SEPTEMBER 14 L E H A V R E N E W S BOE blunder vexes voters BY MELISSA CHAN An apparent mistake by the city’s Board of Elections (BOE) would have had Whitestone residents voting in Forest Hills during the upcoming primary. About 100 people in Whitestone, College Point, Malba and Beechhurst were sent BOE mailers last week directing them to vote more than six miles away, double the distance of their usual polling place, a local civic leader said. The 61-20 Grand Central Parkway poll site listed on the notices is on the border between Corona and Forest Hills. “I’ve been in Whitestone for 27 years. I’ve always voted at P.S. 193. It’s four blocks from my house,” said resident George Mirtsopoulos, 58. “I get this notice saying I’m voting in Forest Hills. I thought it was ridiculous.” Mirtsopoulos, Malba Gardens Civic president Alfredo Centola and the area’s city councilmember said they alerted the elections board of the blunder. The BOE first told residents the change was due to recent redistricting and later switched to say it was a “glitch” that sent voters in the 11357 ZIP code to poll sites in the 11375 area, residents said. The two numbers differ only by switching the last two digits. “You should check and double check,” Mirtsopoulos said. “Somebody should have said, ‘Wait. They live in Whitestone, why are they voting in Forest Hills?’ The bells and whistles should have gone off a little bit.” The mailer blindsided multiple residents, mostly the elderly, who did not take immediate notice of change in poll site, Mirtsopoulos said. “A lot of people on my block didn’t even realize it,” he said. “It would have caused a lot of confusion.” Councilmember Dan Halloran — who awaits trial for bribery but represents the district for the remainder of the year — said his office “was flooded with calls from angry or upset people.” He said an 84-year-old widow named Marilyn would not have traveled to Forest Hills despite voting in every election since 1955. Residents who called the BOE to complain were told new mailers with the correct poll site would be sent out soon, but the Board had no immediately comment for the press. THE COURIER/Photo by Melissa Chan The city’s Board of Elections sent mailers out last week directing Whitestone residents to vote in Forest Hills. And then there were two Avella drops Democratic BP bid BY MELISSA CHAN The once-crowded Democratic race for Queens borough president is now down to two. State Senator Tony Avella dropped his bid for the seat on August 14, citing “unfi nished business in Albany” as one of his reasons, his campaign said. “It has become clear that there is still a lot of work left to be done,” Avella said. “At this time, I believe I can best serve the people of Queens by remaining a State Senator.” Avella, who had low fundraising totals, was facing off with former legislator Melinda Katz and Councilmember Peter Vallone in the Democratic primary. “From protecting against the threat of hydrofracking to preserving women’s rights, there is a lot of unfinished business in Albany,” Avella said, “and I hope to take more of a leadership role in helping address these important issues, which reverberate beyond Queens and affect people across the entire state.” The race to replace term-limited Borough President Helen Marshall once had many contenders. 14 LEHAVRE COURIER | SEPTEMBER 2013 | WWW.QUEENSCOURIER.COM Councilmember Leroy Comrie withdrew his bid last month. Avella’s name will still be on the ballot during the September 10 primary election. “This was certainly not an easy decision and I am eternally grateful for the overwhelming amount of support I received from people throughout Queens,” he said. “Queens is my home borough and I will never stop fi ghting and advocating for all residents of Queens.” The winner will run against Republican candidate Tony Arcabascio in November. THE COURIER/File photo State Senator Tony Avella has dropped his bid for BP.
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