Altercation Doesn't Stop Candidates in Briarwood by Ben Hogwood -Queens Chronicle

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Before the meeting almost drew to a standstill, the three invited guests at the Briarwood Community Association had a few minutes on Sept. 17 to introduce themselves to attendees.

The candidates — Michael Simanowitz, Jeff Gottlieb and Martha Taylor — are running for the 24th Council District to fill the seat currently occupied by Councilman James Gennaro (D-Fresh Meadows). While his term isn’t officially over until the end of 2009, Gennaro is running for the state Senate seat held by Sen. Frank Padavan (R-Bellerose). Gennaro would need to resign his current post if he wins.

The allocated time for the meeting was cut short when Dilip Nath, a candidate who was not invited to participate in the forum, showed up with supporters, setting off a verbal altercation with association president Seymour Schwartz (see related story).

Still, the hopefuls had time to give a brief summary of their background and expound their views on the city’s economic situation.

Candidates were seated between inspirational posters in a second floor room of Samaritan Village, a chemical dependency recovery center on Queens Boulevard. Gottlieb, speaking first, presented himself as a former teacher with 35 years experience in the school system and copious amounts of political experience.

Gottlieb has worked with former Councilman Morton Povman, Councilman Joseph Addabbo (D- Howard Beach) and Assemblyman Mark Weprin (D-Little Neck). Gottlieb is also the founder of the Central Queens Historical Society and the Queens Jewish Historical Society.

Simanowitz, a longtime aide to Assemblywoman Nettie Mayersohn (D-Flushing), presented himself as the “law-and-order” candidate. He previously served as an auxiliary police officer for the Forest Hills neighborhood in which he grew up, but had to take a leave of absence shortly after announcing his candidacy.

Police officers are required to take a leave of absence when running for office so they do not use their uniform as a tool to further their candidacy. Simanowitz was told the same applies to auxiliary officers.

Simanowitz said his goal is to create an environment where the councilman is an extension of the community.

Taylor is a Democratic district leader and vice chairwoman of Community Board 8. She works as an aide for city Comptroller William Thompson Jr. and is the founder of a Cunningham Park advocacy group. Environmental concerns in particular are a cause close to her heart.

She said her civic and governmental experience, combined with her law degree, would give her the ability to “hit the ground running” if elected.

Originally, Schwartz, the association’s president, intended to have the candidates address various topics confronting the city, such as mayoral control of schools and term limits. However, the interaction between Schwartz and Nath cut into time and when the meeting got back on track, the only topic addressed was that of the current economic crisis.

Simanowitz said legislators didn’t do the city any favors in 1999 when they repealed the commuter tax, which applied to city workers who lived outside the five boroughs. City taxpayers now have to subsidize services used more by those workers, such as the Long Island Rail Road and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

Otherwise, he thought the mayor and City Council have done a good job with previous budgets and was confident this year would be no different. Still, he expected cuts would have to be made.

Taylor agreed cuts are necessary, but said there are certain services that can’t be cut, such as meals on wheels and education.

Gottlieb offered a more stark vision of the economic situation. First, he said, a federal agency should conduct an investigation of the mortgage industry, which has sent the financial sector into a downward spiral following the subprime mortgage crisis. Also, Gottlieb warned the city would lose revenues from income tax as Wall Street workers with hefty salaries get laid off.

He also admitted cuts would have to be made in the city’s budget, but where to make those cuts at this point is a dilemma.

The election for the 24th Council District could go one of two ways: if Gennaro defeats Padavan in the state Senate race this November, he would have to resign his council seat by Jan. 1, when the Senate term begins. The mayor would then announce a nonpartisan special election in which candidates cannot run on a party ticket. That election would be for the remainder of Gennaro’s term.

If Gennaro does not win, the candidates would square off next year as the councilman is term-limited out of office. All four candidates are Democrats so they would need to compete in a primary.

E-mail Clouds Briarwood Candidates' Night by Nicholas Hirshorn - NY Daily News

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What happens in cyberspace doesn't always stay there.

City Council contender Dilip Nath lost a shot to speak to a central Queens civic group when its leader took offense at an e-mail that a Nath aide sent to hundreds of activists and reporters.

Briarwood Civic Association President Seymour Schwartz said he originally left Nath off the list for next Wednesday's candidates' night because he's a long shot to win term-limited Jim Gennaro's Fresh Meadows seat.

Nath has declared for the race, but Schwartz said Nath has "no record" of community involvement.

Schwartz insisted he had been reconsidering - until Nath's field organizer, Mike Sidell, fired off an Aug. 28 mass e-mail questioning Nath's exclusion.

Now, Schwartz said Nath is not welcome at the forum unless he publicly denounces Sidell.

"There is no role for that candidate, who obviously sanctions these actions," Schwartz said. "His choice of Mike Sidell is an extreme reflection of poor judgment."

But not only did Nath back Sidell, he accused Schwartz of initially excluding him based on race and now using the e-mail dustup to cover up those intentions.

