Park Restored To 22nd AD Dem Primary Ballot

In our coverage of next Tuesday's primary elections, which appears elsewhere in this issue, we omitted the name of Terrence Park as a candidate in Flushing's Democratic primary in the 22nd Assembly District. Park is one of three candidates in that contest, the other two are Ellen Young and Julia Harrison, the former Assemblymember and City Councilmember who's coming out of retirement and attempting a comeback at the age of 86.

Park had been knocked off the ballot and his name did not appear as a 22nd AD candidate on the official list of candidates provided to the Gazette by the Board of Elections, so we listed only Young and Harrison as the candidates in that contest.

But last week we received a list of endorsements made by the Citizens Union, a good government group. Their choice in the 22nd AD race was Park.

Checking further, we found out that Park had appealed the Queens judge's decision knocking him out of the race and he was reinstated to the ballot by a higher court on appeal.

This changes the whole dynamic of the contest, as it opens the possibility that Young and Park, both East Asians, could split that ethnic group's vote, thus benefitting Harrison. Young and Harrison could also split the women's vote and Park could benefit.

We were intrigued by Harrison's comeback attempt in her mid-80s, so we asked how she felt being back in a campaign again after her City Council career was cut short by term limits at the end of 2000.

"I'm enjoying it tremendously," she told us. "It's so invigorating being in a campaign again, debating my opponents, and it's great to see the voters still remember my name and reputation."

Prior to serving in the City Council, Harrison represented much of the same area she's running in now when she was a state Assemblymember from 1983 to 1986.

CU ENDORSES SABINI: Citizens Union election endorsements are valued by candidates because that organization is an independent good government group. For that reason, state Senator John Sabini's campaign strategists are on Cloud Nine over his endorsement by CU.

The endorsement notes that Sabini (D-Jackson Heights), who's being challenged by Councilmember Hiram Monserrate (D-Corona) in next Tuesday's primary, has introduced a bill to establish a statewide gang database to combat violent crimes more effectively. That's important in Sabini's district because a serious gang problem exists there.

CU also applauded Sabini's district priorities, which include alleviating school overcrowding, bringing about more affordable housing and better access to health care for low-income residents. The Citizens Union Voters Guide concluded, "Sabini is a thoughtful candidate who has played a positive role in helping make our government in Albany more transparent and accountable and is deserving of Citizens Union's preferred candidate rating."

MAYOR THANKS DA BROWN: Mayor Michael Bloomberg recently hailed Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown for his good work in convicting Woodhaven gun dealer Michael Spallone of disorderly conduct, following an undercover investigation.

The mayor, who's waging an intense campaign to get guns off the streets, said the investigation revealed violations in sales practices at the Woodhaven Rifle and Pistol Range Inc. operated by Spallone, who was fined $1,000 after pleading guilty to disorderly conduct and will have his dealer's license revocation extended by the Police Department.

"His guilty plea sends a strong message: any violation of the law that allows illegal guns to flow onto our streets will be vigorously pursued," the mayor declared. "If you break the law, you will pay the price."

He praised Brown for recognizing that "rigid enforcement of gun laws can help prevent the tragic consequences of gun violence."

'YOUTH ACTION TEAM' IN ACTION: Daniel Carter Beard Memorial Square at Northern Boulevard and Main Street in Flushing recently got a makeover from City Councilmember John Liu's Youth Action Team, leaving it shiny and sparkling.

The team, comprised of more than 80 outstanding high school student volunteers from throughout the city, and working in conjunction with the Parks Department, cut the grass, trimmed the bushes and removed debris before scraping, peeling and repainting the wrought iron fence that surrounds the park on its perimeter.

Other projects completed by the team this summer, Liu (D-Flushing) said, were