By Adam Kramer
As of the first deadline of the year for candidates' campaign finance disclosures Jan. 11, five Democrats and two Republicans had thrown their hats into the ring and headed out on the campaign and fund-raising trail.
Councilman Sheldon Leffler (D-Hollis) and Queens former Board of Education rep Carol Gresser, another Democrat, lead the fund-raising race. They were followed by City Councilwoman Helen Marshall (D-East Elmhurst), state Assemblywoman Audrey Pheffer (D-Rockaway) and Republican Councilman Al Stabile (R-Ozone Park). Councilwoman Karen Koslowitz (D-Forest Hills) was in sixth place and Councilman Mike Abel (R-Bayside) was ranked seventh.
According to the Campaign Finance Board, which tracks the contributions and expenditures of each candidate for elected city office, Leffler had $431,115 in his war chest Jan. 11 to lead the pack of borough president candidates.
He was followed by Gresser with $423,022, Marshall with $204,747, Pheffer with $173,502, Stabile with $148,196, Koslowitz at $98,346 and Abel at $68,733.
Shulman has run the borough since 1986 when she succeeded Donald Manes, who killed himself in the midst of a Parking Violations Bureau corruption scandal. Shulman was the first woman elected to the post of Queens borough president.
“I do not believe success is determined by the amount of money raised,” said Leffler. “Political consultants say raise as much as you can, raise the maximum.”
He said even more important than raising the top dollar amount is a candidate's ability to convince people that he or she is the best person to lead the borough. Leffler said he thought he was that person.
Asked how much she would need to run a competitive race, Gresser said the ideal amount for the borough president election would be $1 million. But she said it was just as important to meet with people from all over Queens.
“I am covering the borough, every nook and cranny,” she said, “and it is a wonderful experience.”
Both Koslowitz and Pheffer said they wanted to raise the maximum amount allowed for the borough presidency, which is $1,177,000 for the primary and again for the general election. Of that total, the cap on matching funds is $647,350.
“My main thing is to get out in the community as I have done as a councilwoman,” said Koslowitz. “It is important to get out and get your message out.”
She said she thought the majority of her support would come from the grassroots community, which she has worked for and supported throughout her years in public office.
According to the Campaign Finance Board, Koslowitz lost $63,540 in matching funds because her filing was late. But she said she recently raised another $50,000 at a fund-raiser. The next filing deadline for the candidates is July 16.
A confident Stabile said he started fund-raising in October or November and expected to raise between $300,000 and $400,000, which along with matching funds would bring him into the $1 million range.
“I am running and I am going to win,” he said. “I think I have something the others don't have. I have strong roots in the minority community and substantial roots with businesses and everyday people.”
The total in each candidate's campaign chest is determined by all the money the candidate has raised plus matching funds after expenditures have been subtracted.
Frank Barry, a spokesman for the Campaign Finance Board in Manhattan, said the city matches funds donated to candidates by a ratio of $4 to every $1 of donations up to $250. He said if a person donates $500 to the candidate, the political contender receives $1,000 in matching funds.
Barry said matching funds are only available for donations from individuals who live in the five boroughs. A political action committee and individual donations from people from outside the city are not eligible for matching funds.
He said the matching fund allotment as of Jan. 11 for all candidates is based on their filings and might change depending on the Campaign Finance Board's formal audit process.
Pheffer said she also planned to raise the maximum amount allowed. But, more importantly, she said she needed to bring her campaign to the borough.
“I need to get out the message and the reason why I am, over another candidate, the best person for borough president,” she said. “I want people to know who is Audrey Pheffer, what she has done and where she is going.”
