Queens Borough President for sale

 

Running an office that has no real function or reason to exist doesn't come cheap. For a guy who likes to drop the word equity every minute, these prices doesn't indicate any presence of the average working class Queens resident at this gala.

Ooh don't forget that the working class residents of Queens will still be donating money anyway because of the easy to manipulate matching funds law.

 

Jimmy's got a brand new bag while his husband is bringing home the bread

 

He is a reborn union man fighting real estate and for the working man and woman according to his website - Jimmy Van Bramer for Queens Borough President

 BUT he is notoriously close to real estate developers! In 2013 campaign finance records below show he got at least  $6,350.00 from a developer's family, the Wolkoffs, related to the Five Points Development, which not only got a lucrative variance BUT ALSO the developer G&M Realty owner -AKA Jerry Wolkoff - didn't use all union labor as promised. The people of LIC got glass behemoths instead - thanks to Jimmy! He is also an old friend of big-time developer Stuart Suna.

 

 

 

NY Post

While City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer may have sworn off special interest cash, the same hasn’t been true for his husband — author and documentary filmmaker Dan Hendrick.

His 2017 documentary “Saving Jamaica Bay” is larded to the hilt with money from lobbyists and big real estate interests the councilman swore to avoid, a review by The Post shows.

The influential lobbyists singled out for thanks in the film credits include Uber lobbyist Patrick Jenkins, the founder of Patrick B. Jenkins & Associates; Jon R. Del Giorno, a founding member of Pitta Bishop & Del Giorno and lobbyist for the Yankees; Arthur Goldstein, a partner in Davidoff Hutcher & Citron and lobbyist for the Greater Jamaica Development Corporation; former NYU lobbyist Rose Christ, of Cozen O’Connor; and Joe Reubens, a partner at The Parkside Group who lobbied for AT&T.

Big real estate also chipped in, with The Durst Organization, Tishman Speyer Properties, the Real Estate Board of New York Foundation and others also thanked in the film credits.

Hendricks made no secret of the need for financing while making the film, telling local news he took in “hundreds of thousands” of dollars for the flick, which was narrated by Susan Sarandon. 

 “On the surface, it doesn’t look good,” said Betsy Gotbaum, a former city Public Advocate and current executive director of the good government group Citizens Union.

Lizzie Two Times

 

LIC Post

Former Council Member Elizabeth Crowley said Tuesday that she is thinking about making another bid for Queens Borough President.

“I feel like I have a lot to offer the borough in terms of what we have to do to get back on our feet,” she said. “I haven’t made the final decision yet, but it is something that I am strongly considering.”

Crowley, who represented Glendale, Maspeth, Middle Village, Richmond Hill, Ridgewood, parts of Woodside and Woodhaven in the City Council from 2009 to 2017, lost to Queens Borough President Donovan Richards in a June 2020 Democratic primary for the seat.

She came in second in the five-person primary.

It's BP Groundhog Day in Queens.

Jimmy Two Times

 

 

 Queens County Politics

City Councilmember Jimmy Van Bramer (D-Sunnyside, Woodside, Long Island City, Astoria, Dutch Kills) officially launched his bid for the Queens Borough President’s office on Tuesday morning. 

“We’ve got a once in a lifetime chance to fundamentally change Queens politics forever,” he said in a launch video released on YouTube. “That’s why I’m running for Queens Borough President.” 

Van Bramer is a term-limited decade long city councilmember. He will be up against a handful of candidates already filed to run in the borough-wide race including current Queens Borough President Donovan Richards. Richards assumed office late this fall after a special election to replace Melinda Katz, who left the office to serve as Queens District Attorney.

 Van Bramer has positioned himself as a progressive option for the borough-wide office citing his support for policies such as taxing the rich and reallocating funding away from the New York City Police Department.

Donovan Richards is the President

 

Claire Shulman, who followed Donald Manes as Queens Borough President, has died.

