WWW.QNS.COM RIDGEWOOD TIMES JANUARY 30, 2020 25
Assembly challengers reinforce
campaigns with strong fundraising
BY MAX PARROTT
MPARROTT@SCHNEPSMEDIA.COM
@QNS
Campaign finance disclosures
released last week show how
several western Queens Assembly
challengers have shored up their
candidacy heading into the summer
primary.
Jenifer Rajkumar in Woodhaven’s
Assembly District 38 made the biggest
splash by raising four times as much
as her opponent Assemblyman Michael
Miller. She was the only one to
actually out-raise her opponent, but
several other candidates displayed
other grassroots accomplishments in
their fundraising efforts so far.
Jessica Gonzalez-Rojas, a challenger
in Jackson Heights’ Assembly District
34, fundraised within a $8,000
margin of Assemblyman Michael
DenDekker. Joy Chowdhury, another
insurgent candidate vying for the
same seat, came close to DenDekker’s
total fundraising as well.
Though Zohran Mamdani, a challenger
in Astoria’s Assembly District
36, still lags significantly behind
Assemblywoman Aravella Simotas’
total cash on hand, he was able to
galvanize about 14 times as many
contributions as her.
While January fundraising totals
before a summer primary by no
means determine the end result,
they do provide a measure of how
much canvassing and voter outreach
each candidate has been doing. The
filings show that each of these three
Jenifer Rajkumar talks to Woodhaven residents.
Photo courtesy of Jenifer Rajkumar for New York
candidates have substantially more
donors than their opponents.
While Rajkumar, an Indian-American
lawyer, had 191 individual contributions
from 178 unique donors,
Miller had 60 individual contributions
from 60 unique donors, according
to QNS’ analysis of the filings.
Overall, Rajkumar raised $230,027,
while Miller raised $54,419.
Rajkumar did get a boost from
donating $50,000 of her own money
to the campaign, but she would have
out-raised Miller without it.
Gonzelez-Rojas, a progressive
Latina candidate, also reached a
greater number of people than her
competition. She had 536 individual
contributions from 495 unique
donors, and incumbent DenDekker
had 100 individual contributions
from 92 unique donors. Though
Gonzalez-Rojas raised $64,711, and
DenDekker raised $72,260, she still
ended up with about $13,600 less in
spending cash than him.
DenDekker faces two other
challengers: local activist Nuala
O’Doherty and Bangladeshi community
organizer Joy Chowdhury, who
wasn’t too far behind Gonzalez-Roja’s
totals.
Chowdhury’s campaign raised
$54,837 and sent out a release sparring
with Gonzalez-Rojas by pointing
out that a greater share of his
donations came from within the
district. Chowdhury received about
34 percent of his fundraising from
donors within the district as opposed
to Gonzalez-Rojas’ 18 percent share
of in-district donations. Ultimately
Gonzalez-Rojas had more in-district
donations total, though. O’Doherty
raised $17,572.
In the Astoria district, Mamdani,
a Democratic Socialist of Americabacked
housing organizer, had 1,393
individual contributions from 1,017
unique donors, whereas Simotas had
103 individual contributions from
100 unique donors. Overall, Mamdani
raised $51,046 and Simotas raised
$69,393.
Simotas has significantly more in
her coffers though. Since Simotas
started off the filing period with a
large chunk of cash, and Mamdani
had none to begin with, she ended up
with a total of $107,330 cash to spend,
while Mamdani only had $44,823.
St. Thomas Aquinas College honors Ridgewood Savings Bank
BY MAX PARROTT
MPARROTT@SCHNEPSMEDIA.COM
@QNS
Leonard Stekol, CEO of Ridgewood Savings Bank accepted the Spartan Award
at the 2020 St. Thomas Aquinas College (STAC) annual Alumni Hall of Fame
and Reunion Celebration on Friday, Jan. 24.
“Both of our organizations share similar values, such as commitment to
others, giving back and institutional strength and stability,” said the bank’s
CEO Leonard Stekol.
STAC’s Spartan Award acknowledges individuals and businesses for
community service.
Ridgewood Savings Bank’s recently renovated its Glendale branch to
include a community offerings including a conference room where it hosts
local groups like the Glendale Chamber of Commerce. Stekol has also made
the point that the bank’s structure as a mutual savings bank, where profits
are shared among its members, results in an investment in low- and
moderate-income communities.
Founded in 1921, Ridgewood Savings Bank is the largest mutual savings
bank in New York state, with over $5.8 billion in assets and 35 branches
located throughout the New York metropolitan area. Ridgewood Savings Bank’s Myrtle Avenue location. Courtesy of Ridgewood Savings Bank
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