FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM FEBRUARY 6, 2020 • THE QUEENS COURIER 21
Queens Borough President Special Election
Only two Queens BP
candidates receive
matching funds
BY MAX PARROTT
mparrott@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
The New York City Campaign
Finance Board (NYCCFB) announced
Wednesday that only two of six candidates
who are slated to appear on the
ballot in the Queens borough president
special election qualified for city
matching funds, raking in almost $1
million in campaign cash.
Former Councilwoman Elizabeth
Crowley received $497,795 and current
Councilman Costa Constantinides
received $476,697 in matching funds.
The voluntary public financing program
matches small-dollar contributions
eight-to-one in order to encourage
public participation in the electoral
process. All candidates chose to participate
in the matching funds program.
Councilman Donovan Richards, a
candidate who received the Queens
County Democratic Party’s endorsement,
was notably absent from the list
of recipients. However, the prospect of
receiving an infusion of matching funds
is not out the window for Richards or
any of the other candidates after the
next campaign finance filing disclosure
on Feb. 21. The results of that disclosure
period will be announced on
Feb. 27.
Crowley already topped the field in
cash on hand after the January filing
deadline, so the matching funds have
boosted her monetary lead, which was
already in the hundreds of thousands.
But for Constantinides, the infusion
closes the $100,000 gap that Richards
had over him in spending cash, and
raises his standing to having the second
most cash on hand.
The third and last chance to receive
matching funds before the special election
will be days before the March 19 –
days before the election on March 24.
Miranda wins case to remain on
the borough president ballot
BY MAX PARROTT
mparrott@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
Anthony Miranda, a retired NYPD
sergeant and the only Latino candidate
running for Queens borough
president, announced on
Monday that he had won his case
to remain on the ballot for the
March 24 special election.
In a press release, Miranda
claimed that his removal from
the ballot the previous
week was an example
of how “politics
as usual” disenfranchises
candidates
who are
not already part
of the political
class.
“Election laws
need to change
to support
diverse candidates
and
not discriminate
or disenfranchise
voters.
We are
proud to represent
the
diverse communities
of
Queens. Just
like Latinos
represented in
the Super Bowl, democratic progressives
and Latinos will be represented on the
ballot for Queens borough president,”
said Miranda.
At a Jan. 28 Board of Election
Commissioners meeting, the
agency ruled four candidates off
the ballot for the borough president
special election, including
Miranda. While the other
candidates were ruled off due to
problems that left them without
the 2,000 required petition
signatures, Miranda
was ruled off as a
result of a complications
with
his cover sheet.
Citing election
law
precedent,
Mi r a n d a
told QNS
last Friday
that he
was confi
dent he’d
be back on
the ballot.
“It was
a bad message
that
the Board of
Elections sent
out to the community,
and it was
the wrong message,”
said Miranda.
Photo: Max Parrott/QNS
Former Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley added to her lead in spending cash in the borough president’s
race with an infusion from the matching funds program.
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