{"id":167755,"date":"2026-03-18T22:18:57","date_gmt":"2026-03-18T22:18:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/167755\/"},"modified":"2026-03-18T22:18:57","modified_gmt":"2026-03-18T22:18:57","slug":"i-on-politics-queens-gazette-20","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/167755\/","title":{"rendered":"I On Politics – Queens Gazette"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\"\u00a0\"<\/a><\/p>\n

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ASTORIA HOMEOWNERS MEETING TONIGHT:<\/p>\n

The Astoria Homeowners, Tenants & Busi\u00adness Civic Association will meet TONIGHT, March 18 at 7:00 pm at Pistilli Grand Manor, 45- 02 Ditmars Blvd. Entrance on 45th Street. Guest speakers will be Melinda Katz, District Attorney and a representative from the 114th Precinct.<\/p>\n

CB3 MEETING:<\/p>\n

Community Board 3 will hold its Monthly Board Meeting IN-PERSON on Thursday, March 19, 2026 at 7:00pm at I.S 227Q Louis Armstrong School Auditorium 32-02 Junction Blvd. in East Elmhurst.<\/p>\n

Live-Streaming access: https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@queenscommunity\u00adboard3virtu695\/streams<\/p>\n

114th PRECINCT CMTY COUNCIL MEETING:<\/p>\n

The monthly meeting of the 114th Precinct Community Council will be at The Marquee As\u00adtoria at 25-22 Astoria Blvd. on Tuesday, March 24 at 7:00 PM. There will be a guest speaker, Mr. Bill Jorgenson, Queens District Attorney regard\u00ading Deed Theft Prevention.<\/p>\n

MAMDANI ANNOUNCES 15 MPH SLOW ZONES AT ALL ELIGIBLE NYC SCHOOLS:<\/p>\n

New York City Mayor Zohran Kwame Mam\u00addani and New York City Department of Trans\u00adportation Commissioner (NYC DOT) Mike Flynn today announced that NYC DOT will re\u00adduce the speed limit to 15 MPH at every eligible school location across the five boroughs by the end of Mayor Mamdani\u2019s first term. The move is designed to protect children and their families on city streets and represents the largest increase to date in the city\u2019s use of Sammy\u2019s Law to reduce speed limits across the city.<\/p>\n

More than 800 additional school locations will see speed limits reduced to 15 MPH this year, bringing the total school locations with 15 MPH speed limits to 1,300 by the end of the cal\u00adendar year. The administration plans to expand 15 MPH School Slow Zones where eligible at all 2,300 school locations across the five boroughs by the end of Mayor Mamdani\u2019s first term. These 2,300 school locations house 3,200 schools city\u00adwide, with some schools co-located. Implemen\u00adtation will be prioritized based on available safety data and other planned street safety im\u00adprovements. Mayor Mamdani announced the news at Flushing International High School, which is co-located with J.H.S. 189 Daniel Carter Beard, where NYC DOT will today install a new 15 MPH speed limit for its School Slow Zone on 147th Street between Barclay Avenue and Sanford Avenue.<\/p>\n

\u201cFamilies spoke up after unimaginable loss to fight for Sammy\u2019s Law and deliver our city the power to make our streets safer for New York\u00aders,\u201d said Mayor Mamdani. \u201cToday\u2019s expansion of Slow Zones for schools across all five bor\u00adoughs is just the beginning. Lower speeds save lives, and we will use every tool at our disposal to protect our neighbors as they move about our city.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOur school children and their families should feel safe and comfortable as they travel to and from class. Speeding is the leading cause of traffic deaths, and even a small speed reduc\u00adtion can mean the difference between life and death in a crash,\u201d said NYC DOT Commissioner Mike Flynn. \u201cThese speed limit reductions will follow our data-driven Vision Zero approach to deliver the greatest safety impact.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSammy\u2019s Law is an incredibly effective tool for making the streets near our schools safer for our children and their families,\u201d said Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr. \u201cI am thrilled we will be using Sammy\u2019s Law to reduce speed limits to 15 MPH at so many locations across Queens and the rest of the city. We need to do everything we can to make our schools and the streets around them a safe environment for everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cExpanding Sammy\u2019s Law is a historic step toward making our streets safer for children and families,\u201d said City Council Deputy Leader San\u00addra Ung. \u201cAround schools, we see students walk\u00ading, parents pushing strollers, and families crossing busy streets during the most hectic times of the day. Lowering speed limits to 15 miles per hour will help ensure that the streets surrounding our schools reflect that reality and create an en\u00advironment where parents can feel confident that their children can get to and from school safely. I commend Mayor Mamdani for taking this im\u00adportant step to protect students and families in communities across the five boroughs.\u201d<\/p>\n

