From the Daily News:Republican Mike Ricatto is back on the campaign trail, spending big bucks to win the Feb. 24 City Council special election.
But did the deep-pocketed businessman from Ozone Park ever really suspend his campaign, as he vowed to do shortly after a tragic accident involving his campaign bus?
But during the interval his campaign was supposedly on hold, Ricatto paid a weekly newspaper $900 for ads and a computer consultant to launch his Web site, which went live during that time period.
The day after Ricatto suspended his campaign, McClelland hinted that Ricatto might bow out. "We don't know how we are going to move forward," McClelland told The News on Jan. 7.
But, the next day, Ricatto's campaign submitted a Certificate of Acceptance to the city Board of Elections. The document formally states his candidacy.
When asked about the filing, McClelland initially dodged the question, explaining the campaign office remained open only to notify supporters that a Jan. 8 fund-raiser had been cancelled.
McClelland later said the paperwork was filed to meet a deadline. "If we didn't do it and we decided to go forward, we would be unable to do so," he said.
Why would Ricatto be listed as a member of the Queens Village Republican Club if he's from the HoBeach area?
36 comments:
Why should we be stuck with someone whose failure to manage a simple campaign task led to the death of a little boy?
Haven't we had enough of the prima donnas, divas, and spoiled, self-centered losers who have left this city in ruins?
Why hasn't the republican party dumped this negligent failure?
Because he is the only Republican willing to shell out and raise big bucks without beginning the broke Repbulican Party for money. The seat is very unlikely to go to a Republican who has a fabulous resume, let alone a child-killer.
This carpetbagger has no connection to Howard Beach or any other part of the district for that matter. He's an opportunist who seems to be of the opinion he can buy himself a seat in the Council. BTW- why do his filings with Campaign Finance show no donation or expenditure for the acquisition or use of his killing machine?
He is not endorsed by the QGOP. One can't stop someone from running for office - last time I checked the US and State Constitutions. Your comment, Taxpayer, is silly and superfluous.
Anonymous said:
"He is not endorsed by the QGOP. One can't stop someone from running for office - last time I checked the US and State Constitutions. Your comment, Taxpayer, is silly and superfluous."
What? The Republican party has no voice? There is no party official with the spine to denounce this failure?
The NY Republican "party" has devolved into weaklings who hide until after dark, sniffing for leftovers from the Democrats.
Just in Queens alone, the Republicans kept Gallagher - even AFTER he confessed to his sexual crimes in open court. The party kept silent on Como, who claim to fame was that the elderly confused him with CUOMO! Isn't that begging for scraps? And, then the doddering Maltese, who sought to get reelected with "pity votes".
What has state law or the constitution to do with dumping Republican Ricatto, a negligent failure (but with some money)?
Try to imagine the gentle treatment he would get from a Hillary Clinton, a Rahm Emanuel, Schumer.
Republicans have become trained losers. Their silence on Republican Ricatto is all the proof needed.
Look at who is campaigning for him, not anybody in the district. They are all Como and Gallagher folks.
We live in a great nation wherein the democratic process affords us the opportunity to elect our officials. Why is that so many people here choose not to respect our democratic process and instead choose to direct negativity to a non-partisan election which should ultimately be a positive thing for the Howard Beach, Queens community? Let Mike and all of the other respective candidates have an opportunity to fairly present their platforms/ideals/plans to Howard Beach voters so that the voters in turn can elect the best person to represent the 32nd City Council District on February 24th!
The law says if you do not live in the district, you cannot represent that district. Sad that this fellow seems to think he is above the law, as did his campaign bus driver.
First; I know that Ricatto does indeed live in the district I signed his petition and checked out the address which was on it. Second; I looked into it and found out that his driver has worked for him for years and forgot to pay a surcharge on a ticket, his license was suspended WITHOUT ANY NOTIFICATION. Eric I suggest that you check your facts before running your diatribes.
