By Joe Anuta

State Assembly members Edward Braunstein (D-Bayside), Michael DenDekker (D-Jackson Heights), Andrew Hevesi (D-Forest Hills), Margaret Markey (D-Masspeth), Michael Miller (D-Woodhaven), Francisco Moya (D-Jackson Heights), Catherine Nolan (D-Ridgewood), Michael Simanowitz (D-Electchester), Aravella Simotas (D-Astoria) and David Weprin (D-Fresh Meadows) followed the lead of the Queens Democratic Party Friday and endorsed Council Speaker Christine Quinn (D-Manhattan) in the mayoral race.

On Monday the 120,000-member Teamsters Joint Council 16 also threw its weight behind Quinn’s campaign

“We are proud to support Christine Quinn for mayor, an unmatched advocate of working families in New York,” said Joint Council 16 President George Miranda. “Christine Quinn has laid out an ideas-driven agenda, backed up by a real record of delivering, and her plans for New York are rooted in her middle class background and a vision for New York where working families can continue to live and work here.”

Joint Council 16 encompasses the greater New York Area, and includes 29 local affiliated unions.

By Joe Anuta

The Boilermakers, Cement Masons and Insulators building trades unions endorsed city Comptroller John Liu for mayor Tuesday.

The Heat and Frost Insulators Local 12, Cement Masons Local 780 and Boilermakers Local 5 all gave the former Flushing councilman the nod in the race for Gracie Mansion.

“The Members of the Heat and Frost Insulators, along with our families, and friends are proud to endorse John Liu for mayor,” said Mathew Aracich, business manager of Heat and Frost Insulators Local 12. “Understandably, New York needs a candidate who understands the economic principles of the private sector and can find ways to integrate those principles into city government, and that’s why we support John.”

The comptroller happily accepted.
“As we approach a period of tremendous growth in this city to meet the ever-rising demand,” Liu said.  “We will rely on the skilled trades to do what they do best.  I am honored to receive these endorsements.”

U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-Astoria) formally endorsed Costa Constantinides Sunday in his bid for City Council.

Maloney joined dozens of community leaders, labor unions and political action committees in endorsing  Costa’s City Council campaign for a 22nd District seat, which represents Astoria along with parts of Long Island City, Woodside, East Elmhurst, and Jackson Heights.

Constantinides has previously been endorsed by Congressman Joe Crowley (D- Jackson Heights), several members of the City Council, New York’s Working Families Party, 1199SEIU, Brooklyn-Queens NOW PAC, Hotel Trades Council, Local 32BJ Service Employees International Union, Amalgamated Transit Union, City Council’s Progressive Caucus Alliance, and Democracy for NYC.

Constantinides is a grassroots community organizer, political leader, husband and father who has lived in Astoria his whole life. In 2009, he was elected as the Democratic District Leader for the 36th Assembly District Part A.

“I am honored to have the support of Congressmember Carolyn Maloney,” Constantinides said.  “Her continued activism in the U.S. House of Representatives fighting for middle class values has greatly benefited our community.  Her strong leadership in Congress has brought better access to healthcare, education, and vital senior services.  I look forward to working with her as a member of the City Council.”

Constantinides is one of four hopefuls vying for the seat of term-limited Councilman Peter Vallone Jr. (D-Astoria). The other contenders include Independent Party member and Monsignor McClancy High School volleyball Coach Danielle De Stefano. former New York Young Republican Club President and Republican member Daniel Peterson, and Green Party candidate and environmental activist Lynne Serpe.

U.S. Rep. Grace Meng (D-Flushing) formally endorsed Paul Vallone Monday in his bid for City Council.

“Paul Vallone is a strong fighter for his community and will make a dynamic and effective City Council member,” Meng said. “He understands the needs of the district and will serve the public with honesty and integrity. Paul and I are both raising our families in Queens and know the importance of keeping our community a great place to live.”

In a statement, Vallone said he was glad to have Meng’s support in a district where the Asian American vote has grown to make up nearly 18 percent of the Democratic voters in his northeast Queens Council district.

“Like me and so many others in our community, Grace Meng is a parent who wakes up every day with a mission to better the neighborhoods where we raise our families,” Vallone said. “For that reason, and so many others, northeast Queens is incredibly fortunate to have Congresswoman Meng representing us in Congress.”

Vallone is one of five Democrats eyeing Halloran’s seat, including Douglaston attorney John Duane; Flushing urban planning consultant Paul Graziano; Austin Shafran, a Bayside native and former government spokesman for the Empire State Development Authority; and former Halloran Chief of Staff Chrissy Voskerichian of Flushing.

Queens GOP-backed Dennis Saffran of Douglaston has also announced a bid for the seat.

Last month, Halloran said he would not seek re-election for the northeast Queens Council seat so he could focus his attention on clearing his name after being arrested on charges of federal corruption.

The congresswoman joined the Queens Democratic party in throwing support behind the northeast Queens attorney, who is one of several Democrats vying for the 19th District seat currently held by City Councilman Dan Halloran (R-Whitestone).

