Commentary on happenings relating to greater Sunnyside-Woodside-LIC from the unconcealed POV of the writers. Agree or disagree? Send comments to SmallTownComment@ gmail.com Volume 2, Number 5
Wednesday, June 12, 2019
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Quaint Closing:
Items of Interest Regarding Animals
Have a Nutty Angel
(See page 5)
(See page 2
Op Ed by Patricia Dorfman We will find out June 25 if the leftwing wave in politics has taken over all of Queens, and not just the Western portion. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) is known even abroad, and noisy locals are famous for being unwelcome to the biggest company in the world. How did Queens turn from a fortress, run by a Joseph Crowley, a national political powerhouse, to the field headquarters of the new political epicenter?
Old Becomes New Again: Comic Book Mom ’n’ Pops by Bert Koca (See page 7)
Why Do You Need 30,000+ Vehicles? Less congestion, cleaner air if city employees received stipends for mass transit (See page 2)
ONE PARTY: Makes for an easier coup. The virtual one-party system in Queens of Democrats is one of the factors that has resulted in the breaches to the castle of political power here. Independents and Republicans hold little sway. AOC won because once a candidate wins the Democratic primary, which rarely garners a big voter turn out; party stalwarts vote the ticket in the general election. Thus, whoever wins the Democratic Primary for Queens District Attorney (DA) on June 25 will win the election. QUEENS COUNTY: Not too big to fail. Queens County is often referred to as “the Queens Machine,” and in control for so many years; discontent has mounted with no other target. Incumbent Joe Crowley had not needed to campaign vigorously for years, and even the press did not see the rising strength of AOC. Now AOC has endorsed only one DA candidate, Tiffany Cabán, as far from Queen County politics as one can get. DISPLACEMENT: Gentrification backfired. In the rush to overdevelop NYC, Queens became a more reasonable financial alternative to Manhattan and Brooklyn. And those who would later to fight Amazon and back AOC poured in to Queens to live and were more likely to vote. EDUCATION: Not your Dad’s civics class. Those out of the public schools or college for awhile are not aware of the pervasive curriculum that emphasizes the (Continued, page 3)
Thank you: At Long Last, 4-Way Stop Sign (See page 4)
FINE ART Fair Father’s Day: Bring your Dad and dine locally! See back page. PLUS: Boulevard Film Festival June 27, 28, 29, 30, in Sunnyside
Wednesday, June 12, 2019
SMALL TOWN CONFIDENTIAL
Quaint to Close
back for a degree at the NY Restaurant School in 1997. The move was not a departure, Tim says, “because I had worked in food service all my life, starting in my uncle’s Chinese restaurant as delivery boy as a kid.”
Tim Chen, owner and chef of Quaint, a popular, eclectic and stylish restaurant and bar at 46-10 Skillman Avenue, is breaking some hearts by closing June 23, end of day, after 14 years. The new owners hope to open a “British gastropub” in August.
Prior to Quaint, he worked at the Manhattan’s three-star-rated March, and as a line cook under Chef Wayne Nish.
by Patricia Dorfman
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the Nutty Angel cocktail, the salads which have his subtle dressings, steak, and freshly made unique deserts. That is his favorite part of the meal so there is always something exciting for carb fans. ◆ Below top: Photo of Tim and Lily Gavin, 2008 Below bottom: Exterior Quaint Top Right: Tim, Quentin, age 5, sweeping up, from cell video by Michele Sullivan Bottom Right: Tim Chen, photo by Steve Harris
Chen has served as VP of the Sunnyside Chamber, sits on the board of Sunnyside Artists, and has been responsible for some “firsts.” Before the Chen is not one to place himself in the Skillman Project’s Gary O’Neil took limelight and he is saying little now it over, Tim and Stray’s Dan Glasser, about his future plans. through the Chamber, originated the first Skillman Holiday Lighting, which A brainiac at Stuyvesant High and included digging up corroded electriNYU, Chen was born in Queens and cal contacts used now. Dazies’ Lily lived in Elmhurst until he married Gavin helped with that, after Tim went Veronica and moved to Sunnyside, where they live with their son, Quen- through 11 electricians first. He and DeMole’s Ramiro Mendez spearheaded tin, who is now looking at colleges. the first Taste of Sunnyside, the first Chen’s dad was a machinist and his two held jointly with Sunnyside Shines. mom a seamstress. The youngest of Tim steered Quaint through the 2008 four children, Tim worked for eight years as a civil engineer for the global financial crisis with flair, while many giant Urbitran. Doing well but decid- restaurants closed. ing to follow his dream, Tim went If you visit Quaint before it closes, try
Why Do You Need 30,000 Vehicles?
