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QC08012013

14 The QUEE NS Courier • AUGUST 1, 2013 for breaking news visit www.queenscourier.com ▶politics THE COURIER/File photo Following new sexting revelations, mayoral candidate Anthony Weiner continues to lose the support of likely Democratic primary voters. Candidates racking up endorsements MAYOR: More than 50 city clergy leaders endorsed John Liu. Tenants PAC, civil rights activist Harry Belafonte and Congressmember Yvette Clarke endorsed Bill de Blasio. COMPTROLLER: Former comptrollers Carl McCall, Elizabeth Holtzman and Harrison Golde endorsed Scott Stringer. PUBLIC ADVOCATE: DC 37’s Local 1407 and the Women’s Campaign Fund endorsed Reshma Saujani. Tenants PAC endorsed Letitia James. Local 246 SEIU endorsed Cathy Guerriero. CITY COUNCIL Planned Parenthood of New York City Action Fund endorsed Rory Lancman for District 24. Community Board 11 Chair Jerry Iannece endorsed Paul Vallone for District 19. UAW Region 9A endorsed John Duane for District 19. DC 37 endorsed Donovan Richards for District 31. PHOTO COURTESY OF HETTIE POWELL CAMPAIGN WEBSITE Hettie Powell, left, is running as a Democrat for City Council District 28. City Council District 28 FIELD WIDENING The race for City Council District 28 is widening with a diverse range of candidates including Hettie Powell, a longtime lawyer hoping to get her chance in politics. “Our community matters,” she said. “In these tough times, who you choose to represent you in the City Council matters.” Powell, running on the Democratic ticket, is up against incumbent Ruben Wills, Beresford Simmons, civic leader Breina Payne, accountant Joseph Marthone, minister David Kayode and community advocate Christina Winslow. For District 28, which encompasses the Richmond Hill and Jamaica sections of the borough, Powell is focusing on economic development, stability for seniors, youth services, education and community libraries. “I share the constituents’ vision for a meaningful educational experience for our youth and for fully funded services for our seniors, for a vibrant economy that provides jobs for those who need them and for a place where all can enjoy peace and prosperity,” she said. Among her plans, Powell would like to establish homeowners’ assistance as well as foreclosure assistance programs, improve senior centers’ programs, create safe street programs, stop police brutality and create anti-gang initiatives. Additionally, she hopes to reduce school class sizes, fund art and sports programs, create industry and educational partnerships for students, restore school libraries and more. Powell emphasized she believes in the southeast community. “Elections matter. Our community matters,” she said. “Together, I believe we can create a better tomorrow.” Former councilmember owes for campaign violations BY MELISA CHAN mchan@queenscourier.com Former councilmember Eric Gioia owes more than $72,000 in total penalties for about a dozen violations his failed election campaign for public advocate committed in 2009. The offenses include accepting over-thelimit and corporate contributions and failing to provide bank statements or report transactions, the city’s Campaign Finance Board said. The ex-legislator was also fined nearly $30,000 for exceeding the expenditure limit, according to the board. Gioia’s lawyer, Mark Sattinger, said the penalties were for “highly technical violations” that were fixed many years ago. “The campaign’s expenditure limit violation was the wholly the result of a change in the law which the Campaign Finance Board applied retroactively and without notice,” he said. “These were unintentional violations and quickly rectified, and therefore the penalties assessed by the CFB are disproportionate and unfortunate.” Gioia represented the 26th City Council District in western Queens for eight years. He is listed as a managing director for JP Morgan on several social media pages. CURSING & CONTROVERSY, BUT NO QUITTING Weiner staying in race BY CRISTABELLE TUMOLA ctumola@queenscourier.com He’s too New York to quit. Anthony Weiner, in a new video posted on his campaign website on Tuesday, July 30, again vowed to stay in the race for mayor despite admitting last week he continued to exchange sexually explicit messages with women after he resigned from Congress in 2011. “They don’t know New York. They certainly don’t know me. Quit isn’t the way we roll in New York City,” he said in the video, referencing calls from newspapers and other politicians for him to drop his mayoral bid. “It’s really not about the campaign and not about the candidates, and this isn’t about me,” he continued. “This is about helping New Yorkers, because they understand this is about them.” But according to two polls released since Weiner’s new sexting revelations, New Yorkers may not be that understanding. In a Quinnipiac University poll released Monday, July 29, Weiner received 16 percent of the likely Democratic primary vote, down from 26 percent in a July 24 Quinnipiac survey in which he placed first. In the latest poll, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn came out on top with 27 percent, followed by Public Advocate Bill de Blasio with 21 percent and former Comptroller Bill Thompson with 20 percent There has also been controversy surrounding his campaign staff. News broke on Sunday, July 28 that his campaign manager, Danny Kedem, quit amid the fallout from the mayoral candidate’s latest sexting scandal, according to reports. And on Tuesday, July 30, The Daily News published an unflattering article by a former Weiner campaign intern, Olivia Nuzzi, about her time on the job. Weiner’s communications director, Barbara Morgan, expressed her anger over the piece in an expletivefilled interview with political news site Talking Points Memo, according to reports. Morgan said Wednesday she believed the conversation was off the record and reportedly apologized to Nuzzi.


QC08012013
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