Katz litter box will relocate from Kew Gardens in 2021

The face you make when you need to find a real job in 2021 (along with the guy who screwed you). Great photo from QNS' Mark Hallum.

Poor Liz Crowley, Jimmy Van Bramer and Paul Vallone will have to wait a little longer to run for BP. Oh, the humanity!







Update: CBS NY this morning and the NY Daily News are still saying this race is too close to call with 3,000 absentee votes still uncounted and Melinda is katerwauling for a recount.

Looks like Lasak wound up giving Caban a hand:

 Gregory Lasak, a Queens prosecutor, took nearly 15 percent of the vote, possibly siphoning support from Katz.
 
Cabán ran strong in Astoria, Long Island City and Sunnyside. Katz, meanwhile, underperformed in Broad Channel and the Rockaways.

There were Lasak posters everywhere in Howard Beach, Broad Channel, Rockaway Park, Neponist and Belle Harbor. Over 3,000 absentee votes still have to be counted but it's a certainty it went to the retired prosecutor.

Admin Note: The first funny scheadenfruede post was written by the original Queens Crapper, the update is written by your friendly neighborhood LLC.

Civic punishes anti-Machine candidate

From the Times Ledger:

Oster Bryan, the former candidate who ran for an Assembly seat in southeast Queens against incumbent Clyde Vanel (D-Queens Village) in the Sept. 13 Democratic primary was asked to resign from his post as the president of the St. Albans Improvement Association.

Bryan believes that an $8,000 grant sent to the civic association before the Sept. 13 primary by Vanel was at the heart of the decision of him getting booted from organization.

“They are trying to remove as president, and they are saying it’s because I ran for public office, but that makes no sense to me,” said Bryan. “There is no such rule on our books that says I can’t.”

The eight-page bylaws from the civic association did not indicate a member or leader of the organization could not run for office; however, a letter sent to the former candidate said that he knew of the funds that were sent to the civic association before he decided to run and put the needs of the nonprofit at risk.

“It appears that you had no interest nor respect for the welfare of this organization and its members. Instead you choose to join the race for the Assembly seat after already knowing Assemblyman Clyde Vanel gave the Civic a grant,” said the letter that was sent out by the organization’s Vice President Martha Oliver.

Vanel implied he had nothing to do with Bryan being asked to resign and that funds were sent to the civic association long before the primary race; however, he did not have records on hand as to when exactly he offered the grant as of Wednesday night.

"For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil." - 1 Timothy 6:10

Paladino, Sullivan, Barnwell, Cruz win primaries

These numbers come from NY1:

STATE ASSEMBLY - QUEENS (D) DISTRICT 30
• Precincts Reported: 82/82

Brian 5,214
Barnwell
64.2%

Melissa 2,902
Sklarz
35.8%


STATE ASSEMBLY - QUEENS (D) DISTRICT 39
• Precincts Reported: 56/56

Catalina 3,736
Cruz
53.5%

Ari 3,016
Espinal
43.2%

Yonel 225
Sosa
3.2%


STATE SENATE - QUEENS (R) DISTRICT 11

• Precincts Reported: 224/224
Vickie 1,640
Paladino
57.3%

Simon 1,220
Minching
42.7%

STATE SENATE - QUEENS (R) DISTRICT 15
• Precincts Reported: 223/224

Thomas 3,188
Sullivan
67.9%

Slawomir 1,508
Platta
32.1%

Avella, Peralta defeated in anti-IDC votes

From the Queens Chronicle:

New York State is a different place today. It's littered with the wreckage of what once was the Independent Democratic Conference.

And nowhere was the rubble deeper than in Queens, where a pair of state Senators were ousted in Tuesday's Democratic primaries by challengers who dubbed them traitors to their party.

In District 13, it was four-term state Sen. Jose Peralta (D-East Elmhurst) who lost his re-election bid to former mayoral aide Jessica Ramos — a fierce critic of her "turncoat" opponent's IDC membership.

With 99 percent of precincts reporting, Ramos had won 12,181 vote to Peralta's 10,021 — good for a 10-percentage point margin.

In District 11, fellow four-term incumbent state Sen. Tony Avella (D-Bayside) was defeated by former city Comptroller John Liu in a rematch of 2014's Democratic primary — a race Avella won by a mere 568 votes.

This time around, it was Liu who came out victorious, defeating the incumbent 12,133 ballots to 10,846 — a 6-point margin.

The funny thing is unless there's a flip in the Senate then there won't be any "progressive legislation" getting passed in Albany because Simcha Felder won re-election easily. Basically all that happened is that the greater Bayside area voted for overdevelopment and corruption. Smart move!

Tweeding routine backfired big time

From City & State:

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s upset victory over Rep. Joseph Crowley shocked New York political observers, in part because Crowley was thought to have a strong foothold in his native borough of Queens, where he is chairman of the county Democratic Party.

At first, it was assumed that demographic turnover in his district, which spans northwestern Queens and the northeastern Bronx, had harmed Crowley, as the Italian and Irish populations have been supplanted by Latinos and Asians.

