From the Times Ledger:
One of the powers entrusted to a borough president is to review and make recommendations on land use applications for development projects in Queens.
The real estate industry has been backing certain candidates in the race to replace current Borough President Helen Marshall, and it seems to be firmly behind former Democratic Councilwoman Melinda Katz, according to an analysis of campaign finance data from the city Campaign Finance Board.
The current Democratic field also includes state Sen. Tony Avella (D-Bayside), City Councilman Leroy Comrie (D-St. Albans), Director of Community Boards Barry Grodenchik, Sen. Jose Peralta (D-East Elmhurst) and Councilman Peter Vallone Jr. (D-Astoria).
Both Katz and Comrie, who was unable to file because of a technical difficulty, have served as head of the Council’s powerful Committee on Land Use.
Each candidate’s filings were examined for donations from real estate firms, developers, architects and real estate lawyers. The filings cover the period up to Jan. 15. Because some of the data was incomplete, the numbers are only rough estimates, but Katz is clearly preferred.
Katz stepped down as a lobbyist from Greenberg & Traurig in November and her filings date back to August. About $109,000, or about 38 percent, of her funds for the borough president race have come from real estate interests.
High-ranking employees of major Queens developers, like Cord Meyer, Tully Construction and the Hemmerdinger family’s ATCO, were all represented in the filings, but some of the biggest developers from across the city chipped in as well.
Katz received at least 15 maximum donations of $3,850 from real estate interests, including the spouses of company executives. Only one other candidate received a maximum donation from a real estate interest.
17 comments:
This is an easy one
TONY AVELLA FOR QUEENS BOUROUGH PRESIDENT
Pure greed. Sell our city down the river all for greed!
What's Katz' take on the potential sell off of Flushing Meadows Corona Park to developers???
Let's make this a op issue for all ontestants.
Council member Katz
made a litter box out of her own district!
WTF do you think she'll do as borough president?
That developer's slut will pee all over Queens!
And look at the rest of the rogues gallery.
Avella is my choice.
Don't throw your vote away to Avella, go for Vallone.
Tony Avella is the ONLY politician supporting the people, as opposed to corrupt developers and business interests.
JP
Are you kidding? The Vallones have been in developers pockets
forever. Daddy even had them on his staff. If you do not believe me ask any housing activists.
Don't throw your vote away to Avella, go for Vallone.
-----
That's right...vote for BOTH Vallones.
Look at the AMAZING job that family has done destroying Astoria over the last 50 years for their financial benefit.
If you have a shred of decency in your body, do not under any circumstances vote for these political parasites!
No question about it...no more phony-Vallone-y-baloney for me.
Avella for BP 2013! He's the only one not on the take or a fake!
God, she's such a butch.
Looks like Peter Frampton.
Yeah--
like I should vote for Vallone, the developers' lobbyist.
Thank you! Kiss my joint!
I'd prefer to throw away my vote, if it comes to that (which it won't) for Avella who has long supported neighborhood preservation, than mark my ballot for the real estate industry's candidate who ruined Astoria.
You go go and kiss Pete junior's ass if you wish.
Is that you, Chuck--you, Adam. or one of your trolls
offering us advice?
Avella will have Queens best interest in mind always
Thanks ... I'll take Ruth Buzzi in the lower right square to block...
H-m-m-m!
Where is Adam the dwarf?
He's been silent lately.
Has Adam run out of press releases from the Vallones, to rewrite and post on his blog?
Right on, fella!
Do you want 2 Valloney-baloneys running Queens?
If so start rehearsing their anthem,
"Hail, hail Vallonia, my home sweet home"!
Tony's great, but just one question:
What's so bad about Astoria?
What's so bad about Astoria?
It's a developer's paradise because the Vallones have spent a half-century greasing the wheels for their real estate buddies.
We don't need the Vallones - who have spent decades living off of our ignorance to their actions - in office anymore - anywhere!
Avella is the only one listed here that isn't a type of mold or ooze that normally lives in small bodies of water.
To simplify: except for Avella, they're all pond scum, including the Vallones.
Correction sir...
I'd call the Vallones...EFFLUENT...
like the "thick stuff" that rises to the top of the
Flushing Creek...very "fragrant" at low tide!
The rest, indeed, are pond slime!
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