Editors Note: Sara Tirschwell, who was a Republican candidate for NYC Mayor, was just knocked off the ballot by Republicans behind the candidacy of Fernando Mateo denying her access to the ballot as a Republican. She has given her endorsement to Curtis Sliwa for the Republican Primary Election on June 22nd. Here is her statement below.
By David Meyer. As seen in New York Post March 15, 2021
Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa will officially launch his long-anticipated bid for the Republican nomination for mayor on Monday morning, his campaign said.
Sliwa plans to use the appearance outside Penn Station on Monday to call on all other mayoral candidates to sign onto a letter demanding Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s immediate resignation.
Sliwa, who registered as a mayoral candidate on Feb. 17, plans to run on a slogan of “Save our City,” the campaign said.
His platform will include the reversal of budget cuts enacted against the NYPD in the aftermath of anti-cop protests last year.
Other campaign priorities include “cleaning up the subway, and bringing businesses and tourism back to New York,” a release said.
Sliwa launched the crime-fighting Guardian Angels group 40 years ago to patrol the subways and the streets in the days when Gotham was overrun by crime.
He told The Post last year that he worries those dark days are rearing back.
“It took us a long time to crawl out of the belly of the beast of the 1970s through 1990s. Bill de Blasio and the Democrats are bringing us back in,” he said at the time.
The longtime New York City fixture and WABC talk-radio host has the backing of the Staten Island Republican Party and Brooklyn GOP, but won’t face an easy primary: The Queens, Bronx and Manhattan GOP committees have all endorsed opponent Fernando Mateo, an advocate for taxis and bodegas.
Financier Sara Tirschwell is also competing for the GOP nod.
By Vickie Paladino
The title of this article may sound dramatic, but it’s sadly and terrifyingly accurate. The fact is that New York City is now at a point where we’re either going to make some kind of change in how our government is run, or we’re going to continue our rapid slide into bankruptcy, lawlessness, and despair. This is a hard truth everyone needs to come to terms with.
The de Blasio era has been catastrophic for NYC, there’s no denying that. We have seen our economy destroyed, skyrocketing homelessness, open hostility to small business and homeowners, and a crime rate that has spun completely out of control. And all these trends were firmly in place before COVID hit.
Post-COVID, our single-party government took a difficult situation and turned it into a generational tragedy. The incompetence, ignorance, and naked malevolence of de Blasio, Cuomo, and our ruling party was on full display. They immediately and enthusiastically used the excuse of COVID to claim extraordinary dictatorial powers over our lives, and then used those powers to make everything worse. We’ve seen riots, looting, murder, and the total unplugging of our economy. Meanwhile ordinary citizens who resisted these destructive policies were targeted for prosecution, even as the doors of our prisons were swung open to release violent criminals back onto our streets scot-free.
New York is now hemorrhaging jobs, money, and taxpayers as citizens wake up to the fact that red states like Florida and Texas could be better options for people seeking a life of prosperity, security, and liberty. Needless to say, this is unsustainable for our city and our community.
We have one final chance to begin the hard work of turning things around. Our local elections in 2021 will quite literally determine whether our city returns to its former glory, or if we become another Portland, Seattle, or San Francisco — a once great city, now wracked with nightly riots, homelessness and drugs, and utterly paralyzed with corrupt single-party authoritarian rule by a bizarre quasi-religious progressive cult too obsessed with malignant identity politics and hatred of western civilization to solve even the most basic of municipal issues.
This is not an exaggeration. This is the choice we face. That’s where we’re headed. And I’m running for City Council along with other great candidates like Curtis Sliwa for Mayor to help bring about the change we all so desperately need.
It won’t be easy, and it won’t happen overnight. We have a lot of work to do, and we expect a fight every step of the way.
The GOP may not ever be a majority party in New York City — at least not anytime soon — but even relatively modest success in 2021 will be massively significant in the direction this city takes, in terms of desperately needed police funding, crime prevention, economic development, and tax relief for small businesses and homeowners. We must break the monopoly. I hope you’ll join me in our fight.
________________________________________
Vickie Paladino is a Republican candidate for New York City Council, CD #19, and President of the Whitestone Republican Club.
New York Post. By Carl Campanile February 21, 2021
The Staten Island Republican Party has endorsed Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa for mayor.
The backing of the island GOP’s Saturday night is a coup for the red beret-wearing Sliwa, as the island GOP is the strongest, most organized Republican organization in the otherwise Democratic city.
“The members of the Staten Island Republican Party are concerned with the current trajectory of the City of New York. Today we make the first step to take back our City,” said newly elected island Republican Party chairman Anthony Reinhart.
Other GOP candidates in the running include taxi-bodega advocate Fernando Mateo and financier Sara Tirschwell.
Billionaire business mogul John Catsimatidis is strongly considering a second run for City Hall after losing the GOP primary to Joe Lhota in 2013. Petitioning to get on the ballot is March 2, so he’ll have to decide soon.
“The Staten Island Republican Party interviewed all candidates who responded to our call … Curtis Sliwa was the clear choice to be our candidate, and we are enthusiastic to support him as he brings his vision on how to save our City and protect Staten Island’s quality of life,” Reinhard said when asked about Catsimatidis.
Sliwa, who recently filed paperwork for his candidacy, said he will step aside if Catsimatidis jumps into the race.
Catsimatidis owns 77 WABC Talk Radio and Sliwa has his own radio program on the network — which means Catsimatidis is his boss.
“I’m honored to receive the endorsement of the Staten Island Republican Party. This is the body that rescued this city twice, first with Rudy Giuliani and then with Mike Bloomberg,” Sliwa said.
“Right now, with our city facing a crime crisis and the precipice of fiscal calamity, I’m looking forward to working with Republican leaders from all over the city to save it.”
While Democratic candidates have been talking about reining in the NYPD, Sliwa and his Guardian Angels safety patrol group have been visiting and patrolling subway stations and other locations that have seen spikes in crime.
