Juan Ardila, a challenge in the Democratic primary race for the 30th Council District seat in Queens, is claiming that incumbent Robert Holden plans to pull the same trick he used to win in 2017: running on the Republican line as a Democrat for the November election, thanks to an old state law in the books.
Ardila says that the current Democratic council member will once again be placed on the Republican line for a second term should he lose the June 22nd primary. He claims that the Republicans in the district are coalescing around Holden because he's the best shot in representing their interests.
“There's no other Republican that has nearly enough name recognition or the support that he has," Ardila said of Holden.
While it might seem implausible for a longtime Democrat to run on the GOP line, this is actually how Holden won his seat back in 2017. That year, Holden lost the Democratic primary to then-incumbent Council Member Elizabeth Crowley, but then ran as a Republican during the November general election, where he defeated Crowley for the Council seat by 137 votes. Holden, at the time, said he’d “be stupid not to” get on the Republican line to win.
Ardila’s team believes Holden will pull the same stunt through the Wilson-Pakula Law. The obscure state provision allows a party to place a non-party member on the ballot so long as they file the correct paperwork. In the case for the 30th Council District, the Queens Republican Party will play that card and place Holden on their line, Ardila contends.
Holden and Ardila are the only ones on the Democratic primary ticket. And their line of endorsements underscores their brand of politics. Ardila, a progressive Democrat, has been endorsed by 1199 SEIU, and state senators Jessica Ramos and Michael Gianaris. Holden has received backing from a handful of Democratic legislators, he’s also garnered support from police unions, including the Police Benevolent Association. The PBA made its politics known last year when the group endorsed Trump for his failed re-election bid.
Joann Ariola—the head of the Queens Republican Party, who Holden backed during her unsuccessful bid for Queens borough president—confirmed Spataro is running as a Republican. “He is our candidate," she said, "so I'm not quite sure what Mr. Ardila is talking about."
"I think that Mr. Ardila should pay more attention to his own primary, rather than what the Republicans are doing,” Ariola said. “He's running against a very popular Councilman, who I think can win this seat on the Democratic line outright. [He] wouldn’t need a Republican safety net."
Kevin Ryan, a campaign spokesman, denied such collusion would take place.
“There’s no need for the Councilman, a lifelong Democrat, to consider a contingency plan for losing a primary that he’s going to win,” Ryan said. “He’s been a Democrat twice as long as his challenger has been alive.”
21 comments:
I commented on this Gothamist article but they are hiding my responses, probably because they prefer an echo chamber. WFP gave Juan a Wilson-Pakula and if he doesn't beat Holden in the primary, he's done unless the WFP gets their ballot lines back. Holden is on the Conservative line so he's guaranteed to be on the general election ballot. It's also funny how the Juan drama was a 2-day story but Gothamist neglected to mention it while also conveniently forgetting that he opposes the Glendale shelter along with his opponent.
@Christina
Any screen shots of this?
Socialist city council Yes !
Plus the NYS State Senate and Assembly !
Plus most School Boards ! George Orwell's novels are now reality.
Juan drama got beat in Rochester NY ! Go NY Dems !
https://nypost.com/2021/05/20/rochester-mayor-lovely-warren-husbands-arrest-is-about-politics/
If Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren gets re-elected hypocrisy will be on display for the world.
I like Holden, voted for him, will vote again.
As of May 18, 2021, the Professional Staff Congress (the CUNY Faculty & Staff union) is still endorsing homophobic Juan Ardila on its NYC Endorsements page. Still endorsing Scott Stringer as its number one choice for Mayor, too.
"Teach your children well..."
Had enough? Vote Republican.
Holden is effective and community minded
Professional Staff Congress is as bad as the UFT they just get paid more and work less !
We should all be very, very frightened of what is being said here and how people "inform" each other.
What I find interesting about the topic about Holden being an ineffective legislator is because he's kind of an outlier in a city council filled with officials who spend more time virtue signalling than signing laws that help most New Yorkers and that signalling tends to influence their legislating as well.
In a way, Holden is like Bernie Sanders (political ideologies aside), another official who gets accused of the same ineffectiveness as a lawmaker, but is constantly undermined because of the policies he supports.
at Anonymous JQ LLC huh??? In no way Holden is like Bernie Sanders, you are very confused.
@Anonymous Anon:
You seem confused, noticed I mentioned they are not the same politically. I meant that Bernie has been accused also of being an ineffective legislator by establishment officials and corporate news (Bezos Wash Post obviously) when he ran for president, twice.
Bernie also was subjected to ageist insults against him too.
Bobby has been complaining for years about how his district has been represented and that it needed more responsiable polictial managment . I see no change in Maspeth and Middle Village at all. It's actually getting worse. The only things he has been succesfull in is getting hinself a city pension.
Grand ave and Metro is full of trash ,the parks need attention, if he cares he should have results , or just retire.
We all know everyone winds up in Florida.
Send postcard.
Anonymous who wrote that Maspeth and Middle Village are getting worse. I too live in Maspeth. Have you noticed how much cleaner the rest of the city is? It's becoming get a third world shithole.
Don't blame Holden, blame the mayor and the rest of the socialist city council. Holden is actually one of the few sane members on the council. He actually gets things done for his constituents.
If the rest of the worthless batch was half of Holden this city would be in a far better place.
He is the only straight-up guy from Queens in politics.
End of discussion.
Holden is the only council member that puts the hard questions to the Mayor,Carranza,Thrive, homeless shelters, Riker's Island and the anti police crowd. .He's not looking for a job,he's a retired teacher and has been a community activist for 40 years and only doing this because he cares about this city.Sadly he is a lone voice in the wilderness.
I can finally sleep at night knowing ppls eyes are now open to Critical Race Theory.
Another non-event makes the pseudo news!
Holden has 2 cleaning crews made up of the formerly homeless and the city just added DSNY programs for cleanliness. Maybe pigs should stop being pigs and your neighborhoods would be sparkling. You don't go to other major cities and see what you see here and they have smaller budgets.
I contacted Holden on his Instagram account yesterday, August 2, 2021, regarding cover ups, concealing and withholding vital information, and corruption with Mayor de Blasio's office, as well as Governor Cuomo;s entrenched Executive Chamber. The complaints are all on the record and so far, no one whom I had previously contacted has budged. We'll see how long it takes Bob to reach out to me personally (after all, I alerted HIM of massive corruption and cover ups), and to get his fingernails dirty from the City Hall/Albany grime that never ends.
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