Wills Prepares His Council Agenda by Ivan Pereira - Queens Campaigner

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Ruben Wills campaigns outside PS 223 in southeast Queens on election day. Photo by Christina Santucci

In the week since he won the special election to the southeast Queens City Council seat, Ruben Wills said he has been hard at work at making sure his constituents’ voices are heard when he enters City Hall.

The councilman-elect for the 28th Council District, which includes the neighborhoods of Jamaica, South Ozone Park, Richmond Hill and Rochdale Village, said he has been visiting with community leaders and constituents to hear their concerns and work on his agenda.

“It is just starting to settle in because we have been working, working, working,” Wills said of his Nov. 2 victory in the non-partisan election. “I haven’t had the chance to absorb it and smile.”

Wills, 39, filled the seat that suddenly opened up when Councilman Thomas White died Aug. 27.

The Democratic former aide said he already has a plan to help the district and has starting working on implementing plans for the community. He has met with the borough president and Aqueduct Race Track developer Genting New York about the jobs that will be created by the racino project.

He is also talking with the principals and parents of PS 30 and PS 40 in Jamaica, PS 147 in Cambria Heights and IS 231 in Springfield Gardens, which are slated for closure by the city.

“The education agenda is something that I have been working out. This is not a one-sided thing. It’s not just about if you have a child in the school. You can have a nephew or neighbor in the school and it affects them, too,” he said.

Wills said he also has long-term plans for the other problems that have been crippling the neighborhood. He is looking into drafting legislation that would curb the foreclosure problems in southeast Queens and has spoken with the NYPD’s chief of community affairs to see what can be done to stop the growing cases of violent crime and murders in the area.

Wills said the best solution was for law enforcement and residents to work together to combat crime.

“We want to let people know what’s going on with the gangs so we can discuss ways on the best possible solution to deal with it,” he said.

Wills won with 31.17 percent of the total vote and beat out Nicole Paultre-Bell, Albert Baldeo, Allan Jennings, Charles Bilal, Harpreet Singh Toor and Martha Taylor Butler, who had 436 votes, or 4.06 percent, according to unofficial results from the city Board of Elections.

Wills said that as of Monday the only challengers who had contacted him were Toor and Baldeo, both of whom congratulated his victory. He did, however, get congratulatory phone calls from U.S. Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-Jamaica) and Councilman James Sanders (D-Laurelton), who both endorsed Paultre-Bell during her campaign.

Wills, who was endorsed by former bosses state Sen. Shirley Huntley (D-Jamaica) and Councilman Leroy Comrie (D-St. Albans), said his years of work and trust with the community is what led to his victory.

“I had the confidence of the most important people in the community: the voters,” he said.

It’s White by a Whisker, Final Tally Says by Ivan Pereira - Queens Campaigner

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The final tally of votes in the District 28 Democratic primary has incumbent Thomas White (l.) edging out Lynn Nunes by just four votes. Photo: Christina Santucci

The City’s Board of Elections released the official vote tally for the hotly contested Democratic primary for Council District 28, naming incumbent Thomas White the winner by the slimmest of margins.

White, who is running for his second term, beat challenger Lynn Nunes by four votes, with 1,940 Democratic constituents choosing him as their candidate, according to the BOE. The results were released by the BOE on Sept. 23.

Nunes was not available for comment Monday afternoon. He has indicated in the past that he would be willing to challenge the results if there was a slim margin between him and White.

The incumbent was not available for comment Monday afternoon.

The primary was too close to call two weeks ago, as White had led Nunes by only six votes. BOE volunteers scrutinized paper and absentee ballots in the days following the primary.

The four other challengers in the race collectively garnered about 36 percent of the vote, the BOE said.

Tom White Leads Race by Six Votes Over Lynn Nunes in 28th City Council District by Ivan Pereira - YourNabe.com

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Council Incumbent Faces Stiff Challenge from Upstart Lynn Nunes

Councilman Thomas White beat Lynn Nunes in Tuesday’s primary by six votes, but the challenger said he is not conceding until final results are in. Photo by Christina Santucci/file

With City Councilman Thomas White (D-South Ozone Park) holding a razor thin lead of only six votes in Tuesday’s Democratic primary, his main challenger said he will continue to fight for a chance to be the leader of the 28th Council district.

The incumbent, who was running for his second term, beat out second place candidate, Lynn Nunes, with a total of 1,849 votes, or 31.85 percent, according to preliminary results from the city Board of Elections. Nunes, a small business owner from Richmond hill, received 1,843 votes, or 31.75 percent, the Board said.

