Initially, the councilman and Gulluscio were asked to deliver personal statements, highlighting the characteristics and qualities they would bring to office.
Gulluscio began by praising Howard Beach, noting he and his family have resided both there and in Ozone Park for many years. The Community Board 6 district manager and former aide to state Sen. Joe Addabbo Jr. (D-Howard Beach) then listed some of the political life lessons he’s acquired in his 60 years.
“It’s about, not me, it’s about you,” Gulluscio said. “The reason why I think I’d be a great leader and know I’ll be a great leader is because I learned a long time ago to listen — listen to what the people are saying.”
Gulluscio added that he learned a great deal working alongside Addabbo on one of the “hardest budgets the city has ever seen” and said his role as C.B. 6 district manager has prepared him to represent residents in Howard Beach, Ozone Park, Richmond Hill and the Rockaways.
“I’ve been doing the job of city councilman for the past four years, every single day, in my role as district manager,” he said. “We do every single thing except make laws.”
Ulrich, 25, who has served the 32nd District since last February, when he won the special election held to replace then-Councilman Addabbo, said the race is about more than just the election, but about the future of our community.
“I’ve been able to make decisions in a nonpartisan way,” Ulrich noted. “I make decisions based not on political considerations, but based on the people I represent.” As an example, he later spoke about signing off on the Paid Sick Leave bill, which Democrats told him he probably wouldn’t support because Working Families had pushed it. The bill calls for city workers to get 10 days paid sick leave.
“I represent working class people,” he said. “People have children. There are things like Swine flu. Sometimes, people just deserve a break.”
Charles Park
Candidates were asked what they would do to ensure Howard Beach’s Charles Park, which suffers from overgrown grass, fallen trees and neglected baseball fields, becomes a safe and beautiful place for residents to enjoy. In order to achieve this goal, both Ulrich and Gulluscio acknowledged it was critical to work with Gateway National Recreation Area, which manages the space. Ulrich also urged residents to place pressure on Congressmen Anthony Weiner and Gregory Meeks, who have either in the past or currently represent that area, and to not underestimate the impact of volunteerism.
“We can work together as a community on a volunteer basis,” he offered, pointing to an example of how he organized a well-attended clean-up event at the North Channel Parking Lot south of the Joe Addabbo Bridge. A lack of funding for renovations is the greatest challenge to getting the park in better shape, he said. “It’s a national park, which means it’s competing with Yellowstone and all the other national parks across the country.”
Gulluscio, a member of the Friends of Charles Park organization, called Gateway’s management plan for the park for the last 25 years a “disgrace.” At Gateway’s public meeting last month to discuss its management plan for the next three decades, the Democrat criticized Gateway officials for not addressing erosion problems and sub-standard playground equipment.
“I testified, I was there,” he said of the meeting. “Nobody else was there.”
Flooding
Two weekends ago, Hamilton Beach residents found themselves battling, yet again, a surge of flood water in their basements and throughout the small community as a result of bad storms. The crisis is one that residents in Old Howard Beach also confront on a regular basis.
Gulluscio, whose office is located in Old Howard Beach, said he was knee-deep in water that day, prior to marching with Ulrich and other elected officials in the Howard Beach Columbus Day Parade. He said he could relate to the concern and that the district’s sewers needed to be updated.
Ulrich dismissed any suggestion that he didn’t care about Hamilton Beach residents because he marched in the parade, calling it “insulting” and “absurd” and said the flooding problems were not unique to that one weekend.
“It’s caused by rain, but there’s also tidal flooding that takes place,” he said, adding he has been working with the Department of Transportation and residents on Davenport Court and elsewhere to obtain work orders needed to fix various problems.
Community appearance
Confronted with the question of what each candidate would do to maintain the aesthetic appearance of the district, Ulrich said he would continue to fund his $30,000 anti-graffiti initiative, which called for the removal of graffiti from areas along 101st Avenue and Rockaway, Woodhaven and Crossbay boulevards.
The Councilman also struck back at Gulluscio for a statement he provided a Brooklyn newspaper called the Greenpoint Star last month, which quoted him as saying $30,000 was a “little much to spend on graffiti” and that “it’s about more than graffiti, it’s about being efficient with the money you spend.”
Ulrich defended his decision to fund the program, saying it takes a large chunk of change to attack the problem. “It’s not just about graffiti,” he added. “It’s about resurfacing streets, it’s about planting trees, it’s about making people feel happy and proud that they live in this neighborhood.”
