Community Conversation At North Shore Towers
BY CITY COUNCILMEMBER DAVID WEPRIN AND CITY COUNCIL SPEAKER CHRISTINE QUINN

Last week, at North Shore Towers in Floral Park, something remarkable occurred. On a night when Tom Glavine was going for his 300th win and Alex Rodriguez his 500th home run more than 200 residents unglued themselves from the television to join with their councilmembers in celebrating our progress of the last 19 months and in planning for our community's future.

The crowded room was an unmistakable sign- New Yorkers are hungry to partner with elected officials who can set aside politics and focus on results. Over the last year, we've seen this same scene played out in Bensonhurst, Harlem and in a dozen other neighborhoods around the city. New Yorkers want to work with leaders who know that effective government is as much about listening as it is about leading. And they are eager to share their thoughts on how to make the city better.

We make a point to go out and meet with different communities to hear from New Yorkers and for all of the great diversity of our city, the most critical issues facing our communities are often the same.

This meeting was no different.

We began by discussing our efforts to reform the annual budget process and all that we have accomplished the past year, such as extending library service to six full days and creating 10 state-of-the-art primary healthcare facilities. Opening remarks out of the way, we opened the floor to questions from the community.

The first resident asked about public education, and we stressed the importance of universal pre-kindergarten for all children, and commended Mayor Michael Bloomberg for holding principals accountable and demanding results from students.

Another participant wanted to know what the city is doing to encourage sustainability. We discussed the innovative new building codes that underwent their first comprehensive overhaul in 40 years. The code calls for the use of more environmentally friendly materials, while incentivizing green construction all over the city through permit rebates.

But perhaps no issue is universally as important to New Yorkers than the mounting housing crisis. The council has made it a top priority to address this growing concern. We passed the Safe Housing Act, which mandates top-to-bottom repairs of the city's worst buildings. This legislation will help alleviate the housing crunch by keeping units in good, livable condition. We also hope to introduce legislation that will give tenants the legal right to confront abusive landlords. Though there isn't one answer, the council remains open to all solutions, and will work to preserve affordable housing and keep New York a middle-class city.

The fact is, we all have a stake in early childhood education.

We all deserve safe housing.

We all need clean air and water.

When government tackles these critical issues, works hand in hand with the community, and delivers tangible results, people respond. They get motivated to take part in the process, and in a democracy like ours, participation is the lifeblood of ongoing progress.

Theodore Roosevelt once said, "Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing."

As long as we enter the council chambers with this thought in mind and remember all that we have learned from North Shore Towers and all of our community conversations, we will continue to rise above petty politics and deliver for the people of New York. And we hope that the people of New York will continue to respond.

City Councilmember David Weprin represents the 23rd Council District, including Hollis, Bayside and Floral Park. Council Speaker Christine Quinn represents a district on Manhattan's West Side.