Ridgewood Democratic Club Meeting on April 29th - Meeting Theme "Earth Day and Our Environment"

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On Friday, April 29th the Ridgewood Democratic Club held their regularly scheduled monthly meeting at their historic 100 year-old clubhouse on Putnam Avenue in beautiful downtown Ridgewood.

The meeting was chaired by the amicable Jim Grayshaw, President of the Club. Assembly Member Cathy Nolan led off the agenda with a recap of happenings in Albany.

The theme of the meeting was Earth Day and our environment.

The first speaker was Shiobhan Ciresi who spoke on the issue of chemtrails (geoengineering). Her presentation was entitled “Chemtrails Worldwide Phenomenon Happening in Long Island and NYC Skies”. It was a fact-filled, thought provoking talk on this insidious threat being posed against mankind and Mother Earth by this technology. For more on her work, visit her website, Operation Humanity Transcending. Sign her petition by clicking here.

Here's a YouTube video by a friend, Sallie Elkordy, from Queens,of the Peace and Freedom Party on this phenomenon over our area. Visit Global Skywatch, for additional information...

The second presenter was Edie Cunningham who spoke on Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) seeds and their wide-spread use in American agriculture by large corporate interests led by Monsanto Chemical Corp. Recently over at the Grist, David Roberts has published a provocative essay on the GMO's that I would recommend that anyone interested in the subject read.

Both speakers fielded numerous questions from the assemblage after their presentations.


The last speaker was Monica Sui a constituent of the 15th Senatorial District and an intern with the Human Rights Campaign, who provided details about her recent meeting with Senator Joe Addabbo on the Marriage Equality matter that may be considered during this legislative session. She informed the members that Senator Addabbo is looking for guidance on this matter from his constituents and she urged that everyone please contact his office voicing their support for this important civil rights initiative. Senator Addabbo can be reached by phone at 718-738-1111. For the record, local clergy and myself accompanied Monica during her meeting (pic from meeting) to Senator Addabbo's office.


The meeting ended with coffee, cake and pleasant post meeting conversation.


The Club's over 100 year old building recently sustained extensive water damge from the rainy spring and needs intensive repairs of the roof and ceilings. Therefore,  I would urge one and all to attend the RDC's Annual Dinner Dance on May 18th at Riccardo's by the Bridge in Astoria. 

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Education Forum at the Ridgewood Democratic Club on March 25th...

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On Friday March 25th, the Ridgewood Democratic Club held a forum on Education with guest speaker Billy Easton (Executive Director) - Alliance for Quality Education...

A Look At The Issues Facing Public Education Today - Ridgewood Democratic Club Meeting - Friday, March 25, 2011 - 7:30 pm

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Ridgewood Democratic Club - Meeting Friday, February 25, 2011 @ 7:30 pm - Landmarking

--- Meeting Notice ---

Regular Membership Meeting

Friday, February 25, 2011 @ 7:30pm

Landmarking

Learn how the process works to designate and regulate landmark and historic districts. The Landmarks Commission has been working to make parts of Ridgewood historic districts - Come and hear all about it.

~ Guest Speakers ~

Simeon Bankoff

Executive Director

Historic Districts Council

Angela Mirabile

Executive Director

Greater Ridgewood Restoration Corp.

Bring your friends and neighbors. As always, refreshments will be served.

Ridgewood Democratic Club, Inc.

60-70 Putnam Avenue, Ridgewood, New York 11385

(718) 821-9807

New York State Assembly Member Catherine Nolan

Democratic District Leaders 37 AD, Part B - Catherine Nolan & Tom Bornemann

New York State Committeeman - Jimmy Van Bramer

Club President - Jim Grayshaw

Ridgewood Democratic Club Annual Members Brunch - January 22, 2011...

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Rep Joe Crowley was the guest speaker at the Ridgewood Democratic Club Annual Members Brunch held at the Club on January 22, 2011...There were approximately 50 members of the Club present, including elected officials Rep Joe Crowley, State Senator Joe Addabbo, State Assembly Members Michael Miller and Cathy Nolan, City Council Members Diana Reyna, Jimmy Van Bramer and Elizabeth Crowley...

