Queens Gazette

So Long, Elections 2000, Hello, Elections 2001




So Long, Elections 2000,

Hello, Elections 2001


Goodbye, Elections 2000—Hello, Elections 2001.


Elections 2000, which ended yesterday, were one of the most interesting in a long time because they gave us tight races with closely matched candidates at the national level and several hard to call contests locally with fresh faces, such as the Gianaris–Tabone and Padavan–Lancman matchups.


Now comes Elections 2001 with a mayoral race featuring two Queens public officials, City Council Speaker Peter Vallone and Comptroller Alan Hevesi, in leading roles; and the historic term limits-induced races for borough president and each and every one of Queens’ councilmanic positions, which promise to bring out a cast of thousands.


Another Queens aspirant for the mayor’s post is Republican Council Minority Leader Thomas Ognibene of Middle Village.


The race to elect a successor to Borough President Claire Shulman is expected to attract a host of Democrats, mostly City Councilmembers being forced out of their jobs by term limits. Included are, in alphabetical order, Carol Gresser, former Board of Education president; Melinda Katz, community boards director at Borough Hall, and Councilmembers Karen Koslowitz (Rego Park, Forest Hills), Sheldon Leffler (Queens Village), Helen Marshall (East Elmhurst), Walter McCaffrey (Woodside) and John Sabini (Jackson Heights), all Democrats; and Councilmembers Michael Abel (Bayside) and Alfonso Stabile (Ozone Park), both Republicans.


Not to mislead anyone, this is far from a complete list, as we expect others will be enticed into the fray for one reason or other. But we would point out that we expect more than the usual number of slates to emerge.


For instance it wouldn’t be any surprise if Hevesi, running for mayor, forms a slate including Katz for borough president. Hevesi picked her as his successor for the Assembly when he left to become Comptroller and she is female district leader in Forest Hills, co-leader with state Senator Daniel Hevesi, and they head the Robert F. Kennedy Democratic Association, which was founded by Alan Hevesi.


As for the 14 City Council seats that will be up for grabs, we can expect hordes of Democrats fighting it out in the primaries because the voter registration rolls in Queens favor Democrats in the general elections so winners of the primaries will have an easy time in the November elections. Presently there are 11 Democrats in the Council from Queens and three Republicans.


Names of Council hopefuls started dropping early this year, and a prominent one among them was Claire Shulman who, according to the scuttlebutt, was not ready to retire once eased out of the borough president’s job. Shulman has refused to speak on the subject, but the talk was she would seek the 19th district seat in eastern Queens covering her home area in Bayside. Despite the talk, several people have already announced plans to run for the post, including Tony Avella, Jerry Iannece, Arthur Cheliotes and Joyce Shepard.


Other reported City Council hopefuls, who like the aforementioned have applied for New York City campaign financing aid, are: 20th district (Flushing), John Liu and Ethel Chen; 21st district (East Elmhurst, the Rev. Marvin Bentley; 22nd district (Astoria), Peter Vallone Jr. and Mike Zapiti; 24th district (Kew Gardens), Jeff Gottlieb, Barry Grodenchik, Jim Gennaro and Bernice Siegel; 23nd district (Queens Village), David Weprin; 25th district (Jackson Heights/Corona), Mal Press, James Lisa, Rudy Greco, and Ellen Raffaele, and 30th district (Middle Village/Glendale), Dennis Gallagher and Robert Cermeli.


As we said, because of the historical and political importance of the term limits phenomenon, as well as the large number of aspirants that will be unleashed, Elections 2001 should be one for the books.


But there still are forces at work, such as Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and Council Speaker Peter Vallone, who are hoping to find a way to ditch the term limits idea before the 2001 elections unfold. It’s not clear what changes they would hope to make or whether they would scrap the whole plan, but recurring reports in recent weeks about hopes of blocking the term limits law mention the mayor and Vallone as advocating some sort of change.


So hang on for the ride—it should be very exciting.


