Our June 2nd Club Meeting was the Movie Night viewing of 2000 Mules, a documentary film created by Dinesh D’Souza, that exposes widespread, coordinated voter fraud in the 2020 election, sufficient to change the overall outcome, with a special introduction and open discussion after the viewing led by Professor Nicholas Giordano. We heard from a couple of Republican candidates as well. Here are the videos of this incredible night. You can watch 2000 Mules or buy the DVD at SalemNOW.com.
by Eileen Korby
Candidate for Republican County Committee (AD 25/ED 17)
It’s Election Day in November and you go to the polls to vote. You tick off your choices for the major Republican candidates you want (President, or Governor, or Mayor), then you continue down the column and you see something disturbing. In the election for local judges, there are only Democrat candidates, and they are running unopposed. I am sure that this has aggravated every one of us. But why does it happen? How do those judicial candidates get on the ballot anyway?
The short answer (to a complicated question) is that the County Committee plays a big part in getting candidates for judgeships on the ballot. Every county in New York State has both a Democrat and Republican County Committee. Those who serve on the County Committees are unpaid, elected volunteers. It might surprise you to learn that, in Queens, there are currently over 2,800 empty seats on the Republican County Committee. Perhaps that is part of the explanation for Republicans being underrepresented on the ballot for local elections.
But take heart! Things are changing in Queens. The Queens County Republican Patriots, a non-profit organization, is helping dedicated Republican citizens to fill those empty seats. A number of people, my father and I among them, will be on the Primary ballot on June 28th for the Republican County Committee.
Why are we doing it? Because we can’t stand watching our city devolve into the lawless nightmare it has become any longer. We want to see judges on the ballot who have our safety as their primary objective.
That’s not the only thing Republican County Committee members do. The committee elects party leadership and votes on party policies for the county. On occasion, the County Committee chooses candidates for special elections. This occurs if a state official dies or resigns during his/her term in office. The importance of this cannot be understated. According to a 2017 report by Citizens Union, 33% of the New York State Assembly, and 19% of the New York Senate were chosen in a special election. Many, if not most, of those legislators then go on to win those seats in the general election.
I want to leave you with two thoughts:
First, it is extremely important not to sit out the Republican Primary and wait for November. The Republican County Committee seats are only filled in the Primary election. We need to build the Republican Party in Queens, and we need to build it with people who are true Republicans, dedicated to the conservative values that will save our city, and our country.
Second, I would like to plant a seed in your mind that YOU might like to serve on the Republican County Committee yourself. Don’t just shake your head in anger at the destruction you see. Get involved. Build and strengthen the Republican Party in Queens. The deadline may have passed for this June’s ballot, but there is next year. I will write again, in another issue of the Queens County Beacon, explaining the process. It isn’t hard, so please let that seed take root. In the meantime, you can check out QueensCountyRepublicanPatriots.com and start coming to meetings.
Lastly, I want to ask you to vote on Tuesday, June 28th, in the Primary. And if you live between 188th Street and 199th Street, and between 73rd Avenue and Union Turnpike, please vote for my father and me: Sol Korby and Eileen Korby. Thank you.
Sol Korby is a veteran who proudly served our country.
Eileen Korby is a retired NYC public school teacher.
The May 5th Club Meeting featured Republican candidates and speakers that are transforming the USA and bringing on the Great Red Wave for the 2022 elections! Here are the videos of their stunning presentations.
by Paul King, Candidate for Congress
America is a land of heroes. Not superheroes with capes, but everyday heroes who build better lives for their families through education, faith, community, and hard work. They are the living testament to the American Dream. That Dream will become extinct if progressives/socialists continue to have their way.
Throughout my life, I’ve been schooled in the American Dream – one of the great American traditions. My maternal grandfather arrived from Italy as a 10-year-old, was placed in an orphanage, and yet eventually started his own business and bought his own home. My father grew up on Relief during the Depression. After decades of hard work, he moved his family to Rockaway where he bought his own home, sent his three children to college, and became a civic leader. Most of my friends’ parents were working-class or blue-collar people working hard to pursue their American Dream. They were our heroes.
