City Council Survey (District 29): Karen Koslowitz

Political Party:
Democratic Party

http://www.karenforcouncil09.com

Candidate Submitted Biography:

Karen Koslowitz is a long-time advocate of quality of life issues in Queens. From 2002 – 2009, she served as Deputy Borough President in the administration of Queens Borough President Helen Marshall. As Deputy she presided over a county of 2.2 million people in the most diverse area of the United States. Among her main responsibilities were to oversee Constituent Services and the borough’s 14 Community Boards; she remains Director of both Constituent Services and Community Boards at Queens Borough Hall.

Karen began her career in the private sector at Fischbach and Moore, Inc., electrical contractors. She entered the world of public service as a Legislative Aide for Congressman Gary Ackerman and subsequently for Council member Arthur Katzman. She then became the full-time Special Assistant and Queens Ombudsman to City Council President Andrew Stein.

Karen was elected to the New York City Council, serving the 29th Councilmanic District in Queens. The district includes Forest Hills, Rego Park, Maspeth, Kew Gardens, and Richmond Hill. She held this position starting in 1991 when she succeeded Arthur Katzman in a special election. Council member Koslowitz sat on the Aging, Civil Service & Labor and General Welfare Committees of the City Council. She was Chair of the Committee on Consumer Affairs.

Council member Koslowitz fought side-by-side with her neighbors to close an all-nude club in a residential area, and she introduced legislation to ensure that this type of club may not open in similar neighborhoods. She successfully opposed a sludge plant opening in Maspeth. She was actively involved with the local Chamber of Commerce and other civic associations to help maintain a graffiti-free, clean, and safe shopping environment for local residents.

City Council Survey (District 29): Karen Koslowitz

Question 1:
What is the most important transportation need in your district? As a Council Member, how would you work to address this need?

Two extremely important transportation needs are road safety and accessibility to public transportation. During my time in the city council and as Deputy Borough President I fought hard for both. Although it took close to nine years to become a reality, I spearheaded the effort to place rails on Queens Boulevard, which saved countless lives since its inception. I hope to further expand pedestrian safety on the major streets in the 29th District by fighting for a better technology to improve safety at street crossings. I also will work very hard to expand public bus routes and improve access and efficiency of subways. Although we are in a tough fiscal crisis, we must fight to keep and improve transportation services that help the community.


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Question 2:
The intersection of 108th Street and 71st Avenue is one of the most dangerous in your district, where 1 people died and 49 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)?

For a majority of the time this study was performed, I was the sitting council member. Living just a few blocks away, I know the dangers of that intersection. As stated above, I take great pride in my work to implement the rails on Queens Boulevard. I will work as a council member to implement a new system of crossing lights that go from the flashing hand to a numerical countdown system. This has been done in many places and cities in the United States, and we desperately need this type of advancement on Queens Boulevard.


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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?

I strongly supported installing speeding cameras throughout the city. While cynics may claim that they are only used to generate revenue, I know statistically that they reduce speeding and make our major roads safer. I also support civilianization at local police precincts, allowing officers to be on the streets protecting citizens. One area that this would be helpful in is road safety, as we need a greater police presence on our roads.


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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?

Obesity has become a major epidemic in our society. As a council member and chair of the Consumer Affairs committee, I successfully passed legislation that gave consumers better knowledge of their purchases. I also strongly support opening healthy supermarkets in undeserved areas of the city, allowing people to have access to healthier foods. Making sure that non junk foods are served in schools will be a priority of mine, as I hope to serve on both the health and education committees. In the 29th District, we have access to wonderful parks where walking and bike riding are major activities. As in the past, I will work to ensure that our parks get the funding and support needed to maintain them for all activities.


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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?

I was against congestion pricing because it did not adequately account for the needs of Queens residents, especially from 29th districts. I fully understand and strongly support the need to increase public transportation. That is why I will fight day in and day out to increase the amount of express trains and express buses into the city. I will also work with the MTA to modernize our subways to allow for greater space for the increasing numbers of riders.


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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?

In the 29th District, we have a need for parking spaces for our residents. As a council member I have, and will again, take a balanced approach to the diverse transportation needs of people, from cars to buses to subways. I will work hand in hand with members of our congressional delegation and others who support stricter emission rules and stronger gas mileage regulations for our vehicles. As a city, we must strive for a cleaner and more diverse system to meet our growing transportation demands.


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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?

Yes I support this measure as increasing public spaces is important to the culture and environment of New York City.


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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 Bus Rapid Transit as it would improve public transportation and increase safety measures on our roads. I also support bringing a bike share program to New York City, as we are seeing the program being implemented in other major cities like Seattle and Boston.


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Submitted by kkoslowitz on Wed, 08/12/2009 - 20:52.
Submitted by kkoslowitz on Fri, 07/31/2009 - 12:05.
Submitted by kkoslowitz on Wed, 08/12/2009 - 20:52.