposal breaks up communities and gerrymanders the lines.

Every 10 years, districts for state Senate, state Assembly and congressional lines are redrawn to reflect population changes recorded in the census.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo has said he would veto any plan not conceived by an independent commission.

The lines were proposed by the state Legislative Task Force on Demographic Research and Reapportionment, a body comprised of elected officials and members of the public selected by elected officials.

Under the group’s plan, Sens. Toby Stavisky (D-Whitestone) and Tony Avella (D-Bayside) would have to run against each other in a primary in one district and Sens. Jose Peralta (D-Corona) and Michael Gianaris (D-Astoria) would face off in another contest.

“I can’t believe there are Democrats that would have to primary each other,” said Sen. Shirley Huntley (D-Jamaica), whose southern Queens district would cut Broad Channel and sections of southeast Queens and add parts of the Rockaways if the plan is enacted.

The Woodhaven Residents’ Block Association is against the plan because it would carve up the neighborhood among three different senators: Joseph Addabbo, Malcolm Smith and Shirley Huntley

“When it comes to the Senate lines, the people of Woodhaven are being treated as pawns in Albany’s gerrymandering games,” said Alexander Blenkinsopp, spokesman for the association.

Eastern Queens United, a group of a dozen civic associations, criticized the redistricting process for dividing communities.

The task force “has abdicated its responsibility to serve the needs of the community and instead has served the needs of its politicians,” said Bob Friedrich, president of the Glen Oaks Village co-op and founder of EQU. “The new legislative maps are an abomination and are gerrymandered to break up our communities that have simply asked to remain united.”

Assemblyman David Weprin (D-Little Neck), who represents a portion of the area covered by Eastern Queens United, said he was against the task force’s map.

“Northeast Queens is a special and distinct geographic region, whose residents and community leaders have voiced their desire to be kept together in a contiguous district rather than be divided,” he said in a statement. “I look forward to offering testimony as part of [the task force’s] public review process and for my constituents to do likewise in order to end with a map that truly represents the unique character of northeast Queens.”

The Asian American Community Coalition on Redistricting and Democracy applauded the task force for drawing a new Asian-American majority Senate district in Queens and a new Assembly district but criticized the group for dividing Flushing.

“A compact district in Flushing-Bayside should be drawn to keep Asian-American communities of interest together in these neighborhoods,” the group said.

ACCORD also said the task force “has not brought equality to all Asian-American neighborhoods across New York” because Richmond Hill and South Ozone Park were divided into multiple districts.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Property owner Kwang Nam Park (l.-r.) and Korean-American Public Relations President David Chulwoo Lee pitch plans for a spa in the College Point Corporate Park to state Sen. Tony Avella. Photo by Joe Anuta

The man who wants to open a new spa in the College Point Corporate Park got the backing of state Sen. Tony Avella (D-Bayside) last week, and the lawmaker questioned why the proposal was ever denied by both Community Board 7 and the borough president in the first place.

“I thought it was a good idea to begin with, and now having met with you and seeing the plans I still think it’s a good idea,” Avella said, speaking at a sit-down with property owner Kwang Nam Park and representatives from the Korean community. “I do not agree with the community board’s report nor do I agree with the borough president’s report.”

The meeting took place last Thursday at 131-23 31st Ave., currently a two-story warehouse and office space the owner would like to see turned into New York Spa of College Point.

But his quest to obtain a special permit from the city has run into double trouble.

As part of the application process, the community board and the borough president must both make recommendations on the matter before the city Board of Standards and Appeals makes the final call.

In October, the board voted against the proposal because it foresaw difficulties reinforcing the structure of the building. The ground in College Point is soft and extra pilings would be needed to accommodate the second-floor pools of the spa, the board said.

It also cited Park’s lack of experience as reason to vote against the measure.

Last month, Borough President Helen Marshall also recommended that the application should be denied, citing parking issues.

But Avella said recommending to deny the spa’s application after approving another gigantic development nearby makes no sense.

In 2009, the borough president and community board voted to approve plans for a $1 billion NYPD cadet training facility, which will sit on 35 acres of land and house 2,000 parking spaces when complete.

