FLUSHING — From restored funding for senior centers to ambitious proposals for convention centers at the Aqueduct racino, Helen Marshall dwelled mostly on the positives for Queens during her State of the Borough address on Tuesday.
But she strayed briefly from a largely upbeat outlook to level harsh attacks against census takers and the possibility of hydrofracking near the city's watershed — the controversial natural gas-extraction method.
Marshall said the 2010 Census, which showed just a 0.1 percent jump in Queens' population over the past decade, "severely undercounted" borough residents.
"We will lose existing aid and representation in Washington because we were undercounted," she warned during her wide-ranging speech to a crowd of 450 at Queens College's Colden Auditorium.
Marshall directed more ire at proposals for hydrofracking, calling on the state to delay permits until "we are 100 percent certain that our city's drinking water won't be threatened by the process."
She also blasted overcrowding in Public School 19 in Corona, Public School 96 in South Ozone Park and Francis Lewis High School in Fresh Meadows. "Not acceptable," she said. "And so the battle continues."
But Marshall mostly focused on the bright spots for the borough, including plans for Willets Point, the maze of auto body shops and junkyards set for redevelopment near the Mets' ballpark, Citi Field.
She said the Willets Point convention center "continues to make sense" because of its proximity to LaGuardia Airport and major roadways and subway and bus lines.
She even offered a bright prediction for the embattled Mets, who lost star shortstop Jose Reyes to free agency. "Who knows?" she said. "Maybe in Citi Field in 2012, the World Champion New York Mets. Keep the faith!"
Marshall also honored Sanitation Department workers Semi Nkozi and Joseph Maneggio, who rescued a group of children from a burning Far Rockaway building in December; Detectives Richard Johnson and Charles Lo Presti, who arrested a suspect in the Jan. 1 firebombing of an Islamic center in Jamaica; and 91-year-old World War II veteran Arno Heller of Rego Park.
"I was just a small cog," Heller said of his war service. "I was glad to be able to fight for this country, which gave me a home and a refuge."
Councilman Leroy Comrie of St. Albans, who is expected to run for Marshall's seat in 2013, told DNAinfo after her address that he supports her plans.
"All of us who care about Queens will make sure that we do everything we can to help her realize her vision," Comrie said.
Comrie declined to say what separated him from other rumored borough president candidates, including Assemblywoman Grace Meng of Flushing, state Sen. Jose Peralta of East Elmhurst and Councilman Peter Vallone Jr. of Astoria.
"We all care about this community and want to represent the community well," Comrie said. "It's way too early to speculate on differences."
Queens Public Television will air an edited version of the address at 10 p.m. Tuesday on Time Warner Cable and RCN. It will run again on Wednesday night and Friday morning.
