22 THE QUEENS COURIER • DECEMBER 13, 2018 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
politics
Flushing lawmaker Ron Kim joins crowded fi eld in public advocate race
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
cmohamed@cnglocal.com
@QNS
Assemblyman Ron Kim announced his
candidacy Monday for New York City
Public Advocate to succeed the outgoing
Letitia James next year.
Th e assemblyman announced in a
released statement that he’s running to
transform the Offi ce of Public Advocate,
citing the crushing $35 billion student
debt crisis and vowing to put people over
corporations.
“And while mega-corporations get billions
in handouts, and predatory fi nancial
companies continue to turn profi ts on the
backs of working- and middle-class New
Yorkers, politicians never address the
core problem: our system prioritizes corporations
over people,” Kim said.
Kim added, “When politicians give $3
billion to Amazon, but say we don’t have
money to fi x our crumbling subways, it’s
time to put people over corporations.”
Kim, the fi rst and only Korean-
American ever elected to the New York
State Legislature, is serving his fourth term
as New York State Assemblyman representing
the 40th district, which includes
portions of Whitestone, Flushing, College
Point and Murray Hill in Queens.
A longtime resident of Flushing, Kim
was fi rst elected to the Assembly in 2012
and has been re-elected three times since.
In October 2018, he organized more
Assemblyman Ron Kim is running for public advocate
than 20 labor groups, nonprofi ts and
community leaders to call for a one-time
cancellation of student debt and outlined
the economic rationale and fi nancial
mechanisms for how it could be executed.
File photo/THE COURIER
He authored a white paper, “Disrupting
Student Debt” which showed how student
debt and corporate giveaways prevent
families and individuals from climbing
the economic ladder and perpetuate
economic disparity.
Th e lawmaker has also worked to pass
legislation that expands access to small
loans and seed funding for micro-businesses,
and sought to create a fund in the
2017 State Budget to help small businesses
in New York comply with increasingly
burdensome regulations.
Kim lives in Flushing with his wife,
Alison, and his three daughters, Olive,
Hazel and Autumn.
More than a dozen individuals in New
York City have already announced their
intentions to run for public advocate.
James was elected as New York state’s
attorney general, and must resign the
public advocate offi ce on Jan. 1.
Aft er Mayor Bill de Blasio receives
James’ resignation, he will declare a special
election for the offi ce, which should
occur within three months. Th e special
election is nonpartisan, meaning that all
candidates, regardless of party affi liation,
must secure petitions to run on an independent
line of their own making. Th e
parties may endorse a candidate, but cannot
formally nominate anyone.
Th e special election winner will take
offi ce as public advocate upon the results
being certifi ed, and will remain in offi ce
for the remainder of 2019. A second election
for public advocate will take place
in November to decide who will serve
out the remainder of James’ term, which
expires on Dec. 31, 2021.
Robert Pozarycki contributed to this
report.
Ulrich also throws his hat into the advocate contest
BY NAEISHA ROSE
nrose@cnglocal.com
@QNS
Councilman Eric Ulrich dropped a
campaign video on Monday in Ozone
Park offi cially announcing his run for the
soon-to-be-vacated public advocate position.
“More than ever, New Yorkers are looking
for someone to stand up to Mayor de
Blasio,” the Ozone Park-based Republican
said in his campaign video on Dec. 10. “I
believe that we as a city deserve better and
I want to give a voice to the majority of
New Yorkers who this mayor continues
to ignore.”
Th e public advocate is a citywide elected
offi cial that serves as a check over city
agencies (offi ces of the mayor, borough
presidents, comptroller and more), introduces
legislation and investigates civilian
complaints, but lacks the power to vote on
bills, according to advocate.nyc.gov.
“It’s no secret that special interest
groups and lobbyists that are calling the
shots at City Hall,” Ulrich said. “It must
end and it can end.”
As a public advocate, Ulrich wants to
cut property taxes, create more jobs and
provide quality education to all children,
according to his campaign newsletter.
Attorney General-elect Letitia James
will step down as a public advocate on
Jan. 1, 2019, as she swears into her new
role as the chief legal offi cer of New York
state, according to ballotpedia.org, a website
that follows elections.
Per city protocol City Council Speaker
Corey Johnson will serve as the temporary
public advocate aft er James is sworn
in until February 2019, which is when a
special election is to take place, according
to the council speaker’s offi ce.
Johnson himself has expressed no interest
in running for public advocate, according
to his offi ce.
Special elections for municipal seats
don’t require a primary race, so anyone
can run in this nonpartisan race, but in
a sea of Democrats declaring their candidacy,
Ulrich is one of two Republicans in
the race, according to a candidate list from
the city’s Campaign Finance Board. He is
also the only elected Republican candidate
in the race.
Walter Iwachiw, who unsuccessfully
ran for both as mayor in 2017 and to
represent Long Island City in the state
Assembly in 2014, is the other Republican
running for public advocate, according to
ballotpedia.org.
As a councilman, Ulrich represents Belle
Harbor, Breezy Point, Broad Channel,
Howard Beach, Lindenwood, Neponsit,
Richmond Hill, Rockaway Park, Roxbury,
South Ozone Park, West Hamilton Beach,
Woodhaven and Ozone Park.
File photo/THE COURIER
City Councilman Eric Ulrich declared his candidacy for public advocate on Dec. 10.
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