Running for: City Council, 23rd Council District, Queens
Year Running: September 2009 (Democratic Primary)
Party Affiliation: Democrat
Website: http://www.bob2009nyc.org/
Candidate Bio:
Think all candidates are the same? Think again. Bob is NOT a politician, Never worked for one and has been fighting for our community as a Civic Leader for two decades. Bob represents the best of civic responsibility – Honesty, Integrity and Leadership, all achieved as a Volunteer Civic Leader while working full-time!
Bob Friedrich is a lifetime resident of Queens, attended only NYC Public Schools, graduated from Queens College with a degree in accounting and finance, served on Community Board 13, and is President of Glen Oaks Village – New York’s largest garden apartment co-op with 10,000 residents and a microcosm of the district.
A short list of Bob’s Solid Record of Action, Not Promises:
· Led a 3-year battle through a maze of regulatory agencies giving residents of our co-op the unprecedented ability to utilize unused attic space by raising their roofs. This has substantially reduced the residency turnover rate as people choose to enlarge their co-op apartments for their growing families. This has strengthened our community with long-term residency at an all-time high.
· Pet Lovers: Made NYC’s largest garden apartment complex Pet-Friendly by allowing residents to own dogs and cats provided they followed a set of fair and reasonable rules. Created White Whiskers Program, providing services and funding to volunteers to humanely reduce the feral cat population via the Trap, Neuter, Release (TNR) program which is recognized by humane societies worldwide as the best way to control feral cat populations. Bob is working to establish a dog run in an underutilized neighborhood park.
· Created the Presidents Co-op Council a think tank of local co-op board presidents representing 20,000 units of residential co-op housing in eastern Queens. Our mission is to share ideas, gain political clout and seek bulk-purchase discounts with a goal of improving the way co-ops are run and improving the quality of life of our residents.
· Created Green Thumb Eco-Program in Glen Oaks Village which has been responsible for planting more than 100 trees throughout the community, transforming a mile long stretch of Little Neck Parkway from a weeded eyesore into a Greenstreets and helping support the Queens County Farm Museum. Bob is fighting with other community leaders to save the Klein and Cornell Farms – the last remaining farms in Queens.
· Written about and exposed unfair co-op taxing policies and successfully argued a co-op tax audit case saving hundreds of thousands of dollars for community residents. As an accountant Bob understands tax issues and will aggressively pursue property tax relief for single-family homeowners.
· Bob has actively opposed double-digit water rate hikes and has proposed allowing co-ops and single-family homeowners full deductibility of future water rate hikes in excess of inflation from their property tax bills. Voila! -- a simple solution that will cap these unconscionable annual rate increases.
· Bob proposed A Better $400 Tax Rebate Plan. Bob’s plan would have had the city issue $400 Stimulus Certificates instead of a $400 rebate check. The Stimulus Certificates could only be used at NYC businesses. Bob’s idea would inject an immediate boost into the city’s economy. It would be good for business, good for consumers and great for the economy.
· Mom & Pop Shops need our help. Bob proposes a “1st-Half Hour Free” parking at Muni-meters located on commercial strips – the home to MOM and POP shops competing with large box stores that all offer free parking. This will encourage local shopping and give a boost to these endangered small businesses.
To see more of Bob’s record of “Action, Not Promises” and more of his innovative and creative solutions to community problems, go to www.Bob2009NYC.org
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