The sanctuary room of the Bellerose Jewish Center was packed on this rainy night for the April 7th meeting of the Queens Village Republican Club. Many people came to hear guest speaker Congressman Lee Zeldin, who’s flight from DC was cancelled due to the thunderstorms. But this allowed our other candidates, guest speakers and musicians more time to energize the crowd, which was the intent of the club meeting dubbed “Bring on the Great Red Wave.” Absolutely no one was disappointed. Here are the videos of the Republican candidates, speakers, and a moving musical performance.
by Stefano Forte
I grew up in New York’s golden age during the prosperous Giuliani era when crime was low, quality of life was high, and we all felt secure walking the streets of our great city at any hour of the day. Our businesses were thriving. Education was a priority. The city I enjoyed and loved was safe and prosperous. Being raised in an immigrant family of small business owners who worked their way up the socioeconomic ladder with their sweat, blood, and tears, I truly believed that the promise of the American Dream was well within our grasp.
Now, in a very short time, everything has changed. Disastrous policies have led us to disastrous places: our small businesses are shutting their doors for good, the quality of our education has plummeted, and, most concerningly, non-violent and violent crime alike have shot to record highs. What caused this? Many of us already know the answer, and it’s obvious: electing the same kind of radical (or simply complacent) career politicians over and over again has emboldened them to create policies that are decimating the city we all love. The Bail Elimination Act, passed through the budget in 2019, has allowed all manner of “non-violent” criminals to be freed ahead of their court date without posting bail. This could’ve been a just concept, and it was in theory – rich people and poor people should not have different advantages under the criminal justice system simply because of economic status. But as we all know, this theory became an almost immediate disaster when put into practice. By stripping judges of their discretionary abilities, there is now no way to keep potential re-offenders in custody ahead of their court date. The result has been the categorical catch-and-release of criminals that has led to such tragedies as the recent violent assault of a toddler in Flushing, or the shoving death of Michelle Go in Times Square. Both of those offenders, like many others, had committed prior offenses and should not have been walking the streets of our city.
By Seth “Stavros” Breland
Candidate for NYS Assembly District 25
Born and raised in Northeast, Queens, I have a love for my community, and I am proud of all it provides for its residents. Because of this pride, I want to fight for my neighbors and make certain Northeast Queens continues to flourish in all aspects; educationally, economically, and socially. For this reason, I am proud to run for the New York State Assembly to represent the people of District 25.
I am no stranger to public service. For six years, I served on the Community District Education Council 26 and became the student representative during the 2019-2020 school year. I visited classrooms across the area and elevated student, teacher, and family concerns to the council. In addition, I served on the Queens Borough Student Advisory Council and represented North Queens on the NYC Department of Education Chancellor’s Student Advisory Council. In 2018, I was appointed to be a United States Senate Page. My close work with all 100 U.S. Senators afforded me a wonderful experience and opportunity to assist in the day-to-day operations of the United States Senate.
Of course, I am aware that to truly serve my community, I need to be a part of it. I am a long-time tennis player and have been perfecting my game with a city organization since I was six years old. As the years passed, I progressed from player to volunteer coach. I was given the privilege to work with wonderful city youth, an experience that will always be dear to my heart.
This campaign will truly be a community campaign. We will encourage residents that have felt alienated and frustrated with our current elected and the corruption in our city and our state to join our movement. The incumbent, Ed Braunstein, voted for bail reform, voted for congestion pricing, and is part of that corrupt political machine. Mr. Braunstein promises his constituents one thing and then votes another way. He is beholden only to special interests and party leaders, NOT to the people he serves. Mr. Braunstein’s actions have led to unsafe streets, higher living costs, and an attack on our way of life in Eastern Queens. It is politicians like him, that made me leave the Democrat party. No longer could I sit idly by as the Democrat party was pulled left and passed legislation that has made life harder for every New Yorker. Too many people have left our schools, our city, and our state. It is time we fight for the soul of the city, for the soul of the state and we reverse the damage already done.
