Community leaders, elected officials, business owners and residents gathered at Sunnyside Community Services on June 25 as Sunnyside Shines celebrated its 18th Annual Meeting, highlighting another year of neighborhood revitalization while recognizing longtime public servants and outlining initiatives aimed at supporting local businesses.
The annual event featured keynote remarks from NYC Comptroller Mark Levine, who praised Sunnyside’s thriving commercial district and noted that the neighborhood continues to maintain one of the city’s lowest storefront vacancy rates.
Levine, who marched in last year’s SunnyPride Parade, reaffirmed his support for the community and introduced his new board representative, Elizabeth Monterossa. During his remarks, he also discussed loan programs available to assist small businesses as they continue to navigate economic challenges.
The meeting brought together several city agency leaders who shared updates on programs and resources available to merchants, including Gregory Anderson, Commissioner of the New York City Department of Sanitation; Samuel A.A. Levine, Commissioner of the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection; Ahmed Tigani, Commissioner of the Department of Buildings; and Rachel Amar, Special Assistant to the Commissioner of the Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings (OATH).
One of the afternoon’s highlights came as Sunnyside Shines presented its Sunnyside Hero Award to outgoing New York State Senator and Deputy Majority Leader Michael Gianaris in recognition of his decades of service to Sunnyside and Western Queens.
“Senator Gianaris has done so much for Sunnyside for years,” said Dirk McCall de Paloma, Executive Director of Sunnyside Shines, while presenting the award. “He came to our community consistently and always listened. Our merchants greatly appreciated his advocacy and his support. He has been outstanding and we thank him for all of his work.”
Gianaris thanked the organization for the recognition.
“I am deeply appreciative of Sunnyside Shines for presenting me with the Sunnyside Hero Award,” he said. “It has been an honor to represent this community and to work with the BID to build opportunity.”
McCall de Paloma reflected on another successful year for the Business Improvement District and thanked the elected officials, commissioners and community partners who attended.
“Thank you to everyone who came out to our 2026 Annual Meeting,” he said. “We are honored to report back on our successes over the last year and to talk about our plans for the next fiscal year. We are confident that the information shared by our city partners will continue helping our merchants thrive.”
Commissioner Anderson highlighted the city’s efforts to improve neighborhood cleanliness and quality of life.
“At DSNY, we are working to build a new era for our city’s neighborhoods, one where cleanliness is measured not just by the absence of trash but by vitality and well-maintained neighborhoods and public spaces,” Anderson said. “Thank you to Sunnyside Shines for your partnership to keep Sunnyside clean, safe and healthy.”
Commissioner Tigani emphasized the importance of collaboration between city agencies and business improvement districts.
“Organizations like Sunnyside Shines serve as a critical bridge between small businesses, community leaders, local residents and regulatory agencies,” Tigani said. “It was a privilege to discuss the Department of Buildings’ ongoing initiatives aimed at supporting economic development and housing production.”
Commissioner Levine also praised the partnership between the city and the BID.
“Strong neighborhoods are built on strong partnerships,” he said. “Through community engagement, business outreach and educational programming, we are helping local businesses access the resources they need to succeed while ensuring workers and consumers are protected.”
The annual meeting also included elections for half of Sunnyside Shines’ Board of Directors.
Re-elected property owner representatives included Board Chair Maria Medina, Vice Chair Maureen Stathis, Secretary Gerald Lederman, John Ferreira of JPMorgan Chase, Yulan Lo of Tangra and Rajneesh Vig of Orion Realty. Jeff Weiner was elected to complete the unexpired term of his late father, longtime Sunnyside Shines Treasurer Artie Weiner.
Commercial tenant representatives Susan Albenio of Tito Rad’s Restaurant and Randy Gutierrez of Green Valley Marketplace were re-elected, while Rob Suarez of FourLeaf Federal Credit Union and Jessica Naissant of Renaissant NYC, Sunnyside’s first legal cannabis dispensary, joined the board as newly elected members.
Residential representative Cathy Murphy was also re-elected, along with nonprofit representatives Morry Galonoy of Community Board 2, Judith Zangwill of Sunnyside Community Services, Tom Grech of the Queens Chamber of Commerce and Ben Guttmann of the Queens Economic Development Corporation.
“Our returning and new board members are all dedicated to serving the commercial corridors of Sunnyside and improving the community,” said Board Chair Maria Medina. “We thank them for their service and look forward to a very productive year ahead.”
McCall de Paloma also congratulated Democratic primary winners Aber Kawas and Samantha Kattan, who attended the event, expressing optimism about working together to continue supporting Sunnyside’s business community.
For more information about Sunnyside Shines and its programs, visit its website or follow the organization on social media.
