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City Council Survey (District 19): Paul Vallone
Political Party: Democratic Party http://www.paulvallone.com Candidate Submitted Biography: Paul Vallone is the managing partner of Vallone & Vallone, LLP and a Candidate for the NYC Council in the 19th District of Queens. He is a recently resigned member of The New York City Board of Corrections, which regulates the Department of Corrections, the Department of Health and the world's largest population of detainees and inmates. He is the current President of the Astoria/LIC Kiwanis Organization and together with the Astoria Civic Association, helps raise over $30,000 annually for Queens High School students. He is also on the Board of the St. John’s Preparatory School, Board Member of the Malba Civic Association, previous Board Member of the Variety Boys and Girls Clubs of Queens, Member of the Taminent Regular Democratic Club, one of the Founding Members of the Lt. Joseph Petrosino Lodge of the Order of the Sons of Italy. A Member of the 109th Precinct Council, The Broadway/Flushing Homeowner’s Association, a previous Board Member of Community Planning Board One, the Knights of Columbus Flushing Council, Member of the Jefferson Democratic Club, William-Jefferson Clinton Democratic Club and Catholic Lawyers Guild and New York State Trial Lawyers Guild. Paul Vallone belongs to the St. Andrew Avellino Parish. He serves as director of the local Queens Folk Group that has been singing Christmas carols at Queens Cerebral Palsy Homes for almost 25 years. Each year he helps organize the collection of Christmas toys for Santa’s Angels and Toys for Tots. He also helps in organizing Turkey Drives at St. Andrew Avellino and QSAC, the Queens Services for Autism Center. Most recently, he helped lead the fight for removal of cell phone towers from St. Mel’s Grammar School in Flushing, Queens. He started the Judge Charles J. Vallone Relief Fund to help families suffering from natural disasters. He and his wife, Anna-Marie, are about to celebrate their 15th Wedding Anniversary and are blessed with three amazing children, Catena, Lea and the newest member of their family, Charlie (Charles J. Vallone III). The love and support of Paul’s family and his passion to serve the community are the cornerstones of his life and his campaign. City Council Survey (District 19): Paul ValloneQuestion 1: What is the most important transportation need in your district? As a Council Member, how would you work to address this need?Our district is unique in that there is no train service except for the LIRR and Express bus service. Anyone commuting to Manhattan has limited options other than to use cars or plan for multiple transfers via bus and 7 train. Expanded bus service and express bus service is critical for everyone in our district. Question 2: The intersection of 23 Avenue and Bell Blvd is one of the most dangerous in your district, where 0 people died and 18 people were injured between 1995-2005 (NYS DOT). As a City Council member, what traffic enforcement policies or physical changes to the intersection infrastructure would you support to make this intersection safer for everyone who uses it (pedestrians, cyclists and drivers)?Our entire district is overrun with illegal commercial traffic that destroys our quality of life and steals our residential streets. The expansion of College Point, commercial overdevelopment and congestion on the boulevards designated for commercial traffic, has resulted in a large overflow of commercial vehicles into our streets. I would propose a new joint task force between the NYPD, the DOT and the DEP for an immediate crack down on illegal commercial traffic and protect our neighbors from illegal and harmful emissions. This particular intersection is further complicated by the major shopping area of Bay Terrace that is immediately adjacent to the site. Expansion of the turning lanes, traffic agents during the busy seasons, additional parking at the facility, computer timing sequences at surrounding intersections and increased enforcement of existing parking and driving restrictions in that area is required. Since the matter has yet to be brought to the Community Board 7's attention, I would immediately contact Commissioner Maura McCarthy request a traffic warrant study and request community board hearing to further discuss intersection and any other high incident areas. Question 3: According to the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles' most currently available data, in 2007 speeding was a contributing factor in over 3,000 motor vehicle crashes in New York City. Furthermore, the same data showed that the top human contributing factor to the 264 fatal crashes in New York City during 2007 was also speeding. Given these figures, what measures, if any, do you support to redress this problem? Finally, do you believe that New York City’s current speed limits are safe?As a practicing attorney in NY State, I have supervised numerous depositions and trials regarding motor vehicle accidents. Invariably speeding and distractions while driving are the top reasons for todays accidents. There is very little enforcement of the 30 mph local speed limit and ther should be further reduced speed limit areas in residential and school districts. As a Councilmember, I would propose increased fines, violations and criminal charges for speeding, repeat offenders, ban texting while driving and increased motor vehicle coverage on all vehicles. Question 4: The Department of Health and Mental Hygiene's website reports: "In New York City, obesity is epidemic: more than half of adult New Yorkers are overweight (34%) or obese (22%). Data show that obesity begins early in life: nearly half of all elementary school children and Head Start children are not a healthy weight. In New York City, 1 in 5 kindergarten students, and 1 in 4 Head Start children, is obese." Do you believe that increasing walking and biking in New York City would improve public health? If yes, how would you