By Kathianne Boniello
The incumbent in the 24th state Assembly District is seeking a fourth term against political newcomer Philip Sica of Queens Village, who is running for office for the first time. Weprin lives in Hollis Hill.
Weprin, 39, raised $75,299 from January 1999 to Oct. 6, 2000, the state campaign finance documents showed. Of that amount nearly 83 percent – or more than $62,000 – has come from individuals or groups outside Queens.
The documents revealed that Sica, 66, has not raised or spent more than $1,000 for his campaign so far. The state Board of Elections tracks campaign finances for each candidate and requires those who raise or spend more than $1,000 on their campaigns to file with the agency.
Weprin was elected to the Assembly in a special election in March 1994, after his father, longtime Queens politician Saul Weprin, died in February 1994. Saul Weprin held the 24th Assembly district seat for more than 23 years and was the speaker of the Assembly.
The 24th District includes Bayside, Fresh Meadows, Glen Oaks, Hollis Hills, Oakland Gardens, Holliswood, Jamaica Estates, and parts of Auburndale, Bellerose, Douglaston, Little Neck, Floral Park, and Flushing.
Over the nearly two-year period covered by the state documents, Weprin has spent a little more than $43,700. Nearly 40 percent of that sum went to groups or individuals outside of the borough, the state Board of Elections paperwork showed.
Overall, donations have exceeded expenditures in the Weprin campaign. In 1999, the incumbent raised more than $37,000, of which more than $32,800 came from organizations and individuals outside Queens.
Donations to Weprin in 1999 included: $1,000 from the Friends of Mario Cuomo Committee in Manhattan in March 1999; a $1,500 contribution from Metropolitan Life Insurance; and $1,000 from the New York Telephone State Political Action Committee.
Of the slightly more than $4,300 that Weprin received from Queens individuals or organizations, John Liu, a Democratic city council candidate from Flushing, contributed $100 in March 1999. During the same time, Citizens for John Liu gave $1,000 to the Weprin campaign.
From January 2000 to Oct. 6, Weprin raised more than $38,000, of which $29,600 came from groups or individuals outside the borough.
During that time, state Attorney General Eliot Spitzer – who appeared at a Weprin fund-raiser in Little Neck this summer – gave contributions totaling $300.
While most of his financial support has come from outside Queens, Weprin's spending has been squarely centered on groups inside the borough. Campaign finance documents showed that he has spent nearly 62 percent of his campaign funds in Queens.
In 1999, the assemblyman spent more than $16,200 and over $7,000 of that sum went to Queens organizations, including a $250 donation to the Glen Oaks Little League; a $500 contribution to the Committee to Elect Brian McLaughlin (D-Flushing); and a $200 gift to the Queens Jewish Community Council.
Weprin has also contributed to local Democratic groups and clubs, including contributions of about $900 to the Democratic Organization of Queens; about $400 to the Independence Party of Queens; and a $375 gift to the Saul Weprin Democratic Club.
From January 2000 to Oct. 6, the assemblyman's expenditures have included a $1,500 contribution to the Friends of Mike Gianaris, who is running for the Assembly seat in Astoria; a $550 donation to the Eastern Queens Democratic Club; and a $300 contribution to the Democratic Organization of Queens.
