By Adam Kramer
After he officially stepped down Dec. 20, Finkelstein was honored by the group for all he has done for the northeast Queens community.
The Floral Park Community Council, which covers the area from the Little Neck Parkway to the city line south of Hillside Avenue, is the community's civic association. The group – started more than 40 years ago – has named Charles Tencza to succeed Finkelstein as president of the organization.
“It is the time in one's life when you have to step down,” Finkelstein said. “I am retired and want to get young people involved in the community council. I wanted to give them the opportunity to do what I did over the years.”
Finkelstein, a 65-year-old social worker, retired in 1990 as the director of special programs for Social Services, a part of the city Department of Human Resources, and last year stopped working for Jamaica Services for Older Adults.
Finkelstein said he plans to remain active in the community but wants to take on a less prominent role.
He joined the Floral Park Community Council 28 years ago because, he said, a person should not just live in a community but should participate and help to make decisions affecting the neighborhood. He said community residents need to protect their essential services such as schools, police and fire.
He cited as a perfect example the community's fight two decades ago to save PS 191, at 85-15 258th St. in Floral Park. Finkelstein said the city wanted to close the school because of its low enrollment. He said the civic organization proposed bringing in special education students, an idea which saved the school.
Today the school – like most of Queens' public schools – is overcrowded. He said once a neighborhood loses services it is hard to get them back, so “you have to fight for what you have.”
“Seymour is an institution,” said Bernice Siegal, candidate for City Council in District 23 and legal counsel for City Councilman Sheldon Leffler (D-Hollis). “He has been a strong supporter and advocate for his friends and neighbors in Floral Park.”
She said civic organizations are the lifeblood of the community. Without these types of organizations and people like Finkelstein communities needs and concerns would not be articulated, she said.
Stephanie Scattone, the recording secretary for the Floral Park Community Council, said she did not know what the community would have done without Finkelstein.
“He has made tremendous contributions to the neighborhood,” Scattone said. “People used to stop him in the street to ask for his help. He would do whatever he could to help any community resident from illegal conversions to whatever.”
Finkelstein has also been a member of Community Board 13, which covers Floral Park, Glen Oaks, Queens Village, Bellerose, Cambria Heights and Laurelton, for 20 years. In addition, he was active in the 105th Precinct Community Council, which stretches from Glen Oaks to Rosedale and Springfield Gardens to Queens Village.
“The main difficulty today is to integrate the new community residents of a wide variety of backgrounds into the organization and get them to participate,” Finkelstein said. “If you live in the community, you have to participate and young people do not participate.”
