Friday we told you there were two Republicans running in the special election to fill the city council seat vacated by state senator Joe Addabbo. (The Democrats contending for the seat are Lew Simon, Frank Gulluscio, Geraldine Chapey, and Glenn DiResto.)
This was mainly relevant because Addabbo's Queens district is pretty conservative and GOP candidates may have an advantage. But the first Republican, Eric Ulrich, may go it alone after today: a flatbed truck campaigning for GOP contender #2, Michael P. Ricatto, has just run over and killed a 9-year-old boy.
The truck bearing the legend "Mike Ricatto Special Election 32nd City Council District" hit the boy at the intersection of Cross Bay Boulevard and Liberty Avenue in Ozone Park.
Ricatto is a prominent local businessman with fingers in a number of pies, including engine and transmission dealerships and a Flushing club called Mike's Whiskey Bar (or, as Ricatto's website calls it, the St. James) , of which Club Planet says "There's not much to be said about the cocktails at Mike's Whiskey Bar. They're not necessarily cheap, but they're as tasty as they are potent... a delicious and dangerous combination." The boy's name has not been released and the campaign has not yet released a statement.
Update: The boy's name is Ibrihim Ahmed. The driver was found to have a suspended license and arrested. Ricatto has suspended his campaign activities. "Family loss comes before any politics," he said in a written statement.