work to increase walking and biking in your district?Recent studies have all confirmed that far too many Americans are dying as a result of our underinvestment in safe walking and biking conditions. That is a critical part of my plan for our district, increasing funding and focus into our crumbling infrastructure of our beautiful local parks. Fort Totten, Little Bay Park, Booth Memorial Park and McNeil Park in College POint, all have failing walking paths and little areas for cyclists to freely navigate. I am also a proponent of "If you build it they will come," investing in walking and biking brings more people to walk and bike safely and in the right environments. Further complicating the issue is that our chilodren are not given proper diet choices in our schools. Question 5: Road pricing, including such measures as non-stop tolling, fees based on vehicle miles travelled or entry into a highly congested zone, has been the source of much discussion in New York City and other major metropolitan areas. London famously uses a congestion charge to fund its transit system, Oregon recently piloted a program to replace the gas tax with a fee for miles driven and Seattle recently studied how road pricing could be introduced on a regional basis. Seattle's study, “Traffic Choices Study" (http://psrc.org/projects/trafficchoices/index.htm), found that introducing new tolls on major corridors during peak traffic hours influenced drivers’ behavior and projected that a region-wide road pricing scheme could significantly reduce vehicular traffic congestion. Do you think that introducing a road pricing strategy would change New Yorkers’ travel choices? Do you think that this would be an effective way for the City to reduce backups on high-traffic roadways like the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, the Gowanus Expressway or the Long Island Expressway? Finally, do you believe there are additional benefits in the surrounding neighborhoods which could be realized from the reduction of vehicular congestion on these routes?All New Yorkers are united in their desire to reduce congestion in our beloved Manhattan. However, their is much debate on how to achieve this goal. Road pricing and congestion pricing used with additional means of increasing mass transportaion has the potential to achieve these measures. I am opposed, however, to any toll increases or new tolls on East river crossings for the sole reason of collecting more taxes from Queens residents. The proposed rail expansions are a welcome addition to our overcrowded subways. Specifically the expansion of the 7 train from Grand Central to the west side area/Penn Station will greatly enhance the mass transit option for Flushing residents. However, 80 percent of my district is not in Flushing and is dependent on Express Buss service which is always the first area facing cuts during tough economic times, such as now. I would support increasing funding and public attention to existing successful programs such as the Bus Rapit Transit System, Neighborhood Streets Network, Reclaiming the Sidewalk Project and Safe Routes to School porgrams all insitituted and supported by your organization. Question 6: Do you believe that reducing residential parking requirements as set forth within NYC zoning regulations would affect neighborhood traffic congestion, and if so, in what way? Reducing residential parking only increases additional problems. In my almost ten years on Community Board 1, there was never a time where advocates came to say a particluar project should have reduced parking. The first argument always made to our Board and the Board meetings held in CB7 And CB11 in my district, is that the particluar project does not provide enough parking. Zoning regulations can and do rightly provide for afforable housing, new limited development and ensures that our quality of life is not impacted by any residential or commercial project. Question 7: The NYC Department of Transportation's Public Plaza Program, Pedestrian Street Program and Summer Streets events are intended to diversify the use of public space and provide more places for New Yorkers to recreate and socialize. Do you support the temporary or permanent repurposing of street space for pedestrians and cyclists? The newly created Broadway/Times Square Plaza has already greatly improved the quality of life in the midtown area. These neighborhood plaza's transform busy commercial streets into exciting vibrant user-friendly public spaces. These areas also provide unique opportunities with private organizations to join forces and share the costs and benefits of these programs. Each area provides a safe environment with increased space for pedestrians, residents, tourists, pets and a reduction in pollution. I will support future Plaza programs that are approved by the community and work toward increasing our quality of life. Question 8: The City recently released plans for Bus Rapid Transit and expressed interest in bringing a bike share program to New York City. Do you think these new projects would enhance the city's transportation network? Please explain.I support the proposed Bus Rapid Transit systems and will do everything I can to improve and increase the use of the BRT. As stated above, our district is almost solely dependent on express bus service and we are always in jeopardy of losing these services during budget negotiations. THe BRT sysytem combines speed, reliabilty and the specific needs of each community. It will also allow for future permanent shelters that are user friendly safe and accessible to everyone. The routes will provide specific reliable service, will reduce the need for transfers and will work wiht existing local bus service, not supplementing it, to address the critical needs of our residents to use mass transit.
Submitted by Friends_of_Paul... on Sat, 08/08/2009 - 11:04.
Submitted by Friends_of_Paul... on Mon, 08/03/2009 - 14:52.
Submitted by Friends_of_Paul... on Sat, 08/08/2009 - 11:04.
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