“I don’t see how the borough president could approve something like that and not approve a small business like you,” he said to the group. “I think BSA will approve this.”

The team behind the spa were also a little shocked as well, according to Irwin Park, whose father owns the property.

“We were surprised,” Park said, citing a vote ?by a committee of the board that recommended to approve the plans..

The College Point Corporate Park Task Force is a subset of the community board and its vote does will factor into the BSA decision?. But it voted 8-1 in favor of the project before the board voted to deny by a vote of 25-5.

“It was a dramatic reversal,” Park said.

The team has worked to correct some of the objections raised by the board and Marshall by hiring outside consultants to look at structural pilings and valet parking.

In response to another concern by the board, Park said his father might not have experience running a spa, but he has operated other small businesses in addition to the Kew Motor Inn, a motel that charges by the hour in Flushing.

Starting in the early 1980s, his father ran apartment buildings in Manhattan before starting a successful bagel factory toward the end of the decade. After that he operated a chain of Dunkin’ Donuts stores around the borough.

“He has a lot of different small business experience,” Park said. “He did anything he that thought was a good idea and involved hard work and some investment capital.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

State Sen. Tony Avella (c.) stands with homeowner Caroline Vereline (l.) and others who called on the city Department of Transportation to repair their curbs. Photo by Rich Bockmann

Homeowners said broken curbs, like this one on 242nd Street, have not been repaired since they were installed more than 60 years ago. Photo by Rich Bockmann

Bellerose homeowner Caroline Vereline said that in the 54 years she has lived in her home, she has never seen the city Department of Transportation repair the curbs on her street.

“These curbs were built 62 years ago when the houses were built. I complained and they told me they’re 22 years ?behind schedule,” said the 76-year old Vereline. “I won’t be around in 22 years! It’s disgusting that in this city we can’t get our curbs done.”

Vereline and other frustrated homeowners joined state Sen. Tony Avella (D-Bayside), who said the backlog is 23 years, Friday on 242nd Street, where the curbs have deteriorated and in some places are completely missing, to call on the city to finally do something about it.

“The fact is the city is disenfranchising homeowners from getting their curbs fixed,” Avella said. “When they call up to report a broken curb, they’re threatened with a sidewalk violation even for the most minor crack — and I’ve seen examples of that.”

While the DOT is responsible for maintaining curbs, property owners are accountable for keeping sidewalks in good condition. Avella claimed the DOT sent him a letter when he was in the City Council in which the department admitted that when a homeowner calls to report a broken curb, the DOT automatically inspects the sidewalk.

The senator called this practice “extortion,” but could not produce the letter.

None of the homeowners gathered around Avella Friday said they felt they had been retaliated against for reporting damaged curbs, but Vereline said the poor conditions in front of her home lead to flooding in her yard.

A DOT spokesman would not confirm the length of the department’s backlog, but did release the following statement: “Through our active program, DOT allocates $20 million annually to make repairs to sidewalks and curbs. While requests to address curb conditions outpace available resources, DOT’s contractor works to make curb repairs as efficiently as it can by rotating through community boards citywide. The agency will look to address this location when the contractor is next in the area.”

One of the neighbors, Richard Cornwall, said that while he did not experience flooding due to broken curbs, they did make it difficult when parking his car. “When I go to park, I can’t feel it. Some people claim water comes up in their yard. I find it difficult to believe,” he said.

Avella went further to criticize DOT Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan for funneling department funds to “pet projects” such as bike lanes at the expense of keeping up its existing infrastructure.

“They’re just not putting the money in the budget. It’s not sexy. The only people who know about it is individual homeowners,” he said. “This has gone on for years. Now is the first time the city told us there’s a backlog of 23 ?years.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A horse pulls a carriage down a Midtown Manhattan street.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Avella disagreed with that line of reasoning.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

James Hong, spokesman for The Asian American Community Coalition on Redistricting and Democracy, stands near one of the Unity Maps for New York City, which the coalition hopes will be taken into consideration by a committee, including state Democrats and Republicans, who will redraw state legislative lines next year. Photo by Joe Anuta

State Republicans have been quietly shopping around a map of proposed legislative lines as part of the upcoming redistricting, as Queens minority groups have been advocating for lines of their own.