On Saturday, Sliwa stumped outside Bay Ridge train station where an elderly man was mugged on the subway platform.
“The paramount issue is crime and public safety. Without addressing that, nothing else happens,” Sliwa said.
“Public safety is my strength. It’s been my whole life.”
Staten Island has a GOP congresswoman with Rep. Nicole Malliotakis. Other Republican elected office-holders include Borough President James Oddo, state Sen. Andrew Lanza, Council members Joseph Borelli and Steven Matteo, and Assembly members Michael Reilly and Michael Tannousis.
Former President Donald Trump carried the borough over President Biden in last fall’s election.
Strong votes on the island helped elect Rudy Giuliani twice and Michael Bloomberg three times as mayor when they ran under the GOP banner.
WATCH HERE:
Curtis Sliwa was there for Republicans while Mateo was MIA
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We are in the beginning stages of the Asian Lunar New Years. It lasts for 15 days. We were honored in Chinatown as we celebrated our Guardian Angels 42nd anniversary Saturday 2/13 in Confucius Plaza. It marked one year since we were invited in to patrol the area because of an increase in bias attacks against Asians. Because some of our fellow Americans believed that the Chinese themselves were carriers of the CoronaVirus there were attacks and abuses directed at Asians in the streets, buses and subways. We immediately came in and recruited Asian Americans to become Guardian Angels. That required a lot of time spent developing relationships with all the different factions that visit and populate the area. We taught the self help concepts of the “Guardian Angels” and the community responded favorably.
On the political note the Asians were more akin to the values of the Republican Party then they were to the Dems. When it came to preserving the Specialized High Schools Admissions Test (SHSAT) to gain entry into the Specialized Public High Schools. Keeping the Gifted and Talented program in the public schools. Supporting their many small businesses, and most importantly supporting the police and bringing public safety back to our city. You would think that the Republicans would have made headway into their growing communities. That has been limited.
I trace it back to Northern Queens and the races that Peter Koo ran against the Dems as a Republican. In his 1st race he ran a good race against the entrenched State Senator Toby Stavinsky. His next race he ran as a Republican for City Council and won in a close race against the Dem. At that point the Republicans failed to capitalize on that victory and left Koo without the support to build and grow the Republican brand amongst the growing Asian community. The Democrats in the Asian Community often are at odds with the belief systems of their constituents. The community can be converted to the principles of the Republican Party because for the most part they are already living their lives that way.
Even with YANG in the race as a Democrat the community has not been immersed by ethnic politics. As the Republican Mayoral Candidate I will spend the time and resources to develop the permanent relationships not just for the purpose of winning the Mayoral Election but for building a Republican infrastructure for their community.
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We have become “FEAR CITY”
Everyday there are slashings, stabbings and victims being pushed into subway tracks. Murders, shootings and violent crimes are skyrocketing across the 5 boros.
This Saturday 2/13 marks the 42nd Anniversary of when Curtis Sliwa started the Guardian Angels. Their goal then as is now is to take back the streets and subways from the criminals. Nothing else will move forward in NYC until we address the crime issue, public safety and the quality of life in NYC.
There is no candidate running for Mayor from either party who has the background and credibility to once again make our city safe. Now more than ever, we need a Guardian Angel as Mayor of NYC.
SEE VIDEO CURTIS SLIWA NYC 2021
Curtis Sliwa for Mayor 2021
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By Danniel Maio on Feb. 9, 2021
Hello! My name is Danniel Maio, president of the Central Queens Republican Club, https://central.queens.gop. I am running to win the Queens Boro Presidency against the incumbent, Donovan Richards (D). Citizens of Queens will be better served by Republicans focused on family, community and compassion instead of Democrats touting programs and services that are self-dealing, wasteful and blind to reality.
I was raised in Frederick, Maryland; graduated from American University with a BA in International Studies; and worked for Westinghouse Electric before starting Identity Map Company with my brother in 1990 making maps of New York City.
I have been involved in Manhattan, Kings and Queens County politics since 2001, when I was the Manhattan Boro President candidate the year of 9/11. I have been on the ballot 8 times, and this race is my 12th attempt. My mother has told me many times that I should switch my party registration to Democrat if I want to win in New York.
I cannot and would not sacrifice my values and the party that I believe in all my life, however imperfect it is. Our country is founded on democratic-republican principles, which means the people elect among themselves their representatives, expecting those elected to caretake the welfare of the people. Pre-COVID, we already knew New York was on the wrong track.
Now, it is acceleratingly more so. Orders from our Democrat leaders have forced the closing of thousands of businesses in Queens and counting. Thefts are done openly nowadays with impunity. We’ve had the worst shooting spike in decades. Teachers have not been laid off, while standardized tests are eliminated, removing incriminating evidence to prove their education failure. MTA has lost millions in ridership, yet federal handouts are to cover pre-COVID reality. Eviction moratorium until May 2021 is unfairly one-sided, and will become the next “Bail Reform” debacle when courts reopen. Where is Chirlane McCray’s $ billion ThriveNYC mental-health program, as increasing numbers of homeless people are left ignored. Even the election fraud and irregularities President Donald Trump single-handedly elevated to national consciousness, are being swept under the rug.
We already know the Democrats’ agenda. More rules, more programs, more spending, and more taxes. Accountability and reality are not their priority. The city and state are losing their income base and trust of their good people. Who will raise these issues without fear of retribution? DON’T expect it from the Democrats!
In January 2020, I spoke at the Rockaway Republican Club. The focus was that Republicans and Conservatives should “rise up and unite”. When it was my turn to speak, I repeated the same mantra. In fact, the name of my political committee is “Maio Unites”. Should you wish to help fund my campaign, up to $175 is matchable, my website is MAIO.NET. I will spend your contribution with respect.
