MONTHLY NEWSLETTER OF THE CREEDMOOR CIVIC ASSOCIATION, INC.

The Queens Civic Congress is moving their June monthly meeting to Bellerose where their guest speaker will be U. S. Senator Charles Schumer.  The meeting will be June 16th. The meeting will be held at the Queens County Farm Museum at 73-50 Little Neck Parkway and will begin at 8 P.M.  Many other legislators are expected to turn up, but only Schumer will be speaking.  It is important to get a large turnout for this meeting, if we are to impress the senior senator from New York that we are serious about addressing our issues.  In other words, drop what you are doing and show up.  When was the last time a Senator from New York was in our community? 

One of the issues at the top of the Civic Congress' agenda is the issue of the poor design of the proposed Second Avenue Subway which will only be two tracks, have some stations 14 and 15 blocks apart, and in some locations will be 100 feet below street level.  Worse yet, there are no Queens trains scheduled to use it.  Since most of the cost will be borne by the federal government, the Civic Congress has been buttonholing federal pols such as Carolyn Maloney, Anthony Weiner, and Schumer to get them to support a line that will better benefit Queens and other boroughs besides Manhattan. 

The Civic Congress has already met with Anthony Weiner, challenged Carolyn Maloney, and blasted the MTA at their Manhattan hearing regarding the SAS and the reduced service to eastern Queens by splitting the E from the F, and rerouting the F to 63rd Street. 
  
  

District 29's Johnson Resigns 

Community School District Superintendent Michael Johnson has resigned a position he was about to lose anyway due to a reorganization plan, and accepted the position of Superintendent of Schools for the City of Albany.  Although the upstate district has fewer students and schools, the new position is a the-buck-stops-here job, unlike the southeast Queens position that was subservient to the Chancellor. 

While there were many praises being sung for the superintendent, it was mostly ethnic cheerleading, and mostly below Jamaica Avenue.  We at Creedmoor Civic made no bones about the fact that we were very dissatisfied with an educator who refused to meet with both the Creedmoor and Queens Village Civic Associations about our plan for making I.S. 109 and its feeder schools kindergarten through eighth grade schools. 
  
  

Time for a Sales Tax Revolt? 

Just when you thought it was bad enough, it gets worse.  The sales tax is out of hand.  Not only has it been raised from 8.25% to 8.625%, the $110 clothing exemption has been eliminated.  This you knew.  But did you know that your NYS income tax forms will now contain a declaration wherein you must declare all out of state purchases made by catalog or internet and remit the sales tax that you did not pay to the vendor?  For many people this will easily be  $500 a year or more in taxes. 

After we thought they did the math and figured out that the clothing exemption would cost the State nothing because of the increased demand for apparel would lead to higher business tax revenue and personal income taxes from the extra personnel hired, then why was the exemption  eliminated?  A survey several years ago by the Staten Island Chamber of Commerce noted at a New Jersey shopping mall that six out of 10 cars in the parking lot had New York license plates.  You know what?  Let's repeal the entire City and State tax and NYS will be a commercial boom town.  Why favor only one commodity, (clothing)-- wipe out the regressive tax, and many out-of-state people and foreign tourists will shop til they drop in New York. 
  
  

Around the Town 

Congratulations to: Susan Daddario, granddaughter of president emeritus Rose Daddario of 240th Street on graduating from New York Institute of Technology with a degree in nutrition. 

Continued get well to: Our sincere best wishes for a speedy recovery to Board of Governors member Jean Corbett of 88th Avenue who recently underwent surgery. 
  
  

Civic Election and Installation in June 

The slate that was published last month is the slate that was adopted with no further nominations, except for one change: Ron Schwizer of 242nd Street is now the candidate for Sergeant-at-Arms. The meeting in June will conclude with a Reinwald's celebration cake to mark the new terms of offices, and the 76th Anniversary of the founding of Creedmoor Civic Association.  Come celebrate, this is the last meeting until September. Nagassar Ramgarib, president of the Queens Village Civic Association, is the installing officer. 
  
  

Civic Dues to Rise in 2004 

The Association has voted to raise the dues fee for membership in the Association from $5.00 to $6.00, but the increase does not take effect until January, 2004. The increase was necessitated by an increasing shortfall each year between funds raised and monies spent.  While membership has remained stable, costs have been going up. 
  
  

June 7 & 8: Civil War Encampment: 11 AM - 4 PM 
Admission: $3.00.  Exhibitors, battle re-enactment, Hayrides, house tours. 

June 21 & 22: Strawberry Festival: 11 AM - 4 PM 
No longer an admission fee.  Come free!  Buy strawberries, strawberry foods, Country Western music and Dancing, Hay rides, games for kids. House tours. 

July 9 - August 15: Children's Summer Program.  Course fee: $50. for each two-week session.  Call for information at 718-347-3276. 

July 25, 26, & 27: 25th Annual Thunderbird American Indian Mid-Summer Pow-Wow. Friday 7 - 10 PM, Saturday 2-5 PM, 7-10 PM; Sunday 1-5 PM.  Gates open 6 PM Friday, 10 AM Saturday and Sunday.  Admission is $7.00 for adults, $3.00 for children 12 and under. Dance contests, craft and food vendors.