Dear Neighbors:
It is with a mix of emotions that I write to you in my final newsletter as New York State Assemblymember from the 24th District. As you may know, I recently won the election to the New York City Council from the 23rd District, and I will take office as a Councilmember on January 1, 2010.
It has been an honor and a pleasure to represent you in the Assembly for the past fifteen years. During my time in Albany, I authored sixty-three laws that made our community an even better place to live, work, raise a family, and retire with peace of mind. The Lawn Litter Law has made our community cleaner and safer. The extension of Access-A-Ride into Nassau County has helped scores of seniors and disabled riders reach nearby medical offices. My advocacy on behalf of our local schools has helped them to remain the best anywhere. I am proud of my legislative record as well as the services that my office provides to the community.
I look forward to representing many of you in the City Council, where I will be a parent advocate, a champion of senior issues, and a tireless fighter for our community. Thank you for your support. I wish you and your family a very happy holiday season and a joyous and healthy New Year!
Sincerely,
Mark S. Weprin
Member of Assembly
Assemblymember Mark Weprin attended the annual luncheon of Deepdale CARES, a naturally occurring retirement community (NORC) in the Deepdale Gardens apartment complex in Little Neck, Queens. Mr. Weprin was instrumental in the establishment of Deepdale CARES. He also secured funding for the expansion of the NORC’s office space and is represented on the Deepdale CARES Advisory Board.
The Center for the Women of New York (CWNY) presented Assemblymember Mark S. Weprin with its “Good Guy” Award at CWNY’s 22nd Annual Anniversary Dinner. CWNY established the “Good Guy” Awards to recognize the men who support the organization’s efforts.
The annual Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival in New York in Flushing Meadows Corona Park is always on Assemblymember Weprin’s schedule. The festival commemorates an ancient Chinese holiday, celebrated by a day of races in narrow boats that are shaped like dragons.
An intergenerational program took place at the Queens Museum of Art (QMA) with state funding directed by Assemblymember Mark Weprin. The program brought together high school students and seniors in a creative, collaborative experience.
Assemblymember Mark S. Weprin participated in the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new annex to Public School 188Q, The Kingsbury School. The annex is located in the former American Martyrs School at 216-15 Peck Avenue, Oakland Gardens, New York 11364, just down the street from P.S. 188’s main site at 218-12 Hartland Avenue, Oakland Gardens, New York 11364.
At the third reunion of the Children of Bell Park Manor Terrace at PS/IS 208Q, Assemblymember Mark Weprin presented a New York State Assembly Citation to commemorate the event. At the reunion were more than three hundred current and past residents of Bell Park Manor Terrace, a cooperative development in Bellerose Manor, Queens. Some traveled from as far as Alaska and California to participate.
The New York Police Department held for National Night Out, an annual crime and drug prevention event. Assemblymember Weprin attended the events for the 105th, 107th, and 111th Precincts. National Night Out aims to heighten awareness of crime and drug prevention, generate support for anticrime programs, strengthen community spirit, and show criminals that our community will not tolerate illegal activity.
Assemblymember Mark Weprin proudly participated in the 2009 Labor Day Parade in New York City. Mr. Weprin is a longtime advocate for issues of importance to the labor movement: workers’ rights, access to health care, and strong public schools.
At Middle School 67Q, the Louis Pasteur School, Assemblymember Mark Weprin officially installed the newly elected members of the student government. Mr. Weprin conducts student government installation ceremonies at schools throughout the district every year.
Assemblymember Mark S. Weprin participated in the dedication ceremony for two new ambulances for the Glen Oaks Volunteer Ambulance Corps.
The new school governance law requires the Chancellor to ensure that Superintendents are assigned to tasks predominantly within their own Community School Districts and that they respond to parental comments and concerns, appoint and evaluate principals, approve school-based budgets, oversee educational instruction, provide access to information, and assist with resolving complaints.
The Department of Education (DOE)’s record of failing to maintain Community School Districts convinced Assemblymember Weprin that the law needed a high degree of specificity, and that the requirements really should have been even more stringent. The previous school governance law stated that the Community School Districts should continue, but the Chancellor largely ignored the requirement. When it was time to renew the law, Mark Weprin fought for a measure that would ensure compliance by the current and future Chancellors, but the final bill lacked the provisions necessary to hold the Chancellor accountable.
Still, the measure would be a significant improvement over the current situation, in which Superintendent positions exist in name only; many of the capable people who hold those positions have been assigned various duties that take them away from supervising the schools in their respective districts. The new law at least details the exact responsibilities of Superintendents in their districts.
The DOE functions as a vast, distant bureaucracy without the local connection. As a parent of public school students, Assemblymember Weprin knows that parents need access to local Community School District offices that are adequately staffed and prepared to help. Mark Weprin will continue to be a tireless advocate for our local school district.
Following the tragic gas explosion that killed a young mother and destroyed the home of the Boodram family in Floral Park, Queens, Assemblymember Mark Weprin called on Con Edison to evaluate its emergency response procedures. Con Edison has now announced several changes to its procedures for responding to gas leaks, including:
Quicker mobilization of additional company and Fire Department responders to the scene of serious gas leaks
New procedures to vent manholes and check buildings sooner and conduct appropriate evacuations. High gas readings in the street will expedite a door-to-door check by responders and, if gas readings are detected within buildings, evacuation of those buildings by fire and utility personnel.
Enhanced protocols, training and computer tracking systems for Con Edison dispatchers to improve the support of company field crews, including giving first responders information about electrical connections between buildings and structures.
Taking steps, where possible, to ensure clearance between subsurface gas and electrical lines.
Training company customer service representatives to stress the importance of callers to evacuate the area.
Community residents are reminded that if they smell a gas odor in their home or apartment, they should leave immediately, do not flip any switches or ring doorbells, and call Con Edison from an outside phone at 1-800-75-CONED to report the condition.
