Good government group forms

State Senator Frank Padavan (left) congratulates Terence Park, president of the newly formed Political Advancement and Leadership Committee, after swearing in the group’s officers recently.
The group, which is headquartered in Whitestone, seeks to bring together concerned citizens throughout northeast Queens, in a non-partisan effort to promote interaction with government and advance the candidacy of qualified persons who may lack organized support.
Park, a Flushing resident who served in both the Dinkins and Giuliani administrations, is an advocate of redistricting by a neutral commission rather than majority-rule and lowering the maximum allowable political contribution limits, as a means to open the political process.
The group plans to meet several times a year, for “candidates’ nights,” and activities designed to increase communication between the many ethnic groups in the area.
“This organization has the worthy goal of bringing together people of all political stripes, to address important issues that affect all of us - education, health care, economic development, jobs and quality of life,” Padavan said.
A spokesperson for State Senate Minority Leader Malcolm Smith, who attended the ceremony on his behalf said, “Senator Smith congratulates Mr. Park and his staff, for helping to bring together the wide array of communities in our borough.”