News From City Council Member Eric Ulrich

NYC Council Member Eric Ulrich Celebrates Opening of Rockaway Beach for Summer

Council Member Eric A. Ulrich (R-Queens) joined Parks Department officials, residents and colleagues in government on the boardwalk at Beach 97^th Street in Rockaway on Friday to celebrate the annual opening of the city’s public beaches. After reminders from Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe to stay safe this summer, the officials and residents sampled some of the food available on the boardwalk this summer and tried their hand at beach tennis.

Ulrich said, “As we all know, Rockaway continues to be one of the city’s best kept secrets. It’s a wonderful place to live, work and raise a family, and to enjoy the beach. There are lots of new and exciting amenities this year, and I encourage everyone in Queens to visit this summer and discover the beauty Rockaway has to offer.”

In all, the City boasts 14 miles of beaches that attracted 19 million visitors last year. New this year will be food concessions run by Rockaway Beach Club, LLC, which will serve tacos, po’ boys, arepas, enchiladas, Italian ices and more at snack bars at Beach 86^th, 97^th and 106^th streets. In addition, a mile of new boardwalk is open this year along stretches between Beach 23^rd and Beach 81^st streets.

NYC Council Member Eric Ulrich: Additional Police Presence Needed at Aqueduct

Council Member Eric A. Ulrich (R-Queens) is asking the NYPD to assign additional police officers to the 106th Precinct in advance of the planned September opening of video lottery terminals at Aqueduct Race Track in Ozone Park.

The new racino is expected to draw more than eight million visitors each year, and local residents and Community Board 10 have already expressed concerns about the current staffing levels at the local precinct.

Ulrich said, “In order to keep our streets safe, we are going to need more cops at the 106^th Precinct. My constituents should not have to worry about any rise in crime that might emanate from Aqueduct. We need to do everything we can to guarantee a good quality of life for the neighborhoods surrounding the track. This request is more than reasonable.”

Ulrich had the opportunity to speak directly with Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly during a recent Public Safety Committee hearing and in a May 18 letter to the department. He requested that the new officers be assigned beginning in the new fiscal year so they will have time to acclimate themselves to the area before the racino opens.

In the letter to Commissioner Kelly, Ulrich wrote, “While the new racino is scheduled to open later this summer, many of my constituents are still concerned about the level of police protection the community will receive from the NYPD. Despite the fact that vehicular and foot traffic will increase, it still remains unclear if and when the local precinct will receive additional police personnel. Undoubtedly, more police officers will be needed to patrol the residential neighborhoods surrounding the facility… I believe this request is warranted given the size and scope of the new venue and the necessary planning that will go into maintaining a good quality of life for area residents.”

NYC Council Member Eric Ulrich Statement on Mayor's Plan to Close Engine 294 and Other Fire Companies

Council Member Eric A. Ulrich (R-Queens) released the following statement on the Mayor's plan to close 20 fire companies around the City, including Engine 294:

“The Mayor’s plan to close Engine 294 and other fire companies around the city is downright dangerous. Response times will go up and lives will be put at risk. Woodhaven and Richmond Hill desperately need adequate fire protection and emergency services, especially since many of the homes there are attached, wood-frame structures. We simply cannot balance the budget by putting people in harm’s way. Mark my words - budget cuts like these can be deadly and I will do everything in my power to fight them.”

NYC Council Member Eric Ulrich Co-Sponsors Bill to Prevent Children from Being Exposed to Pornography in Public Libraries Council Members Eric A. Ulrich (R-Queens) and David G. Greenfield (D-Brooklyn) announced bipartisan legislation on Sunday that will protect children at New York City’s public libraries from exposure to Internet pornography. The legislation would make it a misdemeanor criminal offense for any adult to view pornographic materials within 100 feet of a minor in a public library. Ulrich said, “This is a common sense piece of legislation aimed at protecting our children while they spend time at the library. Kids shouldn’t be exposed to sexually explicit content, and taxpayers shouldn’t have to foot the bill for it either. This is a serious concern for many people who don’t want their children subjected to this form of public indecency.” Greenfield said, “I am a strong supporter of our public libraries and the value and rich experiences that they provide to New Yorkers. Part of that experience, however, should not be traumatizing children by exposing them to sexual predators and debasing pornography. Our bipartisan legislation would send an unmistakable message to sexual predators: expose yourself to children and you will go to jail.” The legislation would make viewing pornography within 100 feet of a child a misdemeanor carrying fines of between $1,000 and $10,000 and the possibility of jail time, as determined by a judge. Because the proposed legislation is narrowly tailored to protect children, it is expected to pass any constitutional challenges.

NYC Council Member Eric Ulrich Statement on Mayor’s Proposed Budget

Council Member Eric A. Ulrich (R-Queens) today released the following statement in response to Mayor Bloomberg’s FY 2012 Executive Budget:

Ulrich said, “This is a very difficult budget. Even though years of prudent fiscal planning helped the city weather the recession better than most, cuts still seem inevitable. I’m especially concerned about the impact potential teacher layoffs will have on class size in our schools, and I’m also worried about the proposed firehouse closings. As an alternative, I am encouraging my colleagues to seriously consider some of the recommendations that have already been made by the Independent Budget Office. Rest assured, before the City Council adopts the budget, I will do everything in my power to protect vital services and persuade the Mayor to find money elsewhere.”

New York City (NYC) Poll * March 16, 2011 * Mayor's Approval Rating At Low - Quinnipiac University

Read original...

New York City voters disapprove 51 – 39 percent of the job Mayor Michael Bloomberg is doing, his lowest score since a 51 – 37 percent disapproval November 23, 2003, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today.

