By Adam Kramer
Queens became the swing borough responsible for carrying Michael Bloomberg into City Hall as residents voted in droves for the Republican candidate even though the county is overwhelmingly Democratic.
Of the five boroughs, Staten Island voters also went heavily for Bloomberg, but their numbers are much smaller. Mark Green, the Democratic contender, carried Manhattan, the Bronx and Brooklyn.
Many loyal Queens Democrats, who outnumber Republicans 5-to-1 across the borough, bolted their party to pull the lever for Bloomberg.
But the county’s Democratic voters reverted to party affiliation in other races and elected 13 Democrats in 14 council races. And the Republicans lost two of their three council seats in Queens. These voters also elected Democrat Helen Marshall to be Queens borough president by a wide margin.
Mayor Rudolph Giuliani had cultivated Queens as his critical swing factor in both his successful mayoral runs as the borough threw its support to him.
In Queens, Bloomberg received nearly 50,000 votes more than Green and won the citywide election by slightly more than 40,000 votes in a stunning come-from-behind victory after trailing Green by 16 percentage points in political polls just weeks before the Nov. 6 election.
Based on voting patterns compiled by The New York Times, Bloomberg captured the same neighborhoods in Queens as Giuliani had in 1997 against Democratic mayoral candidate Ruth Messinger.
Bloomberg slaughtered Green in northeast Queens where Democrats outrank Republicans by better than a 2-to-1 margin. In the Jamaica Estates, Flushing, Bayside, Douglaston, Glen Oaks, Whitestone and Little Neck communities, Bloomberg beat Green by nearly a 2-to-1 margin. He received 70,407 votes to Green’s 38,743.
“Without a strong showing in Queens, I can’t see how Bloomberg would have succeeded in his bid for the mayoralty,” said a seasoned Queens political insider. “Based on the margin of victory, Bloomberg needed the borough to succeed.”
He said Green should have mounted a stronger effort in Queens and failed to unify the Democratic Party, which had splintered during his run-off against Bronx Borough President Fernando Ferrer. He said Green did not address the concerns of the disenchanted black and Hispanic communities, who had supported Ferrer.
“I not sure it would have ultimately changed the election, but it would have helped,” he said.
According to unofficial results the mayor-elect received 56 percent of the borough’s votes for a 205,757 total. Green only garnered 42 percent of the vote, or 156,304, a difference of 49,453 votes.
Bloomberg, who crisscrossed the borough throughout the campaign, said repeatedly he knew Queens would be a major player in the election. Realizing the borough’s importance, he courted all its diverse communities and civic groups.
Some of his many forays included a walking tour of downtown Jamaica, a question-and-answer session at Queens College, a political rally in Ridgewood and meals at many Queens restaurants.
Green lacked a strong presence in the second most populous borough, with 2.2 million inhabitants. He only showed up sporadically at civic and community events, in addition to skipping events he had promised to attend.
Green did not attend the Sept. 6 Queens Civic Congress’ debate at the Flushing library between the four Democrats vying for their party’s nomination, even though he had confirmed his appearance. Nor did anyone from his staff call to explain his absence as the debate unfolded before hundreds of Queens residents.
In October, he was chided by Juniper Park Civic Association members when he did not show up at the organization’s candidates night. Bloomberg, who did attend, received a rousing welcome.
Green’s campaign office officials could not be reached for comment on his Queens strategy because the office had been closed.
Reach reporter Adam Kramer by e-mail at Timesledgr@aol.com or call 229-0300, Ext. 157.
