Now presenting: The QPTV Queens Borough President debate

Usual suspects skip out on Jamaica garbage tour

From Clean Up Jamaica Queens:

Despite the brief downpour Friday, November 1st, the “Jamaica Quality of Life Walking Tour” with Senator Tony Avella, was a big success with others to follow.

The gathering met at the notorious abandon playground at 171st St and 109th Ave, off Merrick Blvd, known for a lot of illegal dumping, although it was cleaned up a bit from a few weeks ago when I saw it. NY1′s Agnes Chung covered this event and it will be shown tonight during the 8pm telecast. Along with Senator Tony Avella (his staff, Dawn Jung & Anna Aulova), myself and community activist Pamela Hazel, there were other concerned citizens as well as Queens Borough President candidates Tony Arcabascio and Everly Brown, District 27 City Council candidate Sondra Peeden, Queens Press reporter Natalia Kozikowski and DNAinfo New York reporter Ewa Kern-Jedrychowski.


No surprise that not one of Jamaica’s elected officials attended nor did Queens Borough President candidate Melinda Katz who was invited. Councilmen Leroy Comrie and Ruben Wills were MIA, ironic, considering that both their districts are the worst when it comes to the garbage problem and other quality of life issues. Neither have done much of anything for their community so being a no-show is just par for the course and expected.

Click the link for the garbage photos.

BP candidate Tony Arcabascio speaks in Bayside

This is Queens Borough President candidate Tony Arcabascio speaking at the Bayside Historic Society's candidate's night.

Melinda Katz showed up near the end. She did nit attend last night's debate in Middle Village.

BP debate will finally air

From the Daily News:

Queens Public Television has finally decided to air a debate taped two weeks ago between Queens Borough President hopefuls Melinda Katz and Tony Arcabascio.
The station had pulled the sparring match after third-party candidate Everly Brown complained he was not included.

“Mr. Everly Brown was invited to take part in the debate but failed to participate thereby forfeiting his equal access or ‘equal time’ to our channel,” said Clifford Jacobs, programming and access services manager at QPTV. “Once invited, it is incumbent on the candidate to appear.”

Brown’s campaign manager, Elhadj Bah, said the station had never officially notified the candidate.

Here's the NY1 debate.

QPTV won't air borough president debate

From Arcabascio 2013 Blog:

I wanted to give everyone an update as to the current situation regarding the QPTV debate and the sudden change of plans in airing the taped debate of October 10th, 2013. Yesterday, Friday the 18th, we met with the Queens Chronicle to do an interview regarding my candidacy and the Queens Borough President race. During our discussion the topic of the debate was brought up and apparently they were informed by QPTV that there were technical problems with the taping and therefore would not be airing the debate. Ladies and gentlemen, that is a blatant lie! We were contacted by QPTV on this past Wednesday and were advised that the debates would not be aired because Candidate Everly Brown was not included and therefore they were not airing it. That's rather an amusing position to take considering that candidate Everly Brown was not present for the first 45 minutes of our previously taped and broadcast forum and they had no problem airing that one. We suggested that in all fairness, we understood and that we believed that the debate should be performed again to include Candidate Everly Brown. QPTV's response was that the candidates have busy schedules and it is very difficult to arrange. Really?? I know I can make it and Everly Brown can make it and we have full time jobs in addition to our efforts of running for Queens Borough President! Did they ask Candidate Melinda Katz? She should have time, she's the only one that quit her job to be a full time candidate. Certainly if Mr Brown and I can arrange our schedule's Ms Katz can make the necessary accommodations. Besides, I was asked to alter my schedule for the first debate from 1:30PM to 10:30 AM to accommodate Ms Katz schedule and I did in an effort to ensure that the people of Queens would have the information and insight of who the candidates truly are. It is a despicable and deplorable act that this Publicly funded television station has engaged in with the withdrawal of this scheduled airing of a debate when the outcome of this election will effect the 2.3 million people of Queens. The people have the right to know and the people PAY for this right through the tax dollars that fund QPTV.

I left a message at QPTV to discuss this matter yesterday but I have yet to receive a return call. I suggest as taxpayers and residents of Queens you too put a call in QPTV and demand to know why this debate is not being aired. They can be reached at 718-886-8160.

It's named QUEENS PUBLIC TELEVISION for a reason, it's publicly funded to provide a service to the people, not just SOME of the people but ALL of the people.

Well, I had no idea that Everly Brown was still in the race. He is running on the Jobs & Education line. His website hasn't been updated in a while.

Tony Arcabascio comes out swinging

From the Daily News:

The race for the borough's top elected office has become a battle over who is more in touch with the 99%.

Front-running Democrat Melinda Katz and Republican challenger Tony Arcabascio are seizing the imagery and ideology of the Occupy Wall Street movement in hopes of winning a seat that has little to do with fixing America's ongoing imbalance between rich and poor.

The odd debate started earlier this month when Katz sent out a campaign fundraising letter saying “as long as there's a Republican running to be the next Queens Borough President, fighting to make life easier for the 1% while working families struggle, our work is not yet finished.”

That set the mild-mannered Arcabascio, whose parents were immigrants from Italy, into a fury first unleashed during a Facebook rant.

“How dare you sit in your lily white castle in Forest Hills, that you are always sure to mention, while many residents of Queens struggle not just to live and eat but to survive the corruption of people that have defied their will such as you,” he said.

I love this guy already!