Reshma Saujani sits down in the TimesLedger Newspapers offices to discuss her campaign for city public advocate. Photo by Kevin Zimmerman

The city public advocate race does not get as much attention as the mayoral contest does, and one candidate thinks the office needs a makeover.

“No one knows what the public advocate should do,” said Reshma Saujani, who is running for the office she previously worked in under the current public advocate and mayoral candidate, Bill de Blasio.

“We’ve just seen Bill de Blasio and Mayor Bloomberg, you know what I mean? Mark Green, Giuliani. We’ve seen these kinds of relationships,” she said.

“That’s not written in the charter. I think that that’s how it’s evolved given that many times the public advocate wanted to be mayor. And I think that the public advocate should be the public advocate and advocate for the people,” she said. “It’s not just about having a press release on ‘Mayor Bloomberg shouldn’t be doing X.’”

The public advocate office was created in 1993 as a kind of watchdog over the city government, and he or she is also next in line for Gracie Mansion in the event the mayor dies. While the public advocate can introduce legislation and casts the deciding vote in the event of a tie in the City Council, the position is largely seen as ceremonial and its necessity has been called into question.

So far, the three public advocates have all been Democrats — two of whom either ran or are running for mayor — during the administrations of Republican mayors.

The office is one of three elected citywide and would provide a high-profile position for the city’s South Asians, 62 percent of whom live in Queens.?

“I’m the first South Asian that will be elected in the entire city,” Saujani, who is not from Queens, said. “So it’s a historic race for the entire community.”

Saujani’s parents immigrated to Illinois from Uganda two years before she was born, and she earned a master’s from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and a degree from Yale Law School before going to work at a white-shoe firm on Wall Street.

Her first big foray into the political world was in 2004 when she founded South Asians for Kerry, and in 2010 she unsuccessfully challenged U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-Astoria) in the Democratic primary.

Following the defeat, Saujani went on to become the deputy public advocate where she worked on a study of how the city could replace inefficient air conditioners in New York City Housing Authority buildings while providing jobs for public housing residents. She also founded the nonprofit Girls Who Code, which teaches young women the language of the new tech economy.

She said this experience puts her ahead of two of the other candidates in the race: City Councilwoman Letitia James (D-Brooklyn) and state Sen. Daniel Squadron (D-Manhattan).

“I think I’m the only candidate with both Tish and Daniel that’s really offering a vision of what I want to do as the next public advocate,” she said. “You know I think that we need to have elected officials who are actually going to get things done, and I think what I’ve gotten done … both as a deputy and as a private citizen is more than they’ve accomplished in their longterm careers as public officials.”

Cathy Guerriero, a teacher at Columbia and New York universities, and NYPD official Sidique Wai are also in the race.

Saujani has been tweeting that she would like to change the way the office has operated and sees it as a vehicle for innovation when it comes to city agencies. Her campaign’s four-point plan addresses women, education, jobs and affordable housing.

“It’s calling attention to the issues, and that may include being really mad at,” and she paused, “Mayor Bill de Blasio. But that shouldn’t be the full job. I shouldn’t be waking up every day and thinking ‘All right, what are the 10 things I’m going to hit de Blasio on today?’”

Isaac Sasson is no longer seeking to replace City Councilman James Gennaro.

Isaac Sasson shelved his bid for City Councilman James Gennaro’s (D-Fresh Meadows) seat this week after dropping nearly $100,000 ?of his own money into the race.

The retired cancer researcher and lottery winner released a statement through his campaign Tuesday afternoon.

“Isaac Sasson, Democratic candidate for City Council in the 24th Council District in Queens, announced today that he is ending his campaign for public office. Isaac will be focusing his efforts on his philanthropy and his related positions in the Orthodox Jewish community,” the statement said.

At the outset of his run, Sasson had pledged to fund his own campaign.

Consequently, he raised just $281 from seven people, the lowest amount out of the rest of the field, which includes former state Assemblyman Rory Lancman, Briarwood community activist Andrea Veras, Mujib Rahman and lawyer Alexander Blishteyn.?

Instead, Sasson spent nearly $89,522 of his own money on advertising, consulting fees and election materials, according to data from the city Campaign Finance Board.

Sasson’s exit means that some votes from the Orthodox Jewish community may be up for grabs.

During his April 28 kickoff event, Sasson incorporated several religious elements into his speech and was endorsed by a number of ?rabbis from the area.

Morton Povman, the former councilman who represented the district from 1971-2001, also repeatedly pledged his support for Sasson’s candidacy at the event, but stressed it was not simply because of religion.

“I want everyone to know that we’re not considering Isaac the Jewish candidate,” Povman said at the time, “because there are other Jewish candidates in this race.”

And Povman eventually decided to go with another Jewish contender, because a day before Sasson bowed out, the former lawmaker changed course and endorsed Lancman for the seat.

Sasson’s absence from the race means that Lancman, who has been endorsed by the Queens Democratic Party, is now the frontrunner in terms of fund-raising with more than $100,000 in the bank.

Blishteyn, who is running as a Republican and is set to have a campaign event with Councilman Eric Ulrich (R-Ozone Park) and former U.S. Rep. Bob Turner, has about $13,000 raised.

Rahman, who ran a heated campaign as a Republican against Councilman Daniel Dromm (D-Jackson Heights) in 2009, has raised about $4,000.

