A New Publication Serving
Southeast Queens &
An Old Assemblywoman

PRESS: I’ve been doing this — guiding the Queens Tribune — for some 21 plus years. I took it over, as most of you know, from Gary Ackerman when he was first elected to public office in 1978. It’s been challenging and lot of fun.

After we joined with News Communications — a publicly traded media company — in 1989, I had the opportunity as an officer and director to oversee, supervise and become involved with the management, development or creation of 23 other publications including Our Town in Manhattan, Dan’s Papers in the Hamptons, The Hill in Washington, D.C. as well as a number of other weeklies in Brooklyn, Manhattan, the Bronx and Nassau.

Of all the publishing challenges I’ve faced, the venture we are about to embark upon, I expect, will be the most rewarding since first becoming Trib publisher.

After many years of presenting ourselves as boroughwide in scope, this company that has proudly published the borough’s largest community newspaper, the Queens Tribune for 30 years intends to fulfill our boroughwide mandate. Next week, the Press of Southeast Queens will take its first breath. Committed to serving the dynamic southeast Queens neighborhoods of St. Albans, Jamaica, Springfield Gardens, Cambria Heights, Laurelton, South Ozone Park and others, the Press shall offer to the predominantly black population of the area, a similar brand of advocacy journalism, community information and serve as a local sounding board just as the award-winning Tribune has championed in the rest of the borough.

This all-new paper will be molded and produced by its own staff with the assistance and guidance of our talented Tribune team. Leading the Press of southeast Queens effort is Marcia Moxam Comrie, a 20-plus-year resident of southeast Queens and a graduate of York College, the area’s educational leader. A former SE Queens neighborhood development executive director, Marcia studied journalism at York. She lives in St. Albans with her two young children, Liana and Benjamin, and her husband Leroy, who is district manager for Councilman Archie Spigner and President of suspended School Board 28 — a story I’m certain that will make the pages of our new publication.

Marcia, a transplant from the island of Jamaica, will face the challenge of guiding a publication that will serve a readership equally divided between African Americans and Caribbean Americans. With a team of two full-time reporters and freelancers who are being recruited locally supplemented by the extensive Tribune network, the Press promises journalistic excellence for a community that has heretofore been underserved by community newspapers.

Hundreds of distribution stops including free street boxes will bring the weekly into the hands of southeast Queens’s residents.

It’s an exciting time for us. Perhaps, it will provide new insights to share with our Tribune readers.

Advertising opportunities abound, as do employment opportunities — we seek reporters, telemarketers and outside salespeople. We also seek the news. Want to reach Marcia or the Press of Southeast Queens? Call (718) 357-7400; e-mail Moxom@QueensTribune.com or write Press, 174-15 Horace Harding Expressway, Fresh Meadows, NY 11365.

I can, as always, be reached at MSchenkler@Queenstribune.com.

See you here and in southeast Queens next week.

NOLAN: Had breakfast with Cathy Nolan last week. Our column exclusively revealed that the long-time Asemblywoman will be facing a primary from former Queens ADA Patrick O’Malley, brother of the Democratic Mayor of Baltimore, and it prompted Nolan to call us. Cathy was one of the few legislators we cover that I really didn’t know. She thought it was time — elections frequently make elected officials seek out the press.

It was a good breakfast at our office — Mike Nussbaum brought the bagels, tasted like the good ones from Juniors — some pleasant talk; some ideas exchanged. Cathy can talk. Boy, can she talk! But she’s charming and knowledgeable. She’s committed to the people of her district and to the borough. Overall she impressed me as a fair, competent caring legislator who got caught up in a battle that she really didn’t want and wound up with a serious primary.

To explain: Cathy is part of the three amigos of western Queens who oppose the candidacy of Congressman Joe Crowley based largely on the manner in which County Leader Tom Manton handed over the seat by declining the office after petitioning so that Crowley would face no opposition. Since then, Walter McCaffrey who is challenging Crowley, Councilman John Sabini who is running McCaffrey’s campaign, and Nolan have been viewed as the enemy of the Democratic organization. After talking to Nolan, we gather that it was not a role she wanted. She just was never made welcome on the inside. It sounds like a foolish and sad scenario.

