Bob Friedrichs leadership as President of the Glen Oaks Village co-op has been instrumental in transforming this community into a desirable neighborhood for families to live in and raise their children.  Bob's vision was to create a uniquely Glen Oaks program of Value-Added Improvements - allowing apartment owners to dramatically alter their apartments by  reclaiming unused basements below  their apartments and/or by converting attics into a floor of livable  additional family space with 3rd-floor townhouse dormers -- unprecedented in co-op housing.  These liberty-expanding initiatives were the result of a 3-year effort that Bob fought through a maze of city agencies.   Our homes can now grow along with our families.  All zoning guidelines were faithfully followed to conserve the character of our neighborhood.   Thanks to Bob's creativity and initiatives, our community sets an example of how buildings can be tastefully modified without creating McMansions.

Glen Oaks Village is a co-op community of 10,000 residents  a microcosm of our district. In its most recent annual questionnaire, owners were asked to rate the job Bob Friedrich and the board of directors were doing.  The good to excellent rating was given by 97%.    This 97% Vote of Confidence is the culmination of years of hard work, steady focus and out-of-the-box thinking -- and Bob has done it all as a volunteer without receiving compensation.  The high approval rating is an objective measure of Bob's LEADERSHIP, FISCAL RESPONSIBILTY and INTEGRITY.

Although many of my achievements were in Glen Oaks, they have all been good for the surrounding communities. I have worked alongside neighboring civic associations and as chairman of the Budget Committee of Glen Oaks Village, the co-op has always budgeted money for worthwhile community projects that help our local schools and civic associations.  Bob works with civic groups such as the North Bellerose Civic Association, on street-tree planting and graffiti-removal and with other neighborhood civics has helped fund the installation of antique street lights on Jericho Turnpike. Leveraging the joint strength of cooperating communities to help one another has given all of our communities an effective political voice. 

Glen Oaks Village is a community of 10,000 residents.  Prior to Bob's leadership, the co-op was on the brink of bankruptcy, transient and poorly maintained. Turn the clock ahead 15 years -- through visionary leadership, this community has been transformed. This took INNOVATIVE IDEAS, FISCAL DISCIPLINE and LEADERSHIP.   Imagine what I can achieve as your elected representative.

Ideas such as the Green Thumb voucher program enable Glen Oaks residents to purchase extra plants when they visit their local nursery.   This Program has encouraged hundreds of neighbors to become weekend gardeners.  A Newsletter brimming with useful information.  Value-Added Improvements, unprecedented in co-ops, allow owners to make "homelike" improvements to apartments.  These range from adding decks, skylights, and private entrances, to 3rd-floor dormers expanding attics into livable space, and basement conversions.   The torrent of owner improvements continues to this day.  Bob spearheaded Self-Management of the co-op, creating new levels of accountability.    He developed and cultivated close working relationships with elected officials.   Bob established a new board culture of respect, openness and transparency in all of its dealings that has led to the enormous success that is Glen Oaks Village. 

The 3-year battle BOB initiated and carefully navigated through the bureaucracy of local government was responsible for the city granting Glen Oaks Village the right to construct 3rd-floor townhouses by recapturing unused attic space.  Sensitive to community concerns about over-building, it has been done carefully by strictly conforming to zoning codes to maintain the character and garden-apartment appeal of our buildings. We set an example of how buildings could be tastefully altered without creating McMansions.

This hard-won battle has given 3000 families an opportunity to remain here instead of seeking a larger home elsewhere. This is an unprecedented accomplishment in co-op housing.   Habitat Magazine wrote that BOB has started a "quiet revolution" in Glen Oaks Village.

BOB will  bring this same type of Leadership that is responsive to the needs of our community to elected office. Although many of these achievements were in Glen Oaks, they have all had a positive impact on the surrounding communities.

Providing them with 1st-HOUR FREE PARKING AT ALL MUNI METERS in neighborhood shopping districts  the home of MOM and POP shops, is one way to do it. This will make it much easier to patronize neighborhood stores without struggling to find enough change for the meter -- especially when running in for a quick purchase. Mom & Pop shops are competing with the large box stores that all offer free parking.   Lets at least try to create a level playing field for them!

I served on Community Board 13 and have worked with many local Civic Associations through my involvement in the Queens Civic Congress, an umbrella group of neighborhood organization.  I attended NYC Public Schools and graduated with a degree in accounting and finance from Queens College. Im a business owner and understand the struggles of the mom and pop shops.

Bob Friedrich didnt stop at just helping owners.  He initiated the Homestead Program at Glen Oaks Village, which offered long-term renters the opportunity to become homeowners and purchase their apartments at prices far below fair market value.  These families were given a life-changing opportunity!

BOB friedrich BECAUSE RESULTS MATTER!