Op Ed by Patricia Dorfman What appears to be our City Councilman’s vehicle, possibly provided by NYC, was parked overnight on Queens Blvd. west of 46th Street, from at approximately 4:30PM on Tuesday, May 21, through approximately 4:30 May 22, Wednesday – unticketed and untowed. We would have less congestion and cleaner air if city employees received stipends for mass transit, not cars. And why limos at our expense? The Mayor, DOT Commissioner, and Councilman’s redo of Skillman and 43rd Avenues for the “Road Diet,” requiring the loss of more than 150 public parking spots, has been hard on businesses, residents, churches and schools. The redesign was, we understood, to make room for protected bike lanes and slow down all traffic. We learned later that the primary goal was to discourage private car use. Two standards of environmental good are unfair. The over 30,000 vehicles deployed by NYC at our expense, the highest number in history, is not helpful. The loss of local parking, the daily incidents revealing the flaws in the redesign, many bike spills, the rerouting
and delays of Ladder Company 123, and traffic tie-ups due one lane, are a hardship to all. Those factors combined with the mass transit crisis, and a boom in population and construction, aided by NYC, make the situation worse. There is an inequity within basic fairness. The same reasons NYC employees need a car at times apply the general public. If the City wishes to discourage car use, we ask that they first give up their free vehicles and parking placards that protect them from fines and costly towing. We ask that they take public transportation or other travel means. ◆
Small Town Confidential Editor | Publisher Patricia Dorfman V.P. | Circulation Manny Gomez Cell 718-909-4806 V.P. | Writer Berk Koca Contributing Writers Jason Greenberg Chris Robin Martin Scanlon Advisory Committee Mary Caulfield Toni Dorfman Richard Drake Debbie George Farley Rani Kinane Christopher Whalen
Photos submitted by Sunnyside resident
45-06 Queens Blvd. Sunnyside, NY 11104 SmallTownComment@gmail.com ©2019. All Rights Reserved
Wednesday, June 12, 2019
Is Queens Status Quo Collapsing? (Continued from page 1)
problems with capitalism, the violent origins of our nation, and the unfair treatment of all except white males. They remember no crime-ridden NYC. Growing up in relative safety and wealth, many competitive young people now see only the flaws of the US, not the benefits. With few jobs, student debt, climate fears, and an unknown future, traditional Democratic thought holds less appeal. In a local discussion of whether to institute two years for young people of mandatory service, not necessarily military, we heard in different ways from those under 25, “I’m not serving this capitalist, colonialist country.” MEDIA: A lot of media are out of touch. The New York Times, now scathing about the Mayor, endorsed him enthusiastically in the last election. Thus far, shockingly, no exposé has been written on massive overdevelopment. One reason might be real estate ad revenue. Queens print media also survives because of “legal placements,” or the line ads in quantity that small appear in most newspapers except this paper. This regular income, controlled by Queens County, allegedly, does not go to papers that do not commit to support the team. Even last week, a front-page story in the Queens Ledger, usually more evenhanded, printed a story about a “Queens” push for the BQX. Those pushing for it were many of the same establishment in favor of Amazon, as well as a well-funded lobbying group. STC was founded because as i understand it, any opposition or further coverage about local street redesign, in a paper for which I wrote many years, was discouraged by our Councilman. Questioning city policy is not easy to get in print these days. ANOTHER PROJECT unpopular with newly energized voters is Sunnyside Yards. Few in print, except STC, have mentioned the no-press-allowed private meetings of the Advisory Committee on the biggest land deal NYC history. Members had to sign
