Weprin challenging Friedrich's petitions

Within minutes of the midnight deadline on July 15th, in true “politics-as-usual” fashion, David Weprin filed a petition challenge with the Board of Elections in the NYS Democratic Primary Assembly race in the 24th Assembly District. Since Bob Friedrich is the only other candidate in that race, Bob said,

“I can only conclude that the sole purpose of Weprin’s petition challenge is to disenfranchise voters of the district by attempting to remove me from the ballot so that he can run unopposed in the Democratic Primary. Attempting to disenfranchise voters will only increase the already strong anti-incumbent sentiment that exists among the electorate.”

David Weprin knows that the Friedrich petitions are proper and performed in accordance with NYS Election Law. He is well-aware that his brother, Mark Weprin, chose not to challenge Friedrich’s designating petitions in the last election after carefully examining and inspecting them.

In June, BOB FRIEDRICH asked David Weprin to join him and take a “No-Challenge Petition Pledge” so that district voters would have a choice of candidates in the Democratic Primary for Assembly for the first time in a decade. WEPRIN refused. Bob commented,

“David Weprin likes to talk about “change” and being a different kind of politician, but his actions speak louder than words. Protecting the Weprin family dynasty is more important to David Weprin than the rights of district voters to have an election with a choice of candidates.”

Friedrich is confident that David Weprin won’t succeed in his challenge since the Friedrich campaign has submitted almost 3 times the necessary number of petition signatures required by law.

“I can assure the voters of the 24th Assembly District that we will be on the ballot in September and they will have a choice of candidates. Change is coming on September 14th.”

By filing a procedural challenge to the Friedrich campaign’s petition signatures, Mr. Weprin is alleging that Friedrich’s campaign volunteers, most of whom are middle aged adults or senior citizens, did something wrong, unethical or unlawful. This is a “slap-in-the-face” by Weprin to the more than 60 hardworking and enthusiastic volunteers, including many civic leaders who donated their time each evening ringing doorbells of neighborhood residents and gathering qualifying signatures in accordance with NYS Election Law.

It is shameful that David Weprin seeks to bring the North Korean example of elections to our Assembly District by robbing voters of choice in his attempt to knock his ONLY opponent off the ballot so that he can run unopposed as he has done in every primary election.

Bob Friedrich is confident that these types of political shenanigans will be rejected by the voters in the September Primary.

Letter from Great Neck

The following letter appeared in this week's Times Ledger. It nicely summarizes what is wrong with our political fundraising process and the always favorable coverage that the local papers give to elected officials. It was revealed by one of our readers that David Weprin accepted a sizable campaign contribution from the owners of the controversial yeshiva that recently opened in Glendale.

Weprin not interested in little guy from Queens

After reading "Boro politicians host week of holiday parties" ("Dishing with Dee" by Dee Richard, Dec. 14), I have to wonder if Ms. Richard consumed too much eggnog at all the parties.
Her comments concerning lame duck City Council Finance Committee Chairman David Weprin's candidacy for city comptroller in 2009 read as if she was on his campaign payroll as press spokeswoman.

Remember past campaign fund-raising events hosted by Weprin in Tribeca and South Street Seaport celebrating his 50th birthday? The price of admission was $500 for friends, $1,000 for hosts and $2,750 for sponsors. Weprin apparently has no interest in $25, $50 or $100 donations from ordinary constituent citizens. Both fund-raisers were conveniently located near his law office. (He will never declare how many hours he practices law in addition to his City Council duties or if any of his clients have business dealings with the City.)

It seems it has been years since he has held any fund-raising events near his working- and middle-class constituents from Queens. Like a bee attracted to honey, Weprin likes the bright lights of Broadway with all the high rollers and big spenders doing business with the city, along with their fat check books.

Who continues to contribute all those $500, $1,000 and $2,750 tickets to Weprin's re-election campaign committee? The same crowd attended his recent Dec. 13 holiday extravaganza at the Woolworth Building. With no Democratic primary or Republican general election opponent in 2005, why did he need to raise over $500,000?Perhaps the real reason was to begin building a political war chest to run for city comptroller in 2009. Despite numerous campaign donations to fellow Council members, local and county Democratic organizations, he was never considered a serious candidate for City Council speaker. It is interesting to note that his fellow Council members, who know him best, didn't support him. This could be an ominous sign for his 2009 race for city comptroller as well.

