State Sens. Michael Gianaris and Jose Peralta have decried the proposed lines for their current districts, which would pit the two of them against each other.

The new proposed state Senate district lines would set Sen. Michael Gianaris (D-Astoria) against Sen. Jose Peralta (D-East Elmhurst), but the longtime friends say they have no plans to duke it out at the polls.

“This actually makes it very amusing,” Peralta said.

Both senators characterized the new districts, drawn by Senate Republicans, as politically inspired. In the past, Gianaris’ district, the 12th District, encompassed most of Astoria, Long Island City, Sunnyside and Woodside with a thin tentacle extending down to take in parts of Maspeth and Ridgewood.

Meanwhile, Peralta’s 13th District mostly stayed within the area between the Grand Central Parkway and the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, encompassing East Elmhurst, Jackson Heights, Corona, most of Elmhurst and a part of Woodside.

Peralta’s new district instead extends northwest to take in a chunk of Astoria, while another tentacle further south takes in a chunk of Woodside. The proposed 13th District also includes the Con Edison complex, LaGuardia Airport and a chunk of Flushing Meadows Corona Park, which now are in Sen. Toby Stavisky’s (D-Whitestone) district, but loses parts of Elmhurst.

To make up for the pieces lost, the 12th District now extends down even further, taking in slivers of Glendale, Woodhaven, Ozone Park and Lindenwood.

Gianaris said the new district lines change the makeup of the district by about 10 percent.

“The only thing they did is that they took my house out of it,” Gianaris said.

Peralta characterized New York state as becoming more Democratic and accused the Senate Republicans of trying to maintain their majority by pitting Democrats in the city against each other.

“The only way they can do it is by gerrymandering, and they’ve done so,” Peralta said.

Both lawmakers hold high positions in the Senate. Gianaris is the chairman of the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee and Peralta is the Democratic whip.

In addition to pitting the party heavyweights against each other, Peralta said his new district also loses about 20,000 Asian residents in exchange for 20,000 white residents. The new lines will put the Asian population in a new Asian district, which is now Stavisky’s, but Peralta said the lines have the effect of cutting in half the Asian residents of Elmhurst.

“There’s no concern for the Asian community in northwest Queens,” Peralta said.

Gianaris, who has long been a proponent of independent redistricting, said while politics can be a factor, the lines fail to be compact, continuous or to keep together communities of interest.

“Astoria is one community,” he said. “For them to split it in two is completely outrageous.”

The senators are not the only ones unhappy with the new districts. On his Facebook page, City Councilman Peter Vallone Jr. (D-Astoria) called the new lines an “outrage” and said the 12th District resembled a “baby alien popping out of a stomach.”

Rose Marie Poveromo, a civic leader whose home would be in Peralta’s new district where she now is in Gianaris’ district, said the new districts were “disgraceful.”

“Why should it be changed?” she asked. “This is truly a perfect example of gerrymandering.”

Gianaris said he expected Gov. Andrew Cuomo to veto the new lines, but added whatever happens, he and Peralta will not run against each other.

“Sen. Peralta and I have been friends longer than we’ve been elected officials,” Gianaris said.

The proposed lines for districts represented by state Sens. Shirley Huntley (l. to r.), Malcolm Smith and Joseph Addabbo are drastically different than what currently exists.

State Sens. Joseph Addabbo (D-Howard Beach), Shirley Huntley (D-Jamaica) and Malcolm Smith (D-St. Albans) may need to sign up for dance lessons if newly proposed district maps are approved because they will be doing the shuffle.

“It looks like a switcheroo,” Huntley said in a telephone interview Monday, comparing how the new lines give her parts of the Rockaways that are now Smith’s constituents.

Under the redistricting proposal submitted by the state Legislative Task Force on Demographic Research and Reapportionment, the Rockaways would be split, with Addabbo’s district representing the western Rockaway neighborhoods, including Breezy Point and Rockaway Park, while Huntley would represent Arverne and Far Rockaway.

Senate, state Assembly and congressional lines are redrawn every 10 years to account for population changes recorded by the census.