The GOP blueprint is still in its infancy, according to a Republican source who spoke on condition of anonymity because the first draft of the districts was not made official, but it could include some significant shuffling in Queens.

The district of state Sen. Tony Avella (D-Bayside) — which encompasses all or part of Bayside, Douglaston, Bay Terrace, Queens Village, Bellerose, Flushing, Whitestone, Little Neck, College Point, Hollis, Jamaica Estates, Glen Oaks and Floral Park — could be eliminated altogether and a new district carved out farther south.

The new district could include portions of Hollis and the northern portions of Sen. Malcolm Smith’s (D-St. Albans) district, as well as portions of Nassau County like Long Beach?, the source said. Although it is not common for state offices to cross into other counties, the district of former Sen. Frank Padavan did so in the 1980s.

There is also talk that the district of Sen. Joseph Addabbo (D-Howard Beach) could be extended farther south to include some or all of the Rockaways, the source said.

Alternatively, the district of a senior Brooklyn Republican senator could gain some ground in Queens as well.

Sen. Marty Golden (R-Brooklyn) could gain ground across the water to include conservative enclaves like Breezy Point in order to protect the senior lawmaker, the source said, since one strategy behind redistricting is to protect incumbents.

From the look of Golden’s district, it appears that it has been protected in the past.

Golden’s district is basically in three segments. The neighborhood Marine Park is connected to the middle portion of Golden’s district by a thin strip, at one point only a block wide. The middle blob, the neighborhood Sheepshead Bay, is connected to the main section of Golden’s district by a small, one-block portion as well.

And that kind of selective carving out of boundaries is what groups like the The Asian American Community Coalition on Redistricting and Democracy spoke out against at a Nov. 16 news conference.

“It’s very telling when your own legislators describe their districts as gerrymandered,” said James Hong, spokesman for the coalition, describing lawmakers like state Sen. Toby Stavisky (D-Whitestone) and Avella, the latter of whom described his district as one of the worst gerrymandered districts in the state.

An organization called the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund drew up a map of its own called the Unity Map, which looks drastically different from the current configuration in the borough.

Many neighborhoods with large immigrant populations are broken into several legislative districts. For example, the predominately South Asian neighborhood of Richmond Hill is broken up into six Assembly districts and two Senate districts?, which members of the fund said prevents the community from having a real voice in elections.

Speakers at the event said they did not simply want to elect a minority candidate into office, but wanted to make sure communities with common interests like economic status, culture and language are grouped together.

State Sen. Tony Avella (inset) wants the state attorney general and state comptroller to review land sales of more than $100,000 to private companies, following the sale of Creedmoor.

Inspired by the controversial sale of Creedmoor land to the Indian Cultural and Community Center, state Sen. Tony Avella (D-Bayside) penned legislation that would require the state attorney general and state comptroller to review and approve all land sales worth $100,000 and higher to private companies.

The state Dormitory Authority sold a 4 1/2-acre parcel of Creedmoor land to the ICCC, which is seeking a variance to build two nine-story senior housing towers and a community center.

The ICCC’s plans have been heavily criticized by community leaders, who say the group was not upfront about the senior housing proposal and the buildings are out of character with the surrounding community.

“Unfortunately, the lack of oversight from local governments have led to instances of favoritism and lost revenue for the state,” Avella said. “We need to eliminate loopholes that allow private entities to acquire valuable state lands at extremely discounted rates and create a form of oversight that ensures that these deals are done fairly, honestly and at a competitive price.”

Avella and community leaders questioned how the ICCC was able to acquire the land due to its dubious finances — its most recent tax returns show it ran a $29,000 deficit.

The state attorney general’s office and the state inspector general’s office are conducting investigations into the ICCC deal.

Avella’s bill requires that the attorney general and the comptroller review any sale of state-owned land when a public sale or auction is not required.

The ICCC acquired the Creedmoor land through legislation sponsored by then-Sen. Frank Padavan and former Assemblyman Mark Weprin, who now sits in the City Council.

