By Adam Kramer
There were no surprises at the Queens Village Civic Association’s end-of-year meeting last week when the civic’s executive committee was re-elected to lead the organization for another year.
At the association’s monthly meeting on June 19, its 200 members voted to maintain the status quo. The leadership of the civic was kept intact and Councilman Sheldon Leffler (D-Hollis) was installed on the executive board.
The civic’s leaders are Nagassar Ramgarib, president; Amelia Kent, vice president; James Mooney, treasurer; Rose Olson, financial secretary; Virginia Baeszler, corresponding secretary; Mohammed Sadiq, recording secretary; and Gabreilla Krill, sergeant-at-arms.
“The only new person was Virginia Baeszler, the recording secretary,” said Ramgarib. He said she joined the executive board six months ago after the former recording secretary resigned.
Ramgarib said the civic will take the summer months off and start the 2001- 2002 civic year in September. He said the board has a few goals on its agenda, which range from expanding the group’s membership to developing a relationship with the new city council members who will take office Jan. 1 and from fixing the roads to illegal housing.
He said the group will work on developing a strong working relationship with the 14 new council members in Queens — similar to the connection it has with the existing council members. The entire Queens slate of council members will be new next year, with all the current members barred by term limits from seeking reelection.
Queens Village is represented by two longtime council members, Leffler, who has served on the Council for 23 years, and Archie Spigner (D-St Albans), who has represented the area for 22 years.
Ramgarib said one of the main problems the Queens Village Civic Association hopes to tackle with the new council members — as it has with the current council members — is illegal housing, which plagues not only Queens Village but also the entire borough.
The civic, he said, also views the deterioration of Jamaica Avenue as a blight on the community.
“We want to work with the community board to fix Jamaica Avenue going west,” Ramgarib said. “216th Street to Francis Lewis Boulevard is in terrible shape. The road is sinking in some places and needs to be fixed.”
He said the street’s deterioration has caused numerous accidents involving the young and elderly. Ramgarib said the civic has also asked the city Department of Transportation to put up signs in front of the community’s schools and churches to signify a dropping off point in the road.
In addition to fixing some of the neighborhood’s problems, Ramgarib said the Queens Village Civic Association wants to expand its existing membership.
“We hope to attract another 100 members for the upcoming year,” he said. “We want at least a 50 percent membership drive.”
Reach reporter Adam Kramer by e-mail at Timesledgr@aol.com or call 229-0300, Ext. 157.
