Eric Adams is in the lead for the mayoral race, with Maya Wiley and Kathryn Garcia following behind him. However, as the spotlight shined on them, a lesser-known candidate named Art Chang led his own impressive grassroots campaign.

Chang may have only earned 0.7% of the vote, but he still had strong plans for New York City and interesting insight about the process of running for the city’s highest office. For these reasons our paper decided to sit and talk to him to learn more about his ideas and experience.

“I’ve always kind of been open to changing myself, I came from a domestic violence household,” Chang told the paper in a recent interview. “And one thing that is true about people who grew up in violent families is that it’s a cycle, it happens generation after generation.”

“So if you want to break it, you actually have to start with yourself to change. You have to recognize what it is and you have to set a different vision for who you want to be.”

With this mindset, Chang went on to do many things for New York City. For example, he was a co-creator of NYC Votes, a campaign to improve transparency in the government which is where those famous “I Voted” stickers come from. He is also the creator of Casebook, the first web-based software platform for child welfare. He also helped build Queens West in Long Island City, one of only two waterfront developments to not lose power during Hurricane Sandy.

“I did Casebook and NYC votes, not as an employee of the government,” said Chang. “And if you can make those changes from the outside, imagine what I could do from the inside. I’ll be the leader actually making the decisions about how we actually do these things in the city.”

Chang’s experience outside of government gave him room to explore how to transform New York City, especially regarding public safety

“Cutting the budget is not going to change the NYPD,” said Chang. “I can guarantee you that. Unless you actually change the city’s charter, it will do absolutely zero.”

Chang had plans to cut $1.3 billion from the police department’s budget to demilitarize the NYPD, and to focus on communities in crisis. The idea starts with re-framing the use of CompStat to be used to signal where we have potential community distress and to direct intensive and coordinated responses from the different components of government that would decrease that community’s pain and lead to healthier communities.

“If you want to actually change the NYPD, you have to get the state legislature to remove the sole disciplinary powers of the police commissioner and only the legislature can do that with the governor,” Chang elaborated. “And then you have to have real accountability which can only happen through the city charter.”

Along with cutting the budget, Chang proposed the creation of two new offices, an Office of Police Accountability that will allow for increased accountability and enforcement of independent review. The second office would be an Office of Police Discipline that would control the release of data to promote transparency and accountability.

As a baby boomer with fluency in technology, Chang noticed that many small businesses were “Cash Only” and were unable to adapt during the pandemic. He proposed working with the NYC tech industry to create an NYC delivery app as well as create a user-friendly online and mobile service to enable all retailers to post their openings and closings.

“Internet technology is one of the best ways of having resilience because the stores that I know who actually had online presences before the pandemic, flipped over to ecommerce,” said Chang. “Even if they were selling baked goods, they flipped to ecommerce because they were able to do things like DoorDash and things like that.”

Not only were small businesses unable to adapt to the new reality that the pandemic brought, but they also struggled to pay rent and support themselves was another problem. However, that’s another problem Chang had a solution for.

“The city controls property taxes and they can do something that’s called forbearance and eliminate the penalties that people pay on property taxes for landlords who are willing to pass advantage through to their tenants because what we want to do is we want to keep people in their homes, right, and small businesses in their stores,” Chang said. “And that’s the primary thing, because it costs us so much more as a society, if we let people become homeless and let stores go out of business.”