Smith now represents the entire peninsula while the Rockaways is split in Congress between U.S. Rep. Bob Turner (R-Middle Village), who has the western part, and Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-St. Albans).

The task force’s proposal would take away Lindenwood, Ozone Park, Woodhaven and Richmond Hill from Addabbo and give him part of the Rockaways, Fresh Meadows and Broad Channel.

If those changes go through, Addabbo’s district would be more conservative because of Republican-leaning areas in the Rockaways.

“It’s absurd the Republicans are trying every which way to stay in power,” said Addabbo, who beat longtime Republican Sen. Serphin Maltese in 2008. “The voice of the people has totally been ignored in the process and that’s a problem.”

Both Addabbo and Huntley said they would have preferred the Rockaways to be intact as the area is now. Addabbo represented part of the Rockaways in the City Council.

“I don’t mind representing the Rockaways again — I find it intriguing — but I’ve held the position that communities should not be divided. I don’t think Rockaway should have two state senators.”

The Republican-led Senate drew up the lines for its own chamber while the Democratic Assembly did the same.

Huntley said her district and Smith’s are both heavily Democratic and Republicans would have nothing to gain by tinkering with the lines in southeast Queens.

“I frankly thought our lines would stay the same,” she said. “I have no idea why anybody would do this. They could have left me how I was. It really doesn’t benefit them to do it.”

Gov. Andrew Cuomo has said he would veto any redistricting plan that is not drawn up by an independent commission, and Addabbo said it appears the lines will be legally contested.

“We are looking at lines drawn by a court at this point,” the senator said about the likelihood of litigation over the redistricting plan, which was conceived out of “the same politics that have plagued Albany for years.”

The senator said the process should be “about voters choosing their representatives, not representatives choosing their voters.

“The process is flawed to begin with,” he said.

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.

A clergy group is holding a rally to suppport David R. Gantt (clockwise from top l.) Patricia D. Savage, Roger N. Scotland and Lynn Smith. Photos courtesy state attorney general's office

A nonprofit comprised of clergy and headed by the Rev. Charles Norris Sr. of southeast Queens plans to rally next week outside Nassau Supreme Court in defense of four associates of state Sen. Shirley Huntley (D-Jamaica), who were indicted on grand larceny charges.

The group, Clergy United for Community Empowerment, says the four associates — Huntley staffer Patricia Savage, David Gantt, Roger Scotland and Lynn Smith — are innocent and it planned the Feb. 1 event to show its support for them.

The four were indicted after an investigation by state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman that allegedly found they stole from a nonprofit created by Huntley.

Huntley has not been charged.

Norris, president of the clergy group, is leading the rally outside Nassau Supreme Court in Mineola Feb. 1.

“We have received an outpouring of support and hope the court will recognize that a grave injustice has been done,” he said in a statement.

State Assemblywoman Grace Meng and state Sen. Toby Stavisky have been selected as delegates for the Democratic Party and are slated to cast electoral votes in the 2012 November election.

Norteast Queens delegates state Assemblywoman Grace Meng and state Sen. Toby Stavisky are charged with collecting signatures for President Barack Obama (pictured). AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari

Two northeast Queens lawmakers have been selected as delegates for the Democratic Party in the upcoming presidential elections.

State Assemblywoman Grace Meng (D-Flushing) and state Sen. Toby Stavisky (D-Whitestone) hope their work will keep President Barack Obama in the White House.

“I’m excited to represent Queens and represent New York state as we nominate Obama for a second term,” Meng said.

The first task given to Meng and Stavisky will be to collect signatures to get themselves and the president on ballots.

As delegates, they will need to be elected — and, obviously, the president needs to be on a ballot to compete with the winner of the Republican Party primary.

The Queens GOP will also pick delegates to perform a similar task, but the party did not return a call to TimesLedger Newspapers by press time Tuesday.

Signatures are required for nearly all public offices, including spots at the city level. It ensures that the ballot will only list serious contenders.

The two northeast Queens legislators will be pounding the pavement in the next few weeks to take names and turn in the signatures by Feb. 2.

There are two delegates assigned to each congressional district. In this case, Meng and Stavisky are assigned to the district of U.S. Rep. Gary Ackerman (D-Bayside).

