By ANGELA MONTEFINISE

The immigrant organization New Immigrant Community Empowerment (NICE) and it’s founder Bryan Pu-Folkes were joined by 25 city council candidates on the steps of Queens Borough Hall on Aug. 14 to promote the group’s Government Access and Availability Pledge, which has been signed by just over 40 percent of candidates in Queens.

The pledge asks candidates to promise that once in office they will hold at least two yearly town hall meetings, mail annual performance evaluations to constituents, and make district progress reports available to constituents.

According to Pu-Folkes, these suggestions will help politicians be more accountable for their actions and be more accessible to the people.  The morning press conference attracted 19 Queens council candidates, and lasted for about 10 minutes.

At the press conference, Pu-Folkes announced the current list of supporters, and asked those that haven’t signed the pledge to do so.

Among the Queens candidates who have signed NICE’s Government Access and Availability Pledge are:

Queens high school and college students are being offered a unique opportunity to earn service credits through an internship at the office of Councilman Sheldon Leffler.

Since mandatory community service is required in return for school credit, Leffler is offering the credit in return for services at his office commensurate with students’ interests and abilites.

Opportunities include computer data entry, manning the phones, research, letter writing, distribution of materials, and preparing packets.

For more information, call Ron Basci at 217-7655.

By NICK ABADJIAN

Borough Presidential Candidate Carol Gresser has called for a crackdown on prostitution and more subway trains at two separate, recent campaign stops.

“Long Island City as been designated as the ‘new’ New York City downtown, but businesses won’t relocate there if prostitution continues to remain a problem – Times Square got its breaks, and now its our turn,” Gresser said at a press conference on the morning of Thursday, Aug. 16 in front of Dumbarton II, a strip club in Long Island City.

Gresser said that the prostitutes from Times Square had moved onto other parts of the city like Long Island City, threatening its poise for a renaissance.

Gresser is calling for more “cops on the beat” as a solution and singled out Jackson Heights and Flushing as areas with prostitution problems.

“When prostitutes move in, business interests decline, property values goes down, crime increases, and the quality of life deteriorates,” said Gresser.

On Aug. 2, Gresser made her demands for more subway trains while standing by the subway station on the corner of 74th Street and Roosevelt Avenue.

“You can’t budge on Roosevelt Avenue platform in the morning. Residents and businesses in Queens and the entire city rely on the subway.  We need to improve service so people can get around quicker and with less hassle,” said Gresser.

Though the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) is using the new 63rd Street Tunnel to improve, Gresser is calling for more express trains and improved service along Queens Boulevard.

“Our population keeps growing, but train services does not,” said Gresser.  According to Gresser, in the 1950s, there were 34 express trains per our along Queens Boulevard and today there 30, with trains being 10 percent shorter.

Queens Borough President candidate Helen Marshall (right) made a stop at the Union Turnpike subway station in Kew Gardens on Aug. 14 where she greeted voters. She was joined by Council Member Karen Koslowitz (center) on the campaign trail.