Jackson Heights Life

GregNYC, thanks for the info.  but the point I was trying to make was that Helen Sears told me that there are many things you have to go through to install the trash can on the street and besically she said it is not easy.  Basically, she was telling a lie so that she doesn't have to  do her job. 

Anyone is able to get an answer from Helen Sears about the zone study?

Get the F&%$G flood fixed at the end of her own street.

Oops, a cross thread posting. :tickedoff:

Helen Sears is self serving and virtually useless. She does nothing for the area schools, although she is on the board of directors of Garden School. I wouldn't exactly say that is serving the community. Go look at communities with dedicated representation. Forest Hills has Melinda Katz and Anthony Weiner, Flushing has John Liu. Look at the accomplishments of these legislators as cpmpared to what we have,Sabini and SEARS.

That's a lot of dough.  In her time remaining, if Sears could access some of that money to acquire more park space for JH, I know I'd vote for her.  There are some community groups working hard on this issue, and could certainly use her help.

Here's my take: this is one of the things that's screwed up about our local and state politics here.

Due to dysfunction in Albany, our representatives there essentially have nothing to do.  Very little actual legislating occurs, and when it does, they're not even in the room.  So instead, they focus on squirreling away earmarks that they can use to benefit local constituencies, and by issuing press releases that can make it appear like they're solving local problems.  Thus, if you have a problem, even if it's local in nature, their offices can actually be a helpful place to go.  Same with the city council.  They have more actual work to do, but still often focus on earmarks and constituent services as a way of demonstrating results.

So, while it's a symptom of a broken system, it can be quite useful if you've got the right elected officials.

As a private citizen, we can call 311 to ask that the water main be fixed, but our city councilwoman can call the commissioner's office directly.  Somehow I doubt that's what happened this time, though.

Can anyone explain, simply, the difference in functions between Councilwoman Sears and Assemblyman Lafayette and Senator John Sabini?  I'm sure they all have different areas of involvement  for the community.  I know one of the things I thought about re: the thread on the water leaking on 35th Ave. and 80th street that emailing Sears was the WRONG person.  The complaints should have gone directly to the DEP.  But I wasn't sure.  Now I see the DEP has been there fixing the problem for the last couple days so I was right in that respect.  Unless Sears' office got in touch with them???  I don't know though.

When there's a problem or issue, how do you know which office to contact?

Oh!  Oh!  Oh!  Can I do my little civics lesson?

We have representatives in the City, State and Federal Government.

For the executive branch, Mayor Bloomberg is the head of the City, Governor Paterson is the head of the State, and President Bush is the head of the Federal.

Each executive has a corresponding legislative body.  In the City, it is the City Council.  In NY State it is State Assembly and the State Senate.  In Washington it’s the House and the Senate. 

Each legislative branch has the responsibility of working with its corresponding executive branch to create budgets associated with the region, and to pass laws related to the region. 

Sabini and Lafayette and Peralta are representatives on State-related issues, and work with the governor’s office.

Sears and Monseratte are City Council representatives, and work with the mayor’s office.

Crowley is our representative in the House and Clinton and Schumer are our Senators, and they all work with (or against, as the case may be) President Bush.

We all pay taxes that go in to the coiffeurs of the City, State and Federal entities.  The Feds have the most money, and part of their job is to distribute our money to the states. (It is, after all, our money!)  The states fight against each other to get their fair share of the Federal pot.   The states are then responsible for distributing money to the localities, and the localities struggle to get their own share of the pot.  Here in NYC, money is also designated to specific districts, so each City Council Rep should be fighting to bring money into the district. 

So the answer is, if it is a community issue, you should probably go to your City Council Rep first.  You might then be told it is a State issue… as in the State is not distributing fund for that particular concern, or the NYC is not getting its fair share of the State pot, in which case you should bump it up to your State reps.  Or that there is State or Federal law that prohibits something that you want for your community. 

To further complicate things, there are “entities” that are also responsible for distributing funds and providing services…but your City Council rep should be your liaison to those entities if they are City entities, (like the Department of Youth and Community Development, or DEP) and your State rep should be your liaison to State entities.  You are free, of course, to contact those entities yourself. 

But your representative is your representative is your representative. 

Eh hem. 

Rudy Greco- so many of neighbors were campaigning and trying to get him elected in 2001, unfortunately Sears won again.