Name: Bob Friedrich
Age: 55
Party Affiliation: Democrat running on the Republican line
Area Serving: District 24
Occupation: Accountant
Money raised thus far: $35,000, mostly in small contributions from local residents, he said. “According to the records, my average contribution is $63 – my opponent’s average contributor gave $550.”
Why did you decide to run for State Assembly? “Albany is dysfunctional. We need true, civic-inspired leadership to bring change and reform. I’ve been fully engaged in the community for 20 years as a volunteer,” Friedrich said. He cites the fact that he is the president of the Glen Oaks Village Co-Op, which has 10,000 residents, “and is a microcosm of the district.” Friedrich, an accountant, insists that better ways can be found to handle state affairs. “My opponent offers more of the same old politics.”
What are two major issues affecting your community? “Financial control and accountability,” Friedrich said, elaborating, “We need tax relief for the middle class and a state legislature that can do more with less – we have to balance the budget by cutting spending, the way families have to do.”
What’s the first thing you would focus on if elected? “I will remind my colleagues that taxpayers in the city are tapped. Raising taxes on the very people who are already struggling while they fund the rest of the state is killing the goose that lays the golden egg,” he said, warning, “They’re looking for new revenue sources and not concentrating enough on cutting spending.” Friedrich is a strong opponent of congestion pricing, which he has said is particularly unfair to the people of Queens. – Victor G. Mimoni
