State Assemblywoman Audrey…
By Adam Kramer
Democratic candidates who want to follow in the footsteps of Borough President Claire Shulman and set up office in Borough Hall pitched themselves to the members of the Eleanor Roosevelt Regular Democratic Club last Thursday.
State Assemblywoman Audrey Pheffer (D-Rockaway), former Queens representative to the Board of Education Carol Gresser, City Councilwoman Helen Marshall (D-East Elmhurst) and City Councilman Sheldon Leffler (D-Hollis) outlined what they see as some of the borough’s priorities to more than 60 club members.
The three other Democratic candidates for the borough presidency — City Councilwoman Karen Koslowitz (D-Forest Hills), state Assemblyman Anthony Seminerio (D-Richmond Hill) and community activist Haydee Zambrana — were unable to attend the event at Temple Sholom at 263-10 Union Turnpike in Floral Park.
Some of the topics touched upon by the four Democratic hopefuls were education, economic development, health care for senior citizens and expanding the city police force.
Pheffer, who was the first to address the group, told them education, economic development and housing are just some of the areas she worked on in the state Assembly where a borough president can affect the lives of Queens residents.
She said her experience in the state Assembly has taught her to work with all different types of people, get legislation passed and fight for Queens.
“Being borough president will provide me with a wonderful opportunity to take those things I worked on so hard at the state level and bring them to us in the borough,” Pheffer said, citing the illegal conversion legislation she fought for.
Gresser told the group that she differed from the other candidates running for the borough presidency because she was not a professional politician. Zambrana is the only other candidate who has not held a political office.
“What I want for Queens is the same thing I want for my family,” Gresser said. “We need to have safe streets and a good educational system, which will attract families, jobs and keep property values up. We also need to abolish the Central Board (of Education) in favor of small central boards in each borough, making them more accountable.”
She said some of the issues that concerned her were a diminishing police presence when there is a big Manhattan event, the shortchanging of the parks and schools and fighting for a transparent budget to make sure Queens is getting what it needs and deserves.
Marshall — who agreed with both Pheffer and Gresser on the importance of education — said education is a right for every one of the borough’s children.
As borough president, she said she will work with the new city council delegation to fight for the rights of Queens.
“Queens is ripe for development and we need to maintain what we have,” Marshall said. “We need to maintain Flushing Bay, stop the expansion of LaGuardia Airport and forge an agreement with the Power Authority.
“We need more power, but where do you want to put it,” she asked the crowd?
Leffler, the last candidate to take his case to the Democratic club, was well-known to the audience because he represents them in the City Council.
“If elected borough president, I will use the same approach that I followed over the past 24 years on the City Council,” Leffler said. “That is making decisions on merit, in the public interest, and not based on politics.”
He said as the candidate with the longest tenure in public office, he has a grasp of all the issues that concern the borough and the borough presidency will allow him to work on the same projects as he has in the Council but on a larger scale.
Leffler said he will fight for increase staffing of the Police Department, hire more civilians to work in the NYPD, get all the organizations that receive money from the borough president to strategically plan for future projects and fight for education.
Reach reporter Adam Kramer by e-mail at Timesledgr@aol.com or call 229-0300, Ext. 157.
