4 Elected Officials Visit Bd. 7
BY RICHARD GENTILVISO

Young, attending her first Board 7 meeting since she was elected to the Assembly in November, said, "I'm very proud that you sent me to Albany to represent the best interests of our community."

It's not uncommon for one or even two state or local representatives to stop in at a community board meeting and speak. But some kind of unofficial record was set when Assemblymember Ellen Young, New York City Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum and City Councilmembers Hiram Monserrate and John Liu all came to the April meeting of Community Board 7.

"This is where the action is," Liu said upon hearing he was the fourth local representative to speak that night. Liu's 20th Council District encompasses a good chunk of Board 7. A former Board 7 member, he regularly speaks at their monthly meetings.

Young, (22nd Assembly District), attending her first Board 7 meeting since she was elected to the Assembly in November, said, "I'm very proud that you sent me to Albany to represent the best interests of our community."

Reflecting on her first 100 days in office, Young said she was able to restore more than 50 percent of the proposed cuts in Medicaid. "My goal was to restore 75 percent," she said. She also noted the passage of the civil confinement law for dangerous sexual predators.

As New York City's Public Advocate, Gotbaum serves all five boroughs. "My Number 1 job is to solve problems for people who have problems with government," she said.

Gotbaum said a problem that began recently in Queens when senior citizens reported receiving increased water bills led to an investigation by her office that uncovered a mistake by the city. "They messed up their calculations," she said.

Another example of how the Public Advocate's office works, she said, was the Department of Education's decision to change school bus routes in January. Gotbaum intervened on behalf of parents seeking help. "It was a complete mess," she said.

Where she took questions, Gotbaum noted that many of the inquiries involved complaints about traffic congestion and parking enforcement in the borough. Gotbaum suggested that a meeting with the Department of Transportation could be arranged.

Monserrate's 21st Council District takes in Corona and Elmhurst. "We are your sister district next door," he said. The district also includes Willets Point and Shea Stadium, both inside Board 7.

Commenting on the new Police Academy to be built in College Point, Monserrate said, "I'm glad the mayor announced the construction of a new Police Academy that's right inside this board." However, Monserrate, a former cop who began on a beat in the 109th Precinct, also said, "The borough of Queens continues to get less police officers and firemen than it should."

Monserrate invited all present to attend an open house to celebrate a new location for his district office at 32-37 Junction Blvd., on Wednesday, April 18 from 5 to 7:30 p.m.

Arriving last after attending a farewell reception for departing DOT Commissioner Iris Weinshall, Liu, chair of the council Transportation Committee, said the city budget hearings would soon be coming up. "If you want something, now is the time to ask," he told the board.