“One of the main intentions of this legislation is to prevent any perceived or actual improper influence from an elected official pressuring state agencies or public authorities to sell state land to specific groups, at a discounted rate for political gain. There needs to be more transparency and accountability involved,” Avella said. “In the end, the taxpayers win as the state will receive more revenue and there will be more competition for available land. It will also afford local elected officials the opportunity for input and review of any proposed sale or transfer.”

Community Board 13 is currently reviewing the ICCC’s plans and is expected to decide whether it approves of a variance for the group when CB 13 meets Oct. 31.

State Sen. Toby Stavisky stands on a crosswalk hovering above a portion of her district containing no constituents: the Cross Island Parkway. Photo by Christina Santucci

The Queens lawmaker who has one of the most clearly contorted boundary lines in the borough wants to take redistricting power out of the hands of politicians.

When state Sen. Toby Stavisky (D-Whitestone) looks at her coverage area, she sees “a Rorschach test for troubled people.”

It is barely contiguous, which is required by the state. Between Clintonville and 148th streets in Whitestone, her district is actually just the Cross Island Parkway.

“If I walked the perimeter of my district, I would get hit by a car,” she said, standing on a crosswalk high above the thoroughfare.

Her constituents saw many things when asked to look at the lines defining her district.

Andrew Gurski, of Bay Terrace, thought it looked like a frog with “a leg problem.”

Gabby Federici thought the oddly shaped boundary resembled a dragon carrying something in its mouth.

Hassan Krayem thought it looked like an upside-down monster.

And Stavisky knows who created that monster.

The corridor-like portion of the district was drawn in 1992, before Stavisky took the seat, she said, ?by the state Legislative Task Force on Demographic Research and Reapportionment. The parkway serves as an umbilical cord connecting the Democratic neighborhoods of Beechhurst and Bay Terrace to the main hub of her Democratic district in Flushing.

By connecting the two neighborhoods to the 16th District, the committee took them out of the neighboring district, which was then held by former Sen. Frank Padavan.

Padavan was a Republican, and since the neighborhoods in question typically vote Democratic, they would have hurt his chances for re-election, according to Stavisky, which is why they were removed. But the Democrats benefitted as well, since the addition of the neighborhoods made the 16th District a deeper hue of blue.

“It was wrong in 1992, and it’s wrong now,” she said.

The tentacles of her x-shaped district also encompass parts of Glen Oaks, Hillcrest, Fresh Meadows, Pomonok, Kew Gardens Hills, Oakland Gardens, Maspeth, Flushing, Rego Park, Forest Hills, East Elmhurst and oddly, the power plants north of Astoria.

Stavisky is one many lawmakers calling for redistricting to be done by an independent body, since in the past lines have been shifted to keep incumbents on both sides of the aisle in office, she said.

The task force is currently made up of politicians in both houses as well as non-politicians. With the Republicans enjoying a majority in the Senate and the Democrats a majority in the state Assembly, the dominate parties draw the lines to keep themselves in power, Stavisky said.

Then, according to a longstanding, unspoken agreement, each house approves the other’s plan.

But that agreement might be missing a key party this year.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo has said repeatedly that he will veto any lines not drawn up by an independent redistricting committee.

The lawmakers on the task force balked at that suggestion, saying there is not enough time, but Stavisky disagreed.

Stavisky said districts should follow a guideline she calls “The Three C’s.”

“You’ve got to have districts that are compact, contiguous and there should be a common thread,” she said.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sen. Tony Avella displays pictures taken by residents documenting quality-of-life violations at the Super Halal Meat Fruits & Vegetables market. Photo by Howard Koplowitz

State Sen. Tony Avella (D-Bayside) and Bellerose civic leaders called on a halal market on Hillside Avenue with more than $25,000 in violations to clear up the penalties or get out of the neighborhood.

While the owner of Super Halal Meat Fruits & Vegetables Inc., at 253-06 Hillside Ave., acknowledged the violations, he claimed the community was discriminating against him and harassing his business, alleging that a man pulled a gun on one of his cashiers Monday night.

Avella said the market has only been in business for a little over a year, yet it has racked up more than $25,000 in violations for unsanitary conditions and other penalties.

