Congressman Anthony Weiner waits to talk to Rego Park residents at his mobile community office Monday. DelMundo for News
A traffic agent eyed the Ford hybrid SUV parked on 63rd Drive in Rego Park in front of the Key Food in a no-standing zone.
He didn't seem to notice, or care, about the removable sign on the door that showed the car was the mobile office of Rep. Anthony Weiner.
"I have a parking shield," Weiner told the agent, standing a few feet from the store's fruit stands.
"And a discount on melons," he joked, trying to lighten the situation with one of his trademark off-the-cuff quips.
After months on the road helping Sen. Hillary Clinton in her presidential bid, Weiner is back pounding the pavement in Queens and Brooklyn preparing for his 2009 mayoral bid.
He has held a series of public forums in recent weeks on topics ranging from flooding to education, called for more lifeguards and cheered for Brooklyn's new minor league hockey team.
He took his office on the road this week for a series of "Weinermobile" stops in his SUV.
"This is a quintessential middle-class community," he said Monday on 63rd Drive.
Most people who stopped and chatted with Weiner there worried about recent increases set by the Rent Guidelines Board on their rent-stabilized apartments.
"The real issue is that people's incomes haven't risen with the rents," Weiner said as his staff took names and handed out literature.
"Seniors have a growing sense of insecurity," Weiner said. "It's not like they can go and get a second job or expect a raise."
One man stopped and asked about possible hazards posed by cell phone towers. Weiner offered to send him some studies on the controversial issue.
"Why is all this luxury housing being built and not middle-class housing?" asked Penny Cooper, 65, who has lived in the neighborhood for more than 20 years.
Cooper and Weiner then talked about campaign finance and presidential politics.
Weiner knew he probably couldn't escape Queens without hearing from one heckler.
"Are you going to run for mayor or do you have a phone problem?" asked one man, referring to Weiner's legendary temper and phone-tossing.
Without missing a beat, Weiner pulled out his cell phone.
"This is the phone I throw," he told the man, and then returned to his conversation about rents and leases.