SMALL TOWN CONFIDENTIAL confidentiality agreements. DEFECTION OF VOTERS: “Progressive” ideas have changed. Older white progressives, poor, middle and upper income black and Spanishspeaking, new and second-generation immigrants joined the hipsters, Democratic Socialists, Socialists, and the young who turned away from traditional Democratic candidates. Even NYCHA produced a rebel group in Queens, Justice for All Coalition, whose views run counter to traditional NYCHA voting leadership. Instead of excitement about jobs and tax revenue from Amazon, new vocal voters saw corruption, displacement, unethical business practices, of no benefit to them. THE REAL ESTATE BOARD OF NY: REBNY overplayed its hand. An assemblyman was thuggishly threatened with “Back off, or you will be finished here. You will never pass a bill in your lifetime,” when introducing a bill REBNY did not favor. The ongoing circus against the Small Business Jobs Survival Act (SBJSA) in City Council reveals REBNY is frantically trying to kill the bill, at the expense of small business. Our new Public Advocate, our hope to stand up for SBJSA, disappointed many when he mentioned that long-disproved hoary old chestnut from the REBNY playbook, that SBJSA has “constitutional problems.” THE MAYOR did not address a tale of two cities. Instead, he continued the boom for the rich. Details amaze. Last year, a heated sidewalk was approved for a luxury development in LIC. Perhaps the homeless, now close to 70,000, the highest ever for NYC,
and for any US city (Ranker.com) can warm up there. Public land and NYCHA, is now part of REBNY land grab, with privatization en route. If take the #7, you can see the problem worsen daily. What could have been attractive, exciting growth is a skyless Hong Kong. “Affordable” housing is not affordable and a big profit center for developers.
INADEQUATE INFRASTRUCTURE: Queens population and luxury construction drastically outpace transit, green space, school capacity, sewers, and lower and middle-income housing. LIC is the fastest growing city in the world. Queens subway transportation is in crisis. There is no comprehensive plan for growth. The Mayor’s Economic Development Corporation continues to promote large projects that are of no benefit to most people. Needed are actually affordable housing, small business survival, and large parks – not more high-end kingdoms like Hudson Yards. Real estate money controls so many electeds in NYC; a comprehensive environmental assessment of Queens is only demanded by activists. Will Anable Basin, the dream location in the eye of Jeff Bezos and others, even be dry land in 50 years? WHAT ARE CABÁN’S CHANC-
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ES? Good. District Attorney hopeful Tiffany Cabán’s platform appeals to those who feel unheard by most in power except AOC. If the large African-American vote in Southeast Queens goes her way, she may be elected.
WHAT IS NEW THAT SHE OFFERS? An extreme vision. Cabán advocates drastically cutting back arrests, and opening alternatives to prison. She states she for “closing Rikers and building no new jails.” She pledges to decriminalize massage parlors and all sex work. NY Magazine June 6 quoted her “approach to criminal-justice work that takes into account an accused individual’s trauma…We will not exclude any crime for consideration for restorative justice and/or alternatives to incarceration…” WILL THE FORTRESS STAND? We will find out June 25. Seemingly a result of her platform, the other six candidates appear to have moved left, including Melinda Katz and Greg Lasak. If traditional Democrats, or those Nixon termed the “silent majority” are worried enough to vote, they will defeat Cabán’s candidacy by choosing Lasak, who is edging up on Katz. IF CABÁN LOSES those who remember a crime-filled NYC will sigh in relief. If she wins, expect a lurch to the left from every candidate or officeholder. Jeffrey Mayes in the May 22 NY Times quoted Bruce Gyory, a Univ. of Albany Political Science adjunct said, “If [AOC] powers Cabán to victory, then the giant killer strikes twice. There won’t be enough Pepto-Bismol in the Bronx or Queens for incumbent legislators.” ◆
Wednesday, June 12, 2019
SMALL TOWN CONFIDENTIAL
Page 4
Steve Cooper, CB2 Arts & Culture Committee Chairman has
Why Cut Down What Appeared to Be Four Healthy Large Trees? We received a