Intelligent voters would love to learn more about who is contributing money to Weprin in exchange for possible future favors at taxpayers' expense. Never shy around a camera or microphone, you have to wonder why Weprin doesn't look for media coverage at his fund-raisers? When will Weprin go public with a detailed list of his contributors?

Contact the city Campaign Finance Board or log on to the Web site, http://www.nyccfb.org. His contributors and campaign expenditures to date make interesting reading.

Independent observers of municipal government know there is a political quid pro quo expected by those who represent various special interest groups doing business with the city in exchange for campaign donations. This is known as "pay for play" around City Hall. Are these the very same "support by both financially and politically important people" Ms. Richard refers to?

Larry Penner
Great Neck

Weprin wimps out of debate

From the Gotham Gazette:

Democratic congressional candidate and State Assemblymember David Weprin has withdrawn from tonight’s scheduled debate with his GOP rival, Bob Turner. The two men are locked in a tough contest to succeed Anthony Weiner in the Ninth Congressional District in Brooklyn and Queens.

Robert Holden president of the Juniper Park Civic Association, cosponsor of the debate, said he checked in with Weprin’s campaign earlier today and was told “logistics” would make it impossible for Weprin to appear in Middle Village tonight.

“The hurricane caused major logistical and scheduling problems for the campaign and thus David is not able to make the debate this evening,” Weprin campaign spokesperson, Liz Kerr said in an emailed statement.

Holden, though, was not accepting the hurricane as a reason for Weprin’s change in plans. “This stinks to high heaven,” Holden said.

He said the candidate’s people had been voicing concern about the debate for the past week, expressing fear it could get disorderly and pressing for a forum instead of an actual debate. Holden said he had promised that the debate would be well run – no placards allowed and some police on hand – but he added, “I can’t guarantee you’re not going to get tough questions.”

The cancellation “is going to backfire for Weprin big time, “Holden said. “Anybody who would do this would not be a straight shooter in Congress.”

From the NY Post:

Maureen Walthers, publisher of the Queens weekly, called Weprin a “coward” and a “worm” for being a no-show.

“What is he afraid of?” she asked. “Stand up and answer the questions!”

“I hope Weprin doesn’t win,” she said. “Shame on him. He’s making Weiner look good.”

David Weprin on the hook for more than $350K

From the Times Ledger:

State Assemblyman David Weprin (D-Little Neck) personally owes more than $28,000 in penalties while his former campaign committee must repay $325,561 in public funds after the city Campaign Finance Board reported several violations from his 2009 run for city comptroller.

According to the CFB, Weprin was personally responsible for paying $28,184 in total penalties resulting from 11 violations ranging from accepting contributions from unregistered political committees to failing to prove that some spending was connected to his campaign.

The assemblyman has promised to repay the money, according to Weprin spokeswoman Jennifer Berkley, who was not affiliated with the 2009 campaign committee, which has long since dissolved.

Berkley said Weprin accepted the violations as legitimate fines and believes in the city’s campaign finance program.

“He will figure out a way to pay that back over the course of time,” Berkley said. “David really commends this program and thinks it is great for the city and should be a model for statewide candidates, potentially.”

The violations that Weprin was found guilty of included accepting corporate contributions in the 2009 election, making improper post-election expenditures and accepting contributions over the $4,950 limit. The CFB found a total of 11 violations, which tallied up to the more than $28,000 Weprin faces in penalties.

The CFB said Weprin’s campaign accepted corporate contributions for which refunds were reported from Standard Realty Associates ($100); T&H Store Fixtures ($750); Orlow, Orlow and Orlow PC ($200); the Baylor Premier Agency ($1,000); and P&M Contracting Co. ($250).

According to the CFB, the penalty was noted because city campaigns may not accept any contributions from corporations.

The campaign also accepted a total of 31 contributions from groups, including Silvercup Studios Associates of Long Island City, which exceeded the money limit, the CFB said. Thirty of those contributions were refunded following the CFB’s notification, the group said.

