6 Spar for Gallagher Seat in Glendale by Nathan Duke - Times Ledger

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Six candidates vying to replace City Councilman Dennis Gallagher (R-Middle Village) in an upcoming special election vowed to fight overdevelopment and make improvements to neighborhood schools at a candidates forum hosted last week by the Glendale Property Owners Association.

In late March, Gallagher announced he would step down from office April 18 as part of a plea deal to keep him out of prison following his arrest last summer for sexually assaulting a 52-year-old woman at his Middle Village office.

Four candidates hinted at a run for Gallagher's seat before he had announced he would step down, including Democrats Elizabeth Crowley and Charles Ober as well as Republicans Thomas Ognibene and Anthony Como.

They were joined last Thursday at the forum by Republican Joseph Suraci, a Middle Village attorney who previously ran against state Assemblywoman Catherine Nolan (D-Ridgewood), and Democrat Michael Mascetti, a Middle Village resident who formed a non-profit group that tutors low-income students.

Under city election law, candidates cannot run on party affiliation in a special election because there will not be enough time for primaries to be held, a city Board of Elections spokeswoman said.

"We have just been confronted with an unprecedented situation," Suraci said of Gallagher's resignation. "I think what we need in the area is a change, a new moral climate. We need a clean sweep."

The candidates told the standing-room-only crowd that the key issues in District 30, which covers Middle Village, Maspeth, Glendale and Ridgewood, were overdevelopment, school improvements and retaining programs for seniors.

"Overdevelopment is a shame," said Ober, first vice president of the Ridgewood Property Owners and Civic Association. "We need to get downzoned. There has been a lack of political leadership in this district."

Crowley, a cousin of U.S. Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-Jackson Heights) who ran against Gallagher in 2001, said one of the top focuses for her campaign is education.

"I have two kids in the public schools," she said. "Education is the most important investment each generation can make for the next. On week one [as council member], I'll meet with every principal in this district."

Como, a commissioner with the city's Board of Elections and an aide to state Sen. Serphin Maltese (R-Glendale), said he would fight to ensure that senior citizen programs are not cut from the city's budget as they have been in the past and vowed to push for a more open City Hall.

"In their senior years, residents should live comfortably and not have to worry about being fed," he said. "And we need to open the doors and make city government more transparent."

Mascetti said he would focus on taxes during his campaign.

"I'd propose to freeze property taxes," he said. "My grandmother lives on a fixed income and Social Security, but taxes go up every year. She is struggling to survive."

Mayor Michael Bloomberg will set a date for the election within three days after Gallagher steps down April 18. The election must then take place within 30 to 45 days, a city Elections Board spokeswoman said. The candidate who wins the seat will fulfill Gallagher's duties for the remainder of the year and another election will be held in November to determine who will fill the seat in 2009, she said.

A third election will then be held in November 2009 and the winner will serve for two years. If a candidate wins all three elections, they could run for one more four-year term in 2011.

Ognibene a 2005 mayoral candidate who held Gallagher's seat for 10 years, said he believes he has an advantage over the other candidates in the race because of his City Council experience. He said he will not get bogged down in the numerous elections that will be held for the seat during the next several years.

"Somebody who comes in new will be running for office and not prepared to serve," he said. "As soon as you are elected, you have to begin collecting signatures for the next election and then run again in 2009. It's a very daunting task. I have hands-on experience that will make me ready to serve on day one."

Vincent Arcuri, chairman of Community Board 5, said the candidate who fills Gallagher's seat could play an important role in the City Council.

"They could be the most senior member of the Council," he told Glendale Property Owners members. "So, choose wisely and think of the future because we will have a lot of influence."

Six Vie For District 30 Seat by Austin Considine - Queens Chronicle

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The weather outside was damp and chilly, but inside the Greater Ridgewood Youth Council building on Thursday night, community members gathered for a lively, sometimes heated, debate between the six candidates in the Council District 30 special election.

Community Board 5 Chairman Vincent Arcuri, who introduced the night’s proceedings, emphasized the importance of the coming election. He noted that whomever wins could have a valuable extra year of experience from finishing City Councilman Dennis Gallagher’s term — if he or she is re-elected for the full term next year.

“Choose wisely and think of the future,” Arcuri said, “because we will have a lot of influence.”

Gallagher’s, last day in office is slated for April 18, and the special election to fill the seat for the remainder of his term — which expires in January 2010 — could be held as soon as early June.

Gallagher will re-sign as part of a plea bargain reached last month, having admitting to two counts of sexual misconduct.

Joseph Suraci, former president of the Middle Village Republican Club, was the first speaker — whose unanticipated presence added a sixth candidacy to the race.

Born in Sunnyside, Suraci said he had moved to Middle Village almost 22 years ago, and had practiced law since 1976, having done pro bono work for groups like the Middle Village Property Owners/Residents Association. He ran for office once before, losing to Democrat Catherine Nolan for the 37th Assembly District, and said he was a former adjunct professor at Dowling College.

Calling for “a new moral climate” in area politics, Suraci addressed corruption and overdevelopment — the latter of which, he said, was ruining the area’s character. “This is not the area that my wife and I moved into when we moved here 20 years ago,” he said.

On what was otherwise a predominantly collegial night, Suraci opened the evening with a bit of mudslinging, taking aim specifically at fellow Republicans Anthony Como and Thomas Ognibene.