My campaign will be history-making in more than one way. Not only will I be one of the youngest people to ever be elected to the state legislature in history, but I’ll be the first Greek American and Puerto Rican American to represent this area. I am ready to take on this fight on behalf of this district. I am ready to take up the mantle of leadership to be that local leader who is responsive to his community, who is in his community, and who knows his community. Yes, I am young, but with my youth comes energy and commitment to the goals of this campaign. I will be a tireless advocate, addressing the important issues that continue to plague our home.
We will win and the only way we will win is if we are united in strength. I can’t do this without you. I am fighting to return power back to the people.
By Andrew Giuliani
New York always has the potential to be the greatest city in the greatest state in the greatest country in the world. Over the first eight months of my campaign to become Governor of the Empire State, the people of New York have reaffirmed those ideals on a daily basis. Unfortunately, over the past fifteen years and four Democrat Governors, New York has lost its luster and the Albany swamp has turned our great state into a shell of its former self.
As a matter of fact, New York led the nation in population decline over the last year, resulting in a total outmigration of 319,000 New Yorkers, decreasing the Empire State’s population by 1.6%. This sobering fact is the result of a myriad of leftist policies that has seen crime spiral out of control, the highest taxes of any state in the country, less choice for parents over their children’s education, and a slew of mandates proving leftists only believe in the idea of, “my body, my choice” when it is convenient for their political narrative.
Over the past four years, I had the honor of working in The White House as Special Assistant to President Donald J. Trump. I learned many important lessons working for President Trump and for that matter, from my father, the greatest Mayor in New York City’s history, Rudy Giuliani. But the lesson that I think about every day is their tenacity driven by the belief that the United States of America is worth fighting for to our last waking breath. That’s why we NEVER GIVE UP!
Like President Trump and Mayor Giuliani, I will take on the leftist media and the Albany swamp to fight for the issues that are plaguing New Yorkers every day. For the purpose of this article, let’s dig deeper into the most pressing issue facing us all, crime. I pledge to tackle rising crime and the spiraling quality of life all across our great state by repealing cashless bail. From the Big Apple, where shootings have doubled over the past two years, to Rochester, where they hit the grim milestone of recording the most murders ever, “bail reform” has been an unmitigated disaster. Couple that with a narrative that we should defund the police along with Soros-funded district attorneys who choose not to prosecute most crimes, including many violent crimes, change must be immediate.
I have called for Kathy Hochul, under Article XIII, Section 13b of the New York Constitution, to remove New York County DA Alvin Bragg. It is obvious from his January 3rd memo to his Assistant District Attorney’s that he is reclassifying entire categories of crime. Bragg’s office has already altered facts on a police report and tried to entrap a police officer to sign said false report; thankfully that member of New York’s Finest refused to sign. As governor, I will hold DA’s and state employees who are complicit in rising crime accountable.
From now to November 8th, I look forward to addressing with you in more detail other vital issues including how I will bring about more choice to education by doubling the number of charter schools and creating an educational tax voucher program, how I will make New York a business-friendly and job-creating state again by cutting taxes and reduce regulation, and reaffirm my pledge that on day one, there will be only clear and honest health information from the governor’s office; no more unconstitutional mandates! I look forward to seeing you on the trail as together we will Make Albany Great Again!
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If you want to help Andrew Giuliani become the 58th Governor of New York, please consider donating or volunteering your time at NYforGiuliani.com .
On January 6, 2022, we kicked off the New Year riding a massive red wave into 2022 with a fabulous club meeting with some amazing speakers, Gavin Wax, the dynamic president of the New York Young Republican Club, and Barbara from Harlem, the “Godmother” of Black Conservatives. City Councilwoman Vickie Paladino administered the oath of office for the installation of our 2022 Club Officers and Board Members and shared stories of her first day on the job. We had a couple of young and impressive Republican candidates: Stefano Forte for State Senate, and Seth Breland for State Assembly. Here are the videos and photos of the meeting.
