Steve wants to fight against greedy developers that destroy existing homes and replace them with McMansions and multi-family houses. These developers, who do not live in our district, destroy the character of our neighborhoods and return to their homes outside of our district atnight. Unlike some candidates in this campaign, Steve has not been bought by real estate developers or real estate special interests. Unlike somecandidates in this campaign, Steve believes that our community comes first. 

Too often in our community, when buildings go up, our quality of life goes down. Over-development fractures our infrastructure by straining our already crowded schools, bringing more cars onto already crowded streets, making parking more difficult and overburdening our already overloaded sewer system. Development, in general, is a good thing, but it needs to be done responsibly. We need to retain the character of our great neighborhoods where people not profits are the priority. 

Steve is proud to have worked with our current councilman, Tony Avella, on preserving the character of our neighborhoods. Steve promoted the down-zoning of his neighborhood in Bayside. Bayside was the first of the rezonings in Queens. He has strongly supported the Broadway-Flushing Homeowners Association in their efforts to establish a landmark districtand preserve their neighborhood before developers destroy that beautiful and historic community. 

Steve will fight for responsible development throughout our district. For example, College Point has become a prime example of over-development. College Point has only three roads in and out of that community, has a terrible parking situation, is prone to flooding and doesn't have a public school beyond the sixth grade. Yet developers continue to build developments that strain the resources of the community. Earlier this year, Steve testified at theLandmarks Preservation Commission so that Schleicher House, a historic 1857 building, would be landmarked and saved as park of our history. The College Point Corporate Parkis another example of profits being put ahead of the residents of our district. Steve has and will continue fight against “blighted businesses” being movedinto our district. 

Our neighborhoods cannot afford a councilmember who is a lobbyist to the same developers that are out to destroy our neighborhoods just so that they can line their own pockets. Unlike some other candidates, Steve is not owned by anyone. Instead of representing corporate interests and lobbyists, Steve will represent our community.