As we say goodbye to Tom Manton, a brilliant visionary who led an extraordinarily full and exemplary public and private life, we can't help but be struck by the volume of his accomplishments.
Born to Irish immigrant parents, he attended school in Queens, graduated from St. John's University in 1958 and St. John's Law School in 1962. He was a Marine, a police officer and a member of the City Council for 15 years before taking over Geraldine Ferraro's congressional seat when she ran for Vice President in 1984. He would serve seven terms in Congress.
The Queens Democratic Party fell into disarray following the resignation as party leader and ultimate suicide of Donald Manes in 1986. Tom Manton was elected as the new party chair and severed in that capacity until his death at the age of 73. He never forgot his working-class immigrant roots.
Under his strong and bold leadership, the Queens Democratic Party opened its doors and embraced diverse candidates. Manton brokered deals that garnered powerful chairmanships for Queens Councilmembers and the election of Christine Quinn and her predecessor, Gifford Miller, as Speaker of the City Council.
Along the way, he handpicked his replacement in Congress, then State Assemblymember Joseph Crowley in 1997, who was elected to represent the Seventh Congressional District 1998 and re-elected in 2004 with over 80 percent of the vote.
Joe Crowley was an excellent pick then . . . and he is the right pick now to follow Tom Manton into another position of political prominence.
Crowley has a good record in Congress and manages to stay in touch with his Queens district and their problems and accomplishments.
When it comes time to replace Dora Young, the Deputy Queens County Clerk, who was tapped to fill the chair position until after the September primaries, we hope the party will unanimously choose Congressmember Joseph Crowley to lead the Queens Democratic Party for the next 20 years like his mentor before him.
Good People Live Here!
As the fallout from the 10-day blackout of western Queens continues to unfold and the merchants try to recover from devastating monetary losses, one bright spot cuts through the ordeal like a lighthouse beacon.
Crime actually went down … yes down! The people of western Queens helped their neighbors, they did not riot, they did commit burglaries, they did not steal cars, and they did not mug people or take advantage of the situation.
Imagine this blackout - 10-days long - hitting other boroughs and neighborhoods of this city. Yes use your imaginations … and then applaud all the hard-working residents of Astoria, Sunnyside, Woodside, Hunters Point and Long Island City in the affected area that kept their cool and did the right thing. We say - What a place to live!