Republicans and Conservatives need to support our candidates throughout the USA not only by our votes but also financially so we can regain control of Congress. Liz Joy is a special lady and a Republican and Conservative candidate running for congress in the 20th congressional district. The 20th encompasses all of Albany and Schenectady Counties and portions of Montgomery, Rensselaer and Saratoga counties. This district was just added to the NRCC’s top targets list and Elise Stefanik’s E-PAC has named Liz one of their twelve “Women to Watch.”
Our annual Christmas/Chanukah Dinner Party on December 2nd, 2021, was held at Pita Park Greek Restaurant in Floral Park. The festive dinner party featured a delectable three course dinner, the election of our new club slate of Officers and Board of Directors, our featured guest speaker, Andrew Giuliani who is running for governor of NYS, and special surprise guest, Councilwoman-Elect Vickie Paladino. We celebrated her astounding victory flipping a blue seat to red, and everyone had a grand time! Here are the videos of the guest speakers. Videos filmed and edited by James Doukas Productions.
General Club Meeting on November 4, 2021 at Bellerose Jewish Center in Floral Park, Queens featured Rob Astorino, Republican candidate for NYS Governor, Maureen Grey, neighborhood historic preservationist speaking on saving St. Joseph’s Church, and Professor Joseph Cheruvelil, speaking on the Conscience of a Conservative. Here are the videos of their intriguing presentations. Videos filmed and edited by James Doukas Productions.
Rob Astorino: Republican candidate for NYS Governor
Rob Astorino, Republican candidate for NYS Governor, speaks at November 4th Queens Village Republican Club meeting. He is the former Westchester County Executive and 2014 Republican candidate for NYS Governor. Having nearly clinched the 2014 race, and won the state outside of NYC, he outlines the path to victory in 2022.
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Maureen Grey: Saving St. Joseph’s Church
Maureen Grey, guest speaker at the November 4, 2021 Queens Village Republican Club meeting, is a neighborhood historical preservationist, lifelong educator, and was a teacher at St. Joseph Parish Day School. She is leading the fight to landmark St. Joseph’s Episcopal Church and save it from demolition. She told the story of a beautiful church that many Republican club members were parishioners of since its inception.
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Prof Joseph Cheruvelil: Conscience of a Conservative
Professor Joseph Cheruvelil, guest speaker at the November 4, 2021 meeting of the Queens Village Republican Club, speaks lucidly about the Conscience of a Conservative. The professor is a popular conservative luminary who taught many years on the faculty of the English Dept. of St. John’s University. His book “A Passage to America” is an autobiography of Professor Cheruvelil, who describes himself as “a Catholic in religion, a Hindu in culture, a conservative in politics, and an eclectic in taste.”
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General Club Meeting on October 7, 2021 at Bellerose Jewish Center in Floral Park, Queens featured NYS Assemblyman Mike Lawler, Rick Hinshaw, discusses voting NO on ballot propositions #1, #3 and #4, Dr. Devi, Republican candidate for NYC Public Advocate, Tony Herbert, Conservative and Independence Party candidate for NYC Public Advocate, followed by a lively Q & A. Here are the videos of the entire meeting. Videos filmed and edited by James Doukas Productions.
Rick Hinshaw discusses the urgency of voting NO on ballot propositions #1, #3 and #4, that threaten the integrity of our elections. Rick is the former editor of The Long Island Catholic and director of communications for the Catholic League.
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Dr. Devi is a scientist and physician working on the frontlines of the pandemic for the past year and a half, working in pain management and treating combat veterans. Very compelling story about why she decided to run for Public Advocate in order to humanize a bloated inhumane city bureaucracy. Supporters poured donations into her campaign coffers, more than enough to meet the threshold for a televised debate with Democrat opponent Jumaane Williams which will air on Oct 19th.