New York City Council Committee Assignments 2010

AGING
LAPPIN, Chair
ARROYO, BREWER, FOSTER, GENTILE, MARK-VIVERITO, VACCA, CHIN, KOSLOWITZ, ROSE, KOO

CIVIL RIGHTS
SEABROOK, Chair
FERRERAS, CHIN, VAN BRAMER

CIVIL SERVICE & LABOR
SANDERS, Chair
GENNARO, MARK-VIVERITO, NELSON, RECCHIA, SEABROOK, ULRICH

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
VANN, Chair
FOSTER, GENTILE, KOPPELL, MARK-VIVERITO, REYNA, SANDERS

CONSUMER AFFAIRS
KOSLOWITZ, Chair
BARRON, COMRIE, GENNARO, KOPPELL, NELSON, FERRERAS

CONTRACTS
MEALY, Chair
JACKSON, JAMES, MARK-VIVERITO, NELSON

Cultural Affairs, Libraries & International Intergroup Relations
VAN BRAMER, Chair
COMRIE, DICKENS, LAPPIN, RECCHIA, WHITE, DROMM

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
WHITE, Chair
EUGENE, FERRERAS, JAMES, REYNA, VANN, LANDER, LEVIN, WEPRIN

EDUCATION
JACKSON, Chair
BARRON, FIDLER, FOSTER, GARODNICK, KOPPELL, LAPPIN, RECCHIA, VACCA, VANN, CABRERA, CHIN, DROMM, KOSLOWITZ, LEVIN, ROSE, WEPRIN, IGNIZIO, ULRICH

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
GENNARO, Chair
CROWLEY, KOPPELL, VALLONE, WHITE, LANDER, LEVIN

FINANCE
RECCHIA, Chair
BREWER, COMRIE, FIDLER, FOSTER, JACKSON, KOPPELL, MEALY, REYNA, RIVERA, VANN, CABRERA, FERRERAS, KOSLOWITZ, VAN BRAMER, IGNIZIO, ODDO

FIRE & CRIMINAL JUSTICE
CROWLEY, Chair
EUGENE, GENTILE, VALLONE, RODRIGUEZ, HALLORAN

GENERAL WELFARE
PALMA, Chair
ARROYO, BREWER, FOSTER, WHITE, LANDER, LEVIN, RODRIGUEZ, VAN BRAMER

GOVERNMENTAL OPERATIONS
BREWER, Chair
DICKENS, DILAN, RECCHIA, VALLONE

HEALTH
ARROYO, Chair
DICKENS, EUGENE, FERRERAS, FOSTER, MENDEZ, RIVERA, VALLONE, VANN, ROSE, VAN BRAMER

HIGHER EDUCATION
RODRIGUEZ, Chair
BREWER, SEABROOK, VACCA, CABRERA, ROSE, WILLIAMS

HOUSING & BUILDINGS
DILAN, Chair
BREWER, CROWLEY, FIDLER, JACKSON, JAMES, MARK-VIVERITO, MENDEZ, RIVERA, WHITE, WILLIAMS, ULRICH, ODDO

IMMIGRATION
DROMM, Chair
BARRON, EUGENE, RODRIGUEZ, WILLIAMS

JUVENILE JUSTICE
GONZALEZ, Chair
ARROYO, SANDERS, DROMM

LAND USE
COMRIE, Chair
ARROYO, BARRON, DICKENS, GARODNICK, GONZALEZ, JACKSON, LAPPIN, MENDEZ, PALMA, REYNA, RIVERA, SANDERS, SEABROOK, VACCA, VANN, LANDER, LEVIN, WEPRIN, WILLIAMS, HALLORAN, IGNIZIO, KOO

LOWER MANHATTAN REDEVELOPMENT
CHIN, Chair
MENDEZ, CABRERA, LEVIN, VAN BRAMER

Mental Health, Mental Retardation, Alcoholism, Drug Abuse & Disability Services
KOPPELL, Chair
BREWER, CABRERA, HALLORAN

OVERSIGHT & INVESTIGATIONS
WILLIAMS, Chair
NELSON, ROSE, WEPRIN, KOO

PARKS & RECREATION
MARK-VIVERITO, Chair
CROWLEY, FERRERAS, GENTILE, VACCA, DROMM, VAN BRAMER

PUBLIC HOUSING
MENDEZ, Chair
DILAN, MARK-VIVERITO, CHIN, HALLORAN

PUBLIC SAFETY
VALLONE, Chair
DILAN, FOSTER, GARODNICK, GENNARO, GENTILE, HALLORAN, ULRICH

RULES, PRIVILEGES, & ELECTIONS
RIVERA, Chair
COMRIE, DICKENS, DILAN, FIDLER, JACKSON, VACCA, VANN, KOSLOWITZ, ODDO, QUINN

