The District 30 City Council special election to replace former Councilman Dennis Gallagher will be held on June 3, according to a mayoral proclamation issued last week.
The proclamation makes official a run-off in which a number of local hopefuls have already been campaigning since last month.
That number looked like it was going to drop from six to five last week, with the withdrawal of Democrat Michael Mascetti.
“While putting my campaign together, I realized that the unique time constraints and circumstances of this special election are not the surmountable hurdles that I had once envisioned,” Mascetti said in a statement. He went on to cite the difficulty in a special election of securing matching funds in time to wage an effective campaign.
The difficulties faced by the remaining candidates are not limited to financing. Whomever wins the election in June has to run in a September primary, and again in a November general election, to fill the remainder of Gallagher’s term, which expires on Dec. 31, 2009.
Almost as soon as Mascetti made his exit, however, another candidate, previously unacknowledged, was discovered to be making a run at the seat. Democrat John Seminerio, despite having made no public appearances at community candidate nights, has been gathering signatures.
“My hat’s been in there for a while, nobody’s noticed,” Seminerio said.
The son of Assemblyman Anthony Seminerio, of Richmond Hill, John Seminerio has run once before, in 2001 for the 32nd District seat. According to him, he technically lives two blocks into District 32, but grew up in Richmond Hill, much of which is in District 30. He is an attorney, has worked extensively with the Boy Scouts, is the former president of the Woodhaven Residents Block Association, and has been a mentor for the Covent House Rites of Passage Program for 10 years.
“As my old man always says, it’s always a horse race,” he said. “Why not run? It’s the greatest city on earth. Why wouldn’t you want to be a part of it.”
With John Seminerio’s entry, voters are once again faced with an even choice among three Democrats and three Republicans. The other Democrats are: Elizabeth Crowley, who recently garnered the endorsement of the Queens County Democratic Party and Charles Ober, a long-time local civic leader and business executive.
The Republicans are: Anthony Como, commissioner for the Queens Board of Elections, legal counsel to state Sen. Serphin Maltese and recipient of the Queens County Republican Party endorsement; Thomas Ognibene, a 10-year City Council veteran for the district and former council minority leader; and Joseph Suraci, a private practice lawyer and former president of the Middle Village Republican Club.
In a phone interview, Mascetti said he would give fellow Democrat Crowley his full support.
Special election rules stipulate that candidates cannot run as party members in June, but must run as independents. Still, party politics have prevailed thus far, with party endorsements viewed as important for consolidating support.
Last week, for example, Ober accused the Queens County Democratic Party — of which Elizabeth Crowley’s cousin, Congressman Joseph Crowley, is chairman — of making its endorsement without having properly considered his candidacy. Ober said in an interview that the endorsement process was “not a process to find the best candidate” because party leaders had told him their pick was a “foregone conclusion.”
Michael Reich, executive secretary for the QCDP, said he was present at the meeting between Ober and county leaders and that the allegations of bias were false.
“We met with him for over an hour, discussing his possible candidacy, what he brought to the table,” Reich said, asserting that the decision was made because the party’s district leaders and elected officials had all backed Elizabeth Crowley.
The accusations echoed similar claims made by Ognibene last month, who said the QCRP nomination was made in “clandestine fashion” without properly considering him. The QCRP likewise denied any hints at unfairness.
Earlier this week, however, the Queens County Conservative Party endorsed Ognibene, balancing the scales slightly.
The mayor’s proclamation coincided with Gallagher’s last day in office on April 18. Gallagher — who was chief of staff under Ognibene before he took the seat himself — was forced to resign as part of a plea deal in which he pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual misconduct.
Since the guilty plea, Gallagher has maintained his innocence in news interviews, stating publicly that he took the plea deal because of concerns over mounting legal fees. The victim has held fast to her rape accusations.
“While putting my campaign together, I realized that the unique time constraints and circumstances of this special election are not the surmountable hurdles that I had once envisioned,” Mascetti said in a statement. He went on to cite the difficulty in a special election of securing matching funds in time to wage an effective campaign.
The difficulties faced by the remaining candidates are not limited to financing. Whomever wins the election in June has to run in a September primary, and again in a November general election, to fill the remainder of Gallagher’s term, which expires on Dec. 31, 2009.
Almost as soon as Mascetti made his exit, however, another candidate, previously unacknowledged, was discovered to be making a run at the seat. Democrat John Seminerio, despite having made no public appearances at community candidate nights, has been gathering signatures.
“My hat’s been in there for a while, nobody’s noticed,” Seminerio said.
The son of Assemblyman Anthony Seminerio, of Richmond Hill, John Seminerio has run once before, in 2001 for the 32nd District seat. According to him, he technically lives two blocks into District 32, but grew up in Richmond Hill, much of which is in District 30. He is an attorney, has worked extensively with the Boy Scouts, is the former president of the Woodhaven Residents Block Association, and has been a mentor for the Covent House Rites of Passage Program for 10 years.
“As my old man always says, it’s always a horse race,” he said. “Why not run? It’s the greatest city on earth. Why wouldn’t you want to be a part of it.”
With John Seminerio’s entry, voters are once again faced with an even choice among three Democrats and three Republicans. The other Democrats are: Elizabeth Crowley, who recently garnered the endorsement of the Queens County Democratic Party and Charles Ober, a long-time local civic leader and business executive.
The Republicans are: Anthony Como, commissioner for the Queens Board of Elections, legal counsel to state Sen. Serphin Maltese and recipient of the Queens County Republican Party endorsement; Thomas Ognibene, a 10-year City Council veteran for the district and former council minority leader; and Joseph Suraci, a private practice lawyer and former president of the Middle Village Republican Club.
In a phone interview, Mascetti said he would give fellow Democrat Crowley his full support.
Special election rules stipulate that candidates cannot run as party members in June, but must run as independents. Still, party politics have prevailed thus far, with party endorsements viewed as important for consolidating support.
Last week, for example, Ober accused the Queens County Democratic Party — of which Elizabeth Crowley’s cousin, Congressman Joseph Crowley, is chairman — of making its endorsement without having properly considered his candidacy. Ober said in an interview that the endorsement process was “not a process to find the best candidate” because party leaders had told him their pick was a “foregone conclusion.”
Michael Reich, executive secretary for the QCDP, said he was present at the meeting between Ober and county leaders and that the allegations of bias were false.
“We met with him for over an hour, discussing his possible candidacy, what he brought to the table,” Reich said, asserting that the decision was made because the party’s district leaders and elected officials had all backed Elizabeth Crowley.
The accusations echoed similar claims made by Ognibene last month, who said the QCRP nomination was made in “clandestine fashion” without properly considering him. The QCRP likewise denied any hints at unfairness.
Earlier this week, however, the Queens County Conservative Party endorsed Ognibene, balancing the scales slightly.
The mayor’s proclamation coincided with Gallagher’s last day in office on April 18. Gallagher — who was chief of staff under Ognibene before he took the seat himself — was forced to resign as part of a plea deal in which he pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual misconduct.
Since the guilty plea, Gallagher has maintained his innocence in news interviews, stating publicly that he took the plea deal because of concerns over mounting legal fees. The victim has held fast to her rape accusations.
