By Sergey Kadinsky
As often happens with elections, the results are not announced until after a newspaper has its printing deadline. In this case, it is the 23rd City Council District, which covers a wide swath of eastern Queens between 188th Street and the Nassau County border. To the surprise of constituents, Councilman Mark Weprin, once a contender for top leadership at the City Council, announced his resignation following his appointment as Governor Andrew Cuomo’s director of legislative affairs earlier this summer.
The special Democratic primary election to fill the vacancy was scheduled for the unusual Thursday date of September 10, expecting a low turnout and, as a result, providing a diverse roster of candidates, each with a distinct base. The winner will go on to run against Republican candidate Joe Concannon in November. Interviewing and reading about the candidates, several questions emerge: Is the district’s growing South Asian population sizable enough to elect one of its own to office, or is the endorsement of party leaders still the standard in predicting the outcome? Will voters elect someone with experience in government, or an outsider with either business experience or civic activism? With three of the candidates young enough to carry the Young Democrat membership card, are younger residents as interested in elections as their parents?
Below are the six Democratic candidates seeking to represent Oakland Gardens, Glen Oaks, Floral Park, Bellerose, Hollis Hills, Holliswood, and portions of Fresh Meadows, Jamaica Estates, and Hillcrest:
Barry Grodenchik
The former State Assemblyman and Deputy Borough President has the support of Mr. Weprin and the leadership of the Queens Democratic Party. The support of party leaders usually comes with extra volunteers to petition for signatures and knock on doors, the endorsement of most elected officials in Queens, legal support, and fundraising.
A proven supporter of local Jewish causes and Israel, his track record in assisting synagogues, nonprofits, and schools earned him the support of many leaders and activists within the Queens Jewish community. Although the endorsement of County party leaders and the teachers’ union historically all but guaranteed a primary victory, Grodenchik knows that’s not always the case. In 2001, he lost the race for the 24th Council District seat to Jim Gennaro.
Ali Najmi
The self-described “people’s champion” is a son of Pakistani immigrants and a graduate of CUNY Law School. A former legislative staffer for Mark Weprin, Najmi represents the growing South Asian communities based largely along Hillside Avenue. An observant Muslim, he nevertheless speaks about being a bridge builder. He’s marched in the borough’s gay pride parade, has his campaign headquarters in the basement of a Korean church, and once attended a Chazaq event. Through the Alliance of South Asian American Labor (ASAAL) and the Muslim Democratic Club of New York, Najmi fought for recognition of Muslim holidays at public schools and to increase voter turnout among the city’s Muslims. As an attorney, he defended taxi drivers and convenience store owners, among others. Should Najmi win, he would make history as the first South Asian member of the City Council. The historic nature of Najmi’s candidacy has earned him support from far beyond the district, including the endorsements of The New York Times, Congressman Keith Ellison, a few pastors within the district, and two local newspapers representing Korean and Bengali readers.
Rebecca Lynch
This 28-year-old Glen Oaks native recently worked as an Assistant Commissioner for Community Affairs for Mayor Bill de Blasio, following previous stints at the Teamsters Union. Her background as an advocate for organized labor earned her the endorsements of the Working Families Party and numerous unions, which helps her with fundraising and volunteers. Lynch is also endorsed by Assemblywoman Nily Rozic, who also won her seat in part through the support of labor-oriented groups. Both women attended Townsend Harris High School.
Should Lynch secure the Council seat, it would demonstrate that the labor coalition that elected Mayor Bill de Blasio still has strength, despite his declining popularity in recent months. De Blasio declined to endorse any candidates in this race. Lynch’s interest in politics is rooted in her family. Her parents are Queens Supreme Court Justice Bernice D. Siegal and union organizer Kevin Lynch. As a student at Colby College, she served as president of her campus Hillel, organizing Jewish events and defending Israel.
Bob Friedrich
If the name sounds familiar, it’s because he’s run for public office before, challenging David Weprin and Mark Weprin for their City Council and State Assembly seats. While lacking in endorsements from elected officials and labor groups, Friedrich argues that he is not a career politician but a civic activist seeking to challenge high property taxes, water bills, and violations related to sidewalk trees – neighborhood issues that he’s faced before, as President of the Glen Oaks Village Co-op and as a leader in the Queens Civic Congress. In this race, Friedrich has the endorsement of the Queens Tribune, a weekly newspaper that historically went for County-backed candidates.
Satnam Singh Parhar
Here’s another candidate running on the resume that he is not a “career politician.” A construction manager who previously worked in the garment industry as an importer and wholesaler, Parhar is the entrepreneur in the race who also has historic potential: If elected, he would be the first Sikh in the City Council. As mandated by his beliefs, he grows his beard and wears a turban at all times and recognizes the importance of religious freedom in the workplace. In community advocacy, Parhar serves as President of the India Association of Long Island, as a founder of Sant Baba Nidhan Singh Ji Cultural Society, and as chairman of the Rajput Cultural Society. Parhar is backed by Senator Tony Avella, whose district overlaps parts of the 23rd Council District.
Celia Devi Dosamantes
A former staffer for Congresswoman Grace Meng and Assemblyman David Weprin, her candidacy appears to be the least visible among the candidates. At age 24, she is also the youngest of the contenders. Dosamantes also served as an executive director of the Bangladeshi American Advocacy Group. Exemplifying the diversity of the district, she notes her background: Her father is Mexican and her mother is from India. She speaks fluent Hindi, Bengali, and Spanish. Among her supporters is South Asians for a Strong America.
One-On-One With Barry Grodenchik
Among the candidates, Barry Grodenchik has the most extensive experience in government and the Queens Jewish community. The Hollis Hills resident also carries a wealth of knowledge about the borough’s history and promotes the virtues of Queens to anyone who will listen. I questioned Grodenchik about his run for City Council and some of the important topics that he seeks to address if elected.