Republicans and Conservatives in Queens need to be united. It is my goal. It shall be our goal. Join me.
Petitioning for citywide offices including the candidacy of yours truly starts February 23, 2021. We will get many good Republican candidates on the ballot including the following City Council candidates: Alex Amoroso, Martin Hightower, Marvin Jeffcoat, Felicia Kalan, Angelo King, Vickie Paladino and others.
Together, we will rise up, unite, and win elections in 2021. When Republicans win, citizens in Queens win.
February 7, 2021
(New York, NY) Curtis Sliwa, a candidate for the Republican Party nomination for Mayor, said today that Fernando Mateo, also a GOP candidate, should stop his lame excuses for his $18,800 in illegal straw donations to Bill de Blasio’s re-election campaign and just apologize.
Mateo has publicly stated that he was “tricked” by the Mayor and was the “victim” in the pay to play schemes. However, published reports about the promotion of Mateo’s niece with the NYPD and his admitting his goal with the illegal contributions was to land a city job for a friend (Ahlam Jaoui) proves he knew exactly what he was doing. Mateo even boldly stated “That’s the way politics works.”
According to the report, Mateo’s niece, Det. Nancy Sola, who was a member of de Blasio’s NYPD police detail, had been promoted to second grade detective even after she had been “caught driving the Mayor through stop signs just days after he announced his ‘Vision Zero’ plan to improve pedestrian and cyclist safety.” The promotion was “despite the potentially career-derailing speed bump she hit in February 2014 when she blew through stop signs and was speeding with the mayor beside her in the passenger seat.”
The DNA Info expose’ reported that, “As it turned out, Sola is also the niece of politically influential taxi driver advocate Fernando Mateo” and that “Mateo started pressing his NYPD brass contacts to promote his niece as far back as a year and a half ago” according to sources at the time and that she didn’t have the seniority for promotion in the detail.
This revelation is on top of Mateo admitting that he funneled $18,800 in illegal “straw donations” to the Mayor’s re-election campaign in 2016 to land a city job for Jaoui, saying “That’s the way politics works.” In addition, Mateo’s wife was seeking the city’s permission for a women-only livery service.
Sliwa, who founded the Guardian Angels 40 years ago, said “Mateo should just apologize and admit he got caught up in the pay to play schemes that have been a hallmark of the de Blasio administration. Republicans will have a tough enough time winning back City Hall; we don’t need a candidate that not only made illegal political contributions, but did it on behalf of the worst Mayor in NYC history. This guy is not a credible candidate for Republicans to get behind and he will be a ticking time bomb for our Party.”
The primary election for both Republicans and Democrats will be held on Tuesday, June 22.
To read relevant published reports, click below:
https://nypost.com/2016/06/28/de-blasio-fundraiser-admits-to-pay-for-play-bundling-scheme/
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This past Monday former Governor George Pataki came to the studios of WABC and appeared on my show. He was angry that the group (NY United 4 Change) was attempting to poach Republicans by having them register as Democrats so that moderate Dems could fend off the takeover of their Party by the Socialist Dems. The Establishment Democrats wanted Republicans to know that a Republican could not win as Mayor. Pataki was there to refute that claim. He reminded the audience that when he announced for Governor in 1994 almost no one knew him and almost everyone said that he couldn’t beat MARIO CUOMO. Dems had nominated Cuomo for political sainthood. Pataki said the consensus was that he couldn’t win the Republican primary, never mind beat the man who could have been President.
I began to reminisce how on the night that I was fired at WABC from the morning show in 1994 I went to the Yale Club to fulfill a promise that I had made to introduce Republican Gubernatorial candidate George Pataki. There were 8 people in attendance – 4 of Pataki’s family members, 2 of his classroom chums and 2 strangers. The 2 strangers told George he had no chance to beat Cuomo. Six months later outside of Ben’s Kosher Deli on Queens Blvd. Bob Grant, the King of Talk Radio, and comedian Jackie Mason spoke at a rally for Pataki. Half the crowd made it known they didn’t think George could beat Mario.
Two weeks before Election Day the polls had Cuomo up by 10 points. In 1994 47% of voters were Democrats and only 31% were Republicans. Cuomo won NYC but Pataki almost the rest of the state. Final tally had Pataki with 47% of the vote and Mario Cuomo with only 44%. He went on to serve 3 terms as NYS Governor and stood side by side with Rudy in the aftermath of the attack of 9/11. Being a hopeless underdog was no deterrent. He believed from the beginning that he could win the race.
Pataki urged all Republicans not to jump ship, to fight for the principles of the Party and to push forward as he had to VICTORY.
I was inspired and I hope you will be too,
Republican Mayoral Candidate 2021
This is the most important election of our lifetime. There is so much at stake in this election and we urge you to VOTE IN PERSON on Election Day, or VOTE EARLY in person to avoid the rush on Election Day.
It was a rainy evening on September 3rd but more than 80 guests attended the Dinner Meeting under the Triple Crown Diner Tent in Bellerose filling the venue to capacity. The event featured Steve Bannon video conferenced in live from the War Room Pandemic, and other exciting speakers in person. Enthusiasm was evident as chanting spontaneously broke out—“USA, USA” and “Four More Years” repeatedly. Here are the videos of this energizing event.
Steve Bannon
Bevelyn Beatty
Diane Atkins
Dave Franklin
Giovanni Perna
Repeal the Bail Reform ActBy Dave Franklin
I was watching a softball game recently and between innings the umpire, who looked to be in his 60’s, came over to chat with me. When I asked him how he had fared the past few months, he shook his head and said, “I feel like I woke up one day and was on a different Earth”. After introducing myself as a former police commissioner in Port Washington, he went on to ask how anyone in their right mind could possibly endorse, let alone help pass the Bail Reform Act.
