By Adam Kramer
Candidates vying for the new 22nd Assembly District seat in Flushing differed on whether a person of Asian descent should lead the predominantly Asian area and offered contrasting visions of how the downtown should be developed.
The four Democratic candidates and one Green Party candidate were invited to discuss the issues at a political forum organized by the Flushing Development Center Tuesday night in the Flushing Library.
The candidates and media forum brought together Democrats John Albert, Ethel Chen, Barry Grodenchik and Jimmy Meng along with Green Party candidate Evergreen Chou to answer questions from a panel of newspaper reporters and publishers. Meilin Tan, the Republican candidate, did not participate.
The questions for the candidates, who all claimed they were the best person to represent the district, ranged from whether an Asian American should be elected to the seat to cleaning up downtown Flushing to development of the district’s waterfront.
The newly created Assembly District 22 covers the area centered around downtown Flushing and includes the communities of Queensboro Hill, Linden Hill and Murray Hill.
The panel was divided on whether the next representative for this largely Asian district should be of Asian descent and disagreed with the Queens Democratic Organization’s endorsement of Grodenchik, the only non-Asian candidate in the race.
“Calling this an Asian assembly seat does a disservice to the community members,” said Albert, who is of South Asian descent. “But I think it was an insult that an Asian candidate was not considered by the Queen Democrats.”
Chen said even though the district is more than 50 percent Asian, it does not mean that an Asian American should be elected. The winner should be the best qualified person, she said, but having one with an Asian background would be a positive.
“I don’t believe in labeling people,” Grodenchik told the crowd of more than 50 people from all different ethnicities. “If I am elected, I will serve each and every one. It doesn’t matter where you come from or what you look like.”
Meng viewed the Queens Democratic Party’s decision to back Grodenchik as a snub to the Asian community.
“I thought it was an insult,” he said.
The Queens Democratic Party machine’s candidate endorsement does not have much effect on Chou, the Green Party candidate, but he said the organization should have endorsed an Asian. He said the community needs the best Asian candidate.
When it comes to cleaning the streets and sidewalks in downtown Flushing, the candidates agreed that something needs to be done and an effort must be made to draw new business to the area.
The candidates differed on their visions for development of Flushing and the waterfront.
“We need to open up spaces, and the waterfront is the new frontier,” said Albert, who called for a mix of greenspaces to be built in conjunction with commercial and residential property.
Chen’s short-term plan for the area was for the state to help attract more high-end businesses — Old Navy and Barnes & Nobles — to Flushing by offering incentives for them to open up shop. In the long run she would like the bus terminal moved out of the area.
There are numerous prime spaces in Flushing that are ripe for development, Grodenchik said, citing Willets Point as an example. He said the area should be developed with the community in mind and it should be a combination of open space and mixed use.
Meng was concerned with the congestion in downtown Flushing. He called for the bus depot to be moved toward the river, which he said was the best solution to alleviate the traffic.
Chou disagreed with the four Democrats. He wants more small businesses to be developed in the area because the “mom and pop” stores are being driven out by mega-malls, he said. To achieve his objective he suggested opening flea market-type establishments where many different people, such as artisans, can sell their wares.
Reach reporter Adam Kramer by e-mail at Timesledgr@aol.com or call 229-0300, Ext. 157.
