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QC05052016

32 The QUENS Courier • MAY 5, 2016 for breaking news visit www.qns.com Queens Politics & More BY MIKE FRICCHIONE Astoria’s Greek Queens’ first female state senator, Toby Stavisky, is going for her ninth term in office Photo courtesy of state Senator Toby Ann Stavisky State Senator Toby Ann Stavisky (with microphone) announced her re-election campaign last week. Osherov, Joe Nocerino and Ik Hwan Rim. They represent the bevy of communities within the 16th Senate District that Stavisky currently represents. The heavily gerrymandered community t alks refugees Members of the Greek-American community gathered at the Stathakeion Center in Astoria on April 8 to discuss the refugee crisis and to take steps to resolve the humanitarian issue. Several officials spoke at the Federation of Hellenic Societies of New York Conference, including Dr. George Patoulis, president of Greek Mayors and president of Athens Medical Association; Mihalis Aggelopoulos, mayor of the island of Samos; and General Frangoulis Fragos, former Greek minister of defense. At the meeting, a proclamation was signed by most Hellenic American Societies calling on the United Nations, the European Union and NATO to support Greece in its “extraordinary humanitarian efforts.” The proclamation also calls on Greece to secure its borders and discourage human trafficking; world powers to stop the war in Syria and facilitate immediate repatriation of the refugees to their homes; financial support and public health measures to alleviate the plight of migrants and refugees stranded in Greece; and Turkey to stop the flow of refugees in the Aegean Sea. CAMPAIGN 2016 By Robert Pozarycki rpozarycki@qns.com @robbpoz After 16 years in Albany, state Senator Toby Ann Stavisky wants to go back for another term. Stavisky officially announced last week her re-election campaign in Forest Hills, surrounded by numerous supporters including Congresswoman Grace Meng and a number of community advocates. Stavisky was first elected to the state Senate in a special November 1999 election for the seat previously held by her late husband, Leonard. In doing so, she became the first Queens woman ever to serve in the chamber. Since then, Toby Stavisky has been re-elected eight times, earning a reputation as a staunch advocate on issues such as education, human rights, women’s rights, immigration and — most recently — ethics reform in a state capitol haunted by numerous public corruption cases. “We have accomplished a lot, but we still have a long way to go,” Stavisky said at the April 26 announcement. “Comprehensive ethics reform is long overdue, the DREAM Act remains in limbo and the American Dream remains out of reach for too many. I stand here today, ready to continue representing the people of this district, but I cannot do it alone. We are a team and together, we can make this city and state an even better place to live.” Meng was quick to throw her support for Stavisky, recalling her work to create the new Lunar New Year school holiday among “so many other issues that have improved the lives of Queens residents.” “She must be returned to Albany in order for her to continue the great work she has done,” Meng said. Also announcing their support of Stavisky were Flushing Chinese Business Association Executive Director Peter Tu; Democratic District Leader Martha Flores Vazquez; Mitchell-Linden Civic Association President Arlene Fleischman; and community activists Paul Yoo, Jeff Huang, Tammy Photo courtesy of Federation of Hellenic Societies of New York General Frangoulis Frangos, Former Greek Minister of Defense (left); Mr. Nikolaos Georgikopoulos, research professor at NYU Stern School of Business (left); Dr. George Patoulis, president of Greek Mayors, mayor of Marousi, president of Athens Medical Association (center); Mr. Petros Galatoulas, president of the Federation of Hellenic Societies of Greater New York (center); Dr. George Liakeas, president of the Hellenic Medical Society of NY (right); Dr. Spyros G.E. Mezitis MD, PhD, president of the Federation of Hellenic Medical Societies of North America (right); and Mr. Mihalis Angelopoulos, mayor of Samos, Greece (right) district created for the 2012 election is carved out of neighborhoods in north and central Queens, including parts of Bayside, Corona, Elmhurst, Flushing, Forest Hills, Fresh Meadows, Little Neck, Middle Village, Rego Park and Woodside. Stavisky will be facing a challenge in the September Democratic primary from Flushing businessman S.J. Jung, whom she defeated in the 2014 Democratic primary. As of yet, no Republicans are known to have declared a candidacy for the 16th District seat. The petitioning process to get on the ballot starts in June. THE CONGRESSIONAL CAMPAIGN DERBY: NOTES FROM THE TRACK I’m a big horse racing fan, which is why I’m upset that I can’t make the southward trek this Saturday to Kentucky’s Churchill Downs to see the famed Derby. For all those who feel similarly, there’s no need to fret. We have an even spicier horse race for retiring Congressman Steve Israel’s seat to look forward to. The claws, or hoofs, came out this past week when former North Hempstead Town Supervisor John Kaiman’s campaign attacked Former Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi’s campaign for not filing enough valid Democratic nominating petition signatures with the New York State Board of Elections to qualify for the June 28 primary ballot. It’s a bold accusation from one former politician to another, and probably not one that most voters understand or care about. It is, however, telling in that it clearly shows that the Democratic candidates believe Suozzi is the perceived frontrunner so far. Meanwhile, Suffolk County Legislator Steve Stern netted Congressman Israel’s endorsement on Monday, a move that many insiders did not find surprising given that Stern hired many of Israel’s old staffers when he kicked off his campaign. Stern, besides from having the largest war chest out of any of the candidates after raising a cool half-million, enjoys being the first and, so far, only candidate up on TV, as well as the only candidate from a unified Suffolk County. Stern may be the sleeper candidate out of the Democratic field, as the other four contestants continue to fight over much of the same base of voters in Nassau, and North Hempstead in particular. Queens, of course, remains the orphan everyone is trying to adopt, since no candidate enjoys “favorite son” status here. Meanwhile on the Republican side, candidate Philip “Flip” Pidot, has been issuing press releases attacking presumptive GOP nominee state Senator Jack Martins at an impressive, if not a desperate, clip. Most recently, Pidot has called out the GOP front-runner for employing “the typical tactics of a machine politician,” by attempting to knock him off the June 28 primary ballot. “You could teach a university class in sleazy campaign tactics just by watching what the Martins operation is doing to try to get me off the ballot,” said Pidot in a written statement. However it shakes out after the June primary, both camps can look forward to running with two of the most polarizing politicians in the history of American politics atop their respective tickets: Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. Buckle your seat belts. This one can get wild.


QC05052016
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