Demographic turnover was indeed to blame for Crowley’s loss, but not the kind that was widely assumed. But some of the election districts in which Ocasio-Cortez performed best were in mostly white neighborhoods in western Queens. The congressman fell victim to gentrification and that force may upend expectations in Democratic primaries throughout Manhattan and western Brooklyn and Queens. And the rise of younger voters who are newer to their districts and unattached to incumbents could power insurgent candidates throughout New York City.

So you had your minions usher in all this development for tower people and the tower people voted against you. How deliciously ironic!

Congressional primary roundup

Not mentioned here is a pretty interesting race in Brooklyn. Yvette Clarke vs. Adam Bunkeddeko. She won. But barely.

Change is in the air.

VIRGINIA JOE TROUNCED IN PRIMARY

Congratulations, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez!



Bye, asshole!

Just going to leave this right here...

From The Intercept:

Sweeney’s office, according to the Daily News, made $30 million as counsel to the public administrator of the court from 2006 to 2017, administering the estates of people who died without wills. He did not respond to The Intercept’s request for comment, and he declined to comment to the Daily News last year about his work. Scott Kaufman, who served as Crowley’s campaign treasurer for 17 years, made almost half a million dollars from assignments by the court from 2006 to 2017, the New York Post reported last June. Kaufman’s haul prompted a state probe into possible pay violations. He did not return The Intercept’s request for comment, but he told the Post last year that he was in compliance with state rules on court appointments. “Any review will conclude that the rules have been complied with,” Kaufman said. A spokesperson for the Office of Court Administration declined to comment on the investigation, but noted that “Scott Kaufman is currently eligible for appointments,” meaning he is still able to accept court appointments as a public administrator.

Crowley’s allies in the machine, Ocasio-Cortez charged, “defend him in court and they bump his opponents off the ballot,” referring to ballot challenges filed with the Board of Elections against candidates Crowley did not support or who oppose the machine. Last year, as DNAInfo reported, a candidate in a City Council primary was booted from the ballot for not having enough valid signatures; she said she was bullied for not “kissing the ring” of the party boss, Crowley. In that race, Crowley supported Assemblyman Francisco Moya, who went on to defeat Hiram Monserrate, a former council member and state senator who was expelled from the legislature after a 2009 conviction for assaulting his girlfriend.

The machine has a tight relationship with developers. Ocasio-Cortez noted in a follow-up email that Crowley’s organization reaped large sums of real estate money before the Queens machine installed the new City Council speaker, Corey Johnson, who has since “led the council in rezoning neighborhoods for luxury developments — pricing out local families and constructing high rises when the city already has 275k vacant units.”

Petition: Crowley, resign as Chairman of the Queens Democrat Party

Friend --

To stand up for Queens, we need to ask for integrity within the Queens County Democratic Party. That can’t happen when Joseph Crowley, as chair of the Queens Democratic Party, is in charge of his own endorsement and appoints friends and family to key positions throughout the borough. Plus, the chair of the Queens Democratic Party should actually reside in Queens—not live full-time in Virginia, as Crowley does. Asking Crowley to step down as Chairman of the Queens Democratic Party isn’t personal—it’s fair.

The move will help rebuild trust in a machine long seen as corrupt. Crowley must open up the Chairmanship to impartial leaders who will guarantee a free and fair election—and who actually live in the borough. We will not allow Crowley to distort the vote in Queens. Ocasio2018 will be there to challenge him in the New York primary, and put a stop to the establishment’s iron grip on Queens politics.

Can you help us re-establish trust and fairness in the Queens County Democratic Party?
Sign the petition to ask Crowley to step down as Chair.
When I first called for Crowley’s resignation, it created quite a stir in the New York political machine. Within hours, the announcement was shared over 50 times in NY political groups and reached over 14,000 people. The people of New York are riled up and ready to fight for a fair, open, and representative system.

As Chairman of the Queens Democratic Party, Joe Crowley pulls the strings of political power in the city and hand-picks party endorsements and appointments. This has led to serious questions over profiting off of constituent foreclosures and cherry-picking candidates to reinforce his power in the district. But here’s the kicker… the man who decides the fate of politics in Queens doesn’t even live here! Crowley plays Democratic party boss all while living in Arlington, Virginia to be closer to lobbyists, high-ticket fundraisers, and beltway politics. Crowley’s choice to live outside our district should disqualify him from local party leadership. Joseph Crowley serving as party boss isn’t just a matter of location—it’s a question of ethics.

It is unethical for candidates to have power over their own endorsements and the endorsements of their friends. Someone with such obvious bias should not be given the chance to tilt the Democratic primary in his favor.

Join Ocasio2018 to demand a fair primary.

Ask Out-of-Town Crowley to give up his Chairmanship.

As a powerful political boss who doesn't even live in the community, Crowley reinforces the influence of big donors and undercuts the concerns of local residents. Instead of fighting for working class needs, dignified healthcare, free education, and a $15 minimum wage, Crowley spends his time fighting for real estate deregulation to help his big-money donors. The time has come for real, unbiased leadership that lives in the district and cares about the issues of the community.