The senator said meetings were held with the management of the market, yet the business has done nothing to rectify the violations.

“It continues to be a quality-of-life nightmare,” Avella said, noting an area resident took photos of meat being delivered to the market on the bed of a pickup truck. “Enough of the lies, enough of the phony commitments. Shut this place down.”

City Councilman Mark Weprin (D-Oakland Gardens), who first pointed out the violations, called on the market to be a good neighbor.

“We always welcome new businesses to our community,” Weprin said. “At the same time, the owners of this supermarket must respect the law.”

Avella said the commissioner of the state Department of Agriculture and Markets told him in August the agency had inspected the market twice and it ?failed both times. Halal food conforms to Muslim dietary laws.

The agency is giving the market 60 days to clean up all the violations or it will take steps to remove its license to operate.

Avella said that since the photos were taken, the market has been taking in deliveries at night — when it is harder to take photographs and a time when the state is not doing inspections.

“The owner clearly knows how to manipulate the system,” the senator said. “How much longer should this go on? It’s incredible that we have this type of situation.”

Sheraz Khan, owner of the halal market, said the business plans on clearing up the violations and does not expect it to be shut down.

“We have the violations and we’re taking care of them. It’s not like we’re ignoring them,” he said.

Khan claimed the business has been subject to discrimination by what he claims are white residents who resent Bellerose’s growing South Asian population.

“We’re being harassed here every day,” he said. “I had a guy pull out a gun on one of my workers.”

Detective Jovoda Cooper of the 105th Precinct referred questions about the incident to the Police Department’s public information arm, which did not comment.

Khan claimed three people on the block where the market is located are harassing store employees.

“I feel this is all racism,” he said. “I’m a minority just doing the right thing. I feel it’s because my skin color’s a little bit darker and my business has ‘halal’ in it. If this were a Stop & Shop or a Key Food and I was Italian,” things would be different.

But a man who lived on the block said that was not the case.

“It’s not racism. It’s a quality-of-life issue that has gone out of control,” he said. “I have nothing against these people, except for the way they’re operating the store.”

Bruno Defrancecschi, president of the North Bellerose Civic Association, agreed.

“How can you call it racist if you’re complaining about something that someone’s doing wrong?” he asked.

Khan said it cost him $1 million to build the store and presented the community with an offer.

“They give us a million dollars, we’ll leave,” he said.

The lawmaker represents an unpopulated, rocky stretch of sand that forms a border around — but does not encroach upon — the neighborhood of Bay Terrace. It connects the neighborhood of Whitestone to the rest of his district by winding around the coast of Little Bay near the Throngs Neck Bridge — but only during low tide.?

Avella visited this portion of his district last week. Even several hours before high tide it was barely passable, since even the sea wall at the edge of the street is not in his district. To get to it, he had to hop a fence and climb down a pile of boulders.?

“I’ve seen it, but I’d never walked it,” he said. “I think there should be reform.”

Avella had co-sponsored a bill and put into writing the growing call for independent redistricting in the state.

On Sept. 7, civic associations and Queens residents spoke out against the legislative boundaries that divide their neighborhoods at a hearing at Borough Hall ahead of the redistricting process that will redraw state and congressional legislative districts in 2012.

The hearing was held by a state body made up of both elected officials and citizens that is currently tasked with redrawing the district lines. Many of those in the audience testified that the new boundaries should keep communities and neighborhoods with cohesive populations in the same district — something that has not happened in the past.

Harpreet Toor said the neighborhood of Richmond Hill — a rectangle-shaped enclave below Forest Park comprised of mainly South Asian residents — is currently divided into four City Council districts, five state Assembly districts and three state Senate districts, according to Toor.

“Right now the district lines are going right through the heart of the neighborhood,” he said. And because the population is split, the voting power of the neighborhood is divided and diminished, Toor said.

State Sen. Tony Avella stands in his district, a sandy and rocky stretch that disappears during high tide. The ledge on the right is not part of his district. Photo by Christina Santucci

A representative from the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund outlined several other neighborhoods around the borough that are divided.