But aside from collecting signatures, their essential function will be to cast electoral votes in the 2012 November election.

When Queens residents take to the polls in November, their votes will technically not pick the president. Instead, their votes will act as a guide as to how delegates, like Meng and Stavisky, will vote to officially elect the president.

Each state is assigned a number of electoral votes based on the number of representatives it has in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. In New York, that number is 29, two less after the 2010 census trimmed two House seats.

It is a process that is not new to Stavisky, who was a delegate in 2008 and attended the convention in Colorado.

“It was interesting because you met people from all over the country,” she said. “Their issues are very similar. A person out of work in Denver is very similar to somebody out of work in Queens.”

The Republican primary is still in full swing, so Queens delegates from the Republican Party do not know who to collect signatures for as of yet.

Obama already has his party’s endorsement to run in the upcoming election, and recently ran his first re-election television ad.

State Sen. Joseph Addabbo, shown here with Lady Gaga look-alike Renee Cole at Resorts World Casino New York City, says the state's legal gambling age should be raised to 21.

State Sen. Joseph Addabbo (D-Howard Beach) said he supports raising the legal age to gamble to 21 from 18, saying the move would limit the number of youngsters with gambling addictions.

“I believe the time is right to address the issues of gambling through raising awareness and legislation,” Addabbo said in a statement Monday.

The senator said a study titled “Raising the Gambling Age to 21 in New York State” and published by the Council on Alcoholism and Addictions in the Finger Lakes region of the state found the earlier in life a person starts gambling, the more likely he or she is to experience symptoms that correlate with pathological gambling.

Addabbo, who represents the area around Aqueduct Race Track and the new Resorts World Casino New York racino, is the chairman of the Senate Racing, Wagering and Gaming Committee.

He said with Gov. Andrew Cuomo in favor of changing the law to create Las Vegas- and Atlantic City-style casinos in the state, it is appropriate to consider raising the legal gambling age.

“Our economy hinges on winning the future,” Addabbo said. “For America to own this century, we must provide our younger residents with the conditions to excel academically and professionally in order to create the next Google or to invent the next critical piece of technology that revolutionizes the way people live.

“To do this, young people must have the opportunity to study in advanced fields of science and mathematics. With college costs continuing to grow, it is vital to provide a firm financial foundation for scholars to become the next entrepreneurs.”

Addabbo also said research has shown that gambling at a young age is a trigger for alcohol abuse, drug use and criminal behavior later in life, and that youngsters are more inclined to gamble than older people in games such as cards, dice and pool.

He said Youth Gambling International found young adults from 18 to 21 are three times more likely to have problems associated with gambling.

Addabbo noted that approving full gambling in the state will take a few years and that changing the legal gambling age should be done before then.

“Our state’s constitution must be amended over two consecutive legislative sessions and then a deciding vote, via the people’s vote on a referendum ballot, must also provide public assent before full casino gaming can operate in the state,” he said. “Since we have a few years before that is likely to happen, it gives us enough time to be more responsible by raising awareness to avoid youthful gambling addictions.”

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.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo (r.) waves as he is introduced by Lt. Gov.Roberty Duffy before his State of the State speech at the Empire State Plaza Convention Center in Albany. AP Photo/Mike Groll

Gov. Andrew Cuomo said he wants the Aqueduct racino in South Ozone Park to be the site of the nation’s largest convention center during his State of the State address last week.

Cuomo said convention centers are “economic generators” and the Javits Center in Manhattan is not big enough to attract the best shows and conventions.

“Let’s build the largest convention center in the nation, period,” Cuomo said.

He called the Javits Center “not competitive.”

The governor said $4 billion would be needed from the private sector to build a convention center at the Aqueduct racino.

“It will be all about jobs, jobs, jobs — tens of thousands of jobs,” Cuomo said.

State Sen. Joseph Addabbo (D-Howard Beach) said he was supportive of the governor’s proposal, but wants the community to have a say in what is built.

“I am an advocate for community input on this project and feel most people would want to see plans or drawings for the proposal,” the senator said in a statement. “Given our current economic situation, I would certainly work toward creating the thousands of jobs and revenue to the city and state the convention center brings.”