Sign the petition, demand that Crowley Step Down as Party Boss.

In solidarity,
Alexandria Ocasio

Cuomo sort of endorses de Blasio

From PIX11:

"The mayor won the Democratic primary. I am a Democrat," Cuomo said while explaining his endorsement. "I support Democrats and I will support Mayor de Blasio in the general (election)."

When will we learn?

Well folks, I decided last night that I would have a drink for every incumbent that got defeated in the primary. It was a rather sober evening.

The closest race was Vallone-Graziano. Only 500 votes separated them and the final tally was Graziano 45% and Vallone 55%. I guess there are a lot of Democrats in that district who don't like fraud, yet there are even more who are ok with it.

Of the open seats, the machine-backed candidates, Francisco Moya and Adrienne Adams, both won their respective races.

Perhaps if the turnout hadn't been so abysmal things would be different, but here we are once again after the primary with the same tired old "Virginia Joe"-endorsed candidates likely to cruise to victory in November.

God bless America!

Reform Party has surprise primary

For the first time ever, independent voters (blanks) may vote in a party primary. The Reform Party has a line on the ballot this November, and both voters registered with the Reform Party and independent voters (registered to vote but not with any party) have the opportunity to vote in it. The ballot will look like this:

You may either choose Sal Albanese or write in a candidate of your choice.

Video Voter Guide: Democratic Candidates for Public Advocate

Video Voter Guide: Democratic Mayoral Candidates

Vallone "community letter" turns out to be political ad

"Hi Crappy -

I read "Paul vs. Paul getting really amusing" a few days ago and couldn't believe how hypocritical these so-called "community leaders" who support Vallone were in condemning the mailers from Paul Graziano...I remember what happened four years ago with Vallone's mail pieces - they were nasty and people got really turned off, and none of those people said a peep when it happened, but whatever, they want to say their piece now, so be it.

So imagine my surprise when I got a mailer on Saturday with the letter on one side and all of these elected officials on the other. What a crock! That letter was phony - Paid for by We Support Paul Vallone! Classic Queens Democratic Machine BS."

- anonymous in Bayside

So he tricked newspapers into printing a free campaign ad?
That's pretty lame.

Video Voter Guide: City Council District 34

Liz Crowley doesn't think she is part of the Queens Machine

From the Times Ledger:

Holden fired off an angry letters to supporters after the Crowley campaign sent out literature questioning his allegiance to the Democratic Party and questioning his values. He called her a do-nothing career politician attempting to discredit him to distract voters from her own ineffective representation and he blamed the Queens Machine for smearing him.

“The mailers came from my campaign, not the Democratic Machine,” Crowley said. “He’s much more aligned with the party of Donald Trump than with the party I identify with. His values are not aligned with our party and he shouldn’t even be running in this primary. He should be running as a conservati­ve.”

Holden has ripped Crowley for years in the pages of the Juniper Berry, along with her cousin, U.S. Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-Jackson Heights), the head of the Queens Democratic organization.

“I don’t even know what he’s talking about when he talks about the Machine,” the councilwoman said. “I’m proud to be a Democrat. I’m proud of Democratic values. He’s not. He’s not fooling me and I want to make sure that people who don’t know about him get to know how dangerous he is. How he doesn’t have any of the values that the Democratic Party stands for and I’m proud of the party. I identify with its values. It means something.”

Holden has been a registered Democrat for 44 years and a union member for 42 years.

From the Times Ledger:

“What is a good Democrat, one that hates Republicans?” Holden said in an interview with the TimesLedger staffers. “Don’t we have enough of that in this country? I think you work with both parties. I can work with anyone who is pro-community. She’s gone to the extreme left and I’m a moderate Democrat, conservative on some things and progressive on others. I was never a part of a political club being labeled a Democrat or a Republican. I’m a civic guy, a community guy. You have to work with both parties for the good of the community. I know I can do a better job than her, I know it. I work everyday with people who couldn’t get help from Crowley’s office.”

As president of the powerful Juniper Park Civic Association for 25 years, Holden has worked with both parties to accomplish vital projects and deliver services to the community. He has criticized Crowley and the so-called Democratic Machine, for years in the organization’s Juniper Berry quarterly magazine.

“I’ll always say it the way I see it,” Holden said. “I was never afraid of an elected official. They work for us. They’re public servants and I don’t have to kiss their ring. When you do something bad, I’ll turn on you.”

“She opted out of the matching fund program, which means she’s taking big money from special interests, and that’s when they control you,” Holden said. “My allegiance will be to the constituents and not the special interests that funded me.”

Paul vs. Paul getting really amusing

Here are the mailers in question with the 2013 Graziano-on-fire ads.

Paul 2017 by Paul Graziano on Scribd

Graziano Mailers Vallone by Paul Graziano on Scribd

Video Voter Guide: City Council District 32

Video Voter Guide: City Council District 30