AMNY


Former Queens Borough President Claire Shulman died Sunday, Aug. 16, according to her family.
Shulman, 94, had been battling lung cancer and pancreatic cancer. She passed away in her home, surrounded by her children, Ellen Baker, and Larry and Linda Shulman.

Shulman was the first woman to be elected as Queens borough president, a position she held for 16 years, from 1986 until 2002, when she was term-limited. During that time, dozens of neighborhoods were rezoned, generating development which led to the economic revitalization of downtown Jamaica, Flushing and Long Island City.

As borough president, Shulman was pivotal in ensuring the progress of a number of cultural institutions, including the Queens Museum of Art, the New York Hall of Science, Queens Theatre in the Park and the Museum of the Moving Image.

She played a major role in securing funding for 35,000 additional school seats and the completion of the Queens Hospital Center, a $170 million complex serving 400,000 patients annually that is the largest health care provider in the borough."

Donovan Richards wins Dem primary for Queens BP

Queens Chronicle

Councilman Donovan Richards (D-Laurelton) will be the Democratic nominee for borough president in November.

Former Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley conceded the primary election on Tuesday afternoon, almost a month after voters went to the polls.

“I wanted you to hear it from me first: while the Board of Elections has not officially called the race, and some districts are still getting tallied, the numbers to win are just not with us,” she said in a statement.

Richards replied, calling Crowley a friend and saying, “I admire her commitment to Queens and look forward to working with her to unite our borough moving into November.”

As of election night, June 23, Richards had a nine-point lead over Crowley, with a 37.18 percent to 28.19 percent advantage. The BOE began counting absentee ballots later, and does not release the numbers until all the votes are counted.

Councilman Costa Constantinides (D-Astoria) had 15.23 percent, retired NYPD Sgt. Anthony Miranda had 14.74 percent and businessman Dao Yin had 4.46 percent of the vote. Constantinides conceded Wednesday.

Richards was endorsed by the Queens County Democratic Committee in late December, which made him an early frontrunner in the race.

Jim Quinn drops out of Queens Borough President race

Queens Chronicle 

When Gov. Cuomo canceled the June 23 nonpartisan special election for Queens borough president, it knocked retired prosecutor Jim Quinn out of the race.

Quinn was one of six candidates vying for the spot but, after consideration, had not put his name in for either of the primaries to be held the same day.

Queens GOP Chairwoman Joann Ariola-Shanks is running on the Republican and Conservative lines in the general election.
 
Quinn was unsure if he wanted to go forward and decided he didn’t want to run on the Republican line, meaning that even if he won the special election he would have had the job only through the end of 2020. When the party was getting signatures for the general election, it was Juniper Park Civic Association President Tony Nunziato’s name on the petition.

“We were very clear that we were supporting Jim throughout the special election and that Tony’s position on the ballot was as a placeholder to give Jim the amount of time of he needed to decide which way he wanted to go,” Ariola-Shanks said.

Queens Borough President election to be held on Election Day!

QNS

The Queens Borough President special election, originally set for March 24 and then rescheduled for June 23, has been canceled.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed an executive order on Friday, April 24, to cancel the special election for the position, which was vacated by Melinda Katz when she became Queens District Attorney in January and is now held by Sharon Lee, and move it to the Nov. 3 general election.

The order also cancels the state Assembly and Senate special elections. This means the southeastern Queens Assembly District 31 seat, previously held by Michele Titus, will be vacant for a year.

“The state assembly and state senate special elections, which are otherwise scheduled to be held on June 23, 2020 are hereby cancelled and such offices shall be filled at the general election,” the executive order reads. “The special election to be held for the office of Queens Borough President is hereby cancelled, and such office shall be filled at the general election.”

Queens residents will now vote for the new borough president in the November general election. The early voting period for the general election will be from Oct. 24 to Nov. 1.

The current candidates for Queens Borough President are Councilman Costa Constantinides, Councilman Donovan Richards, former Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley, retired NYPD officer Anthony Miranda, former Assistant District Attorney James Quinn and businessman Dao Yin.
 Acting Queens Borough President Sharon Lee said she is committed to representing the borough.