Gulluscio, as well, stood by his statement about needing to be more efficient with taxpayers’ money, but also said he would continue Ulrich’s anti-graffiti plan if elected.
Parking
The key to combating parking problems in the district — whether one refers to airport workers taking up street parking in Howard Beach and South Ozone Park for better access to Kennedy Airport or double and triple parked cars along Crossbay Boulevard — is better mass transit, Ulrich said.
“The long-term solution to this problem is making public transportation more efficient, quicker and more attractive so that people will say ‘you know, it’s easier for me to take the Express Bus or A train,’” the Councilman said.
Gulluscio reiterated a long-time position he’s held — that the city is balancing its budget on the backs of the middle class, and said the parking ticket blitz provides one more example of this.
Aqueduct
Regardless of who wins the seat, the future councilman will inherit the issues associated with the creation of a 4,500 video lottery terminal racino at Aqueduct Race Track.
Gulluscio recalled a time when 60,000 people attended the races at Aqueduct every Saturday and said the resulting traffic and congestion was something that didn’t make him happy then, and wouldn’t make him happy now.
“Community first,” he said. “We have to make sure we have the correct security. We have to sit down and talk this out [with bidders].”
Ulrich said he has already met with several of the six bidders competing to create the new complex, and has stressed to them their plans must include suggestions for how to alleviate the situations that are going to make residents’ lives hard while they’re turning a profit.
“We’re going to have to deal with the traffic,” Ulrich said. “We’re going to have to deal with the quality of life issues.”
Seniors
Budget cuts throughout the city have affected many vital services, including those most important to the senior population. Each candidate was asked to propose how he would protect and serve seniors in the community.
When he was elected, Ulrich said he had to make tough decisions regarding which senior services he would fund. There were several services he supported, but one, however, Trinity Senior Services, which Addabbo had funded, didn’t make the cut. Geraldine Chapey, who runs the service — and ran as a Democrat against Ulrich in the special election — couldn’t provide clear information about the number of seniors it served, among other questions the councilman asked, he said.
“So that was $30,000 that went to her last year that she didn’t get this year that I gave to the other senior services in this community that are worthy of our money,” Ulrich said.
Gulluscio agreed there needs to be transparency when funding senior centers.
“You have to know where the money is going,” he said. “You want to know who’s in charge and how the money is being spent. It’s not my money that I’m giving away; it’s your money — the taxpayers. So we want to know exactly how it’s being used.”
Centreville construction
Along with Aqueduct, HWQ411B, the 30-year construction project to reconstruct the streets, sidewalks, curbs and pedestrian ramps in Centreville, will be one the next councilman will inherit.
Gulluscio said he would get the Department of Transportation moving. “All we’ve heard is lip service, lip service, lip service,” he said. “As councilman, I’ll make sure we get more than just lip service.”
Ulrich said his relationships with some of the mayor’s top officials in City Hall would help speed up the process. Regarding a letter DOT recently sent to the Ozone Park Civic, vowing to start construction as early as 2011, Ulrich said, “if we really have that in writing, I’m going to make sure we hold them accountable to that.”
Supplemental sanitation
One of the campaign’s more contentious issues has been the funding of supplemental sanitation services along Liberty Avenue. Two weeks ago, Gulluscio and Addabbo held a press conference on the avenue, calling for Ulrich to explain why he chose to continue funding the project in the Rockaways, while cutting it in Ozone Park. The project was one Addabbo began while on the City Council.
“When I came into office, we had a situation where our former councilman funded it in Rockaway and also here,” Ulrich said. “I continued to fund the program in the Rockaways because if I didn’t, there would be no funding in the Rockaways.” He said he expected Addabbo to continue doing his part in Ozone Park, which is part of the senator’s district.
Gulluscio stuck to his guns, however, saying he would have handled it differently by “sharing the pain” between the two communities; funding one street here, and another one there.
Conclusion
In his concluding statement, Gulluscio reminded residents of his civic achievements — among them, working to turn Cohancy Street into a one-way road and raising over $100,000 for St. Mary Gate of Heaven, where he taught. He promised that, as councilman, he would keep his district office open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and he would listen to all of his constituents, regardless of color or religion. “We’re going to work across the board, across the aisle and work with all the people all the time.”
Ulrich asked the community to think of the accomplishments he’d made in a short time. “Most people have much longer to prove their merits,” he said. “I’m asking you to imagine what I could do for you in the next four years. I’m asking you to believe in me because I believe in you.”
|
|
