26 THE QUEENS COURIER • JANUARY 23, 2020 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
Crowley leads BP candidates in fundraising
BY MAX PARROTT
mparrott@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
With just over two months to
go before the Queens borough
president special election on
March 24, disclosures published
by the New York City Campaign
Finance Board (NYCCFB) last
week provided a fi scal snapshot
of where each of the candidates
stand.
Th e fi lings singled out one
clear breadwinner. Out of
the $284,157 that the candidates
have collectively raked in
over the past six months, former
Ridgewood Councilwoman
Elizabeth Crowley topped the
fi eld in fundraising. She also
boasted the most cash on hand
out of the group.
Councilman Donovan
Richards has done the second
most fundraising over the past
six months, but has only raised
about half as much as Crowley.
Councilman Jimmy
Van Bramer, who abruptly
announced Tuesday morning
that he will be dropping
out of the race due to family
circumstances, is a close second
to Crowley when it comes
to cash on hand, but only aft er
he transferred nearly $200,000
he had left over from his 2017
City Council run. He will leave
the race with $203,185 worth of
campaign cash.
Th e fundraising totals compiled
by the New York City
Campaign Finance Board over
the past six months from greatest
to least are as follows:
• Crowley has raised $104,797
since July 15 and has $219,894
to spend.
• Richards has raised $58,384
since July 15 and has $126,758
to spend.
• Retired NYPD sergeant
Anthony Miranda has raised
$39,970 since July 15 and has
$13,768 to spend.
• Dao Yin, a robotics company
executive, has raised $32,466
and has $8,581 to spend.
• Councilman Costa
Constantinides raised $19,507
since July 15 and has $14,348
to spend.
• Former Assistant District
Attorney Jim Quinn raised
$11,498 prior to the deadline,
but reportedly has burned
through it all. According to the
fi lings, he’s in the red by $632.
• Mapmaker Danniel Maio cut
himself a check for $175 and
spent $90 of it, leaving him $85
in his campaign coff ers.
Since all eight candidates
have opted in to the NYCCFB’s
matching program, they have
agreed not to accept a donation
larger than $750. Since the legislation
dictates that they receive
8-1 match for all donations
under this limit, several candidates
have had to refund large
chunks of their donations.
A few notably large donations
are included in those refunds,
which date back before the City
Council revised the matching
program limits for special elections
over the summer.
Richards had to refund
a $4,100 of a donation to
Taxpayers for Aff ordable New
York, a Real Estate Board of New
York-affi liated PAC.
Asked for comment, Richards’
spokesperson did not remark
on the real estate affi liation,
although the councilman has
previously stated publicly that he
doesn’t believe that his integrity
would ever be compromised
by donations from the real estate
industry — which make up nearly
30 percent of his donations,
according to the Real Deal.
“To ensure compliance with
the campaign fi nance board, the
excess was returned to the contributor,”
the spokesperson said.
Several of Crowley’s largest
refunds went back to contributors
associated with J.T. Magen
& Company, a construction fi rm
that has traditionally relied on
union labor. On Jan. 10, 2019,
Robert Scheiman, the company’s
principal and Maurice Regan, its
CEO gave the campaign $3,950.
Anticipating the matching program
limits, Crowley gave back
a total of $6,400 between those
donations.
Crowley distinguished the
construction-related donations
from the real estate industry,
which she has vowed not to
take donations from. She said
the connection goes back to her
union days.
“I’m proud of my roots,”
Crowley told QNS. “Not only
was my union job making sure
that I got paid a fair wage, my
friends who worked with me
20 years ago are still my supporters.”
Constantinides had to refund
$3,600 to Sal Lucchese, a manager
at Astoria-based developer
Th e L Group, who gave $4,350 to
his campaign in January of 2019.
Constantinides’ spokesperson
did not comment on the donation.
But in a previous report on
that contribution, the councilman
acknowledged taking real
estate donations but said that
he doesn’t take donations what
he defi nes as “Big Real Estate
developers.”
