Costa Constantinides is the Queens borough president we need to fight this crisis

State Sen. Jessica Ramos (center) and State Sen. Michael Gianaris make a final pitch for Costa Constantinides. Photo courtesy of the Constantinides campaign

By State Sens. Michael Gianaris and Jessica Ramos 

There were many reasons we both decided to endorse Costa Constantinides for Queens Borough President.

He puts renters over developers — going back to the Astoria Cove rezoning. Western Queens students are learning with new STEM equipment in state-of-the-art buildings instead of temporary classrooms. The formerly redlined portion of Astoria has seen new investment thanks to Costa.

But a lot of candidates for office have a record. What separates Costa is his vision for a stronger Queens, especially when it comes to public health. He sees the connections between pollution, these increasingly hot summers, and a lack of hospital space like few others can. Costa knows a perfect storm is brewing. He’s spent his life trying to make sure it doesn’t wipe out vast swaths of our borough.

Costa hates the fact that we in Queens house the bulk of New York City’s power infrastructure — and all we get for it is higher rates of asthma. In fact, asthma and respiratory illnesses are higher here than elsewhere, according to a 2015 City report. That’s largely because racist environmental policies forced power plants into Black and Brown communities despite public opposition. Our friends in southeast Queens, where dirty infrastructure makes their children sick, too, know what this is like. Queens sadly represents a national trend in which communities of color bear the environmental burden of other neighborhoods’ needs.

These same communities were the hardest hit by COVID-19. Pollution has already been directly tied to increased death rates in areas where respiratory ailments are greater. When elected officials questioned why Black and Brown neighborhoods suffered worse, we sadly knew it was because airborne toxins that weakened respiratory health laid the foundation for this pandemic.

That’s only going to get worse in the decades to come. Even when Costa closes these power plants with his Renewable Rikers plan and by solarizing every City building in Queens, there are sadly those of us who have lived with pollution since childhood. We struggle to breathe when our summers become more brutal. Last summer was the hottest on record — driven by a failure to act sooner on climate change. And with temperatures soaring to 100 degrees in the arctic circle this weekend, we can’t imagine this year will be any better. As this trend continues, Columbia University researchers estimate annual extreme heat fatalities will be in the thousands within 60 years if we don’t act now.

COVID-19 illustrated Queens’ healthcare system is not ready for such a catastrophe. Real estate-backed politicians let five hospitals close since 2000. We lost too many constituents on the ER floor at Elmhurst Hospital because no one else was there to meet the rush. Our hearts broke to hear Costa was among those suffering from this virus.

But in typical Costa fashion, he learned from this illness and it drove him to work harder toward a solution. He immediately began the call for new hospitals, not just in his neighborhoods — but in central and southeast Queens too, where the need is highest. Costa has proven new and expanded hospital space is possible: he was the driving force behind the new, state-of-the-art stroke center at Mt. Sinai Queens here in Astoria. He knows we have to build hospitals within the next decade, or we face a bleak century to come.

Costa has proven he can deliver on these promises. When Big Real Estate threw false information at New York City’s Green New Deal last year, Costa never caved to their pressure. He governs based on facts — not fear. That package passed almost unanimously because it will improve New York City’s air quality, rethink how we power this City, and is estimated to create more than 141,000 green jobs over the next decade. The three of us are first-generation Americans, the children of immigrants, who were taught to work harder than everyone else and never stop fighting for our community.

Not only do we want Costa’s progressive vision at Borough Hall — we need it. As local leaders in the Senate, we need his partnership to combat environmental racism, create a new green economy, and fight for an equitable healthcare system. We hope you’ll join us in voting for him Tuesday.

State Sen. Michael Gianaris and Jessica Ramos represent districts in Queens.