Candidates Night
NYC incumbents and hopefuls descend on NST a week before elections
STORY AND PHOTOS
BY STEPHEN VRATTOS
Quite the august assemblage
gathered in Towers on the
Green, Monday evening,
October 30, all to meet the residents
of North Shore Towers and
vie for their votes come election
day a week later. Sponsored
by Schneps Communications,
publishers of such papers as the
Queens Courier and its North
Shore Towers counterpart, Candidates
Night was ably organized
by the Political Action Committee
(PAC). Though not a formal
debate, candidates were asked a
series of questions by PAC Chair
Stanley Goldsmith and Queens
Courier Editor-in-Chief Robert
Pozarycki, who allowed each
three minutes to respond.
Seemed as if New York City
Mayor Bill DeBlasio was the
only prominent no-show, due to
a prior commitment. But both
his Republican challenger Nicole
Malliotakis and Dump The Mayor
party’s Bo Dietl were present to
plead their cases; as were incumbent
Comptroller Scott Stringer
and his Republican rival, Michael
Faulkner; Public Advocate Letitia
James, who eventually won a 2nd
term, and her Republican opponent,
Juan Carlos Polanco; and
District 23 Council Seat incumbent
Barry Grodenchik and Republican
Public Advocate 2nd-term winner
Letitia James stands beside
Candidates Night host Buffy
Queens Borough President
Melinda Katz, who won her
second term, stopped to chat
with residents as she was leaving
adversary, Joe Concannon,
who lost his attempt to unseat
Grodenchik for a second time.
Queens Borough President
Melinda Katz was prepared to
confront William Kregler, but her
Republican challenger got stuck
in traffic and had to cancel at the
last moment. Still, Katz took to the
mike and used her three minutes
to review the accomplishments of
her first term and expectations for
the next, should she win (she did).
(l. to r.) PAC Member Debra Markell-Kleinert, PAC Chair Stanley Goldsmith, Republican Mayoral
Candidate Nicole Malliotakis, who failed in her bid to unseat incumbent Bill DeBlasio, NST Board
President Mario Carmiciano and PAC Member Maria Termini-Miller
Schneps Communications CEO and NST Courier publisher Vicki
Schneps, who sponsored the evening, addresses the crowd, while
Queens Courier Editor-in-Chief Robert Pozarycki (left) and PAC
Chair Stanley Goldsmith (right) await their turns
Residents filled Towers on the Green to hear the candidates speak
Incumbent Barry Grodenchik once again bested Joe
Concannon for Distrcit 23 Councel Seat 38 NORTH SHORE TOWERS COURIER ¢ December 2017