By Ivan Pereira
The three Democratic candidates vying to replace outgoing City Councilman David Weprin (D-Hollis) focused their arguments on how they would help bring parents into the forefront of their children’s health care and education during last Thursday’s TimesLedger Newspapers Council debates at the Flushing Library.
State Assemblyman Mark Weprin (D-Little Neck) and community activists Bob Friedrich and Swaranjit Singh squared off during the hour-long discussion, which was hosted by TimesLedger’s parent group, the Community Newspaper Group. On several questions the three came to an agreement on some of the solutions for tackling the issues in the 23rd Council District, which covers Hollis , Queens Village, Little Neck, Douglaston, Bayside, Bellerose, Floral Park, Glen Oaks, New Hyde Park and Fresh Meadows.
Friedrich took most of his shots at Weprin over his handling of the swine flu outbreak that affected St. Francis Prep and dozens of other high schools in the spring. Weprin asked the city Department of Education to close down the schools prior to the Memorial Day weekend, a decision Friedrich said invoked fear instead of caution.
“To shut down the schools immediately would create havoc for the working families because they are both at work,” he said, referring to the parents.
Weprin countered by noting his strong connection to the community’s parents, who he said came to his office and expressed deep concern over the possibility their children could contract the disease. He noted many of the classrooms were empty to begin with because students were too scared to go to school.
“It was a very important thing because that’s where the epicenter was and the virus spread throughout the entire school district very quickly,” he said.
On education, the three candidates agreed there should be representation for parents in the DOE and an emphasis on learning about different subjects, not always preparing for standardized tests.
Singh, who has two children who went to public school, said he was appalled when he visited a public school and found students could not spell or do simple math.
“They are preparing them to take the test and you pass the test, the numbers look good,” he said.
Singh, a Sikh immigrant whose campaign posters have been vandalized over the summer, said although the community has been diverse for years, some people are wary of foreign-born residents. The candidate pledged to use his office as a conduit for open discussion among different groups and promote education of their cultures.
“The day I become a councilman, I want to invite all the civic leaders and bring them together to ask them questions because the community has changed,” he said. “I’ll be a fresh face and new voice for the community.”
Weprin and Friedrich denounced the attacks against Singh’s campaign and also pledged to work to improve the lives of the immigrant community to demote ignorance.
“It’s amazing how well we get along in Queens considering how diverse we are,” Weprin said. “We have people from India and Pakistan who are living next to each other and getting along while in other parts of the world they’re killing each other.”
As the debate ended, Friedrich was put on the hotspot by his challengers when the candidates were given the opportunity to ask questions. Weprin asked Friedrich, who has been endorsed by the county Republican Party, if he would endorse the winning Democrat if he lost the primary. Singh followed up asking if he would run on the Republican Party line if he lost the primary.
“My campaign has been about transcending party labels. I vote for the person not the candidate,” Friedrich said.
A full video of the debate is available online at our new political site, BoroPolitics.com.
Reach reporter Ivan Pereira by e-mail at ipereira@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 146.