Veras, a Democrat and community activist who has tackled crime and vandalism issues in her neighborhood, has raised about $7,000.

Lawyers Jesse Masyr (l.) and Ethan Goodman explain a $3 billion plan to clean and rebuild Willets Point to Borough President Helen Marshall at a recent hearing. Photo by Joe Anuta

Borough President Helen Marshall (r.) listens to a presentation about the $3 billion Willets Point redevelopment project. Photo by Joe Anuta

Protesters from the Flushing nonprofit the MinKwon Center for Community Action express their desire for affordable housing be moved up in the Willets Point project's timeline. Photo by Joe Anuta

Borough President Helen Marshall heard testimony about a special permit for the $3 billion Willets Point redevelopment project last week, but a judge may ultimately decide whether the ambitious plan can move forward.

Related Cos. and Sterling Equities, the real estate arm of the New York Mets, were selected by the city to clean up and transform 23 acres of the Iron Triangle currently populated by auto shops and junk yards into a new mixed-use neighborhood. The first step in the plan is to build a hotel and retail along 126th Street, a parking lot behind and then a 1.4 million-square-foot mall in the western parking lot of Citi Field.

The housing component is set to replace the parking lot upon completion of additional ramps off the Van Wyck Expressway in 2024.

The Queens Development Group is currently seeking a permit to build the parking lot, which must be approved by the City Planning Commission and the City Council.

Marshall will now make a recommendation after listening to a presentation from the joint venture June 6, but even if it passes all levels of bureaucratic scrutiny, the proposal may still find its way to the courts.

The mall is proposed for a parking lot that sits on parkland leased to the Mets.

The city Law Department and the city Economic Development Corp. maintain that a 1961 law written into the city’s code to allow Shea Stadium and Citi Field to be built on parkland also allows for the construction of the mall.

The law states that the leaseholders, in this case the Mets, have development rights on the parking lot.

But critics have suggested the 1961 law was never intended to allow for commercial development on the scale proposed and ?contend the agreement may violate laws requiring parkland to be replaced.

Michael Rikon, a lawyer who has represented Willets Point property owners in several cases in the past, said the law ?allows the Mets to build ancillary uses for the stadium, but not an unrelated commercial retail hub. It is only a matter of time, he predicted, before someone takes the developers and the city to court.

“There’s an organization that has spoken to me about it on a few occasions. They are interested in litigating this issue,” Rikon said. “There are also citizens who are very disturbed about losing parkland.”

If the 1961 law were found to be invalid, the development might fall into a category called a major concession — defined by the Department of City Planning as any privately run enterprise bigger than 15,000 square feet sited on public land — and thus subject to another public review process.

On another front, the Urban Justice Center, a nonprofit dedicated to providing legal aid to low-income New Yorkers, recently sent a letter to the developers calling the special permit application “deeply flawed” since it did not follow standard regulations for leasing parkland.

Typically a state bill with specific language is required to lease parkland, the center argued, while state precedent and the federal Public Trust Doctrine stipulate that any leased land should be replaced. The city contends the land is already leased to the Mets and development does not require any further legal permission.

After Marshall’s recommendation, the application moves on to the City Planning Commission.

The developers plan to begin cleaning up the historically contaminated soil early next year.

By Joe Anuta

Former Assemblywoman Melinda Katz received the endorsement of the Working Families Party, her campaign announced Thursday.

“If you’re fighting for good jobs, affordable housing and quality schools, there’s no better ally for working families in Queens than Melinda Katz. We’re proud to support her for borough president,” said Dan Cantor, executive director of the Working Families Party.

Over the last two weeks the Katz campaign has been backed by WFP affiliates SEIU 32BJ, the Hotel Trades Council and RWDSU as well as numerous elected officials and the Queens Democratic Party.

By Joe Anuta

Democrat Isaac Sasson dropped out of a northeast Queens City Council race Tuesday, his campaign announced.

“Isaac will be focusing his efforts on his philanthropy and his related positions in the Orthodox Jewish community,” the campaign said in a statement.

The race for the seat, which is currently held by term-limited City Councilman James Gennaro (D-Fresh Meadows), now includes Republican-backed Alex Blishteyn, former state Assemblyman and Queens Democratic Party-backed Rory Lancman, community activist Andrea Veras and Mujib Rahman.

The district includes all or portions of Briarwood, Fresh Meadows, Jamaica Estates, Jamaica Hills, Kew Gardens Hills and parts of Forest Hills, Flushing, Jamaica and Rego Park.

By Joe Anuta

The political action committee of the National Organization for Women’s Brooklyn-Queens Chapter endorsed city Comptroller John Liu for mayor Monday. The organization is a grassroots outfit that fights for women’s rights.

“Brooklyn-Queens NOW is proud to endorse John Liu for mayor,” president Shirley Ranz said.  “Comptroller Liu has a history of fighting for women. He continues to be in the forefront of the struggle against sexual trafficking. As comptroller he demonstrated the need for pay equity legislation. We are confident that he will be a mayor that the women of New York can rely on.”