Assembly Member Rory Lancman on capitaltonight.com (1/20/2011)

Assemblyman Lancman was interviewed by Liz Benjamin on her show, "Capital Tonight." Assemblyman Lancman continued his defense of the middle-class by arguing for shared sacrifice to get New York on a firm financial footing.

Photos from Assembly Member Cathy Nolan New Year Day Open House - January 1st, 2011

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Some photos from Cathy and her husband Jerry's New Year's Day Open House Party...A great time was had by all..!

Rep Nydia Velazquez Christmas Party on Dec 17th at the Warsaw in Greenpoint Bklyn...

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Elected Officials Want PA to Provide Community With Expert Help

12 Western Queens Electeds Ask Port Authority to Provide Community With Expert to Make Its Arguments about Cross Harbor Threat

“We need to ensure that the community’s views and concerns about danger of

additional truck and rail traffic are presented in the most professional manner.”

Assemblywoman Marge Markey and eleven other elected officials have formally asked the Port Authority of NY-NJ (PA) to provide the Western Queens community with professional support to respond to the agency’s new Cross Harbor Freight Movement Program.

The Port Authority began a series of briefings this fall as it began an environmental impact statement for its initiative to control the movement of freight into and through New York metropolitan region.

At a forum sponsored by Citizens of Maspeth and Elmhurst Together (COMET) on November 16, Assemblywoman Markey said that the community deserved expert assistance in framing its arguments about the current and future impact of rail and truck traffic that will potentially result from implementation of the Cross Harbor Program. “We need a consultant who will work directly with local public officials and Community Board Five to ensure that community views and concerns are properly documented and presented in the most professional manner,” she said.

In a letter to Port Authority Executive Director Christopher Ward, Markey and the other Queens public officials said: “We are in accord with your regional goals for coping with the movement of freight in the future, but we are determined to ensure that they are not achieved at the expense of our communities. Providing us with a consultant to work with us through this EIS process will help ensure the community’s views are incorporated into your final report.” 

In addition to Assemblywoman Markey, the letter was also signed by Congressman Joseph Crowley, Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez, Congressman Anthony Weiner, State Senator Joseph Addabbo, Assemblyman Michael Gianaris, Assemblyman Andrew Hevesi, Assemblywoman Catherine Nolan, Assemblyman Michael Miller, City Councilmember Elizabeth Crowley, City Councilmember Diana Reyna and City Councilmember Jimmy Van Bramer.

This is the second time in eight years that the communities of Maspeth, Ridgewood, Glendale and Middle Village have been put into the center of a plan to solve the region’s freight traffic problems to relieve the burden of truck traffic into New York. A 2003 proposal for a rail freight tunnel into the city from New Jersey would have made the local Fresh Pond Rail Yard a principal destination for the traffic from that route, burdening the surrounding communities with the adverse impact of an enormous increase in truck and rail traffic.   

The letter from Markey and the other officials to the Executive Director Ward said: “The communities of Maspeth, Middle Village, Glendale and Ridgewood have been energized over recent years to find solutions to what are already intolerable conditions for many of our residents as a result of current rail and truck traffic,” adding, “We have been aggressively working with shippers, transportation companies and community organizations to address the adverse impact of current and near-term projected increases in truck and rail traffic on our neighborhoods. We need your help to ensure that community voices are heard in a meaningful way as your agency proceeds.”

For Media Information Call Mike Armstrong, 718-651-3185, 917-279-8437

The full text of Assemblywoman Markey’s letter and names of those other elected officials who have signed with her follows:

December 7, 2010

Christopher Ward, Executive Director

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
One Madison Avenue, 5th Floor, New York, NY 10010

Re:  Cross Harbor Freight Movement Program

Dear Executive Director Ward:

My colleagues and I represent the Maspeth, Middle Village, Glendale and Ridgewood communities that will be greatly impacted by the Cross Harbor Freight Movement Program. As your agency undertakes the scoping phase of your Tier I Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) process, we want to bring our concerns to your attention and seek your agency’s assistance.

