Town hall to address residents’ needs

New York City Council Deputy Majority Leader Leroy Comrie offered over 100 community residents an opportunity to discuss city services and whether their local needs are being met at a town hall meeting held on Thursday, December 4 at Calvary Baptist Church. This forum gave constituents an opportunity to address their concerns to city agency representatives who were in attendance.
Shortly before the forum took place, Mayor Michael Bloomberg released the findings from the NYC Feedback Citywide Customer Survey, which assessed New Yorkers’ opinions about services provided by city government. According to that survey, residents from Comrie’s district (Community Board 12) responded that the three most important issues facing New York City were housing, education and cost of living.
In addition, the same survey respondents rated 24 services in their neighborhood. The highest-rated services were fire protection, emergency medical and household garbage pickup. The lowest-rated services were availability of cultural activities, police-community relations and storm water drainage and sewer maintenance. In light of the survey results, Comrie felt it was vitally important that local residents have a chance to respond directly to city agency representatives in person.
“I believe this town hall meeting was a great opportunity to bring the community and city government together to discuss the challenges we all face in making our neighborhoods safer and more efficient for our families,” said Comrie. “It allowed these city agencies to put human faces to the needs of the community and it also allowed my constituents to meet with the dedicated public servants who work each day to address those needs.
In attendance were representatives of the Department for the Aging; Department of Consumer Affairs; Department of Sanitation; New York City Comptroller’s Office; Department of Transportation; Department of Buildings; Department of Housing Preservation & Development; and, Community Affairs officers from the NYPD’s 103rd, 113th and 105th Precincts. Also in attendance was Councilmember Thomas White and representatives of State Senator Malcolm Smith, Assemblymember William Scarborough and Comptroller William Thompson.
They addressed concerns residents raised regarding proposed budget cuts to senior centers and proposed tolls for East River bridges; reductions to local bus services; truck enforcement in residential areas; abandoned properties; public loitering; and, the need for more turn signals at dangerous intersections.
In addition, Comrie issued flyers to community residents urging them to engage in a letting writing campaign to insist that the Mayor immediately issue Queens’ homeowners their much-needed property tax rebate checks.