Your guide to NYC's public proceedings.
PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Jonathan Forgash, Executive Director and Co-Founder of Queens Together
2:07:05
·
116 sec
Jonathan Forgash, Executive Director and Co-Founder of Queens Together, strongly supports the Metropolitan Park project. He emphasizes the project's potential to create well-paying union jobs and provide significant community benefits, viewing it as a transformative opportunity for Queens.
- Queens Together, with support from Metropolitan Park, provides food relief and business resources to the community.
- The project is expected to bring 23,000 union jobs and over $1 billion in community benefits.
- Forgash argues that access to well-paying jobs is crucial for fighting hunger and building financial security in Queens.
Jonathan Forgash
2:07:05
Thanks.
2:07:05
How's that?
2:07:06
Oh, there you go.
2:07:06
Thank you, Kevin.
2:07:08
Before I start, I wanna say that I'm not just here to talk about the future of Queens Together.
2:07:12
I wanna talk about what they've already done in our community of Queens.
2:07:16
My name is Jonathan Forgash, a proud Queens resident and founder of Queens Together, a food relief organization that partners with independent restaurants and community organizations to fight hunger.
2:07:26
This program provides real economic development to the restaurants and provides culturally appropriate meals and groceries to neighbors facing economic insecurity.
2:07:34
I strongly support Metropolitan Park because they understand and invest in our communities.
2:07:40
Thanks to their financial support, Queens Together provides food relief to thousands of neighbors across the borough.
2:07:45
This funding also supports boots on the ground business resource programs for our diverse restaurant community, including advocacy, events, promotions, and peer to peer mentorship, everything a business needs to thrive.
2:07:59
Metropolitan Park is more than a once in a lifetime opportunity to transform 50 acres of vacant asphalt surrounding Citi Field.
2:08:06
It is also an opportunity to positively impact the health and wealth of the surrounding neighborhoods.
2:08:12
Steve Cohen has said that owning the Mets is a civic responsibility.
2:08:16
With an $8,000,000,000 private investment from Steve Cohen in Hard Rock, Metropolitan Park will bring 23,000 good paying union jobs and more than 1,000,000,000 in community benefits.
2:08:26
And why are these jobs important?
2:08:29
In Queens, a good paying job isn't just a paycheck.
2:08:31
It's a life changer.
2:08:33
Every day, I see families waiting on long lines at food pantries and people juggling two or three low wage jobs just to get by.
2:08:40
The solution to fighting hunger isn't more free food, it's access to well paying union jobs.
2:08:47
Metropolitan Park will provide exactly that, allowing Queen's residents to support their families and build financial security.
2:08:55
Metropolitan Park is a game changer for Queen's.
2:08:57
I hope you will support the project, and thank you for allowing me to speak today.