By Zach Patberg
Believing the competitive edge has been sucked out of congressional races as district lines nationwide are increasingly drawn based on party rather than on boundary, Cronin – who holds the Conservative, Republican and Independence lines – said his main objective since announcing to run in April has been to put a little heat on the incumbent's campaign.Little has irked the 42-year-old Rockaway resident more than his belief that Weiner, running on the Democratic and Working Families lines, considered his seat so secure that he was already harboring funds for a possible mayoral run in 2005.”My impression is that he is an ambitious and restless young man,” Cronin said of Weiner. “As soon as he gets one job, he's looking to get another.”Weiner, 40, acknowledged that he was raising money for a mayoral campaign but pointed to his record as evidence of his congressional commitment. “My record and activities in the last 5 1/2 years have indeed shown that I've been restless,” he said, “because I've had no rest working for my constituents 24/7 securing funds for transportation, helping seniors, improving national parks É”In 1991 Weiner became the youngest member of the New York City Council. After then-U.S. Rep. Charles Schumer was elected to the Senate in 1999, Weiner, who had been Schumer's aide for six years, took over the vacant seat. Since then, the congressman has represented a district that stretches from Oakland Gardens, Fresh Meadows, Forest Hills, Howard Beach, Ridgewood and a swath of Brooklyn over to Sheepshead Bay.As of March 2004, the ratio of registered Democrats to Republicans in the 9th C.D. was roughly 3-to-1, slightly narrower than the 5-to-1 ratio throughout Queens.For Cronin, who taught history at St. Francis Preparatory High School in Fresh Meadows for 15 years, solid roots in the community were crucial for representing constituents well.Tom Long, head of the Conservative Party in Queens, agreed.”People know him,” he said, “whether from the northeast or southwest” of Queens.As for issues and values, both Cronin and Weiner are aligned squarely with their parties. In 2002 Cronin ran for governor as a Right to Life candidate. Despite having no previous political experience and nipping less than 1 percent of the vote, he showed both conviction and understanding of the Conservative angle.For example, in regard to abortion matters Cronin questioned why a teacher had to ask the parents before giving a student an aspirin but a minor could visit an abortion clinic without parental consent. Then, rising above rhetoric, he mentioned the two Monsignor Ferris Life Centers for unwed mothers that he founded in Rockaway and Jackson Heights as alternatives to abortion, saying “we can't just talk about the issues. We have to act on them.”Weiner, conversely, said he did not believe in Congress passing laws such as the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act, adding “decisions on health care of Americans should be left to them.”Locally, one longtime pet project of Cronin's has been to develop school voucher opportunities for New York students. “Minority students can get trapped in poor schools in poor cities,” he reasoned. “They should have the chance to go to private schools.”Weiner dismissed the issue as one under the state constitution and not the subject of federal legislation, noting, “(Cronin) should probably raise the issue if he runs for governor again.”A project that both agree on, however, is the development of a ferry service between the Rockaways – a Queens peninsula that forces upon its residents an hour commute into the city – and Manhattan. According to a proposal sponsored by Weiner, three new ferries would cut travel time to 30 minutes and cost commuters as much as a subway fare to ride. A $15 million fund has already passed in the House and Senate and is now waiting on a 20 percent match from Mayor Michael Bloomberg and a signature from President George Bush, Weiner said. A Rockaways resident, Cronin also wants improved transportation there. Moreover, he stressed a need for more industry while also supporting the infrastructure of a peninsula that has seen “a huge neighborhood and school development boom.”But with the ferry initiative, concordance between the two opponents ends.In May Weiner voted against the authorization bill for the 2005 military budget that was passed by a landslide 391-34 votes, saying he was “displeased” with the Bush administration's planning and spending for the war in Iraq. Weiner did vote in favor of going to war in Iraq in keeping with the rest of the Queens congressional delegation except for U.S. Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-St. Albans).Acknowledging that “any war's regrettable,” Cronin maintained that Bush made the proper decision to go to war and was “basically still on the right track.”Most Cronin supporters, although agreeing that he has a “common-sense mindset on government,” applauded him more for his doggedness than any political sagacity.Rockaway's Republican Club president, Jon Lynch, viewed Cronin as someone who came forward when “no one else was going to stand up.” But while he has support, Cronin has little official backing, having surprised everyone when spontaneously announcing his candidacy at a Republican club meeting in the Rockaways in April. According to the Campaign Finance Board Web site, Weiner has more than $1.6 million in cash for the 2003-2004 cycle, while Cronin is not even listed with the agency as having raised any money for the race.Admitted Lynch: “Voters might not familiarize themselves with him enough before election.”Reach reporter Zach Patberg by e-mail at news@timesledger.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 155.
