City Council District 23 candidates appear on NY1

Click photos to watch debates:

Errol Louis hosted a forum for the six democrats running to fill the vacant 23rd district City Council seat, located in eastern Queens. Above is Part 1, featuring candidates Ali Najmi, Bob Friedrich & Rebecca Lynch.

Above is part 2, featuring candidates Satnam Singh Parhar, Barry Grodenchik and Celia Dosamantes.

As for the stats cited in the beginning, they are incorrect. According to the Redistricting Commission, the demographic statistics for the 23rd Council District are as follows:

Population - 152,767 - Total

48,344 White - 31.6%
17,780 Black - 11.6%
55,831 Asian - 36.5% - Note: this includes "East" and "South" Asian populations combined
9,846 Other - 6.4%
20,966 Hisp. - 13.7% - Note: Hispanics may be of any race

152,767 - 99.8% Total

As for voters, the White vote is close to double (near 60%) while the combined Asian vote is a little more than half (almost 22%) of the actual population. This is due to voting trends and enrollment statistics.

Report: Lynch donors attempt to stoke anti-gay sentiment

view this map on LittleSis

From Progress Queens:

After a published report raised questions about the conduct of a politically-active Brooklyn couple, Debbie and Naji Almontaser, New York City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito (D-Spanish Harlem) and Councilmember Jumaane Williams (D-East Flatbush) attended an event at the home of the Almontasers on Wedesnday evening.

The conduct of the Almontasers was questioned in a report about the couple's political work on behalf of the campaign of Rebecca Lynch, a former aide to Mayor Bill de Blasio (D-New York City). Ms. Lynch is campaigning to replace former Councilmember Mark Weprin (D-Bellerose) in the New York City Council. (Mr. Weprin stepped down from his post to accept a position in support of the Cuomo administration.)

On behalf of the Lynch campaign, the Almontasers were engaged in alleged activities that were intended to incite homophobia against the campaign of Ms. Lynch's chief rival, Ali Najmi, according to the news report written by Duncan Osborne and published by Gay City News. The Almontasers have reportedly taken issue with Mr. Najmi's pro-equality stance in respect of the LGBT community, and the Almontasers have reportedly been invoking Mr. Najmi's pro-equality support in an attempt to stoke a backlash directed at Mr. Najmi from conservative Muslims, according to the accusations.

The Gay City News report was published on Thursday, July 30. Six evening later, on Wednesday, August 5, Council Speaker Mark-Viverito and Councilmember Williams attended an event at the Brooklyn home of the Almontasers.

Well that's not very progressive, now is it? Actually, I don't think these folks even understand what that word is supposed to mean.

A wolf in sheep's clothing?

***MEDIA ADVISORY***
Ali Najmi to Announce Parkland Protection Act

Who:
Ali Najmi, Candidate for New York City Council, 23rd District
Daniel Altschuler, Make the Road Action Fund
Dr. Donovan Finn, SUNY Stony Brook Professor of Environmental Studies
Edwin Westley, Queens Parks Advocate
Park Advocates and Community Leaders

When:
Monday, July 27th, 12:00pm

Where: Cunningham Park, Queens, NY
(Enter at 196th St & Union Turnpike); parking is available at site

What: Ali Najmi will stand with park advocates, community leaders, and local activists to introduce plans for legislation entitled the “Parkland Protection Act,” which will amend the City Charter to prohibit the sale of, or construction on, any inch of parkland without a supermajority approval of the City Council. Najmi and other Queens residents want to prevent any future attempts to give away parkland, like the attempted 2013 plan for a Major League Soccer stadium at Flushing Meadows-Corona Park and the ill-fated “Willets West Mall,” which the New York Supreme Court Appellate Division unanimously deemed illegal last month.
________________________________________

Alrighty...so this fellow, who is a candidate for the 23rd district of the City Council, plans to introduce legislation to protect parkland, however...

Make the Road and Dr. Donovan Finn (of the fictional Queens Fairness Coalition which stopped being active 2 years ago) helped Council Member Julissa Ferreras strike a deal with the USTA to gobble up more Flushing Meadows parkland in return for cold, hard cash. And neither of these organizations signed on to be a plaintiff for the successful lawsuit that stopped development of a shopping mall on FMCP property.

How can this Najmi character be trusted considering the company he keeps?