Lone Speaker At R’wood Candidate Forum
The Farmers’ Oval Civic Association (FOCA) hosted a State Senate candidate during its latest meeting last Thursday, Sept. 25 at the Ridgewood Baptist Church.
Members and residents had the chance to meet senatorial candidate Michael Conigliaro, as well as discuss important local issues such as park safety and traffic concerns.
Conigliaro was on hand to introduce himself to the group and answer some of their questions. He is running on the Republican and Conservative lines against incumbent Democrat State Sen. Joseph Addabbo in the District 15 state senate race in November. Addabbo was also invited by FOCA to speak at the meeting but was unable to attend.
Conigliaro, a Queens native, expressed his desire to help create “a good, vibrant, strong community.” Born and raised in Kew Gardens, Conigliaro manages a real estate law firm and now resides in Rego Park with his wife and two young daughters.
“At the end of the day,” Conigliaro added. “It’s our children that are the future. We want to make sure their lives are good and our community is strong.”
A major issue at the heart of Conigliaro’s campaign is the quality of life within the district. Conigliaro is an outspoken opponent of the mayor’s plan to build a homeless shelter in Glendale.
One alternative Conigliaro suggested was the notion of tax breaks for homeowners willing to house low-income families or individuals.
“There are buildings that have gone up in Brooklyn,” Conigliaro explained, “where building owners were given the opportunity to have tax abatements if they have a certain amount of units for individuals considered in the low-income range.”
Conigliaro also spoke in favor of building a school on the shelter site to help ease overcrowding in the district, or “a commercial or industrial plant there that would create jobs for the area.”
Another big quality of life concern is the rumored drug treatment center housed within the proposed Samaritan Village facility.
“The key that a lot of people don’t know about is that they want to put a methadone clinic inside that homeless shelter,” Conigliaro said. “If they do that, you’re going to have an element coming into the area who want to find these people and try and get them hooked back onto drugs.”
He added that the proposed plan would, essentially, “bring drug dealers into the area.”
Conigliaro hopes to raise the quality of life in the district by reinvigorating the local economy. He hopes to attract more businesses to the area by offering tax cuts and incentives.
The candidate vowed to make a proposal in Albany that would cut the state sales tax on businesses in half, from 8.6 to 4.3 percent, and eliminate the corporate tax all together.
“If business comes into the area,” he continued, “then they create jobs. If more jobs are now in the area, it creates vibrancy. Now you have income flowing and businesses thriving. This is key, because without the ability to put money back into the area, you start seeing the quality of life drop.”
Traffic and safety issues
Residents also voiced concerns over traffic hazards surrounding nearby Mafera Park. The major issue at hand was the influx of traffic to the blocks surrounding the park during football games and sporting events.
According to residents, illegally or double parked vehicles posed a significant safety hazard during the games. One resident who wished to remain anonymous recalled an incident in which a child was injured on the football field at the park.
“EMS and FDNY had to walk a block and a half to get to the park,” she explained. “Cars were double parked, and nobody moved to let the ambulance through. They had to run up the block with a gurney in hand.”
In addition to illegally parked cars, residents said that the number of large school buses “barreling down 68th Avenue” also creates potentially hazardous conditions.
Leilani Blira-Koessler of Assemblyman Mike Miller’s office urged residents to contact Det. Thomas Bell at the 104th Precinct CommunityAffairs Unit to report these unsafe conditions.
Despite these issues, certain traffic concerns in the area were remedied. FOCA member Anthony Salvatore stated he was able to work with City Council Member Elizabeth Crowley and Miller in getting a four-way stop approved for the intersection 68th Avenue and 65th Street.
Salvatore also hopes to reduce local accidents due to speeding by requesting speed bumps and posted speed limit signs similar to those that exist around schools.
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The next Farmers Oval Civic Association meeting is scheduled to take place on Thursday night, Oct. 30, at 7:30 p.m. at Ridgewood Baptist Church, located at 64-13 Catalpa Ave.
