Page 7 - qt edition #39 SEPTEMBER 28, 2023
P. 7

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2023                               THE QUEENS TIMES                                                            PAGE 7


              Bishop Robert Brennan Meets With Queens

                                     College Students

             The Catholic Newman Center
        at Queens College hosted His Ex-
        cellency Bishop Robert Brennan
        of the Diocese of Brooklyn (pic-
        tured in the attached) on Monday,
        September 18, at the invitation
        of Father José Diaz, the center’s                                                          To read GIA online in English and Italian
        new chaplain. Brennan met with                                                                          Visit www.giamondo.com
        student representatives from the
        Newman Center and celebrated
        mass alongside Diaz and full-time                                                         Servicing The Tri-State Area and Long Island, Florida and Italy
        campus minister Omar Cortez.
        Installed as the eighth bishop
        of the diocese in 2021, Brennan
        serves the populations of Brook-
        lyn and Queens. A Bronx native,
        he attended St. John’s University,
        where he earned a bachelor of
        science degree. He studied for the  Center was part of the Student  of the union, as envisioned by the
        priesthood at the Seminary of the  Union when the facility opened  student leaders who established
        Immaculate Conception in Hun-  50 years ago. Several other faith-  it. Photo by Andy Poon, Queens
        tington, New York. The Newman  based organizations are also part  College.

          Council Members Won & Brewer Hold Joint Oversight
              Hearing on City Contracting For Asylum Seekers

             Council Member Julie Won,
        Chair of the Committee on Con-
        tracts, and Council Member Gale
        Brewer, Chair of the Committee
        on Oversight and Investigations,
        held a joint oversight hearing at
        City Hall called “Revisiting City
        Contracts Serving Asylum Seekers
        in New York City.” At the hearing,
        the Chairs, Council Members,
        and the general public questioned
        representatives from several city
        agencies — the Department of
        Social Services (DSS), the Depart-
        ment of Housing Preservation and
        Development (HPD), New York
        City Emergency Management
        Department (NYCEM), New York
        City Health + Hospitals (H+H),
        and the Mayor’s Office of Contract  of for-profit and nonprofit private  the network of non-profit service
        Services (MOCS) — to bring trans-  vendors and their sub-vendors.  providers, agencies, and for-profit
        parency to the City’s emergency  These vendors are mainly being  companies receiving public dollars
        contracting process used for mi-  contracted through  emergency  and how those dollars are being
        grants and asylum seekers.   procurement, which absolves the  spent. Findings include:
             With Mayor Adams forecast-  administration from having to  •    Of the 196 contracts that OID
        ing an anticipated $12 billion cost  abide by traditional procurement  examined that were related to
        burden to the city due to the asylum  rules, and thus necessitates greater  asylum seeker spending, only 3
        seeker crisis, the Council is focused  scrutiny to ensure that public dol-  were procured through competi-
        on understanding how the admin-  lars are not wasted.      tive bidding.
        istration is spending those funds.       The Council’s Oversight and  •    The 125 of the City’s emergen-
        While the administrative respon-  Investigations Division (OID) re-  cy-procured contracts represent
        sibilities for managing this crisis  viewed and analyzed contracts and  nearly $2 billion of contract value.
        fall on several city agencies, the  publicly available spending data  •    Many of the vendors contracted
        direct services for asylum seekers  related to the asylum-seeker crisis
        are provided by a complex network  to better understand and map out   (Continued on page 9)

          NYC Girl Scouts Celebrate State Parks at Gantry
                            Plaza State Park in Queens


        The Girl Scouts Love State Parks
        initiative brought hundreds of
        Girl Scouts to state parks across
        the five boroughs in September
        for outdoor learning and volun-
        teering

        Sunday’s rainy event at Gantry
        Plaza State Park wrapped up the
        month-long festivities with activi-
        ties including birding, weeding
        invasive plants, and more

             On Sunday, September 24,
        2023, Girl Scouts of Greater New
        York and New York State Parks
        hosted an outdoor learning event
        at Gantry Plaza State Park in
        Long Island City, Queens as part
        of the annual Girl Scouts Love
        State Parks initiative. Despite the  tivities, sporting rain gear and  gets girls out and about learning
        inclement weather, Girl Scouts  splashing in puddles all day long.  about state parks in their bor-
        came out to Sunday’s event and       “Girl Scouts Love State Parks
        participated  in  the  day’s  ac-  is such an incredible event that   (Continued on page 9)
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