You’ve been a public servant for so many years – State Assembly and Queens Borough Hall, among other places. What do you enjoy about public service, and are there any features of governing that you find frustrating?
Ever since I was a young man, I’ve had the itch to give back to the community – to be a part of something bigger than me. I’ve been fortunate to be able to do that for nearly thirty years. I’ve had the opportunity to work for great public servants like Mario Cuomo, Claire Shulman, and now our new Borough President Melinda Katz, whom I admire very much. These are individuals who were dedicated to their communities, which is a characteristic I’ve tried to emulate in my own career. What’s been most enjoyable though has been the ability to help everyday people, and I’ve been fortunate to be able to help a lot of them, 100,000 by my own estimation.
Sometimes, the bureaucracy of government can be frustrating, which is why I believe having those with experience navigating government, like me, as elected officials can be beneficial to a community.
What legislative achievements do want the voters to remember when they think of you, and which problems do you seek to tackle as a City Council Member?
While our district has a very high quality of life, there are a lot of issues I’d like to tackle. I’d like to make inroads ensuring eastern Queens public schools stay strong, that our parks, senior centers, libraries, and playgrounds are maintained and funded, and that our area receives adequate transportation options and infrastructure dollars, which right now we do not.
However in terms of a legacy, I want to be remembered as a Council Member who was approachable – who was someone who was able to be a voice for the community and a catalyst for progress. Being a Council Member who is available to assist those in need, whether it’s a big problem or a little one, would be the utmost focus for me and my office.
Having represented a majority Asian district before, what issues of common concern does the Asian community share with the Jewish community? Are there opportunities for common causes between the two groups?
We’re fortunate to have a very diverse district, by many measures the most diverse in New York City. It is majority Asian, with large communities of both eastern and southeastern Asian populations, but we also have other strong communities as well, including African-American and Latino-American, as well as, of course, the Jewish community.
I would say that across the district, I’ve seen a common trend where most are centered on a love for family and opportunities for their children. I’ve knocked on over 4,000 doors for this campaign, and people are concerned about ensuring strong schools for their children, affordable housing, and safe streets.
We have many senior citizens in this district, some who have lived here for decades, but others who have recently immigrated here to live with their children. We need to ensure that all seniors have a high quality of life, which is why I support fully funding senior centers and finding more opportunities for affordable senior housing. All in all, it’s a quality-of-life district. I’ve found that regardless if you’re Asian, Jewish, or otherwise, voters want to hear about how you’re going to protect our way of life.
Mayor Bill de Blasio – down in the polls at this moment. Is he simply misunderstood by Queens voters or are there serious policy matters that he is failing to address? How would you address the Mayor concerning crime, education, and housing?
Regardless of who’s the mayor, my focus will always be first and foremost on the concerns of the people in our district in eastern Queens. Eastern Queens is a very special place, unlike anywhere else in the city. However, that also means that we have problems that are unique to our community as well.
While I’m a proud Democrat, there certainly are a number of issues I disagree with Mayor de Blasio on, and I would not be afraid to stand up to the Mayor or leadership on the City Council if it is what was best for our community.
Your district is on the eastern edge of Queens, where the subway doesn’t reach. What improvements in transportation do you envision for the district?
Currently, we live in a public transportation desert. They use eastern Queens as the place to put the legend on the subway maps, which is unacceptable. If elected, this would be one of my foremost priorities in office, and I would request to sit on the Council Transportation Committee to address our transportation problems head-on. We are car-centric in eastern Queens, and it would be a priority for me to ensure adequate funding for our infrastructure. Currently, many of our major streets are a disgrace, with highly traveled roads like Union Turnpike riddled with potholes. We need to make sure this is addressed.
I also have a proposal to allow for a park-and-ride program at Belmont Park, where there already is an underutilized LIRR station and rows of unused parking. Why not allow Queens residents, many who are not currently close to a train or subway station, park their car and take the train in from there for a small charge?
Queens was declared a tourism hotspot by Lonely Planet earlier this year. I welcome the visitors but fear that the attention will make Queens unaffordable and spur overdevelopment in your largely suburban district. How would you address the “discovery” of Queens?
It’s true that many are now discovering what we have known for years, that Queens is a great place to live and raise your family. This is very exciting, and I hope that people will come to see some of our great attractions like the Queens County Farm Museum. However, we need to make sure the growth we are experiencing in parts of the borough doesn’t negatively affect those who have been here for generations. Regardless if it’s due to new-found attention or not, we do face affordability issues. I think we need to address property taxes for those who own homes, condos, or co-ops in eastern Queens. Utility bills are through the roof, especially for those on fixed incomes, and we need to find a solution to keep prices low for consumers. Furthermore, we need to make sure that we maintain with proper funding what makes Queens great, like our public schools, parks, playgrounds, senior centers, and libraries.
You are proud to be a Queens resident, but why? What makes our borough special, and which attractions do you share with visitors?
I’ve always said that Queens is the gateway to the world. When you think about it, individuals are coming into JFK every day to start a new life in America, and that all starts in Queens. Many of them decide to stay in our borough, and the level of diversity we have is what makes us so unique.
Eastern Queens specifically has a lot to be proud of. We have numerous Nobel laureates, professional athletes, and statesmen all from this district, not to mention some of the most beautiful parks and neighborhoods in the entire city. But most importantly, there’s opportunity in Queens. It has shaped who I am, and without Queens public schools, this community, and my ability to make a difference working in public service for nearly 30 years, I wouldn’t have found the success I have had. Now, I’m ready to give back as the Councilmember for this community.
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