By Adam Kramer
When the Queens borough president candidates met face-to-face Sunday, City Councilwoman Helen Marshall (D-East Elmhurst) and City Councilman Alfonso Stabile (R-Ozone Park) disagreed on how each perceived their role with the Board of Education.
At the Brotherhood and Sisterhood of Temple Sholom in Floral Park Marshall told more than 60 people that she was still considering appointing herself to the board, which is a slight retreat from her earlier pledge.
Stabile said he wanted to abolish the board altogether at one of the first political forums the two opponents had attended together.
The different positions on the future of the Board of Education could be perceived as the biggest divide between the two candidates vying to succeed Borough President Claire Shulman, who have campaigned on the need to improve education, public safety, development and zoning.
“It is something that I am looking at,” said Marshall. “Terri Thomson’s term is up at the end of June. She is a friend of mine and we have a long-term relationship. I am going to look at it and see what the implications are.”
She said she came to the idea of sitting on the board because historically the person appointed by the borough president would have conflicts with the borough president. She said she would keep Shulman’s educational “war room” and if she appoints herself to the board, she will have an educational liaison to help her. The war room is where Shulman and her staff tackle the educational problems of the borough.
But Stabile said, “I would not want to sit on the Board of Education. I would not have the time and would not be able to give it my full effort. But I would appoint someone who would work with me.”
Besides, Stabile said, he wants to decentralize the board and put it under the mayor’s control. He said the way the system works today is that the Board of Education is not held accountable for its actions. Putting it under the mayor’s auspices would prevent the Board of Ed from operating the way it does now, he said.
Even though Marshall and Stabile differ on the Board of Education, both have come out in favor of soliciting Queens businesses to donate to the borough’s educational budget.
“Our work force is coming from our schools so we need to be plugging into the borough’s industry, not necessarily for the kids now, although that is a strong concern, but what is in the future.” Marshall said. “Are we training our kid for the future?”
She called on industry to supply laptop computers to schools. Marshall said that this way children could also teach their parents how to use computers.
Stabile has also pushed for Queens’ businesses to give back to the borough and said that if elected he would push them to provide educational materials to schools. He has even suggested that industry should help with school construction.
There are two major watch companies in Queens, Armitron and Bulova, he stressed, and the best way for them to make a difference would be to donate computers to schools.
When questioned on parks, Marshall said she would work to preserve existing park space while trying to add more. She said the open space that parks provide is a necessity.
“I would allow rezoning as long as it is good for the borough,” Stabile said in answer to a question on the borough’s zoning regulations. “Changing zoning regulations is wrong if it does not meet the needs of our society.”
Reach reporter Adam Kramer by e-mail at Timesledger@aol.com or call 229-0300, Ext. 157.