SANITATION & SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT
JAMES, Chair
ARROYO, GENNARO, JACKSON, NELSON

SMALL BUSINESS
REYNA, Chair
EUGENE, JAMES, CHIN, KOO

STANDARDS & ETHICS
DICKENS, Chair
JACKSON, PALMA, RIVERA, KOSLOWITZ, IGNIZIO, ODDO

STATE & FEDERAL LEGISLATION
FOSTER, Chair
DILAN, FIDLER, RECCHIA, RIVERA, SEABROOK, CROWLEY

TECHNOLOGY
GARODNICK, Chair
BREWER, JAMES, KOPPELL, WEPRIN

TRANSPORTATION
VACCA, Chair
BREWER, GARODNICK, KOPPELL, LAPPIN, MEALY, NELSON, RODRIGUEZ, ROSE, VAN BRAMER, IGNIZIO, KOO, ULRICH

VETERANS
EUGENE, Chair
SANDERS, FIDLER, GENTILE, CABRERA, DROMM

WATERFRONTS
NELSON, Chair
BREWER, VALLONE, LANDER, ULRICH

WOMEN'S ISSUES
FERRERAS, Chair
BARRON, CROWLEY, CHIN

YOUTH SERVICES
FIDLER, Chair
GONZALEZ, MARK-VIVERITO, MEALY, PALMA, CABRERA, RODRIGUEZ, WILLIAMS, KOO

Land Use Sub Committees

Landmarks, Public Siting & Maritime Uses
LANDER, Chair
ARROYO, MENDEZ, PALMA, SANDERS, WILLIAMS, KOO

Planning, Dispositions & Concessions
LEVIN, Chair
BARRON, DICKENS, GONZALEZ, HALLORAN

ZONING & FRANCHISES
WEPRIN, Chair
COMRIE, GARODNICK, JACKSON, LAPPIN, REYNA, RIVERA, SEABROOK, VACCA, VANN, IGNIZIO

Sub Committees

Drug Abuse (Mental Health)
CABRERA, Chair

SENIOR CENTERS (Aging)
ROSE, Chair

Select Committees

Libraries (Cultural Affairs)
GENTILE, Chair

Weprin not exactly Mr. Personality, but qualified

From PolitickerNY:

Councilman and city comptroller candidate David Weprin claims he wasn’t offended when his younger brother, Assemblyman Mark Weprin, said at a recent press conference that he wasn’t running as “Mr. Personality.”

“I think I’m more exciting than he makes me out to be,” the older Weprin said. “I don’t take it seriously. He’s still a strong supporter.”

Weprin, with his Inspector Clouseau moustache and awkward manner, was sitting toward the back of his campaign headquarters, a long, filthy storefront at 250 West 54th Street crammed between a Subway sandwich stop and Studio 54, now showing “Waiting for Godot.”

“He meant that I’m by far the most qualified candidate for comptroller and you want somebody—you want that numbers guy, you don’t necessarily want a backslapper, dealmaking politician as comptroller,” said Weprin, hunching over a folding table covered with a cardboard box, itself covered with doodles and crumbs, which he mindlessly pressed with his fingers.

A few days later, the councilman’s consultant, Hank Sheinkopf, put it somewhat more aggressively: “New Yorkers should worry about boss-endorsed, colorful comptroller candidates. The last one was Alan Hevesi.”

Queens Dems worked with Padavan on corrupt land deal

From the NY Post:

Members of the Indian cultural group, including Koshy and Sanu Thomas, went to Padavan and pitched a community center to hold “community activities and social gatherings,” including picnics, dances, weddings and holiday celebrations. They targeted two chunks of land on Creedmoor’s 98-acre campus and drew up plans.

So Padavan and then-Assemblyman Mark Weprin (D-Queens) rammed through separate legislation to OK the sale through a three-day message of necessity. That passed in July 2006. When the sale took longer than expected, Padavan and Weprin authored another bill in 2007 to extend the timetable for the sale by a year.

