By Dustin Brown
As a fierce battle in the race to succeed City Councilman Tom Ognibene (R-Middle Village) enters the final weeks, the Queens Democratic Party is struggling to reclaim its standing in a largely Democratic district where Republicans have long had a strong foothold.
Democratic candidate Elizabeth Crowley, 23, a substitute teacher and restorative painter with strong family political ties, is waging a fight to win the seat Ognibene has held for 10 years and whose chief of staff, Dennis Gallagher, is running as the Republican candidate.
The 30th Council District covers Middle Village, Glendale and Ridgewood, as well as parts of Richmond Hill, Woodhaven and Forest Hills.
The race represents a major test for the Queens County Democratic Organization, which has long wielded great influence in borough politics and has thrown its support behind Crowley, a candidate with a long family history in politics. Both her parents served on the City Council and her cousin, U.S. Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-Jackson Heights), is a western Queens delegate to Congress.
Although Gallagher has the support of the Queens County Republican Party, most notably Ognibene’s endorsement and that of state Sen. Serphin Maltese (R-Glendale), borough Democrats are capable of mobilizing far greater forces to support a candidate.
“We’re going to have a tremendous get-out-the-vote operation,” said Michael Reich, the executive secretary of the Queens County Democratic Organization. “I think that the community is going to know that Elizabeth Crowley is the one that will best be able to represent them.”
Also contending for the seat is Green Party candidate Sharain Pereira, 29, a Richmond Hill resident who has launched a modest, little-visible campaign and said she is running to be “a motivating force toward making changes.”
With Ognibene barred from running for re-election by term limits, Crowley said her youth gives her the new perspective constituents sought when they voted to limit political tenures.
“The people in the community want a change,” she said. “What they like is what I bring in with my youth, my energy, my freshness.”
But what she and her camp tout as her greatest strength has been the focal point of harsh criticism launched by Gallagher’s supporters, who claim her inexperience would handicap her in the new Council.
To that end, Gallagher’s campaign hinges on the issue of experience. Gallagher, 40, asserts that his 10 years serving as chief of staff to Ognibene, the Council minority leader who has represented the community since 1992, has given him a firm understanding of the job.
“On Jan. 1, I could step right in and start making the difference immediately,” he said. “I know the projects, I know the programs, I know the issues in the community.”
Although Crowley’s endorsement by the borough Democrats gives her an edge, it is also a source of contention for some members of the community who contend her lack of experience makes her a poor choice.
“To put her in a community that’s so passionate about their neighborhood, that’s just unconscionable for the Democratic Party,” said local leader Robert Holden.
Controversy has also ensnared Gallagher in recent months through his affiliation with Ognibene. The councilman’s name surfaced in the trial of former Buildings Department inspector Darral Hilton for allegedly having received gifts in exchange for political favors, an accusation denied by both Ognibene and Gallagher, who believes it will have no effect on the council race.
“It’s untrue, and people see right through that,” Gallagher said.
Crowley said her campaign strategy is to focus on winning support from Democrats in the district, who outnumber Republicans by a wide margin and could win her the seat if they vote predominantly along party lines.
However, having failed to garner even half the vote in the Democratic primary — which she won with 46 percent, the rest having been split between opponents Linda Sansivieri and Robert Cermeli — Crowley’s support among local party members is by no means certain.
Residents of the 30th District have demonstrated in the past they are willing to vote outside party lines since not only Ognibene but also Maltese and Mayor Rudy Giuliani have enjoyed the district’s support as Republicans.
“This is a district where people vote for the individual,” Gallagher said. “They say there’s no Democratic or Republican way to fill a pothole, to fix a park or to provide services, and I believe that’s true.”
Reach reporter Dustin Brown by e-mail at Timesledger@aol.com or call 229-0300, Ext. 154.
