Over the past two weeks, our office has been honored to take part in three separate street co-naming ceremonies, each of which honors local individuals who dedicated their lives to their communities.

On September 24, we took part in the co-naming of the corner of Tahoe Street and Eckford Avenue in Ozone Park to Paul Russo way, honoring the life of 33-year old Paul Russo who passed away in 2018 after a long battle with cancer. The son of Villa Russo owner George Russo, Paul is remembered for his deep religious convictions and his work to improve the lives of those in his community.

On Saturday, October 1, my office went to two more ceremonies – one at the corner of Rockaway Boulevard and 91st Street in honor of Scott Jordan, and the other at the intersection of 103^rd Avenue and 92^nd Street in honor of Rita Persaud – known affectionately by community members as “Auntie Rita.”

Jordan, a resident of Ozone Park, was remembered as a strong advocate for the South Queens community before passing away at just 52 years of age in May of 2020.

Persaud, born in Guyana and a resident of Ozone Park, was sadly killed during a hit and run incident on Christmas Eve night, 2020. She was remembered for being highly active in the Hindu community of her neighborhood, and was known as a mentor for local youth.