The group showered Padavan and Weprin with campaign contributions. Members donated at least $2,850 to Padavan and $2,510 to Weprin for his City Council and Assembly runs between 2000 and 2009. Group members also gave $1,600 to Assemblyman David Weprin (D-Queens), Mark’s brother, for his 2009 city comptroller bid. Sanu and Koshy Thomas shelled out the lion share of the group contributions.

Padavan, whose daughter-in-law is Indian-American, went on a crusade to get the land sold. He hounded state dormitory authorities to approve the deal without the usual attorney general review, according to state Sen. Tony Avella (D-Queens). Sale of state land is usually conducted through an auction to the highest bidder, or granted to public entities. Since 2006, the Creedmoor parcels were the only sale of state Dormitory Authority land to be pushed through with special legislation, according to state records.

Clark introduced a bill in January to grant the group roughly 6 acres to eliminate the state’s concerns about the patchwork of property. Last month, as the legislative year was winding down, she and Assemblyman Weprin visited Avella in his office and asked him to co-sponsor it. When he refused, she got downright “threatening,” Avella said, and later publicly slammed a “freshman senator” for not knowing his place. Clark then went to Sen. Malcolm Smith (D-Queens) to co-sponsor a bill, which he did last month.

Local civic associations are up in arms over the development’s monstrous apartment buildings, which are slated for area seniors. The towers are too tall for the area’s zoning, and the group is trying to get a variance by using obscure examples from those granted in the dense sections of the South Bronx.

It’s not a difficult to see, in Sanu Thomas, the beginnings of a New York politician in the mold of Pedro Espada or Vito Lopez. Espada started a non-profit health clinic in The Bronx, then, when elected to office, steered millions in contracts to it, enriching himself. He will now stand trial for embezzlement.

If the Indian Culture and Community Center gets its land, it could be a low-cost way for Thomas to have a non-profit that “gives back to the community” while it potentially pays his friends and cultivates voters that put him on the City Council or in state government. Decades from now, will Sanu Thomas be steering taxpayer “member items” to these groups?

Thomas already has learned one lesson of New York politics. Any criticism is not motivated by the misuse of public funds, or suspicion about private deals, but racism.

Protest held against Weprin's mailer

From the Times Ledger:

Dozens of supporters of state Assembly candidate Bob Friedrich rallied Sunday afternoon in Little Neck to protest what they describe as hateful campaign literature opponent David Weprin sent out last week condemning Friedrich’s opposition to hate crime legislation as “extremist” and featuring a swastika.

The mailings, which went out to residents in the 24th Assembly District in northeastern Queens, came near the tail end of the campaign for Tuesday’s special election between Friedrich, a registered Democrat running on the Republican and Conservative lines, and former City Councilman David Weprin, a Democrat.

“Equating me with Nazi dogma is offensive to people of all religions,” he told the crowd, who waved anti-Weprin signs and chanted slogans in front of the Samuel Field YMCA. “Supporting hate crime laws and then using the same tactics those laws were supposed to suppress is extremism.”

But Weprin’s campaign manager, Corey Bearak, continued to defend the mailing, which he acknowledges having sent, with a solo press conference across the street immediately after the rally broke up.

Friedrich vs. Weprin, Chapter 3

From the Times Ledger:

Bob Friedrich is hoping the third time will be the charm.

The Glen Oaks Village president launched his campaign last week for state Assemblyman David Weprin’s (D-Little Neck) seat representing the 24th Assembly District, which he lost when he ran against the lawmaker in a special election earlier this year.

He also made a failed attempt last year to win the seat now held by City Councilman Mark Weprin (D-Oakland Gardens).

Friedrich, a Democrat, ran against David Weprin on the Republican line. He will run on the Democratic ticket in the primary this September.

The president of Glen Oaks Village and a longtime civic activist, Friedrich announced his election bid Saturday and said he believes this time around will be different because of a “strong anti-incumbent sentiment.” Additionally, he noted there is no third candidate, which he said took votes away from him when he and Swaranjit Singh were in the race with Mark Weprin for the City Council.

“We need to elect leaders who have worked in the private sector running businesses, employing people and creating jobs, not career politicians like the Weprins, who have spent 36 years on the public payroll,” said Friedrich, an accountant. “It’s time to give them a reality check and send them back to the private sector, where they can look for a job like New Yorkers who are unemployed in a state whose economy is bankrupt with a $9.5 billion deficit.”