Cuomo said 2011, his first year in office, was successful for the state because it “established credibility” and “reversed decades of decline.

“We have big problems in New York. We also have big solutions in New York,” he said.

“I think we had a change of attitude last year,” Cuomo said. “We were done with the dysfunction of Albany, done with the label of dysfunction … and we made up our mind to change it.”

The governor said he wanted to expand gambling in the state to raise revenues.

“When it comes to casino gaming, I believe we’re living in a state of denial,” he said, referring to opponents the governor said fail to acknowledge the state already has gambling in the form of native American casinos and racinos like the one at Aqueduct.

“The debate … is just not true. We’re in the gaming business,” Cuomo said. “For us, it’s not about chips and cards. This is about the jobs that the casino industry generates.”

The governor said expanding gambling would generate $1 billion in economic benefits for the state.

He also called for repairing 2,000 miles of roads, improving 48 state parks and historic sites and repairing 114 flood-control projects.

Cuomo said he understands the politics behind those who do not agree with him on pension reform, but the governor said his proposal would only affect potential new employers in the future — what he called the “unborn.

“We have taxpayers who are suffering today and need help today,” he said. “Let’s respond to them.”

Cuomo said there needs to be improvement in education, saying the state ranked 38th in the country in graduation rates.

“We need major reform,” he said. “We have to change the paradigm.”

During his address, the governor also proposed what he called a foreclosure relief unit that would provide counseling and mediation to keep residents in their homes.

Cuomo said he expects the state to improve on last year, but cautioned that some observers viewed last year as a fluke.

“The cynics don’t know us and they don’t know New York because there’s no way we’re going back, we are going forward. There’s no way we’re going down, we are going up,” he said. “Last year we learned to walk, this year we’re going to run. The best is yet to be. They ain’t seen nothing yet.”

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.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo applauds the state Legislature coming to an agreement on reforming the tax code that will lead to cuts fo middle-class earners. AP Photo/Hans Pennink

Most Queens residents will have more money in their pockets come tax time next year after the state Legislature earlier this month approved tax decreases for those making less than $300,000.

The agreement changes the income tax structure and Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the revisions will add $1.9 billion to the state’s coffers.?

Under the reforms enacted by the Legislature, those making between $300,000 and $2 million will have a base tax rate of 6.85 percent, up from 6.65 percent.

For those earning $2 million and more, the rate will be 8.82 percent, up from the 6.65 percent base rate but less than the 8.97 percent they were paying under the so-called “millionaire’s tax” surcharge.

The governor said 4.4 million New Yorkers will see tax decreases under the plan, including a $690 million reduction in taxes for the middle class, which was defined as earners making $300,000 or less.

That group had a 6.85 percent base tax rate, but those making between $40,000 and $150,000 will have a rate of 6.45 percent.

Those with an income between $150,000 and $300,000 will see their rate slashed from 6.85 percent to 6.65 percent.

State Assemblyman Mike Miller (D-Woodhaven) said the changes to the tax code were needed.

“This tax code reform is a simple matter of fairness,” Miller said. “Reforming the tax code to support middle-class families is the right thing to do and is the best way to stimulate consumer spending and jump-start the economy. This plan will give relief to the struggling middle class and put New York on the path to fiscal stability.”

State Sen. Joseph Addabbo (D-Howard Beach) also applauded the move, which was approved by the Legislature during a special session called by Cuomo earlier this month.

“I am thankful to have been given an opportunity to give the middle class of this state a long-overdue and certainly needed state income tax break,” Addabbo said. “The restructuring of New York state’s tax code creates a fair and progressive tax system and provides equity to citizens across this city and state.”

Since 2009, those making more than $300,000 were hit with the millionaire’s tax on top of their base tax rate that was anywhere from 7.85 percent to 8.97 percent.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The state attorney general indicted four people associated with a non-profit that was created by state Sen. Shirley Huntley, David R. Gantt (clockwise from top l.) Patricia D. Savage, Roger N. Scotland and Lynn Smith. Photos courtesy state attorney general's office

A member of state Sen. Shirley Huntley's staff and her niece were indicted for allegedly taking thousands of dollars from the state.

