By Mark Hallum
Although state Assemblywoman Nily Rozic (D-Flushing) does not face a challenger in this year’s election cycle, the veteran legislator still pounds the pavement in door-knocking tours throughout her district.
Rozic, who won the seat in 2013 formerly occupied by City Councilman Rory Lancman (D-Hillcrest), was the youngest woman elected to the State Assembly at 26 and was born in Israel to parents of Argentinian nationality.
Rozic worked her way up 136th Street from 64th Avenue July 30 as part of her effort to visit as many homes in her district as possible, all part of her “Big Block of Cheese Week,” a concept borrowed from the Aaron Sorkin show “The West Wing” in which the fictional Bartlett White House administration allowed interest groups who normally would not be able to have access to meet with the president of the United States.
“Door-knocking was a central component of my campaign when I first ran and has since remained the focus of continually building relationships — not just during election years,” Rozic said. “For a fresh spin on constituent service, our office decided to take a cue from the West Wing — as we’re all fans of the show — by setting up Big Block of Cheese Week so that we can tackle varying concerns head-on.”
Big Block of Cheese Week for Rozic means making contact with constituents who normally would not attend community gatherings or political events and who may have never even been approached by any of their elected officials.
Residents who came to the door told Rozic of quality-of-life issues such as infrastructure in disrepair and cases of suburban decay.
“Whether we’re reminding residents that we’re available to assist or meeting new neighbors, every door knock is an opportunity to ensure our community has access to information and services,” Rozic said.
Rozic, who is proud of her Argentinian-Israeli background, serves as a member of the Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic and Asian Legislative Caucus as well as the Puerto Rican/Hispanic Task Force in the Legislature.
Constituents who visit Rozic’s office are able to access translation services in Spanish, Hebrew, Chinese, Korean and Hindi, while informational material from her office comes in multiple languages as well.
Reach reporter Mark Hallum by e-mail at mhall