But Nolan says she’s ready. She loves her job and loves her life. She’ll take the primary. She’s confident. She probably has a right to be. She’s worked hard and has represented her constituency well with the exception of one issue. Nolan voted against the NYC Commuter Tax costing the City some $4,000,000 and getting nothing in return. She explains her vote as a show of support for Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver who had to build coalitions and win an upstate election to get another Democratic Assembly seat. Well, they lost the election and as we see it, failed to get anything for the City in exchange for the $4 mil.

We have clearly stated our feeling about those who sold out the City on the Commuter Tax vote — we stated it long before Nolan faced a primary. Nolan was the only non-freshman Queens Assemblymember to blindly follow the Speaker and sell out the City. It won’t be easy to forget.

But we’re not a one-issue newspaper, Nolan’s not a one-issue candidate and one issue probably won’t decide this election.

Cathy clearly is a strong candidate and a competent Assemblywoman.

We haven’t met Pat O’Malley yet.

SHEPPARD: We were somewhat surprised with the overwhelming reaction of approval to last week’s column critical of the abusive behavior of civic activist Joyce Sheppard. Many public servants applauded the column. It seems when they have not done what Sheppard has demanded, there was frequent and unreasonable abuse. I have identified people by job description so as to save them some of the Sheppard grief my column wrote about.

Me, I’m signing my name; I expect Sheppard to try to come and get me.

Sheppard was one of two contacts received that took issue with the column and this paper will not serve as a forum for any of her abusive tirades. However, the other response (via e-mail) comes from a much publicized anti-Giuliani activist who writes:

"Mr. Schenkler’s attack on activist Joyce Sheppard misses the key point of the political situation it attempts to analyze – the elected officials Ms. Sheppard engages with her confrontational style are unfortunately not responsive to anything else. I know from experience that Joyce Shepard attempts to effect change first via the social niceties and only goes to the next level when the niceties have been consistently ignored." - Robert Lederman, President of A.R.T.I.S.T. (Artists’ Response To Illegal State Tactics).

Sadly, Mr. Lederman, Ms. Shepard has never been civil with this writer. Our personal experience, which seems to be echoed by the response we’ve received, is that if you don’t blindly march to Joyce’s drummer, then you are evil. She knows not what "social niceties" are. Everyone is not evil, are they?

A sampling of the overwhelming reaction to the column, with names withheld, follows:

"I really enjoyed your comments on Joyce Sheppard. And you have now settled a question for me: I had been wondering if ours was the only office that had been treated with such utter disrespect and rudeness by Joyce. Frankly, I’m saddened to learn that others have faced the same abuse. Thanks again." – Chief of Staff, member of Congress

"I applaud you on your article on joyce. Got a call from an east Flushing civic and she told me to read the article. It was long overdue . . . Again here’s to a standing ovation" – Chief of Staff N.Y. State Assembly member.

"I second your comments about Joyce Sheppard. Well written. Watch your back." – Spouse of an elected official.

"Your column this week on Joyce Sheppard is OUTSTANDING! Wonderfully written, hard hitting and 100% on target. Congrats and thank you for a job well done!" – NYS Senator

"Great column, and important public service." – Member of Congress

"BRAVO!" – Community Board District Manager

"I love you!" – City Assistant Commissioner

LUCK! Occasional Tribune contributor Barbara Nadel of Forest Hills is a candidate for the American Institute of Architects (AIA) National Vice Presidency. The convention of the 65,000 member professional association is presently meeting and voting in Philly.

REPORTER: A hot shot East Coast newspaper reporter was on assignment in West Virginia when he struck up a conversation with a young lady in a bar. After a half dozen drinks, he suggested they get their own bottle and retire to his motel room. Surprisingly enough, she readily agreed.

"Say, how old are you anyway ?" the reporter asked as the obviously young lass was disrobing.

"Thirteen." she replied with a shy smile.

"Thirteen??? My God girl!!! You get those clothes back on at once and get the hell outta here! Are you crazy?" he thundered.

Pausing briefly at the door as she left, the perplexed nymphet smiled and said, "Superstitious, huh ?"

Pic of the Week

TV doesn’t get better than this! When two mega-giants collide, the people of Queens and major markets across the country lose out. How can we be expected to survive a night without Regis and "Do You Want To Be . . .?" To find out what happens with this story, don’t watch Channel 7. All Time Warner Cable is showing is the screen pictured here blaming Disney, along with a scrolling message. Disney, according to reports, doesn’t agree.

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Michael Schenkler can be reached at: MSchenkler@QueensTribune.com

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