While the Port Authority is properly motivated by the need to reduce highway congestion and eliminate travel delays in the metropolitan region, we believe that it is critical that the EIS process underway also address the potential impact that each of the various alternatives would have on our communities.  Your proposed solutions to reduce highway congestion should not further erode the quality of life of the thousands of families living in our communities who are already overwhelmed by truck traffic on commercial and residential streets and the impact the current rail freight traffic through our communities.

As public officials, we have been aggressively working with shippers, transportation companies and community organizations to address the adverse impact of current and near-term projected increases in truck and rail traffic on our neighborhoods. We need your help to ensure that community voices are heard in a meaningful way as your agency proceeds.

To do this, we respectfully request that the Port Authority retain a consultant who will work directly with local public officials and Community Board Five to ensure that community views and concerns are properly documented and presented in the most professional manner for inclusion in the EIS.

The communities of Maspeth, Middle Village, Glendale and Ridgewood have been energized over recent years to find solutions to what are already intolerable conditions for many of our residents as a result of current rail and truck traffic. We are in accord with your regional goals for coping with the movement of freight in the future, but we are determined to ensure that they are not achieved at the expense of our communities. Providing us with a consultant to work with us through this EIS process will help ensure the community’s views are incorporated into your final report.

Sincerely,

Margaret Markey, Member of Assembly

Joseph Crowley, Member of Congress

Nydia Velazquez, Member of Congress

Anthony Weiner, Member of Congress

Joseph P. Addabbo, Jr., State Senator

Michael Gianaris, Member of Assembly

Andrew Hevesi, Member of Assembly

Michael Miller, Member of Assembly

Catherine Nolan, Member of Assembly

Elizabeth Crowley, City Councilmember

Diana Reyna, City Councilmember

Jimmy Van Bramer, City Councilmember

Development Flows Slowly Along Gowanus And Newtown - As Predicted, Superfund Designation Supersedes Building Plans in Brooklyn by Laura Nahmias - City Hall News

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Superfund designations at Newtown Creek on the Queens/ Brooklyn border in October and at the Gowanus Canal last March incited panicked waves among developers and city administrators worried over the impact the label could have on growth in the city's most populous borough.


And the worries have only continued to fester, like the gonorrhea in the Gowanus.


The designation at Newtown Creek did not spur as much vocal debate as the Gowanus designation, but there is still potential for the label to have an adverse impact on the city’s hopes for economic development in the area, in Brooklyn and Queens, according to Marc LaVorgna, a spokesperson for the Mayor’s Office.


The Bloomberg administration openly opposed the Superfund designation at Gowanus, advocating for an alternate cleanup plan that would allow prospective developers to voluntarily contribute funds for the work.


The 140-year-old, four-mile-long canal is lined with thick sludge from years of toxic dumping, most from untraceable sources.


At Gowanus, Toll Brothers planned to stop building a $250 million development if the designation were approved, and when it was, they did. The Bloomberg administration was not pleased.


The parties responsible for the pollution at Newtown, on the other hand, are well known—ExxonMobil, BP and Chevron, along with several industrial companies along the waterfront. The city supported the designation at Newtown because there was “no other way to clean it up,” Lavorgna said.


One reason the designation at Newtown may have been less openly controversial is that locals already associate the neighborhood with toxicity. There is nothing wrong with the neighborhood’s water, but residents still use Brita filters anyway. The neighborhood is downwind from one of the city’s sewage treatment plants. Locals call the area “Stinkpoint.”


More importantly, awareness has been growing of the massive oil spill, under the neighborhood’s northern end, since it was first discovered in 1978; over the past several years, environmental impact studies, news articles and a lawsuit from the attorney general’s office have helped publicize the presence of oil—an amount scientists have estimated to reach 17 million gallons, or three times the size of the Exxon-Valdez spill.


According to Assembly Member Joe Lentol, who represents the part of Brooklyn affected by the designation, the Super-fund label is a relief.


“People are optimistic that something is finally happening,” he said of his constituents.