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Tony Herbert is running for NYC Public Advocate on the Conservative Party and Independent lines. Jumaane Williams, the current NYC Public Advocate, is the Democrat candidate for Public Advocate, who as a City Councilman, refused to recite the pledge of allegiance and was a supporter of FALN terrorist Oscar Lopez Rivera. Williams is also a supporter of BLM and defunding the police. Tony is a community leader, a former radio show host who cares about the people of NYC, and is a voice for the voiceless.
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NYS Assemblyman Mike Lawler was the only Republican to flip a Democrat State Assembly seat in 2020. Mike served as Executive Director of the State Republican Party and advisor to Rob Astorino when he was Westchester County Executive. We worked together on Rob’s past gubernatorial campaign, and we are thrilled to have him scheduled to speak at our November meeting as a Republican candidate for governor of NYS. Mike is our pro-police, pro law and order, pro-fiscal conservative voice in the State Assembly, and leading the charge to break the One Party monopoly in NYS!
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Q & A on vaccine mandates, crime, murder of kids in NYC, qualified immunity, ballot proposals.
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LOCAL ELECTIONS HAVE MAJOR CONSEQUENCES
Elect Curtis Sliwa, Tony Herbert, Vickie Paladino
By Scherie Murray
The world is a dangerous place and that will never change unless we vote. New York City General Election candidates, Curtis Sliwa, Anthony ‘Tony’ Herbert and Vickie Paladino are the ones to watch this cycle. While some may act as if the elections are over after the June 2021 Primary, there is an upcoming General Election on November 2, 2021.
As a matter of reality, the Biden Administration is doing business with the Taliban. And today, America is less safe than it was just one year ago. The current Administration should have ended the war and pulled out of Afghanistan, but America shouldn’t have left entirely. On the ground, in person presence in Afghanistan is crucial to America’s ongoing safety. Instead, America’s population is left to contemplate the unknown. To add insult to injury, and without adequate vetting, tens of thousands of Afghan refugees will resettle in the U.S. at the taxpayer’s expense, in addition to over one million illegal migrants that have already crossed the U.S. Southern Border. It’s pretty clear that the war against America is not over, internationally or domestically.
Dr. Devi, who will be speaking at our October 7th Club Meeting, wrote the following letter to our club members and friends:
Dear Queens Village Republican Club members:
I am aggressively pursuing my goal of having a televised debate with Jumaane Williams. To force him to a debate, I must raise $115,000 by September 27th. As a candidate, I cannot contribute more than $6000 of my own money. My friends cannot contribute more than $250 for matching funds. If we have a TV debate, 4 million New Yorkers can see us side by side and vote. Without a debate, people generally vote by party, which is why Democrats traditionally win.
I have already raised more money than any Republican in the history of the Public Advocate position. The irony is that most of this money is coming from Democrats. I’m a lifelong Republican (26 years) but– perhaps because of our party’s infrastructure– it has been very difficult accessing Republicans to ask for support. I hope that this letter will help me reach our fellow Republicans.
I am scheduled to speak at the Queens Village Republican Club on October 7th, but to qualify for a debate on CBS, NBC, or ABC, I must reach the fundraising threshold by September 27th.
Curtis & Nancy Sliwa to Dine at Carmine’s Tonight
To Support the Restaurant & its Workers
7 PM, 2450 Broadway, NYC
NEW YORK: Mayoral Candidate Curtis Sliwa and City Council Candidate for the Upper West Side Nancy Sliwa will have dinner at Carmine’s Restaurant at 7 PM tonight, in support of the restaurant besieged by BLM protestors yesterday. (Nancy is the first Republican to run for the position in 10 years.)
Carmine’s and its workers were targets of BLM attacks last night. Also attacked was Guardian Angel Joshua Penner, who lives in the area and was surrounded by BLM protestors. A video shows BLM protestors screaming a barrage of vulgar verbal and homophobic slurs at Penner, who remained calm
WHERE: Carmine’s Restaurant, 2450 Broadway, NYC
WHEN: Tuesday, September 21 at 7 PM
MEDIA CONTACT: Maria Sliwa, Communications, maria@msliwa.com, 202-750-1684
WEBSITE: SliwaForNY.com
General Club Meeting on September 2, 2021 at Bellerose Jewish Center in Floral Park, Queens featured Curtis Sliwa for NYC Mayor and Vickie Paladino for NY City Council. Here are the videos of their inspiring presentations as well as an informative Q&A session.