Queens Borough President election is postponed

NY Post

Mayor Bill de Blasio on Sunday suspended the March 24 special election for Queens Borough President.

The election to fill the vacancy was already underway, with early voting beginning last March 13.
Councilman Donovan Richards, the Queens Democratic Party-backed candidate who is considered the front-runner, had urged the mayor and Gov. Andrew Cuomo to postpone the election because of health concerns over the coronavirus.

Richards immediately praised de Blasio in a tweet moments after the mayor’s called off the race.

“Thank you@NYCMayor for recognizing the importance of protecting poll workers and voters in Queens. We should never put politics ahead of the health and safety of our most vulnerable,” Richards said.

Early voting for Borough President election will proceed during coronavirus scare

 

 THE CITY

Queens residents will be able to cast their votes early beginning Saturday to decide who will become the next borough president.

With anxieties about the coronavirus pandemic high, the city Board of Elections and several candidates for borough president are encouraging people to vote ahead of the March 24 special election to lessen the opportunity for large crowds at polling locations.

“This is an opportunity for Queens residents to avoid the highest turnout on the final day of voting,” said Councilmember Costa Constantinides, who is among the half-dozen candidates vying for the seat vacated by Melinda Katz, now the borough’s district attorney.

Candidates said they’re rolling with the race’s current changing landscape, and at least three of the six are pressing pause on get out the vote efforts in the field.

Constantinides announced Thursday his campaign was halting handing out fliers at subway stations and knocking on doors to speak to voters.

“Our organizers and volunteers go door-to-door or to mass transit hubs everyday, and we do not want to put the health of them or anyone else at risk at this time,” said Patrick Jordan, Constantinides’ campaign manager.

Former City Councilmember Elizabeth Crowley’s campaign also announced on Thursday it would suspend in-person canvassing.

“Our campaign is halting canvassing because of the coronavirus pandemic to protect the safety and health of all,” Crowley said. “We are following all guidelines from public health officials during this fast moving crisis.”

Councilmember Donovan Richards’ spokesperson also said they would halt canvassing.

Retired NYPD sergeant Anthony Miranda said he harbored concerns that his campaign volunteers might be endangering their health. They have reported fewer people were opening their doors.

“It’s presenting a lot of challenges right now to the known methods of collecting signatures,” Miranda said. “We are in a scary place right now in terms of just community health.”

REBNY bought their man for Queens

NY Post


The powerful Real Estate Board of New York is throwing its muscle behind Councilman Donovan Richards to become Queens’ next borough president — and is helping to fundraise for the Far Rockaway Democrat, The Post has learned.

“We firmly believe Council Member Donovan Richards would best serve in this role,” wrote REBNY president James Whelan in an email that was sent to the organization’s board last week and obtained by The Post.

Whelan pointed to Richards support for rezonings and for controversial public-private partnerships to pay for rehabbing decrepit public housing developments as reasons for backing him.

“We can’t expect to see eye-to-eye with every elected official on every issue,” he added. “We can expect, and should support, those candidates who are willing to have direct, honest conversations about ways we can work together to move the City forward — and we believe Donovan is that candidate.”

Whelan’s Feb. 14 email called for REBNY’s deep-pocketed members to contribute to Richards’ campaign and included an invite to a Feb. 19 fundraiser organized by Queens real estate broker Eric Benaim.

They got theirs...

Jimmy Van Bramer campaigns to spend more time with his family

 

NY Post

 Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer announced Tuesday that he is ending his campaign for Queens borough president, citing family reasons.

“Family circumstances have been weighing on me for some time, causing me to reconsider the timing and feasibility of this campaign,” the Queens Democrat said in a statement.

“Prioritizing my responsibilities as a son and brother is where my attention needs to be right now. 

While this is a difficult decision, this is the right one for me and my family at this time.”
A special election will be held March 24 after former Borough President Melinda Katz was elected Queens district attorney.

Van Bramer helped lead the controversial fight against Amazon building a new headquarters in Long Island City — a deal that was ultimately scuttled due to the backlash.
 