Lentol, who grew up in Brooklyn and says he swam in Newtown Creek as a child, used to believe the designation would drive down property values in the area, he said.


“My misgivings were that, you know, I don’t want the people of Greenpoint to think they’re living in such a contaminated place that they’re going to move out. I don’t want them to think that their property values would be lowered. It’s a delicate issue for people who live here. A lot of people remember Love Canal, and when they think of Superfund, they think of contamination. They think of people dying from cancer,” Lentol said.


A report issued by the Environmental Protection Agency suggests the impact of the designation on property values is mixed, and changes from site to site, with some sites’ property values rebounding after designation, before the cleanup is complete. The exact costs, extent and time frame for cleanup at both sites is speculative until more research is done, said EPA regional spokesperson John Senn.


Knowledge of the pollution and the Superfund label have not impacted average home prices in Greenpoint yet. Sales prices for two-family homes have risen over the past year from $771,449 to $799,386. The number of total home sales dropped off though, by about half, according to records from the city’s Department of Finance.


But the city is still concerned over the future of development near Newtown Creek, according to the mayor’s office. There are 184 blocks and two miles of waterfront still developable in Greenpoint, as well as the possibility for up to 7,000 additional units of housing and 7.9 acres of open space along less than a mile of waterfront, LaVorgna wrote in an e-mail. Those plans are contingent on private investment to reactivate the East River and Newtown Creek waterfront.


One part of the designation that has received little consideration is how it will affect the Queens side of the creek, specifically Hunter’s Point South, which was rezoned for development in 2008, LaVorgna wrote.


The area is cited for 5,000 housing units, a new public school, $175 million worth of utility and road infrastructure and 10 acres of waterfront park, he added.


Perhaps most crucial are $500 million in planned capital improvements for the area. Those projects could stall as the area comes under federal control, Lavorgna said.


The cleanup might not be controversy-free even if it began that way. In mid- October, Queens politicians, including Borough President Helen Marshall, Assembly Member Catherine Nolan, Assembly Member Michael Gianaris and Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer, issued a letter to the regional EPA coordinator taking the agency to task for what they perceived as a lack of attention to cleanup in the borough.


Few of those issues were raised by constituents when the EPA opened up the designation to public comment, Senn said.


“I will say that we got a lot more comments from the public about possibly putting the Gowanus Canal (more than 800) on the Superfund list than we did about possibly listing Newtown Creek (several dozen),” Senn wrote in an e-mail.


The reason for the limited feedback was not clear, he said.


But legislators say the designation in both areas cannot ultimately be held responsible for stagnation in development.


Lentol acknowledged that 45 planned building projects have stalled in Greenpoint since the recession began. Those developments were the byproducts of two rezonings—one in 2005 to open up the waterfront to high-rise condominiums and increased affordable housing, and another in 2008 to entrench the lowprofile post-war housing in the neighborhood’s center.


At Gowanus, Toll Brothers planned to stop building a $250 million development if the designation were approved, and when it was, they did.


The Bloomberg administration was not pleased.


Council Member Brad Lander, whose district encompasses parts of Gowanus, said he thought the developer might have had to pull out anyway, given the state of the economy. Other planned developments for the area, such as speculative plans for a Whole Foods, were never as concrete as the Toll Brothers housing development, he said.


Both Lander and Lentol suggested the designation would ultimately be good for their neighborhoods. Lander hoped the EPA could contract out cleanup work to local firms, stimulating the local economy. Lentol hoped the Newtown Creek designation would clear the way for eventual residential rezoning of the areas directly adjacent to the waterfront. Those sites are currently industrial, but the waterfront has been desolate for years, Lentol said.


“Everybody was waiting for industry to come back, and guess what?” Lander said. “It wasn’t ever coming back.”

AM Cathy Nolan & CM Van Bramer, and Community Join Sunnyside Shines for Holiday Street Lighting Ceremony

Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer joins the Sunnyside Shines Business Improvement District for their annual holiday street lighting ceremony on Greenpoint Avenue. (From Left to Right: Daisy’s Restaurant Owner Lily Gavin, Interim President of LaGuardia Community College Dr. Peter Katopes, Assemblywoman Cathy Nolan, White Castle Regional Director John Vogt, Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer and CB2 District Manager, Debra Markell.)

