Quantcast

Top 3 beep candidates butt heads in debate

By Dustin Brown

The three of the four Democrats still contending for the borough presidency faced off in their first public debate Monday night after two others had bowed out of the race at a forum sponsored by the Queens Civic Congress.

City Councilwoman Helen Marshall (D-East Elmhurst), City Councilman Sheldon Leffler (D-Hollis) and former Board of Education President Carol Gresser presented their stances on a host of development and quality-of-life issues before two dozen spectators at York College’s Performing Arts Center in Jamaica.

City Councilman Alfonso Stabile (R-Ozone Park), the only Republican running for the borough presidency, accepted an invitation to the event but failed to appear. Democratic community activist Haydee Zambrana did not attend.

The debate was held only hours after the Queens Democratic Party met to officially make its endorsements for this year’s election, choosing to support Marshall for borough president and City Comptroller Alan Hevesi for mayor. Both City Councilwoman Karen Koslowitz (D-Forest Hills) and state Assemblywoman Audrey Pheffer (D-Rockaway Beach) dropped out of the borough president’s race when they did not receive the party’s endorsement.

A panel of three reporters and one community member posed questions that delved into such topics as the privatization of LaGuardia Airport, the city’s 2012 Olympic bid, the disposal of city garbage, and the safety of pedestrians along Queens Boulevard.

The debate was moderated by Barbara Barr of the League of Women Voters’ New York Chapter, who commended the candidates for sticking to the questions.

Although they agreed on many of the issues, the candidates offered a glimpse into three unique management styles that would mean very different approaches to the borough presidency.

Gresser described herself as a “terrific advocate” and the best person “to communicate, to articulate, to advocate and to lead” the borough.

Marshall depicted herself as a passionate leader who would establish task forces to address the most pressing issues in Queens.

“I have probably the most ethnically diverse community in the entire city of New York, and I’ve learned that basically everyone wants the same things,” she said.

Leffler promised to build an administration based on accountability and expertise, to be “a borough president who is knowledgeable, who can bring genuine expertise” to city government.

A rare moment of humor was injected when one of the panelists asked Gresser how she would make appointments and avoid the fallings-out that have characterized Borough President Claire Shulman’s dealings with her Board of Ed representatives.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Gresser dead-panned, jokingly feigning ignorance of her public conflict with Shulman over the choice of a schools chancellor when she served on the Board of Ed. She pointed out that Board of Ed reps are appointed for set terms to protect them from political pressures and vowed never to ask an appointee to step down due to a disagreement.

Marshall indicated she also would never bow to political pressure, but stressed that the borough president and her appointees “should be of like philosophy.”

Leffler addressed the question by focusing on the process of selecting representatives, a decision he said should be made by a blue-ribbon panel.

“If you make an appointment, you may regret it,” he said. “It’s a significant responsibility to really get a sense of who you’re about to appoint.”

Reach reporter Dustin Brown by e-mail at Timesledgr@aol.com or call 229-0300, Ext. 154.