Rep. Tom Suozzi speaks to a crowd of NYSUT members. Credit: Celia Bernhardt

By Celia Bernhardt | cbernhardt@queensledger.com

New York State United Teachers kicked off its election season operations last week, doling out seven endorsements to Democrats running in competitive House districts across the state and launching its “Common Ground Over Chaos” campaign. Tom Suozzi — NY-03’s representative who won the seat in February’s special election after a disgraced George Santos was ousted from Congress — was among three local endorsees who signed NYSUT’s “Common Ground” candidate pledge during an event in Elmont last Friday. 

The campaign is a break in tradition for the union, which directs much of its energy towards state and local-level elections. 

“Historically, we’ve relied on our national unions to handle Congress,” NYSUT President Melinda Person said. “This time around, knowing that the path to the House majority runs through the state of New York, we thought it was really important that we get involved in a big way.” 

Suozzi’s district, the wealthiest in New York state, encompasses Northern Nassau County and some neighborhoods in Northeastern and Eastern Queens: Little Neck, Douglaston, Whitestone, Queens Village, and others. NY-03 swung for Biden by approximately 10 points in the last presidential election. Prior to leaving his seat for an unsuccessful run for governor, Suozzi had represented the district for three terms, rendering him a familiar face and name among voters this past February when he beat Republican candidate Mazi Pilip by about 8 points. But Santos won his seat over Democrat Robert Zimmerman in 2022 by nearly the same margin, and the Nassau County GOP has argued that they have another chance at victory this time around — although a recent internal poll shows Suozzi leading Republican challenger and former Assemblymember Mike LiPetri 57% to 37%.

“We’re in some of the swingiest districts in the whole country. So listen, I’m gonna work as hard as I can,” Suozzi said to the Ledger when asked how he felt about the road ahead. “There’s only two ways to run a race: scared or unopposed. I’m not unopposed, so I gotta run scared.”

Along with NY-04 candidate Susan Gillen and NY-01 candidate John Avlon, Suozzi delivered remarks to a crowd of NYSUT and UFT members on Friday. All three candidates signed NYSUT’s Common Ground Over Chaos pledge, which lists “practical solutions over partisanship,” “strengthening democratic institutions,” “transparency and accountability,” and “practical solutions over partisanship” among its key points. 

Suozzi, for his part, has not shied away from bucking the party line when it comes to issues like immigration as he works to maintain the support of a relatively conservative district. The congressman said the pledge was a good fit for his campaign. 

“This is what I’ve been running my whole life, quite frankly, but certainly in my last few campaigns,” Suozzi said. “Democrats and Republicans need to reject extremism on both sides. Find common ground in the middle and try and help in people’s lives. People are sick of all the attacking. They want us to work together.”

Person said that the values of the pledge first developed while organizing NYSUT members to canvass for Suozzi this past winter. “That’s where we first tested it. You know, I was visiting with our rank and file members, knocking on doors and talking to them about what mattered to them, and they were saying ‘I miss the days when we had Republicans and Democrats that could disagree on issues but find compromise, and that they could find the middle ground and pass bills and at the end of the day, they could shake hands and and still be colleagues and not hate each other,’” Person said. “So we tried that messaging in our Suozzi campaign with our rank and file, and we think that’s what the American people want.” 

NYSUT is set to spend at least $2 million in independent expenditures as part of their campaign. They will also work to mobilize their base — earlier than in past election cycles — to canvass for their selected candidates. Person emphasized the NYSUT members and their families comprise a significant presence in the state’s electorate, accounting for 13% of Suozzi’s votes this past election.

Nassau County, which comprises much of NY-03, has certainly not taken a backseat when it comes to divisive rhetoric — it made headlines in recent months when its legislature passed a ban (now facing challenges from State Attorney General Letitia James and the NYCLU) in late June on transgender girls and women participating in women’s sporting events at county-run facilities, and more recently a county-wide mask ban. Person said these developments are prime examples of the “chaos” she’s looking to combat this November. 

“The candidates that are lifting up those issues —  the very purpose of raising those issues is to divide us and to deceive us in terms of what the real issues are,” Person said. 