In regards to housing, Chang noticed the problems with NYCHA and planned to fix the problematic housing system by converting NYCHA to some form of tenant ownership, whether that meant social ownership, limited cooperatives, or other structures that can give tenants more control and allow for debt financing to fund the essential repairs.
Chang was committed to meeting the demands of fixing the multilayered problems of NYCHA, with full data review, the use of green materials and green building methods.Chang told our paper that one of his first acts as Mayor would have been to pause every project to have a citywide discussion with constituents and local leaders, which is something that hasn’t been proposed by any other candidate. “I’m not going to have this patchwork, piecemeal, non-democratic approach that doesn’t have equity and justice at its core,” said Chang. “Where are we putting low income housing? Or how are we greening our transportation and our buildings? Where are we putting in parks?”
With Chang’s experience in transforming and adapting to the changes around him, he had plans to reframe what it means to be resilient. “If I can be the person to bring that thinking into government, then we can do all these kinds of things and that goes for systemic change, coupled with the system’s thinking.”
“I believe that I can change the city tremendously across all these different avenues by changing the design of the city and changing all of our governance structures.”
We, at the paper, believe that Chang still has a future in politics should he plan to run again or run for any other position. Nonetheless, he still works outside the state entity to make New York City better.

The Forest Hills Gardens once hosted lavish Fourth of July Festivals from morning until evening in areas including Station Square and the Tea Garden, along Greenway Terrace, and Olivia Park. This tradition was organized and sponsored by the Men’s Club of Forest Hills in 1914. Festivals were under the jurisdiction of The Fourth of July Committee until September 13, 1920, when the Celebrations Association of Forest Hills Gardens was organized.
It is time to turn the clock back a century to July 4, 1921. Opposite the Seminole Avenue clubhouse, a celebration was in full swing. A flag raising ceremony began at 10:30 AM. “Up the Greenway they marched, and then down the Green until they came to the Flag Pole – Town Criers, members of the American Legion, and distinguished citizens. The Crier, in old-time garb, called the people to attention, the Flag was raised, the Choral Club sang the ‘Star Spangled Banner,’ and every man, woman, and child stood at attention,” read the Forest Hills Gardens Bulletin. A prayer was recited by Rev. W.P.S. Landers of St. Luke’s Church. The Choral Club performed, and then pastor, Dr. David Latshaw of the Church-in-the-Gardens stated, “There is a new love for the Flag in this country since the World War. It is a symbol, standing for freedom, liberty, and justice.” He continued, “With a Flag which stands for service and sacrifice, which sometimes calls for the citizens to die for it but more often demands the harder thing, that we live for our country’s ideals, we have an inspiring symbol. May we never fail the Flag!” Attendees pledged allegiance.
The Welcome Home Committee had F. Clark Thompson present to famed sculptor Adolph Alexander Weinman a testimonial designed by the notable industrial designer and illustrator Walter Dorwin Teague. It honored Weinman’s patriotism and talent in designing the WWI Soldiers & Sailors Memorial on Flagpole Green, which commemorates 102 community residents. The Choral Club then led the number, “America.”