response to question from Maya Saab. right, about removal of trees on 54th St. in April: Debra Markell Kleinert, District Mgr. of CB2 wrote that she had spoken to Parks Department personnel who told her the reason the trees were cut down was because a contractor had seriously damaged the roots. After examination of the trees, the Dept. decided to remove them. No other information was available. ◆
held two recent meetings inviting community arts group heads from the to expose them directly to state public funding sources, and ask for input on what would be desirable in the years to come. One owner has approached CB2; If you a non-profit organization who wishes to rent and administer a reasonably priced large space, call Cooper through CB2. Some who attended do not want to “art wash,” meaning lend an artistic air to property to help the owner eventually sell it for more, after all the artists, poor, and middle income are displaced. Others of us went for the “big ask,” meaning that if western Queens cannot be stopped from overdevelopment, a Lincoln Center type facility is needed. ◆
5Pointz Update: CB2 Chairperson Denise Keehan-Smith noted that management of 45-46 Davis Street in LIC, formerly 5Pointz, is discussing with following through on commitments in regard to affordable units, public space and other issues, made prior to construction, which is complete. There will be a Land Use Committee meeting, Chaired by Lisa Deller, on the evening of June 19, at CB2 offices. The public cannot speak at Committee meetings, but may attend. Items requested such as affordable units, apartment size, and public space availability have not been determined. CB2 does not officially meet again until the first Thursday in September, but some committees continue to convene over the summer.◆
Dorothy Morehead gathered opening of PS361 one block over 400 signatures on a petition to jumpstart a stop sign request, and a 4-way sign came in May. Here is her report: “Happy to celebrate the installation…in front of St. Sebastian’s Catholic Academy. The intersection of Woodside Avenue and 57th Street had no stop sign, no traffic signal, no school crossing guard and was becoming increasingly dangerous with the
north. The sign was installed too late for the 82-year-old grandmother who was struck and killed there on her way home from church at 2:30PM on 2/14/18…John O’Neill, DOT Borough Planner, Brian Barnwell, NYS Assemblymember, Denise Keehan-Smith, Chair, CB2, and yours truly.” ◆ Sivan Rodriguez graduated from CUNY Law School on May 17. and husband Roque Rodriguez of Suryaside Yoga and their friends and family joyfully celebrated at Sanger Hall with a crowd of 40. The Suryaside Yoga team is also expanding into another storefront and into a wider variety of wholesome instuction for mind and body. ◆
ADVICE, JOKES
HOW TO MAKE MORE IN TIPS IF YOU WORK AT A COUNTER: Waiters encourage tipping by being friendly, and customers knowing who they are tipping. Be sure to put the jar within sight of yourself and the customers, and if they do tip, thank them. Tippers often feel you are not aware of the gesture, or you don’t care. ◆ If YOU HAVE A MATTER BEFORE THE COMMUNITY BOARD; After you have called and found out what is expected of you, be sure to attend the Committee meeting, and stay till the end of the meeting. Once it comes before the general board at a public meeting, attend and also stay until completion. Bring examples to see. Don’t be shy about bringing others to commend you. Some may attend not in favor of your quest, and the board pays attention to those who care enough to attend, be they for or against you. Avoid getting rattled. ◆
JOKE: “All over town , people keep talking about my house having ghosts which is absurd. I haven’t seen any sign of them and I have lived here for 234 years.”
Christian Murray of Queens Post reported that the FDNY said
that the recent Sunnyside fire was due to a electrical malfunction in the Romantic Depot, which spread east. The owner is hoping to clean up the site soon. Recent photo below. No word on owner’s future plans. ◆
Reporter Jason Greenberg covered the Kiwanis Annual Flag Day Parade June 8, but photos and story will be in next issue. It is always timely to appreciate the flag. Here is a photo taken by Brent O’Leary who marched, and kindly let us run his photo of PS1990. ◆
Wednesday, June 12, 2019
SMALL TOWN CONFIDENTIAL
Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?
