By Alexander Dworkowitz
Two members of Community Board 7 and one downtown Flushing property owner upset at plans for a Flushing business improvement district have registered to run against Councilman John C. Liu (D-Flushing).
Kim Ohanian, Isaac Sasson and Jay C. Liu, as well as the councilman, have met the June 2 deadline to receive matching funds from the Campaign Finance Board to run in the City Council's 20th District, which covers parts of Flushing, Queensborough Hill, North Flushing and Auburndale.
Ohanian and Sasson serve on Community Board 7. Ohanian is president of Queensborough Hill Neighborhood Association.
Jay Liu, who owns the Busy Mall on Main Street, is the founder of Flushing Landlords Federation Against BID. The group has criticized John Liu, saying he pushed for a business improvement district for Flushing without enough support from property owners. The councilman has said most property owners support the BID.
All three personally know John Liu. The councilman is a former member of Community Board 7 and attended the Bronx High School of Science with Jay Liu.
Ohanian has already kicked off her campaign, raising $7,000, she said.
Jay Liu said he was still not sure if he would campaign.
Sasson could not be reached for comment.
The three candidates have filed just as a court decision has barred former Flushing Councilwoman Julia Harrison from seeking her old office.
Last Thursday, the state Court of Appeals decided not to overturn a lower court's ruling on a city election legislation.
The legislation, Local Law 27, allows Council Speaker Gifford Miller (D-Manhattan) and five other council members from outside Queens to seek re-election.
It also prevents Harrison and other candidates ousted by term limits from running until the next election.
“My life is full the way it is,” Harrison said. “I'm not disappointed. I've been there, done that. My ego is not that big.”
With Harrison out of the race, Ohanian has decided to step up her campaign.
“I don't like what I see happening in Flushing and in Queens in general,” said Ohanian, a 46-year-old Democrat who works for the city Department of Finance.
Ohanian said her main issue was changing zoning laws to restrict development in residential areas.
“We're being destroyed,” she said. “I'm looking to reform our zoning laws so that every other house in our neighborhood is not a community facility.”
Although John Liu has made cleaning up downtown Flushing a priority, Ohanian said his efforts have not gone far enough.
“Main Street Flushing is still dirty and still smells,” she said. “I think people in my particular area (Queensborough Hill) pay double the amount of money to go to work so they don't have to go to downtown Flushing to take the train.”
Jay Liu, however, has been critical of the councilman's efforts to clean downtown Flushing by implementing a BID.
“There are quite a bit of people so angry at John, trying to put this BID through without approval,” said Jay Liu, a 36-year-old Democrat. “I realized, instead of complaining about it … maybe the way I can fight back is by becoming a candidate.”
In the past, John Liu has said about 75 percent of property owners in downtown Flushing have supported the BID. A spokesman for the city Department of Small Business Services, which operates BIDs, said the agency supported the councilman's numbers.
Jay Liu said he is not too concerned about trying to raise money.
“There are quite a bit of contributors who are very willing to give money when I give the word,” he said.
If Jay Liu decides to press ahead with his campaign, there is a potential for voter confusion between his name and the councilman's.
“I think it will benefit me, sure,” Jay Liu said.
The councilman, however, disagreed.
“I think it's even silly to suggest that voters are not intelligent enough to discern the difference between John and any other name,” he said.
Reach reporter Alexander Dworkowitz by e-mail at Timesledger@aol.com or call 718-229-0300 Ext. 141.
