By Betsy Scheinbart
State Assemblywoman Audrey Pheffer (D-Rockaway Beach) said she dropped out of the borough presidency race last week to preserve the unity of the Queens Democratic Party and throw her support behind Alan Hevesi’s run for mayor.
The Queens Democratic machine, headed by Tom Manton, picked its candidates for citywide and borough races May 21.
City Councilwoman Helen Marshall (D-East Elmhurst) was picked for borough president, the first black to be endorsed by the Queens Democratic Party for a countywide post. The previous week Manton endorsed City Comptroller Alan Hevesi for mayor.
“I am disappointed that I am not their candidate for Queens borough president,” said Pheffer, who pulled out of the race hours before Marshall won the official blessings of the party. “But I felt to prevent the fracturing of Queens County it would be best to rally around Alan Hevesi for mayor.”
The endorsement of Marshall over the other Democratic candidates for borough president came on the heels of Manton’s decision to back Hevesi rather than his neighbor and longtime party loyalist City Council Speaker Peter Vallone (D-Astoria).
The Queens Democratic Party and Manton as its boss have been faced with a series of difficult choices this year since all of the borough’s city council delegates must leave office because of term limits and many are running for posts. In addition, a number of Democratic district leaders and some senior staffers to Queens’ elected officials have thrown their hats in the ring for the 14 city council seats.
“I am confident that Alan Hevesi will be an outstanding mayor and that my work with him will be beneficial for my community as well as for all of Queens County,” Pheffer said.
Pheffer will continue to represent the 23rd Assembly District, which covers Rockaway, Hammel, Broad Channel, Bayswater, Howard Beach, parts of Far Rockaway, South Ozone Park and Woodhaven. She plans to seek re-election to that post next year.
She will also continue to work as a Democratic district leader, a role that involves helping the Queens County Democratic candidates get elected.
Pheffer said she now supports Marshall as the Democrats’ pick for borough president in addition to her steadfast support for Hevesi.
Borough President Claire Shulman, who is barred from running for re-election because of term limits, never officially endorsed Pheffer but was supporting her run.
“I would like it if she’d stayed in — I think she’s a really great person — but I am comfortable with Helen Marshall,” Shulman said in an interview with the TimesLedger Newspapers Friday.
“I think Audrey had a shot at being the county designee, but they picked Helen and she thought that in the spirit of unity she would pull out,” Shulman said.
The decision to endorse Marshall was made at a meeting of Democratic district leaders, but Shulman was not present. She said Manton was hard-pressed to make a decision both in the mayoral race and the borough president’s race, which included three Democratic district leaders: Pheffer, Marshall and City Councilwoman Karen Koslowitz (D-Forest Hills).
Koslowitz withdrew from the race a week before Manton’s endorsement of Marshall.
Shulman said she felt comfortable with Marshall, whom she has known for many years. “She is a good advocate, a very good speaker, and she really cares,” the borough president said.
Along with Marshall, the remaining candidates for borough president are three Democrats — City Councilman Sheldon Leffler of Hollis, former Board of Education President Carol Gresser of Douglaston, community activist Haydee Zambrana of Queens Village — and Republican City Councilman Alfonso Stabile of Ozone Park.
Reach reporter Betsy Scheinbart by e-mail at Timesledgr@aol.com or call 229-0300, Ext. 138.