The failure of the Democrat’s Bail Reform Act is the major impetus that led me to seek higher office and run for State Senate in District 7. I am greatly concerned for the safety of all due to the revolving door justice system implemented by the ruling party in NY State and I will work to change that.
Although my opponent tried to walk back her initial enthusiasm for Bail Reform and supported it’s April amendment, she still does not believe that bail is necessary when it comes to criminal sale of a controlled substance to a child, reckless assault of a child, tampering with a consumer product, bribery, perjury or endangering the welfare of an elderly person and the list goes on and on. This revised law does not provide judges with the discretion to post bail or remand offenders who may be dangerous to the public, either. There are virtually no consequences for almost all drug crimes, 2nd and 3rd degree robbery or for domestic violence offenders. This leaves some of our most vulnerable victims exposed.
Additionally, the Discovery law, which provides for each party to obtain evidence from each other, was changed from 15 to 20 days for a defendant in custody, and from 15 to 35 days for a defendant not in custody. While collecting said evidence, law enforcement and district attorneys attempt to find everything which pertains to a case. 20 days is not enough time to properly execute this search. It is greatly concerning that someone with so little foresight or regard for their constituent’s lives is in power.
Tourists, commuters and even residents are staying away from New York City due to the surge in violent crime. Fox News reported that during the recent “protests” there were about 425 people arrested, then released who went on to commit another 850 crimes. This has even prompted a local elected official to warn his constituents about the dangers of visiting. The Democrat’s answer to this chaos is to defund and disband the police (who are being attacked at an alarming rate) and it has already started with the Anti-Crime Unit.
The New York State Democrats, with their one-party rule, have done more for criminals than for law abiding citizens. Bail Reform was passed without public hearings or consultation with law enforcement professionals. The language was made public only hours prior to the vote. I do believe that some reform is necessary, but what should have been dealt with surgically was instead hacked with a machete in a politically motivated bill that has put all New Yorkers lives in jeopardy.
Bail Reform is only one example of how far to the left our state has become. One-party rule is not working out for anyone – except criminals and I plan to put an end to that. This November 3rd, be sure to vote for Row B and to restore common sense law and order to our great State.
Dave Franklin is the former Port Washington Police Commissioner, and Republican Candidate for State Senate in District 7. franklinforsenate.com
By Robert Golomb
Editor’s Note: This is syndicated columnist Bob Golomb’s latest column as published in the news and media outlet, The Published Reporter
Republican candidate David Franklin walking in the Pride in the Port Parade. Photo courtesy Pam Monfort.
NEW YORK, NY – David Franklin, the Republican candidate in this coming November’s election for NYS State Senate in the empire state’s 7th Senate District, which encompasses Nassau County’s entire town of North Hempstead and reaches into small portions of the towns of Hempstead and Oyster Bay, credits his opponent, one term incumbent Democratic Senator Anna Kaplan, for initially motivating him to run for that office.
First focusing on what he contended was Kaplan’s anti-public safety voting record, Franklin, who served in the elected civilian position as 1 of 3 commissioners of the Port Washington Police Department from 2011- 2019, explained to me in a recent interview,
“When I saw that Senator Kaplan had voted in favor of bills, which, when signed into law by Governor Cuomo, jeopardized the safety of people in this district and, in fact, across Long Island and the entire state, I felt I had to do more than just complain. So I decided to run to defeat her, and then work with Republican and moderate Democrats to pass legislation to repeal what actually amounts to be pro criminal laws.”
Franklin, 63, the married father of two adult sons, cited Kaplan’s vote in favor of the Bail Reform Law as the most egregious example of what he asserted was her past support for “pro criminal” legislation. One of the most controversial provisions of the law, which was passed on April 1, 2019 and became effective on January 1, 2020, eliminates a judge’s power to set pre-trial bail for all misdemeanors and most non-violent felonies.
“There are more than 40 serious criminal offenses which judges are no longer permitted to set bail for” stated Franklin. “Those offenses,” Franklin elaborated, “include resisting arrest, selling a firearm to a minor, failing to register as a sex offender, and, as hard as it seems to believe, even defendants charged with possessing child pornography no longer are required to post bail.”
Franklin also attacked another provision of the law, which requires a judge to waive the bail of any defendant who the court determines does not possess the financial resources to pay it. This provision, as Franklin lamented, covers robbery, rape and murder defendants, who, paradoxically, even the under the new law would otherwise have had bail imposed on them. The Republican challenger was equally critical of still another provision of the law, which prohibits a judge from considering a defendant’s past record of criminal convictions when setting bail.
“This horrendous Bail Reform Law which my opponent voted for eliminates a judge’s authority to set a bail amount which reflects both the seriousness of the crime and the accused’s past criminal history,” stated Franklin. “As a result, some very dangerous people, who under the old law would be in jail awaiting trial, are now freely roaming the streets of our state endangering the safety of us all.”
While acknowledging that Governor Cuomo and the state legislature (which Democrats currently control by a 39-24 majority) have recently enacted some minor modifications to the bail law, Franklin contended that it remains essentially unchanged. “While a few superficial changes were made, what it amounted to is rearranging the chairs on the Titanic,” Franklin charged.
Continuing to focus on his opponent’s record on public safety, Franklin also criticized Kaplan for what he argued was her failure to condemn the violent criminal activities of such radical groups as the Black Lives Matter Movement and Antifa.
“Bands of rioters led by Black Lives Matter and Antifa have looted, ransacked and burned stores in mid-town Manhattan, and far beyond, where millions of Long Islanders along with their counterparts throughout the state once shopped and worked, as part of their ordinary lives,” stated Franklin. “These same groups of anarchists have attacked and injured more than 350 NYC police officers and disabled dozens of police vehicles. And yet Senator Kaplan appears oblivious to all of this.
“You would think,” Franklin added,“that Senator Kaplan would use the political power and moral force of her office to condemn these violent thugs for destroying property, stealing merchandise and attacking New York City’s brave and embattled police officers. However, just like the governor and her Democratic senate colleagues, she has remained deafeningly silent.”