Prior to The Inn Apartments (20 Continental Avenue) existed the Inn tennis courts, which is where the “Inns” were defeated by the “Outs” unanimously. E.H. Conway, Captain of the Inns, chaired the committee. The tournament consisted of three sets of singles, where Stewart Gayness won over Raymond Bell, Dr. Davenport, Jr over William Dunklin, and Charles Orr over Fred Koschwitz. For the doubles, Gayness and Jack Ortgies defeated Dunklin and Bell, and Davenport and Orr defeated Koschwitz and Albert Wright, Jr.
Children had a ball as resident Fred Andrew Stone, a vaudeville star, circus performer, and Broadway and film actor performed, along with his friends. Stunts were underway with a lasso, and Fred cracked a whip that was seemingly full of firecrackers. A traditional “Punch and Judy” puppet show followed. Adults participated in various contests, where gold, silver, and bronze medals were awarded. The program featured a leap frog race, the Affinity Race, and a wheelbarrow race.
The Hon. Job Hedges, a producer of epigrams and an after-dinner orator, delivered an Independence Day address in Station Square, which was considered a stimulating call to the higher ideals of citizenship, an unflinching application of the test of common sense to many political catchphrases, and an appeal for political honesty and lofty idealism.
As the afternoon was underway, attendees participated in a grand circus parade throughout Forest Hills, which was accompanied by a forty-piece regimental band. Then a circus in regulation ring featured vaudeville and acrobatic troupes.
A total of one hundred servicemen were invited as special guests of Forest Hills. As a result of the American Red Cross’ Forest Hills branch’s role, wounded veterans were entertained on the north, in addition to within Forest Hills Gardens. Chair Mrs. Lawrence Abbott of the Lest We Forget Committee wrote, “When the men assembled at Deepdene Road and Underwood Road after the play, it was a delight to see their happy faces. None of them seemed unduly tired and all expressed themselves as having had a great time. They all were courteous and profuse in their thanks on leaving. Each man was given a box supper, a box of candy and a ticket entitling him at some future day to get a supper at the Service Club and go to a movie show.”
Olivia Park, a natural amphitheater, became center stage for “The Flying Door Mat,” a masque by Ralph Renaud for the Gardens Players. All age groups found it entertaining, as it featured a man-eating mosquito among its characters. Jewel Aldrich and Lyla Wilson sang from the elevations of the park, “We are the voices that call you into delight out of the arms of care.” The play included dances; a Morris dance, a Greek dance, and a Russian rhapsody, arranged by the well-known Louis H. Chalif, where students contributed seven divertissements pertaining to a sylvan setting.
A regimental band concert took place in the evening. Guests began dancing and observed dancefloor stunts in a dance pavilion. The publication read, “Myriads of soft yellow lights mingled with the red, white, and blue bulbs and hundreds of flags festooned from the poles, with the large yellow standards bearing the insignia of Forest Hills Gardens, at each one of the four corners of the Square, the scene presented was one never to be forgotten.” The Celebrations Association purchased 150 US Navy signals and 50 US Flags. It continued, “The Station Square was a fairyland at night when young (7 to 9 PM) and older danced to their hearts’ content (until 1 AM). It was a day of joy and pride, thanks to the public-spirited people of the town, who worked and gave generously to make it so.” The Choral Club presented patriotic music with leader Bruno Huhn and Mrs. Charles Scammell on piano, with bell-like vocals by Jewel Aldrich.