Flushing is split into two Assembly districts and two Senate districts, according to Jerry Vattamala, an attorney for the fund. Vattamala said Bayside, which is also split into several districts on the state level, should be lumped in with Flushing whenever possible, due to the similarities in the neighborhoods’ population.

Elmhurst, home to a variety of immigrant populations, is divided into five Assembly districts, four Senate districts and four Council districts, according to a report complied by the fund.

Jamaica Houses, a politically active housing project, is split into two Assembly districts, according to Assemblywoman Barbara Clark (D-Queens Village).

Assemblywoman Marge Markey (D-Maspeth) testified at the hearing and said that while her district seems to be based in Maspeth, she has small portions of Astoria, Woodside and Elmhurst. The residents in the latter set of communities do not have enough people to sway the vote for her seat.

“It needs to be whole communities,” she said when asked what ideal district lines would look like.

Sen. Michael Gianaris (D-Astoria) co-sponsored a bill with Avella to promote independent redistricting and offered blunt advice for the panel.

“Disband yourself and establish an independent commission,” he said at the hearing.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo is also a fan of independent redistricting and has said he will veto any lines the panel presents.

Some residents who testified said independent redistricting would require a state constitutional amendment, which would be too time-consuming to pursue this time around.

But Avella said it is perfectly legal to allow for independent redistricting. Republicans drafted a bill that would require the amendment, but it has not passed in both houses of the Legislature.

William Harfmann, manager for the U.S. Census Bureau, shows off census forms in different languages during a meeting in Flushing in 2010.

The state agency responsible for redrawing legislative district boundaries was set to hold a forum this week to solicit input from the public.

The boundaries for districts of the state Legislature and Congress will be redrawn in 2012 in response to the 2010 U.S. Census. The boundaries of the City Council will be redrawn in 2013.

Since the populations in each district have either risen or fallen, the boundaries need to be adjusted so each legislator represents a similar number of people.?

But several lawmakers and civic organizations believe the new boundaries for political districts need to be redrawn by an independent party instead of by the state Legislative Task Force on Demographic Research, a team comprised of a combination of politicians and non-politicians.

“We have become a laughing stock as it relates to our districts,” state Sen. Michael Gianaris (D-Astoria) said at a March meeting of the Senate. “There are contests to name the shapes of our districts. That’s how bad it’s gotten.”

In Queens, some districts form mind-boggling boundaries that look like the random inky shapes of a Rorschach test.

Gianaris’ district appears to be a normal box-like shape, except for a peninsula extending to the southeast, which resembles a long appendage designed to nab voters in Ridgewood. The district of state Sen. Toby Stavisky (D-Whitestone) looks vaguely like a letter “x” that had been hacked at with an axe.

Two portions in the district of state Sen. Tony Avella (D-Bayside) are only connected at certain points during the day.

“It is not a contiguous district unless it is low tide,” Gianaris said. “They are just looking for a way to connect College Point to northeastern Queens.”

Gianaris and activist groups said in the past borders have been redrawn to split up groups of voters who would potentially vote against an incumbent and net more voters who would re-elect that incumbent.

“We are picking who is going to vote for us rather than letting the voter pick who will represent them,” he said.

The lines are decided the by the majority party in each house, Gianaris said. In the Senate, Republicans pick the lines and in the Assembly the Democrats choose the lines.

But Gianaris also said Gov. Andrew Cuomo put out a proposal for redistricting reform earlier this year and has said he will veto any new districts proposed by the commission.

The redistricting body was set to hold the public forum at Queens Borough Hall at 120-55 Queens Blvd.

Last month, members of the Bayside Hills community boarded a bus to attend a city Board of Standards and Appeals hearing on a controversial plan to place a second home on the lot at the corner of 51st Avenue and 216th Street.

As the city Board of Standards and Appeals waits to reconvene the hearing involving a Bayside Hills home next month, City Councilman Dan Halloran (R-Whitestone) has introduced two pieces of legislation designed to give the community more recourse on uncharacteristic development.

Halloran said the bills were partly inspired by the BSA process for the home at 50-20 216th St., whose developer seeks a variance in order to build a second home next to an existing one on a subdivided lot.