On Tuesday, November 16th Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer, Assemblywoman Cathy Nolan and community members joined the Sunnyside Shines Business Improvement District for their annual holiday street lighting ceremony on Greenpoint Avenue. Each year Sunnyside Shines brings festive holiday lights to sections of Queens Boulevard and Greenpoint Avenue. The Holiday Lighting Ceremony was kicked off with a special performance by the Sunnyside Drum Corps and concluded with an official flicking of a light switch which illuminated Greenpoint Avenue with the words, “Welcome to Sunnyside.”

Women Stand With Joe Addabbo for State Senate...

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Female elected officials in Queens—Assembly Member Audrey Pheffer, Assembly Member Cathy Nolan, Council Member Elizabeth Crowley, and Council Member Diana Reyna—and members of the community joined at a rally to support State Senator Joe Addabbo, praising him for his advocacy on important women’s issues, including social and economic rights, childcare, and health. The “Women for Addabbo” rally was held this Saturday in front of Europa Hair Design, a small business owned and run by local resident Filomena Scalcione.

Senator Addabbo said, “Small businesses are a significant employer of women in our state, and it is critical that we support them through these tough economic times and beyond. I am committed to fighting for reform that levels the playing field for women in business. This means increasing access to quality, affordable childcare, healthcare, and education, and making sure that our laws protect women’s rights at home and in the work place. I am honored to have the support of Assembly Member Pheffer, Assembly Member Cathy Nolan, Council Member Crowley, and Council Member Reyna, and I look forward to continuing to work with them on issues that are important to women. I also thank the staff of the Europa Hair Design and the community members who came out to show their support today.”

Senator Addabbo has been a strong advocate for increasing women’s participation in small business ownership, passing laws in the Senate that support Minority and Women Business Enterprises. Senator Addabbo has also fought to help families reduce childcare costs by sponsoring legislation that allows safe, effective childcare providers who operate out of their homes to increase the number of children they can serve. Because most of these childcare providers are women, this legislation also serves to support small businesses owned and operated by women.

In addition, Senator Addabbo has made women’s health issues a top priority, sponsoring mobile mammography vans at various community boards and sites throughout his District. And he has supported laws that help protect victims of domestic violence, including the law creating no-fault divorce in New York, which makes it less difficult for abuse victims to escape harmful marriages.

Calling All Democrats - Volunteer Opportunities in Queens to Help Re-elect Democrats...

Please try to find some time in the next 13 days to help out Queens County Democrats to maintain majorities in the House of Representatives and the New York State Senate...Let's keep moving forward and not going backwards... 

DSCC

Coordinated Office/Moya
80-13 37th Avenue Jackson Heights
Contact Randy Lafargue 917-628-6430

Joseph Addabbo for State Senate
65-17 Myrtle Avenue, 2nd Floor, Glendale
718-417-4783
and
159-55 102nd Street, Howard Beach
718-848-1111
Contact Dori 917-628-6430

Tony Avella for New York
38-50 Bell Boulevard, Suite C
Bayside, NY 11361
Contact Zoe or Seth 718-747-2137

Cathy Nolan for Assembly
Ridgewood Democratic Club
60-70 Putnam Avenue, Ridgewood
Contact Lois Marbach 917-881-1215
Volunteers needed on Saturday for Canvassing

Anthony Weiner for Congress
Queens County Democratic Organization
72-50 Austin Street, 2nd Floor, Forest Hills
Max Pomeranc, Campaign Manager
917-536-0300

Ed Braunstein for Assembly
214-26 41st Avenue, Bayside, NY 11361
Contact Austin 718-352-2940

Ridgewood Democratic Club Meeting - Friday, October 22nd @ 7:30 - Labor Rights for Farm Workers

