‘First Step’ to War’s End?
Serrano Sees Victory in Loss

Congressman Jose Serrano, a vocal opponent of the U.S. war in Iraq, saw a silver lining in the defeat of a resolution that called for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq. The measure lost 171 to 255 but Serrano said the effort made an important statement nonetheless.

“Finally, we were able to send the correct message to the Administration: the war must end,” Serrano said in a press release. Unfortunately, some of the Republicans seem to feel like protecting the president is more important than protecting our troops.”

Serrano didn’t mention in the release that 59 of his fellow Democrats voted with the Republicans to defeat the measure.

But Serrano and his colleagues did pass a more popular bill to put the administration on a short leash and only fund the war through the summer. That measure succeeded 221 to 205.

Another local congressman, Eliot Engel, was not present for either vote. His spokesman, Joe O’Brien, said his boss has been in Florida, attending to his gravely ill mother. If he had been present for the votes, Engel would have voted for both bills, O’Brien said.

Koppell Honored

Oliver Koppell, who heads the City Council’s Committee on Mental Health, Mental Retardation, Alcoholism, Drug Abuse and Disability Services, was honored by the Mental Health Association of New York City at its annual party last week.

The group singled out Koppell for his work in expanding mental health services, particularly for the elderly and small children.

Koppell was able to get $1.3 million included in last year’s budget for the Children Under 5 Initiative and another $1.5 million for Geriatric Mental Health Services.

Engel’s Touts Oil Reduction Bill

It’s not often that you hear the words “welcomed” and “President Bush” coming out of the mouth of Eliot Engel at the same time.

The words were uttered in a press release concerning the president’s plan to save oil.

But (and you knew it had to be coming) Engel said his own legislation, known as the DRIVE Act, would save more oil than Bush’s plan and do it quicker.

Engel’s bill, which has 80 co-sponsors in the House, would force Americans to reduce its oil consumption by 2.5 million barrels a day by 2015 and twice that by 2025. The U.S. would reach those goals by promoting biofuel production, helping manufacturers produce more efficient cars, and by providing money to encourage the introduction of plug-in hybrids.

The legislation would also mandate that 50 percent of new cars be capable of running on ethanol or other renewable fuels.

A similar bill has 25 co-sponsors in the Senate. The House version is co-sponsored by a Republican, Jack Kingston of Georgia.

Engel said that he’s optimistic that his legislation will be considered this session.

Rivera Takes on Graffiti

Assemblywoman Naomi Rivera recently announced an initiative to combat graffiti in her district, which includes the 204th/Bainbridge merchant corridor in Norwood as well as the heavy commercial districts of White Plains Road and Morris Park Avenue.

The second-term lawmaker is teaming up with the Bronx Council for Economic Development (BCED) and City Solve to implement a two-phase project.

In the first phase, City Solve, a business that specializes in graffiti removal, will target and remove or paint over graffiti in shopping areas throughout the 80th Assembly district. In the second phase, BCED will purchase a truck to perform graffiti removal. City Solve will help train the workers who operate out of the truck.

“This is an unprecedented event,” said Rivera in a statement. “An undertaking of this magnitude has never taken place.”

In a statement, Rivera said the BCED will use capital money that she has allocated to the group to purchase the graffiti removal truck.

Swedish Firm Take Over Filter Plant Project

Skanska, a multi-national Swedish firm has taken over the major building phase of Croton Water Filtration Plant for $1.3 billion, according a company press release.

The firm was given the opportunity to take over the project once the lowest bidder for the project, a consortium led by Perini Corporation, bowed out a month ago. Skanksa was the only other company to submit a bid for the project last fall.

If Skanksa had not accepted the $1.3 million price tag, the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) would have been forced to put the project out to bid again, causing more delays.

Due to a federal mandate to complete the project within a certain timeframe, the building of the plant was supposed to have begun on Feb. 8. Consequently, the city has been racking up daily fines because construction has yet to begin. So far the city has accumulated more than $1.5 million in fines.

It remains to be seen when Skanska will begin construction. The DEP couldn’t be reached for comment by press time.

Public and Community Meetings

Community Board 7’s Education, Youth and Libraries Committee, will meet Tuesday, May 29 at 6:45 p.m. at Mosholu Montefiore Community Center at 3450 DeKalb Ave. For more information, call (718) 933-5650.

Community Education Council 10 will meet Thursday, May 17 at 6:15 p.m. at PS 291 at 2195 Andrews Ave. For more information, call the office at (718) 741-5836.

Croton Facility Monitoring Committee will meet Thursday, May 17 at 7 p.m. The major construction contract will be discussed. For more information, call the office at (718) 231-8470.

52nd Precinct Community Council will meet Thursday, May 17 at 7:30 p.m. at Cosmopolitan Church, which is located at 190th Street and Grand Avenue. Bill Valenka, from Auto Crime at the District Attorney’s office, will speak. For more information, call (718) 220-5824.