20 THE QUEENS COURIER • NOVEMBER 23, 2017 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
Holden offi cially wins tightest City Council race in years
BY ANTHONY GIUDICE AND
ROBERT POZARYCKI
editorial@ridgewoodtimes.com
Th e wildest City Council race in Queens
is fi nally over.
Eight days aft er the election, Robert
Holden clinched the 30th City Council
District seat over two-term incumbent
Elizabeth Crowley. His narrow Election
Night victory was upheld aft er the Board
of Elections counted all absentee and affi -
davit ballots on Nov. 15.
It was a stunning defeat for Crowley, the
only incumbent Democratic City Council
member to lose to a Republican candidate
this election cycle. In a statement
Th ursday morning, Crowley said her nine
years working in the City Council were
“the most rewarding and fulfi lling of my
entire life.”
At the conclusion of Wednesday’s
count, a source close to the situation
reported, Holden had 137 more votes
than Crowley. His margin of victory
had actually grown by four; aft er polls
were tabulated on Election Night, the
Republican challenger had a 133-vote
lead over his Democratic rival.
“It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done,
running for offi ce, but it’s the most gratifying
thing,” Holden said of his win in an
interview with QNS on Nov. 16. “Right
now, it’s the most satisfying thing other
than maybe getting Elmhurst Park.”
Holden thanked his team of volunteers
for the hard work they put in to help him
get elected.
“My volunteers were great. Th ey pushed
me and supported me,” he said. “Th ey’re
responsible for this, not me. Th is was
David and Goliath. A group of volunteers
taking down a nine-year incumbent, this
is tremendously satisfying, and I owe it all
to my volunteers and my wife.”
Back in September, Crowley had easily
defeated Holden, long-time president of
the Juniper Park Civic Association, in the
Democratic primary. Th e two had been
feuding for many years over myriad civic
matters. Aft er his primary defeat, Holden
— a registered Democrat for more than
four decades — vowed to continue his
campaign against Crowley on third-party
ballot lines.
Holden’s fortunes turned around when
he secured the Republican Party line in
late September. Prior to then, the party’s
nominee was Joseph Kasper, a lawyer
who ran for a judgeship last year and
had been virtually nonexistent in the City
Council race. Kasper dropped out of the
Council race aft er being a nomination for
a judgeship, enabling the Queens County
Republican Party to off er its ballot line to
Holden, who ultimately accepted.
Undoubtedly attracting the straight
ticket voter, Holden secured 8,457 votes
on the Republican line, according to
the unoffi cial Election Night results.
Th ose votes, combined with the votes
he received on the Conservative, Reform
and “Dump de Blasio” lines, put Holden
over the top.
In her Nov. 16 statement, Crowley
thanked the people of Glendale, Maspeth,
Middle Village, Ridgewood, Woodhaven
and Woodside for their support, and
vowed to continue to fi ght for her constituents
during her remaining time in the
Council. Her term ends on Dec. 31.
“Th e results of this election will not
change my commitment to public service.
I intend to spend the remaining weeks
of my term in offi ce working tirelessly
on behalf of my constituents,” she said.
“Whatever the future holds, I will bring
the same passion and dedication to fi ghting
for our community that I brought to
my work as Council member.”
Holden has yet to indicate which party
he would caucus with in the City Council.
Should he caucus with the GOP, he would
be only the fourth Republican in the
chamber; Queens’ Eric Ulrich and Staten
Island’s Joseph Borreli and Steven Matteo
are the others. Democrats fi ll the other
47 seats.
“Th at’s not who I am. I don’t believe
the party label defi nes you,” he said. “I’m
from civics so I’ve worked with both parties,
so I hope to do that in the Council.
I’m going to do what’s best for my constituents.”
Holden’s term begins on Jan. 1, the
same day that Mayor Bill de Blasio begins
his second term in offi ce. Th e relationship
between the mayor and new City Council
member is already off to an awkward
beginning. When asked at a post-election
press conference on Nov. 8 about the
possibility of working with Holden, de
Blasio said that “we don’t share values”
and, while he’d try to work with Holden,
he predicted that they wouldn’t see “eyeto
eye” on many issues.
Cops tow 13 illegally parked cars in sting at Bayside dealership
BY SUZANNE MONTEVERDI
smonteverdi@qns.com / @smont76
Bayside residents spoke out and local
authorities took action against a local car
dealership that allegedly parked vehicles
illegally on the street.
Offi cers from the 111th Precinct conducted
an “aggressive tow operation” at
the Star Nissan and Bayside Imports dealership
at Northern Boulevard and 202nd
Street on Nov. 15.
Over 50 summonses were written at
the site, where numerous unlicensed cars
would frequently be parked for days at a
time on the surrounding streets and sidewalks,
according to residents.
Police became aware of the situation
aft er receiving complaints from numerous
residents and state Senator Tony
Avella, who said that he and offi cials at
the precinct previously warned the business
manager that cars would be towed if
corrective actions weren’t taken.
Authorities at the precinct informed
residents about the operation on Twitter.
According to New York City law, it is
illegal for cars to be parked on the sidewalk
or for over seven days in the same
spot.
Th e lawmaker thanked the precinct for
its “phenomenal work.”
“As we can all attest, parking around
the city is becoming more and more
scarce and the last thing residents need
is unlicensed vehicles illegally taking up
precious space that could be used by
seniors to have an easier access to their
homes,” Avella said. “I think I speak on
behalf of the entire community when I
say that the 111th’s work on this matter,
and every other matter, is seriously
appreciated.”
Th e manager at Star Nissan and Bayside
Imports could not be reached for comment.
Photo via Twitter/@NYPD111Pct
Authorities tow cars at the scene.
Photo by Anthony Giudice/Ridgewood Times
Photo caption: Robert Holden is now the Councilman-elect for the 30th City Council District.