Weprin delays departure, affects election procedure

From the Queens Courier:

Mark Weprin officially left the City Council on Sunday, June 14 — apparently three days too late for a non-partisan special election to fill his seat.

Mayor Bill de Blasio proclaimed on Monday that the vacancy will be filled at the Nov. 3 general election, and that the political parties will nominate candidates for the election in the Sept. 10 primary.

According to a spokesperson for the city Board of Elections, a non-partisan special election cannot occur if the vacancy occurs between 60 and 90 days of the scheduled September primary. Had Weprin resigned before June 11, the mayor would have been obligated to call a non-partisan election.

Weprin had announced in May he would step down from the City Council to join the Cuomo administration as deputy secretary for legislative affairs. At the time, he said he would leave within two weeks, but ultimately delayed his departure.

Following the traditional election format now leads to a competitive Democratic primary among previously announced candidates including former Assemblyman Barry Grodenchik; Rebecca Lynch, former assistant commissioner with the New York City Community Affairs Unit; Celia Dosamantes, former aide to Assemblyman David Weprin and Rep. Grace Meng; attorney Ali Najmi; and former City Council candidate Bob Friedrich.

Avella vs. Weprin on congestion pricing

From the Observer:

Tony Avella wants an apology from Mark Weprin–and he isn’t getting one.

Mr. Avella, a Queens state senator, lashed out today at Mr. Weprin, a Queens councilman from an overlapping northeast Queens district, for defending a new congestion pricing proposal on NY1 by saying that most people who drive for free over East River bridges are “rich.” Mr. Avella demanded an apology and blasted Mr. Weprin on Twitter.

“I demand an apology from Council Member Mark Weprin for his outrageous comment made last night on NY1’s Inside City Hall,” Mr. Avella said in a statement. “In arguing his support of congestion pricing, he stated that the East River bridges are used by ‘rich people’ who can afford to drive.”

“This statement completely ignores the small businesses and commuters of all income levels who utilize these bridges on a daily basis and for whom added tolls would be a hardship,” he added.

Wake up, Weprin!

Letter to the Times Ledger:

The proliferation of two- and four-family home construction is the often-neglected “elephant in the room” when we are talking about the overcrowding of our schools in Bayside.

I have read the comments by City Councilman Mark Weprin (D-Oakland Gardens) in your June 3-9 article “Bayside leaders fear influx of new HS students,” in which he laments the migration of students from other communities into Bayside schools.

The current Hollis Hills/Auburndale/Oakland Gardens rezoning proposal will ensure that all future construction in most of Oakland Gardens will be single-family construction (R2-A). This was the result of years of long and hard civic involvement by the community of Oakland Gardens.

But after Weprin became installed as the new councilman for Oakland Gardens, he began advocating for the community to continue to be zoned for two-family homes. So, of course, I was surprised to hear him lament about the overcrowding of Bayside schools.

I have met with Weprin on two occasions, along with representatives of the civic association of Oakland Gardens, to ensure that the community continues its course to be downzoned so that most future construction will be single-family homes. Curiously, for reasons only he knows, he has decided to side with the developers.

Doubling and tripling the size of a community will require that the children living in these homes be educated. There are only so many seats in our schools. Where will they be educated? If single-family homes are allowed to double — and triple with illegal basement apartments — where will our current elementary school-aged children go when they reach high school age?

It is hard to reconcile that a representative for our community, who also happens to be the chairman of the Council Zoning Subcommittee and who can reject any rezoning proposal that will contribute to the overcrowding of our schools, is not advocating to downzone Bayside area communities to single-family but instead is readying to approve a zoning plan that will contribute to overcrowding.

We shall see if Weprin approves a zoning proposal which contributes to the overcrowding of Bayside schools when it reaches his desk.

Joseph T. McMahon
Oakland Gardens

Rally against the Jamaica Plan

WEPRIN NEEDS YOUR HELP TO FIGHT THE JAMAICA REZONING

This Sunday, August 26th, at 12 noon, at 87-80 191st Street in Hollis, Councilman David Weprin will be organizing a press conference/rally against the proposed Jamaica Rezoning Plan. Less than 2 days after the City Council's Land Use Committee affirmatively voted for the plan (with minor adjustments to be approved by City Planning before it gets to the full Council for vote on Sept 10th) developers have been knocking on doors trying to get property owners to sign over their residencies. The pitfalls of this flawed plan are already starting to take effect. Join Councilman Weprin in his protest. The location for the rally is significant because it is one of the sites where developers have already tried to buy up the property. All are welcome, the stronger a front we display, the greater the likelihood we can convince City Planning to change their plans.

