Rep. Maloney proposes bill for more LLC transparency

 

QNS

 

Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney is pitching a bill on Capitol Hill that will put an end to shell companies across the United States, and possibly alleviate some of the issues facing everyday New Yorkers in an inflated housing market.

The main objective of the bill, however, is national security exemplified in the history of 650 Fifth Ave., once owned by the Iranian government and used to launder money for the benefit of terrorism groups.

“It’s not owned by the government of Iran anymore. It’s owned by a private U.S. company, but for many years, Iran was able to circumvent U.S. sanctions and launder their money, right here, in the US financial system,” Maloney said. “Now, people ask how did they do this? They used two anonymous shell companies, both formed here in the United States that hid their ownership. Fortunately the era of anonymous shell companies is almost about to end.”

Congressional primary roundup

Not mentioned here is a pretty interesting race in Brooklyn. Yvette Clarke vs. Adam Bunkeddeko. She won. But barely.

Change is in the air.

Congress Member excited by big development project

From the Times Ledger:

U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-Astoria) reviewed the draft scope of work proposed by Plaxall that within 15 years would bring a 65-story tower; 5,000 residential units spread out over eight buildings, with 25 percent set aside for affordable housing; manufacturing and office space; and an esplanade to make Anable Basin accessible to the public.

“Anable Basin is currently a gloomy industrial area with limited roads, limited access, sparse public transportation and very little retail,” Maloney said. “We have seen the success of Queens West and Hunters Point South in Long Island City and in Northern Brooklyn. And it is time for that trend to reach Anable Basin — an extraordinary area with magnificent views of Manhattan and the East River. This rezoning has the potential to create another great neighborhood, if it is done right.”

Locals concerned about Kosciuszko Bridge implosion

From NY1:

"We look forward to the opening of our new bridge, but we got to make sure that the air quality, and the quality for our communities — again as the borough president said — is our first concern," said Tommy Torres, the district leader, of the 53rd Assembly District.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo's office announced last week plans to blow up the old span this summer, after the first phase of the new Kosciuszko opens in the spring.

The controlled implosion is supposed to speed up construction of the second phase by at least seven months.

"We want to save our waterways, we want to save the air quality in this community," Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams said at a Greenpoint press conference. "We don't want to take the giant steps forward that we have taken just to take three steps back."

Local groups say they also are upset because they heard about the demolition plan through the media, and had no input.

"We've enjoyed a pretty transparent relationship with New York State DOT [department of transportation]," said local activist Laura Hoffman. "And we just don't want that ruined."

"I sit on the area board for the Kosciusko Bridge. I've sat on that board for the past five years," said Gerald Esposito of Brooklyn Community Board 1. "There was no mention of implosion or explosion or any other form of dynamiting the structure."

"If a significant decision is being made about an explosion, the community should be consulted," said Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, who represents parts of Brooklyn, Queens, and Manhattan.

Astoria pols beg to get bridge painted

From DNA Info:

The Hell Gate Bridge turns 100 years old this year — and its age is showing, a group of elected officials say.

Queens politicians are calling on Amtrak to repaint the Hell Gate ahead of its centennial this September, pointing to the "unbecoming appearance" of the bridge's faded and mismatched paint.

"The bridge has not been repainted since the 1990s, and stands today covered in a patchwork of pink, beige, and brown," the officials wrote in a letter sent to Amtrak President Joseph Boardman last week.

The letter — signed by Congressman Joseph Crowley, Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, Assemblywoman Aravella Simotas, State Sen. Michael Gianaris and Councilman Costa Constantinides — describes the Hell Gate as "an iconic piece of Amtrak's infrastructure."

This is what she gets paid to do?

From NBC:

A Manhattan congresswoman is accusing Mayor de Blasio of not supporting her efforts to bring two pandas from China to New York City.

In August, Rep. Carolyn Maloney visited panda preserves in China with hopes of bringing two of the bears to the Central Park Zoo. After the trip, Chinese officials asked for a letter from the mayor or governor supporting her plan, Maloney said Sunday morning on John Catsimatidis’ radio show on AM 970.

"The mayor was not interested," Maloney said.

She then approached Gov. Cuomo who sent a letter earlier this month in support of bringing the pandas to the Big Apple, she said. She is now awaiting a response from Chinese officials.

