By Ivan Pereira
A grudge between a City Council candidate and the head of the Briarwood Civic Association has created a controversy over a town hall meeting scheduled this week.
Seymour Schwartz said he refused to invite Dilip Nath to a special candidates' night featuring those who wish to replace City Councilman James Gennaro (D-Fresh Meadows) at his civic's meeting at the Project Samaritan Health Services building on Queens Boulevard.
The civic leader said he saw no reason to consider Nath a serious city candidate because he lacked knowledge of the neighborhood.
“I was well aware of his history in other races where he had a complete ignorance and naiveté with regards to the community's interests,” Schwartz said.
The candidates would replace Gennaro either in a special election in February if he wins the upcoming state Senate election for the 11th District or in November 2009, when he is term-limited out of office. The council ditrict includes Briarwood, Fresh Meadows, Hillcrest, Jamaica Estates, and parts of Jamaica and Forest Hills.
Nath, who is a Bangladeshi immigrant, said he was upset Schwartz did not include him in the forum and challenged the notion that he was unqualified. The Democrat said his years of service with community groups, including the New American Democratic Club and the Flushing Heights Civic Association, were clear examples that he is fully aware of the neighborhood's concerns.
“That's his opinion, he has every right to think, but I'm running a grassroots campaign,” Nath said of Schwartz's comments.
Schwartz said he thought about reconsidering his decision for the forum, but ultimately kept Nath off the invitation list after the candidate's organizer, Mike Sidell, sent out a mass e-mail to constituents of the council district three weeks ago criticizing the civic's actions.
“I, Mike Sidell, as field organizer for Dilip Nath urge you to speak out for all candidates, including Dilip Nath, to be heard at this public meeting,” the e-mail said.
Sidell said he was not directly attacking Schwartz in the e-mail and was simply trying to get the civic leader and constituents to voice their opinion over the candidates' night situation. He accused Schwartz of using the e-mail as an excuse for the real reason for exclusion, which Sidell claimed was a personal hate of Nath.
“The democratic process is not taking effect. It's up to the people to decide, and that's the whole purpose of a candidates night,” said Sidell, who sits on Community Board 8 with Schwartz.
Besides Nath, other people who have expressed their intentions to run include Michael Simanowitz, chief of staff for state Assemblywoman Nettie Mayersohn (D-Flushing), and CB 8 Vice Chairwoman Martha Taylor.
They, along with fellow Democrat and Queens historian Jeff Gottlieb, who was not listed on the Campaign Finance Committee's list of 2009 election candidates, were invited to the meeting.
Gottlieb said he would attend the meeting and urged Nath and Schwartz to work out their differences. Taylor said she would have liked to have seen Nath appear at the forum, but did not criticize Schwartz's actions.
“I don't want to tell the civic how to run their meeting,” she said.
Simanowitz also said he was going to attend the event, but said he would have liked to have had all candidates at the forum. He urged all parties to put aside their grief and focus on the constituents.
“We're a year out from the elections,” he said. “Why are we getting so crazy?”
Reach reporter Ivan Pereira by e-mail at ipereira@timesledger.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 146.
