Say what you want about City Council candidates in Fresh Meadows - but don't complain about a lack of choices.
Among the announced contenders for term-limited James Gennaro's seat are two Democratic district leaders, a Bangladeshi immigrant, a prominent historian and a 61-year-old first-time candidate.
And that's not counting Republicans, who will run either a Forest Hills attorney or a Kew Gardens Hills activist, according to Queens GOP executive director Daniel Egers.
Still, the candidates insist they aren't scared of the crowded election - which will take place in February 2009 if Gennaro wins an upcoming state Senate bid, or next fall if Gennaro loses.
"I don't intimidate easily, maybe because I'm of the age I am," said Martha Taylor, 70, an aide to city Controller William Thompson, Democratic district leader since 1996 and founder of a Cunningham Park advocacy group.
Taylor, slightly favored in the race, according to party insiders, vowed to curb overdevelopment by overhauling the Buildings Department. She also called for fewer budget cuts in schools.
Fellow Democratic District Leader Michael Simanowitz is basing his run on always being available to constituents, a role he said he has embraced as longtime chief of staff to state Assemblywoman Nettie Mayersohn.
"The office may be closed, but I'm getting calls 2-4/7 quite literally - Saturday night, Sunday morning, walking to the grocery store," said Simanowitz, 36.
Another opponent, Bangladeshi immigrant Dilip Nath, went a step further. His unusual campaign pledge: office hours from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays and one weekend day.
"It's not a gimmick," said Nath, 35, adding he'd get energetic volunteers to work late. "It's the first thing I'm going to implement."
Nath, who lost to Gennaro in a 2005 primary, said he's not focusing on backing from the Queens Democratic Party, but will instead rely on a grassroots effort.
So will Jeff Gottlieb, who bucked party bigwigs to run for the Council in 2001 and the Assembly in 2002, but withdrew both times under pressure from party bosses.
This time, he promised he's in the race for the long haul.
"I feel that my time has come to have a shot at it," said Gottlieb, 66, an aide to Councilman Joe Addabbo and president of the Central Queens Historical Association.
Perhaps the biggest underdog is Kevin Forrestal, 61, president of the Hillcrest Estates Civic Association.
Forrestal is making his first run for public office - with a candidacy so obscure that he wasn't even invited to a recent "Meet the Candidates Night" hosted by a neighboring civic group.
"It's time for a change ... to have a fresh approach from a citizen's point of view, not necessarily a politician's," Forrestal said.