According to the New York Post, though, a city official said that neither the Central Park Zoo nor Bronx Zoo were interested in housing the pandas, which are "incredibly expensive to maintain."

A spokeswoman from the mayor's office said regarding Maloney's pandas there were "more pressing concerns for New York City at the moment."

Ya think?

Pandas a priority for Carolyn Maloney

From the Daily News:

A New York congresswoman is hoping a pair of giant pandas will become the city’s next great attraction.

Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-Manhattan) will travel to a nature preserve in China next month to explore the possibility of bringing two giant pandas to Gotham. “The greatest city in the world deserves two pandas,” she told the Daily News. “They’re a symbol of good luck.”

Big increase for flood insurance

From CBS New York:

U.S. Reps. Carolyn Maloney and Nydia Velazquez (D-N.Y.) warned Sunday a dramatic increase that could soon be facing New Yorkers.

The lawmakers joined property and small business owners, co-op residents and other community members Sunday at 200 East End Ave., a co-op building on the Upper East Side that recouped $4 million in damage after Superstorm Sandy, but now reportedly could be hit with astronomical insurance premiums as a result of the Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2012.

Maloney said in a news release that the rising flood insurance premiums are not affordable, and could deter people from buying insurance at all. Maloney asked for a delay in the rate increases, which she said could raise New Yorkers’ premiums by $5,000 to $10,000.

Maloney said the National Flood Insurance Program is crucial, but it cannot be built on the backs of hardworking New Yorkers.

A recent City of New York study indicated that New Yorkers could see their rates jump by as much as $10,000, from current levels as low as $430, as a result of the Flood Insurance Reform Act and upcoming Federal Emergency Management Agency Maps, Maloney’s office said.

Her office said New Yorkers from the Upper East Side to Red Hook, Brooklyn and the Rockaways could be affected.

Female pols are pathetic feminists

From the Daily News:

Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-Manhattan), who earlier this year received a “Fearless Trailblazer” award from the Feminist Majority Foundation, issued a statement praising Silver for acting “decisively” to punish Assemblyman Vito Lopez after an ethics committee found he’d sexually harassed two staff members.

Maloney’s statement made no mention of the secret $103,080 settlement Silver cut to resolve an earlier harassment case against Lopez — or his decision to initially bypass the Assembly ethics committee — but it did laud his handling of the matter.

“The Speaker’s actions send a clear and unambiguous message that sexual harassment will not be tolerated in the New York State Assembly,” Maloney said.

The $103,080 was apparently just a part of the secret settlement. An Albany source confirmed a New York Times report Wednesday that two women involved were also paid $32,000 from Lopez personally, plus salary and benefits from the state.

Maloney’s endorsement of Silver stands in contrast to her long record as an advocate for women’s issues. She’s usually one of the first to condemn the mistreatment of women.

But Silver is one of the city’s most powerful figures and it’s hard to run for office without his support.

Even as he issued an apology this week for the coverup, the voices that would typical bash such behavior were notably silent.

The Daily News surveyed nearly two dozen female office holders — including some of New York’s most vocal lawmakers — and most either did not return calls or offered tepid excuses about needing more information.

Other women, including Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, issued vague statements praising the mea culpa Silver issued Tuesday.

Meng supporter says sex ads are 1st Amendment right

Excerpt from Nadler/Maloney press release:

U.S. Representatives Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY) and Jerrold L. Nadler (D-NY) today sent a letter to Village Voice Media, LLC expressing concerns about the frequency with which that company's Backpage.com website is used to advertise minors and trafficked persons and urging it to shut down its notorious "adult services" section.

In a statement accompanying the release of the joint letter, whose full text is included below, Congresswoman Maloney said: "Law enforcement authorities and anti-trafficking advocates agree that the adult services section of Village Voice's Backpage.com is the single busiest online marketplace for the sexual trafficking of minors and trafficking victims anywhere in the United States. It is high time the Voice lived up to its reputation as a beacon of progressivism, and shut down this cesspool." Rep. Maloney serves as Co-Chair of the bipartisan Congressional Human Trafficking Caucus, which works to educate people about the reality of the trade in human lives and toward its eradication.

Congressman Jerrold Nadler said, “The Village Voice must ensure that it is not in any way assisting in the horrific business of sex trafficking. Clearly Backpage.com has not done enough to prevent human trafficking on its site. They should shut down their adult services page immediately, before it is used by criminals to further promote human trafficking.”