What: Ridgewood Democratic Club October Meeting

Topic: Labor Rights for Farm Workers

Guest Speaker: Rabbi Michael Feinberg

When: Friday, October 22, 2010

Time: 7:30 pm

Where: 60-70 Putnam Avenue - Ridgewood, NY

Ridgewood Democratic Club Regular Membership Meeting - September 24th - 7:30pm - Guest Speaker: Walter Hang - "How New York City's Drinking Water Could be Imperiled by Marcellus Shale Gas Hydrofracking"

Ridgewood Democratic Club Regular Membership Meeting

Guest Speaker: Walter Hang - "How New York City's Drinking Water Could be Imperiled by Marcellus Shale Gas Hydrofracking"

Where: 60-70 Putnam Avenue, Ridgewood, NY 11385

When: September 24th

Time: 7:30pm

Local Brawl in Sunnyside Unites Elected Officials and Neighbors to Call For The Shutdown of Casa Romana Bar - A Reckless Business...

Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer, Assembly Member Cathy Nolan, Community Board 2 Chairman Joseph Conley and concerned neighbors rally together in front of the Casa Romana Bar to demand its closure.

On Thursday, September 2^nd Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer, Assembly Member Cathy Nolan, Community Board 2 Chairman Joseph Conley and concerned neighbors rallied together in front of the Casa Romana Bar in Sunnyside, Queens to demand its closure.

The bar was the site of a bloody brawl this past weekend, after a “Teen Night” hosted by the establishment went awry resulting in the stabbings of two minors and a total of 14 arrests, including the owners. Of those arrested 12 of the 14 were minors between the ages of 16-20. The location has had a long history of multiple violations, several of which occurred in 2009. The bar has also been cited for serving alcohol to minors.

The melee at Casa Romana took place less than 24 hours from the tragic demise of Nicole John, the 17-year-old daughter of the American Ambassador to Thailand who died last weekend after a night of underage drinking at a club followed by an after party at an apartment where she fell 25 floors to her death. 

In light of the recent headlines regarding the underage admittance to clubs and underage drinking, Council Member Van Bramer, Assembly Member Nolan and CB2 Chairman Conley joined forces to call on the NYPD to increase inspections of clubs and bars to hold these establishments accountable for their negligence and deter acts of violence like what we have seen at Casa Romana. 

Currently, Council Member Van Bramer is drafting legislation to help address this major issue of public safety.

“This rogue club is a major safety problem for local residents and children citywide,” said Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer. “Any location that condones underage drinking should be held accountable – the safety of our children is at great risk if these establishments don’t face the proper consequences for their negligence.”

“With the recent incidents at this establishment, it is time that we crack down on violence and under age drinking at this and other establishments,” said Assembly Member Catherine Nolan. “Casa Romana has a history of violations and should not be allowed to keep its doors open any longer. As our community grows, it’s important that we make sure that our residents are safe and businesses are operating according to law.

“Today we are calling for Casa Romana to be closed and pad locked,” said Community Board 2 Chairman Joe Conley. “The owners of this business have placed teenage lives in jeopardy just to make a dollar. Places like this, promoting "teen nights" are a haven for trouble – Casa Romana must be shutdown before a life is lost.”

Assemblywoman Catherine Nolan on New York Winning Race to the Top Funding

“As a parent of a public school student, I know how much this money is needed,” said Assemblywoman Catherine Nolan. “As Chairwoman of the Assembly Education Committee, I know Race To the Top money will go a long way in helping New York renew and renovate our education system. Assembly members worked hard to come up with key legislation that would meet the test. With the leadership of Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and the guidance of State Board of Regents Chancellor Merryl Tisch, we worked together successfully to pass this complex legislation that allow us this win this money.”

Ridgewood Democratic Club Annual Dinner Dance on June 10th, 2010 at Riccardo's By the Bridge...

The Ridgewood Democratic Club (RDC) held it's annual Dinner Dance at Riccardo's by the Bridge in Astoria on June 10th, 2010...The affair was hosted by RDC President James Grayshaw, Assemblymember and 37th Assembly District - Part B District Leader Cathy Nolan, 37th Assembly District - Part B District Leader Tom Bornemann, and RDC President James Grayshaw and RDC Executive Board members Lois Marbach and Joan C. DeCamp...

