When he drops by on Feb. 22, the JPCA…
By Dustin Brown
Every year around this time, city Comptroller Alan Hevesi drops by the Juniper Park Civic Association's monthly town meeting to chat with his former constituents and give an informal report on the state of the city.
When he drops by on Feb. 22, the JPCA will be presenting him with something in return.
Hevesi is to be honored Thursday night as the JPCA’s Man of the Year, an award they have bestowed for the past seven years on officials ranging from governor to community board chairman.
Although it has been seven years since he served as Middle Village’s assemblyman, a post he held for 22 years, Hevesi has hardly been a stranger at the JPCA. Despite ascending to one of the highest offices in the city — and vying now for the No. 1 spot as mayor — Hevesi has never lost touch with his original constituents, who note that success hasn’t gone to his head.
“He got his current office in ‘93, which was amazing. It was one of our people making this high office,” said JPCA President Robert Holden. “We didn’t know what to expect, but he was just the same person. We’d come visit him, and he’d talk to us again like he was our assemblyman in our office.”
Holden said the honor has nothing to do with Hevesi’s mayoral candidacy.
“We can’t back anybody for mayor — obviously we don’t do that,” said Holden. “We knew he probably would run for mayor, but that has nothing to do with his selection whatsoever because we selected him way back in 1999.”
The JPCA boasts a lengthy list of distinguished officials who have accepted its award, including Gov. George Pataki in 1998 and Mayor Rudy Giuliani in 1997. “Getting the governor to come to a meeting was a big thing,” Holden admitted.
Indeed, the award not only benefits the public officials whose good works the JPCA is acknowledging, it also gives local residents free audience with some of the most influential officials in New York.
Founded in 1938, the JPCA is among the oldest and most active civic groups in the area, serving 1,600 member families in Middle Village, Maspeth, and Elmhurst.
Hevesi will accept the award at the JPCA town meeting on Thursday, Feb. 22, at 7:45 p.m. at Our Lady of Hope School Auditorium at Eliot Avenue and 71st St. in Middle Village.
Reach reporter Dustin Brown by e-mail at Timesledgr@aol.com or call 229-0300, Ext. 154.