Excerpt Bob Turner press release:

Congressman Bob Turner (NY-09) introduced House Resolution 646 putting pressure on Backpage.com, which is owned by Village Voice Media, to eliminate the adult entertainment section of their classified ad website. Many cases have been reported of the site being used for the sex trafficking of young boys and girls as well as adult prostitution.

“The adult section of Backpage.com has been shown to be a hub for the despicable act of human trafficking. We cannot allow the site to continue to serve as a means of advertisement for criminals and sexual predators. The executives at Village Voice Media cannot continue making a profit off of this illegal activity. This section of Backpage.com should be taken down immediately.”

What about the Trib?

Dear Editor (Queens Chronicle):

Your article “Meng knew firm’s ties to adult ads” (May 3, multiple editions) about the Queens Tribune newspaper printing ads promoting “Adult services” while having a consulting and printing firm, Multi-Media, had important information missing. The information that was missing was that Congressman Gary Ackerman is a part-owner of the Tribune.

There is certainly something wrong with this picture. While Meng and others were testifying in front of Congress to pass a bill that would end the exploitation of non speaking women, trafficking, and prostitution, the congressman’s newspaper “featured 37 ads promoting adult services, including 23 promoting the use of Asian women.”

The congressman started the Tribune in the 1970s and continues to have a stake in it.

Would publishing those ads be called procuring?

Here is just another example of a congressperson putting monies before morals and the protection of women.

Joyce Shepard, CSW
Bayside

Does he still own a stake in it? Not sure. Let's see what Schenkler has to say...

From the Queens Tribune:

Although I don’t speak for the Assemblywoman, I believe we agree on certain basic issues.

1) We both respect and advocate for the rights of women.

2) We both will take whatever steps that are within our power to end sex trafficking here and/or abroad.

3) We both recognize that “freedom of speech” is a cherished constitutional right that must not be trampled.

4) That “commercial speech” is speech and as such, should be respected, protected and not trampled.

5) The responsibility of righting societal wrongs rests with the legislature – in New York State, the State Legislature.

Therefore, Assemblywoman Meng and I agreed to cooperatively develop a legislative solution to address the concerns that some women’s groups have about newspaper advertising and sex trafficking.

Last time I checked, the Queens Tribune was a privately owned newspaper and therefore could print or censor whatever it chose to. In other words, no one is forcing them to print whore ads for money. I doubt that Schenk would print an ad that said, "Hitman for hire" or "Heroin for sale."

And if the whore ads are "protected speech," then how would Meng be able to legislate against them? His entire editorial makes no sense whatsoever and was a laughable attempt to try to downplay the fact that Meng hired someone to run her campaign that makes money off the exploitation of women - most notably, Asian women.

Photo from the Queens Tribune

Representing the United States of Israel

From the NY Post:

Private groups — especially the pro-Israel lobby — spent $165,500 jetting New York City-area Congress members around the world last year to such destinations as Tel Aviv, Turkey and Italy, government travel records show.

Last year reflected a resurgence in the number of congressional junkets, as lawmakers have learned to take advantage of a loophole in a 2007 ban on trips paid for by companies with lobbyists.

The restrictions don’t apply to such nonprofits as think tanks, advocacy groups or universities. Those groups took local lawmakers on 11 junkets in 2011.

The most expensive trip for a local Congress member went to Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-Manhattan-Queens), who enjoyed a $24,000 jaunt to Israel in August, paid for by the education foundation.

Maloney also visited Italy in October on a $9,700 trip sponsored by the Collegium Ramazzini, an academy aimed at advancing occupational and health issues.

“I’ve always found it valuable to get out of the Beltway bubble, both to see the facts on the ground in nations that are important to the United States and to be learning those facts with other members in less-pressured surrounding,” Maloney explained.

Rep. Yvette Clark (D-Brooklyn) took two trips to Israel worth a combined $18,700.

And Rep. Eliot Engel (D-Bronx) made two trips — one a $12,900 junket to Israel and a second $10,050 excursion to Kiev, Ukraine.

The latter trip was paid for by the Jewish Federation of the Ukraine. Engel sits on the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-Queens), who is also on the committee, visited Istanbul on a $17,307 trip sponsored partly by the Congressional Study Group on Turkey.

Justifying their salaries

From the Daily News:

Congress is on vacation, but with some lawmakers it's hard to tell the difference.