Animal rights advocate Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal in the State Assembly, along with our Senator Michael Gianaris in the State Senate, sponsored the measure. Rosenthal told CNN “declawing a cat is not like getting a manicure, it’s a brutal surgical procedure that involves removing the first bone of the cat’s toe and part of the tendons and muscles.” The procedure is painful and some cats suffer for life. Many claim-declawed cats bite more. It used to be more acceptable, before health problems became known, to declaw indoor cats to protect furniture.
Most cat lovers will
be pleased that once Governor Cuomo signs bill number A01303 into law, declawing will be illegal in New York, the first state to create
Nowadays, one can trim cat claws, and provide clawing structures to simulate the ways in which outdoor cats naturally keep their paws and nails trim. ◆
Memorial Defaced: Rick Duro, who
spearheaded the push to create the dog run in Torsney Park/Lou Lodati Playground on Skillman Avenue, ruefully reported that the run was vandalized over Memorial Day Weekend in the early Duro speaking at the Dog Run site commemoration hours of Sunday, May 26. in 2013, Both Borough Pres. Helen Marshall and Councilman Van Bramer earmarked $700K each The cruel visitor or visitors did damage to the Sunnyside United Dog Society Underwood and his wife, Ingrid Larson do(S.U.D.S.) banner, scattered nated $234” to replace the tags and he could buckets, toys and signs, and recreate the memorial. ◆ destroyed the memorial for deceased pets. Steven DeSimone at Pets Unlimited, Ltd., on 46th Street The memorial consisted of had an interesting suggestion for pet air over 117 dog-biscuit-shaped travel: inventing flotation carriers, with tags on a key ring attached high visibility and and balance to keep to the fence, with the name upright. When the plane skidded into the of the dog imprinted on river in Florida May 3, all animal lives were each one. Each one had been lost. Steve says, “they still may die due to twisted off, taking time and exposure, but this would at least give them effort, and discarded around a chance to be found and rescued.” the dog run. Duro was Airlines do work hard to provide emerpleased to report that “Jimmy
Cargo Safety:
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gency gear for human beings in flight. Perhaps devices to protect pets? DiSimone gets heat periodically at his now historic pet store, here since 1959. He started working after school at St. Raphael’s and later took over. He was used to the farmer’s schedule with no days off or vacations. Before a veterinarian was nearby, Steve would nurse birds fallen and brought in, feeding them a dropper. Cops from the 108th Precinct often brought abandoned dogs to Steve to keep the animals from being destroyed, which was the procedure in the not-too-distant past. Children form lines around the block at Halloween for free goldfish from Pets Unlimited.
Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate: Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, And summer’s lease hath all too short a date; Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines, And often is his gold complexion dimm’d; And every fair from fair sometime declines, By chance or nature’s changing course untrimm’d; But thy eternal summer shall not fade, Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st; Nor shall death brag thou wander’st in his shade, When in eternal lines to time thou grow’st: So long as men can breathe or eyes can see, So long lives this, and this gives life to thee. --William Shakepeare, Sonnet 18
DeSimone was part of the Gateway Restoration that worked to get Sunnyside arch. We have many animal lovers and activists here who care deeply about animal safety and providing good lives for them. Many wish to ban puppy sales and to limit adoption to the many around needing care, so the animals avoid euthanasia, or life on the city’s mean streets. For those who wish to change NY pet store practices, working for the legislation out there is the most effective. The new law to make most declawing illegal will likely help stop declawing more broadly than individually targeting vets who perform it, and the same is true with pet stores. ◆
“Anisodontea” Photo: Abigail Kurtz Migala
Wednesday, June 12, 2019
SMALL TOWN CONFIDENTIAL
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Wednesday, June 12, 2019
SMALL TOWN CONFIDENTIAL
Old Becomes New Again: Comic Book Mom ’n’ Pops by Berk Koca It has been nearly six years since Sunnyside’s very own Comic Book Heaven on Skillman Avenue closed its doors, with C-Clearly, an optometrist’s office, there now. Comic Book Heaven store was both a relic and symbol of a bygone era, before digital mania took hold of our collective consciousness...a time when kids still took time to read something, anything, rather than sit behind a computer screen or video game all day. From the spring of 1987 to the winter of 2013, Joe Leisner, the owner of Comic Book Heaven, saw the ups and downs of the comic book industry, and with it, the changing tides of our society. One thing any casual observer of that time period can see is that comic book readership took a major nosedive. Print runs for comic books like Spider-Man and the X-Men ran in the hundreds of thousands, sometimes reaching even seven figures in the late 80s and early 90s. Now, publishers of those characters are lucky if they can sell a print run of 80,000 comics per month, despite a huge box movie office draw. If the current film market is anything to go by, superheroes certainly have not dwindled in popularity. So, what happened?
