Charles Ober reads a statement after a gay-bashing letter was circulated throughout Queens last week.It was filled with hate, ignorance and crude statements against gays and the anonymous letter was meant to derail openly homosexual 30th District Council candidate Charles Ober.
Instead, the evil screed brought other candidates to the contender's defense and stirred a new political battle.
Ober said his campaign office fielded over 50 calls with complaints about the infamous letter. Thomas Ognibene, another candidate, received three of these to his home and came to support his rival at a press conference on Wednesday.
The epistle allegedly circulated throughout Glendale, Middle Village, and Ridgewood was an obscene gesture from a "coward" according to the Republican Ognibene. When early speculation created rumors that he was behind the conspicuous screed, he went on the offensive.
"The last person I want to attack practically is Charles Ober," he said of the Democratic candidate. Then he drew parallels to his own political career. "Vicious mail attacked me that had the same label.”
Ognibene refused to go into details about his alleged piece of mail and only said this latest attack was not an accident but a planned written assault. "It wasn't casual. It didn't come from someone waking up one morning angry."
In front of a small group of reporters and supporters, Charles Ober spoke about what happened at the World War II Memorial on Cooper and Myrtle avenues last Wednesday.
"My sexuality has never been an issue and I don't want it to be now," he said.
Running in a democracy where people can pick their leaders is why he ran to begin with. "People have a choice," he said. "That's why I'm running. I just want to concentrate on the election and not let this distract me."
When asked about who was behind the attack, he didn't call out his opponents.
"It could be anybody," he said. "I want to focus on the election and focus on what voters really care about. I want to concentrate on the issues, not trying to bash people. What's important is what voters need.”
Peter Comber, a member of Community Board 5, came to the brief conference and said the letter was just ugly. "I was in Texas during the 1960s," he said. "Some of that stuff that came out then is just as bad as this stuff - done by cowards."
Some even speculated that special election candidate, Elizabeth Crowley, could be behind the attack, but those accusations have not been warranted. Her people went on the offensive after hearing Ognibene and Ober joined forces, however.
In a statement from the Democratic candidate's office, she pointed the finger at her two rival candidates.
"The cheap political theatrics of Charles Ober and Tom Ognibene do a disservice to the people of Queens," the statement detailed. "Charles Ober is allowing himself to be used by Tom Ognibene and the Republicans, since Ognibene's entire career has been an affront to everything Ober claims to stand for."
The statement continued to say how Ognibene voted against New York City's domestic partnership laws. "Ober should be ashamed of himself for working with Ognibene to keep the Council seat in Republican hands," the statement continued.
Meanwhile Ober had his own response to this."I cannot believe that Crowley was the only candidate that did not call me to speak out against the letter,” he said, “but issued a statement attacking me through her campaign manager questioning my motives, rather than face this issue head on, with me personally.”
At the moment, Ober plans to remain a candidate in the special election slated for June 3.