Austin Shafran
Director of Communications
Council Member David Weprin
212-788-6984 (o)
212-608-6382 (f)

Councilman Weprin's district office can be reached at (718) 465-8202 or e-mail Austin Shafran

Nazi mudslinging in 24th AD race

From the Daily News:

Several readers have now forwarded this rather stunning piece of mail that slams Bob Friedrich, who will face off Tuesday against David Weprin in a special election to fill the Queens Assembly seat vacated by Weprin's now-councilman brother, Mark.

The mail features a Swastika superimposed over a generic photo of police tape. It arrived in mailboxes in Glen Oaks, a 10,000-person co-op on the Nassau/Queens line that is heavily Jewish.

As you can see from the mailer that appears in full after the jump, Friedrich himself was on the mailing list.

The piece accuses Friedrich, who, like Weprin, is Jewish, of being an "extremist" who is "out of touch with our community's values." According to Friedrich's campaign manager, Jay Golub, this stems from comments Friedrich made that murder should carry a heavier penalty than hate crimes.

Weprin's campaign manager Corey Bearak confirmed the mailer is indeed from his side of the fence. He sent the following statement:

"It's not offensive to make sure people know just home extreme Republican-Conservative Bob Friedrich is; this extremist opposes hate crimes legislation - it's offensive that Republican Bob Friedrich actually opposes hate crimes legislation."

"Crimes driven by anti-Semitism, racism, homophobia and other prejudices deserve special attention and warrant extra-tough penalties. As a Jewish community leader who speaks out against anti-Semitism and other hate and it’s outrageous that an extremist like Friedrich, who is also anti-gun control and against Roe v. Wade, would run for office in our community. He will be rejected on February 9th."

Ok, well then I guess I must be a Nazi, too, because I don't think hate crimes deserve special punishment, either. If you got your head bashed in by a mugger, who took your wallet, he'd get a few months in jail at most. If you got your head bashed in by a mugger who took your wallet and then called you a derogatory name, he'd get years behind bars - for doing the exact same thing to you. What the hell is the difference? A word that was said? You're still injured and lost whatever he stole from you.

Hate crime prosecution is usually politically motivated and used to protect specific populations but not others. Even if we continually expand the designated special classes of people that are to be protected by hate crimes legislation, it will never apply to all people and we are supposed to have equal protection under the law.

For example, rape is a crime motivated by hate, and committed mainly against women. A rapist goes out specifically looking for a woman to rape. However, women are not a protected group under hate crime legislation.

Bob Friedrich is Jewish. It appears that Weprin therefore committed a hate crime by sending out a flier mentioning Bob's name and putting a swastika on it.

See how stupid this legislation is? Just stiffen the penalties for all crimes and cut down on the plea bargains that end up insulting victims.

This flier actually makes me want to vote for Friedrich, and I would if I lived in that district. Big time backfire, here. One thing's certain - Someone with a dynastic name must be quaking in his boots if he felt it necessary to resort to this.

Weprin wants hydrants marked

From the Queens Courier:

All New York City hydrants should be tagged with high-flying flags to be spotted more easily during snowstorms, a Queens lawmaker is proposing.

Councilmember Mark Weprin is reintroducing legislation this March that would require markers be placed at least three feet above hydrants.

The bill, first introduced in 2011, would help firefighters quickly pinpoint nearest hydrants that are buried in the snow, Weprin said.

It would also help homeowners locate and dig them out faster and keep motorists from accidentally parking too close.

“Hydrants get snow plowed in. There are some you can’t even see,” Weprin said. “It seems like just a common sense change.”

Speaker wannabe Weprin throwing a lot of money around

From DNA Info:

The race to become the next speaker of the City Council is a costly one. Queens City Councilman Mark Weprin, in particular, has recently been spreading his campaign wealth around to key players in next year’s speaker battle.

