Board of Elections workers review an absentee ballot in Queens on
July 8, 2020. File photo by Dean Moses
TIMESLEDGER | QNS.2 COM | NOV. 13-NOV. 19, 2020
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
This year, St. Mary’s
Healthcare System is inviting
the public to attend their
annual gala virtually on
Wednesday, Nov. 18, from the
comfort of their homes.
The Big Night In for St.
Mary’s Kids will be hosted
by television veteran Howie
Mandel, and will be a celebration
of the hospital’s 150 years
of service to New York City’s
most critically ill and injured
children.
“For New York’s most critically
ill and injured children,
this is truly a haven unlike
any other,” Mandel said. “The
ability of St. Mary’s to continue
providing innovative therapies
and specialized rehabilitation
programs depend on
support from the community
and we are grateful for everyone
who is helping to fund
this essential work.”
The St. Mary’s celebration
is free to attend and guests
can look forward to plenty
of surprises with inspiring
speeches from some of the
kids of St. Mary’s, parents of
patients, and President and
CEO Dr. Edwin Simpser.
Special performances will
include St. Mary’s music therapist
and kids, the band from
Broadway’s “Rock of Ages,” a
special performance by Paul
Anka and, of course, the hosting
magic of Mandel.
More than 90 percent of the
patients at St. Mary’s need a
level of care that exceeds what
their families can afford and
what Medicaid is able to cover.
That’s what makes fundraisers
like The Big Night In for
St. Mary’s Kids so important
— all funds raised during the
livestreamed event will go
directly toward supporting
programs and treatment for
patients.
“This year’s gala will be
different in many ways, but
the most important thing has
stayed the same: the funds we
raise will directly support the
essential and life-changing
services we have provided
for 150 years,” Simpser said.
“While the pandemic keeps
us apart, we can join together
in spirit to celebrate all of the
children, families and staff
members who are at the heart
of St. Mary’s.”
Attendees who donate over
$250 have the opportunity to
win big: they will be entered
in a raffle for a seven-night
stay at a four-bedroom/fourbathroom
water-view villa
in Bermuda for eight guests.
The prize includes accommodations
and is exclusive of
flights and food.
The Big Night In For St.
Mary’s Kids is being sponsored
by Debbie & Stuart
Acker; Cindy & Tod Johnson;
Nancy Karch; Dr. and Mrs.
Edwin Simpser; Anthony
and Tara Coniglio; New York
Electrical Contractors; Technico
Construction Services;
Briarwood Organization; DJ
Ambulette Service; Nussbaum
Berg Klein & Wolpow
Foundation; Bloomberg Philanthropies;
M&T Bank; and
Area Builders.
Additional information
on tickets and sponsorship
opportunities is available
at www.stmaryskids.org/
event/virtual-gala.
BY JACOB KAYE
The political future of two
Queens lawmakers hangs in
the balance as the Board of
Elections begins counting
absentee ballots this week in
the borough.
Congressman Tom Suozzi
and Assemblyman Edward
Braunstein both entered the
week trailing against Republican
challengers. The final
fate of the races will be determined
in the next few weeks
as the city’s Board of Elections
counts the absentee ballots,
a process that began in
Queens on Monday, Nov. 9.
Suozzi currently trails Republican
George Santos by a
little more than 4,171 votes in
the race to represent the Third
Congressional District.
The incumbent, hoping for
his third term in Congress,
expressed his confidence in
the race on Monday, assuring
his supporters that once the
absentee ballots are counted,
he will be victorious.
“We will win. It will take
two weeks,” Suozzi said in an
email to his supporters.
Despite the current tally,
Suozzi, hoping for a Joe
Biden-style comeback in the
count, has some reason to
be confident. Of the approximately
98,000 mail-in ballots
cast in the district, which
covers parts of Queens, Nassau
County and Suffolk County,
about 52 percent of them
were cast by registered Democrats,
a total that accounts for
around 25 percent of the overall
vote. Republican voters accounted
for around 19 percent
of the absentee ballots.
On Election Day, Suozzi
suffered in Long Island, losing
by approximately 1,500
votes in Nassau and by 6,005
votes in Suffolk. The absentee
ballot count in Nassau
was scheduled to begin on
Wednesday, Nov. 11, and in
Suffolk on Monday, Nov. 16.
Despite leading in the
count, Santos, a Jackson
Heights native, has taken to
social media to cast doubt on
the counting process. Providing
no evidence, the challenger
claimed his campaign had
been “flooded with reports of
irregularities.”
Both Santos and Suozzi
have withheld from declaring
themselves winners of the
race. Santos, like Suozzi, is
confident that once the votes
are counted, the he will be
named the winner.
“Our campaign was considered
by many as the underdog
in this race to beat a
career politician like Tom
Suozzi, yet here we are,” Santos
said in a statement. “Once
all the ballots are counted, we
remain confident that we will
maintain our lead and finally
unseat Rep. Suozzi. As the
responsible candidate in the
race, I will not declare victory
until every vote is counted.
In democracy you cannot just
declare yourself the victor,
it is up to the people, and on
election day, the people of my
district gave a clear repudiation
of the job Tom Suozzi has
done in Congress.”
Much like Suozzi, Democratic
incumbent Edward
Braunstein trails in the current
count in his Assembly
race against Republican challenger
John-Alexander Sakelos.
As the count stands, Sakelos
has received 19,599 votes,
while Braunstein has received
17,808, giving the Republican
a 1,791-vote lead in
Assembly District 26, which
covers Auburndale, Bay Terrace,
Bayside, Bayside Hills,
Broadway-Flushing, Douglaston,
Floral Park, Glen Oaks,
Little Neck, New Hyde Park,
North Shore Towers, Oakland
Gardens and Whitestone.
“We’re really confident
that even when all the absentee
ballots are counted, we’re
going to maintain our lead,”
Sakelos said on Monday.
Mathematically, Braunstein,
who has served in the
state Assembly since 2011,
has a solid shot at coming
back in the count once all
the absentee ballots from
the district are counted. Of
the over 15,300 absentee ballots
returned in the district,
9,660 were cast by registered
Democrats, while around
1,800 were cast by registered
Republicans.
“Once the thousands of
Democrats have their votes
counted and their voices
heard, we are confident Edward
Braunstein will be returning
to the Assembly,”
Braunstein’s campaign said
in a statement last week.
While the city’s Board of
Elections used Monday to
take care of administrative
tasks in preparation for the
absentee ballot count, the
vote tally began in earnest on
Tuesday, Nov. 10. The Board
of Elections in Queens began
counting ballots in the 23rd,
28th, 29th and 30th Assembly
Districts.
At the end of each day of
counting, the Board of Elections
will announce which
districts will be counted the
following day.
Courtesy of St. Mary’s Hospital for Children
St. Mary’s celebrates
150 years of service
with virtual gala
Two Queens incumbents hope
for absentee ballot boost
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