Joe in the News

For too long, neighborhoods outside of our Manhattan-obsessed city have remained neglected. Councilman Joseph P. Addabbo Jr. recognizes the need for quality transportation and schools that serve families in Queens. We believe his experience and prioritizing of issues that affect the borough’s older and emerging communities make him the right choice for representing District 15 in the New York State Senate.

State Senate District 15 in Queens: Serphin Maltese, the incumbent Republican, is a well-established Albany hand who has routed plenty of money to his mostly Democratic district. After 20 years, however, it is time for someone like Joseph Addabbo to try his hand. Mr. Addabbo, a member of City Council, has said that if Democrats take over, they will not force the same Draconian rules on Republicans that now exist to punish Democrats. That is a good start. We endorse Mr. Addabbo.

On most days, Anjad Brijlall tends his garden and small lawn outside his tidy Ozone Park home twice a day.

But the beauty of Brijlall's garden stands in stark contrast with the seediness of the vacant, foreclosed home across the street where refuse mingles with knee-high weeds.

"Nobody has been living there for about six months," Brijlall, a 72-year-old retiree, said of the eyesore, now owned by a large bank. "I'd be glad to see a good neighbor buy it and keep it nice and clean."

Health care is one of the primary concerns of the 21st century, according to City Councilman Joseph Addabbo Jr., who on Friday laid out a three-point plan to address the issue.

The cost of coverage is escalating and insurance companies continue to encroach upon clinics, Addabbo noted. He was joined by Dr. Frank Proscia, executive director of the Doctors Council SEIU — a union that represents more than 3,000 doctors — and pharmacist John Rossi at Rossi’s Pharmacy, located at 84-01 101st Ave. in Ozone Park.

Councilman Joe Addabbo laid out his 3 Point Healthcare Plan to address the rising cost of healthcare at a local pharmacy last Friday. Joining him was Frank Proscia, executive director of Doctors Council SEIU, who also gave the organization’s endorsement to the State Senate hopeful.

Addabbo’s plan includes converting life insurance to long-term care coverage, expanding the income threshold for Elderly Pharmaceutical Insurance Coverage plan, and single-source drug coverage.

City Councilman Joseph Addabbo Jr., center in a suit, a candidate in the race for the 15th Senate District seat, has worked with Desis Vote — a branch of the South Asian Women’s Initiative — over the last several weekends to register voters in Ozone Park and Richmond Hill. As of last week, they registered more than 300 new voters, most of whom are members of the South Asian community.

(New York, N.Y.) – Three major gun violence prevention organizations today announced their endorsements in several New York State Senate races. New Yorkers Against Gun Violence (NYAGV), GunFreeKids.org, and The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence along with its Million Mom March Chapters work together to help protect New Yorkers from the threat of gun violence and support candidates who support strong gun laws. The endorsed candidates announced today include three incumbents and three challengers.

This is turning into a dog-bites-man situation, but Gov. Paterson today endorsed Democrat Joe Addabbo in his challenge against state Sen. Serph Maltese of Queens.

The race is one of several that Democrats are counting on to give them the majority in the Senate for the first time in more than 40 years.

Unlike Eliot Spitzer, Paterson has avoided declaring open war against the Senate Republicans. But in recent weeks he has begun raising money for them, through the state Democratic Party, and issuing a series of low-key endorsements in strategically important races.

Thousands of dead fish are clogging a canal in Howard Beach and causing alarm in the neighborhood.

Residents said for the past two weeks they have had to endure the smell of rotting fish coming from Shellbank Basin. They are demanding an answer from the city.

But city officials attributed the die-off to a "natural phenomenon."

"It's like sitting in a garbage dump on a 90-degree day," said Bob Giallanzo, 53, a worker with the Department of Transportation who lives along the basin. "Everything in there is dying."

NEW YORK -- A real fish story has a Queens neighborhood talking for all the wrong reasons.

NewsChannel 4's Andrew Siff reported that thousands of dead fish are washing up in Howard Beach, and residents said the smell is making them miserable.

"Unbelievable," said Howard Beach resident Bob Giallanzo. "There's thousands of fish that are dying, and nobody seems to care."