12 The QUEE NS Courier • NOVEMBER 7, 2013 for breaking news visit www.queenscourier.com ULRICH WINS RE-ELECTION BUT SIMON SAYS HE WON’T CONCEDE BY MAGIE HAYES [email protected] ▶election results Votes were counted down to the bitter end before a winner was declared in City Council District 32, and Republican Councilmember Eric Ulrich has reclaimed his seat. “This race was a real nail biter,” Ulrich said in front of family and friends on election night. As the results trickled in, Ulrich and his Democratic opponent, Lew Simon, were nearly 50/50 on votes, according to preliminary numbers. However, both candidates took to the mic and declared victory to their respective crowds. “It appears that we have won,” Simon said in Rockaway. Meanwhile, in Howard Beach, Ulrich assured his constituents that he had “the most up-to-date information” and that he had a “very strong lead.” “I’m confident that when every ballot vote is counted, we will still be ahead and be able to continue the good work we started four-and-a-half years ago,” said the incumbent. “Many of you have been with me since the beginning, and this is not going to end.” When Ulrich caught wind that Simon too had called the race in his own favor, he responded, “Rumors of my demise are greatly exaggerated.” However, Simon’s camp came back and accused Ulrich of adapting the ways of the Tea Party where “losing is winning and less is more.” As of election night, Simon and his team were still “status quo,” said Doug Forand, spokesperson for Simon. The group plans to wait until all paper ballots Incumbent Eric Ulrich celebrated his re-election, though Democratic opponent Lew Simon claimed victory as well. are counted and will respond to those results. According to unofficial results, Ulrich came out on top with 53 percent of the vote and was declared the winner by both the New York Times and the Associated Press. “I was re-elected by my constituents, and I have a lot of work to do,” said Ulrich, now the only Republican in the Council’s Queens delegation. He said he will work with the newly elected administration in a bipartisan way, and looks forward to finding THE COURIER/Photo by Maggie Hayes out what role he can play in the City Council after a new Speaker is elected. Regarding any potential role as a Minority Leader in the City Council, Ulrich said it’s “too premature to be talking about leadership roles,” and his time in office still comes second to current Minority Leader James Oddo of Staten Island. Regardless, during his next term, Ulrich also hopes to revamp the Republican “brand” and work to restore the public’s faith in his party line. District 32 Belle Harbor, Breezy Point, Broad Channel, Hamilton Beach, Howard Beach, Lindenwood, Neponsit, Ozone Park, Rockaway Beach, Rockaway Park, South Ozone Park, South Richmond Hill and Woodhaven INCUMBENTS SWEEP RE-ELECTION BIDS BY LIAM LA GUERE and MELISA CHAN [email protected] All Queens City Council incumbents slid back into their seats after Election Day, some very comfortably, while others overcame contentious races. Popular Democratic incumbents Peter Koo of District 20, Karen Koslowitz in District 29 and Mark Weprin of District 23 easily won their re-election bids this year after facing off with third-party candidates. Koo swept his opponents — Evergreen Chou, Martha Flores- Vasquez and Sunny Hahn — by obtaining nearly 80 percent of the vote, according to a preliminary count. Koslowitz beat Jon Torodash, who ran on the Civic Virtue line, by more than a 90 percent margin. Weprin, a contender for City Council Speaker, beat back a late challenge from retired police captain Joseph Concannon by taking 84 percent of the vote, according to unofficial results. Concannon, who was running under the Reform Party, began a pointed bid against Weprin on August 8, with numerous police union backings, soon after the incumbent voted in support of two controversial police oversight bills in the Council. South Queens Democratic incumbents Ruben Wills and Donovan Richards also dominated their races, while Elizabeth Crowley and Eric Ulrich overcame tough challenges. Wills won more than 95 percent of votes over his challenger, Mireille Leroy, while Richards, who won a special election less than a year ago, took about 92 percent of votes. ONLY ONE PROP VOTED DOWN BY ANGY ALTAMIRANO [email protected] Together with casting their ballots for a new mayor, voters gave the go-ahead to a proposal that could allow up to seven casinos to be brought into New York State, along with four other amendments. On the back of the official ballot for the general election, voters were given the option to vote for six proposals that would each be an amendment to the Constitution. The first proposal on the ballot was an amendment that would allow the government to authorize up to seven casinos in New York State. These casinos would be constructed in order to stimulate job growth, increase aid to schools, and allow local governments to decrease property taxes through gained revenues from the sites. This proposal was approved through 1,309,187 voters or 57 percent of the votes, according to unofficial results. New Yorkers also gave the thumbs up to the four other amendments that followed it on the ballot. The second proposal, which took in 84 percent of votes in approval, was the proposed change that would allow disabled veterans to received additional civil service credit. Proposal number three, receiving 62 percent of yes votes, would allow the exclusion of indebtedness contracted for the construction or reconstruction of sewage facilities. Proposal number four, gaining 72 percent of votes, introduces a settlement in a dispute between the state and private entities over who owns certain land within the Adirondacks. The final proposal, getting 53 percent of yes votes, also dealt with the Adirondacks, allowing the state to transfer the title of an amount of land of Adirondack Park to a private mining company, which would then transfer the same amount of land to the forest preserve. Of the six proposals, the only one to be voted no was the amendment looking to increase the maximum age to which certain state judges may serve. According to unofficial results, 1,258, 283 voters, or 61 percent, were against the change.
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