An exciting night at the Ozone Park Residents Block Association meeting...
CANDIDATES’ NIGHT AT CIVIC
Locals Prepare For Primary, Address Issues
story and photos by Ralph Mancini
Candidates’ Night at the Ozone Park Residents Block Association, held Wednesday, Aug. 29, saw two area hopefuls state their case as to why they should be elected to party posts in the 23rd Assembly District in the upcoming Republican primaries on Sept. 18.
Eric Ulrich and Jane Deacy—who have joined forces to run in tandem for the titles of male and female Republican district leaders—introduced themselves to Ozone Park residents at Nativity BVM’s Salvatore Conte III School Hall and touched on their goals of strengthening their political party on a local level.
Their Republican primary opponents, John Calcagnile and Denise Walsh, were not in attendance.
Looking to make a difference
While Deacy recognized the fact that the local political landscape is largely Democratic and has been for several years, she promised to take it upon herself to “rock the boat” and ensure that Republicans make their voices heard.
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| Republican State Committee candidates Jane Deacy (at left) and Eric Ulrich (at right) pose with Ozone Park Residents Block Association President Lucille Fostel following their respective presentations. |
“I was a cheerleader and this is a cheerleading position,” said the former police officer. “My job would be to go listen to the grassroots. I expect to go to different Republican clubs to hear what the issues are.”
Deacy highlighted supporting the troops and bringing additional services to the Rockaways as two of her goals upon entering office.
On the national front, Deacy told community members of her disenchantment with those opposing the war in Iraq and chastising President George W. Bush.
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| Community Board 10 member and local activist David M. Quintana (with beard) debates the candidates on their support of President George W. Bush. |
“Monday morning quarterbacking is a great thing when you have the rest of your life to look back on it,” she said, “but we need to stay behind this president.”
Deacy was challenged by Community Board 10 member and local activist David M. Quintana on her opinion of the war by stating that “blind support for this president is ignorance.”
Following a reminder to Quintana from OPRBA President Lucille Fostel to give the candidate a chance to speak, Deacy reiterated that she will continue supporting the troops and the president going forward regardless of his or her political affiliations and also added that the country’s lack of unity on the war sends a poor message to the rest of the world.
Reaching out to newcomers
Fellow candidate Eric Ulrich focused on the waning influence of the Republican Party in the 23rd Assembly District (which covers Ozone Park, Howard Beach, Broad Channel and the Rockaway Peninsula) and attributed the problem to an influx of diverse races and ethnicities which have replaced the old guard.
“I think what we’re witnessing are changing demographics in the area,” he explained. “Twenty years ago, we had predominantly Italian, German, Irish and some Jewish families. Now we have a lot of Guyanese ... we have a lot of Hispanic and Chinese families.
“Even in Rockaway Park, Ridgewood and Ozone Park, these neighborhoods are really changing in terms of what they look like. If the Republican Party can’t change with the times, then we’re going to be extinct like the dinosaurs.”
The Ozone Park native pledged that he would welcome all new residents to the community and encourage them to take part in the political process.
By getting people to vote, said Ulrich, citizens will be able to hold elected officials accountable for their actions.
In advocating family values and condemning abortion, the devout Catholic made no apologies for his beliefs. “Before I decided to get into politics, I was going to be a Catholic priest. [I’m] not looking to cop any votes; it’s about who I am and I’m proud of that.”
When asked by the Times Newsweekly to comment on why younger generations of voters appear to be turning away from the Republican Party, the 22-year-old offered that people in his age group are angry at the president and a war to which they don’t feel any connection.
“That’s why I’m trying to restore people’s faith in the Republican Party to show them that not all Republicans are evil,” he said. “You have good and bad in both parties. You vote for the person and not the party.”
Ulrich briefly addressed opponents John Calcagnile and Denise Walsh—both of whom declined Fostel’s invitation to attend the meeting—but refused to participate in any “mudslinging.”
Local gripes
After the presentations, the locals in attendance voiced their complaints over faulty catch basins.
Quintana made specific mention of one malfunctioning basin on the northeast corner of 94th Street and 103rd Avenue.
He informed Fostel that he has been unsuccessfully airing his grievances about the location for the past six months to the city’s 311 hotline.
Quintana added that mild rains are causing nearby drainage systems to well while bad storms are causing floods.
State Sen. Serphin Maltese’s representative, Mitchell Udowitch, suggested that he report the issue by describing the troubled area as a “seepage basin” in order to elicit a different response.
The Ozone Park Residents Block Association regularly meets on the last Wednesday of the month at Nativity BVM’s Salvatore Conte III School Hall on Rockaway Boulevard in Ozone Park.
[ozone park, ny 11417]
