20 THE QUEENS COURIER • NOVEMBER 2, 2017 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
Here’s your guide to the 2017 citywide election this Tuesday
BY ROBERT POZARYCKI
rpozarycki@qns.com / @robbpoz
While most of the electoral drama in
the 2017 citywide election ended with
September’s Democratic primary, the
Nov. 7 general election still has a few contentious
City Council races that should
spark Queens voters’ interest.
Th is year, Queens voters are asked to
form their next city government, with all
citywide offi ces on the ballot. Th ere are
also several judicial seats on the line along
with three statewide ballot referendums
(more on that to follow).
Perhaps the most fi ery contest in
Queens is the 30th City Council District
race between Councilwoman Elizabeth
Crowley and Juniper Park Civic
Association President Robert Holden. It’s
a rematch of the September primary in
which Crowley soundly defeated Holden,
who vowed to continue on as the candidate
of the Conservative and Reform
parties.
Th e 30th District includes Glendale,
Maspeth and Middle Village, as well as
parts of Ridgewood, Woodhaven and
Woodside.
Another primary rematch focuses
on the 19th Council District in northeast
Queens. Councilman Paul Vallone
defeated urban planner Paul Graziano in
September, but Graziano is continuing
his campaign into the general election
as the Reform Party nominee. Unlike
the 30th District races, there’s a third
wheel in the 19th District contest, as
Konstantinos Poulidis of Bayside is the
Republican nominee.
Th e 19th District covers Auburndale,
Bay Terrace, Bayside, Beechhurst,
College Point, Douglaston, Flushing,
Little Neck, Malba and Whitestone.
Staying in northeast Queens,
Councilman Barry Grodenchik — who
won the 23rd City Council District seat
in a 2015 special election — is seeking his
fi rst full term in offi ce. Th e Democratic
incumbent is being challenged by former
NYPD Captain Joe Concannon,
the Republican and Conservative nominee,
who lost to Grodenchik in the 2015
contest.
Areas of Bayside, Bellerose, Douglaston,
Floral Park, Fresh Meadows, Glen Oaks,
Hollis, Hollis Hills, Holliswood, Little
Neck and Queens Village are part of the
23rd District.
Queens’ lone Republican elected offi -
cial — Councilman Eric Ulrich — is
seeking a third and fi nal term as representative
of the 32nd Council District
covering much of southwest Queens and
the Rockaways. He’s being challenged by
the Democratic nominee, Mike Scala, a
former state Senate legislative director.
Th e 32nd District covers Belle Harbor,
Breezy Point, Broad Channel, Howard
Beach, Lindenwood, Neponsit, Ozone
Park, Richmond Hill, Rockaway Park,
Roxbury, South Ozone Park, West
Hamilton Beach and Woodhaven.
Less drama in other
City Council races
Th e other City Council races in
Queens, some of which lack any competition
whatsoever, include the following:
20th District (Flushing): Incumbent
Councilman Peter Koo will get another
term in offi ce unopposed; he defeated
Alison Tan Kim in the September
Democratic primary.
21st District (East Elmhurst, Elmhurst,
Jackson Heights, and Corona):
Assemblyman Francisco Moya is unopposed
and will succeed the outgoing
Councilwoman Julissa Ferreras-
Copeland as the district’s City Council
member. Moya defeated former state
Senator Hiram Monserrate in the
Democratic primary.
22nd District (Astoria, East Elmhurst,
Jackson Heights, Woodside): Incumbent
Councilman Costa Constantinides has
just one challenger: Kathleen Springer
of Astoria, who’s running on the “Dive
In” party line.
24th District (Kew Gardens Hills,
Fresh Meadows, Hillcrest, Jamaica
Estates, Briarwood, Jamaica Hills,
Jamaica): Incumbent Councilman Rory
Lancman is facing Reform Party nominee
Mohammad T. Rahman, whom he
soundly defeated in the September primary.
25th District (Elmhurst, Jackson
Heights): Incumbent Councilman
Daniel Dromm won’t have to campaign
this November, as he’s running unopposed
and will get another term in offi ce.
26th District (Sunnyside, Woodside,
Long Island City, Astoria, Dutch
Kills): Incumbent Councilman Jimmy
Van Bramer is facing a challenge from
local veterans activist Marvin Jeff coat
of Woodside, who’s running on the
Republican and Conservative lines.
27th District (Cambria Heights, Hollis,
Jamaica, St. Albans, Queens Village,
and Springfi eld Gardens): Incumbent
Councilman I. Daneek Miller is expected
to easily win re-election against two
challengers: Republican Rupert Green
of St. Albans and Green Party nominee
Frank Francois of Queens Village.
28th District (Jamaica, Rochdale,
South Ozone Park): Community Board
12 Adrienne Adams, who defeated two
others in the September primary, is the
favorite to win election to the City Council
seat formerly held by the expelled Ruben
Wills. Two challengers stand in her way:
Republican nominee Ivan D. Mossop Jr.
and Working Families candidate Hettie
V. Powell, who previously lost to Adams
in the primary.
29th District (Rego Park, Forest Hills,
Kew Gardens, Richmond Hill): Incumbent
Councilwoman Karen Koslowitz will be
back at City Hall in January, as she’s
running unopposed for another term in
offi ce.
31st District (southeast Queens and
the Rockaways): Incumbent Councilman
Donovan Richards will also gain another
term in offi ce, as no one is challenging
him in the November election.
Topping the ballot
Th e mayoral race leads the municipal
election ballot. Despite being a polarizing
fi gure among Queens voters, Mayor Bill
de Blasio is favored to win a second term
in offi ce. Six challengers are on the ballot
with him: Republican Assemblywoman
Nicole Malliotakis; private investigator
and pundit Bo Dietl, running on the independent
“Dump the Mayor” line; Green
Party candidate Akeem Browder; former
Councilman Sal Albanese, the Reform
Party nominee; Libertarian candidate
Aaron Commey; and Michael Tolkin,
who’s running on the “Smart Cities” independent
line.
Public Advocate Letitia James, the city’s
second-highest-ranking elected offi cial, is
also expected to easily win a second term
in offi ce. She’s facing four challengers: Juan
Carlos Polanco of the Bronx, running on
the Republican, Conservative, Reform and
“Stop de Blasio” lines; Michael A. O’Reilly
of Far Rockaway, the Conservative Party
nominee; Brooklyn’s James C. Lane, the
Green Party choice; and Libertarian nominee
Devin Balkind of Brooklyn.
City Comptroller Scott Stringer, the
city’s fi nancial watchdog, also is expected
to win another term in offi ce. Challenging
him are Michel J. Faulkner of Brooklyn,
who’s on the Republican, Conservative,
Reform and “Stop de Blasio” lines; Julia
Willebrand of Manhattan, the Green
Party nominee; and Libertarian candidate
Alex Merced of Brooklyn.
Queens’ top elected offi cial, Melinda
Katz, is seeking a second term as borough
president. She’s facing former fi re marshal
William Kregler of Woodside, the
Republican and Conservative nominee,
and Everly D. Brown of Rosedale, who’s
running on the “Homeowners NYCHA”
ballot line.
Election 2017