By Celia Bernhardt | cbernhardt@queensledger.com

One LIC’s proposed zoning districts. Courtesy of NYC Department of City Planning.

Elected officials and community members urged the Department of City Planning to slow down their timeline for the Long Island City Neighborhood Plan at a public scoping hearing on Monday. 

The hearing, which took place over Zoom, was the first meeting on the topic since the city unveiled a draft zoning framework for the Neighborhood Plan (also called One LIC) at a June 25 town hall. The city released a 65-page draft scope of work on July 12 — a final scope of work, which serves as the basis for an environmental review, is the next step. 

“I want to put on the record that I am displeased that the Department of City Planning did not schedule this hearing for September, despite numerous requests for myself, the Community Board, community groups, as well as overlapping elected officials,” Council Member Julie Won said in her testimony at the scoping meeting. 

One LIC, a neighborhood-wide rezoning plan focused on accommodating growth in the area, has been in the works since October 2023. It was launched by DCP, Won, and an urban design firm called WXY Studio. Eleven public meetings to gather feedback took place throughout the year leading up to the draft zoning framework released on June 25. 

Community boards are often heavily involved in reviewing and providing feedback on proposed zoning and land use changes; they also usually take a pause during the summer months, with meetings and duties ramping back up again in September. In a July 31 letter to DCP Chair Daniel Garodnick that she posted to Twitter, Won slammed the City’s timeline for One LIC updates and meetings. 

“The City’s rapid timeline is leaving my community feeling frustrated and embittered with the city planning process,” Won wrote. “There was no draft zoning framework presented until June 24, 2024, after Community Board 2 had already finished for the year. The draft scope of work was released on July 12, also during the community board’s summer recess. While the City has extended the deadline for written testimony to September 11, this still falls before relevant community board meetings which were scheduled months in advance.”

In a response sent the next day, Garodnick’s office said they would not delay the hearing, arguing that “postponing the hearing date would unfortunately delay our analysis of the environmental impacts and district-wide infrastructure assessment, and would impact the overall project timeline.”

After an environmental review and a period of continued public engagement, DCP is set to release a draft neighborhood plan in the Spring of 2025 and then move into the ULURP process. 

Won was not the only attendee at the hearing who expressed frustration at the project’s timeline. State Senator Kristen Gonzalez, Community Board 2 member Danielle Brecker, and others urged the DCP to extend the period for written testimony past September 13 to allow for the board to study the plan and provide feedback. 

Chief among the concerns that attendees voiced about the content of the draft zoning plan was its allotment of affordable housing. Out of 14,000 new units that the plan would allow for, only 4,000 would be income-restricted via the Mandatory Inclusionary Housing program — and rent for those 4,000 units would be set for residents earning 60 to 80 percent of the area median income, meaning a one-bedroom would cost between $1,747 and $2,330. Numerous testimonies argued that this fell far below what the neighborhood needs. 

“The vast majority of housing need, as shown by rent burdens, overcrowding, other measures, and the amount of homelessness that we are seeing in our district alone — let alone the whole city at large — is among households with incomes below 50% AMI,” Won said. “New market rate housing will not help these families find sustainable homes.”

Gonzalez agreed. 

“This area is already suffering serious consequences from over development, and it is essential to ensure that any development in this area benefits the community and addresses existing deficits,” Gonzalez said. “I’m calling for the inclusion of the maximum amount of deeply affordable housing.” 

A representative for Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani echoed support for maxing out deeply affordable units.

After an environmental review and a period of continued public engagement, DCP is set to release a draft neighborhood plan in the Spring of 2025. Then, One LIC will move into the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure, a final seven-month process which incorporates reviews from the Borough President, City Planning Commission, and City Council. 

LIJFH and For Women By Women, Period staff competing in the dragon boat race. Credit: Laureylene Ortaliza

By Olivia Graffeo | olivia@queensledger.com

This year’s annual Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival in Flushing Meadows Corona Park was attended by thousands of people with over 150 teams participating in the races. One of these teams was a group from Long Island Jewish Forest Hills Hospital Northwell. Composed of doctors, nurses, and administrative staff, the team represented Northwell in the dragon boat race, working to raise money for their Menstrual Equity initiative. 