While Franklin’s criticism of Kaplan focused mainly on public safety, he also slammed the incumbent for voting against a recent business- related amendment sponsored by the New York State Senate Republican Conference. The amendment, which had it been enacted would have provided relief to small business owners, who, since the covid-19 massive employee layoffs began across the state 6 months ago have been paying significant increases for unemployment insurance – was also opposed by Governor Cuomo and the Democratic majority in the state senate.
“This amendment, without, it is essential to understand, reducing the actual amount of unemployment insurance paid to the unemployed, would have cut the rate paid by small business owners who were devasted by the covid-19 pandemic and are now fighting to reopen their businesses and rehire their employees. Why Governor Cuomo, Senator Kaplan and her Democratic senate colleagues opposed this pro- small business amendment is a question I would like all of them to answer,” chided Franklin, who in addition to his 9-year tenure as Port Washington Police Commissioner, had worked in private industry for more than 35 years.
Referring to Kaplan’s position as Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Economic Development and Small Business, an entity which offers financial aid and other forms of assistance to small businesses and starter-up companies, Franklin added, “As the chairperson of a committee set-up to support small businesses, Senator Kaplan’s vote against an amendment designed to help small business owners would be difficult to understand under any circumstances, but especially incomprehensible during this challenging time when as a result of the corona virus caused shut-downs, many business owners need assistance from the state to once again be able to serve their customers, rehire their employees and earn a good income for themselves and their families.”
Franklin’s final criticism of Senator Kaplan related to the severe population decline in New York State, which, according to U.S. Census Bureau, as of the end of 2019, had more citizens that same year moving to other states than any other state in the nation- a trend which based on some current estimates, appears to be increasing in 2020.
Franklin attributed this exodus to what he asserted were the failing tax and earlier discussed criminal justice policies of Governor Cuomo, Senator Kaplan and her Democratic senate colleagues.
“Governor Cuomo with the support and votes of Senator Kaplan and her fellow Democrats has imposed a heavy tax burden on business owners, workers and home owners. That, I believe, is 1 of the 2 main reasons why New York State is losing so many of our citizens to other states. The other major reason,” Franklin continued, “as we discussed before, is the surge in crime caused by the Bail Reform Law and other misguided and dangerous Democratic initiated criminal justice laws, which have made many people afraid to continue to live and raise their families in the state. If I am elected, I will work to undo the harm created by the entire Democratic machine.”
Whether or not the voters of the 7TH District give Franklin that opportunity is, in the absence of reliable polling data in this contest, very difficult to predict. While the district’s registered Democrats currently outnumber registered Republicans by a 40.4 % to 28.4% margin, prior to Kaplan’s impressive 55% to 45% victory over then one term incumbent Elaine Phillips, Republican Jack Martins had been elected first elected to the seat in 2008 and re-elected in 2010, 2012, and 2014, with Phillips winning in 2016.
Still, when asked whether he was encouraged by the prior to 2018 success of Republicans in the district or discouraged by both Kaplan’s decisive win 2 years ago and the significant advantage Democrats hold over Republicans in registered voters, Franklin responded that while he was aware of these facts, he finds them to be unimportant.
“I am aware of but not influenced by the outcomes of past elections or by voter party affiliation. Rather, all of my energy is spent on working as hard as I can along with my excellent campaign team, so we can win this election and help make New York State become great once again.”
He and we will have to wait until after all the votes are counted in the late evening of election day, November 3rd, to learn whether or not that hard work paid off.
Robert Golomb is a nationally and internationally syndicated columnist. His work has appeared in The South Asian Times, The Epoch Times, The Long Island Jewish World group of papers, the Muslim Community Report, the Messenger and more. You can email him at MrBob347@aol.com.
This Photo hits on a Key Theme of my Mayoral Campaign. IMPROVE DON’T MOVE. If Govt. abandons
their responsibility to provide Public Safety to all than the residents are left on their own. This picture
was taken on the corner of West 72nd Street and Central Park West right across from the Dakota
Apartment building. It was there that Mark David Chapman shot and killed John Lennon on Dec. 8th of
cops assigned to the trains at nite. The city was in a tail spin. Violent Crime was exploding everywhere.
There were not enough cops. In 1980 the Gay Community asked us to patrol the Rambles section of Central
Park where Gay Men were being attacked, assaulted and robbed. There were not enough cops to patrol.
We filled the void. We said then that Our City would have to do more with less. We preached and
practiced SELF-HELP. That is the position that we are in once again in 2020.
When the MOB screams out “Whose Streets ? Our Streets!” we say “We want SAFE STREETS for
everyone because the streets belong to ALL OF US”. As we patrol the UWS I will take this Mayoral
Campaign to the Streets where No Republican has ever gone before.
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Ruth Papazian is a Republican “working class candidate” who was born and raised in the East Bronx, seeking the Republican nomination in NY Congressional District 14, to run against AOC, the most dangerous Congressmember in America. AOC will be defeated!
The October 3rd General Club Meeting was our annual Columbus Day Dinner held at Nancy’s restaurant. The Queens County Republican Party Reorganization was scheduled for the same night, so our club president and several officers and members could not be present.
By Robert Golomb
Editor’s Note: This column, as syndicated columnist’s Bob Golomb’s previous piece published on these pages two weeks ago prove, the leftist Democrats cause as many terrible problems in Suffolk County as they do everywhere else in America, including right here in Queens. Please share this column with your friends in Suffolk County and urge them to vote for John M. Kennedy for County Executive and, if they live in the 2nd Legislative District, to vote for Linda Kabot.
