Paul Vallone, a former Queens councilmember and member of one of the borough’s most notable political families, died over the weekend of an apparent heart attack. He was 56.
Read MoreScott Dunn and Gary Muraca were both selected on Saturday night to run with the GOP’s endorsement to fill the vacancies on the bench in the World’s Borough.
Read More“If they pay their taxes, as I did when I had a green card, then they should have a right to elect their local leaders.”
Read MoreJoseph Kasper runs for a seat on the bench nearly every year on principal. However, the next time he runs, he’ll likely be running for reelection.
Read MoreSeveral Republican candidates showed strong results in races throughout Queens Tuesday night, leading in a handful of contests.
Read More“Street vendors have been organizing for this historic day for DECADES.”
Read More“We’re continuing to make sure investments are in place to keep our business corridors and boulevards clean even as our small businesses struggle during this time.”
Read More“Cutting in line because I was an elected official, it’s not fair.”
Read MoreCouncilmember Paul Vallone and the New York City Department of Education are partnering to develop new models for public schools in Northeast Queens, and inviting local residents to participate in the process.
Read MoreAnthony Miranda is a retired NYPD sergeant advocating for police officers and communities of color.
Read MoreA quirk of community districting gives Queens outsized influence on the final closure of the nine isolated and outdated jails on Rikers.
Read More"It would destroy our nest eggs, basically.”
Read More“We should be increasing opportunity for our students, not taking it away.”
Read More
Councilmember Adrienne Adams wrote a letter to the Department of Education stating that city schools are “not sufficiently prepared” for a mass shooting incident. The letter was signed by 27 councilmembers. Photo via City Council/Flickr.
By Jonathan Sperling
More than two dozen city councilmembers agree that the Department of Education’s schools are “not sufficiently prepared” for a mass shooting incident, according to a letter signed by the pols and addressed to Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza.
Queens Councilmember Adrienne Adams, who formerly served as the education chairperson of Community Board 12 in Southeast Queens, wrote the letter following an audit by State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli. A total of 27 councilmembers signed onto the plea for preparedness.
DiNapoli’s audit found that the DOE can do more to comply with the Safe Schools Against Violence in Education, or SAVE Act, which lays out a comprehensive policy for school staff and administrators regarding the protection of students.
“It is alarming to know that erroneous, outmoded and untimely safety plan submissions are prevalent in our school system,” the letter reads, before urging the DOE to mandate compliance with the SAVE Act prior to the start of the 2019-2020 school year.
DiNapoli’s audit also found that five “of the 25 sampled schools did not conduct the minimum number of evacuation or lockdown drills and, for the 2016–17 school year, 3 of the 25 schools did not conduct drills within the required time frames,” among other findings.
A bevy of Queens councilmembers, including Councilmembers Donovan Richards, Paul Vallone, Robert Holden, Barry Grodenchik and Peter Koo also signed off on the letter.
The councilmembers encouraged the DOE to follow DiNapoli’s recommendations, which include working with the Education Department to develop a process to submit School Safety Plans to state police, as required under both the law and the state regulations, as well as reviewing procedures for monitoring emergency drills to ensure that all drills required by law are completed within the required time frames.
Before being elected state senator, Avella represented District 19 in the City Council from 2002 to 2009.
Read More
Home / Law / Crime / Politics / Communities / Voices / All Stories / Who We Are / Terms and Conditions