Both Community Board 11 and Borough President Helen Marshall’s office oppose granting the variance. The Bayside Hills Civic Association — along with a number of politicians — have vociferously protested the application through rallies and busing neighborhood residents to the developer’s July 26 hearing in Manhattan.

The next hearing for the home is Sept. 13.

“Zoning variances are a powerful tool, which some developers have used to fundamentally change our neighborhoods,” Halloran said in a written statement. “Bayside Hills, for example, is a cozy community made up of low-rise, low-density homes. Our current laws let developers run wild with variances and don’t provide us with a way to keep them in line and preserve the character of our communities.”

The first of the two bills would give the community board and the borough president the power to appeal BSA variance decisions to the Council.

Currently, BSA decisions are final. If passed, the law would call for a Council committee to hold a public hearing on appeals. The full Council would then vote on the committee’s recommendation.

“Our city’s charter put the Council, not an unelected board, in charge of land use decisions,” Halloran wrote. “These laws would give the land use authority in New York City back to the City Council and would increase the vital role that the community board plays in the process.”

The second bill would impose fines upon homeowners who either violate or fail to comply with BSA requirements or operate with an expired variance.

Halloran said there is presently no penalty for a property operating with an expired variance, which he called a “major loophole” that leaves both the community and community board virtually powerless.

The bill would fine property owners in violation of BSA requirements up to $250. It would also require the board to send out notices six months before a property’s variance expires. If the variance is not renewed, the homeowner would be fined $500 for every six-month period thereafter until a homeowner applies for an extension of the variance.

Community Board 11 Chairman Jerry Iannece said he supported the councilman’s efforts and added he had brought the idea up before the board several years ago.

“This isn’t anything new. In fact, I think Tony Avella as a councilman introduced a similar type of act where the BSA wouldn’t be the final word. I applaud him and hope he has better luck with it,” he said.

Raccoons, says Sen. Tony Avella, are becoming an increasing nuisance to northeast Queens residents. Avella announced proposed legislation that would make the city Department of Health responsible for trapping and releasing non-rabid raccoons. Photo courtesy Bernadette Beninati

State Sen. Tony Avella (D-Bayside) is calling on the city Department of Health to take responsibility for nuisance raccoons he says are plaguing residents in northeast Queens, but the department has responded that ?it is the senator’s proposed legislation that is the real pest.

Avella stood alongside state Assemblyman Andrew Hevesi (D-Forest Hills) and residents last week in front of an overgrown, abandoned lot in Flushing to announce a bill that would require DOH to capture and release non-rabid raccoons.

“As we see less and less wild areas in the city, these animals have been forced to encroach on our residential neighborhoods,” Avella said. “Currently, the city is reluctant to address the ever increasing population of raccoons in our neighborhoods and it is simply not acceptable anymore.”

A representative for the DOH responded, calling the proposed legislation an “unfunded mandate that would require expenditure of significant resources,” including hiring licensed trappers and purchasing equipment.

The department would also have to train staff and purchase euthanizing drugs in order to dispose of raccoons because the state Department of Environmental Conservation does not allow the city to release the animals, according to the representative.

“Of course, this is an unfunded mandate, until we provide funding,” Avella said later in the week. “I’d certainly work to get funding on the city or state level.”

The DOH added that the removal of raccoons is ineffective unless homeowners repair their buildings and manage their garbage, and suggested a law modeled on the department’s rat control program, which issues violations to property owners who do not respond to warnings based on inspections, would be more effective.

Avella said that decades of inaction by the city and state, along with loss of the animals’ natural habitat, have resulted in an out-of-control population.

“This is a serious quality-of-life issue. It’s also about safety. These raccoons are not afraid of human contact and they can be very aggressive,” he said.

The legislator said his office has received complaints about the animals tearing through plastic garbage cans and clawing their way through the roofs of buildings.

“This is when it becomes municipal government’s responsibility. It’s due to years of inaction that the raccoon population has gotten out of hand,” he said.

The DOH contracts with Animal Care & Control to capture any raccoon that is sick, injured or that has bitten or scratched a person or a pet so rabies testing can be conducted. Property owners with nuisance raccoons may hire a licensed trapper to remove the animals.