Most of Long Island’s political media have reported primarily on the battle in this year’s November 5th election for Suffolk County Executive waging between Republican challenger, County Comptroller John M. Kennedy (whom I interviewed for a column that appeared on these pages 2 weeks ago), and Democrat incumbent Steve Bellone (with whose campaign staff I have been at the time of this writing unsuccessfully attempting to schedule an interview for a column).
This media attention reflects the importance to the county’s 1.5 million residents of the position of Suffolk County Executive, whose authority as the county’s highest elected official includes proposing, seeking legislative approval and enacting the annual budget, managing the county’s dozens of departments and agencies and representing Suffolk’s interests in its financial and legal dealings with the federal and state governments.
So far less covered by the media, but collectively of equal importance to the County Executive race, are this fall’s contests between Democrats and Republicans for the 18 seats of the Suffolk County Legislature. Co-equal to the County Executive, the Suffolk County Legislature is responsible for approving or disapproving the county head’s proposed budget, serving as the official governmental watchdog to prevent wasteful spending, levying taxes and setting county policies, most notably those affecting public health and public safety.
For the 24 elections held since the Suffolk County Legislator was first established in January 1970 (for 200 years prior a “Board of Supervisors” served as the county’s statutory body), political contests for the 2- year term seats on this legislative branch have been known to be fiercely fought. However, this year’s contest, the 25th in the county’s history, has been said by several political insiders with whom I have been in contact to be the most harshly fought of any in recent memory.
According to several of these same sources, the most intensely fought of all 18 seats (11 currently held by Democrats and 7 by the GOP) has been the battle between the Republican challenger Linda Kabot and 2 term Democrat incumbent Bridget Fleming in Suffolk County Legislative District (LD) 2, the county’s 2nd largest geographical district, which spans the entire South Fork of Suffolk, comprising the towns of Southampton and East Hampton, Shelter Island, East Moriches, and portions of the Town of Brookhaven.
However, when I interviewed Kabot in Suffolk County last week, I thought, at first, that my usually reliable sources had misled me. To my surprise, rather than beginning the interview with a strong rebuke of Fleming, Kabot told me that she and her opponent share the same views on several important local environmental issues. Citing their agreement on proposals to upgrade septic systems, create sewer districts in downtown village areas and develop storm abatement systems in low lying areas of East Suffolk, Kabot stated, “Both Ms. Fleming and I agree that these programs are vital to protecting the environment and safeguarding our communities from potential natural disasters.”
However, Kabot, 52, who has in the past served a combined 14 years in the executive and legislative branches of the Southampton municipality, including 6 years as a councilwoman and 2 years as town supervisor, just moments later made it clear to me that beyond their areas of agreement on these environmental programs, she and Fleming hold polar opposite positions on all other key issues.
“Other than our shared support of several environmental programs, I have extremely strong disagreements with Ms. Fleming concerning every major issue affecting the people of Suffolk”, stated Kabot, the married mother of 3 young adult sons.
The main area of their disagreement pointed to by Kabot relates to the county’s $2 billion accumulated debt, and its interconnected almost $900 million operating deficit. To pay off the interests on that debt and to fund government operational services, Kabot stated, the county under Bellone’s stewardship and with the approval of Democratic legislators, including Fleming for the past 4 years, has raised property taxes by 22% while increasing by $100 million the fees that residents pay to the county for such matters as recording their mortgages, purchasing burglar alarms, registering their vehicles, and for camping, fishing and holding group events at public parks.
“Mr. Bellone’s
across the board tax increases, which were rubber stamped into law by Ms.
Fleming and her Democrat colleagues in the legislature, have hit our middle-class
residents the hardest… This just proves Mr. Bellone’s and Ms. Fleming’s claim
to be ‘protecting the taxpayer’ is an outright lie”, stated Kabot.
“Ms. Fleming and her fellow Democrats in the legislature”, Kabot continued, “have also voted in favor of Bellone’s budget deficits which have led to Suffolk County Bond ratings being downgraded seven times, now standing at a dismal Baa 2 rating, just one level above junk bond status.”
True to what I had originally expected, Kabot’s criticism of Fleming became more acerbic. Noting a recent report issued by New York State Comptroller, which, comparing Suffolk to the other 61 counties in NYS, described it as the state’s financially “most stressed county”, Kabot added, “this is just further proof that Mr. Bellone and legislators like Ms. Fleming have brought the county to the financial breaking point.”
Kabot, who has worked closely with Kennedy throughout the campaign, told me that if he and she are both elected, they, along with other Republican and some moderate Democratic lawmakers, will introduce policies and establish guidelines to restore the county’s financial viability.
The first item on their agenda, she stated, will be to repeal a law, supported by Bellone and Fleming, which currently requires the county to use funds acquired from its casinos to be directed to pay for the public financing of political campaigns.
“Taxpayers should not be forced to help finance any candidate’s political campaign. Casino revenues should be directed into the general fund and be used to help pay off our huge debt”, said Kabot.
The next item on Kennedy’s and her agenda, Kabot said, will be to conduct a formal review of the dozens of the county’s executive departments and agencies, which, she contended, have increased significantly in number under Bellone, adding to the county’s debt without providing any tangible benefit to the public.
“This overblown bureaucracy created by Bellone and his rubber stamp legislators, such as Ms. Fleming, provides no benefits to our overtaxed citizens”, Kabot charged. “To reduce spending, the entire budget will be carefully reviewed {if she and Kennedy are elected} department by department. We will be focused on such reforms as combining agencies that perform redundant jobs and reducing the number of departments in the county’s executive branch.”
The final financial item we discussed, while budget related, touched upon an issue connected to a bitter national debate concerning the rights of illegal immigrants. Kabot noted that Fleming favors wide- ranging entitlements for the thousands of illegal immigrants living in Suffolk. Referring to Fleming’s support for the county’s paying for their health care services, college tuition and legal aid, Kabot stated, “As a child of parents who came here as legal immigrants, I am committed to assisting people who came to America through legal means. However, I view the status of legal and illegal immigrants to be totally different…. We have funneled millions of dollars from our $700 million public assistance programs to pay for services for illegals. That money must be redirected to help pay off our enormous deficit.”
