By Alexander Dworkowitz
A threatened managerial change at a Flushing senior center has sparked the ire of its namesake, former Councilwoman Julia Harrison.
The Julia Harrison Senior Center, based in the Hyo Shin Bible Presbyterian Church at 42-15 166th St. in Flushing, is currently run by Han Young Lee, executive director of Asian Education and Welfare Inc.
Harrison appropriated $320,000 in 1999 to open the center, which caters to Korean Americans. Harrison later put Lee, one of her staffers, in charge.
Lee’s group struggled to find a location, however, and the center did not open in the church until January 2002.
A competitive bidding process had not been held for rights for the center until the last few months, said Flora Papini, a spokeswoman for the city Department for the Aging.
In June, DFTA selected an application by the Korean Community Services of Metropolitan New York, not Asian Education and Welfare, to manage the center.
“They did not score as well as other groups did,” Papini said of Lee’s group.
DFTA has asked Asian Education and Welfare to continue operating the center until Aug. 31. The next day Korean Community Services is scheduled to open up its center.
DFTA only began the competitive bidding process this year because the center was financed by Harrison’s city council discretionary funds until this year, Papini said.
Kwangsuk Kim, executive director of Korean Community Services, said the center would definitely remain in Flushing and possibly continued to operate in the 166th Street church.
“We may stay there,” Kim said.
Kim said the location of the center was to be negotiated between his group and DFTA.
Kim said Korean Community Services, which operates a senior center in Corona, would prepare its meals on site as compared to Asian Education and Welfare, which relies on catering.
“The most important thing is on-site meal preparation,” he said.
Lee, however, praised her organization’s services.
“The Korean-American seniors are all new immigrants,” she said. “They don’t speak English…This center gives them a lot of things to make them happy.”
Lee said the Julia Harrison Senior Center offers its 840 members free lunches as well as English language, art, exercise and music classes.
Harrison said she had considered putting Kim in charge of the center but had decided Lee would do a better job.
“I think she is doing a people project,” she said. “She may not have all the sophistication of Mr. Kim … She has always been dumped on by many aggressive males who would love to have her job.”
Councilman John Liu (D-Flushing), a political rival of Harrison, was contacted by Lee more than a week ago.
“When I first heard about closing down the center, I was outraged,” Liu said.
But Liu said he soon learned that Flushing would not lose a senior center.
“I feel bad for Han Young Lee,” he said. “She’s very dedicated to this. But ultimately the procurement processes are designed to maximize tax pay dollars.”
Liu said he was impressed by Korean Community Services’ Corona senior center.
“It’s damn well run,” he said.
While Liu saw the issue as simply a question of who would do a better job of running the senior center, Harrison thought her current run to take on state Sen. Toby Stavisky (D-Whitestone) factored into the city’s decision.
“My take on it is that the center is being punished because it is named after me,” she said. “The only reason I can see it is being closed down is because I personally am subject to the Democratic Party’s displeasure.”
Reach reporter Alexander Dworkowitz by e-mail at Timesledger@aol.com or call 229-0300, Ext. 141.