Curtis Sliwa fires up the crowd at Sept 2nd meeting. “Vote in Curtis Sliwa—what do you have to lose?” The City Council defunded the police; took away the anti-crime unit, got rid of homeless outreach. De Blasio robbed the City of 1.4 billion dollars for his wife’s do-nothing ThriveNYC program. We need to “Save our City” or let it be turned over to Adams and de Blasio’s buddies -“Over my dead body.”
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Republican NY City Council candidate Vickie Paladino spoke to members of the Queens Village Republican Club on Sept 2nd after a walking tour of her district in Whitestone and Bayside after the devastation caused by tropical storm Ida. She saw over 50 people who’s homes and basements were flooded, some with as much as 8 feet of water, and who have to pay out of their own pockets for the damage, as our government and local city and state elected officials are helpless and useless.
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Q & A with Curtis Sliwa and Vickie Paladino. Questions about Deep State and RINOs impeding Trump, Councilman Eric Ulrich backing Eric Adams. Curtis asserted that “establishment Republicans are our worst enemies.”
We the citizens of Eastern Queens are mad as hell and we want answers!!!
August 1, 2021
Honorable Zellnor Myrie
New York State Senator
Chairman of Election Law Committee
Legislative Office Bldg. Room 903
Albany, NY 12247
Re: Revision of New York State Election Law Sec. 6-144 and update of New York City Board of Elections equipment and rules.
Dear Senator Myrie,
Anita Uppal and I were candidates for Republican State Committee in the 24th Assembly District in Eastern Queens, NY running in the June 22nd Primary Election.
We met all the legal signature requirements and abided by the NYC Board of Elections petition rules, but our petition volumes were invalidated because both volumes were time-stamped with the same time in minutes. I am requesting a revision to update rules and equipment to include seconds in the appropriate section of New York State Election Law, and an evaluation of NYC Board of Election’s arcane rules, in order to achieve a more fair and honest election and ballot access process for candidates and voters alike.
A crowd of 200 Republican Patriots gathered for a beautiful day of wild excitement and fun at Alley Pond Park on Sunday July 25th. Instead of the expected forecast of rain and clouds, the gathering of enthusiastic Republican activists was blessed with gorgeous sunny skies! In addition to Curtis Sliwa, Rob Astorino for NYS Governor, Andrew Giuliani for Governor, Tony Herbert for Public Advocate, Vickie Paladino for City Council, Scherie Murray, and newly elected Republican State Committeeman, Joe Concannon regaled the crowd and brought everyone to their feet.
Video of Curtis Sliwa’s fiery speech!
View videos of the incredible speakers and subscribe to QCRP Rumble Channel!
Curtis Sliwa takes on AOC, DSA, and Tiffany Caban, in Astoria to Woodside, Queens
Small businesses get walloped with fines of $100 in Astoria, in this case for a merchant trying to sell watermelons on a hot summer day. There will be no hidden taxes on NYC small businesses with Curtis as mayor!
Curtis pledges to take out AOC and DSA. Come along for the Republican ride into Astoria, Queens where the immigrant community loves Curtis Sliwa because he has been fighting for them for the past 40 years. He is one of them!
By Gabriele Holtermann Posted on July 7, 2021
After the Board of Elections (BOE) bungled last week’s preliminary ranked-choice voting calculations and mistakingly added over 130,000 test votes to the original ballot count, Republican mayoral nominee Curtis Sliwa called for election integrity reform outside the Board of Elections’ office in Queens on July 6.
Alongside Republican gubernatorial candidate Andrew Giuliani, the son of former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani, local Republican candidates and community leaders, Sliwa opened the press conference hosted by the Queens County Republican Patriots pointing to the building behind him.