The Queens pol had previously complained about getting threatening texts over his opposition, but told The Post that his decision to pull out of the race “has nothing to do with anything other than my mom and our family.”

Van Bramer was a front-runner and had already scored some key endorsements, including Public Advocate Jumaane Williams and actor-turned-progressive darling Cynthia Nixon.
 
Others still vying for the beep job include fellow term-limited Councilmen Donovan Richards and Costa Constantinides, and former Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley. The Queens Democratic Party is backing Richards.

Van Bramer as of last week had raised $463,701 for his campaign and had $203,185 on hand. His fundraising efforts have exceeded both Richards’ and Constantinides’, but slightly trailed those of Crowley, the cousin of longtime Queens power broker and former Rep. Joe Crowley.

If Jimmy was so weighted with these thoughts for "some time", why did he show up and passionately pleaded for voter support at that ridiculous two mic forum last week?

Interim Queens BP Sharon Lee recruiting community board members

QNS

 Acting Queens Borough President Sharon Lee is accepting applications from qualified and civic-minded individuals interested in serving on one of the borough’s 14 community boards, which play an important advisory role in considering land use and zoning matters in their respective districts.

The deadline for prospective and current community board members to submit completed, signed and notarized applications to the Borough President’s office is Friday, Jan. 31. For the upcoming round of appointments, the two-year term of service will begin on Monday, April 1.

“Civic engagement is a hallmark of our borough and city governance is only strengthened by the residents across Queens who make their voices heard and represent their neighborhoods and communities,” Lee said. “Government is more effective and accountable when it works in close partnership with active, dedicated residents and relies on them for their insights and broad expertise.”

The community boards each hold monthly full membership meetings that are open to the public. They also hold hearings and recommendations regarding the city budget, municipal service delivery and numerous other matters that impact their communities. All Queens community board members are appointed by the borough president, pursuant to the City Charter, with half of the appointments nominated by the City Council members representing their Community Districts.

Each board has up to 50 unsalaried members. All community board members who wish to continue serving are required to re-apply at the conclusion of their two year term and are subject to review and reconsideration.

Lets get to know our two month BP

Queens Borough President Melinda Katz announced on Nov. 13 the appointment of Sharon Lee as deputy borough president, effective Nov. 17. Lee, the former senior advisor and press secretary for John Liu when he was the city comptroller and a key figure in his failed 2013 mayoral campaign, will replace Melva Miller and become the first Asian deputy borough president in New York.

“Sharon has been a trusted member of my senior leadership team for years and I could not think of a more prepared or knowledgeable person to serve as deputy borough president,” Katz said. “Her vast experience in New York City government, her deep relationships across the full spectrum of Queens communities and her passion for inclusion, equal opportunity, fairness and justice will prove invaluable for the future and direction of our great borough.”

Who's running Queens?

 queensbp.org

Shouldn't the acting BP be listed here? Or at least info about the upcoming special election?

BP candidates mandated to return real estate donor lucre

The Real Deal

Real estate donors in the Queens borough president race will see some of their checks returned, but this time it’s not because the candidates don’t want their money.

The limit for donations is $750 for candidates seeking to receive the highest level of public matching funds. For City Council member Donovan Richards, the Queens Democratic organization’s endorsed candidate, that means he will have to return as much as $21,000 to real estate donors by January 15.

Richards, who chairs the City Council’s Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises, pulled in at least $38,000 from real estate–related groups in his campaign — nearly 30 percent of his donations.
Richards’ largest real estate donor, the Real Estate Board of New York, contributed $4,850 through its expenditure committee, Taxpayers for an Affordable New York. Richards did not declare his run for borough president until much later. The campaign expects to return the surplus.

City Council member Jimmy Van Bramer, who has positioned himself as the progressive in the race, also received donations from the real estate industry. After The Daily News reported that he had yet to return them, he posted the returned checks on Twitter. But he has yet to return all of the donations bundled for him by real estate developer Shibber Kahn, who gathered nearly $5,000 from five donors one day in June 2018.

