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Charles Ober, a gay Democrat and civic leader in Ridgewood, is running for the City Council seat in the 30th District in Queens being vacated by Dennis Gallagher, a Republican. Gallagher was charged with rape but pleaded guilty to "sexually abusing a Middle Village grandmother in his campaign office," the Daily News reported. He cut a deal with prosecutors that makes his resignation effective April 18.
By April 21, the mayor must call a special election to fill the seat within 45 to 60 days. Candidates face the daunting task of collecting at least 2,700 valid signatures in the 12 days following Bloomberg's call. It is an open, "non-partisan" election where candidates may not list their party affiliations on the ballot and the winner of a plurality prevails.
Ober has been the longtime president of Queens Pride House, an LGBT social services center, but stepped down to run. Daniel Castellanos will be heading the agency. Ober has also been active in Dignity, the LGBT Catholic group, and is a co-founder of the Diversity Center of Queens, a multi-racial social justice collaborative in Jackson Heights.
Among the others seeking the Gallagher seat are Republicans Tom Ognibene, a conservative attorney who once held the post, and Anthony Como, commissioner of the Queens Board of Elections. Another Democrat eyeing the race is Elizabeth Crowley of Glendale, a cousin of Congressman Joe Crowley.
Queens has a wealth of out gay and lesbian candidates looking to run in November 2009 for City Council. In the 25th District centered in Jackson Heights, currently served by Helen Sears, Danny Dromm, a district leader and gay pioneer in the borough who founded its LGBT pride parade, is contending, as is Alfonso Quiroz, who works in public affairs for Con Ed. In the 29th District seat held by Melinda Katz, out lesbian Lynn Schulman, a former Council staffer from Forest Hills who also headed up communications at Gay Men's Health Crisis, is looking at a bid. And in Sunnyside's 26th District, Jimmy Van Bramer, a Democratic state committeeman who is a government affairs specialist for the Queens Public Library, is considering a run for the seat being vacated by Eric Gioia.
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