No Surprises In Council Races

Incumbent politicians overwhelmingly dominated the races for City Council in Queens on Tuesday.
Most of the candidates secured their victories early on, including Councilman Peter Vallone Jr., representing District 22.
“We worked so hard the last four years,” said Vallone. “This is a job I love, and I’m just so honored that the people of Astoria are granting me four more years to represent them.”
When asked what he aims to accomplish in his next term, Vallone told The Queens Courier, “I want to keep working with the mayor and [Police Commissioner] Raymond Kelly to keep crime going down and keep New York City safe.”
Also winning reelection were Councilman Eric Gioia (District 26), who beat out Green Party rival Robyn Sklar, who was nevertheless energized by her returns, which as of press time hovered around 20 percent.
“This campaign has woken up not only the campaign in District 26 but also our city council,” Sklar told The Queens Courier. “This was a campaign that was positive, that didn’t use the tricks that the Democratic machine uses of intimidation…I’m proud to be the candidate here with the Green Party.”
Councilmembers Hiram Monserrate (District 21), John Liu (23), James Gennaro (24), and Helen Sears (25) also cruised to easy victories.
In the highly-publicized race for District 28, former Councilmember Thomas White was the victor. He will replace Allan Jennings, whose administration was plagued by scandal, including allegations that he harassed two female staffers, for which he was not only disciplined by the council, but also came under fire from members of his own party. Jennings lost in the September Primary to White.
A race that seemed to garner a lot of attention this year was that for District 19, which includes Bayside.
Despite his best efforts and the coattails of a strong Republican incumbent mayor, Peter Boudouvas lost to incumbent Democrat Tony Avella.
All remaining Councilmembers in Queens were unopposed.
Borough President Helen Marshall also won re-election with at least 70 percent of the vote.