Nunes said he would wait until all votes were counted and would not concede.

“We’re still have to go to the absentee. It’s six votes. We’re going to see what happens once we count the absentee,” Nunes said following the results Tuesday night.

White could not be reached for comment by press time late Tuesday night. The one-term councilman served as the councilman for the district from 1994-2002 and was term limited out but retook the seat from his successor, Allen Jennings, during the 2005 Democratic primary.

Other challengers who vied for White’s seat included community activist Stephen Jones, Ruben Wills, a former chief of staff for state Sen. Shirley Huntley (D-Jamaica), and Jennings.

Jennings received 16.22 percent of the vote, with 942 people voting for him, followed by Wills who had 9.08 percent of the vote with 527 votes, Hogan received 379 votes, which was 6.53 percent of the total, followed by Jones. who received 4.57 percent of the vote, with 265 people voting for him.

None of the other candidates could be reached for comment as of Tuesday night.

The primary did not bring out a large number of southeast Queens voters, but those who turned out said they wanted to have their voice heard in the Council, mayoral, public advocate and comptroller races.

Although White may have won the election for a second term, several voters said they chose his opponents because the incumbent haddone little for the community during the last four years.

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“Every once in a while, you need a change in blood,” said Henry Lyons, who said he did not vote for White.

Queens City Council Candidate Ruben Wills Throws Punch at Rival in Board of Elections Office by Brendan Brosh

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A Queens City Council candidate took the brawl for City Hall literally on Friday, throwing a punch at a rival in a wild argument over election rules, witnesses said.

The brouhaha broke out at the borough's Board of Elections office, witnesses said.

Ruben Wills - who's running for the 28th Council District seat - took a swing at former City Councilman Allan Jennings, but missed and socked an aide, Jennings said.

Wills, 38, is challenging Jennings' petitions to get on the ballot for the upcoming Democratic primary in September.

"He leaped up and came after me," said Jennings, 42, who held the seat from 2001 to 2005. "He wanted a signature off, and I disagreed."

Jennings campaign worker Frank Perero said he was sitting in front of a computer when Wills' fist hit him and knocked him to the ground.

"All of a sudden, Mr. Wills pops with an angry look on his face, and I find myself on the floor," said Perero. "My back is killing me."

Wills, who told the Daily News he is withdrawing his petition challenge, accused Perero of "buffoonery to act like he was assaulted."

He also accused Jennings of "using the F-word used for homosexuals. He used it 10 or 11 times. He kept going with it."

Wills and Jennings are running against incumbent Thomas White for the seat that represents Richmond Hill, South Ozone Park, Jamaica and Rochdale Village.

A Board of Elections employee restrained Wills, who then left the building. Cops found him in a nearby store, Jennings said. He was not arrested.

"I can confirm that an incident happened," said Board of Elections spokeswoman Valerie Vasquez-Rivera. "A police report was filed."

Wills - who used to work for state Sen. Shirley Huntley - tried to run for Congress against Rep. Gregory Meeks in 2008, but was kicked off the ballot.

He vowed at the time to march on Washington if he was not allowed back in the race.

Wills also had a number of judgments and liens against him for not paying child support, taxes or his student loans, public records show.

Jennings is no stranger to controversy either.

The erratic former councilman made national news when he threw a metal object at a reporter on live TV.

Jennings also placed ads in Chinese language newspapers proclaiming his love for a folk dancer he was dating and his dislike for his wife.

He was accused of threatening a fellow Council member with biblical verses and used Council envelopes to promote his real estate business.

He was also censured in December 2005 for making sexual advances toward two female staffers and forcing them to remain quiet.

The women, who sued in federal court, received a $300,000 settlement from the city.

In 2005, Albert Baldeo, a candidate for the same Council seat was accused of aiming a gun at rival Robert Mahadeo and demanding that he drop out of the race. The charges were later dropped.

"We should be getting away from this type of politics," said Lynn Nunes, who is also running for the seat. "People need to be focusing on issues in the community."

Central Labor Council Endorses Queens Incumbents Minus Ulrich by Stephen Stirling - Queens Campaigner

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The Central Labor Council endorsed all but one of Queens’ nine City Council incumbents running for re-election, notably leaving off the only borough Republican member of the legislative body, Eric Ulrich (R-Rockaway Beach).

The CLC said it would endorse candidates in the Ulrich’s race and the other six disputed Council races in Queens after its candidate screening process, which will take place July 8. Jack Ahern, president of the 1.3 million member CLC, issued this statement regarding endorsements:

Today’s early endorsements recognize the strong support and positions taken for working people by these City Council Members. Each has shown a keen awareness and understanding of the issues, needs and concerns of working men and women, and have voting records that support the health, safety and well-being of workers in our city.

