By Betsy Scheinbart
While the city Board of Elections continued to recount the votes cast in the Oct. 11 Democratic mayoral runoff, Mark Green greeted senior citizens and answered questions about his apparent victory at the Briarwood Jewish Center Monday.
Green was flanked by U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-Forest Hills), city Comptroller Alan Hevesi, City Council Deputy Majority Leader Archie Spigner (D-St. Albans) and City Councilwoman Helen Marshall (D-East Elmhurst), the Democratic nominee for Queens borough president.
City Council Democratic nominees Leroy Comrie and Jim Gennaro also stood with Green in front of about 50 Queens seniors.
Green thanked the borough residents for supporting him in the runoff against Bronx Borough President Fernando Ferrer since Queens was one of the four boroughs he won Oct. 11. He asked for continuing support in the general election Nov. 6.
At press time, the Board of Elections was still recounting the votes cast Oct. 11, but Green remained confident that he was the winner after an unofficial tally showed him ahead last week.
“I am now looking forward and not looking backward,” Green said of his campaign. He said he is preparing for the mayoral transition should he win the general election against Republican Michael Bloomberg.
Green outlined what his three priorities would be as mayor: improved education and higher teacher pay, increasing the public safety of all New Yorkers, and bolstering the city’s economy by giving companies tax incentives to stay in or move into the five boroughs.
“I am promising you a mayoralty that may wear you out, but will not let you down,” Green said.
Several of the seniors in the audience asked Green about the rising cost of prescription drugs, and how he plans to help them pay for their medications.
Greens said that while legislation has stalled in the Congress and state Assembly that could help seniors with these costs, he has devised a plan to have each pharmacy distribute lists of its drug prices to customers, so they can do comparison shopping.
Green celebrated what appeared to be a win last Thursday with a party at the Sheraton Hotel in Midtown Manhattan. Hundreds of his campaign workers, donors and members of unions who endorsed him gathered before the polls even closed at 9 p.m. and anxiously waited for him to take the stage.
Hevesi and former Democratic Mayor David Dinkins were among those who spoke at the party as audience members waved flags and chanted “USA” and “We want Green.” The crowd cheered when the huge television screens showed New York 1 projecting Green as the winner and booed during commercials for Bloomberg.
When Green finally took to the stage at about 11:30 p.m., the crowd went wild. Green spoke about his comeback after trailing Ferrer going into the rescheduled Democratic primary Sept. 25 as well as the city’s comeback from the Sept. 11 terrorist attack.
“Let us each remember the words of a great New York Met, Tug McGraw, who inspired a team that would just never quit when he said: You gotta believe,” Greens said. “You gotta believe that New York will be back, better than ever.”
Green thanked his wife, Deni Frand, daughter Jenya and son Jonah, who appeared on stage with him, for their help in the campaign. He also thanked Hevesi and Queen County Democratic Party boss Tom Manton for their support in the runoff.
The party concluded with Green dancing on the stage with other elected officials, including several of the Queens Democrats from the state Assembly and City Council.
Reach reporter Betsy Scheinbart by e-mail at Timesledger@aol.com or call 229-0300, Ext. 138.