“NOW is the preeminent organization advocating for women’s rights, which are among the most important issues today facing not only women, but working people, immigrants and families,” Liu said. “The anniversary of the Equal Pay Act reminds us how far we’ve come but, more importantly, how much more there is to do.  I am proud to have this endorsement and will continue to fight for issues important to NOW members and New Yorkers alike.”

Rory Lancman

By Joe Anuta

Former Councilman Morton Povman endorsed former Assemblyman Rory Lancman, who is running for a Fresh Meadows council seat.

The seat is currently held by term-limited City Councilman James Gennaro (D-Fresh Meadows), though Povman represented the area for 30 years beginning in the 1970s.

“I’ve known and worked with Rory for over 25 years, from when I represented our community in the Council and Rory was a civic leader fighting for improved health care, youth services and our quality of life,” Povman said.  “Rory’s experience as a community leader and later as a state Assemblyman makes him the best candidate to represent the 24th district at a time when nearly all of City government is turning over due to term limits.  He has my enthusiastic support.”

“These are challenging times for our City, and Morty Povman’s belief in my ability to represent our community’s interests and values in the City Council means an awful lot to me,” Lancman said.  “Morty always knew how to deliver for us, and I would be honored to follow in his footsteps.”

Lancman has picked up several other endorsements from organizations and lawmakers including the Queens County Democratic Party, U.S. Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-Jackson Heights), Assemblyman Michael Simanowitz (D-Electchester), State Sen. Toby Stavisky (D-Whitestone), the Working Families Party, the New York City Central Labor Council, Local 3 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and the United Federation of Teachers.

Former City Council candidate Kevin Kim says he will not run for the northeast Queens seat currently held by Dan Halloran.

John Duane (clockwise from top l.), Paul Graziano, Dennis Saffran, Austin Shafran, Paul Vallone and Chrissy Voskerichian make up the crowded 19th City Council District race in northeast Queens.

The man defeated by now embattled City Councilman Dan Halloran (R-Whitestone) squashed rumors that he would enter the race again this year as the crowded field of contenders produced a new round of political endorsements for some of the players.

Kevin Kim, who ran for northeast Queens’ 19th District seat against Halloran in 2009, announced he would not be joining the growing list of Democrats vying for the seat despite reports he was considering a campaign.

“Words cannot describe how grateful I am for the outpouring of support I received from so many people in the community,” said Kim, a Manhattan resident. “I will continue to actively and vigorously participate in advocacy efforts that are in the best interest of the community as a whole.”

While Kim ultimately opted out of the race, a handful of Democrats continued to battle it out for a spot on the ballot in November, including Douglaston attorney John Duane; Flushing urban planning consultant Paul Graziano; Austin Shafran, a Bayside native and former government spokesman for the Empire State Development Authority; party-backed Flushing attorney Paul Vallone; and former Halloran Chief of Staff Chrissy Voskerichian of Flushing.

On the other side of the aisle, GOP-backed Douglaston attorney Dennis Saffran has also been scheduling campaign fund-raisers regularly with hopes of holding onto the Republican district.

State Sen. Tony Avella (D-Bayside) announced his support last week for Graziano, a longtime friend who he worked alongside over various issues facing northeast Queens.

“Whenever there’s a zoning issue – no matter where it is, whether it’s Queens or some other borough – I call upon Paul and he always takes time out to look at the plans, give me suggestions and also work with the civic groups,” Avella said. “Irrespective of him working with me, he’s worked with, I think, almost every civic group in the borough. They all know him, they all like him, they all support him. He will be a great council member.”

One day earlier, new state Assemblyman Ron Kim (D-Flushing) publicly endorsed Vallone for the seat because of his support as a friend and community leader when Kim ran for public office. In his statement, Kim referred to Vallone as a “clear choice” for the Korean community.

“The Korean community is no longer an emerging voting bloc,” Vallone said, “but a proud and fortified constituency that deserves to be heard and represented by a Council member who understands their needs and whose door is always open.”

Saffran held a fund-raiser over the weekend in Douglaston in which former Sen. Frank Padavan offered his endorsement for the party-backed Republican.

“Dennis is passionately committed to preserving the quality of life in our city and in the neighborhoods of northeast Queens and will fight for these communities in the City Council in the same way I did in Albany,” Padavan said.

Shafran’s campaign, which has been leading all candidates in fund-raising, has already announced support from various labor groups, including 1199 SEIU United Health Care Workers East, the Working Families Party and the Hotel Trades Council.

Duane’s campaign also announced support from the Stonewall Democrats, the LGBT advocacy group, and the Brooklyn-Queens National Organization for Women. The former assemblyman touted his crucial votes in favor of gay rights and women’s reproductive rights during his last stint in public office.

The winner will go on to replace Halloran, who was arrested in April and charged with using bribery to try and inject Sen. Malcolm Smith (D-Hollis) onto the GOP line in the upcoming mayoral election.

United Federation of Teachers President Michael Mulgrew (shown in this file photo) and Mayor Michael Bloomberg are still taking jabs at each other after the state implemented a teacher evaluation system for the city.

After the city and the teachers union failed to reach an agreement earlier this year on a new teacher evaluation system, state education officials last week came out with a plan.

