New Civic group to help businesses and residents

The Intercommunity Civic Association (ICA), a new civic group aimed at bridging the gap between businesses and residents throughout Queens, will hold its first meeting Wednesday, October 24 at 7 p.m. at the Villa Russo in Richmond Hill.
ICA, headed by co-presidents Frank Singh and attorney George Russo, is designed to address issues facing both residents and business professionals.
“We want to bring all the components of a community into one organization,” said Russo, noting that no current civic group achieves that goal.
Russo explained that, because professionals often have wide connections and significant reach within a community, they can serve as liaisons between Queens residents and Queens leaders. But the organization will also address the needs of professionals, themselves.
“The community has grown,” said local realtor Moses Seuram, a member of ICA. “A lot of businessmen have issues that they don’t know how to deal with. We’re in a very diverse area.”
The group also hopes to organize programs for those affected by domestic violence, substance abuse and financial trouble.
“The bottom line is, it’s a great idea,” said District 27 Democratic Leader Frank Gulluscio, who said he hopes to attend the group’s first meeting. “We’ve got to keep lines of communication open with everyone. The more people talk about it, the more recognition it will get.”
Councilmember Joseph Addabbo said he believes ICA has a “bright future.”
“Being a former civic president, I believe in civic groups,” said Addabbo. “Anything that’s created to give residents an opportunity to voice their opinions or address issues with elected officials, I firmly support.”
For its first meeting, ICA has confirmed appearances by Addabbo, as well as representatives from the offices of Senator Serphin Maltese, Assemblymember Michele Titus, and Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown. The meeting, open to the general public, will feature two presentations: the first by a panel of pro-bono attorneys to educate locals on their legal options, and the second by members of the NYPD’s Community Affairs Office to help strengthen the lines of communication between residents and law enforcement officials.
Representatives from Community Boards (CB) 9 and 10 will also be on hand.