By Dee Richard
This week was not the same old type. Tuesday we went to a fund-raiser for Paul Vallone at Verdi's in Whitestone. Dad, Peter Sr., Mom Teena and brother Peter Jr. were there for support. The only one who could not attend was brother Perry. The place was packed with about 150 people.
This week was also Paul's 41st birthday. Happy birthday, Paul! The family is getting ready to celebrate Peter and Teena's 50th wedding anniversary, so congratulations to them as well.
Paul is one of the more popular candidates running for City Councilman Tony Avella's (D-Bayside) seat. At the fund-raiser, Mary Ann Dorsa, the 25th Assembly District leader, announced that not only was she going to support Paul, but also endorse him in his campaign. Mary Ann's son, John, is her district co-leader.
While there is no shortage of Democrats, the only Republican candidate who has announced his intention to run is Joe Gravagna. We understand the City Council race is not until 2009, but it is never too early to get all your ducks in a row. To run a winning campaign requires effort, energy and recruiting staffers and volunteers, all of which is time consuming. Some have already tossed their hats in the ring and are campaigning and fund-raising.
For those of you who read this column, you know politics is a passion of mine. Every year at this time, a three-day seminar is held in Washington, D.C., on campaigns and elections. I have been trying to attend this event for the past two years, but every time something came up which prevented me from doing so.
This year, I was determined to attend, but was too late. More than 500 people registered to attend. They said they would put me on standby. Wednesday morning they called and said that if I was still interested, they could accommodate me due to a cancellation. I threw my stuff together and was off to Washington. Wednesday was the best day to leave, as the first of the three days started at 8 a.m. Thursday morning.
I'm a few thousand dollars poorer in cash, but a great deal richer in knowledge. If you have any interest in running for public office or of getting involved in someone else's campaign, I recommend you take this seminar.
The big event in Washington was the sudden, untimely death of Tim Russert, who was 58. He died Friday morning while making preparations for his Sunday morning “Meet the Press” talk show. His program was one of the best in that genre. I will miss him and his incisive and formative method of interviewing. He died in the midst of doing the job he loved and lived for. Rest in peace, Tim.
An update on Washington itself. There seems to be as much new construction there as here. Tall glass and steel buildings are going up everywhere. I hope they do not demolish the old brownstones and Victorians. If they do, they will remove a lot of D.C.'s old-world charm and turn it into another overcrowded glass and steel city.
What we did notice was how remarkably clean the city is. It appears to be a well-maintained city and looks like a great place for a vacation, especially if you have never been there.
I apologize for not producing the “Focus on Queens” page this week as I was not here and there were not enough photos of the Vallone party to fill up the page. They will, however, be included in next week's “Focus on Queens” page.
That's it for this week.
I look forward to hearing from you with information on people, parties or politics or some plain, old-fashioned gossip.
I also like receiving your voice mail at 718-767-6484, faxes at 718-746-0066 and e-mail at deerrichard@aol.com.