State Sen. Shirley Huntley (D-Jamaica) went on the defensive last week after state prosecutors indicted four of her associates, including her niece, as part of an investigation into state money that went into a nonprofit that the senator created.

Although state Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman and state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli have not charged Huntley, investigators maintain the thousands of dollars in member item money she gave to Parent Workshop Inc. was squandered by the group’s administrators.

Huntley, who created the educational outreach group before being elected to office in 2006?, contended that she did not knowingly shortchange taxpayers.

“The joint investigation by the attorney general and the comptroller found no wrongdoing on my part. I am confident that when all of the facts are presented they will prove I acted appropriately,” she said in a statement.

Member items are funds in the state budget given to lawmakers to dole out to nonprofits primarily in their legislative districts.

Patricia D. Savage, an aide to Huntley, and Lynn H. Smith, the senator’s niece who lives in her home, were indicted Dec. 7 on 11 counts of grand larceny and offering a false instrument in the theft of nearly $30,000 that was set aside for Parent Workshop Inc., which operates out of southeast Queens, the attorney general said.

“The charges announced today send a strong message that those who abuse their positions to rip off taxpayers will be prosecuted,” Schneiderman said in a statement.

Two other Parent Workshop associates, David R. Gantt and Roger N. Scotland, were charged with falsifying business records for allegedly trying to cover up the theft, according to the attorney general.

Scotland, who is the president of the Southern Queens Park Association, was also charged with tampering with physical evidence, Schneiderman said.

The group was created to give support to schools and parents with outreach and educational enhancement programs, according to the attorney general.

Savage, who was the president of Parent Workshop, and Smith, who acted as the group’s treasurer, falsely asserted that the member item money given to the nonprofit would be used to “hold workshops for and conduct outreach to parents on the workings of the New York City public school system,” Schneiderman said.

The pair allegedly submitted a fraudulent contract and fake vouchers to claim the $29,950 they received from the state between April 2008 and March 2009, according to the attorney general.

During that time, however, Parent Workshop had no events or outreach, the attorney general said.

Gantt allegedly falsified records to make it look like he was paid in cash for the phony workshops and Scotland allegedly created a false record in an attempt to hide the theft once the investigation started, according to Schneiderman.

The attorney general’s and state comptroller’s offices would not comment on whether there were more indictments to come as part of the investigation.

“Abuse and fraud will not be tolerated. By combining forces, my office and the attorney general have exposed and are prosecuting this egregious theft of state funds which were intended for the public good,” the comptroller 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.

Ignazio Terranova (second from l.) answers a question at a town hall held by state Sen. Jose Peralta. He was joined by Corey Williams of the Health Department (l.-r.), Dalila Hall of the DOT, Peralta's chief of staff Nancy Conde, Capt. Thomas Conforti of the 110th Precinct and Capt. Brian Hennessey of the 115th Precinct. Photo by Rebecca Henely

A town hall hosted by the staff of state Sen. Jose Peralta (D-East Elmhurst) last week grew heated early when a man confronted a city Department of Transportation representative over the conversion of 37th Road between Broadway and 74th Street into a pedestrian plaza.

The question was one of many asked of various city agency representatives at the Nov. 7 meeting at IS 227, at 32-02 Junction Blvd. in East Elmhurst. Since Peralta could not attend the event, the event was moderated by Nancy Conde, his chief of staff.

Abdul Basher. a member of the United 32BJ property service workers union, contended that business owners on 37th Road had seen their business drop after the road was converted in October. Basher and others have said that the creation of the plaza and subsequent rerouting of the buses that used to travel down 37th Road have cost them out-of-area customers, who used to stop by after window-shopping from the buses.

Dalila Hall, deputy borough commissioner for the DOT, said the change was made based on the Jackson Heights Transportation Study, with the approval of Community Boards 3 and 4 and elected officials who requested more public space in Jackson Heights. She said the study was well-advertised through fliers and on the DOT’s website.

“It was a two-year process,” Hall said. “We didn’t do it willy-nilly.”

