Queens Lawmakers on the Move October 20, 2020

Queens County City Council News

Addabbo, Pheffer Amato Host Virtual Job Skills Webinar

State Senator Joseph P. Addabbo, Jr.
Assemblymember Stacey Pheffer Amato

State Senator Joseph P. Addabbo, Jr. (D-Howard Beach, Ozone Park, Woodhaven, Glendale, Middle Village, Maspeth and parts of South Ozone Park, Ridgewood, Woodside and The Rockaways) partnered with Assemblymember Stacey Pheffer Amato (D-Broad Channel, Hamilton Beach, Howard Beach, Lindenwood, Ozone Park, Rockaway Peninsula) and the Queens Chamber of Commerce to provide citizens with a free resume writing and interview skills webinar earlier this month. 

The event provided residents with instruction on how to prepare their resumes, make them professionally stronger and tips on what to do during an in-person or virtual interview.

“I hope those that attended this webinar use the tools they have learned to properly layout their resume and stand out among other applicants’,” Addabbo said. “I would like to thank the Queens Chamber of Commerce for hosting the webinar.”

“I want to thank the Queens Chamber of Commerce for putting together a professional and insightful panel to help our neighbors build skills that bring them closer to securing an opportunity in the workforce,” Assemblywoman Stacey Pheffer Amato said. “In the COVID-19 world, with a volatile and unpredictable job market, providing constituents with an opportunity to gain an edge is essential to helping people get back on their feet.”

Addabbo was pleased to help organize the resume webinar as a prelude to his Virtual Job Fair, co-sponsored with Resorts World Casino. 

The virtual job fair is scheduled for Friday, October 23 to Sunday, October 25. Anyone interested in participating can register online for free. For more information on how to participate in the Virtual Job Fair, call the senator’s office at 718-738-1111.

BP Lee Hosts 10th Virtual Job Fair

Acting Borough President Sharon Lee.

Acting Queens Borough President Sharon Lee is hosting the 10th “Virtual Queens Jobs Recruitment Fair next week as part of an ongoing push to connect Queens job seekers with available employment opportunities.

CAMBA, Inc., Commonpoint Queens and Forest Hills Financial Group will join the list of more than a dozen featured employers and recruiters.

“Our economic recovery and rebuild rely on connecting Queens residents with employers looking to hire now for a vast array of available positions in key sectors,” said Lee. “Join us on October 28 for the tenth installment of our Virtual Queens Jobs Recruitment Fair series, featuring more than a dozen new and returning hiring partners answering questions live about the wide variety of opportunities available today.”

Participants and viewers will hear brief presentations from employers and recruiters seeking to fill hundreds of positions in a variety of service fields including developmental support, transportation, retail, security and more.

The ongoing hiring push comes as Queens’ unemployment rate sits at 16.4 percent as of August, down from a high of 21.6 percent in June but up more than 13 percentage points from February’s 3 percent unemployment rate. According to the New York State Department of Labor, more than 1.96 million New York City residents have filed unemployment claims between March 8 and October 10.

The tenth Virtual Queens Jobs Recruitment Fair will be held online on Wednesday, October 28 from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Prospective applicants interested in participating in the live interactive Q&A via Zoom Webinar must RSVP by Tuesday, October 27 at www.queensbp.org/rsvp. The Jobs Recruitment Fair will also be livestreamed at www.queensbp.org/recruitmentfair. American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation will be provided live by Sorenson Community Interpreting Services.

To view the videos of the previous fairs, visit www.queensbp.org/recruitmentfair.

De Blasio Appoints Hartzog, Jiha to New Roles

Mayor Bill de Blasio appointed Melanie Hartzog as Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services and Jacques Jiha as Director of the Mayor’s Office of Management and Budget on Monday. 

“I am pleased to appoint two of our City’s most hard-working and passionate public servants to take on even bigger roles as we continue to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “Melanie and Jacques have the experience and vision necessary to support New Yorkers during this crisis and guide our City through financial hardship. Thanks to them, New Yorkers can expect an even brighter future.”

Hartzog previously served as Budget Director and Jiha served as the Commissioner for the New York City Department of Finance. As Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services, Hartzog will guide the City’s response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and ensure the City’s social services continue to support every New Yorker, especially those experiencing homelessness. 

As Budget Director, Jiha will help lead New York City out of the fiscal crisis brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic by making fiscally responsible decisions that will strengthen and protect the City’s finances for generations to come.

Van Bramer Holds Oversight Hearing on BLM and More

City Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer/Facebook

City Councilmember Jimmy Van Bramer (D-Sunnyside, Woodside, Long Island City, Astoria, Dutch Kills), Chair of the Committee on Cultural Affairs, Libraries and International Intergroup Relations, will hold an oversight hearing on Black Lives Matter, anti-racism, structural racism and the arts on Tuesday. 

The remote meeting will take place on Tuesday, October 19 at 10 a.m. It can be streamed online in Virtual Room 1.