Limited love for Quinn?

From the Politicker:

When arguably the most powerful county organization in New York City, the Queens Democratic Party, endorsed Christine Quinn for mayor, political observers believed it was a coup for Ms. Quinn because Queens’s famously loyal elected officials would quickly back the Council speaker. But since party chairman Joe Crowley announced he was supporting Ms. Quinn on May 20, few Queens elected officials have followed suit.

“They’ve been surprised by the lukewarm reception for Quinn,” said one Queens Democratic operative, unaligned with any candidate. “Especially considering only three district leaders dissented at her endorsement.”

The black political leadership in southeastern Queens was irked on May 20 when Ms. Quinn was chosen over the race’s one African-American candidate, Bill Thompson, but the dissent was still relatively limited to a few older power brokers like former Councilman Archie Spigner. Ms. Quinn has secured the backing of some Queens elected officials, including Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney and Councilwoman Julissa Ferreras, but thus far most have remained neutral.

Congresswoman Grace Meng, for example, has not endorsed Ms. Quinn, despite her close ties to the county organization. The same is true for elected officials like State Senator Toby Stavisky, State Senator Joe Addabbo and Assemblyman Michael Simanowitz. There is still time for elected officials to endorse Ms. Quinn and political insiders believe more, like Councilman James Gennaro, will back her. But she may also have an uphill battle in pressing her case to representatives of certain ethnic enclaves that have their own chosen candidates.

In addition, sources tell me that a lot of Dem club members are refusing to carry petitions for Quinn. This could get interesting.

Crowley pissed off a lot of Dems with his endorsement picks

From the Politicker:

When the Queens Democratic Party rolled out its endorsements this morning in Forest Hills, one notable demographic, African Americans, was left without a major candidate. Indeed, Queens' black political establishment looked on with disappointment as their favored candidates for mayor, borough president and public advocate were passed over for rivals.

Congressman Joe Crowley, the party chair, endorsed Council Speaker Christine Quinn for mayor and former Councilwoman Melinda Katz for borough president. While a vast majority of district leaders voiced their approval, Elmer Blackburne and several other black district leaders dissented, indicating that instead they would support Bill Thompson, the former comptroller, who is also black. Ms. Quinn and Ms. Katz are white.

"Our community tells us that they're gonna vote for him [Thompson] again," Mr. Blackburne, a district leader from a predominately black southeast Queens, told reporters after the endorsement meeting. "We feel strongly and we'll be working very strongly with Mr. Thompson. [Ms. Quinn] can't win in our district. She can't win the Bronx, from the numbers I'm getting. She can't win in her own district, I'm told--her own part of Manhattan--and she can't win in Brooklyn."

Mr. Blackburne said he understood the county organization had an appreciation for diversity but also made decisions that were not always popular with the local black political establishment. Archie Spigner, a former southeast Queens councilman and close ally of sitting Councilman Leroy Comrie, the black candidate Mr. Crowley was considering endorsing instead of Ms. Katz for borough president, expressed disappointment at the seemingly last-minute decision the county organization made to not support Mr. Comrie.

"I'm disappointed but I understand their logic," Mr. Spigner told Politicker. "We'll have to see whether Leroy continues in the race. If he continues in the race, I'll be with him. The reasons they gave me were that he was a very unsuccessful, unspectacular fund-raiser."

Sources indicated that Mr. Spigner and other Comrie allies were only informed of Mr. Crowley's decision to support Ms. Katz late Saturday and Sunday. Initially, Politicker reported that the county organization was expected to back Mr. Comrie, despite his poor fund-raising. However, according to several plugged-in Democratic sources, Mr. Comrie's candidacy was met coolly in the pivotal organized labor community, some of whom favored Ms. Katz. When other candidates, sources said, made it clear they were not going to step aside if Mr. Crowley backed Mr. Comrie, the county organization reevaluated their plans and chose Ms. Katz, a strong fund-raiser and former county-backed candidate for Congress.

Historic district dealing with squatter

From the Times Ledger:

A squatter who has been living in St. Albans Park for at least three years has been littering the streets and been a nuisance to the community, according to nearby residents, who want the city to help her and to clean up their neighborhood.

Addisleigh Park resident Archie Spigner, a former city councilman, has been reaching out to southeast Queens elected officials, the city Department of Homeless Services and the police to deal with the nameless vagrant who is usually spotted at the corner of Marne Place and 113th Avenue, but nothing has been done so far.

Spigner said her presence, accompanied by several boxes of junk such as dustpans, dirty clothing and trinkets, has been disturbing parkgoers because she litters her goods all over the street.

“She’s been on the sidewalk 24/7,” he said. “Through the rain, through the snow, through the heat, whatever weather, she lives there.”

The woman, who does not speak English, first appeared eight years ago and began squatting in front of a Seventh-day Adventist Church and the park, according to the Addisleigh Park Civic Association. When the church erected a steel gate around its perimeter around two years ago, the squatter made the park her home, much to the annoyance of the neighborhood, according to Rene Hill, president of the civic.

“She undresses in the park and in the street. It stops all the traffic and it’s disgusting,” she said.

The civic head pointed out that since the woman speaks French, it is hard for anyone to find out why she is homeless and if there are any friends or relatives who could help her. Although she has not physically harmed anyone during her time in the neighborhood, she gets testy and loud when people try to talk to her, according to Hill.

Hill said her group has grown concerned since the city is currently conducting a review on designating Addisleigh Park a historical district and the squatter and her trash is in conflict with the image it is trying to preserve.

Trying to light a political spark in St. Albans

From the NY Times:

“So much for the Obama effect,” said Rance Huff, Mr. Comrie’s chief of staff. Mr. Comrie had just declared victory at the Guy R. Brewer United Democratic Club, the headquarters of the Queens party establishment, where paid campaigners, impatient for their cash, raised such a ruckus that someone called the police.

Later, though, Mr. Comrie’s staff members acknowledged that the challengers had forced them to campaign harder than ever before — and that in the process, they had gotten such an earful that the councilman planned to overhaul the way he communicated with the public.

“I was not happy with the level of reaction I got from people who felt they didn’t have a connection to the office,” Mr. Comrie said. Some, he said, had asked for help and had been disappointed, but many more simply knew little about their councilman.

The race even roused Archie Spigner, 81, the area’s political éminence grise who was elected its councilman in 1974 and served until 2002, when Mr. Comrie, his protégé, succeeded him. Mr. Spigner now concedes that the Brewer club needs to bring in a new generation, though he is not sure how to find young people who care about politics.