As part of its application for the federal Race to the Top grant, New York pledged to have a teacher evaluation system implemented in every school district throughout the state. But by the Jan. 17 deadline, the city and the United Federation of Teachers could not come together on a deal, costing city schools $250 million in aid.

New York City was the only district to fail to come to an agreement on a plan.

In a nod to the divisive stalemate the two sides had come to, state Education Commissioner John King Jr. Friday released a plan he said would allow the city to remove ineffective teachers from the classroom, but would focus on creating better educators.

“It’s time,” King said. “There are strong measures to help remove ineffective teachers and principals, but let’s be clear: New York is not going to fire its way to academic success. The key to this plan is the training, support and professional development that must be put in place to help teachers and principals improve their practice.”

The new plan will be in effect through the 2016-17 school year — enough time for the next mayor to remove ineffective teachers — and after that point it can be succeeded by a plan reached through collective bargaining. Any such plan would need King’s approval.

Starting next year, 60 percent of a teacher’s evaluation will be measured through observation, and teachers can choose how they wish to be observed.

Teachers can choose to be observed either in person or have their classroom taped, and they have two options as to how many of those observations are formal or informal.

That 60 percent drops to 55 percent the following year, when the extra 5 percent will come from student surveys.

Student growth on state tests will account for 20 percent of a teacher’s score, and another 20 percent will come from a committee at each school composed of four principal appointees and four from the UFT.

As opposed to the “thumbs up, thumbs down” version of evaluation currently in place, the new plan will rate teachers on four levels: highly effective, effective, developing and ineffective.

Teachers with an “ineffective” rating for two consecutive years can be fired.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg said the UFT’s demand for a sunset provision that would have allowed any evaluation system to expire after a few years was the main sticking point in the negotiations, and touted the new plan as a win for the city.

“Our refusal to accept a sunset provision was a primary reason why talks with the UFT broke down in January, and this ruling validates our decision to hold firm,” he said.

UFT President Michael Mulgrew, however, said the major components of the system were never subject to sunset and pointed out that the fundamentals of the plan were contingent on change through negotiations with the new mayor.

“The precise measures of student learning established by this ruling will be in effect unless and until they are altered in collective bargaining with the new mayor who takes office in seven months,” he said.

The union has not endorsed a candidate in the crowded mayoral race.

Councilman Leroy Comrie (c.) launches his campaign for Queens borough president surrounded by supporters and his daughter Liana (l.) and wife Marcia. Photo by Christina Santucci

Councilman Leroy Comrie (l.) shakes hand with Mohammad Salim at a campaign event on the steps of Borough Hall. Photo by Christina Santucci

City Councilman Leroy Comrie (D-St. Albans) kicked off his campaign for borough president a second time Monday a day before starting to collect signatures to get on the ballot and five months after a similar event in southeast Queens.

Comrie is competing against state Sen. Tony Avella (D-Bayside), businessman Everly Brown, former state Assemblywoman Melinda Katz and City Councilman Peter Vallone Jr. (D-Astoria) in a September Democratic primary to replace current Borough President Helen Marshall.

The lawmaker was flanked Monday by a crowd of supporters who gathered on the steps of Borough Hall to hear the Rev. Calvin Rice, of New Jerusalem Baptist Church in Jamaica, and Comrie’s wife, Marcia, introduce the lawmaker.

“I am running because I have a burning desire to be the next borough president of Queens,” he said. “And I know the communities that are with me, that are asking me to stay in this race and that are asking ?to participate will support my campaign.”

But Comrie is trailing all of his opponents except Brown in fund-raising, according to the latest filings from the city Campaign Finance Board, which showed he had about $40,000 on hand as of May 11 after spending about $100,000.

The term-limited lawmaker was not deterred by the numbers, however, and asked for volunteers to join the campaign, which he referred to as grassroots.

He also asked for more donations to fund his run. Specifically, he hoped that 1,000 people would donate $20 each.

“People have been promising me money. Now is the time to give,” he said, adding that he believed many people do not donate to campaigns until the election is closer.

Comrie is a district leader and the Queens delegation chairman in the Council. He holds one of the most coveted chairmanships as head of the Committee on Land Use.

But last week the Queens Democratic Party endorsed Katz, who also received the endorsement of influential southeast Queens clergyman the Rev. Floyd Flake, head of the Greater Allen AME Cathedral of New York in Jamaica.

Comrie characterized his relationship with the party, led by U.S. Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-Jackson Heights) as amicable, and said he would run a positive campaign the Democrats “could be proud of.”

The party has forgiven those who have run against them in the past. Katz ran against the party’s candidate for city comptroller in 2009 but lost to John Liu in the primary. The party also endorsed former Assemblyman Rory Lancman in his bid for City Council, although he ran against the Dems’ candidate, Grace Meng, in last year’s congressional race.

Comrie’s kickoff announcement was unusual in that it was the second time the councilman officially announced his run.

In January, Comrie had a kickoff fund-raiser at Antun’s. At the time, a spokesman told TimesLedger Newspapers it was the official announcement.

At borough hall, he touted his governmental experience and said his campaign would focus on ideas he could bring to the table, one of which was adding a subway line in Queens.

