WWW.QNS.COM RIDGEWOOD TIMES OCTOBER 31, 2019 13
Early voting continues through Nov. 3
Williams battles two in public advocate race
BY BILL PARRY
BPARRY@SCHNEPSMEDIA.COM
@QNS
In the only citywide election, three
men are in the running for public advocate
offi ce currently held by Jumaane
Williams.
Williams will face his former City
Council colleague Republican Joe
Borelli and Libertarian candidate
Devin Balkind.
Williams took the offi ce in a special
election aft er Letitia James was elected
as state attorney general. His term ends
Jan. 1.
“Our city needs a public advocate who
can eff ectively be an activist elected offi -
cial that rises above politics and brings
the voice of everyday New Yorkers into
the halls of government,” Williams said
in a statement. “Throughout my career
in public service, as a Council member,
and before that as a community organizer,
I’ve served as an advocate for
the public by fi ghting for justice and
equity for all. I’ve been proud to pass
more than 50 bills by blending outside
pressure with inside operations to
create meaningful change in our city.
As NYC’s current public advocate, I
will continue to combine activism and
legislation to help make our city a truly
progressive beacon.”
Williams’ top issues include the
aff ordable housing crisis, increasing
government transparency and accountability,
criminal justice reform
and gun violence prevention. He was
endorsed by Citizens Union, the preeminent
nonpartisan good government
group, last week.
Borelli is chair of the Committee
on Fire and Emergency Management,
with oversight over the FDNY, the
largest fi re department in the U.S.,
and the city’s Office of Emergency
Management.
The Staten Islander gained some
traction in the race when he picked up
endorsements from all of the major
law enforcement unions in the city,
including the Patrolmen’s Benevolent
Association.
“The New York City Police Department
represents the best of what our
city has to off er, and I have never wavered
in my support for the offi cers
that serve our communities each day,”
Borelli said. “Our cops will always have
an ally with me in offi ce.”
Balkind is a technologist and
nonprofi t executive who is seeking a
citywide directory of social services,
Jumaane Williams is facing off against former City Council colleague
Republican Joe Borelli and Libertarian candidate Devin Balkind in the
race for Public Advocate.
digital transformation of city agencies
and tech-enabled MTA and NYCHA
reform.
“I’m a lifelong New Yorker who’s
spent the last decade using technology
to help government, nonprofi ts
and startups save money and improve
people’s lives,” Balkind said. “As public
advocate, I’ll turn the offi ce into a nonpartisan,
public-interest technology
organization that builds soft ware and
off ers services that make government
faster, better and cheaper.”
He promised to deliver solutions that
would strengthen the social safety net,
improve the civic engagement process
and produce websites that help
New Yorkers better understand how
their government works and spends
money.
ELECTION 2019
BY BILL PARRY
BPARRY@SCHNEPSMEDIA.COM
@QNS
The early voting period got underway
in Queens on Saturday and
continues through Sunday, Nov. 3, in
the lead-up to the Nov. 5 municipal
elections.
The eight days of early voting
makes it easier for voters whose
professional and family obligations
make it diffi cult to physically get to
the polls, as well as reduce waiting
times and ease logistical burdens for
poll workers. This is the fi rst election
in New York state with a period of
early voting.
“Too many generations of New Yorkers
have been discouraged from exercising
their right to vote, and this year
we enacted a series of new measures
to fi x that and help bring our voting
laws into the 21st century,” Governor
Andrew Cuomo said. “Early voting is
just one of the many steps we’ve taken
to break down barriers to democracy,
and I encourage New Yorkers to take
advantage of this opportunity to skip
the lines on Election Day and ensure
their voices are heard at the ballot
box.”
Voters must use their site as
assigned by the Board of Elections.
Assigned sites, as well as early voting
hours, are also available on the Board
of Elections website, here.
State Senator Michael Gianaris
sponsored the early voting legislation
that Cuomo signed into law in
January.
“At a time when voters rights are
under assault, we must fi ght for our
democracy because there’s nothing
more important than the right to
vote,” Gianaris said. “Our new Senate
Majority made voter registration
easier and access to the ballot box
fairer.”
Initially, only seven sites were
planned for Queens until Gianaris
pushed the city’s Board of Election
to expand early voting sites, which
are now located at Rochdale Village
Community Center in Jamaica; Korean
Community Services in Bayside;
The Helen Marshall Cultural Center
at Queens Borough Hall in Kew Gardens;
The York College Academic
Core Building in Jamaica; Laguardia
Community College in Long Island
City; The First Baptist Church of
East Elmhurst; Holy Trinity Parish
Church in Cambria Heights; the
Board of Elections-Queens Voting
Machine Facility Annex in Middle
Village; Resorts World Casino in Jamaica;
the Museum of the Moving Image
in Astoria; The Arverne YMCA;
The Cross Island YMCA in Bellerose;
and The Al Oerter Recreation Center
and New York Hall of Science, both in
Flushing Meadows Corona Park.
“I encourage everyone to exercise
their right to vote by using the tools
we passed this year,” Gianaris said.
The early voting period remains open through Nov. 3.
Photo: Jenna Bagcal/QNS
/WWW.QNS.COM
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