Debra Markell's 2009 campaign for City Council was found to have committed two violations, according to the Campaign Finance Board.

The city Campaign Finance Board determined last week that the 2009 campaign of Debra Markell to fill the District 19 City Council seat left vacant by state Sen. Tony Avella (D-Bayside) had committed two violations.

The Democrat’s campaign failed to refund in a timely manner an inappropriate contribution it received and reported several improper post-election expenditures, according to CFB spokesman Eric Friedman. The campaign was not, however, penalized for the violations.

“The campaign, in general, has a good record of compliance, and this was not a small campaign. It was a pretty serious campaign,” Friedman said. “If a campaign has a good record, the penalties are sometimes waved.”

Markell’s campaign independently raised approximately $42,000 and received an additional $96,999 in public funds, $1,046 of which were repaid in full, Friedman said.

Markell lost the Democratic primary in a five-way race to Kevin Kim, an aide to U.S. Rep. Gary Ackerman (D-Bayside), who also prevailed over Jerry Iannece, Paul Vallone and Steve Behar. Kim was defeated by current Councilman Dan Halloran (R-Whitestone). None of these candidates have yet been audited by the CFB.

According to CFB records, the Markell campaign received a personal contribution of $500 Sept. 6, 2008, from Joan Lawless, chief executive officer of the Brite Adventure Centre in Jamaica, which does business with the city. Individuals are allowed to contribute up to $2,750 to a campaign, unless they do business with the city, in which case their contributions are limited to $250.

After receiving notice of an improper contribution, a campaign has 20 days to refund the part of the contribution in excess of the limit. CFB records show that the Markell campaign refunded $250 to Lawless March 30, 2009.

Friedman said that after an election, a campaign is required to stop spending funds, except for certain routine expenditures associated with winding down the campaign. According to CFB records, Markell’s campaign documented five separate expenditures totaling just under $350 for fruit baskets and flowers at the Queens Garden Florist in Whitestone. The campaign provided documentation to the CFB that said these transactions were “gestures of gratitude.”

When asked to comment on the violations, Markell said she did not believe her campaign was guilty of any violations.

“We complied to all the paperwork requested and there are no violations,” she said.

Markell is, and was at the time of the election, the district manager for Sunnyside’s Community Board 2. She had previously served as president of Flushing’s 109th Precinct Community Council, on Flushing’s CB 7 and as the Queens director of the Community Assistance Unit under former Mayor Rudy Giuliani and as the north Queens director under Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

City Councilwoman Karen Koslowitz collected both a pension and a salary from the city last year.

A report disclosing financial information found that City Councilwoman Karen Koslowitz (D-Forest Hills) gets both a retirement pension and a salary from the city, a controversial practice called “double dipping.”

She makes $122,500 as a Council member, but also receives a $60,000 pension, the document from the city Conflicts of Interest Board ?said.

Koslowitz began receiving her pension in 2001, after newly instated term limits forced her out of office. Previously, she had served on the Council for 10 years.

But Koslowitz never stopped receiving the pension when she came out of retirement in 2009 and began pulling down a six-figure salary.

Koslowitz declined to comment for this article.

The practice has been labeled unethical by other Queens lawmakers.

State Sen. Tony Avella (D-Bayside) is a vehement critic of double-dipping politicians.

“To double dip at the taxpayer’s expense is just wrong,” he said. “We are asking the average New Yorker to cut back, pay more taxes and get less services … we should be held to the same rules.”

In February, Avella introduced legislation into the Senate that would seek to end the practice in Albany.

The bill states: “It is unfair to the general public and ethically inappropriate that an elected official who is eligible to receive a pension can retire, collect a government pension and still be re-elected to another position and collect an additional salary for the newly elected position.”

Another Queens councilwoman was still paying off student loans, according to the Conflict of Interest Board reports,

Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley (D-Middle Village) made roughly the same salary as Koslowitz in the Council last year and took out money from her personal IRA.

Crowley owed between $5,000 and $43,999.99 for a car loan from Ford, and between the same amount for a student loan.

She also made between the same amount in interest on two retirement accounts.?