Comrie said his campaign might pick up a few extra votes after Sen. Jose Peralta (D-East Elmhurst) dropped out of the race last week.

“I think it only helps me,” he said.

State Sen. Tony Avella (c.) stands with tenants at Willets Point to protest the recent shuttering of shops. Photo by Joe Anuta

After one branch of city government issued several Willets Point business owners violations and shut down their body shops earlier this month?, another branch will now pay to fix them.

On May 17, inspectors from the city Department of Buildings closed? two lots housing several auto businesses in the Iron Triangle.

At one property, on the corner of 38th Avenue and 126th Street, inspectors determined a building had been illegally subdivided into five shops. They shuttered the whole group. Across the street, inspectors enforced an order to vacate issued in 2009 regarding support joists holding up the sheet metal roof.

The lots were both purchased by the city Housing and Preservation Department in 2009, records show, making the Bloomberg administration the landlord.

“All we want is fair treatment,” said Akram Mohibi, one of the business owners. “We all have families. We’re not doing anything illegal.”

Mohibi was speaking at a news conference called by state Sen. Tony Avella (D-Bayside) Tuesday, where he said the city’s actions constituted harassment.

“These were all pre-existing violations when the city took over,” he said. “Unfair treatment has got to stop.”

Avella contends the businesses were being targeted because they lie in the footprint of a $3 billion project to redevelop 23 acres of Willets Point.

The developers, which include Sterling Equities, the real estate arm of the New York Mets, hope to begin cleaning the soil on the site in February and eventually build a stretch of buildings along 126th Street across from Citi Field. They are also hoping to complete a 1.4-million-square-foot mall on the other side of the stadium by 2018.

Immediately after the businesses were shut down, Housing told TimesLedger Newspapers that because the violations were issued to a commercial business, it would be the tenant’s responsibility to rectify the problems.

But after a group of business owners reached out to City Councilwoman Julissa Ferreras (D-East Elmhurst), the department did an about-face and agreed to bring the shops into compliance.

“We have been working diligently with Council Member Ferreras to find a solution that will allow the commercial tenants to return as quickly as possible. The city will be funding repairs that will begin in the next few days with the work expected to be complete and the shops open for business soon after,” said Housing spokesman Eric Bederman.

Enforcement of building violations in the Iron Triangle seems spotty.

Three nearby businesses also owned by Housing, and also in the footprint of the first part of the Willets Point project, had full or partial vacate orders issued in 2009, yet the locations were not shut down.

State Assemblyman William Scarborough (c.) speaks at a rally outside the offices of the city Department of Environmental Protection. Photo by Juliet Kaye

A group of southeast Queens residents and activists protest outside the offices of the city Department of Environmental Protection. Photo by Juliet Kaye

Lawmakers and homeowners fed up with flooding in southeast Queens are moving forward with legal means to try and force the city Department of Environmental Protection to alleviate the problem.

Lawmakers have drafted bills and homeowners are exploring lawsuits.?

State Assemblyman William Scarborough (D-Jamaica), the Queens chapter of the National Action Network and community leaders rallied outside the department’s offices last Friday and accused the city of willfully ignoring fixes to the rising water table.

“The rally was to protest the fact we still do not have a solution to the flooding in southeast Queens and that people’s homes are still being flooded by the groundwater,” Scarborough said.

The community has repeatedly called on the city to restart wells it shut down in 1996 after purchasing them from the Jamaica Water Co.

Without the company sucking water out of the ground and piping it into homes, the water table rose dramatically, Scarborough said. A former DEP commissioner estimated in 2007 that the groundwater had crept up 35 feet.

The city does plan to reopen the wells, but not until 2018, when? a current upstate source of drinking water will be shut down. The city will compensate by returning to the ground of southeast Queens.

DEP did not respond to a request for comment as of press time.

The department has refused to open the wells any earlier, citing the cost, which is why residents have been in discussion with lawyer Mark Seitelman.

Seitelman attended a town hall meeting in March, and subsequently ?interviewed about 50 people who may file property damage claims against the city in civil court.?

“We are in the exploratory stage to see viability of cases,” he said.

Seitelman and the possible plaintiffs contend DEP created the flooding problem, which has forced several institutions, including York College ?and a nursing home, to have pumps running 24 hours a day and has destroyed basements of homes.

In addition to plans for taking the damage claims to civil court?, Scarborough and state Sen. Malcolm Smith (D-Hollis) have introduced legislation that would force DEP’s hand in activating the wells.

“It would require the city to resolve the issue,” he said.

The bill will be introduced in the state Assembly’s Committee on Cities in early June, according to Scarborough, and has already made it that far in the Senate.

It is about a paragraph long and would force any city agency to activate existing infrastructure, referring to the wells,? to alleviate an environmental crisis if that agency “by acts of omission or commission” caused it.

State Sen. Tony Avella (c.) honors borough veterans Yeong Bae Choi (l.-r.), Mu Hwan Kim, Loretta Weiss, Joseph Panzardi and Kwang Nam Lee for Memorial Day. Photo courtesy Tony Avella

In recognition of Memorial Day, state Sen. Tony Avella (D-Bayside) invited four decorated veterans into his northeast Queens district office with resolutions in hand to honor them for their service.

