OPINION

Councilman Dennis P. Gallagher went about distributing a letter dated April 9, 2007 to those in attendance at the April 11, 2007 CBQ5 meeting held at Christ the King H.S. This was a letter that he mailed to JPCA members through his illegal use of the JPCA mailing list.

The letter notes his supposed accomplishments and the fact that he was once the poster boy of the JPCA. He can’t imagine why the JPCA has turned against him. Really? The truth of the matter is he turned against the JPCA and the quality of life issues that this organization has stressed and promoted for 70 years. He fails to mention that once he was re-elected with no opposition to his second and final term as City Councilperson representing the 30th Council District he set his ulterior plan in motion.

That plan began with his formation of a new civic in November 2005. Gallagher‘s next step was to collude with the Queens Democratic Organization to oust Anthony “Tony” Nunziato as President of Maspeth Town Hall because Tony may have intimated that he might exercise his constitutional right to run against Margaret M. Markey a local Democratic State Assemblyperson. Remember now, Dennis P. Gallagher is a Republican. He cleverly stayed in the background on this one and let Kenneth Rudezwick, the CEO of Maspeth Federal Savings Bank and an elected democratic official, orchestrate the coup with the help of the friends of Marge Markey.

Next on his agenda was to remove or not recommend for reappointment to CBQ5, Tony Nunziato, the chairperson of the CBQ5 Environmental Committee, and a ten year CB5 volunteer who has devoted countless hours to our community. Tony has worked hard on projects such as the opposition to the Cross Harbor Freight Tunnel and the new Kosciuszko Bridge and he is chairperson of the Maspeth-Middle Village Task Force.

Almost simultaneously with these events and against our community’s goal to halt overdevelopment Gallagher has proposed a change in zoning at the St. Savior’s site to make room for the construction of 70 additional housing units, masking that goal with the weak attempt to save the St. Saviour’s existing church. Dennis P. Gallagher did not march with the community on this issue. Instead he stood with Maspeth Federal Savings Bank and the foreign developers who received a $6,000,000 mortgage loan from Maspeth Federal to purchase the St. Savior’s property. The entire story regarding Saint Saviour‘s has been told several times – and in the interest of brevity – I will omit the details.

As we have stated the JPCA made an attempt at reconciliation with Dennis Gallagher using Monsignor Nicholas Sivillo of Our Lady of Hope Church as the peace broker. Frankly, Gallagher gave the mediation process the “Royal Finger” and launched his own civic association that he had at the ready.

In the chronology of events that brings us to Gallagher‘s lowest hour was when he decided to no longer fund – with our taxpayer’s money – the MidVille Dodgers, a team that had just won the National High School Baseball Championship. That’s correct, the best high school baseball team in America right here in Middle Village and Dennis Gallagher pulls the plug on funding these talented kids, putting them in the headlights of his growing wrath!

Councilman Gallagher’s claim that he was the prime sponsor of 49 bills that became law is bogus. He only attached his name on 11 bills that became law, he never did the constructive work to be the original author of any legislation to date. What happened to the Librio Law, Dennis? This is the law that Gallagher stated we needed, that would make daylight on all the corners, banning larger cars.

The list of issues that Councilman Gallagher has failed on is long. For instance, despite the fact that he is a member of the New York City Council’s Parks Committee, made statements in opposition to having off leash so called courtesy hours in our New York City parks and his own little dog was attacked by a large off leash dog, he submitted no written or oral testimony in the course of the fight. Also, he did not speak at the February 22, 2007 clandestine Parks Department Public Hearing to indicate his opposition to the practice. He left us, the JPCA, out there alone, unrepresented by him, our elected official, who previously had made statements in total support of the JPCA opposition to the off leash plan.

He supported a bogus rally at the “Flop House” in Maspeth instead of supporting the rally at the “Huang House” on Mazeau Street. Incidentally, I can’t find any news story about any huge protest that councilman Gallagher should have organized against the illegal construction of the Yeshiva Trade School in Glendale. Were they foreign builders also, Dennis?

Yes, it is a fact that the JPCA has been very displeased with the positions that some of our elected officials have taken on issues that are detrimental to the quality of life not only in Maspeth and Middle Village but also in all of CBQ5. Part of the JPCA‘s mission is to always advocate against people who are seeking to harm our communities. Of all the elected officials that Gallagher mentions in his ramblings he‘s the only one who has declared war on the JPCA. The others are real politicians and don’t act like teenagers looking to get even at every turn.

The JPCA is a private group of neighborhood volunteers and a good portion of our moneys go toward publishing the very popular and expensive Juniper Berry, which you should know, Dennis Gallagher has stopped funding, again, with our tax moneys.

In contrast Councilman Gallagher is spending taxpayer money to assault the JPCA, a respected and effective civic association for seventy years. He has done this with the help of his taxpayer supported staff and mailings.

Contrary to Councilman Gallagher I am always careful to get my facts and chronology of events in order. The content of this letter is what and when recent events occurred.

In closing I would like to remark that Dennis P. has always been the perpetrator acting like a victim beseeching sympathy from the very constituents that he has betrayed. Although, through his association with the Queens Democratic Party, he has been successful in carrying out his taunts to remove me from CBQ5, this old Marine, who served his country with honor, will not allow an empty suit to deny me my freedom of speech.