WONG ON PROPOSED NINEDOT BAT\u00adTERY STORAGE FACILITY:<\/p>\n

New York City Council Member Phil Wong (D) issued the following statement regarding the proposed NineDot Energy battery storage facility at 64-30 69th Place in Middle Village:<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the last two days, NineDot Energy has been circulating a letter to media outlets that con\u00adtains serious inaccuracies about how this pro\u00adposal came to light and how the community has responded. This company\u2019s tactics and PR smear campaign are frankly ridiculous. Instead of working honestly with the community, they are trying to rewrite the record.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wong noted that a broad coalition including Congresswoman Grace Meng, Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, State Senator Joseph Addabbo, Assembly Member Andrew Hevesi, the Juniper Park Civic Association, the Middle Village Chamber of Commerce, and the United Federation of Teachers has raised serious concerns about the proposed location across from PS\/IS 128 and next to an animal hospital, a children\u2019s funhouse, a daycare center, residential homes, and a School District 24 Teachers Cen\u00adter.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis coalition has made it clear that this is the wrong location for this type of facility,\u201d Wong added.<\/p>\n

MAMDANI ON ONE-HOUSE BUDGET RESOLUTIONS:<\/p>\n

Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani released the following statement in response to the One- House Budget Resolutions:<\/p>\n

\u201cThe legislature and I agree: we cannot bridge this budget deficit on the backs of work\u00ading class New Yorkers. I\u2019m grateful that the As\u00adsembly and Senate One-House Budgets recognize the scale of the fiscal crisis facing New York City. I want to thank Speaker Heastie, Leader Stewart-Cousins and the Assembly and Senate Democratic conferences for having taken meaningful steps toward closing the deficit we inherited, including by asking more from the wealthiest New Yorkers and by creating a fairer balance in the city\u2019s fiscal relationship with the state.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m also grateful to the legislature for ex\u00adtending the fare free bus pilot program in both One-Houses; as one in five New Yorkers struggle to pay for public transportation, it is essential we take bold action and build a transit system all New Yorkers can afford.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe State\u2019s support has also been integral to advancing universal child care, and I deeply appreciate Governor Hochul and the State legis\u00adlature\u2019s partnership to that end. However, we would not have been able to launch 2-K or begin to fix the issues plaguing 3-K without mayoral control. Mayoral control is key to delivering our affordability agenda, and I look forward to con\u00adtinuing to work with leaders in Albany to secure its extension.<\/p>\n

\u201cNew York City is the economic engine of our state \u2014 restoring our city\u2019s fiscal health is an investment in the state\u2019s economic wellbeing. I am encouraged and heartened by the relationship that we have built with Governor Hochul and the State legislature, and I look forward to continu\u00ading to review their proposals and build upon the work we have done together throughout this budget process.\u201d<\/p>\n

CBC STATEMENT ON ONE HOUSE BUDGETS:<\/p>\n

Citizens Budget Commission President An\u00addrew Rein\u2019s full statement on the One House budgets:<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s good that the Legislature, like the Gov\u00adernor, wants to help New York City close its budget gap. But hiking our nation-leading taxes and making our State less competitive to prop up inefficient, often ineffective programs is the wrong prescription for what ails us.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe State faces fierce competition for resi\u00addents and businesses, looming federal cuts, a $20 billion structural budget gap and an increasingly shaky economic outlook. Adding billions of dol\u00adlars of recurring spending destabilizes the State\u2019s budget and puts at risk the services New Yorkers need. Simply: The State should spend less, not more, than the executive budget proposed.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe City is the State\u2019s main economic en\u00adgine, and the State may well provide it more re\u00adlief. At the same time, the State must ensure its own fiscal stability, and any one-time aid should serve as a bridge with the condition that the City is accountable for bringing spending in line with its current revenue base.<\/p>\n

