14 The Queens Courier • january 31, 2013 for breaking news visit www.queenscourier.com politics s From Red Apple to Big Apple Catsimatidis announces run for mayor BY TERENCE M. CULLEN [email protected] It’s getting crowded. The Republican race for the mayor’s office tallied another candidate on Tuesday, January 29 when John A. Catsimatidis announced he was running for the hotly contested position. Catsimatidis, owner, president and CEO of grocery chain Red Apple Group, parent company of Gristedes, announced his candidacy on the steps of City Hall and promised to represent all New Yorkers, in every borough, if elected. His platform is based on strengthening the school system, better public safety and tax relief for the middle class. “I want to be a mayor for all the neighborhoods of our great city,” he said in a campaign statement. “For Richmond Hill and Flushing, for Canarsie and Williamsbridge, for Harlem and for Wall Street for Riverdale and Throgs Neck and for Tottenville and New Dorp. I want to be a mayor who fairly represents all New Yorkers whether you are a cab driver from South Asia, a bodega owner from the Caribbean or an aspiring actor from the Midwest.” The produce magnate is one of the few candidates from either party who has not spent the bulk of his career in public service. His main Republican opponent, former MTA chair Joe Lhota, was a budget director and then deputy mayor for former Mayor Rudoplh Guiliani. He’s also facing philanthropist George McDonald, chair of the homeless aid group, The Doe Fund. “Unlike many of my opponents are who professional politicians and products of the cronyism of the political club house,” Catsimatidis said, “I come to this race as an independent businessman who will offer commonsense solutions to the problems that affect New York.” Catsimatidis, 64, has a net worth of $3 billion as of last September, according to Forbes, and is ranked 132 in the magazine’s list of the 400 richest Americans. Queens Republican chair Phil Ragusa said while the party has not officially endorsed a candidate, Catsimatidis has had support in the party based on his initiative to create jobs and fight for residents’ rights. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE OFFICE OF BILL DE BLASIO Public Advocate Bill de Blasio stood outside of his Park Slope home with his wife and son on Sunday, January 27 to announce his candidacy for mayor. de Blasio declares for mayor BY MAGIE HAYES [email protected] Public Advocate Bill de Blasio has officially placed his name in the running to be the next mayor. “We deserve a city government that actually believes in our neighborhoods and sees things the way we do,” said de Blasio at his announcement on Sunday, January 27 outside his Park Slope home. “I stand before this city today as someone seeking to be a mayor of our neighborhoods — good, clean, strong, safe neighborhoods,” said the Democratic candidate, flanked by his wife and son. Throughout his career, de Blasio has fought to expand early childhood education, tenants’ rights and job opportunities, according to his campaign website. “We can only get to a better place by declaring, ‘this is our city and this government works for us,’” he said. WEINER HAS WAR CHEST, BUT WILL HE RUN? BY TERENCE M. CULLEN [email protected] More than a year-and-a-half after he was forced into resigning, there’s still speculation former Congressmember Anthony Weiner will make a bid for some public office, several media sources have reported. The Daily News claimed an anonymous pollster was calling registered voters to gauge if they still had a favorable view of the disgraced legislator, who resigned in June 2011 after he was embroiled in a sexting scandal. Weiner, despite his resignation, kept steadfast that the scandal did not stretch past the inappropriate pictures he sent. The New York Post reported the same day that Weiner, who spent about 12 years in Congress, was eyeing a run for City Comptroller, meaning, if true, he’d face off against Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer in a Democratic primary. Weiner, who represented south Brooklyn and a significant portion of Queens, has nearly $4 million in campaign funds, most raised while he was in Congress, according to the State Board of Elections 2013 January Periodic Report. Money paid out between July and January has mainly been for rent and phone lines. The only exceptions were in July when Anthony Weiner for Mayor paid out legal fees, purchased a hard drive and paid Godaddy.com $241.92 for domain hosting. The former congressmember has continually told reporters rent and phone bills are standard procedure but doesn’t mean he will actually make a run. Before he resigned two years ago, Weiner was considered a front runner to succeed Michael Bloomberg as mayor. After the scandal, Weiner slipped from the limelight and focused on being a stay-at-home dad for his newborn son. He came back into the public eye for roughly half an hour last summer on WNYC’s “The Brian Lehrer Show” to discuss the Supreme Court’s ruling on health care reform — something he supported during his time on Capitol Hill. Broaching the scandal and his resignation for just a moment, Weiner apologized to his constituents but would not comment on his political future. Do you think Weiner should reenter politics? Let us know at queenscourier.com Photo courtesy THE NEW YORK DAILY NEWS John A. Catsimatidis
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