The candidates endorse by the CLC are listed below:

District 21 - Julissa Ferreras
District 22 - Peter Vallone Jr.
District 24 - James Gennaro
District 25 - Helen Sears
District 27 - Leroy Comrie
District 28 - Tom White
District 30 - Elizabeth Crowley
District 31 - James Sanders

Nunes Up Against Elder White by John Blau - Queens Chronicle

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In line for screening interviews with advocacy groups, Lynn Nunes, a candidate for District 28 councilman, says he can feel the first question coming.

After looking past his dark gray suit and a crimson leather watch, people often ask:

“How old are you?”

“Twenty-four,” says the Democrat from Richmond Hill, smiling when he contemplates running against incumbent Thomas White Jr. (D-South Ozone Park), who served as city councilman for 10 years before retiring in 2002, only to reclaim his seat in 2006.

“Experience doesn’t necessarily mean results,” Nunes said. “What’s experience mean when we are failing?”

Nunes, a graduate of Queens College, ran for district leader against White in September but lost by a double-digit percentage gap. This time around, the activist and business owner, who has held no previous office, is trying to convince the community that a “change in perspective” is in order.

He refers to White as “the invisible man,” calling out the councilman for missing several sessions of City Council. In an April 2008 New York Times article, White was reported to have skipped more than 24 percent of those meetings. Thirteen misses were for medical reasons.

An aide to White said the councilman would not comment on the election, because he was “not prepared at this time.”

Repairing an alleged disconnect between citizens and their leaders will be Nunes’ top priority, if elected. Crime is on the rise, he said, but he wonders if residents are informed about how much. Schools are failing, but the parents, he said, are not involved enough in the educational process to make a difference. Very much following the line of the nation’s young president, Barack Obama, Nunes calls for a more transparent government.

“I wanted to step up to the plate,” Nunes said. “I feel there are issues that have gone unaddressed over the past few years, and I think people are ready for a change.”

Economic development

The economic crisis has rocked the 28th District, according to Nunes, who visits soup kitchens to see lines reminiscent of those seen outside the U.S. “It looks like a third-world country almost,” Nunes said.

To remedy unemployment in the area, Nunes wants to set up a community center where citizens can learn a trade and use it to acquire work. Rising unemployment, he said, only increases incidents of crime

White serves as chairman of Economic Development, but Nunes claims the City Council can do more for residents, including educating homeowners on how to avoid foreclosures and predatory lending. Nunes also wants more affordable housing.

Banking on his knowledge of real estate — where he has worked at least part-time since he was 18 — Nunes said he can solve housing issues, but stressed he will rescind ownership of his business and make councilman his full-time job, if elected.

Of course, he confidently says “when elected.”

“I want to be proactive rather than reactive,” Nunes said, attempting to draw a line between White’s thinking and his own.

Guns and crime

White, who heads a southeastern Queens center for individuals with substance abuse problems, pregnant teenagers, youths at risk and those affected by HIV/AIDS, has worked to treat people in the district with problems.

Nunes, on the other hand, says he will try to take a more “preventative” approach. For example, he is extremely anti-gun.

Although he would not go as far to say constitutional protections to bear arms should be eliminated, Nunes is clear on his sentiment that a community which is armed does more harm than good.

“Nobody should own a gun,” Nunes said.

Assuming no changes to the Second Amendment are forthcoming, Nunes said he will work as a liaison with police to root out the sources of crime.

Education and the mayor

When it comes to control of the city’s schools, Mayor Michael Bloomberg has a tight grip. He appoints eight out of the 13 members of the Panel for Education Policy, and the panel, which is headed by schools Chancellor Joel Klein, has never voted down a proposal from the administration.

Nunes wants parents to have a vote on the system’s leadership and to take away mayoral control over a majority of the panel.

And while Nunes said he has not properly reviewed the mayor’s entire new budget for 2010 — so he could not offer much in the way of specific revisions he would make — he broadly expressed an interest in picking out programs that are not working and eliminating them to save some of the more than 13,500 proposed job cuts.

Green Jobs

A trendy topic for politicians of late, Nunes supports investments in green technologies for a more efficient Queens. He linked the environmental movement to the economy, saying the creation of “green jobs” could help alleviate some effects of this recession.

“It’s going to open up a lot of different job opportunities,” Nunes said.
“It’s important to go green. It helps the environment. It helps to create jobs. It’s the next wave of the immediate future here.”