Councilman Constantinides and COVID 19

OANA wants to give a great big shout out to our Councilman, Costa Constantinides during these trying days for him and his family. While we have known that Costa has been self- quarantining because of symptoms of COVID 19, we just found out that his wife Lori is has been hospitalized for the last week with the same. This is especially troubling as she has diabetes and in need of a liver transplant.

Old Astoria, Western Queens, and New York City have had no greater champion over the last 6 + years than Costa. Whatever influence OANA has in working on quality of life issues exists because of his support, both political and financial.

We hope everyone, regardless of political persuasion, unites and sends their hopes, best wishes, and prayers for Costa and Lori’s speedy recovery. These are days when we need to reflect on the value of community, family, and empathy for our fellow man, values that describe Costa.

Richard Khuzami

Mr. Khuzami has been a member of Community Board 1 in Astoria, NY for the last 20 years. He sits on the Zoning and parks Committees and is on the Executive Board. Previously, he served as Parks and Culture chair of Community Board 1 for eleven years and also chaired Capital and Expense priority Committee. He is a member of the Queens General Assembly and had been a panelist for grant submissions for the Queens Council on the Arts (QCA). Richard also is an officer of The Eastern Mediterranean Business Culture Alliance (EMBCA) and President of OANA.