Assemblymember Kim Announces Staff Shake Up
State Assemblymember Ron Kim (D-Flushing) announced on Friday six new additions to his senior staff. Tony Cao is Kim’s new Chief of Staff; Younghan Kim is his new senior adviser; Gaeun Kim and Cheng Zuo are his new Community liaisons; Teresa Tai is Kim’s new Legislative Aide; Eric Meyer is the new Communications Assistant.
“I look forward to working with such a dedicated team as we head into Session this winter. There is much for us to do in terms of meeting the needs of the many diverse communities of District 40,” said Kim. “The core focus of my office will continue to be resolving local community issues, as well as introducing and supporting legislation in Albany to fully address them. I am confident in the strengths, skills, and experiences that this team brings to our office, and certain we will accomplish much for our district in the coming year.”
State Assemblymember Simotas To Speak At Queens Historical Society’s ‘Immigrant Voices’ Series
State Assemblymember Aravella Simotas (D-Astoria) accepted an invitation from the Queens Historical Society to be the guest speaker in the Immigrant Voices Series, which will be held on October 17.
Simotas will bring her experience as a Greek-American and an immigrant in western Queens and her talk will be half an hour including time for questions and comments.
Simotas immigrated to Queens with her parents when she was an infant and has lived in Astoria ever since. She was the first Greek-American woman to be elected to office in New York.
“Astoria has a beautiful tradition of welcoming immigrants from all parts of the world,” said Simotas. “While I am proud of my Greek heritage, I am also proud that my community is a place where anyone, no matter what their nationality, ethnicity or religious backgrounds can make a better life for themselves.”
The event will be held on October 17, 2017, from 6:30 to 7:30 PM, at the Queens Historical Society, which is housed in the Kingsland Homestead, one of the few surviving 18th-century homes in Queens, 143-35 37th Avenue, Flushing. Tickets are free for members, $3 for students and seniors and $5 for adults.
For more information, visit the Queens Historical Society’s web page.
Over 400,000 Potholes Repaired In Queens Since 2014, Mayor Boasts
Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Friday that the number of potholes in the city has decreased by 50 percent — 207,306 for this year so far compared to 444,835 as of today in 2014.
De Blasio credits the ten-year investment of $1.6 billion towards street repaving. He made the announcement while visiting a Department of Transportation (DOT) paving crew in the Bronx.
“When we took office in 2014, a drive down many City streets could be a bone-rattling experience,” said Mayor de Blasio. “Thanks to the hard work of DOT crews, rides are smoother everywhere, on major roads like the FDR Drive to smaller residential streets in neighborhoods around the City. But the turnaround is not complete; while freshly paved streets mean many fewer potholes, we still have too many, so crews will be both quickly filling potholes and keeping up the pace of repaving in the months ahead.”
The most pothole repairs of any borough happened in Queens — 430,101 potholes have been repaired since 2014. Some streets that are set for repaving soon are Union Street from Northern Boulevard to 31st Road; Roosevelt Avenue from 57 Street to 61 Street; Roosevelt Avenue from 69 Street to 73 Street; Northbound Van Wyck Service Road from 138 Street to Liberty Avenue.
“I’m encouraged by the investments made by the City to improve our roads,” said Representative Joe Crowley (D-Queens, Bronx). “Potholes are more than a just a nuisance, they pose serious safety risks to drivers, passengers, and pedestrians. I’m glad to see the Department of Transportation aggressively repaving our streets and I thank them for making this a top priority.”
