By Bianca Fortis
Following a string of sexual assaults in Forest Park and Rego Park, the two candidates for the City Council seat that covers those areas discussed public safety as an issue of primary concern.
Both Councilwoman Karen Koslowitz (D-Forest Hills) and her Republican opponent, Jon Torodash, emphasized the role of the NYPD in addressing crime in the 29th Council District, which includes Forest Park, Rego Park, Kew Gardens and parts of Maspeth, Richmond Hill and Elmhurst.
The community is still on high alert after the NYPD said last month that six rapes or attempted rapes inside Forest Park within the last 2 1/2 years may all be connected. The perpetrator, who has not been identified, is still wanted by police.
Koslowitz said she believes the NYPD is already doing all that it can to prevent any more incidents in the park.
“They have police cars in front of Forest Park,” she said. “They have been very, very vigilant, and I’m in touch with the police captain all the time.”
Both this year and last year, Koslowitz has had funds allotted for hi-tech security cameras to be installed throughout the district.
“I want people to feel as safe as they possibly can, so I invested in my community,” she said.
Koslowitz first served in the City Council from 1991 to 2001. She served as deputy borough president until she was again elected into the Council in 2009.
Torodash also commended the 102nd Precinct for its work in patrolling in and around the park.
But he said, if elected, he would work to increase the ranks of the NYPD. If that is not an option, he said he would hope to restore a better sense of community by organizing weekly or nightly community watches.
“It would take time and take a group of people to do,” he said. “But it would be ideal if we can’t get enough police involved.”
Torodash is running on the Civic Virtue ticket as a nod to the controversial relocation of a 1922 statue, called the “Triumph of Civic Virtue,” from Borough Hall to a private cemetery in Brooklyn.
The software engineer, who bills himself as an independent and “an average guy,” said before now he has neither run for public office nor ever joined a political party.
“I’m running to bring common sense and ethical behavior back into city politics, which sorely needs it,” he said. “In particular, I’m looking to bring people’s tax dollars back into the services they’re paying for.”
Torodash listed several other concerns he has, including the cleanliness of the community, overdevelopment and education.
Koslowitz described another type of public safety that is a concern for her: the safety of Queens Boulevard, colloquially known as the “Boulevard of Death” because of the high number of accidents that occurs on it each year.
She said she pushed for fences to be installed along the road as well as pedestrian countdown signals that alert pedestrians how much time they have to cross the street. Koslowitz said the changes have saved lives.
“That’s one of my concerns: constantly looking at how we can do things better,” she said.
Reach reporter Bianca Fortis by email at bfortis@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4546.