Twenty-year Brooklyn incumbent Rep. Nydia Velazquez has not sponsored one bill, amendment or resolution this year.

Between her $174,000 salary and a staff that earned $898,211 last year, that's a stiff price for inactivity, congressional watchers said.

"In the words of another famous New Yorker, 'They got some 'splaining to do,'" said Norman Ornstein, a resident with the American Enterprise Institute, a nonprofit research center.

A Daily News survey found that Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-Manhattan) ranks first among New York's 28 representatives for activity with 36 proposed bills, resolutions and amendments.

Maloney and Rep. Jerrold Nadler co-wrote last year's 9/11 Health and Compensation Act. Nadler (D-Manhattan) tied for third in the entire delegation with 21 proposals.

$300M for Sunnyside Railyard

From the Times Ledger:

The federal government has handed out $2 billion with nearly $300 million designated to clear the way for high-speed Amtrak trains through a switching bottleneck in Sunnyside.

U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-Astoria) hailed the announcement. She said the Harold Interlocking, the busiest rail switching center in North America with 783 trains passing through daily, “is a bottleneck that has bedeviled New York train passengers for years.”

The facility, in the Sunnyside Yard in Maloney’s congressional district, has delayed movement of Amtrak, the Long Island Rail Road and New Jersey Transit.

The project will provide separate tracks to bypass Harold Interlocking, allowing Amtrak trains a faster route through New York City.

“This project is shovel-ready,” Maloney said.

Queensbridge Park wall will finally be repaired

From the Queens Chronicle:

After years of bureaucratic back and forth, a single city agency has been named responsible for fixing the seawall in Queensbridge Park, Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-Queens and Manhattan) said Tuesday.

During a meeting with city officials, it was decided that the Parks Department would be taking the lead on mending the collapsing promenade, which has been rendered unusable to residents for nearly a decade.

According to Maloney, Parks Department Commissioner Adrian Benepe said his agency was working on removing lead paint which had fallen into the park from the Queensboro Bridge. After that project is completed, he will begin to repair the seawall, which continues to collapse into the East River.

Meanwhile, Maloney said she is in discussions with the state Department of Environmental Conservation to get permission for the city Department of Transportation to fund a portion of the estimated $12 million repair as part of environmental work required by the DEC after DOT construction on other parts of the waterfront was completed.

Since 2003, politicians and city agencies have been talking about repairing the wall — finding funding, making plans and even contacting the Army Corps of Engineers. However, like the crumbling seawall itself, these plans sank into a river of bureaucracy, leaving Queensbridge residents with a 200-foot-long gaping hole where an esplanade once was.

All aboard the B.S. Express!

Background info: I was contacting politicians in order to get the QM22 service reinstated since the MTA cut the service and although a private company TransportAzumah assumed the service as well as the X90 which Penny Lee rode to work.

Since we are about 50 people and I decided to try to work with Congresswoman Maloney's office in order to get the bus back I thought that since the X90 and the QM22's service area is in the same congressional district and that the X90 riders have 620 riders compared to the QM22's 50 that it would be a good idea to help each other out in getting our buses back. Federal elected officials could do things such as adding a rider to Federal Legislation to mandate the MTA Bus Company to operate the buses without any Federal money spent since the MTA Bus Company is wholly subsidized by the City of New York. As a precedent to doing such Congressman Molinari from Staten Island mandated the MTA to institute one way tolls on the Verrazano Bridge with no Federal money spent on implementing such. Penny Lee started questioning my ideas and my knowledge of the situation.

As proof that the City of New York subsidizes the MTA Bus Company one could view Table 4 of the attached PDF document which shows a mid year forecast of 216.7 million dollars that the City of New York is supposed to pay.

Email exchange with Penny Lee:

Penny Lee: Hi, what do you mean when you say that the MTA bus company is wholly subsidized by the City of New York? Are you saying the city, not the MTA pays the difference between the operating costs and the fare box revenues?

Me: Yes, that is what I meant.

Penny Lee: Thanks. But the city is out of the bus business, so how would it run
just these two busses?

Me: The rider (edit: if a rider would be added, such rider) would mandate the MTA Bus Company to operate the service; (edit: the MTA Bus Company is) the agency that took over the Private Lines. But the City of New York (edit: only) SUBSIDIZES the MTA Bus Company and that is all the City of New York does with the MTA Bus Company.

