Crowley takes role
at lobbying fi rm
BY BILL PARRY
Former U.S. Rep. Joseph
Crowley has moved on to his
next career as a lobbyist.
The Woodside native, who
represented western Queens
for 10 terms in the House
of Representatives before
he was upset by U.S. Rep.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
in the Democratic primary
last June, took a position
at Squire Patton Boggs, the
Washington-based law and
lobbying firm.
To take the job, Katie
Honan of The Wall Street
Journal reported on Tuesday
that Crowley resigned his
position as Queens County
Democratic Party chair. June
Bunch, a Democratic district
leader, is serving as interim
chair until Queens Democrats
elect a new leader.
Squire Patton Boggs, one
of the largest lobbying firms
in D.C, hired Crowley along
with retired U.S. Rep. Bill
Shuster, a Republican from
Pennsylvania.
“We were honored to
hear from many of the great
firms in town since leaving
Congress, and chose what we
think is the very best place
to continue our careers,”
Crowley said. “Serving in
Congress was an honor of a
lifetime and I look forward to
working on many of the same
issues in this new role. It’s
exciting to be joining a firm
with such a storied history,
great people and to be doing
so with a dear friend.”
The two will be added
to the firm’s global public
policy practice which already
features former Speaker
John Boehner and former
Senate Majority Leader
Trent Lott. Squire Patton
Boggs described the two as
“leaders in the respective
parties” and “two of the most
respected legislators of their
generation.”
Crowley served in the
House from 1999 to 2019.
He was a senior member of
the House Ways & Means
Committee and Chair of the
House Democratic Caucus
from 2017 to 2019 and as twotime
chairman of the House
Democratic Caucus, ranking
fourth in party leadership.
“Policy is a fundamental
part of our global practice and
differentiates how we are able
to solve complex problems
for clients. These additions
continue our tradition as
a ‘first and one stop’ for
senior executives seeking
both a legal and legislative
solution,” said Ed Newberry
Squire Patton Boggs’ Global
Managing Partner said.
In September, Crowley was
re-elected as chairman of the
Queens County Democratic
Organization. As party boss,
Crowley holds a great deal of
influence in the selection of
Democratic candidates, both
political and judicial.
The Bronx-born Ocasio-
Cortez became a progressive
star in the Democratic
Party since she defeated
Crowley by 15 percentage
points defeated and won
easily in the November
general election, becoming
the youngest woman ever
elected to the House of
Representatives.
File photo
Time for special election
Here are the candidates running for public advocate
BY ROBERT POZARYCKI
One of the most wide-open
races in New York City history
will be decided Feb. 26, as voters
head to the polls for the special
election to choose the next
public advocate.
Seventeen candidates
qualified for the ballot in the
nonpartisan contest to fill the
seat vacated by state Attorney
General Letitia James, who
resigned on Dec. 31, 2018. Mayor
Bill de Blasio ordered the Feb.
26 special election, which will
determine who will occupy the
public advocate’s office for the
rest of 2019; another election
will be held in November to
determine who will serve out
the remainder of James’ public
advocate term, which expires
in 2021.
Because it’s a nonpartisan
race, none of the political parties
can nominate a candidate,
though they may choose to
endorse someone. Each of the 17
candidates had to secure their
own petitions and ballot lines
with party-neutral names like
“For the People” or “Equality
for All” or “Community Strong.”
Many of these candidates’
campaigns have received
matching funds from the city’s
Campaign Finance Bureau.
The public advocate serves
as the city’s ombudsman, an
official designated to be a link
between city government and
the people it represents.
The public advocate is
recognized as a non-voting
member of the City Council, but
has the authority to create and
introduce legislation.
Moreover, the public
advocate is the first in the line
of mayoral succession, meaning
that the public advocate would
become mayor should Bill de
Blasio vacate the office.
The Campaign Finance
Bureau’s website has the
biographies and short videos
of each candidate on the ballot
in the Feb. 26 special election.
Here’s the list of the candidates
in order of their ballot position,
with their ballot names
in parentheses:
- Former City Council Speaker
Melissa Mark-Viverito (Fix the
MTA)
- Assemblyman Michael Blake
(For the People)
- Attorney Dawn Smalls (No
More Delays)
- City Councilman Eric Ulrich
(Common Sense)
- City Councilman Ydanis
Rodriguez (Unite Immigrants)
- Assemblyman Daniel J.
O’Donnell (Equality for All)
- City Councilman Rafael
Espinal (Livable City)
- Assemblywoman Latrice
Walker (Power Forward)
- City Councilman Jumaane
Williams (It’s Time Let’s Go)
- Assemblyman Ron Kim (No
Amazon)
- Coding and civics teacher
Benjamin Yee (Community
Strong)
- Attorney Manny Alicandro
(Better Leaders)
- Investigative journalist
Nomiki Konst (Pay Folks More)
- History professor and author
David Eisenbach (Stop REBNY)
- Attorney Jared Rich (Jared
Rich for NYC)
- Community consultant
Anthony Tony Herbert (Residents
First)
- Helal A. Sheikh (Friends
of Helal) (editor’s note: This
candidate did not provide
information or a video to
the CFB)
The public advocate
special election is open to
all registered voters in New
York City. Polls are open
Feb. 26 from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.;
the winner of the contest
will be sworn in as public
advocate upon certification
of the results.
U.S. Rep. Joe Crowley is leaving the Queens County Democrats
to become a lobbyist. File photo
TIMESLEDGER,32 FEB. 22-28, 2019 TIMESLEDGER.COM
/TIMESLEDGER.COM
