14 may C R Y D E R P O I N T Embattled councilmember drops his HALLO-RUN BY TERENCE M. CULLEN With an uphill legal battle underway, Councilmember Dan Halloran will not run for reelection later this year, widening an already crowded race for his seat. “Regrettably, I must now focus my attention on clearing my name and restoring my reputation, while I continue to discharge my sworn duties as a member of the New York City Council,” Halloran said in a statement. “After much thought, I have concluded that it is impossible for me to properly do these things and take on the enormous demands of a political campaign, so I will not to pursue another term in the Council.” Halloran has maintained his innocence on federal corruption charges alleging he helped a state legislator try to buy his way onto the Republican mayoral ballot. He entered a “not guilty” plea in court last week. Several Halloran staffers, including his chief of staff and his legislative director, resigned in the days and weeks after police arrested Halloran on April 2. Federal prosecutors accuse him of taking $20,000 in bribes and arranging payouts for GOP bosses in Queens and the Bronx with the aim of getting Democratic State Senator Malcolm Smith the Republican mayoral nomination. Halloran started focusing on his reelection campaign in District 19 after losing a bid for the U.S. Congress last year. Some political insiders viewed him as a long shot to regain his council seat, and he had trouble raising funds. 14 cryder point courier | may 2013 | WWW.QUEENSCOURIER.COM Democratic primary candidates John Duane, Paul Graziano, Austin Shafran and Paul Vallone announced bids for the District 19 seat prior to Halloran’s arrest last month. Chrissy Voskerichian, Halloran’s former chief of staff, has filed papers with the city’s Campaign Finance Board. Voskerichian did not return calls for comment as of press time. Fellow Republicans have also begun to eye the seat. Dennis Saffran, a Douglaston attorney, announced his candidacy last week. The move, backed by the Queens GOP, will likely force a primary. Rudy Giuliani, chief of staff for Councilmember Eric Ulrich and second cousin to former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, has been discussed Councilmember Dan Halloran has dropped his reelection campaign to focus on clearing himself of federal corruption charges. as another possible candidate. However, the Auburndale resident has not made an official announcement. Since his arrest, Halloran has also come under media scrutiny for an alleged affair with a former staffer while he was still married. The New York Post subsequently reported Halloran was having an affair with a former intern. The woman was reportedly in Halloran’s home during his early morning arrest. Because Halloran has not resigned, he is still open to a City Council misconduct investigation on sexual misconduct allegations, according to Speaker Christine Quinn. BY MELISSA CHAN Bayside blockbuster seekers have to go outside their neighborhood for their cinematic thrills, and they are none too happy about that. Moviegoers in Bay Terrace say they only get the leftovers from a recently renovated theater in Fresh Meadows. “I wanted to see something up to date and it’s not here,” said Colette Setton. “They’re only playing second-, third-rate movies.” The cinemas, both run by theater chain AMC Loews, offer two different sets of films. New hits including “The Big Wedding” and “Pain and Gain” are playing at the redone Fresh Meadows theater at 192-02 Horace Harding Boulevard, while movies from early March such as “Tyler Perry’s Temptation” are showing in Bay Terrace. As of April 26, the newest movie in Bay Terrace was “Disconnect.” It came out on April 12. The oldest was Residents say Bay Terace theater offers “Oz The Great and Powerful,” which premiered March 8. Meanwhile, the oldest movie showing in Fresh Meadows, “The Croods,” came out on March 22. All other films playing there were released within the past month. “It seems like they’re designing it to die,” Dan O’Connor of Bay Terrace said of his hometown theater. “They don’t want it to do well. It was always shortchanged. We always get the weakest movies.” The new stadium-seating movie house in Fresh Meadows boasts reclining plush leather seats, reserved leftover movies seating, new food offerings and an usher. “I haven’t been to the Bay Terrace theater in quite a while because there are now so many theaters that have been renovated,” said Warren Schreiber, president of the Bay Terrace Community Alliance. Mary Hughes, vice president of leasing at Cord Meyer Development, said the last time the theater underwent improvements was two years ago. She added that the theater got equipment upgrades and 3D screens. Cord Meyer Development leases the cinema to AMC Loews. “People shouldn’t have to go out of their neighborhoods to see the newest movies,” Schreiber said. I think if people are unhappy, maybe they should show their displeasure by not going to that theater or any AMC theater.” According to Hughes, sales at the Bay Terrace theater went up 22 percent from 2011 to 2012. Data for this year, when the Fresh Meadows theater reopened, were not yet available. According to an AMC spokesperson, the theaters do not play the same movies at the same time due to the establishments’ “closeness in proximity.” However, upcoming hits including “Iron Man 3” and “Star Trek Into Darkness” will play at both locations, the spokesperson said. Posters of the highly anticipated “Great Gatsby” and “Man of Steel” are displayed in the Bay Terrace theater’s lobby. But an employee said that does not necessarily mean the films will be played on their release dates. “I’m disappointed because it was such a convenient location,” said Sandy Shamlian, 70, of North Flushing. “They should share the movies in both neighborhoods.” When Setton, a Bay Terrace resident, walked up to her local ticket booth, she turned around immediately upon viewing the movie selection. “Bayside doesn’t offer anything, really,” she said. “If you want to see a good movie, you have to go to Manhattan.” FILM FRACAS
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