Last week, another City Council hopeful tossed his hat into the race for the 30th District seat: local activist Charles Ober.The Ridgewood resident and officer of several civic organizations, including the Ridgewood Property Owners and Civic Association, the Ridgewood Democratic Club and the Queens Civic Congress, said his campaign would focus on preserving the area's quality of life.
Ober is one of several potential candidates seeking the seat of former councilmember Dennis Gallagher, who recently announced he would be resigning in April as part of a plea deal. Mayor Bloomberg will schedule the date of a special election to take place 45 to 60 days after his resignation.
Besides Ober, those eyeing the impending vacancy include activist Elizabeth Crowley, Board of Elections commissioner Anthony Como, and Thomas Ognibene, who previously held the 30th District seat. Ober said he was expecting to run in 2009, when Gallagher would have been term-limited out of office.
However, in a phone interview following the announcement of his candidacy, the Ridgewood Property Owners and Civic Association vice-president clearly defined the differences between his resume and his competition.
Ober described Crowley, Como and Ognibene as having prior political backgrounds or career paths crossed with union groups, while his own experience came from serving as financial executive for a local building supply company, and volunteering with community-based organizations on issues including sanitation and graffiti.
"I have an extensive and deep civic background in these neighborhoods," he said. "I feel I know what [residents'] needs are, because I've been there as one of them."
However, Ober denied he was a political outsider, and said he has worked with elected officials numerous times as an officer of the Queens Civic Congress. Most recently, the group collaborated with City Council members to draft a graffiti nuisance abatement bill allowing graffiti to be cleaned off buildings without the owner having to sign a waiver.
"I have always seen myself as someone whom no one can say, 'He can't walk into every room,'" Ober said.
He also touted his experience with preservation, which he cited as a major issue currently facing western Queens. As president of the Ridgewood Democratic Club, Ober said he has been spearheading efforts to restore the organizations headquarters, a building dating back past the year 1917 and located on Putnam Avenue.
Ober, who has lived in Ridgewood over 27 years, said other key issues include the lack of capacity in sewer systems throughout Glendale and Middle Village, down-zonings, and securing a separate zip code for Glendale.
In the latter two cases, he said a lack of political leadership has hurt neighborhoods in recent years. "Ridgewood was downzoned many years ago, but it's almost too late in some areas [here]," he said. "There are monstrosities that have already gone up, so we've got to get this done right away."
Meanwhile, he showed strong support for securing a separate zip code for Glendale, which would eliminate mail-related confusion as well as make it easier for residents to eventually secure a Glendale post office. "There is a population there and it needs these services," Ober said.
The entire field of candidates, including Ober, Crowley, Como and Ognibene, will be appearing for "Candidates Night" at next week's Glendale Property Owners Association session, meeting scheduled for Thursday, April 3rd at 62-10 Myrtle Avenue in Glendale. Start time will be 7:30 p.m.