Screening Bar 43, in 2016 of “Comic Book Heaven,” winner Audience Prize. L-R: A founder of BLVD film festival, Amanda Barker, filmmaker E.J. McLeavey-Fisher, subject Joe Leisner, right. Leisner was 80 when film made in 2013. BLVD IV returns June 27-30. See boulevardfilmfestival. org. Photo: P. Dorfman “Well, let’s put it this this way. It [the business] exploded in the amount of new books being put out in the early 90s,” says Leisner, still vigorous in his retirement. He adds, “They wanted to kill the back-issues and turn this into a new book business. That’s when the business started to go down”. DC and Marvel ran conventions for dealers back in the early 90s. It was a group of Marvel people, specifically; who thought it would be a brilliant idea to flood the market with new titles in order to earn more money. Leisner saw this as a business plan motivated by “greed,” and “a lack of care for the medium.” The comic boom and bust of the mid-90s showed, he was right. But it wasn’t just greed that brought the business down. It was the electronics, video games. “At first, when we lost an adult customer, we were immediately able to replace him with two kids. When the electronics became hot, the business
fell off dramatically,” Leisner said. “The decline began between ’93 and ’95. I knew the business was in trouble when kids went from asking their friends to borrow comics to read to making fun of kids who read comics. The change in such a short period of time was dramatic.” This was around the time when the apex of the “Death of Superman” event started to wear off, and Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis exploded. The emergence of PlayStation and Nintendo 64 soon after only accelerated the decline in comic book sales. Next was the arrival of Pokémon and Yu-Gi-Oh. “When I used to give kids free comics, they would jump up and down for joy. But years later, when kids came into the buy the Yu-Gi-Oh cards, I’d offer them a free comic, and they wouldn’t be interested. Or they would take it, and, sometimes, I’d
Page 7 find the comic I gave them out on the street,” Leisner remembers with sadness. Leisner reports that the comic book industry leveled off at its current sales figures for many years. Most of the industry now is dedicated to licensing properties to the film industry and other media like video games. As a former comic book enthusiast myself, I note one major change from the comic books of the 90s to the comic books of today. There are more political and ideological currents shoehorned into the books. There is also another striking difference; the amount of words found on a page. Look at any regular superhero comic from the late 80s/early 90s and one from today. The storytelling, in my view due to dwindling attention spans, has shifted the emphasis to the visuals. The amount of dialogue has gone down and been replaced by more fast-paced visual action. Thought balloons no longer even exist in today’s comics. In a sense, readers are getting fewer stories for their money. Comic books that used to cost $1.50 in the early 90s now cost $4. Is the storytelling up to par? It depends on whom you ask, but the state of the comic book industry does lend further credence to the notion that audiences do not want to read as much as they used to. But who knows? Maybe consumers are clamoring for a return to more old-school forms of entertainment, from a pre-digital era. The resounding success of the new Royal Collectibles - Astoria, located between 45th and 46th Street on Broadway, shows that there is a hunger for older forms of entertainment. Most of the comic book shops in Queens have closed their doors. The original Royal Collectibles, along Metropolitan Ave, was the only one left standing. And now, it has expanded into our part of Queens with its Astoria branch. The shop is full of great deals on back issues, and the Funko Pop toys that customers seem to love so much. Every time period has had its own sense of nostalgia, but our time seems to be unique. From the 80’s inspired current show, Stranger Things, to the constant resurrection of old cartoons and film properties, our generation just can’t seem to get enough of the past. ◆ (Part one of three)
Wednesday, June 12, 2019
SMALL TOWN CONFIDENTIAL
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