14 The Courier sun • october 4, 2013 for breaking news visit www.couriersun.com ▶politics Turner, Ragusa both claim victory to lead Queens GOP BY MELISA CHAN mchan@queenscourier.com The Queens Republican Party civil war is not over, and Phil Ragusa did not reclaim his throne yet, his opponents say. Both Ragusa and former Congressmember Bob Turner have declared themselves winners in the election to head the Queens GOP after a six hour contentious meeting on September 27. According to Party officials, Ragusa won re-election as chair by 52 percent of votes cast by district leaders and state committee members. THE COURIER/File photos Both Phil Ragusa and Bob Turner are claiming victories in the election to head the Queens GOP. de Blasio, Lhota outline ideas for the city BY CRISTABELLE TUMOLA ctumola@queenscourier.com The two major party candidates came out with plans this past week of how they would tackle some the city’s top issues as mayor. Democratic candidate Bill de Blasio toured Far Rockaway on Sunday, September 29 to discuss his long-term Sandy recovery plan with residents and community leaders. As part of his plan, de Blasio, finally certified by the Board of Elections as the official Democratic nominee, calls for expanding natural storm barriers and protections, strengthening the city’s infrastructure, adopting green and flood-resistant technologies and creating living wage jobs as part of the rebuilding process. “Recovery must come faster in these neighborhoods and I’m committed to listening to the needs of working families and vulnerable communities,” he said. His visit and plan, however, received criticism. “We’re glad Mr. de Blasio found his way out to the Rockaways today, but his visit in the height of campaign season is insulting to the residents who have suffered during his failed time in office,” his GOP opponent Joe Lhota said through a campaign spokesperson. Republican Congressmember Michael Grimm, a Lhota supporter and representative of Brooklyn and Staten Island, blasted de Blasio’s idea of using Sandy recovery funds for affordable housing in storm-affected areas. Lhota, a few days before de Blasio, published his own plan on his campaign website, focusing on jobs and the economy. Referring to his plan as a “blueprint on how to create quality jobs in the city that will expand the middle class,” Lhota said “We need to have a comprehensive approach to expanding job creation in all five boroughs, while ensuring New Yorkers have the skills they need to excel in a growing economy.” Lhota aims to diversify the economy and encourage growth by stimulating industries such as hospitality, biotech and high-tech manufacturing. His plan discusses ways to help small businesses “thrive” by creating a more just fee and fine structure and lowering business taxes. Among his suggestions are to lower rent costs by phasing out the Commercial Rent Tax. He also touted access to affordable, high-quality higher education, particularly an investment in the City University of New York (CUNY) system and high-tech education as an important part of his plan. His challenger, Turner, garnered about 48 percent of the vote, according to unofficial results. But Councilmember Eric Ulrich, an outspoken critic of Ragusa, said Turner in fact had higher tallies than reported and had the support of “a clear majority” of voters. There was no independent monitor in the room to count the votes, he said, and the Party’s leadership had thrown out valid proxies. “The county’s members are using fuzzy math,” Ulrich said. “Their attempts to disqualify the proxy votes of duly elected county committee members are shameful. When every single vote is counted, it is clear that Bob Turner is the chairman.” Both Turner and Ragusa have submitted certificates of election with the state and city Board of Elections. Ragusa released a statement, saying he had been declared the “clear winner.” “I am honored and humbled by the show of support given to me by Queens County Committee and State Committee members,” he said. “I will continue to lead the party honorably and faithfully and will work to unify the party so that the Queens GOP continues to grow and become even stronger in the future.” Turner said he was confident court litigations over the next few weeks would find him victorious. “We know we won,” Turner said. “This is going to have to be solved at a different level.” A similar internal battle occurred in 2011, when both Ragusa and former Councilmember Tom Ognibene claimed victory, though Ognibene was later defeated. Ulrich, an insurgent of the Queens GOP, has long called for Turner to take over Party leadership, especially after a bombshell corruption scandal emerged this April. Queens GOP Vice Chair Vince Tabone and Republican Councilmember Dan Halloran were among a handful of officials indicted in a bribery scheme to get Democratic State Senator Malcolm Smith on the GOP mayoral primary ticket. Shortly after Tabone resigned from his post, more than a dozen Republican State Committee members wrote Ragusa a letter, asking him to step down, too, and allow Turner to take over. The county boss, who was not accused of any wrongdoing, stayed on and won re-election earlier this month to his district leader post, beating back challenger and Ulrich ally Sal Bacarella. Others elected to the Queens GOP include Robert Beltrani as executive vice chair and James McClelland as first vice chair. McClelland served as chief of staff to Councilmember Peter Koo and recently left to work for State Senator Simcha Felder. File photo Councilmember Letitia James James wins public advocate BY CRISTABELLE TUMOLA ctumola@queenscourier.com And then there was one. Councilmember Letitia James defeated State Senator Daniel Squadron in the primary runoff for public advocate, clinching the Democratic nomination. James received 59.4 percent of the vote in the Tuesday, October 1 runoff, and Squadron 40.6 percent with 100 percent of the precincts reporting, according to unofficial results. “I ran for public advocate because all of my life I’ve seen New Yorkers persevere and I’ve seen the role that government can play in helping uplift working people. And as someone who comes from humble beginnings and never forgets that fact, I’ve experienced it myself,” James said in her victory speech. James, with no Republican challenger, is expected to win the general election. She will be the first woman of color to hold citywide office if elected. “All us broke through that glass ceiling,” she said. “I am so proud of what we accomplished together.” Tuesday’s race was the only runoff to be held this year. The election, which had a low voter turnout of about 188,000, according to unofficial results, drew criticism for its reported $13 million price tag. The cost led to calls for changes to the system, such as instant runoff voting. The public advocate office, created in 1993 to serve as the city’s watchdog, only has a budget of around $2.3 million. Currently, if any citywide candidate doesn’t get at least 40 percent of the vote, the top two vote getters must have a runoff election. In the September 10 primary James received 36 percent of the vote and Squadron 33 percent. With a close primary and the anticipated low turnout, the two Brooklyn politicians battled for votes. Both candidates traded criticisms over the other’s finances and ties to Mayor Michael Bloomberg. The sparring continued through the day of the runoff. Squadron confirmed on Twitter Tuesday that his campaign was the source of robocalls referencing a New York Daily News article challenging whether James donated her council stipend to charity as promised. Conceding that night, Squadron said “I know that Tish will be a great advocate for New Yorkers across the city. She ran a great campaign.”
SC10032013
To see the actual publication please follow the link above