Th e next campaign fi nance fi ling
deadline is Feb. 21.
Max Parrott/QNS
Elizabeth Crowley leads the Queens borough president fi eld in fundraising and
cash on hand.
Friends of the BQX gets new leadership at ‘crucial time’
BY BILL PARRY
bparry@schnepsmedia.com
Th e nonprofi t organization that
has been advocating for a streetcar
system along the Queens and
Brooklyn waterfront since 2014
made a change in leadership just
as the city launches a wide-ranging
community engagement process.
Th e Friends of the Brooklyn
Queens Connector recently
named Brooklyn resident
Christopher Torres as its new
executive director to replace
Jessica Schumer, who left at the
end of the year to pursue a new
opportunity.
“Jessica had a tremendous run
with Friends of the BQX and
we thank her for outstanding
work over the past three years,”
a Friends of the BQX spokesperson
said. “With its environmental
review in full swing and a public
review process ahead, we’re glad
to have Chris at the helm as we
head into a big year for the BQX.”
Torres was an organizer for the
Working Families Party, where
he helped lead campaigns
in Arizona, Wisconsin,
and, most recently,
for Public Advocate
Jumaane Williams.
Torres also worked
with Make the
Road New
York Action
Fund as its
director of
field operations,
where
he spent fi ve
years working
to build electoral
power in immigrant communities
through grassroots and
community driven campaigns in
New York and Pennsylvania. He
views public transportation as a
social justice issue.
“It makes all the diff erence in
getting your mother to her doctor’s
appointment on time, getting
your children to school, or
in some cases keeping your job,”
Torres wrote Monday to board
members. “Th is belief must be
the foundation of our work if we
are going to change the landscape
of NYC and build a robust
transit system for all New
Yorkers.”
Th e controversial proposal
for the $2.7 billion
state-of-the-art light
rail system, which
would run along
an 11-mile corridor
from Astoria
to Red Hook,
Brooklyn, would
provide a crucial
north-south transit
option for the
400,000 people
who live along the corridor and
the 300,000 who work along the
fastest-growing business corridors
in the city. Th e city’s Economic
Development Corporation has
launched an extensive community
engagement process that will
include presentations to community
boards and public workshops
that will focus on community priorities,
suggestions and concerns.
“Th ere are myriad reasons
why we want to see the BQX
happen. For me, one stands out
more than most: implementing
quality public transit access for
those who have been historically
neglected by city planners,”
Torres wrote. “From Astoria,
Queens, to Red Hook, Brooklyn,
no one feels the sting of walking
more than a half mile on a rainy
day to a delayed subway or bus
more than the folks who live in
public housing along the route.
Th is year we will work to broaden
and strengthen our support
in NYCHA with the help of the
resident association presidents
who share our vision.”
While the main focus of Friends
of the BQX is building the light
rail system, Torres also wants the
organization to care about “getting
congestion pricing right,
building better bike infrastructure,
and creating a more sustainable
and eco-friendly NYC by
moving away from cars.”
Paul Steely White, who
was the executive director at
Transportation Alternatives for
15 years and sits on the board of
Friends of the BQX, said he was
energized by Torres’ letter.
“Christopher has a compelling
vision of what the BQX can
mean and that having more transit
options is the name of the
game,” he said. “Th ere is a renaissance
happening in New York
City with transportation moving
away from the traditional car culture.
Christopher has an amazing
background as a community
organizer and he’s bringing that
mind set to this process at a crucial
time.”
As the BQX project enters the
community engagement process,
and then the city’s land use review
process, Torres plans to “activate
the board” to engage opponents
of the project who claim it is a
developers boondoggle that will
erase 2,000 parking spaces along
the corridor.
“Th e board is diverse and
uniquely equipped to help us shift
elected offi cials and other community
stakeholders to supporters
of this ambitious project to
bring light rail to NYC,” Torres
concluded. “And as we prepare
for what will most likely be a contentious
ULURP, activating our
board is crucial.”
Friends of the BQX
Christopher Torres
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