But she emphasized that the DOT was aware of the merchants’ concerns and eager to reach a solution with them.

Other agencies and police officers fielded questions about quality-of-life issues at the meeting. Questions ranged from procedures for dealing with unsafe buildings to motorists speeding down certain streets.

In response to a question about school overcrowding, Brian McGinn, manager of operations for the city Department of Education’s Division of School Construction Authority, said four new buildings were planned for the district and that they would be built from September 2013 to September 2015.

“That should alleviate a lot of the overcrowding,” McGinn said.

Other questions were for smaller but annoying matters.

Ignazio Terranova, deputy inspector for the city Sanitation Department, said in response to a question about whether the department was enforcing dog curbing laws that failing to do so would result in a $250 fine.

“Once we see the smoking pile, boom,” Terranova said.

Others had complaints about livery cab drivers and said the drivers sometimes park on the street and leave their trash there.

Giovanna Reid, district manager of CB 3, said that in addition to writing down the driver’s license number, those who see livery cab drivers misbehaving can reach out to the board as well as elected officials and a public hearing can be held during the driver’s regular license renewal period.

“We want to make sure operators understand [they] must be good neighbors,” Reid said.

U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer (second from l.) and State Sen. Michael Gianaris (second from r.) call for the TSA to hire passenger advocates to solve disputes between agents and flyers when they go through security lines. Two women related to Bruce Zimmer (l.-r.) Bob Sherman and Ralph Sherman claimed they were subjected to strip searches at JFK. Photo courtesy Gianaris

U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and State Sen. Michael Gianaris (D-Astoria) pushed the Transportation Security Administration to designate a “passenger advocate” who would help customers who feel they have been mishandled by agents at John F. Kennedy Airport Sunday.

The senators were joined by relatives of three elderly women who had reported being asked by TSA agents around Thanksgiving to disrobe before being able to board a plane.

“Right now, passengers who feel that their rights are about to be violated have nowhere to turn,” Schumer said in a statement, “but by training passenger advocates at each of our airports, the TSA can finally give passengers a voice.”

TSA spokeswoman Lisa Farbstein said in a statement that they would respond directly to the senators regarding their proposal.

“TSA currently has customer service representatives at most major airports, and has already announced plans to set up an 800 number as a resource for passengers with disabilities,” Farbstein said.

Gianaris and Schumer began their call for a “passenger advocate” after three women from New York state and Florida came forward with stories of being mishandled at JFK. They wrote a letter to U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and TSA Administrator John Pistole Sunday requesting this advocate be on call to settle disputes as they happen, rather than having passengers who feel they have been mishandled write a complaint later.

The legislators also want an investigation into the three women’s cases.

“The rules that exist today don’t allow for strip searches and that seems to be what has happened there,” Gianaris said.

A TSA official said they conducted an investigation of the three women’s cases and denied the women were strip-searched.

Ruth Sherman, 88, who lives in Sunrise, Fla., said she came to New York for Thanksgiving. Sherman wears a colostomy bag on her left side, and could not go through the scanner, so she was asked to go into another room and lower her sweatpants.

“I travelled a lot and nothing like that happened before,” Sherman said. “And I was violated, absolutely violated.”

On the same day, Lenore Zimmerman, 85, of Long Beach, N.Y., declined to go through the scanner because she has a heart defibrillator. She was taken into another room and allegedly asked to remove her blouse and undergarments.

Family members of Sherman and Zimmerman joined Gianaris and Schumer at the announcement Sunday.

After Zimmerman and Sherman came forward, Linda Kallish of Boynton, Fla., said TSA agents took her out of line and into another room after she said she is diabetic and has an insulin pump in her leg. She was allegedly asked to remove her pants in the other room.

The daughter of a 95-year-old woman, Lena Reppert, also reported that TSA allegedly agents kept her mother from getting a flight from Fort Walton Beach, Fla., to Detroit, saying her incontinence pad set off alarms.

Gianaris said security measures such as scanners and pat-downs are important but said the alleged incidents were out of bounds and defied common sense.

“These women have no reason to be making these stories up,” 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.