Our discussion of her and Fleming’s opposing views on illegal immigrants did not end there. Kabot attacked her opponent for her highly controversial vote against a resolution presented to the Legislature on February 7th, 2019. The resolution (which was passed with the vote of every legislator other than Fleming) called for the county to accept $ 65,000 in federal funding related to the Suffolk County’s Police Department’s (SCPD) participation in the “ICE EL DORADO TASK FORCE” (IEDTF) program.
Comprised, among other law enforcement agencies, of Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE) agents and SCPD detectives, IEDTF was primarily formed, Kabot noted, to target criminal gangs made- up of illegal immigrants, including the notorious MS-13.
“Fleming’s vote against receiving federal money directed to aid law enforcement- which she tellingly defends by saying she was opposed to ICE’s participation in the task force- proves that she is indifferent to the safety concerns of every person living or even visiting Suffolk County”, stated Kabot.
Come the late evening of November 5th, we will learn whether or not the voters of Suffolk County share that depiction of Ms. Fleming.
Robert Golomb is a nationally and internationally published columnist. Mail him at MrBob347@aol.com and follow him on Twitter@RobertGolomb
By Frederick R. Bedell Jr., Grand Knight of St. Anastasia Knights of Columbus Council #5911
November 5th is Election Day, and is a time for all registered voters to get out and vote for a better community. In the last General Election the voter turn out was low. Well in my opinion I find that to be a total disgrace. We live in a free country and we have the right to chose who can better represents us. When we don’t vote the possibility exist that wrong candidate gets elected who doesn’t represents our vital interest.
We need representatives who want to serve the people and are truly concerned with what we the people hold most dear. There are many issues that should concern us and they are: taxes, education, homelessness, affordable housing, health care, crime, and transportation. The issues are endless and need to be address by our elected representatives who hopefully have workable solutions.
When we don’t vote we have no right to complain how bad things are. Added to that when we don’t vote, the quality of life decreases. We all need to express a desire for better communities. To my fellow citizens please get out and vote on election day because it is very important. So wake up and smell the coffee and get out and vote !
By Robert Golomb
Editor’s note: This column reveals how leftist Democrats fail everywhere, including, in this case in Suffolk County. Please share this column with your friends in Suffolk County and urge them to vote for John M. Kennedy.
Suffolk County Comptroller John M. Kennedy, 62, the Republican Party candidate for County Executive against 2 term Democratic incumbent Steve Bellone in the upcoming November 5th election, has long stood out in the highly contentious world of politics for his well- known practice of de-personalizing his criticism of his opponents. Kennedy’s distaste for mounting personal attacks against his political adversaries has even been said to annoy some Republicans.
However, it has apparently worked well for Kennedy, an attorney, who has won every one his 7 political contests, going back to his first in November 2004, when he was elected as a Suffolk County legislator, continuing with his 4 successful re-election bids to that 2 year term office and cresting with his first election to the executive position of County Comptroller in 2014 and his re-election to that post 4 years later.
Kennedy, whom I interviewed last week, explained his restraint in attacking past political adversaries.
“I always possessed a personal respect for my {Democratic} opponents”, he stated. “So in every one of my campaigns I never questioned their integrity or sincerity. What I did question was their policies. And I tried my best to explain to voters why my policies would better serve the needs of their families, their communities and the county than would those of my opponent.”
While Kennedy told me that as in the past he will focus his current campaign on the issues affecting the county, he added that unlike his former contests, he is running a “gloves off’’ race against Bellone.
“How do I in good conscience give Mr. Bellone a personal free pass when he has so severely damaged the financial stability of Suffolk County while burdening its citizens with out of control taxes”, he charged.
Repeating to me what he has been saying to voters on the campaign trail and stating to other media, Kennedy blamed Bellone for the downgrading of the county’s bond rating to Baa2 (a ranking associated with junk bonds), raising property taxes by 22% and increasing the employee payroll cost by more than $100 million, while, paradoxically, eliminating almost 1,000 jobs from the county workforce over the same time span.
“Where do I begin in describing the horrible job Bellone has done the past 7 plus years he’s been in office?” stated Kennedy, who, clearly no longer burdened by his past self-generated dictum to go easy on his opponents, added, “The county’s fiscal mismanagement has resulted in our abysmal bond rating, creating a fiscal crisis so severe that we struggle to meet our weekly and monthly financial obligations.”
“The increased property taxes”, continued Kennedy, “have placed a tremendous burden on home owners, and the decrease in the workforce has reduced the quantity and quality of services the county is responsible for providing its citizens. And we have one main person to blame for this man- made mess, Steve Bellone”.
Kennedy also blamed Bellone for increasing county service fees, which, he noted, Suffolk’s nonpartisan Budget Review Office reported in 2017 had increased by a total of $80 million from the previous year and has continued to rise since then. This increase, the Republican challenger contended, is the reason why residents reportedly now pay higher amounts for such transactions as recording their mortgages, purchasing burglar alarms and even taking their dogs to the groomer.
Kennedy also charged that under Bellone’s stewardship the county has upped the fees at public parks for recreational activities ranging from camping, fishing, hunting and group events, as well as raising the amount residents pay for parking on the encompassing public grounds.
“These multiple fees are nothing less than onerous hidden taxes, which hit the working-class residents the hardest. Bellone should be ashamed of himself”, said Kennedy.
Kennedy, a lifetime resident of Suffolk County who with his wife of 44 years, Leslie, raised now adult children and has 7 grandchildren, imputed these increased taxes and higher fees to the 16,000 population decline the county has suffered during the incumbent’s tenure.