Long Island Jewish Forest Hills Northwell has teamed up with community organization For Women By Women, Period to spread awareness about period poverty and those affected. Stancy Saji, the Program Manager at LIJFH, spoke about the persistent issues faced by those who menstruate.

“[Many] cannot afford menstrual products. We’re trying to remove the stigma… it should be affordable,” she said. 

LIJFH and For Women By Women, Period staff during the Dragon Boat Festival. Credit: Laureylene Ortaliza

In addition to the boat team from Northwell, the organization was a sponsor of the event and had a stall on the grounds with an outreach table providing information about their Menstrual Equity program. Through the initiative, Northwell is able to provide not only information to those who need it, but also period products. 

“We raise money, collect items… This is a cause that hits home for a lot of people,” Saji said. 

In the hope of spreading awareness and collecting money to help people in need, the team of hospital staff trained tirelessly for the boat race. The dedicated group went out to practice once a week on the water in anticipation of the event. 

“The team had an amazing time. We look forward to going to this event every year. [We] meet up with each other, do something different,” Saji said. “Being able to bring attention to period poverty.”

Northwell was able to raise $1,500 for their Menstrual Equity program from the event, in addition to products collected through donations. The initiative is only growing, with workshops, events, and marches on the horizon. To Saji and the Northwell team, menstrual health and equity for period products is an extremely important cause. The Dragon Boat event was just one example of their journey in finding creative ways to help their community.

“Engage with the community, provide resources, connect with people,” Saji said of Northwell’s mission. “Find ways to support women and all individuals.”

By Celia Bernhardt | cbernhardt@queensledger.com

State Senator Julia Salazar held a State of the District event in Bushwick last Thursday, explaining her recent legislative work to a sizable crowd of local residents and community organization representatives before giving the mic to a group of multiple organizations to inform attendees about their services. Her recap of the legislative session was wide ranging, but housing was a main focus of the discussion. 

Salazar kicked off the talk with a sample list of bills that she said was based on what issues the district was most interested in. Two of them — the End Toxic Home Flipping Act and Foreclosure Notices Act — addressed issues of homeownership.

“We want to make sure that people can continue to afford to live here, tenants, homeowners, all of us should be able to continue in our communities,” Salazar said. “A lot of young people say, ‘I grew up here, and I can’t even imagine being able to ever afford a home here. And that’s really sad. And it shouldn’t be that way.”

Tenant rights got plenty of air time as well — the state’s basement apartment legalization pilot, worked into this year’s budget, was another initiative Salazar spoke about. Basement apartments are often more affordable for tenants, Salazar said, but are often “not up to code, to say the least.” Salazar pointed out, though, that the governor only included certain community districts in the pilot. 

“So Community District 4 is included — that’s right here in Bushwick — however, Brooklyn Community District 5 was excluded. This is ridiculous. It’s really outrageous,” Salazar said. “Community District 5 demonstrated in the first place to the state that we needed state action in order to bring these apartments legally up to code and make them habitable.”

Salazar told the crowd she introduced a bill to specifically incorporate CD5, which includes East New York, and other districts into the pilot program. 

Good Cause Eviction, which protects some tenants from rent increases beyond a certain percentage and from unjustified evictions, was another highlight of Salazar’s talk. “This was the first bill that I ever introduced as a new senator. It is what I’ve been most passionate about for the past six years,” she said. 

Long championed by progressive representatives and tenants rights groups, Good Cause was ultimately watered down in the state’s budget — its protections don’t extend to as many tenants and are not as extensive as advocates intended. Salazar acknowledged the changes, but emphasized that the law was still a “game changer.” 

“While it is a partial victory, it absolutely is a victory that is going to make a profound impact in the lives of people across our district and across our state,” Salazar said. 

After Salazar’s talk, community organizations including the CCRB, Communities Resist, Make the Road NY, and more took turns introducing themselves to the audience and explaining what services they offer. One group offering breakdance classes for local youth demonstrated their skills with a performance. When the program concluded, the senator spoke one-by-one with a long line of constituents who had questions for her.