8 The Queens Courier • march 13, 2014 for breaking news visit www.queenscourier.com politics Photo Courtesy Assemblymember Margaret Markey QUEENS WOMEN HONOR GOVERNOR Assemblymember Margaret Markey was joined by Assemblymember Cathy Nolan in presenting Governor Andrew Cuomo with a resolution from the New York State Assembly honoring him as special guest at the annual Ladies’ Luncheon of the Women’s Democratic Executive Committee of Queens County, held at Antun’s on March 8. Pictured, from left, are Congressmember Joseph Crowley, County Democratic Leader; Assemblymember Michelle Titus; Assemblymember Barbara Clark; Nolan; Assemblymember Vivian Cook, co-chair of the event; Governor Cuomo; Markey; and Honorable Mary Ann Dorsa, co-chair of the event. KICK OFF RE-ELECTION CAMPAIGN BY ANGY ALTAMIRANO aaltamirano@queenscourier.com @aaltamirano28 Congressmember Joseph Crowley has launched his re-election campaign. Crowley, who was first elected to Congress in 1998, was voted in last year to represent sections of Queens and the Bronx in the 14th Congressional District. He officially kicked off his campaign for re-election on Sunday, March 9, in Sunnyside, though no opponents have declared their candidacies as of yet. “It has been my privilege to represent the people of one of the most diverse districts in the country, and I am excited to announce I’ll be seeking re-election to continue to focus on the issues that matter most,” Crowley said. The announcement came as the Woodside native gathered with other elected officials and supporters during his fifth annual St. Patrick’s Day celebration at Sidetracks Restaurant. “Too many families are still struggling to get by and we need to break the gridlock in Congress to get our country moving forward again,” he said. “Using my position in the elected leadership of the House Democratic Caucus, I am fully committed to making a real difference in people’s lives. That means putting New Yorkers back to work, raising the minimum Photo by Dominick Totino Photography Congressmember Joseph Crowley kicked off his 2014 re-election campaign during his fifth annual St. Patrick’s Day celebration in Sunnyside. wage, protecting social services that are vital to our most vulnerable communities, and fighting hard to make immigration reform a reality.” Recently, Crowley introduced the On-The-Job Training Act that would guarantee American workers are able to gain new skills to both compete and succeed in the job market. de Blasio appointments continue Mayor Bill de Blasio made the following appointments within the past two weeks: Joseph Ponte: Commissioner, Department of Correction Ana Bermúdez: Commissioner, Department of Probation Justice Elizabeth Glazer: Director of the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice Vincent Schiraldi: Senior Advisor to the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Meera Joshi: Chair, Chief Executive Officer, New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission Nisha Agarwal: Commissioner, Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs Lorraine Grillo: President of School Construction Authority (reappointment) Steve Banks: Commissioner, Human Resources Administration Liu sues over campaign cash in failed mayor bid BY CRISTABELLE TUMOLA ctumola@queenscourier.com @CristabelleT John Liu may have lost his bid for mayor months ago, but he is still seeking justice for wrongdoings he believes hindered his campaign. The former comptroller is suing the city’s Campaign Finance Board (CFB) for withholding $3.8 million in public financing from his mayoral campaign, claiming that the move “crippled” his chances in the Democratic primary. The lawsuit asserts that the city’s public financing system violates the First and Fourteenth Amendments and that Liu was treated “differently than other candidates who have been suspected of violating campaign finance laws.” “I am a strong believer in and supporter of the New York City campaign finance system. However, the system has been broken by out-ofcontrol bureaucrats and unaccountable board members,” Liu said in a statement announcing the lawsuit on Wednesday, March 12. Last August, the CFB denied Liu’s campaign the funds because it said there was “reason to believe that violations of the Act and Board rules have been committed by his campaign.” Months earlier, a former Liu campaign treasurer was found guilty of attempting to commit fraud, obstructing justice and making false statements. And an ex-fundraiser and contribution bundler for his campaign was convicted on charges of conspiring and attempting to commit fraud. Though Liu has not been accused of any wrongdoing in connection to the case, the Board said the decision to deny matching funds doesn’t require the candidate to personally engage in misconduct. Liu’s suit also alleges that the appointment of Rose Gil Hearn as chair of the CFB, made shortly before then-Mayor Michael Bloomberg left office, was illegitimate because it was done without consulting the City Council speaker. “Over 25 years and seven mayoral elections, the Board’s oversight has always been tough, but fair. It protects taxpayers, and ensures campaigns that receive funds are playing by the rules,” said Amy Loprest, CFB executive director, in a statement. “We will not comment further on the litigation until the appropriate time.”
QC03132014
To see the actual publication please follow the link above