Sergey Kadinsky

The race for the City Council seat representing Rego Park, Forest Hills, and Kew Gardens is a heated one. So far, seven candidates have thrown their hats into the ring, and that’s just the Democrats. Karen Koslowitz, a former councilwoman for this district has also hinted at running for her old seat. Mel Gagarin seeks to take President Obama’s message of change to the local level:

Here is my audio piece on Mel Gagarin’s candidacy

At this time, his funds pale in comparison to former Assemblyman Michael Cohen, attorney Lynn Schulman, and community activist Heidi Chain. Qhat Gagarin lacks in funds, he makes up by citing his work for Congressmen Jose Serrano, and Antony Weiner; as well as his current job at the NAACP, show considerable involvement in public affairs.

His former boss, Anthony Weiner, won his first seat- city councilman- at age 27. Weiner once worked for then-congressman Chuck Schumer at age 21, serving him for five years. Like Gagarin and Weiner, Schumer also entered politics at a tender age.

He was only 23 when he won his State Assembly seat. Neither of the three men come from political dynasties. A Schumer-Weiner-Gagarin chain would an accomplishment in itself, proving that youth is no obstacle in getting elected.

Even if Gagarin loses this race, don’t expect him to fade into the sunset. In 2005, immigrant advocate Bryan Pu-Folkes ran for City Council in Jackson Heights. His political experience includes work at the office of Alan Hevsi when he was a State Assemblyman. Though he lost to party-backed incumbent Helen Sears, he remains active in local public life as the founder of the 7 International Arts Express Jackson Heights Film & Food Festival.

Sunnyside resident Jimmy Van Bramer, 39, appeared in the public spotlight as a gay rights advocate. At 33, he led protests to demand that St. John’s University recognize a student-run gay rights organization. From there, he rose to become a reporter and editor at Gay City News. In 2001, he also ran against Helen Sears for City Council. At the time, he worked as manager of community affairs for the Queens Library.

Since then, he has risen to his current position as the library’s representative before community boards, organizing library advocacy groups in various Queens neighborhoods. After almost a decade of additional community organizing, Van Bramer is returning to politics, seeking to win this same City Council seat this November.

Gagarin may not have the support of the party bosses, but as the examples of Pu-Folkes and Van Bramer show, an upstart candidacy is just the beginning in a life of public leadership.

This story will appear in the Queens Tribune

Seminerio is facing serious charges, but fellow elected officials are not jumping the gun on his likely future. Charged with corruption, the 16-term assemblyman could face up to 20 years in federal prison. As he ponders a plea deal, no official contender stands to challenge him for his Assembly seat, which he has held since 1978.

“He is on trial and has not been convicted,” said State Senator-elect Joseph Addabbo, Jr. “The party has not commented on his future, pending results of the trial.” Much of Addabbo’s Senate district overlaps Seminerio’s Assembly district, in neighborhoods where Democrats and Republicans have recently faced off in tight contests for State Senate and City Council seats.

In contrast, Seminerio faced no opponents in his latest reelection on Nov. 4, two months after being charged with pocketing $500,000 in payoffs through a phony consulting company that offered favors to organizations doing business with the state. His candidacy was cross-endorsed by the Republican and Conservative parties. In contrast to his Democratic colleagues, Seminerio holds more conservative positions on topics such as abortion, capital punishment, and gay marriage.

Among the possible successors is lawyer Albert J. Baldeo, who narrowly lost to incumbent Serphin Maltese in the 2006 race for state senate. In early 2008, he ran again, but subsequently dropped out to support fellow Democrat Addabbo, who went on to defeat Maltese.

In his law office on Liberty Avenue, photographs show Baldeo shaking hands with a host of prominent elected officials, and awards testify to his experience in community leadership. For now, Baldeo has opted to wait out his options, pending the outcome of Seminerio’s trial. “I will answer the call if Democratic leaders call upon me to run at the appropriate time,” said Baldeo.

At the same time, considering Seminerio’s health and age, the prospect of imprisonment has garnered him some support. “An imprisonment for him would be much harder than for a healthy young man,” said his attorney, Ira Cooper, in an interview with the Daily News.

While the legal woes of an aging incumbent could be a godsend for a young upstart, Baldeo was having none of it. “My heart goes out to him and his family. He has a long serving record of 30 years. He is an institution,” said Baldeo. “I hope the allegations against him are untrue.”

At the same time, Baldeo reports that he has received numerous calls asking when he will declare his candidacy for Seminerio’s seat. “Some say that it is a natural seat for me, and that I am the strongest candidate for that seat,” said Baldeo. “I got 69 percent of the votes in Assemblyman Seminerio’s district when I ran against Senator Maltese in 2006, although Seminerio endorsed Maltese against me.”

Baldeo takes pride in receiving 25 percent of the primary vote against Addabbo even after dropping out, and using his clout to deliver the Senate seat for him in the general election. “That proves that I have a strong base in the district,” said Baldeo.

Should he run, he already has a head start in funding the potential race. “. I have the funds from the Addabbo race available to run against any likely competitors-over $400, 000,” said Baldeo.

“Many tell me that I will be the strongest candidate for this seat.”

The following is my op-ed response to Metro’s Marc Lamont Hill:

Marc Lamont Hill has a right to feel disturbed about president-elect Barack Obama’s choice of Rep. Rahm Emanuel as his chief of staff. (“Obama’s First Move Uninispiring” 11-13-08) At the same time, Hill should be able to distinguish between his vision of an Obama presidency and Obama’s vision of the Obama presidency.

While left-wing voters expect Obama to stand up for causes such as ending the war, expanding environmental laws, and union rights, Obama’s vision can be summed up in a call for unity he issued during his campaign: “These are not the red state nor the blue states, but the United States of America.”
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On the historic election night of Nov. 4, Queens was expected to reliably carry the vote for Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama. Following an unpopular war, and a struggling economy, the Republican Party in Queens fought hard with a list of determined candidates for city and state offices. Among the neighborhoods, the most competitive in the election was Maspeth, where the two major parties competed for the State Senate, Assembly, and City Council.

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The Off Track Betting parlor on Maspeth’s Grand Avenue feels like an extension of the senior center next door. Most of its patrons are white, elderly, and have the time and funds to spare on gambling. They also appear to be leaning in favor of John McCain for president. While the economy appears to be an important concern, comments about Barack Obama’s race and economic policy indicate the patrons’ fear of an Obama presidency.
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Taken last night outside the Metropolitan Avenue terminal of the M train in Middle Village.

Donna Lieberman (left) and Jessica Colton (speaking) defend the voting rights of Maria Perez

Most ex-convicts in New York can vote, but they are not aware of it and neither are many election officials.  A coalition of advocacy groups headed by the New York Civil Liberties Union responded Wednesday with a statewide campaign to defend the voting rights of citizens with prior criminal convictions.

“There is a mistaken belief that those with criminal records permanently lose their right to vote,” said NYCLU executive director Donna Lieberman. “Thousands of New Yorkers are either unnecessarily forfeiting or being denied their rights. Either way, it’s a problem for us as a democracy.” (more…)