Penny Lee: The x90 was never an MTA Bus Company bus. It was always a NYCT bus. I
want these busses to run as much as you do, but I also don't want Carolyn out on a limb.

Me: (edit: in the case where I have to collaborate with the X90 riders and work with Federal elected officials) There is no other way to do it because NYCT's money comes from the MTA and they have financial problems. MTA Bus Company has money from the City. If this goes through, the X90 would be an MTA Bus Company route, there is not really another way that I know about where this could go through (edit: without using state or MTA money to get the service reinstated, the X90 riders could have worked with state elected officials to do the same thing, but Astoria and the Upper East Side where the X90 runs is in the same congressional district and not in any state or city district together and the QM22 in Astoria and Jackson Heights folks need any help that they could get).

Penny Lee: Unfortunately I don't see this working at all. Did Carolyn's office tell you they'd do it?

Me: Why do you say that, this seems very simple, look at what Congressman Molinari did in Staten Island with regards to one way tolls on the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge; and not to insult anybody, you are the only one that seems dazed and confused about this. Is there anything specific that you want me to address, or since you work for City Planning, is there something wrong with doing such that I do not know about.

Penny Lee: You're pretty rude, and it's not simple from a public policy point of view. I work on these issues for a living, including working with Carolyn's office. That's why I asked you if you had a commitment from her to submit the bill. It's my understanding that you don't.

Me: I am not trying to be rude and I do not have any commitments because I just started this a few days ago,(edit: I cannot go to elected officials office as a one man army, I need to get people together and once I get people together, then I would start pressuring elected officials because there is strength in numbers), then if you do this for a living, I am sure you know that this takes a lot of work and I have only started to take baby steps. From my work in the Azumah lawsuit, even people who work for the City of New York have no understanding of what is to be done and policies. I am not saying that you don't, but there are a lot of things that go on that many, including myself and you do not know. (edit: Question, how was Congressman Molinari able to get one way tolls instituted at the MTA's expense using the same technique that I would like to see the X90 and QM22 get reinstated by?)

Penny Lee: I wish you luck. All I know is that I won't help you on this particular effort to restart the X90.

Note: After this exchange and other nasty exchanges with X90 riders I stopped working with them since I felt that it was a waste of my time.

Here are some more rave reviews about X90 riders, the people that Penny Lee rides with to and from work.

http://www.nyctransitforums.com/forums/showpost.php?p=363583&postcount=152

http://www.nyctransitforums.com/forums/showpost.php?p=363590&postcount=157

http://www.nyctransitforums.com/forums/showpost.php?p=363590&postcount=159

http://www.nyctransitforums.com/forums/showpost.php?p=365705&postcount=264

http://www.nyctransitforums.com/forums/showpost.php?p=366001&postcount=277

http://www.nyctransitforums.com/forums/showpost.php?p=366230&postcount=283

http://www.nyctransitforums.com/forums/showpost.php?p=366734&postcount=300

Here is some MTA Bus Company information (more proof of the City wholly subsidizing the MTA Bus Company)

http://www.nyctransitforums.com/forums/showpost.php?p=365701&postcount=262 - anonymous

Clueless Carolyn

Watch as an activist confronts Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney about City Council Speaker Quinn's failure to save St. Vincent's Hospital.

What a drag!

It's Friday, folks. You know what to do...

Officials request inclusion of Queens in Creek study

From the NY Times:

Newtown Creek, the heavily polluted waterway recently chosen for a federal Superfund cleanup, equally burdens Queens and Brooklyn because it straddles both boroughs. But several Queens officials have written to the Environmental Protection Agency to make sure the agency doesn’t play favorites.

The officials, including Representative Carolyn B. Maloney and the Queens borough president, Helen Marshall, assert that the E.P.A. has primarily focused on the Brooklyn side of Newtown Creek in studies and sampling of the waterway. They say that the agency has taken no samples in Newtown Creek’s Queens tributaries, including Dutch Kills, Maspeth Creek and East Branch.

In fact, they complain that the E.P.A. listed Newtown Creek as being only in Brooklyn in a fact sheet.

“While Newtown Creek borders both Brooklyn and Queens, up to now most of the E.P.A.’s attention has been on the Brooklyn side of the creek,” the officials wrote in a letter sent on Friday to the agency’s administrator, Lisa Jackson. “That has to change. Time after time, Queens has simply been forgotten — literally omitted from the studies, the documentation and the E.P.A.’s attention.”