Astoria Council member Costa Constantinides received at least $25,390 from real estate donors, accounting for about 7 percent of his total donations through his latest public filing.

His largest real estate benefactor is the Astoria-based Scaldafiore Realty, whose personnel gave a combined $6,500 to the campaign.

Other large donors to Constantinides include Sal Lucchese, a manager at the Astoria-based The L Group, who gave $4,350; and his business partner, Astoria-based real estate attorney Philip Loria, who gave $1,500.

James Quinn running for Queens Borough President too

QNS

A day after Mayor Bill de Blasio declared the official date for the Borough President’s special election to be March 24, a new, law-and-order challenger announced a last minute bid for the office: former Assistant District Attorney James Quinn.
Though Quinn, a lifelong Queens resident, is reportedly a registered Democrat like the other five declared candidates, both his background and political platform described in the political flyer that was distributed to QNS on Friday makes him stand out among the rest of the field.

“Elect a crime fighter,” reads the first page of his campaign pamphlet.
Quinn served as ADA in the Queens County DA’s Office for 42 years. His platform promises to fight against many of the recent criminal justice reforms that city and state legislators have championed over the past year.
In the campaign materials, he vows to stop the closing of Rikers Island, to stop Mayor de Blasio from building jails in Kew Gardens or anywhere in Queens, and to push back on the bail reform by allowing judges to consider a defendant’s “danger to society” when setting bail.
The platform contains one economic policy idea about working “with businesses like Amazon to bring high paying jobs and careers to Queens.”

The Queens Machine makes a special endorsement

Hilarious update, BP candidates Costa and Van Bramer are bellyaching about this: 

NY Post 

 
The Queens Democratic Party machine was up to its old tricks Monday — holding a hastily called, barely publicized meeting before 9 a.m. to endorse leaders’ chosen candidate for borough president, critics said.

“This could’ve been that opportunity to bring in those who want to be part of something larger,” contender and city Councilman Costa Constantinides tweeted. “Sad that won’t appear to happen.”
Party leaders were voting on who to endorse to replace Beep Melinda Katz, who is Queens’ new district attorney, in a special election likely to be held in March.

City Councilman Donovan Richards easily won the executive committee’s vote.

But Constantinides and other contenders were furious over the way things went down, saying the move smacked of a backroom deal.

“Received a letter yesterday, not email, saying @Queens_Dems will hold a district leader meeting this Monday at 845am. No agenda is set …,” the councilman tweeted.

City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer also railed against the endorsement process.

“The corrupt Queens Democratic Machine is the opposite of democratic, and Monday’s meeting & endorsements are clearly a sham,” he tweeted. “I beat the county machine in my 2009 insurgent progressive campaign for Council and have proudly stood up against the machine since.
“Queens needs an independent Borough President, not another machine puppet.”

Donovan Richards is running for Queens borough president with Claire Shulman's backing

NY Daily News 

Far Rockaway City Councilman Donovan Richards jumped into the race to succeed Queens Borough President Melinda Katz Wednesday, running on a platform of equitable economic growth.

“As we watch the skyline transform and grow in front of our eyes, each and every day, there are too many of us that are being left behind,” Richards told the small crowd, adding that economic growth must be “managed correctly.”

He went on to tout three committee chairmanships in his six-year tenure on the council: public safety, zoning and environmental protection.

As Borough President, Richards pledged he’d diversify community boards, expand public transit options in Eastern Queens, conduct participatory budgeting, and overhaul the Queens property tax system, which he described as racially biased.

He told the Daily News that he will accept real estate donations, adding that, “My integrity would never be compromised.”

Elizabeth Crowley is running for Queens Borough President.

According to the video, this campaign is being marked also as a listening tour. (How about Liztening Tour?)

 Listening to this, Liz is banking heavy on the sexual identity politics and immigration angle, while looking perplexed by some of the questions from the audience.

Hopefully, she doesn't get pushy with citizens who demand more from her than just platitudes.