Monserrate Gets Dem Nod For 21st District Council Seat
By John Toscano

Councilmembers Helen Marshall

Corona activist Hiram Monserrate, couldn’t have guessed that winning the Democratic Party district leader post in the 34th Avenue Part B last September would pay a healthy dividend just eight months later.

As it happened Monserrate was one of at lest four aspirants to the City Council’s 21st District seat recently along with the Reverend Dr. Marvin J. Bentley, also a Corona resident and Community Board 3 member, Aida Gonzalez–Jarrin, former Director of Cultural Affairs in the Queens Borough President’s office and Angel del Pillar, a Jackson Heights attorney.

Queens Democratic leader Thomas Manton asserted that he wanted a district leader to get the party’s support, so the Democratic nod for the seat went to Monserrate. Bentley, del Pillar and Gonzalez–Jarrin are still expected to continue in the race for the Sept. 11 primary.

The contest presents a balanced field. All four candidates have been active in their communities’ civic and political areas.

Sheldon Leffler

Gonzalez-Jarrin boasts 20 year of service in state and city government, holds a master’s degree in political science from Queens College and was a founding member of the Hispanic committee to create District 21 several years ago.

Bentley is the pastor of the Antioch Baptist Church of Corona, serves on Community Board 3 and was formerly a School Board 30 member.

Monserrate is a former New York City police officer who co-founded the Latin Officers Association, is working for a master’s degree in Urban Studies at Queens College and is an active member and officer of the New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU).

He has been endorsed by Councilmembers Helen Marshall and Walter McCaffrey, Assemblymember Catherine Nolan and several labor unions and the Working Families Party.

Assemblymember Audrey Pheffer, below, all candidates for borough president, squared off. A fourth candidate, Carol Gresser, did not appear. Pheffer has since withdrawn from the contest.

Del Pillar is active in several Hispanic associations and immigrant advocacy groups in Jackson Heights.

The 21st District covers East Elmhurst, Corona and parts of Elmhurst and Jackson Heights. It is presently represented by Marshall, who is the county Democratic organization’s choice for Queens Borough president.

By the time you read this, billionaire Michael Bloomberg may have already made his long-expected announcement to run for mayor on the Republican line. But there’s still a chance he’ll first have to win a primary because Herman Badillo has been resisting efforts to get him out of the GOP field.

Even if Bloomberg does eventually become the Republican candidate, he will have to run in the general election without the Liberal Party endorsement because the Libs last week gave their line to Comptroller Alan Hevesi. The sad part for Bloomberg, who sought the endorsement, is that no Republican in 50 years has won the mayor’s chair without the Liberal Party line.

But times have changed. The line doesn’t draw as well as it once did, and perhaps Hevesi, if he wins the Democratic primary, may not benefit so much from being the Liberal candidate as well.

ENDORSEMENTS: The Queens Liberal party followed the Democratic party’s lead and endorsed Marshall for borough president and John Liu (20th District), Monserrate (21st District), Peter Vallone Jr. (22nd District) and Melinda Katz (29th District) in their respective Council races.

Other endorsements made by Liberals in Council races are: Jerry Iannece (19th), Jim Gennaro (24th) Ellen Raffaele (25th), Joe Conley (26th), Joan DeCamp (30th) and Joseph Addabbo Jr. (32nd).

The Liberal Party had endorsed Bernice Siegal in the 23rd District, a nomination now meaningless since Siegal has been designated by the Democrats for a Civil Court judge seat.

Gennaro, presently environmental policy advisor for the City Council and an adjunct professor of environmental public policy at Queens College, has also been endorsed by Dr. Barry Commoner, one of the country’s leading environmental scientists. Commoner, director of the Center for the Biology of Natural Systems at Queens College, was named a Time magazine "Hero of the Planet."

GREEN ENDORSED: Public Advocate Mark Green won the West Queens Independent Democratic Club endorsement for mayor and Councilmember Sheldon Leffler the nod for borough president. Also endorsed were Council hopefuls Joe Conley (26th District) and Jimmy van Bramer (25th District).

NO COMEDOWN: After working in the White House and dabbling in presidential politics last year as Al Gore’s campaign manager in New York state, you might think it would be a comedown for Eric Gioia to run for the City Council’s 26th District (Woodside/Sunnyside) seat.

Not at all, says the Woodside native, who at 28 is one of the youngest Council hopefuls in the city.

"My roots are here," he said proudly, noting he was born and raised in Woodside, attended P.S. 11 and J.H.S. 125, used to help out at his family’s florist business there and joined the local Anoroc Democratic Club, which is headed by Dem county chairman Tom Manton, for whom Gioia once worked.

Even so, Manton has endorsed one of Gioia’s opponents, Matt Farrell, in the race. Also running are Michael Kearney, Patrick O’Malley, Joe Heaphy and Joe Conley.

After graduating from St. Francis Prep, Gioia worked his way through New York University and Georgetown Law School, then went to work in Manton’s district office, The Queens District Attorney’s office and the White House as a law clerk. He started campaigning seven months ago, right after Gore’s losing race, and claims to have raised $100,000, "more than all my opponents put together."

But he’s in a tough race as several of his opponents have strong constituencies in the district. Kearney a former Sunnyside Chamber of Commerce president, is strong in the business community. Conley has served as Community Board 2 chairman for many years and has many supporters while Farrell has Manton and the borough’s political machine behind him, plus years of experience running Councilmember Karen Koslowitz’ office.

BP DEBATE AT GOODWILL: At the first of several campaign debates to be held by Goodwill Industries, Councilmembers Helen Marshall and Sheldon Leffler and Assemblymember Audrey Pheffer, all candidates for borough president, squared off. A fourth candidate, Carol Gresser, did not appear. Pheffer has since withdrawn from the contest.

According to Martha R. Gotwals, Goodwill public relations director, Marshall described how her community activism led to her involvement in politics. Marshall said that one of her long-abiding concerns has been public education and "to watch out for our children." She also spoke in favor of community policing, pointing out, Gotwals said, "No matter where I go, people want that [police] officer on the street."

Gotwals said Leffler also expressed the same support for a strong police presence. She said Leffler pledged, "to work for services and programs you care about and get positive results that benefit you."

Leffler also identified a need to plan for the long run to improve city services and emphasized the importance of expertise and professionalism to achieve good results.