4 THE QUEENS COURIER • NOVEMBER 19, 2020 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
Suozzi, Braunstein take lead in vote count
BY JACOB KAYE
jkaye@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
Two Queens lawmakers who faced
Election Day vote count defi cits against
Republican challengers have both taken
the lead in their respective races aft er
absentee ballots began to be tallied last
week.
Congressman Tom Suozzi and New
York State Assemblyman Edward
Braunstein both have received the vast
majority of absentee votes in their districts
Fire rips through Downtown Flushing businesses
BY ROBERT POZARYCKI
rpozarycki@qns.com
@robbpoz
Firefi ghters labored for more than six
hours to put out a stubborn, four-alarm
fi re that began late on Friday, Nov. 13,
and wound up several storefronts in
Downtown Flushing.
Th e Fire Department said just one member
of the department suff ered minor
injuries while battling the inferno that
began at 11:01 p.m. inside 136-11 38th
Ave., which houses a hair salon on the top
of the two-story, attached building.
Heavy smoke was seen pouring out of
the second-fl oor hair salon as fi refi ghters
worked around it to reach the fi re and
put it out.
According to FDNY sources, the fi re
began in the basement and then quickly
spread to the upper fl oors and an
adjoining building. Th e four-alarm event
brought out 39 FDNY units with 168
members on duty, along with the 109th
Precinct and EMS units.
Th e injured fi refi ghter was brought to
Elmhurst Hospital for treatment, FDNY
sources said. No civilian injuries were reported.
Firefi ghters fi nally brought the inferno
under control at about 5:11 a.m. Saturday
morning. Th e cause was not immediately
known, and the FDNY Marshals are now
investigating.
as of Monday, Nov. 16. While neither
race has been formally certifi ed by
the New York City Board of Elections,
both lawmakers appear to be headed back
to their posts come January.
In Suozzi’s race against Republican
George Santos in the Th ird Congressional
District, the incumbent took an approximately
13,000-vote lead in the count, aft er
trailing by 4,171 votes aft er Election Day.
“I’m very happy that I’m going to be
returning to my position,” Suozzi said on
Monday. “I’m even more confi dent now
then I was then.”
While only around 30 percent of the
absentee ballots cast in Suozzi’s district
have been counted, he’s so far won about
79 percent of the absentee votes counted.
With about 60,000 absentee ballots left
to count in Queens, Suff olk County and
Nassau County, Suozzi predicts he’ll win
the race by 20,000 votes.
“I’m not declaring victory just yet. I just
think that I will win once all the votes are
counted,” Suozzi said.
Santos conceded to the incumbent on
Tuesday, Nov. 17, as the ballots continued
to be counted.
“Th ere may be more announcements
coming from me in the near future
regarding next steps, but for right now, I
would like to congratulate Congressman
Tom Suozzi,” Santos said in a statement.
“We wish him well going forward for the
benefi t of our district and constituents.”
Th e absentee ballots cast in the congressional
race will likely be fully counted
by the end of the week. While Queens
and Nassau began counting the ballots
in the race on Wednesday, Nov. 11,
Board of Elections workers in Suff olk
began counting the ballots on Monday,
Nov. 16.
In northeast Queens, Braunstein trailed
Republican John-Alexander Sakelos by
1,791 votes following the Election Day
count.
While the results are yet to be certifi ed,
the absentee ballot count is fi nished in
Assembly District 26 and the incumbent
leads by approximately 5,000 votes.
“Now that the absentee ballots have
been counted, I am proud to report that I
have won re-election and will continue to
represent the people of the 26th Assembly
District,” Braunstein, who won 75 percent
of the absentee votes, said in a statement.
“I want to thank the residents of
northeast Queens for supporting our positive
campaign and giving me the opportunity
to continue serving our community
in Albany.”
Sakelos did not respond to QNS’ request
for comment before press time.
Photo by Lloyd Mitchell
Firefi ghters from Ladder Company 138 wait for water as heavy smoke pushes from the I Show Hair
Salon during a four-alarm fi re at 111-36 38th Ave. in Flushing early Saturday morning.
File photos
Ed Braunstein (l.) and Tom Suozzi (r.).
Photo by Lloyd Mitchell
Photo by Lloyd Mitchell
Firefi ghters were confronted with heavy smoke and fi re from the Zebra Lounge at 111-36 38th Ave.
in Flushing.
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