Meng, Jeffries Join City’s Delegation
The 113th Congress will be officially sworn into office this morning, Thursday, Jan. 3, on Capitol Hill, and while two freshmen members of the House of Representatives from Brooklyn and Queens are installed for duty, new district lines for their incumbent colleagues also will take effect.
Rep. Grace Meng will be officially seated at the federal legislator for the all-Queens Sixth Congressional District, which includes areas of Ridgewood (generally east of Forest Avenue, Catalpa Avenue, 60th Street and Myrtle Avenue), Glendale (north and east of 62nd Street, Cooper Avenue and Cypress Hills Street), Maspeth, Middle Village, Elmhurst, Forest Hills, Rego Park, Kew Gardens and neighborhoods in eastern Queens.
Meng-a Democrat and former assemblywoman from Flushing who defeated Republican City Council Member Daniel Halloran of Bayside in the November general election- represents areas formerly within the defunct Congressional districts previously represented by Democrat Gary Ackerman, who retired, and Republican Bob Turner, who declined to run for re-election after his district was eliminated due to reapportionment.
In taking the oath of office today, Meng becomes not only the first female to represent the area since Geraldine Ferraro between 1979 and 1985, but also the first Asian-American from Queens to serve on Capitol Hill.
Another local freshmen member of Congress taking the oath today is Democratic Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of the Eighth Congressional District, which covers areas of Ozone Park, Howard Beach and Lindenwood as well as neighborhoods in eastern Brooklyn. The three neighborhoods were formerly part of Turner’s district.
Jeffries, a former assemblyman who defeated City Council Member Charles Barron in the Democratic primary last September and Republican and Conservative candidate Alan Bellone of Brooklyn in the November election, succeeds retired Rep. Edolphus Towns.
Woodhaven’s voice on Capitol Hill is now incumbent Rep. Nydia Velázquez, who represents the Seventh Congressional District. The neighborhood and northern segments of Ozone Park and Richmond Hill- which were also formerly represented by Turner-is now part of a triborough district that covers areas of Ridgewood and Glendale (generally south and west of Forest Avenue, Catalpa Avenue, 60th Street, Myrtle Avenue, 62nd Street, CooperAvenue and Cypress Hills Street), Maspeth (south and west of GrandAvenue and Rust Street), Bushwick East Williamsburg, Williamsburg and areas of lower Manhattan.
Sections of Richmond Hill, Ozone Park and South Ozone Park generally south and east of 85th Avenue, 104th Street, Atlantic Avenue and 100th Street are in incumbent Rep. Gregory Meeks’ Fifth Congressional District. The district also covers neighborhoods in southeastern Queens and all of the Rockaways.
Portions of Maspeth north and west of Grand Avenue, Rust Street and Maurice Avenue as well as the Blissville section of Long Island City are now a part of the 12th Congressional District represented by incumbent Rep. Carolyn Maloney. The district covers much of midtown Manhattan as well as much of Astoria and Long Island City, and includes areas of Greenpoint and Williamsburg in Brooklyn formerly represented by Velázquez.
All of Sunnyside and areas of Woodside generally south and west of Roosevelt Avenue, 60th Street and Tyler Avenue are now in the 14th Congressional District, which is spoken for on Capitol Hill by incumbent Rep. Joseph Crowley.
The district includes other areas of Woodside, Jackson Heights, Astoria, Corona, East Elmhurst, Elmhurst and neighborhoods in the south Bronx.
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