Suraci called Como “a nice guy” before drawing attention to a home Como is building in the area that he called out-of-character, begging questions about Como’s commitment to community zoning concerns.

He called Ognibene “another nice guy,” but brought up 2001 allegations that Ognibene had accepted bribes from a buildings industry consultant.

“I’m not going to characterize the other candidates,” Ognibene said in opening his speech, emphasizing that “anyone can make allegations,” and that the corruption charges had been dropped.

Broadly, Ognibene portrayed himself as the candidate of experience, citing his 10 years on the City Council for District 30.

“I know I have the leadership and experience that makes me ready to serve on day one,” Ognibene said, noting, with a touch of humor that he didn’t understand why everyone always talked about wanting “new blood” at elections.

“I’ve got 11 stents and have had a few blood transfusions,” he said. “So I’ve got new blood, too.”

Democrat Charles Ober was next in line, and said he would bring a “unique resume and an intensity” the district needed. He cited his post-grad education in finance and quantitative analysis, his success as a financial executive, and his involvement with multiple civic groups over the last seven years — from the Ridgewood Property Owners and Civic Association to the Ridgewood Democratic Club.

The centerpiece of his speech was children, specifically addressing cuts to after-school programs. “We have to have the moral fortitude to protect the most vulnerable in our society,” he said.

Another recent entry to the race was 23-year old Michael Mascetti, who said he is running because of the “clubhouse politics that are destroying the community.”

Although the least experienced of the candidates, Mascetti outlined specific policy actions more than most. Among them was a proposal to hire a staff of law students as part of a work-study program to establish non-profit organizations around the community.

Como, fresh from having received the Queens County Republican party endorsement, opened with a salute to his parents who were in attendance — Italian immigrants who ran a grocery store in Ridgewood while he was growing up.

Like Ognibene, he cited his experience in public service, including such roles over the years as commissioner of the Queens Board of Elections, counsel to state Sen. Serphin Maltese and Queens assistant district attorney.

“You have to fight for what you believe in,” he said, going on to address issues of crime and pending cuts to senior programs like Meals-on-Wheels.

Regarding Suraci’s criticism, Como said he has “no qualms” about the house he is building for his family, calling it a sign of his commitment to the area. “If that’s what you have to come at me, then you’re going to need a lot more,” he added.

Democrat Elizabeth Crowley, who has since been endorsed by the Queens County Democratic Party, was the final speaker of the night. She began by describing her family’s deep roots in the area, with two parents having served on the City Council, and a cousin, Joseph Crowley in Congress. “We are invested. We’re here to stay, and we want to bring about positive change,” she said.

Like some others, she talked about zoning, citing her Masters degree in City and Regional Planning and work for the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades, as background. She promised to bring City Planning Commission Chairwoman Amanda Burden into the area to address problems of underground infrastructure and flooding.

She also emphasized her role as a parent, with two children in public schools. On “day one,” she said she would work to meet with every principal in the district.

Following the speeches, audience members took turns asking questions and grandstanding, on issues like flooding, congestion pricing and mayoral control of schools.

Don Desmond, a Glendale resident, expressed the sort of wary optimism that has already come to characterize this race.

“We've got a real mix” of candidates, he said. “It's going to be interesting.”


Anthony Como (R)
• Experience: Commissioner for the Queens Board of Election; counsel to state Sen. Serphin Maltese; former Queens assistant district attorney.
• Talking points: Opposed to mayoral control of schools, congestion pricing, and cuts to senior programs; “know(s) how to fight crime.”
• Quote: “You have to fight for what you believe in. That’s why I’m here, that’s why you’re here.”


Elizabeth Crowley (D)
• Experience: Masters in City and Regional planning; currently a project director for the Consortium for Worker Education, a post she plans to vacate once the special election is officially announced.
• Talking Points: Calls city’s 20-year plan to fix area flooding “not acceptable;” advocates compromise between mayoral control and school board systems.
• Quote: “I’ve been supported by hundreds of people in the community. They know that I will make a difference.”


Michael Mascetti (D)
• Experience: Paralegal for a private law firm; founded charity that helps underprivileged kids get into top schools like Stuyvesant, his alma mater.
• Talking points: Wants to bring non-profits to the area; thinks three-year teacher tenures foster less responsible teaching.
• Quote: “My friends and family encouraged me to get out there and talk about the clubhouse politics that are destroying the community.”


Charles Ober (D)
• Experience: Graduate education in finance and quantitative analysis; success as business executive; member of civic groups like Ridgewood Property Owners and Civic Association and the Ridgewood Democratic Club.
• Talking points: Opposes cuts to schools and senior programs; conditionally supports congestion pricing.
• Quote: “We have to have the moral fortitude to protect the most vulnerable of our society.”


Thomas Ognibene (R)
• Experience: Held District 30 seat from 1992 to 2001; was minority leader for seven years.
• Talking points: Against congestion pricing; for making English language official language of New York; emphasizes past service of “proven results” and “proven leadership.”
• Quote: “When I left, I was proud of what I did. ... I would like to step up and finish what we planned.”


Joseph Suraci (R)
• Experience: Former president of the Middle Village Republican Club, legal counsel to the Middle Village Property Owners/Residents Association.
• Talking points: Against the “overdevelopment” and “McMansions” of the area; against congestion pricing; advocates responsibility at home for student success; wants a “new moral climate” for district.
• Quote: “What we need basically in the area is a change. ... What we need is a clean sweep.”