By Ivan Pereira
After failing to make it to the City Council during last year’s election, lifelong Cambria Heights native Clyde Vanel is taking another shot at elected office.
Vanel will be running against state Assemblywoman Barbara Clark (D-Queens Village) in the Sept. 14 Democratic primary. The 35-year-old attorney and community activist said he has been talking with the community for months and their concerns are not being heard.
Vanel vowed that if elected, he would put his constituents first.
“You can have a platform, but your platform should be based on what your people ask for,” he said.
The political candidate said residents were not pleased with Clark’s backing of Mayor Michael Bloomberg last year in his bid for a third term. Many southeast Queens residents did not approve of the mayor’s decision to extend term limits and were displeased the assemblywoman threw her support behind Bloomberg, especially after he made serious cuts this year to city services, according to Vanel.
“She has been in the office since 1986 and our community has not improved,” he said.
Clark’s Assembly district, the 33rd, includes the neighborhoods of Queens Village, Cambria Heights and parts of Bellerose. She sits on the Children and Families, Education, Labor, Libraries and Education Technology committees.
The assemblywoman could not be reached for comment before press time Tuesday. Vanel has registered with the state Campaign Finance Board and said he would be filing information on his contributions soon.
In response to what he has heard from members of the community, Vanel said his campaign would be more open to constituents and he would keep his finances open for public scrutiny. He has also promised to listen to his supporters and direct his campaign to their needs.
“If you’re financially responsible now, you’ll continue that in office,” he said.
Vanel, the son of Haitian immigrants, earned a law degree from Boston University in 2001 and went to work at a law firm in Manhattan. Two years later, he started his own law firm that focuses on business law.
Last year he challenged incumbent City Councilman Leroy Comrie (D-St. Albans) in the Democratic primary. Despite campaigning hard in the southeast Queens neighborhoods, Vanel drew 3,242 votes compared to Comrie’s 5,393 votes.
The challenger said he has learned a lot from his previous race and the best lesson from that experience was to get his message out there. Although endorsements, funding and commercials are needed for a successful win, it was essential to take the campaign to the streets directly, according to Vanel.
“One of the most important things I learned is nothing can beat grassroots. Nothing can beat knocking on a door,” he said. “The best endorsement is the person in a house saying, ‘I’ll vote for you.’”
Reach reporter Ivan Pereira by e-mail at ipereira@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4546.
