GOP Wants Tabone As 36th AD Nominee, But He’s Undecided

Vincent Tabone, the Astoria–Long Island City Republican leader, hasn’t formally announced his candidacy for the 36th Assembly District seat, but his name is on party petitions now being circulated to qualify him and others as the organization’s official choices in the November elections.

Other names on those petitions, among others, are Katina Kiourkenidis, seeking the nomination for the 14th district state senate seat, and Frank Kenna, who wants the party’s nomination for a districtwide Civil Court Judge seat.

If enough valid signatures are collected and Tabone accepts the nomination, it will be the first time that all three 36th AD party officials are running for office at the same time. Kiourkenidis is state committeewoman (Tabone’s co-leader) and Kenna is district chairman. Needless to say, there should be no reason why that ticket wouldn’t draw maximum support in the campaign and election.

Tabone said he hasn’t officially announced his decision to run or not run yet because he wants to consider the idea further. Previously he had said he was concerned over his duties as vice president of the city’s Economic Development Corporation (EDC), to which he was appointed by Mayor Rudolph Giuliani.

Other sources report Tabone wants to see what campaign help he might receive from state party officials before he makes a decision.

Tabone, if he runs, would oppose the winner of the expected Democratic primary, for which Kimon Thermos and Michael Gianaris who replaced Assemblymember Denis Butler as the party’s choice after Butler announced he was retiring and not seeking reelection, are contending. Both Thermos and Gianaris are Astoria residents.

Kiourkenidis is looking to run against state Senator George Onorato, the Democratic incumbent. Kenna’s opponent is not known yet.

We’ll report on other party nominees next week. But we have been informed of the Independence Party choices in Queens by county chairman Gerald Everett of Woodside. Everett said his party’s designees are, among others, Josephine Clay Jones of Flushing against state Senator Toby Stavisky, the Democrat seeking re-election, and state Senators Serphin Maltese and Frank Padavan, both Republican–Conservative incumbents.

In Assembly races, Everett said Democratic incumbents Ann Margaret Carrozza, Bayside and Anthony Seminerio, Richmond Hill, were picked, and Republican designee Michael Roenmelt of Middle Village, was chosen to oppose Democrat Michael Cohen, of Forest Hills, who’s running for re-election.

Everett also said "we really liked" Thermos in the 36th AD race but "everything happened so fast, what with Butler’s retirement and all that, that we just didn’t have time to designate Thermos before the June 6th deadline."

LAZIO GLOSSES OVER INDY SNUB: Undetered by the Independence Party’s rejection of his candidacy for the United States Senate, Congressmember Rick Lazio (R–Long Island) says he still has hopes of drawing independent voters’ ballots against Democratic choice Hillary Rodham Clinton and will continue to pursue those voters.

Although Lazio picked up the Conservative Party nomination and Clinton got the Liberal Party nod, the Independence Party stayed true to its name in this case by nominating two of its own members and setting up a primary for the pair in September.

Last Tuesday, a day after the Independence Party’s action, Lazio said, "I think my job now is to make sure I reach out to those voters who have voted for Independence Party candidates in the past."

Clinton probably would like to have them, too, but she sloughed off the party’s support because conservative Pat Buchanan may be the party’s presidential candidate.

The Independence Party state committee is now under the control of Frank McKay of Suffolk County, whose Queens party leader is Gerald Everett of Woodside. McKay’s predecessor, Jack Essenberg, was bounced when the court’s upheld McKay’s election as chairman early this year. Under Essenberg, Michael Niebauer, of Whitestone, had been Queens chairman.

CURBING E-MAIL ABUSE: Consumers who don’t want to receive unsolicited e-mail advertisements would have the right to prevent them from being sent, under a bill sponsored by Assemblymember Margaret Markey (D–Maspeth). Under the bill, if the ads continued coming after an individual says to stop them, the sender could face penalties. Markey’s bill was one of a 17-bill package dealing with privacy which passed the Assembly last week.

The basic objective of the legislation is "to increase consumer privacy on the Internet," Markey stated. She said that unchecked, a heavy load of unsolicited ads could lead to other major abuses.

OK MALTESE’S PARTIAL BIRTH ABORT BILL: For the third year, the senate last week approved a ban on partial birth abortions sponsored by state Senator Serphin Maltese (R–C, Elmhurst). The bill specifically defines a partial birth abortion as one in which a living fetus is delivered before it is killed.

Speaking of the bill, Maltese said, "this is not a matter of pro-life or pro-choice. this is a matter of decency, a matter of what morally defines a society." He said his measure" would prohibit a barbaric procedure that is akin to infanticide and should not be performed in New York State or any civilized society.

The bill is opposed in the Assembly by Speaker Sheldon Silver (Manhattan) and is not expected to come to the floor for consideration.

CROWLEY SECURES LEP FUNDS: A five-year, $1.4 million grant to expand Limited English Proficient (LEP) programs in PS 154 in Flushing’s School District 25 has been secured by Congressmember Joseph Crowley (D–Queens/Bronx). Crowley’s release on the subject said that "70 percent of the 24,000 students [in the school] come from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds" and that over 4,000 of the students are designated Limited English Proficient.

Crowley stated, "this funding will allow every child to start on a level playing field. Strong LEP programs are crucial to effective education in our dynamic community."

SD 25 Superintendent Michelle Fratti said P.S. 154’s "Literacy for All" program seeks to enable LEP children "to achieve the same high academic standards expected of all students."

WIESENFELD RETURNS TO QC: Twenty years after graduating from Queens College in Flushing, Jeff Wiesenfeld returned to his alma mater last week as trustee of the City University of New York (CUNY) to speak at the school’s commencement exercises. For the former Forest Hills political and community activist it was catch-up time. Wiesenfeld didn’t attend his 1980 class graduation ceremonies because he was busy working, so his presence at last week’s commencement "not only made me feel like a graduate but also gave me the chance to speak to the graduating class," he said.

SEMINERIO ANGRY: Assemblymember Anthony Seminerio (D–Richmond Hill) last week accused Speaker Silver of bias against Italian–Americans because the Democratic Assembly leader scheduled an important debate at the same time that the Italian–American Legislator’s dinner was being held, thereby causing Seminerio and his colleagues to miss the affair.

"It never happens with the Black and Puerto Rican Caucus or with Irish Affairs," Seminerio was quoted in a report of the incident. "And if it is a Jewish holiday, he [Silver] is out of here by one o’clock in the afternoon."

Seminerio attributed Silver’s actions to Seminerio’s support several weeks ago of a move to replace Silver as Speaker, which failed. The debate scheduled by Silver was on a series of bills designed to reduce incidents of police shooting or beating innocent citizens.

Silver reacted to Seminerio’s charges by saying, "I can’t explain Tony Seminerio. I think he’s been around here a long time and feels he can do what’s good for Tony Seminerio."