Como, Crowley and Ober Prepare for Rematch This Year...and Next...
Anthony Como came out ahead in the June 3 special election, but Liz Crowley is hoping to overtake him this November-or, if not, by 2009.After his June 3 victory in the special election, Anthony Como (R-Queens) said he planned to surprise his wife with a week-long vacation. Elizabeth Crowley, a Democrat who lost to Como by just 38 votes, said she hoped to take her son golfing in Montauk for a few days.
Those short breaks are about all they can afford.
Como defeated Crowley and several other candidates in the nonpartisan election to fill the Council seat left vacant by Dennis Gallagher, who stepped down in April as part of a plea deal to a sexual assault charge.
But there is another election for the seat coming in November, and interested candidates had only a few weeks after Como's win was certified to register for the September primary and the November general election. Whoever wins will have to defend the seat again next year.
Como said he shrugs off all campaign exhaustion and keeps moving forward.
"It is what it is," Como said with what must pass for Zen in Queens. "We knew going into it that it was going to be this way."
Crowley is also committed to running again, as is insurgent Democratic candidate Charles Ober. But even though he came within 300 votes of winning the special election, Thomas Ognibene, who once held the seat, vowed not to run again and endorsed Como.
Como said the voters feel the pain of multiple elections more so than he does.
"Numerous constituents have said, 'I can't believe you have to go through this again. We voted for you the first time. We're going to vote for you the second time. It's just silly,'" he said.
Ongoing fundraising has not cramped his style either, Como said, mainly because he relies on small donors rather than labor unions or political action committees for support. Como has accumulated numerous contacts from his time spent as an aide to State Sen. Serphin Maltese (R-Queens) and as a commissioner on the Board of Elections.
"Having that background and that support allows me to continue to do my job and not have to worry about making phone calls," he said.
The main difference between the special election and the November election, Como said, is that this time he will have 145 days of incumbency to his advantage. On the campaign trail, he said he will tout the $3 million in discretionary funds he managed to grab for the district, which includes money to improve Juniper Valley Park, as well as cash for senior centers and schools.
Como said operating a district office will be another key advantage, by enabling him to directly address constituent needs and problems.
"Even though it's going to be a short period of time," Como said, "they're going to see if I was able to accomplish so much in such a short period."
But Crowley sees Como's abbreviated time in office as a potential liability. Most of the budget negotiations were done by the time he was sworn into office, she pointed out, preventing him from bringing as much pork as he would have wanted.
"They had some budget cuts for local organizations and he wasn't really able to spend as he saw fit," Crowley said. "Rather, the money was allocated before he got in there."
As she gears up to run again, Crowley said she is trying not to get bogged down in the nuts and bolts of campaigning. Headaches like attorney fees, closing and re-opening her campaign office, and filing with the Campaign Finance Board and the city Board of Elections can easily distract from the actual issues, she said.
"You have to remain focused," Crowley said, "not get lost in silly, non-important stuff."
Fundraising poses another challenge for Crowley. She was not eligible for matching funds because of outstanding fines and allegations of fraud committed by her campaign during her bid for Council in 2001 against Gallagher. But as the preferred candidate of the Queens County Democratic Party, chaired by her cousin, Rep. Joseph Crowley, as well as with endorsements from the Working Families Party and several labor unions, Crowley still managed to out-raise and out-spend Como and the other candidates by a nearly 3-to-1 margin.
Her loss on June 3 was certainly disappointing, but once she got back down to petitioning, going door-to-door and talking to voters, Crowley said she felt rejuvenated.
"I love talking to voters," she said. "They say, '38 votes and he's the Council member, how can that be?' I tell them, 'You know, it's really just 'til November.'"
Ober's decision to run for the Democratic nomination in September will further complicate Crowley's bid for the seat. The county organization believes he split the vote and allowed Como to win, and members are doing little to hide their displeasure.
"Charles Ober should stay under the rock where he's hiding," said Michael Reich, executive director of the county party.
Ober said if he fails to win the primary this year, there is always 2009. The election laws that prolong this seemingly never-ending campaign are ridiculous, he said. But he believes his support in the community is strong and he is committed to continue to campaign. Fundraising, Ober said, is what exhausts him.
"We managed to raise $67,000," Ober said. "I don't even now how I did that."