“Democrats are now experiencing what all voters have experienced, the lack of ballot integrity,” the Guardian Angels founder said. “This particular office was responsible for processing 130,000 test ballots in with all the other ballots that had been filed on election day, that didn’t even include the absentee ballots that they started to count on Monday.”
Are Free and Fair Elections Possible?
The corruption at 42 Broadway
By Phil Orenstein, April 26, 2021
Editor’s note: The heat is now on the NYC Board of Elections, and we are re-releasing “Are Free and Fair Elections Possible” detailing the inner corruption of the free and fair election system at the NYC Board of Elections.
What follows is detailed and factual account of crucial importance to all Americans regardless of political party affiliation, in understanding local, regional, and national elections and what has been corrupting our political election process.
Today, political candidates are blocked from even appearing on the ballot due to the nefarious machinations of political insiders.
This is not a Republican issue or a Democrat issue, but an American issue involving all political parties. It is about democratic participation in our political system. It is how potential candidates do not even reach the ballot box and are thwarted by entrenched political insiders in collusion with Board of Elections executives. Thus, the status quo is maintained. It is the undermining of the foundation of the democratic voting process that we the voters trust, which has been usurped by ten political “commissars” in a room.
The nefarious drama took place, as it always does, at 42 Broadway in Manhattan, in the bleak hearing room of the Board of Elections. In this room, the 31 Republican candidates knew their fate was already determined. This is the factual account of 31 Republican candidates, running for public and party offices in Queens, who were recently thrown off the ballot for meaningless technicalities, thereby denying 130,000 registered Republican voters in Queens County, NY a choice in the upcoming June 22nd Primary Election.
A former commissioner revealed some of the shocking details of the insider protection racket at the top tiers of the Board of Elections and party organizations. According to the former insider, the commissioners, general counsel, the party bosses all collaborate to pre-determine the approved candidates to get on the ballot and who they want to knock off. These private “horse-trading” sessions occur prior to the public commissioners hearings, which are carefully pre-scripted to make sure the insurgent candidates do not have ballot access in their party’s Primary Election.
This is how the story played out. It began with 31 candidates seeking public and party offices under the Republican Party banner in Queens, but outside the auspices of the County Republican Party organization. The Queens County Republican Patriots (QCRP), a NYS multi-candidate political committee, supported their desire for public service with petitioning and other activities to meet the legal requirements to get on the ballot. Most of the candidates and their teams gathered several times the number of signatures required.
The County Republican Party sought to prevent the 31 candidates from getting on the ballot by filing General Objections against their petitions at the Board of Elections. Specifically, the county party charged that all the petitions should be invalidated, because of a listing of pre-printed Election District (ED) numbers in the blank space on the petition. The listing of ED numbers was not prohibited by NYS Election Law. Actually, placing the ED numbers on the petition does clarify which signers can legitimately sign the petition.
The Board of Elections General Counsel agreed with the County Republican Party objections and the Board of Elections clerk’s report, issuing a statement declaring the added ED numbers were an attempt to confuse the voters, thereby invalidating the petitions.
The county party also filed a lawsuit in Queens Supreme Court against the 31 candidates. It was an “Order to Show Cause” to invalidate the petitions and disqualify the candidates from appearing on the ballot. All candidates were served with lawsuits to appear in court taped to their doors late at night.
The commissioners hearing took place on April 14th at the Board of Elections. The Republican Patriots argued to the commissioners that the numbers on the face of the petition were valid and legitimate according to Election Law. The county party argued that the petitions are invalid, and thus the legitimate petition signatures of 3000 registered Queens Republicans were null and void. There was a brief give and take, interrupted abruptly by the Queens Republican Commissioner who accused representatives of the Republican Patriots of intentional deceit and recommended that they “move the clerks report” which they did. All commissioners summarily voted in unison with a 10 to 0 decision to declare the petitions invalid for incorrect markings. All 31 candidates were “removed prima facie because of invalidity of petitions.” You can see this segment of the hearing, which is on the BOE website for public viewing, at: https://vote.nyc/page/commissioners-meetings April 14, 2021, at 5:08:00.
