12 JUNE 20, 2019 RIDGEWOOD TIMES WWW.QNS.COM
Make sure to vote in the DA primary!
For the first time in nearly three
decades, Queens voters find
themselves in the midst of a
competitive election for Queens
district attorney.
Indeed, this might be the most
important and impactful election
Queens has seen in ages. The winner
of Tuesday’s Democratic primary
will likely go on to be elected in
November as the borough’s next
district attorney — which makes
participating in the primary so
important.
When he was an incumbent, the
late Richard A. Brown — who served
as Queens’ top prosecutor from 1991
until his death this past May — was
a lock for re-election every four
years, winning the backing of both
the Democratic and Republican
parties.
But by the time Brown announced
this January that he wouldn’t seek
re-election, several Democrats had
already declared their candidacy for
the job. In the end, seven Democrats
are now competing for the party’s
district attorney nomination in the
June 25 primary.
EDITORIAL
Regardless of who wins, chances
are that the next district attorney
will be a dramatic change from
Brown, a law-and-order prosecutor
who worked hard to keep the
borough safe.
Throughout the campaign,
we’ve heard platitudes from all of
the candidates seeking to replace
Brown about not only making the
criminal justice system more fair
for all residents, but also increasing
the office’s authority when it comes
to civil matters such as landlordtenant
disputes, wage law violations,
and even construction safety.
We know what the candidates
want to do. But the bigger question
— the one Queens residents will help
answer this Tuesday — is, “What do
we want our next DA to be?”
We can’t answer that question for
you. We can only work to give you
the facts about each candidate, as
we know them. But in the end, it’s
up to you to decide what Queens
wants.
Traditionally, we would use this
space to make an endorsement of
one particular candidate. We’re
going to pass this time. Here’s why.
QNS and Schneps Media invited
all seven of them — Queens
Borough President Melinda Katz,
retired Judge Gregory Lasak,
public defender Tiffany Caban, City
Councilman Rory Lancman, former
Civilian Complaint Review Board
Chair Mina Malik and attorneys
Betty Lugo and Jose Nieves — to
participate in a Facebook Live
debate on June 21.
To our disappointment, just
three of the candidates showed up:
Caban, Lancman and Malik. Katz’s
campaign said she was stuck at a
land use hearing, Lasak’s campaign
said he had a prior engagement,
and we didn’t hear from Lugo’s or
Nieves’ respective camps as to their
absences.
Because our readers didn’t have
the opportunity to hear from all
seven candidates directly on our
Facebook Live broadcast, we don’t
believe it’s appropriate for us to
make a recommendation to our
readers as to whom they should
vote for.
However, we do urge all of
you to participate in this allimportant
primary this Tuesday,
June 25. The polls are open from
6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Do your duty
and vote!
Visit vote.nyc.ny.us to find your
local polling site. The Democratic
primary is open only to registered
Democratic voters.
THE HOT TOPIC
ESTABLISHED 1908
Co-Publishers
VICTORIA SCHNEPS-YUNIS
JOSHUA SCHNEPS
Editor-in-Chief
ROBERT POZARYCKI
Classifi ed Manager
DEBORAH CUSICK
Assistant Classifi ed Manager
MARLENE RUIZ
Reporters
EMILY DAVENPORT
MARK HALLUM
CARLOTTA MOHAMED
BILL PARRY
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STORY:
Townsend Harris High School in
Flushing ranks as top public high
school in New York state
SUMMARY:
A Flushing high school has been
ranked as one of the best schools
in the country in 2019, according
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Report.
REACH:
25,484 people reached (as of 6/17/19)
The Democratic primary for Queens District Attorney is scheduled for June
25 and will include seven candidates on the ballot, including two for civil
court judge.
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