Since the mid-March filing Weprin has made three donations of $10,000 each to the Bronx and Brooklyn Democratic Parties, as well as to the influential Working Families Party, according to New York City Campaign Finance Board records.

Weprin also spread tens of thousands of dollars to other council candidates for a total payout to political allies of $53,500.

Speaking of the Working Families Party, did you know that they endorsed Austin Shafran in the CD19 race, but won't allow him to run on their line? What's up with that?

David Weprin staying put

From the Observer:

Assemblyman David Weprin announced tonight he will not run for his brother’s soon to be vacant City Council seat, ending days of speculation and hand-wringing among some Queens Democratic insiders.

Mr. Weprin told supporters at a fundraiser in Manhattan that he had weighed the merits of serving in the Council and Assembly and decided, in light of his recent promotion to a leadership position in the State Legislature, that he would remain in Albany.

“This year I became part of the leadership in the Assembly. I was appointed by Speaker Carl Heastie as secretary to the Democratic Conference,” Mr. Weprin said, adding that he was also appointed to a post “near and dear” to his heart, an Assembly task force on people with disabilities.

“I’ve decided that I plan on running for re-election to the Assembly,” he continued. “I’ve enjoyed what I’ve accomplished so far in the Assembly. I think I have a lot more to do. I’ve developed a lot of seniority in a short time–a lot of people have left.”

He added that he thinks he has “a big future ahead in the State Assembly.”

Weprin brothers switcheroo

From the Queens Courier:

It looks like a Weprin switcheroo in Queens.

The 24th Assembly District in northeast Queens may be trading one Weprin for another as outgoing City Councilmember David Weprin announced that he will run for his brother Mark’s vacant Assembly seat.

David, who decided not to seek re-election to the City Council and ran a failed bid for City Comptroller earlier this year, said he will run in a yet-to-be-called Special Election for the Assembly seat that will likely take place in February or March. The Assembly seat is open because Mark was elected to the City Council in November, and he will take over the seat David held for the past eight years.

Switcheroo by the Brothers Weprin?

From the Daily News:

Queens Assemblyman David Weprin says he’s thinking about running for the City Council seat being vacated by his brother Mark — reclaiming the seat that he previously held before Mark took over.

“I haven’t ruled it out,” David Weprin said. “I did represent that district for eight years, and I thought I served it well.”

The brothers, both Democrats, have traded places once before — Mark Weprin was a longtime assemblyman before running for the Council seat then held by David, who in turn headed for Albany.

Why the voter ID double standard?

Photo from Daily News

As a civic leader in eastern Queens I made it my business to vote in the Participatory Budgeting Process that my Councilman, Mark Weprin was sponsoring. Last week I traveled to the Samuel Field Y in Little Neck where the Councilman's staff were working the tables and providing ballots for those who wished to vote. When I asked for a ballot I was told I must first fill out a short form and provide photo id. I thought this was odd since Councilman Weprin and so many other NYC legislators are so strongly opposed to a photo ID requirement for voting in real elections. If it's not OK to ask for photo ID when voting for President or Governor, why is it OK to do so with Participatory Budgeting?

Nevertheless, I presented my drivers license and filled out the ballot access form which asked for my name, address, telephone number and date of birth. As someone who has been victimized by identity theft in the past, I refused to write down my date of birth. There are three pieces of information I do not readily provide; date of birth, social security number and mothers maiden name. I asked why it was necessary to write down my date of birth since they could easily check it on my drivers license. Refusing to do so, I was denied ballot access. So I asked the Weprin staff member to call the Councilman's office and get permission to give me a ballot so I could vote for funding of specific community projects that would help our local schools and the Volunteer Ambulance Corps.

The Weprin staff member in charge of the Participatory Budget project for the Councilman said that if I refused to write down my date of birth I could not vote! Was I the only disenfranchised voter? Later that day, I learned that 2 other people had also been disenfranchised because they also refused to provide their date of birth. I wonder how many others were disenfranchised. And I wonder still, why the voting process for participatory budgeting was so much more rigorous then the one put in place for voting in real elections for Mayor, Governor or President.

I try not to be cynical but I can't help but think that the Participatory Budget process is being used as a way for Councilmembers to harvest voter data information for their use in upcoming elections. How else to explain being denied the right to vote and the photo ID requirement?

Bob Friedrich
Glen Oaks