BY NATALIA KOZIKOWSKA

With City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito’s announcement that she has stripped Councilman Ruben Wills (D-Jamaica) of his chairmanship and member items, many of his constituents are left wondering what this will mean for the future of Southeast Queens.

This is not the first time that the residents and community organizations in Southeast Queens face an uncertain future in terms of discretionary funding. Similar questions were posed last year, when State Sen. Malcolm Smith (D-Jamaica) was arrested on corruption charges.

With Councilman Ruben Wills stripped of his member items, residents and organizations in Southeast Queens face an uncertain future. Photo by Luis Gronda

According to the indictment released last week, Wills has been charged with third-degree grand larceny, first-degree scheme to defraud, first-degree falsifying business records and first-degree offering a false instrument for filing. If convicted of the grand larceny charge, he faces up to seven years in prison.

Though Wills has professed his innocence to the media, last week Viverito sent out a statement announcing that her office has been designating funds to be allocated in his district. Queens delegation leader Councilman Mark Weprin (D-Oakland Gardens) will also share in that responsibility.

According to Weprin, in the week before his arrest, Wills submitted a list of priorities that he thought were important to the 28th Council District.

“We will probably use those as guidelines and go through them to see which ones are well-established groups that benefit the community and look for anyone that might raise concern,” Weprin said. “We want to make sure that the groups that represent that area are well taken care of as far as providing services to the residents of the district.”

A prominent leader in Southeast Queens, who only agreed to speak on conditions of anonymity, said he feels that Viverito, a Manhattan Councilwoman, may not be the best person to distribute funds in Wills’ district because she is not familiar with the needs of Southeast Queens.

“I don’t think that she [Viverito] will be able to make the best and most informed choices for Wills’ district,” the source said. “This is where the other elected leaders will need to step in, so that they can guide community-based organizations during this uncertain time.”

Although many seem to agree that Wills’ arrest will have some negative economic impact on the district, Vishnu Mahadeo, president of the Richmond Hill Economic Development Council, is looking at the bright side.

“On this side of the Van Wyck [Expressway], which has over 56 percent of the votes, Ruben Wills gave us less than 10 percent of his discretionary funds. It was an abysmal distribution of discretionary funds,” Mahadeo explained. “He has been accused of stealing funds that are needed in this community, so maybe now, funds will be equally distributed.”

“He has done a total disservice to Richmond Hill. He has not provided any discretionary funds throughout his time as City Councilman,” he added. “If he is removed from the scene, the economic [development] can only go up because he did everything to keep us down.”

Although she said it is still too soon to tell how Wills’ arrest will impact Southeast Queens, Community Board 12 chairwoman Adrienne Adams said she is hopeful that under Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration, the community will still be able to prosper.

“Our saving grace is that we have such an opportunity with the progressive administration. Under the leadership of the Mayor and the Speaker and the Borough President [Melinda Katz], I think that in spite of the situation, our voices are going to be heard,” she said. “I think we will still be in the forefront, as our Borough President and other leaders have made the communities in Board 12 a priority. With that regard, I think we are still very fortunate.”

Reach Reporter Natalia Kozikowska at (718)357-7400 Ext. 123 or nkozikowska@queenspress.com or @nkozikowska.