14 The QUEE NS Courier • AUGUST 8, 2013 for breaking news visit www.queenscourier.com ▶politics I. Daneek Miller is running for the City Council District 27 seat. BY BENJAMIN FANG editorial@queenscourier.com Political candidates recently spoke at the Friends of Rockaway Beach forum, where they affirmed their commitment to address the needs of the Rockaway community. Mayoral candidate Anthony Weiner headlined the forum for the district he once represented in Congress. Democratic mayoral candidates Comptroller John Liu, former Councilmember Sal Albanese and Republicans John Catsimatidis and Joe Lhota also made their cases to the voters. Borough President candidates Melinda Katz and State Senator Tony Avella, Councilmember Eric Ulrich and his challengers Lew Simon and William Ruiz, and Public Advocate candidates Letitia James and Cathy Guerriero also addressed the packed room. “We’re going to ask them to tell us their plans for our beaches, our boardwalk, our play areas,” said John Cori, co-president of Friends of Rockaway Beach and the organizer PHOTO COURTESY OF COREY BEARAK BOARD DENIES LIU MATCHING CAMPAIGN FUNDS SAYS RUN IS ‘FULL STEAM AHEAD’ BY CRISTABELLE TUMOLA ctumola@queenscourier.com City Comptroller John Liu has vowed to go “full steam ahead” with his mayoral bid despite losing out on millions in funds. The city’s Campaign Finance Board (CFB) on Monday, August 5 denied Liu’s campaign public matching funds that could have doubled the approximately of the event. “We need to hold our elected officials accountable.” The candidates talked about greater protection for the beach, improving transportation to and from Rockaway and giving the community a greater voice in City Hall. Weiner, recently scandalized once more for “sexting,” slammed City Hall for creating “hipster-looking concessions” on the beach rather than restoring it. He also demanded extended ferry service, which is set to end by Labor Day. Katz then questioned the city’s readiness and response to Sandy, a topic the audience was hoping to discuss. She also talked about investing in the Rockaways and building it “better than it was.” Avella blasted both Katz and Councilmember Peter Vallone Jr., two leading candidates for Borough President, for their voting records while in the City Council. Avella’s plan for the Rockaways includes giving the area a railroad line, getting rid of tolls and 24 hours of bus service. Ulrich touted his record in the City Council and stressed how participatory budgeting gave way to success. “In those four-and-a-half years, I’ve been able to secure, with your help, millions and millions of dollars in capital improvements and programming for senior centers, for schools, for libraries, to keep our firehouses open,” he said. His challenger, Simon, gave an impassioned speech about the devastated community and the need to rebuild it. Other candidates for mayor and public advocate also courted the Rockaway vote and spoke about focusing on the Rockaways if elected. CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT 27 I. Daneek Miller wants to transport the community BY MAGIE HAYES mhayes@queenscourier.com I. Daneek Miller is taking a longstanding career in the transportation union and applying it to create strategies and tactics he hopes to use if elected to the 27th District of the City Council. “We have a lot of uphill battles,” he said. “When you see how working families have been treated over the last decade, it’s imperative that we have a voice at City Hall.” “As we attempt to move forward as the working community of New York City, we continue to hit walls because we’re not setting policy and writing laws,” he said. Miller, a community and labor activist, has lived in the district for 35 years. Last summer, he was approached by Councilmember Leroy Comrie about running for the City Council, and after some thought, Miller obliged. He is currently the president of the Amalgamated Transportation Union (ATU) Local 1056. In his position and previous ones, Miller progressively recognized the value in building coalitions and “championing causes outside of your own” to work towards a longterm, common goal. “In holding office, you have to use sound judgment, inspire others, lead by example and engage people,” he said. Miller also served as the political director of the union for five years where he worked on various pieces of legislation including workers’ rights, heath safety, pension reform and veterans’ rights. “We’ve been successful in the union and hopefully that motto can translate to the community at large,” he said. “We understand budgeting, funding and the flow of government.” As a city councilmember, Miller hopes to create a more efficient, reliable transportation system throughout the district. This, in turn, could attract outer-borough people to come and work -- a workforce that could be better maintained and ultimately boost the economy, he said. “You can’t forget about long-term objectives for short-term satisfaction,” he said. He also hopes to implement participatory budgeting, living wages to sustain the community, youth advocacy, attract business residency, quality child care, affordable health care and more, all of which he said he has experience in handling. “We have all the makings, we just have to do what I do best, which is build collaborations and coalitions that will attract the right resources into the district,” he said. “It’s about being the voice for people who don’t have a voice.” If You’re Ready to Buy a Home,We are Ready to Help. The State of New York M ortgage Agency offers: Up to $15,000 Down Payment Assistance 1-800-382-HOME(4663) for Housing www.sonyma.org $3.5 million the candidate has raised so far. Liu’s campaign was denied the funds “because there is reason to believe that violations of the Act and Board rules have been committed by his campaign,” said CFB Chair Father Joseph Parkes in a statement. “The evidence suggests that the potential violations are serious and pervasive across the campaign’s fundraising,” he added. “The Campaign Finance Board has chosen to make certain characterizations of my campaign they are absolutely wrong in their characterization and we will utterly dispute and repudiate those kinds of comments,” said Liu Monday evening. In May, Jia “Jenny” Hou, who was Liu’s campaign treasurer, was found guilty of attempting to commit fraud, obstructing justice and making false statements. Xing Wu “Oliver” Pan, who was a campaign fundraiser and contribution bundler for the Liu campaign, was convicted at the same time on charges of conspiring and attempting to commit fraud. Though Liu has not been accused of any wrongdoing in connection to the case, the Board said the decision to deny matching funds doesn’t require the candidate to personally engage in misconduct. “The candidate is ultimately responsible for the campaign’s compliance with the law,” said Parkes. Under the Campaign Finance Program, candidates who agree to spending limits receive $6 for each dollar a city resident contributes, for a maximum public matching funds amount of $3,534,300, which Liu was expected to receive. “Although we may not have the millions of dollars that the Campaign Finance Board has chosen to withhold from our campaign and from our donors, the strength of this campaign has never been just in the money -- it’s always been in the people” said Liu. “And we’re going to draw upon that strength over the next five weeks throughout all five boroughs.” CANDIDATES COME OUT
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