Most people are unaware of the political process, but it’s vital to understand this well-guarded establishment secret, since it plays a major role in our destiny as a community, city, and a nation. We need to understand the process in order to fulfill our civic duties as citizens, and to restore honesty and integrity to our political system. This is a story of voter suppression that needs to be reported and understood.
The Republican Patriots hired the law firm of Harris Beach PLLC, to file a Petition to Validate, to reverse the flawed determination at the commissioners hearing and restore 18 of the original Republican Patriots candidates to the ballot. Harris Beach filed the lawsuit against the Board of Elections in Queens Supreme Court and the hearing in the Election Part was set for last Wednesday, April 21. After many roadblocks to prevent a hearing on the merits of the case, and a couple of adjournments, the Judge hasn’t as yet rendered a decision. At the present time of this writing, the county party’s attorney postponed the Petition to Invalidate until after the Judge’s decision. Thus, with the adjournments and requisite appeals, the legal battle continues indefinitely.
The Republican Patriots are determined to keep fighting in the courts to restore their candidates to the ballot, so that the merits of the case are heard. The system itself is not at fault. The process for candidates to get on the ballot was designed to reduce fraud, forged and duplicate signatures, in order to ensure honest elections. But it has been corrupted by malevolent people to hold on to power. They have perverted the system so that any scratch or marking can be a fatal defect, invalidating the entire petition, to knock outsiders off the ballot. There must be changes in the system to stop the present corruption.
The integrity of our local elections must be safeguarded. We are writing this so that people are aware of the problem and learn more about our system of democracy and freely participate in it. This issue is about our most urgent civic duty, the right to vote. People fought and died to preserve our system of voting and free and fair elections.
More people need to run for office, not less. The political process should be set up to advance the best candidates to be on the ballot. The voters should decide who runs for party and political positions, not ten bureaucrats in a closed room. The rank-and-file Republicans, Democrats, Conservatives, and Democratic Socialists of America must be free to express their views in the open marketplace of ideas and policies in America. In the greatest and freest country in the world, let the people choose who will represent their best interests. Stop the party insiders from abolishing the primary. Let the candidates run. Let the people choose!
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Phil Orenstein is the president of the Queens Village Republican Club. Established in 1875, it is America’s oldest Republican Club www.QVGOP.org. Historian, Jerry Matacotta, founder of History Seminar Series at Queensborough Community College and High School American History teacher, was the advisor for this article.
Curtis Sliwa for Mayor made several stops from morning to night on his barnstorming tour of Queens on Saturday June 19th. Here are some photos of the days action from Breezy Point and Floral Park, Queens.
Breezy Point photos with Steve Sirgiovanni for City Council and Rich Valdes, WABC Talk Show Host
Floral Park photos with Alex Amoroso, Republican candidate for City Council in District #23
Although the Queens County GOP is supporting Fernando for Mayor, it looks like Chairwoman Joann Ariola prefers to associate herself with Curtis Sliwa to give the impression they are running as a team.
Curtis said: “Last night I had a fundraiser at Prima Pasta on Cross Bay Blvd. in Howard Beach. In the window was a small sign for Ariola. I asked them to take it down and instead walked across the street to the largest political banner of this political cycle for our Patriot City Council candidate Steve Sirgiovanni. I let everyone know that I was supporting Steve and not Ariola. Ariola is putting up signs wherever there are Sliwa signs and is trying to attach herself to My candidacy.”
We can understand Ariola’s shunning of Mateo, who has no signs in Howard Beach, and her use of political tricknology to attach herself to Sliwa especially after Mateo’s abysmal performance in last Thursday’s PIX11 Republican mayoral debate, and the ensuing PIX11 Mayor’s Race Poll showing Curtis crushing Mateo 74% to 15%.
