City & State NY: The 2024 Queens Power 100

City & State NY: The 2024 Queens Power 100 | March 2024: Move over baseball and tennis, Queens is quickly becoming the soccer borough. The youth of the city – and their parents – flocking to Long Island City for indoor soccer during cold weather are likely to be joined by a new Major League Soccer stadium in Willets Point. The state’s pending award of three downstate casino licenses will likely upgrade the Aqueduct racino to full casino status and Mets owner Steve Cohen eagerly wants to put a casino next door to Citi Field. It’s not just all recreation in Queens. Long Island City is developing a new comprehensive plan, Howard Beach gave a conditional yes to the City of Yes, both airports are getting gleaming updates and Woodside is on the move. See who are the most powerful goalies protecting the “World’s Borough” in the Queens Power 100.

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65. Ben Thomases

Executive Director, Queens Community House

Ben Thomases positioned Queens Community House financially and programmatically with the nonprofit purchasing its longtime Forest Hills headquarters three years ago to renovate its facility. Thomases welcomed neighbors back in November 2022 to a $15 million community center featuring new lounges, counseling rooms and accessibility upgrades. Last summer, Thomases cut the ribbon on a new adult center in Jamaica, and then he brought back social adult day services programs.

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