The senator sits on the Senate Veterans, Homeland Security and Military Affairs Committee and said he holds a similar ceremony twice a year, at 38-50 Bell Blvd., on Memorial and Veterans days to commemorate the heroes who live within his district.

This year he welcomed Yeong Bae Choi, Mu Hwan Kim, Kwang Nam Lee and Joseph Panzardi from Flushing, Whitestone and Queens Village to thank them for their service overseas.

He also paid tribute to Loretta Weiss by inducting her into the Senate’s Veterans Hall of Fame.

The vets were joined by family members, Veterans of Foreign Wars and Vietnam Veterans of America members and friends to pay tribute to their service.

Choi, also president of the Korean Marine Corps Veterans Association of Eastern USA, served as a sergeant in the Republic of Korea Marine Corps from 1975-78. After arriving in the United States in 1980, the Flushing man started his own beauty supply business.

In 2005, the National Ethnic Coalition of Organizations commemorated Choi with the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, an award given to Americans of all ethnic backgrounds who have made significant contributions to society.

Kim, a Flushing resident and president of the Vietnam War Veterans Association of New York, enrolled in the Republic of Korea Army in 1965 and served alongside U.S. armed forces in the Vietnam War. He spent more than 36 months on wartime duty before retiring as a sergeant in the Republic of Korea Army.

After graduating from college, Flushing resident Lee also joined the Republic of Korea Marine Corps’s Officer Candidate School and later attended the Marine Military English School and the Army Military Intelligence School. He was deployed as a captain to serve in the Vietnam War in 1968 in the ROK Blue Dragon Brigade, one of the three main units deployed at the time.

By 1984, he had immigrated to the United States and served as president of the Korean Veteran Association in 1994. He also served as major of the New York National Guard from 2002-10.

Queens Village native Panzardi joined the military in 1967 and served overseas in both Vietnam and Bad Kissengen, Germany. He received an honorable discharge in August 1973 and was eventually awarded the Air Medal, Good Conduct Medal, Vietnam Service and Campaign medals, Vietnam Cross of Gallantry, Presidential Unit Citation and National Defense Medal.

He is first vice commander of Edward McKee American Legion Post 131 and quartermaster of Whitestone Community VFW Post 4787. He also serves as a life member of Queens Chapter 32 VVA.

Weiss, another member of Whitestone VFW Post 4787, served in the U.S. Army from 1942-45 during World War II and went back to serve in the Korean and Vietnam wars. She was discharged in February 1975 as a supply sergeant and received the World War II Victory, Army Occupation, National Defense Service and Good Conduct medals, among other awards.

Former U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner's entry into the mayoral race was made official this week.

Former Forest Hills U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner officially kicked off his quest for Gracie Mansion with a video announcement posted on YouTube late Tuesday.

The scandal-scarred politician takes on the city’s mayoral campaign close to two years after resigning from Congress in 2011 when it was revealed he posted a lewd photo of himself on Twitter. He later admitted to sending inappropriate online messages to six women.

Weiner addresses the scandal directly in the campaign video, making an appeal to the public for a second chance in office.

“Look, I made some big mistakes. And I know I let a lot of people down. But I’ve also learned some tough lessons. I’m running for mayor because I’ve been fighting for the middle class and those struggling to make it my entire life. And I hope I get a second chance to work for you,” he said in the video.

But not everyone thinks the ex-congressman deserves that second chance. City Councilman James Gennaro (D-Fresh Meadows) released a statement Wednesday roasting Weiner for his actions and demanding he call off his mayoral campaign.

“I believe his entry in the race would be a terrible distraction from the important issues that should be discussed in this campaign and from candidates who actually are qualified to be mayor,” said Gennaro, who also contended Weiner lacked the qualifications to be mayor. “First, I believe for any mayor to be effective he or she must possess good judgment. In my opinion, his actions in 2011 show terribly poor judgment — to say the least.”

But the idea of Weiner as mayor might not be a far-fetched notion, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released this week. The poll revealed the former congressman ranks second among Democratic candidates running for mayor.

According to the poll, Weiner received the support of 15 percent of Democratic voters, placing him in second place after City Council Speaker Christine Quinn (D-Manhattan), the current front-runner.

But gaining back the trust of voters will be tough, according to Maurice Carroll, director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. Carroll said 49 percent of voters said Weiner should not run for office.

“Should Weiner run? More, especially women, say no,” Carroll said.

Carroll also said the addition of Weiner to the race could result in a runoff, as it would be difficult for any candidate to reach the magic 40-percent number needed to avoid a second round of voting.

But now that he is officially in the running, Weiner might be viewed as a strong contender since he has close to $4.5 million in his campaign war chest, according to the city Campaign Finance Board. He was considered a strong possible contender for City Hall before the Twitter episode erupted.

Weiner’s viral re-emergence also featured his wife, Huma Abedin, as well as his infant son. The video closes with Abedin, a former aide to Hillary Clinton, sitting with her husband on a stoop and saying, “We love this city, and no one will work harder to make it better than Anthony.”