Maspeth Federal Savings Bank (MFS) had been renovating their Forest Hills branch since January of this year and it is now open with new features.

The Forest Hills branch is located at 101-09 Metropolitan Ave, Queens, NY 11375 and was constructed in 1974. The branch has served thousands of families and small businesses in the community through their convenient drive-thru lanes.
“Maspeth Federal was created to serve its local communities and I’m pleased to announce that our Board of Directors last year approved more than $1M to local charities & non-profit organizations,” said Thomas Rudzewick, CEO and President of MFS. “We are also very proud to host our community events that are so popular in Forest Hills like our summer concert as well as our Halloween festival that we’ll put back on this year.”

In recent years, the demand for drive-up services and heavier traffic on Metropolitan Avenue has led management to look for opportunities to improve our drive-up experience. The major improvements to the branch include two new drive-up lanes, a modernized storefront with beautiful landscaping, an EV charging station that will be free for customers and a more accessible parking lot.
These new improvements will allow customers to have contactless experiences while offering a more convenient and easy way of banking.
“We are proud to not only offer convenient services such as our newly renovated drive-thru to the neighborhood of Forest Hills but also host free events for our communities,”said Kristen Sapienza, Senior Bank Officer and Marketing Supervisor.

This week, we will celebrate this great nation’s birthday. Let’s hope that your Fourth of July is full of good food and fun times with friends and neighbors. But did you know that this week also marks another birthday? One that’s a little closer to home.
For it was on July 1st, 1935 that the first papers were filed and the first piece of land was purchased in the Village of Woodville, which would later be renamed to Woodhaven. And so, while the rest of the nation celebrates America’s 245th birthday, closer to home we can also celebrate our own 186th birthday.
Can you imagine? Woodhaven is 14 years away from its bicentennial. We’d better start planning!
The area was well developed already by 1835, particularly around the Union Course Race Track. But the rest of Woodville was wide open. Before John R. Pitkin founded the Village of Woodville, this land was part of one giant farm, owned by Stephen Lott.
The Lott family was very prominent in our community’s early history, and many of them never left town, as they are resting peacefully in the northeast corner of the Wyckoff-Snedeker Cemetery on 96th Street, behind All Saints Church.
The community retained the name Woodville until the 1850s when, due to the growth in population, villagers applied for its own Post Office. However, this application was rejected due to the fact that there was already a Post Office for a Woodville in New York, some 325 miles north of here.
And so, we were forced to come up with a new name for our community. For a while, Edgewood was a popular suggestion for a new name. But John R. Pitkin suggested Woodhaven, and seeing as how he had gotten the whole thing off the ground, his opinion held a lot more sway.
And so, in 1853, the Village of Woodhaven was officially established meaning that, if you want to get really technical, this year marks the 168th birthday or anniversary of the name Woodhaven.
Keep in mind that the map of Woodhaven back then was quite different than it is today. The village used to stretch far south, deep into what is known today as Ozone Park. Back in those days, the village of Woodhaven was partitioned into several sections, with names such as Columbia Park (near 91st Street and Jamaica) Eldert Park (near Eldert Lane), Equity Park (near PS 60 – in fact, the playground on 88th Avenue still retains that name).
These names were created for a few reasons, but mainly they were designed by real estate agents to help sell properties in this growing community. And one of the small sections of Woodhaven was a four-block parcel called Ozone Park.
Legend has it that the name Ozone was chosen to reflect the fresh breezes and healthy air that residents could expect to breathe in off the nearby water. And the name of Ozone Park may have faded into obscurity had it not been for the fact that the Long Island Railroad set up a station with that name on Broadway (now 101st Avenue).
Over time, as the section names faded, the name of Ozone Park remained and, in time, became a full community in its own right. So, not only is it Woodhaven’s birthday, it’s really Ozone Park’s birthday as well. We have a shared history, these two communities, so we might as well celebrate together.
The big celebration lays ahead, the bicentennial in 2035. Back in 1935, Woodhaven had a giant celebration. The highlight of Woodhaven’s Centennial was a procession from Dexter Court to the Willard Theater on 96th Street (later the Cordon Bleu and today the Woodhaven Manor).
Residents carried a gigantic cake down Jamaica Avenue and into the theater, which accommodated close to 3,000 people. On this night, according to news clippings at the time, the theater was overflowing with residents, with crowds waiting in the streets to get inside. During the celebration inside the Willard, a celebratory telegram from Mae West was read aloud to cheers from one and all.
And so, as you enjoy your hot dogs and your parties, please remind your friends and neighbors that it’s not just America’s birthday they are celebrating, they are celebrating our birthday as well.
Happy birthday Woodhaven and Ozone Park!

This past week, St. Francis college announced that Jeanne Arnold, Ed.D., will serve as the school’s first permanent Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer. Starting July 1, Dr. Arnold will work directly with the college’s president, Miguel Martinez-Saenz, Ph.D., to oversee programs and practices that will support the school’s diverse student body.

“Dr. Arnold will be instrumental as the College continues to embrace its Franciscan commitment to being an inclusive community where all members feel like they belong,” President Martinez-Saenz wrote in a statement. “I’m absolutely thrilled she accepted our invitation to join the SFC family.”

Dr. Arnold has previously worked as the Chief Diversity Officer at Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania and Grand Valley State University in Michigan. Among her dozens of professional and leadership achievements include serving on the Board of the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education since 2012.

“It is my privilege to join St. Francis College, and I am truly delighted to work with the President and the entire SFC family to elevate the College’s longstanding tradition of nurturing a hospitable environment through the development and implementation of a sustainable infrastructure to support DEI strategies,” Dr. Arnold wrote in her own statement.