\u201cFinally, once again, both houses chose not to publish basic multi-year budget tables, which would show New Yorkers the implications of what they have proposed.<\/p>\n

\u201cOn SEQRA (State Environmental Quality Review Act):<\/p>\n

\u201cSEQRA reform is a winning proposal, but may well be contentious\u2014with the Assembly omitting it entirely and the Senate dropping non-housing uses, including for parks, childcare, water and sewer infrastructure, and energy effi\u00adciency upgrades. We applaud the Senate for sup\u00adporting an expanded exemption of environmental review for housing development, as well as time limits on environmental review and litigation. It\u2019s important that the State continue to have a broad, ambitious program for delivering needed infrastructure to New York, omitting a source of delay and obstruction across building types cru\u00adcial for New York\u2019s future.<\/p>\n

\u201cOn auto insurance reform:<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is disappointing that neither house sup\u00adported the Governor\u2019s smart proposal to reform New York\u2019s auto insurance laws. The status quo fails both drivers and insurers; these common-sense reforms can help rationalize the system, saving New York residents and businesses as much as $2 billion a year without any increase in State spending. Insurance reform has been shown to lower premiums by 10 percent to 15 percent in other states; even a 10 percent savings would put $200 per vehicle back into New York\u00aders\u2019 pockets.<\/p>\n

\u201cOn taxes:<\/p>\n

\u201cNew York State and its localities are already top of the charts, collecting 78 percent more taxes per capita than the national average, 40 per\u00adcent more than California and 37 percent more than New Jersey. Raising taxes risks losing resi\u00addents who fund critical services and businesses that employ New Yorkers.<\/p>\n

\u201cOn proposed rebate checks:<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Assembly proposes a $500 rebate check to offset energy costs for households earning below $150,000 and $300 for those earning from $150,000 to $300,000. Rather than sending checks to New Yorkers who may not need them, the State should be saving these resources as a hedge against the looming risks of economic un\u00adcertainty and federal cuts.\u201d<\/p>\n

WONG ON MOODY\u2019S REVISION OF NYC\u2019S CREDIT OUTLOOK:<\/p>\n

Council Member Phil Wong (D-Queens), a member of the New York City Council Finance Committee, issued the following statement in re\u00adsponse to news that Moody\u2019s has revised New York City\u2019s credit outlook to negative:<\/p>\n

\u201cMoody\u2019s decision to place New York City on a negative outlook is a clear warning sign that our spending trajectory is unsustainable. As a member of the Finance Committee, I believe we must take this seriously by identifying waste, slowing spending growth, and restoring struc\u00adtural balance before asking taxpayers for more.\u201d<\/p>\n

BP TOURED PROGRESS AT ETIHAD PARK:<\/p>\n

Borough President Donovan Richards Jr. toured the progress being made at Etihad Park, the future full-time home of Major League Soc\u00adcer\u2019s New York City Football Club. When the 25,000-seat stadium opens in 2027, it will be New York City\u2019s first-ever professional soccer stadium and the first all-electric stadium in Major League Soccer. Etihad Park isn\u2019t just for Queens, though. It\u2019s also by Queens, as the majority of its early 500-person union workforce is made up of Queens residents. Once Etihad Park is open, it will be a true anchor of Willets Point, where we\u2019re building 2,500 units of affordable housing, a 650-seat school and more.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn what F. Scott Fitzgerald once called the \u2018Valley of Ashes\u2019 is rising one of Queens\u2019 most triumphant victories, in the form of Etihad Park. The World\u2019s Game belongs in The World\u2019s Bor\u00adough, and I couldn\u2019t be prouder of the history we\u2019re making in Willets Point to bring it here. Etihad Park represents endless possibilities not only for NYCFC, but for the thousands of bor\u00adough residents who will earn a living wage or grow their business there. The goal at Willets Point is to create a community where its residents thrive, elevating all of Queens in the process, and we are closer to doing just that.\u201d<\/p>\n