Only Manhattan voters approve of Mayor Bloomberg’s job performance, 55 – 34 percent, while disapproval in the other boroughs ranges from 49 – 35 percent in The Bronx to 66 – 27 percent on Staten Island, the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University poll finds.

Republicans approve 47 – 42 percent, while disapproval is 52 – 39 percent among Democrats and 51 – 40 percent among independent voters.

Bloomberg has the lowest score of any citywide elected. Other officials score their highest approval ratings ever:

• 44 – 16 percent for Public Advocate Bill de Blasio;
• 54 – 16 percent for City Comptroller John Liu;
• 55 – 25 percent for City Council Speaker Christine Quinn.
  Police Commissioner Ray Kelly gets a 67 – 20 percent approval, including 57 – 27 percent among black voters. The new Schools Chancellor, Cathleen Black, gets a negative 17 – 49 percent approval rating, with 34 percent undecided.
  New York City voters give President Barack Obama a 70 – 26 percent job approval.
  “Is it the snow, the third-term blahs, the weekends away, the presidential chatter? Whatever the explanation, Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s once-upon-a-time stretch of 70-plus job approval numbers has gone south. This is his first negative number since 2003,” said Maurice Carroll, director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.

“President Barack Obama’s job approval is inching up in a lot of places. In New York City, it’s zooming. Starting with the lame-duck congressional session, he’s looking better.”

Rating the Bloomberg Administration’s overall handling of snow removal this winter:

• 2 percent say excellent;
• 26 percent say good;
• 31 percent say not so good;
• 38 percent say poor.

Mayor Bloomberg favors Manhattan over the other boroughs, voters say 70 – 22 percent. Opinions range from 52 – 34 percent in Manhattan to 84 – 11 percent on Staten Island.

New York City voters say 72 – 25 percent that where the mayor goes on weekends or vacations is a private matter and the public does not have a right to know. All groups support this opinion by large margins. This is little changed from an 80 – 18 percent finding on this question in a February 4, 2004, Quinnipiac University poll.

The media should not follow the mayor and report on his time-off activity, New York City voters say 79 – 17 percent.

But when the mayor leaves the city, he should have to say who is in charge, voters say 84 – 13 percent. And voters say 72 – 26 percent that the mayor should report the whereabouts of the person left in charge of the city.

By a 56 – 38 percent margin, New York City voters do not believe Bloomberg when he says he is not interested in running for president. Voters say 74 – 18 percent that he would not make a good president, his lowest score ever. The negative rating is shared by Republicans 70 – 25 percent, Democrats 75 – 17 percent and independent voters 74 – 21 percent.

But 67 percent of New York City voters say Bloomberg’s involvement in national issues is good for the city, while 28 percent say his involvement distracts him from the day-to-day business of running the city.

“Wherever Mayor Mike wants to fly away to is his business, New Yorkers say, just as they said years ago. Leave him alone, they tell the press,” Carroll said. “But when the mayor’s away, voters want to know who’s in charge – and where they are.”

From March 8 – 14, Quinnipiac University surveyed 1,115 registered voters with a margin of error of +/- 2.9 percentage points. Live interviewers call land lines and cell phones.



The Quinnipiac University Poll, directed by Douglas Schwartz, Ph.D., conducts public opinion surveys in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Florida, Ohio and the nation as a public service and for research.


Read more...

For more data or RSS feed– http://www.quinnipiac.edu/polling.xml, call (203) 582-5201, or follow us on Twitter. 

Police Commissioner Calls Queens Slaying a Hate Crime by Joseph Goldstein - NYTimes.com

Read original...

Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly said Tuesday that the fatal beating of an 18-year-old man in Queens early Saturday “falls into the category of a hate crime.”

The victim, Anthony Collao, was at a party at a house in Woodhaven when five gate-crashers, none older than 17, pushed their way inside, Mr. Kelly said. Once indoors, they began “making homophobic remarks” and writing messages on the wall in red markers, said Mr. Kelly, who was asked about the case after a City Council hearing.

As Mr. Collao, who the police said was at the party with a girlfriend, left about 1 a.m., he encountered the same group outside the house, on 90th Street. One of the teenagers had a metal bat and another had a cane, according to a criminal complaint.

With a shout of “this is my hood,” the teenagers chased Mr. Collao down 90th Street and set upon him in a storm of punches, kicks and blows from “an object that appeared to be a stick,” according to the complaint.

Mr. Collao was taken to Jamaica Hospital and died late Monday after he was taken off life support, Mr. Kelly said. The attack and the death were reported by The Daily News on Tuesday.

When the police arrested one of those suspected in the attack, Christopher Lozada, he had an Atlanta Braves cap that belonged to Mr. Collao, according to the complaint. The police also discovered blood on Mr. Lozada’s clothing and on the sneakers of a second person arrested in the case, according to the complaint, which said that a metal pipe with blood on it was recovered from the crime scene.

Mr. Lozada and three other suspects were arraigned in Queens Criminal Court on Monday on charges of manslaughter, gang assault and weapons possession. The police are still searching for a fifth suspect, whose name they did not release. The criminal complaint does not make any mention of antigay slurs, or offer any suggestion as to what motivated the attack. Mr. Kelly said that investigators with an expertise in hate crimes were looking into the case.

David Franzese, a lawyer for one of the defendants, Luis Tabales, 16, said that his client had nothing to do with the assault and “doesn’t know the other individuals he was arrested with.”

Mr. Franzese said the party was at an abandoned home that had become a hangout for teenagers.