St. Francis College has a greatly diverse student body, with 24% of students identifying as Black and 28% as Hispanic. Women make up more than 60% of all students and the majority of the College’s full-time faculty. Ten percent of the student body consists of international students, with students from over 70 countries.

St. Francis College has also been in the headlines for its recently announced plans to move to a newly-designed campus in the center of Downtown Brooklyn. The relocation will move the school a few blocks away from its current location on 180 Remsen Street and into a new 254,699 square foot space across the fifth, six, and seventh floors of the Wheeler Building at 181 Livingston Street.

After the announcement a number of alumni expressed concerns about the future of the 162-year-old Franciscan institution, prompting our paper to speak one-on-one with President Miguel Martinez-Saenz to discuss the college’s plans.

In the interview, President Martinez-Saenz explained that it would cost more to renovate the Remsen Street property than it would to move to the new Livingston Street property. He also explained that the move would not impact any of the school’s academic and athletic programs, both of which are slated to continue without interruption during the move.

The school plans to sell a portion of the Remsen Street property, but is yet to solidify those plans. Our paper will report on the matter as soon as a decision is made.

Both the campus move and Dr. Arnold’s appointment as Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer are part of the school’s larger SFC Forward initiative, a long term plan to modernize and make St. Francis competitive in the 21-st century. Under SFC Forward, the college will offer new master of science degrees in exercise and sport science, special education, sports management and public health. The school also plans on modifying its undergraduate education to offer more global perspectives and to allow for more remote learning options.

“It’s particularly exciting to be part of SFC Forward, as we prepare to move to a new campus to serve our diverse community of students, faculty and staff in even more creative and innovative ways,” Dr. Arnold wrote in her statement.

On Monday, members of the New York City Department of Environmental Protection, elected officials, and community organizers gathered to cut the ribbon on the newly expanded Newtown Creek along the North Brooklyn waterfront.

The quarter-mile, self-guided nature walk is located in Greenpoint, directly behind the Newtown Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant. Originally opened in 2007, the nature walk revived a long-inaccessible industrial shoreline by adding trails, trees, shrubs, and artwork.

This week’s additions to the nature walk were designed by landscape architect and artist George Trakas, who began work on the project in 2019. The new sections of the nature walk add additional greenspace, ramps, and a number of sculptures created by Trakas.

“As we continue the important work of restoring the health of Newtown Creek, expanding the Nature Walk and providing uninterrupted public access to the waterfront helps us engage all New Yorkers in this critical effort,” Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Vincent Sapienza told our paper.

New York City Department of Design and Construction Commissioner Jamie Torres-Springer agreed, saying “the completion of Newtown Creek Nature Walk takes on more significance as the City opens up again after the pandemic and our fellow New Yorkers emerge and make more use of their open spaces. What’s more, the design of this project is truly innovative, taking advantage of its unique surroundings, and will be an enduring resource for the City and its residents.”

Multiple local elected officials also released their own statements praising the park and the creation of more greenspace in North Brooklyn.

“Expanding the nature walk and providing residents with public access to the waterfront area is a critical step forward in our effort to make the area healthier and safer for all New Yorkers,” said U.S. Representative Carolyn Maloney.

“Today marks another milestone in the transformation of our relationship to the long-abused but always resilient Newtown Creek,” added State Assembly Member Emily Gallagher.

Greenpoint City Council Member Steve Levin also commented on the project, which is reaching its completion not long before the Councilman is term-limited out of office this fall.

“I am beyond pleased to see the expanded Newtown Creek Nature Walk in Greenpoint,” Levin writes. “Now more than ever, we must invest in green and open spaces — and the pandemic has emphasized the importance of nature, health and fitness, and disconnecting. Now, as the work continues to restore the health of the Creek, we must also ensure we are protecting the health of New Yorkers — this is something which will positively impact the physical and mental health of my constituents.”

The Newtown Creek Nature Walk is open from dawn till dusk everyday, weather permitting.