“Thousands of Suffolk County mothers and fathers have seen their children and their children’s children forced to leave the county and the state due to the burden of Bellone’s tax hikes, which, by the way, indirectly increase the cost of other day to day living expenditures”, contended Kennedy.
Kennedy promised that if he wins in November, he will implement policies which will reverse this trend and restore the county’s fiscal health. While stating that he plans to save millions of tax payer dollars by merging agencies that perform the same jobs, reducing the number of departments in the county’s executive branch and establishing cost cutting partnerships with town governments, he stressed that the major way he plans to reduce the county deficit will be by bringing new businesses into Suffolk, which, he said, will create many new tax- paying jobs and generate millions of dollars in tax revenue to the county.
“We will save money by reducing wasteful government spending. Even more importantly, we will raise funds to meet our expenses by adding revenue brought in by new businesses, which will be established in the county”, said Kennedy “This will be accomplished by creating a pro- business climate, which will be the direct opposite of the progressive leftist high taxes, over- regulation anti- business climate created by Bellone, which, sadly, has caused hundreds of businesses to close in Suffolk.”
Kennedy reflected that his current job as comptroller, which involves auditing the finances of both county department and county funded nonprofit agencies, processing county invoices, signing off on county checks and issuing annual county financial reports, but does not include any form of control over taxation and spending, has been both enlightening and frustrating.
“As comptroller I have gained a very thorough understanding of the complexities of the county’s budget. However, the authority of the comptroller is limited by statute”, explained Kennedy. “So I did not have the legal power to stop Bellone from raising taxes and fees. And I did not have the legal authority to prevent him from overspending to such an extent that the county now faces the ticking time bomb of a $900 million deficit. If I win in November, I pledge to reverse his policies and return fiscal sanity to Suffolk County.”
After all of the votes are counted in the late evening of November 5th, we will learn whether or not Kennedy will have the chance to make good on that pledge.
Robert Golomb is a nationally and internationally published columnist. Mail him at MrBob347@aol.com or follow him on Twitter@RobertGolomb
Columbus Day Dinner
THURSDAY OCT. 3, 2019 at 7:30 PM
Nancy’s Restaurant
255-41 Jericho Tpke, Floral Park, NY
We long for a true Republican party in Queens, a party no longer Republican In Name Only, a Republican party that will no longer fail its base, a party unapologetically dedicated to realistic compassionate conservative values, a party that loves and appreciates America as a beacon of social, economic and religious freedom in the world, a party that unapologetically supports President Trump, a Republican party that will restore victory and hopefulness to our long-ignored Queens constituents, a revived Queens Republican presence that will Make Queens Republican Again.
Michael Zumbluskas: Over the past 25 years Mike has led voter registration and party enrollment drives throughout New York, and worked as a campaign advisor for numerous Independent, Republican and Democratic candidates, and as a consultant on numerous campaigns from local city council races to presidential campaigns and served as the New York County Chairman of the Independence Party. He has appeared on many television programs as a studio panelist on electoral reform and grassroots activism. Mike currently works as a resource management analyst for the New York City Department of Transportation. Visit website.
Daniel Christmann: AM620 Radio Show Host. “Humanity for ALL of the World starts and ends in NYC! As Public Advocate I will not stand for these thieving politicians, or these inhumane bureaucracies. The Environment. Housing, and our Transportation systems are under duress! The government, bankers, and corporations have exploited our poor and middle-class. They are starting to ramp things up in ways we can barely even imagine! Our Transportation Systems are collapsing, many road closures coming.” Visit website for more.
Manny Alicandro: Financial law expert and attorney from Brooklyn, a 2018 Republican candidate who ran for New York State Attorney General. He is running for NYC Public Advocate to clean up City Hall. “As I pass by the many homeless people in the freezing cold weather, I realize that the ban on styrofoam goes into effect today. This is one of the many reasons why I am running for PA – to stop the madness” @Manny_Alicandro
Tony Herbert: A Community Leader who has a broad range of corporate, political, community and business leadership experience. Tony is a community activist and media personality who is best known for providing a voice to those who have been disenfranchised. He currently serves as the President/CEO and Chairman of the Multi-Cultural Restaurant & Night Life Chamber of Commerce, as the Founder and President of the Advocates Without Borders Network, executive committee member of the NAACP-NYCHA Branch Chapter. Visit website for more.
Carrie Sheffield: founder of Bold, a digital news network committed to bipartisan dialogue & innovation for people, business & communities, will discuss:
“How the GOP can improve its messaging with Millennials, minorities and women”
As a Goldman Sachs analyst, Carrie managed municipal credit risk, and at Moody’s Investors Service, she rated healthcare bonds. In foreign affairs, Carrie reported on the 25th anniversary of perestroika in Moscow, North-South Korean relations from Seoul, the Beijing Olympics in China, and Egyptian political reforms in Cairo. She wrote on geopolitical positioning and freedom of speech in Qatar and covered the Israeli parliament for The Jerusalem Post. Carrie covered Congress for The Hill newspaper and served as a founding reporter at POLITICO. See full bio below.
Additional Public Advocate candidates
to be announced.
By Phil Orenstein
Earlier this year we hosted our glorious 143rd Anniversary Lincoln Dinner where Dr. Kim Holmes, Executive Vice President of the Heritage Foundation eloquently praised the accomplishments of the Queens Village Republican Club as “a red dot in a sea of blue.” Now that red dot is poised to grow bigger and brighter as we continue the righteous mission of America’s oldest Republican Club and proclaim the boundless accomplishments of our President Donald Trump and celebrate the revival of American greatness.
We will continue hosting vibrant and inspiring meetings and events, registering and recruiting loyal Republicans and spreading the word of freedom and the importance of community, here in this sea of blue. We are the freedom fighters for a great cause against the radical leftist bastion in NYC, battling in the spirit of our founding fathers and George Washington who invoked God’s almighty care and protection. The cause we are fighting for is America, and America is worth fighting for.
