FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM JANUARY 28, 2021 • THE QUEENS COURIER 17
What to know about the Feb. 2 special election
BY JACOB KAYE
jkaye@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
Th e fi rst election in Queens in 2021 is
fast approaching.
On Tuesday, Feb. 2, voters in Kew
Gardens Hills, Pomonok, Electchester,
Fresh Meadows, Hillcrest, Jamaica Estates,
Briarwood, Parkway Village, Jamaica Hills
and Jamaica will head to the polls to vote
in the special election to fi ll the New York
City Council seat in District 24.
Eight candidates are currently seeking
the seat, which became vacant aft er former
Councilman Rory Lancman took a
job as Governor Andrew Cuomo’s new
special counsel for ratepayer protection.
Th e nonpartisan election will also be
the fi rst test of the city’s new rankedchoice
voting system, which aft er being
overwhelmingly approved by voters in
2019, has come under fi re in the months
leading up to its implementation.
Despite legal challenges by several
Queens electeds, the new system, which
allows voters to rank their top fi ve choices
instead of choosing just one candidate,
will be used in the Feb. 2 special election.
Th e winner of District 24’s special election
will serve until the end of the year,
when Lancman’s term is set to end. Voters
in the district will also cast ballots for the
seat in during the June 22 primary elections
and during the November general
elections. Th e winner of the November
election will represent the district come
January 2022.
Seven of the eight candidates on the ballot
for the special election have not previously
run for public offi ce.
See the list of candidates running in the
City Council special election in District
24 below:
Moumita Ahmed: A progressive community
activist, Ahmed is campaigning
on, among other issues, tenants rights, climate
change and shift ing money from the
NYPD to various social services.
Michael Brown: A real estate agent,
Brown is campaigning on, among other
issues, the development of economic
zones, the COVID-19 recovery and providing
relief to New York City yellow cab
medallion owners and drivers.
James Gennaro: A former councilman
in District 24, Gennaro is campaigning
on, among other issues, centrist government
in New York City, revamping governance
of public schools and addressing
the city’s infrastructure against storms.
Neeta Jain: A Democratic district leader,
Jain is campaigning on, among other
issues, providing aff ordable healthcare to
city residents, providing fi nancial relief
to small businesses during the pandemic
and pushing for the creation of more
aff ordable housing.
Dilip Nath: Nath, the president of
the New American Voters Association,
is campaigning on, among other issues,
increasing public schools funding, providing
COVID-19 economic relief and
expanding health care for seniors.
Mujib Rahman: A community activist,
Rahman is campaigning on, among other
issues, public safety, increasing funding
for the NYPD and expanding school
choice.
Deepti Sharma: Sharma, a small business
advocate, is campaigning on, among
other issues, reinvesting in the community,
making the district more accessible,
making Queens more equitable.
Soma Syed: Syed, president of the
Queens County Women’s Bar Association,
is campaigning on, among other issues,
ending increases on property taxes,
addressing discrepancies in public education
and providing assistance to small
businesses.
Early voting for the special election
began Jan. 23 and will run until Jan. 31.
Poll sites and their hours during the early
voting period can be found at voting.nyc
by entering your address on the “Where
to Vote” page.
Th e absentee ballot request period
closed Jan. 26. Voters must mail their ballot
with a postmark date prior to Feb. 3
or leave it in a drop box at any poll site
or Board of Elections offi ce through the
end of Feb. 2.
Polls will be open for in-person voting
on Tuesday, Feb. 2, from 6 a.m. until
9 p.m.
politics
James Gennaro eyes return to City Council
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
cmohamed@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
James Gennaro, a Democratic candidate
running for his old seat to represent
Council District 24, believes his experience
in crisis management and budgeting
is needed to help manage the city through
the COVID-19 crisis.
“We need a crisis leader at this time and
I’ve done this before when I came into
offi ce aft er I saw the city through a crisis
in 2002 aft er 9/11,” Gennaro said.
Gennaro, a resident of Jamaica Estates,
served as a council representative from
2002 to 2013 for District 24 that includes
the neighborhoods of Kew Gardens Hills,
Pomonok, Fresh Meadows, Hillcrest,
Jamaica Estates, Briarwood, Parkway
Village, Jamaica Hills and Jamaica.
Th e seat opened when Rory Lancman
resigned in November to take a position
within Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s administration.
As early voting in the special election
is underway, Gennaro joins seven
other candidates who are running for the
seat, including Moumita Ahmed, Deepti
Sharma, Soma Syed, Neeta Jain, Mujib
Rahman, Michael Brown and Dilip Nath.
In May 2020, Gennaro stepped down
from the Cuomo Administration, where he
had been appointed to serve as the deputy
commissioner for the New York Stability
and Resiliency at the NYS Department of
Environmental Conservation.
To date, Gennaro’s campaign has maxed
out an amount of $130,000 in matching
funds. His agenda is addressing three key
issues: prioritizing the city budget that will
be fi nalized in June, addressing the city’s
infrastructure against storms and helping
businesses impacted by COVID-19.
As a former councilman having been
through 12 budget cycles and 25 overall,
Gennaro said the district needs an “experienced
budget hand” to make sure it is
protected and funding is appropriately
distributed.
“Districts that have experienced representation
when it comes to the budget
process aren’t going to get their pockets
picked,” said Gennaro, who is a former
member of the Council’s Finance
Committee.
As a bonafi de environmental scientist
with a degree in geology, Gennaro is looking
to continue the environmental work
he started while in the City Council. He
has managed to pass 50 major environmental
laws that have remade the city, in
terms of clean air, water, buildings and
protecting wetlands.
For Gennaro, it’s important to grow a
green economy by 2030 and reduce the
city’s carbon footprint.
As the city continues the fi ght
against COVID-19, Gennaro
is in support of Brooklyn
Councilman Steve
Levin’s bill to create
a local version of the
federal government’s
Paycheck Protection
Program (PPP) to
help businesses suffering
through the
pandemic.
Th ough the mayor
and council may be
reluctant to pass the bill
into law that will result
in a huge fi nancial impact,
Gennaro says he will
attempt to get
it done
before the city fi nalizes the budget.
If elected, Gennaro said his district
offi ce will serve as a hub providing services
for constituents, many of whom are
south Asian, and he’s confi dent
he’ll get their vote.
Overall, Gennaro said his
proven record of accomplishment
and experience
is the diff erence between
him and the other candidates
in the race for
Council District 24.
“I have a true vision for
the district. I’m the only
candidate that has worked
very closely with every
neighborhood and group of
people in the district. No other
candidate can say that,”
Gennaro said.
Courtesy of Gennaro Campaign
File photo/QNS
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