4 APRIL 30, 2020 RIDGEWOOD TIMES WWW.QNS.COM
Queens borough president candidates
react to cancellation of special election
BY ANGÉLICA ACEVEDO
AACEVEDO@SCHNEPSMEDIA.COM
@QNS
The special election for Queens borough president
has been canceled, Gov. Andrew Cuomo
announced last week. The election, which was
originally scheduled for March 24, was postponed
until June 23 before being canceled outright by
the state’s executive order in an eff ort to fi ght the
spread of COVID-19.
While the special election may be canceled, voters
will still have the opportunity to vote for a Queens
borough president come June 23, when they’ll vote
in the primary leading up to November’s general
election.
It remains unclear which candidates who ran
in the canceled special election will appear on
the primary ballot in June. Those who do appear
on the ballot will be able to use contributions and
public funds they received during the special election
campaign towards the June primary and the
November general election, according to a Board of
Elections email sent to the candidates and obtained
by QNS.
QNS reached out to Cuomo’s offi ce, the offi ce of
Mayor Bill de Blasio and the Board of Elections for
clarifi cation about the decision to cancel the election
but did not receive a response.
The six candidates running in the special election
for Queens borough president have mixed reactions
to the executive order, with some expressing their
support and others off ering harsh criticism.
For Councilman Donovan Richards, who’s backed
by the Queens Democratic Party, the decision to
cancel the special election clears up some of the
confusion voters might have around the election.
“The health of voters and poll workers has always
been our primary concern for this election. We
also recognized the need to educate voters on the
process and the method to vote in the safest possible
manner,” Richards said. “This decision should
help to clarify that process and limit confusion on
Election Day. Elections are a crucial component of
our democracy, and I hope to see the Board of Elections
continue to take steps to ensure safety when
we head to the polls.”
Others recognized the importance of keeping
people safe while heading to the polls, but acknowledged
the importance of looking forward for next
steps.
“Though we are disappointed more than 2,600
Queens residents lost their voice aft er casting a ballot
during early voting, it is all the more reason we
must safely make ourselves heard on June 23rd,” a
spokesperson for Councilman Costa Constantinides
told QNS. “This crisis has illustrated the dire need
to reform and strengthen our democracy, so it remains
intact when the next challenge arises. We are
committed to fi ghting for those solutions moving
forward.”
Constantinides previously said Cuomo’s absentee
ballot order — which allows voters to apply for an
absentee ballot for free — falls drastically short of
what’s needed during this crisis. He added the state
should consider mail-in ballots to make it easier for
voters.
Elizabeth Crowley, the former Ridgewood councilwoman,
was concerned about the added confusion,
but believed Cuomo’s move for the special
Costa Constantinides, Donovan Richards, Jim Quinn, Anthony Miranda, Elizabeth Crowley and Dao
Yin are candidates for Queens Borough President.
election is “prudent.”
“The disruption to our elections in New York
from COVID-19 has been deeply challenging. The
last thing we need is added confusion.” Crowley told
QNS. “Having one election instead of two in June
for Queens borough president is prudent. I have
been working hard throughout the crisis to provide
services and relief for residents in need. Asking
voters for their support is a solemn responsibility.
This is as true today as it ever was, especially in the
epicenter of the pandemic.”
Crowley, whose platform is for a fairer Queens,
agrees with absentee ballots.
But several candidates in the special election see
the cancellation of the race as an illegal move by the
governor to retain control of the Democratic Party
and to stifl e the will of the voters.
Anthony Miranda, who positioned himself as a
political outsider during his campaign, sees this
move as further evidence of the Queens Democratic
Party exerting their control on power.
“What they’re doing is, they’re empowering the
Democratic Party or the people that are empowered,
as opposed to empowering voters,” Miranda said.
“This process almost eliminates the ability to have
a fair and equitable playing fi eld to be able to get the
message out to voters in an even handed manner.”
Then there’s former Assistant District Attorney
Jim Quinn, who will no longer appear on the ballot
as he only fi led for the special election. He’s considering
challenging the governor’s order in court.
“The voters of Queens have been subjected to
confusing, vague and legally questionable edicts
surrounding this election since the pandemic
began,” Quinn said in a statement. “This outcome
particularly disenfranchises Republicans, Conservatives
and independents, who have now been
prohibited from voting to elect their borough
president on June 23.”
Quinn, who ran on a platform of law and order,
said that while the borough president was designed
to be a non-partisan election to fi ll the position,
Cuomo’s action is “clearly” designed to give an
advantage to the Queens Democratic Machine.
Dao Yin, a Queens businessman running with a
conservative platform, was shocked about Cuomo’s
decision.
“Queens is struggling and has been the hardest-hit
borough in the city, with nearly 50,000 confi rmed
cases of coronavirus. This is not the time for Cuomo’s
political games,” Yin said. “Cuomo is denying
the voters of Queens their right to representation
during these tragic times. How can he disenfranchise
the entire borough, when he was born and
raised right here in Queens?”
Yin’s campaign manager, Aaron Foldenauer, also
questioned the legality of the order, comparing it to
a previous case of Congressman Michael Grimm in
which a court ordered Cuomo to set a special election
aft er Grimm vacated the seat.
“There are nearly 1.2 million registered voters
in Queens but only approximately 750,000 of them
are registered Democrats,” Foldenauer said. “Thus,
approximately 450,000 voters now have no voice as
to the next leader of Queens during these diffi cult
times.”
De Blasio danced around a question about the
Queens borough president special election when
asked about Cuomo’s order during a press conference
on Monday, April 27.
Instead, de Blasio said the governor’s absentee
ballot approach was a step in the right direction,
and the cancellation of the presidential primary
was understandable.
“In this crisis, to me, the fi rst question is health
and safety. I care deeply about the sanctity of our
elections, but the fi rst question is health and safety,”
de Blasio said. “I respect the decisions that the state
has made. What I’m looking forward to is getting
through this recovery the right way and getting
our whole society back to normal, and having elections
again as an indicator of our Renaissance, of
our resurgence. But I think that’s something that
obviously is going to happen in the fall, not now.”
With additional reporting by Bill Parry and Jacob
Kaye.
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