Special election takes ugly turn

Less than 12 hours before the deadline to file petitions in order to get their name on the ballot for the special election in the 30th City Council District, two candidates from opposite parties stood together to denounce hateful personal attacks aimed at one candidate.
On Wednesday, April 30, Democrat Charles Ober and Republican Tom Ognibene responded to an anonymous flier that has been circulating around the community that Ober described as very stereotypical, hateful and anti-gay.
“My initial thought was to ignore it, but it kept coming up with phone calls and emails,” said Ober who is running as an openly gay candidate.
Ober, who is the President of the Ridgewood Democratic Club, said his campaign received about 50 calls or emails from people in Middle Village, Glendale, Ridgewood and even parts of Kew Gardens regarding the flier.
Ognibene, who said he received the flier in the mail and a number of family members and friends did as well, so he believed it was important to stand with Ober to condemn the attacks.
“It was probably the most vicious personal attack against a candidate that I have ever seen,” said Ognibene. “To me the worst things in politics are these vicious, anonymous attacks people are making. They take away from the issues that are important to the community.”
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Democrat Elizabeth Crowley e-mailed a response to a Daily News political blog saying that the people responsible for the fliers should be investigated; however, she also called the press conference between Ober and Ognibene cheap political theatrics.
Ober said that the Queens County Democratic Organization, which endorsed Crowley, has been pressuring him the drop out of the race - something he said he would not do.
Shortly after former City Councilmember Dennis Gallagher’s resignation became official, Mayor Bloomberg called for a June 3 special election that will choose Gallagher’s replacement in District 30.
At least six candidates - three Republicans and three Democrats have announced their intention to run in the special election.
On the Republican side, former Queens Commissioner for the Board of Elections Anthony Como and Past President of the Middle Village Republican Club Joseph Suraci plan to run while Democrat John Seminerio, son of current Queens Assemblymember Anthony Seminerio also recently announced his candidacy.
The winner of the special election will serve until November when another election is held to decide who will serve the remainder of Gallagher’s term and likely have the inside track at reelection in 2009.