In a statement, E.P.A. officials said that all five tributaries of the creek — Dutch Kills, Whale Creek, Maspeth Creek, East Branch and English Kills — are officially part of the Newtown Creek Superfund site.

“They are all included in the plan for sampling the water and sediment that is currently being developed by the agency,” the E.P.A. said. “Throughout our sampling, investigation and clean-up, we will work closely with the communities along the creek and share information with officials and the public regularly.”

2nd Ave subway is far behind schedule & way over budget

From the NY Post:

The Second Avenue Subway may have avoided significant construction mishaps this year, but the troubled project is still far behind schedule and hundreds of millions of dollars over budget, lawmakers warned yesterday.

Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-Manhattan) said the Federal Transit Administration estimates that the first phase of the "T" train running between East 96th and 63rd streets will cost $420 million more than the MTA's $4.5 billion price tag, and wrap up two years later than the agency's 2016 target date.

Millstones being moved to library

From: "Elias, Minna"
To: Recipient list suppressed
Cc: "loren@carolynmaloney.com" ; "Peyre, Brice" ; "Babor, Edward"
Sent: Wed, September 22, 2010 2:55:25 PM
Subject: RE: Millstones Re-Location

I am told an MOU is being executed with Queens Library shortly, and that the millstones will be moved to the library in the next month or so. The millstones will be on display at the library where they will be seen by tens of thousands of visitors. I’m told the cost of moving them is de minimis – the city has the manpower, the fork lift and the truck to transport them, so the extra cost is gas. The Queens library is assuming any costs associated with displaying the millstones in a safe and appropriate way. We are aware that there was some support for moving them to the Greater Astoria Historical Society, and while it is a fine organization with strong community support, there was more support for moving it to the library which has many more visitors. I know the issue of the millstones was considered by Community Board 2, where the Queens Plaza project is being built, and that their input was considered. (and I am aware that Dutch Kills is not in Community Board 2, although the Queens Plaza project is). We look forward to the next stage, when the millstones will be returned to the community where they can be admired by passersby in the neighborhood in which the mills originally operated. It was reiterated to me by representatives of both EDC and City Planning that a new plan will be made for displaying the millstones without drilling them. I hope this is responsive to your concerns.
______________________________________

1) Whoa, I thought the city's position was that the stones were "too fragile" to be moved? What happened to that?
2) Have you heard anyone say they wanted them in a library located between 2 sets of housing projects? All I remember is one side saying they shouldn't be moved from Dutch Kills/Queens Plaza, and the other side saying they should be put in a museum/historical society. Where the hell did this plan come from?
3) What is really going on here? Why did it take so long to get a response to the e-mail below? Why were there no follow up meetings, as promised, after the one held in June?
______________________________________

From: Barbara Lorinz
To: minna.elias@mail.house.gov, brice.peyre@mail.house.gov, sarah.belleas@mail.house.gov, loren@carolynmaloney.com, jvanbramer@council.nyc.gov, jkenton@council.nyc.gov, ajacobs@council.nyc.gov, troberts@council.nyc.gov, ballekd@assembly.state.ny.us
Subject: Millstones Re-Location
Date: Tue, 10 Aug 2010 00:21:52 -0400

Good Evening Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, Councilman Van Bramer & Assemblywoman Cathy Nolan,

Our Dutch Kills Community is hearing rumors that the Millstones will be re-located to the library. Why was our community not involved in this decision?? Why a secret?? This is outrageous.. This is disrespect to all of us in our Dutch Kills Community. We need to know who made this decision without consulting us.

The Best Place to re-locate Our Millstones is the Greater Astoria Historical Society.. The Millstones will be protected & secure & we will be able to visit the Historical Society many hours during the day & evening hours & is more convenient for people to visit & read all about our History, not just the Millstones.. We cannot believe or understand why the library would be a better place to keep our Millstones, rather than The Greater Astoria Historical Society.. Queens Plaza renovation is Federal, State & City $$$... What funds will be used for this move?? We need to discuss this matter before any re-location takes place. Please call me ... about this rumor...

Thank You,

Barbara Lorinz/Pres/Dutch Kills Advocacy League


How artifacts are protected in Manhattan:


There are a lot of folks who should be ashamed of themselves -- including Terri Osborne, "Director of Queens Tourism". Ha. Good one.