Dear Friends & Colleagues,
It has been an exciting two months representing Queens as your Borough President. I was honored to have Mayor Bill de Blasio swear me in on the 9th of January at Queens College as the 19th Borough President of Queens. Since then, my office has been abuzz with activity working around the Borough to strengthen communities and grow the local economy.
In an effort to promote Queens as a visitor attraction and share my vision for the Borough, I have participated in several events including the Queens Chamber of Commerce Breakfast on February 11th. That morning my staff and I provided additional details on the Borough's economic development plan. This plan includes working on underdeveloped parts of the borough and providing them with better transportation infrastructure, support for their small businesses and funding for their neighborhood schools. Details on the Queens Chamber of Commerce breakfast can be found here: Queens Chamber of Commerce Breakfast on Economic Development
The Borough's economic development plan relies on making Queens a destination. This means marketing secondary attractions to visitors. In a joint effort with local elected officials, NYC Department of Parks and Recreation and the People for the Pavilion, my office has had the opportunity to explore concrete ways to save the NYS Pavilion. I am excited about the potential renovation of the NYS Pavilion and with the creation of a Pavilion Task Force, we can determine the economic potential of the space. The process of identifying funding for the project has been underway and we look forward to preserving the Pavilion as an important monument to the World's Fair in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park. Please click on a Daily News article about the NYS Pavilion here: Saving the NYS Pavilion
On February 20th, my administration, along with the Queens members of the City Council and Community Board chairs, held our first Borough Board Budget Hearing. It was a great opportunity for both borough wide and local organizations to share their priorities. We were able to hear testimony from over 180 groups, including Community Boards, hospitals, non-profits, CUNY schools, public schools, and cultural institutions. The hearing provided an opportunity for the general public to comment on the budget, as well as provide an outlet for organizations to make funding requests. The next step is to compile all the testimony, and present it to the Mayor as an official response to the Preliminary Budget.
The past two months, my staff and I have been hard at work in making sure the Borough of Queens thrives as an economic, social and cultural force. I would like to acknowledge the outstanding level of support we have received and I look forward to continuing the fight on making the Borough of Queens a better place for all of those who live and work here. Feel free to be in contact with my office at info@queensbp.org if I can be of assistance in the future.
Sincerely,
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