I heard him speak at a civic association. He said that his driver wasn't charged with any criminal negligence and the camera at the corner didn't have his bus going through any light. His driver got his license back the very next day after he paid a previous fine. Maybe we should hear him out. He says that he's a businessman and not a politician. At least he claims that he'll get things done. I think that we should at least hear him out.
#1, My name is not Eric.
"He says that he's a businessman and not a politician. At least he claims that he'll get things done."
Sounds like Bloomberg, part 2.
Just because you put an apartment address down doesn't mean you live in the district. Ring the bells of his neighbors and ask about him.
I actually rang his bell and HE ANSWERED!!!!!!
Yeah right, Mr. I'm a successful businessman actually lives in a house fronting on Crossbay Blvd near Sutter Ave. BTW, it was purchased in December. Guess he's a long-time resident. He'll sell you a bridge too if you want it. I heard him at that civic meeting too. Not one word about the child. It was all about his poor driver the good boy who just didn't know his license was no good. Ricatto's a disgrace. Special elections are non partisan in name only. There is only 1 candidate in the mix who is not an active participant in his or her own party business. After he left that meeting the members were laughing AT his piss-poor performance and well-demonstrated lack of knowledge of local matters.
Successful businessman??? Bankruptcy ain't good business.
I didn't hear anybody laughing I think he set the record straight. I don't know anything about any bankrupcy?? Please enlighten me.
I heard him say that he went to the poor childs funeral with the family. This is a guy who knows how to right wrongs and build bridges in spite of adversity he has my vote.
The laughter came later. He gave his excuses for his driver's plight, spouted the usual Republican tax mantra and left. Other candidates present spoke, stuck around, answered questions, and were obviously each well-known to each other and to the members of the civic. One would think a guy who supposedly lives in our community and wants to represent us in the City Council would have been a participant in our civic with a track record of working together with us on our neighborhood concerns long before this week.
I personally attended the civic association meeting referenced in a prior comment and I was surprised by Mike Ricatto’s ability to clearly explain the circumstances surrounding the unfortunate tragedy involving his campaign vehicle (to a rather COLD audience). When Mike initially stepped up to speak, no one clapped; everyone was quiet. But after he finished explaining the given circumstances and directed his conversation toward his plans to LOWER TAXES and STRENGTHEN THE INFRASTRUCTURE of the HOWARD BEACH area, the crowd began to warm up. By the time he was done, EVERYONE at the meeting clapped for him. I’m not much of a public speaker myself, but I don’t know how anyone could warm up an audience like that. KUDOS, Mike Ricatto.
Looks like McClelland is at the keyboard again.
Obviously, Holden of the Juniper Park Civic Association (JPCA) is here tickling those keys... again... and again... and again... SMH
At least Ricatto doesn't surround himself with a former councilman who was caught with his hand in the cookie jar trying to get his share of the graft from a corrupt building inspector. That scumbag should have gone to jail
No, instead he's Serf's puppet. If you want a laundry list of things Serf has done, let me know. He also hires Como's reject staff to run his campaign.
Juniper Civic does not reside in Ozone Park or Howard Beach last time I checked. But then again, neither does Ricatto...
Ricatto is a businessman who puts people that know their business together and make a great team especially people that used to work for other councilmen. Other candidates put people who should have gone to jail on staff. I think I'll stick with Ricatto who doesn't need graft money he appears to have plenty of his own.
Firstly, I didn’t hear anyone laughing while I was at the meeting. But I will admit that the crowd did take a while to warm up to Mike. It is to my understanding that Mike Ricatto left the civic association a bit early to attend a candidate’s night in Forest Hills and was unable stay for the remainder of the event for that reason.
I guess he must think Forest Hills is in his district...
Perhaps he thinks that some of the people who would attend a meeting in Forest Hills are important too. Some may even live in the district.
The QGOP has endorsed Eric Ulrich - you don't have to vote for either Riccato or Ulrich, but stop trying to this to the QGOP - they are running a candidate and giving the voters a choice - WTF w/ the negative comments?