The former congressman launched a new Twitter handle last month, @anthonyweiner, and tweeted a link to a pamphlet outlining his “Keys to the City” with “64 Ideas to Keep New York the Capital of the Middle Class.”

He refers to that pamphlet in his campaign video, stating “New York City should be the middle-class capital of the world and I’ve got some ideas on how to do it — 64 of them.”

State Assemblyman David Weprin (l.) joins with NYSAIF spokesman David Schwartz to once again rally for the passage of Alice's Law to combat staged car crashes. Photo courtesy David Weprin

The bill is named in honor of Alice Ross, who was killed in March 2003 in a staged car accident. Photo courtesy David Weprin

A Queens state Assemblyman’s efforts to crack down on staged car accidents kicked into high gear as the lawmaker prepared his final push before the current legislation session ends in June.

One decade ago, 71-year-old Queens grandmother Alice Ross died when her car crashed into a tree after being intentionally struck in a pre-meditated collision. In the years following her death, Assemblyman David Weprin (D-Fresh Meadows) helped draft a bill in her memory, dubbed Alice’s Law, to toughen up the penalties for staging accidents to commit insurance fraud.

Weprin stood on the steps of City Hall Sunday with driver-safety group New Yorkers Stand Against Insurance Fraud to urge Albany to make Alice’s Law a reality and save taxpayer money in the process.

“On the 10th anniversary of her death, I want to go to Alice’s family this year and finally be able to tell them this bill has become a law,” Weprin said. “We are incredibly close to getting this done, but we’re headed into the final month of this year’s legislative session and I’m urging everyone of the importance of making this bill a priority.”

The Assembly voted unanimously last year to pass Alice’s Law, but the state Senate did not put it to a vote before ending the session in 2012. With the Assembly’s blessing again this year, Weprin said he hoped to finally put the bill to a final vote before the session ends in late June.

“Thanks to the diligence of Assemblyman Weprin and his colleagues in the Senate, we came very close to making Alice’s Law a reality,” said David Schwartz, a spokesman for the anti-insurance fraud group, who has stood beside the assemblyman throughout his efforts to pass the bill. “For Alice’s family and the millions of drivers across the state, let this be the year that we send a message to criminals that New York will no longer tolerate this crime.”

Alice’s Law would close loopholes in no-fault insurance fraud throughout the state, Weprin said, by making staged car accidents a stand-alone crime. Under current law, staging a car crash is classified as a misdemeanor, but Weprin said his bill would create crime categories for the offense in the first, second and third degrees. Incidents would instead be classified as Class D felonies if another uninvolved party is injured, the bill said.

“We absolutely cannot go another year without putting a law in place to crack down on this crime,” Weprin said.

The driver responsible for Ross’ death was 25-year-old Waurd Demolaire, of Brooklyn, who was convicted of conspiracy and manslaughter in Queens Supreme Court Feb. 16, 2006. Police said Demolaire drove his car head-on into Ross, thrusting her car into a tree on Commonwealth Boulevard in Jamaica. His appeal was denied and he is now serving a 15-year prison sentence.

City Councilman Peter Koo (c.) stands with supporters in his campaign office. Photo by Joe Anuta

City Councilman Peter Koo (D-Flushing) kicked off his campaign for re-election last week when the lawmaker officially opened his downtown headquarters.

“I promise that I will do my best to serve my community,” Koo told a crowd gathered at his campaign office within Flushing Mall, located at 133-31 39th Ave. “It is the most important thing.”

Koo said he hopes to tackle a number of quality-of-life issues for Flushing constituents if he is elected for a second term, including pedestrian safety — a constant problem in the crowded downtown corridor, where cars and walkers clog the streets and sidewalks.

He will be facing Evergreen Chou, a Green Party candidate who often campaigns on expanding Medicare to all citizens of the country.

Republican Sunny Hahn, who along with Chou ran in a crowded race to replace the state Assembly seat vacated by U.S. Rep. Grace Meng (D-Bayside) last year, is also hoping to topple Koo in a general election this November. Hahn has said she wants to preserve and highlight the cultural gems of Flushing to draw more visitors to the bustling neighborhood and grow the economy.

Koo said at his headquarters that he is taking all challenges seriously.

“We are prepared for a challenger,” he said. “We are ready.”

The small business owner is chairman of Waterfronts Committee and sits on the Aging, Land Use, Oversight & Investigations, Small Business, Transportation and Youth Services committees.

According to campaign adviser James McClelland, Koo has a long record of service to the community behind him.

The lawmaker has worked to improve transportation in the neighborhood by conducting pothole surveys and working with the city Department of Transportation to draw up a traffic plan, and has been involved in numerous cultural events in the diverse district. He also helped set up the Downtown Flushing Task Force and has worked with police to remove casino tourist buses off downtown streets.

Koo, who was endorsed by the Queens Democratic Party, has also doled out more than $11 million in capital funds to the district, directing money to 25 schools, a security system for the Bland Houses, the beautification of Union Street and the Queens Library, among other projects, according to McClelland.

Koo was a Republican for years before switching to the Democratic Party in early 2012.

The councilman has been a co-sponsor on numerous pieces of transportation legislation, according to McClelland.