Nath is Bangladeshi. The three candidates invited to the forum are white, including one who is undeclared.

Schwartz denied race played a role. But Nath said Schwartz "probably never saw anybody like me, and he can't accept or doesn't realize the community is changing."

Nath and Sidell said the campaign may picket the candidates' forum at Samaritan Village, a substance abuse treatment center at Queens Blvd. and Main St. in Briarwood.

The other three contenders for Gennaro's 24th District seat - all Democrats - vowed not to let the controversy keep them from the forum.

"I can't tell people who to invite to their party. It's not polite," said Martha Taylor, vice chairwoman of Community Board 8 that counts Schwartz and Sidell among its members.

Michael Simanowitz, chief of staff to Assemblywoman Nettie Mayersohn (D-Flushing), said he left a voicemail for Schwartz urging him to let Nath speak, but will attend even if Nath does not.

"I'm not going to miss an opportunity to speak with constituents," he said.

Jeff Gottlieb, who criticized both Schwartz and Sidell for the way they handled the situation, said he thought Nath "should have been invited, but I'm not the host."

A fifth candidate, Kevin Forrestal of the Hillcrest Estates Civic Association, recently dropped out of the race, saying he doesn't have time to fund-raise.

The election will take place in February 2009 if Gennaro wins an upcoming state Senate bid, or next fall if Gennaro loses.

Historic Groups Take Collections Online by Austin Considine - Queens Chronicle

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The last Republican and first Jewish Queens District Attorney, Nat Hentel, right, shaking hands with City Councilman Sid Lazar in 1970. (courtesy of the QJHS)

Curating a local historical society can often be an under-appreciated endeavor. Sometimes, it’s only the biggest history buffs and local folklore hounds who make the effort to see meticulously curated collections that can take years of devoted, unpaid effort to gather and maintain.

Jeff Gottlieb knows what it’s like: as the president of two Central Queens historical societies — the Central Queens Historical Association and the Queens Jewish Historical Society — he has spent more than 20 years collecting historic photographs and writing press articles (more than 80 to date) about the area he loves and the issues that drive its citizens. Attention has been strong at times, and the work rewarding, but there is always room for a wider audience.

Now, thanks to the Internet, much of his work will be available to anyone at two new Web sites, designed by webmaster Dan Heisler: www.cqha.net and www.qjhs.org.

“I want to raise the consciousness of the people of central Queens to their cultural backgrounds and to the richness around them,” Gottlieb said.

Gottlieb has been a borough fixture for years. A Kew Gardens Hills native since 1956, he graduated from Forest Hills High School and earned a bachelor’s degree in history and a master’s in education, both at Queens College.

From 1975 to 1982, Gottlieb worked as an administrative assistant to former Assemblyman Alan Hevesi. A retired teacher, he also taught high school social studies for 35 years, most of that time at at Benjamin Cardozo High School in Bayside. He currently works as legislative director for Councilman Joseph Addabbo Jr. (D-Howard Beach).

But after helping organize a series of walking tours, beginning in 1986, his interest in central Queens history deepened and became something of a life’s pursuit.

“By the late 80’s I had developed an interest in the photos and the history of central Queens,” he explained. Before long, Gottlieb was organizing several tours a year around Forest Hills, Forest Hills Gardens, Richmond Hill, Jamaica and other nearby neighborhoods. He had also begun collecting photos and giving historical slide show demonstrations around the community.

When it became obvious that there was a good deal of interest around the community in what he was providing, Gottlieb, along with Michael Sidell, Joseph DeVoy and Janet Kessler, formed the CQHA in 1988, an all-volunteer organization.

Over the years, the tours and slideshows grew in popularity, until it had built-up a mailing list of nearly 3,000 names. The group was incorporated in 1994, and began receiving state funding to help with the purchase and duplication of historic photos. The association was granted non-profit 501(c)3 status in 2004.

Meanwhile, Gottlieb had begun to notice that much of the interest in his group related to Jewish history in the area. In particular, Gottlieb recalled receiving a query about Leo Frank, the only known Jewish victim of a lynching in America. Frank is buried at Mt. Carmel Cemetery, bordering Glendale, and his 1915 lynching spurred the formation of the Anti-Defamation League.

In 2002, Gottlieb founded the QJHS, in honor of Frank — a volunteer group with a 40-member board of directors that he hopes to make a 501(c)3 someday.

Gottlieb estimated that, between the two groups, he and others had accrued between 300 and 400 historic photographs, roughly 75 of which are currently online.

One advantage of the Web site is that it will make those photos and other documents more accessible — most of which was housed at the Community Board 6 offices and required special permission to view.

Gottlieb also hopes the site will draw attention to his groups’ walking tours and to the history of the communities themselves.

“It gets a little depressing or discouraging when people don’t come out for the tours,” he said. “I’d like people to get more interested in their communities ... and take a bit more appreciation for what they have.”

Plenty of Choices in Fresh Meadows Race for City Council Seat by Nicholas Hirshon - NY Daily News

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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.