If they live in District 32, why would they attend a candidates' forum in Forest Hills (Dist. 29)?
Forest Hills? When did that become part of the district he's running in. he probably cut out to run put his belly on the bar with some babes.
"But after he finished explaining the given circumstances and directed his conversation toward his plans to LOWER TAXES and STRENGTHEN THE INFRASTRUCTURE of the HOWARD BEACH area, the crowd began to warm up."
He was not IN HOWARD BEACH and if he had stuck around, he would have heard the opinions expressed by the members there that Howard Beach gets attention they think they do not get.
He's never been to a civic meeting in Howard Beach either.
This is Mike Ricatto. YES IT REALLY IS!!
This blog was originally brought to my attention well over a year ago by one of the candidates who are running against me. I had reviewed it then and realized its abject negativity. I decided that it wasn’t for me. One of my friends reintroduced it to me yesterday as this person was defending me.
All of you who have been standing up for me; thanks but there will always be a very small group of people who’s minds cannot be changed. Those of you who have helped get my petitions and those of you supporting me know and understand that 99% of the people who had any comments to make about either me or my campaign were positive. Please do some intellectual triage and cut out the people whose hearts and minds are unchangeable. Don’t waste your time with them! In the same manner Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will never accept Israel, these people will not accept me, not as a resident not as a Councilman, not as a constituent, not as a friend. I implore you to not spend any time on this silly blog either getting angry nor trying to change anybodies mind, instead please come to headquarters at 161-08 Cross Bay Blvd 2nd floor pick up some literature and help me get the word out. There will always be those who refuse to do the simple task of listening, then God forbid, thinking for themselves, STOP WASTING YOUR TIME do something which will actually bring results!!
Thanks
Mike
Gee- Mikey doesn't like us when we diss him.
OK Mikey – lets apply some intellectual triage to your remarks.
How about you provide documentation that supports your claim that 99% of those who had any comments to make about you or your campaign were positive. How many voters were interacted with, how many of those voters made comments, how many made none, how many were positive, how many were negative?
Should you get elected, you will be required to represent and serve, even those “whose hearts and minds are unchangeable” and you may not “cut them out.”
That you draw the conclusion that people will not accept you as a Councilman, a constituent, or a friend is silly. Democrats have accepted Republicans as their Councilman in this district, Republicans have accepted Democrats as their Councilman as well. That you state you will not be accepted as a constituent is an insult to all of your opponents, most of which you have no more of an acquaintance with than a hello and good-by one. How do you arrive at the conclusion that none of them or any of them would not accept you as their constituent? As far as friendship goes, most people have to know people before they build friendships. Moving into a neighborhood and immediately running for office does tend to lead most people to suspect motives as most people are not as dumb as others may believe.
You may believe this blog is silly. Others don’t. You may judge that we are wasting time and you may believe we’re not actually bringing results. Guess what? Result here is that your buttons got pushed, and you responded. Should you get elected, like every other elected official, negativity will come your way – lots of it. Now we know how you will respond – with negativity of your own.
You're wasting your time. This guy is a businessman. I think he has written us off. Like he would do with a bad business decision. He would take the write-off and move on. I do not think that he will read our opinions or write to us again. We are written off.
No problem that he writes us off, problem for him getting elected when those he seeks to represent write him off as nothing more than an over-opinionated egotistical opportunist who packed up his carpetbag, rolled his bus into a community he's never been a part of and tried to roll over it by throwing his weight around while at the same time being so thin-skinned he resents criticism. He'd probably been better off if he had bailed out when he supposedly suspended his campaign. Could have packed up his toys and gone to his real home and nobody would have cared.
I don't think he's thin skinned. Read what the man wrote!! He wrote that people who support him shouldn't waste any time with people who's minds can't be changed and to spend time more intelligently trying to talk to people who will think and listen. You guys are so full of hatred that you can't even read what he wrote. What's the deal?? What did he do to you?
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