ADDABBO BRINGS ART THERAPY TO PS 60 IN WOODHAVEN:<\/p>\n

Senator Joseph P. Addabbo, Jr. brought a fine art therapy class to about 60 students in the 5th grade at PS 60 in Woodhaven on March 13, 2026. The two sessions were taught by instructor Gennaro Kravitz, a gifted local artist who is skilled in using basic shapes and inexpensive art tools to create joyous, yet simple designs.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I was younger, I wanted to be a car\u00adtoonist,\u201d Addabbo said. \u201cI love to draw. It\u2019s not always artwork but it\u2019s therapy. It\u2019s also a way of releasing stress and not thinking about an up\u00adcoming test and how you studied so hard. You can calm yourself down, so you do a little drawing. It\u2019s a good way of having a little peace. I hope you enjoy it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kravitz gave each student sheets of cardstock paper and a box of crayons (to keep) which were provided by the Co-Cathedral of St, Joseph \u2013 St. Teresa of Avila, located in Brooklyn, where Kravitz is the resident artist and art instructor. He is VIRTUS-certified by the Diocese of Brooklyn as a youth instructor. Kravitz\u2019s artistic style is modeled after the 1970s \u201cPattern and Decoration\u201d (P&D) movement. During the two 45-minute classes, the students were encouraged to explore their own creative intuitions. Kravitz encouraged drawing and coloring to relax and unwind after a busy day of school classes, home\u00adwork and chores and as a great alternative to using cell phones and other electronic devices for recreation. He also suggested drawing pic\u00adtures to create their own custom greeting cards for family members.<\/p>\n

Senator Addabbo would like to thank PS 60 and its Interim Acting Principal, Lisa Kelly for supporting and hosting the program. \u201cIt\u2019s so im\u00adportant to engage young people in the arts and challenge their creativity,\u201d Addabbo said. \u201cIt has numerous benefits and serves as a reminder to take a break from electronic devices and nurture the mind and spirit.\u201d<\/p>\n

LIU CELEBRATES CIVICS WEEK IN NE QUEENS SCHOOLS:<\/p>\n

In recognition of NYC\u2019s Annual Civics Week, Senator John Liu, chairperson of the NYC Education Committee, visited schools in north\u00adeast Queens to speak with students about the im\u00adportance of being engaged in their communities. Throughout Civics Week, elected officials visit public school students in K-12 throughout the city where they participate in classroom activi\u00adties and events aimed at empowering students to become proactive contributors to their commu\u00adnity. This year, students engaged in various ac\u00adtivities celebrating youth voice, civic empowerment, and the importance of registering to vote. Activities include Student Voter Regis\u00adtration Drives, Civics for All Poster Contests, and more.<\/p>\n

During Civics Week, Senator Liu visited P.S. 159Q in Bayside. Senator Liu spoke to students in grades 3 to 5 about civic engagement and the democratic process. He also visited I.S. 25Q Adrien Block in Flushing. Senator Liu spoke with the student council about politics and the election process, local, state, and federal govern\u00adment, immigration and ICE, education, and youth engagement.<\/p>\n

State Senator John Liu stated, \u201cTalking to our young people here in northeast Queens about government, politics, and civic engagement is al\u00adways a humbling and exciting experience. Our kids pulled no punches and asked the tough questions about everything from Trump\u2019s ICE raids to how to improve our schools. The youth of today are more engaged and curious about the world around them, and how they can make a difference than ever before. They understand that our democracy works best when more voices are heard, especially those of our young people, so it\u2019s important that they learn to think critically about their politics and be empathetic with their opinions in order to engage in healthy civic de\u00adbate. Many thanks to our schoolteachers, leader\u00adship, and staff here in Queens who are going above and beyond to make sure our next gener\u00adation are active and informed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2014With contributions by Augusta Luger<\/p>\n

This column was originated by John A. Toscano.<\/p>\n

For more I on Pols, visit this week\u2019s QGazette.com.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u00a0 ASTORIA HOMEOWNERS MEETING TONIGHT: The Astoria Homeowners, Tenants & Busi\u00adness Civic Association will meet TONIGHT, March 18…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":167756,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[9,24,63,122,124,123],"class_list":["post-167755","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-queens","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-nyc","tag-queens","tag-queens-headlines","tag-queens-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/167755","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=167755"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/167755\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/167756"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=167755"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=167755"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=167755"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}