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The gala affair began with a visit by New York State Lt. Governor Richard Ravitch...The award for Labor Leaders of the Year were presented to Michael Mulgrew - President of the United Federation of Teachers and Pat Collins, Jr., - President of the Steel Workers International Union...

The Business Leaders of the Year were Mary Gasparic - Amalgamated Bank, Ridgewood Branch Manager and Michael Lewis - Lewis Monument Company of Ridgewood, NY...

The Man and Woman of the Year were awarded to Donna Dowd and John Sendlein...

The Lifetime Service Awards were presented to Ann Maggio and John Mistrella...

The Community Service awards were presented to Chet Szarejko - The Polish-American Congress and to Paul Finnegan - New York Irish Center...

And, the Public Service Awards of the Year were presented to Assemblymember Michael Gianaris and New York City Councilmember Jimmy Van Bramer...

Local political leaders on attendance at the reception were Member of Congress Nydia Velazquez, State Senator Joe Addabbo, New York Assemblymember Michael Miller and New York City Councilmember Elizabeth Crowley....

Preview of New Voting Machines at the Ridgewood Democratic Club

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ES&S DS200 Ballot Scanner

The DS200 Ballot Scanner system is a portable electronic voting system that uses an optical scanner to read marked paper ballots and tally the results. This system allows for paper ballots to be immediately tabulated at your polling site. The DS200 also notifies you of any voting errors. You will be able to immediately correct these errors to ensure that Your Vote Counts!

For additional video instructions click here...

Ridgewood Dems Discuss Hot Issues by Michael Cusenza - Queens Chronicle

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The Ridgewood Democratic Club held its monthly meeting last Friday. Photo by Michael Cusenza

Piping hot coffee and opinions last Friday evening flowed during the Ridgewood Democratic Club’s monthly meeting at its historic headquarters on Putnam Avenue.

Approximately 25 members, elected officials and guests gathered in the club’s hall to discuss state and city budget issues, possible firehouse and school closures, borough healthcare concerns and more.

After an hour-long board meeting, City Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley (D-Middle Village) kicked off the membership assemblage with a plea for community support in preventing the proposed closure of 62 fire companies across the city due to cuts in state and city funding.

“I’m optimistic, because last year we were able to save 16 companies,” said Crowley, chairperson of the city Committee on Fire and Criminal Justice Services. “But things are tough right now. It’s up to us, because our safety will be jeopardized.”

She also decried the possible closure of Grover Cleveland High School in Ridgewood. The 80-year-old institution on Himrod Street appeared on the State Education Department’s “Persistently Lowest-Achieving Schools” list in January.

Crowley’s concern was echoed by members and Cleveland alum and chairperson of the Assembly Education Committee, Assemblywoman Cathy Nolan (D-Ridgewood).

“We want to see [the school] restore some programs,” Nolan said, adding that she mentioned to schools Chancellor Joel Klein that Cleveland should be designated a “global studies school.”

Nolan addressed state budget questions and how it will continue to affect the community. She recognized that “there’s a lot of bad feeling right now about a lot of issues” and expressed her own frustration.

“I believe there is waste and fraud in state government,” she said. “Pensioners are suddenly responsible for the fiscal crisis of our state? I don’t think so.”

After a couple of club members voiced concerns over the state of shuttered borough hospitals like St. John’s and Parkway, Nolan said she’s “very committed to doing more with healthcare. We’ve got to preserve our hospitals and our clinics.”

Nolan, a 26-year veteran of the Assembly who is running for reelection in the fall, added that while she empathized with all affected by the recent closure of St. Vincent’s Hospital in Manhattan, “I think it’s more of a shame that nothing was done for St. John’s.”

In an upbeat note, the club voted unanimously to install several “Welcome to Ridgewood” signs at key community locations. Some proposed sites include the intersections of Fresh Pond Road and Metropolitan Avenue, and Myrtle Avenue and Wyckoff Avenue.