DEN DEKKER ANNOUNCES: The latest City Council hopeful to announce is Michael Den Dekker, a Department of Sanitation worker and district representative for Assemblymember Margaret Markey (D, Maspeth). Den Dekker, of Jackson Heights, said he will run for the 25th Council District seat, which already has several aspirants.


Den Dekker is a member of Community Board 3 and several community civic, church and Sanitation organizations. He has a fund-raiser scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 18th at Dante Caterers, 75-07 31st Ave., Jackson Heights, from 6 to 8 p.m.


GRESSER BUSY: Former Board of Ed President Carol Gresser is keeping a busy schedule in her quest for the Queens borough president’s post. Last Saturday she attended the Astoria and Long Island City Environmental Health Fair, this Saturday she’s penned in for the Flushing YWCA Annual Bazaar, and next Wednesday joins Diane Ravich for a forum on education at St. John’s University at 6 p.m.


WEINER ON WHEELS: Congressmember Anthony Weiner (D, Brooklyn /Queens) took time out from reelection campaigning last Saturday to lace up his skates and officiate at a James Bohan Memorial Hockey League game in Juniper Valley Park in Middle Village. Weiner also donated some hockey equipment to the league.


SALES TAX EXEMPTION SNAFU: Last week, Vallone and Councilmembers Herb Berman (D, Brooklyn) and Koslowitz (D), released a report showing that some clothing shops are still charging the 8.25 percent sales tax on items that are now exempted from the levy.


"Almost 50 percent of the stores surveyed are improperly charging sales tax," Vallone complained. "The cost of living in New York City is high enough as it is."


Berman said officials should do more to get out the information about "this permanent tax exemption" and to enforce it.


BUSY MALONEY: Congressmember Carolyn Maloney (D–Manhattan, Queens) was busy on a few fronts last week. She said in a speech in Congress that "the highest possible funding for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)" should be approved. She noted the program helps seniors and low-income people to meet their fuel bills, and warned there are predictions for a cold winter and high fuel prices.


On another fuel-related topic, Maloney blasted "Big Oil’s attempt to get revenge" on the Project On Government Oversight (POGO), a private oil industry watchdog organization which teamed with Maloney several years ago to force the industry to pay the royalties it owed on profits gained from oil taken from government property. Big Oil, Maloney said, prompted a move by Republicans in Congress "to persecute and harass" POGO, but she led the move to defeat it.


Finally, Maloney announced that her bill to require fire sprinklers in new multi-family housing in New York City had passed both houses and was expected to be signed into law by Clinton.


HONORS: Assemblymember Ann Margaret Carrozza (D–Bayside) received the New Century Democratic Association’s 21st Century Leadership Award at the organization’s recent dinner. Also receiving awards were Community Board 7 District Manager Marilyn Bitterman, Ray Melville, assistant business manager of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, and Thomas Chen of Crystal Windows and Doors. The awards were presented by Assemblymember Brian McLaughlin (D–Flushing) and club leaders Tony Avella and Mary Ann Dorsa.


SUCCESSFUL CONCLUSION: Last Wednesday, state Senator Toby Stavisky (D–Flushing) joined 500 students of P.S. 214 at an outdoor assembly to celebrate the grand re-opening of the school’s playground at 31st Drive, Union Street, and 140th Street in Flushing.


When students returned to school in September, they found the playground one large mound of broken cement which had been dug up during the summer. Stavisky’s complaints in short order resulted in a brand new playground.


The previous day, Stavisky and Avella, a community leader, met with Nam Ho Cho, mayor of Seocho City in Seoul, Korea, and Sie Jong Lee, president of The Korean American Association of Greater New York, to exchange international greetings and to strengthen ties with the large Korean population in the greater Flushing area.


FOLLOW UP TO CENTRAL PARK ASSAULTS: The City Council has passed Leffler’s resolution calling on the state legislature to enact a law which would criminalize gang sexual assaults such as those which occurred last June in Central Park following the Puerto Rican Day parade. A gang is defined as two or more individuals. Enactment of the law would "give prosecutors another tool to confront the heinous crime of sexual assault," Leffler said.




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