Game on!
After weeks of waffling, former Republican City Councilmember Anthony Como has decided to challenge Democrat Joseph Addabbo for his 15th Senate District seat this November.
Como, who as recently as Sunday, June 6, had said he was going to pass on challenging Addabbo in favor of perusing a job as the executive director of the city Board of Elections, said it was the outpouring of phone calls, emails and texts from friends, family and community residents that made him decide to run.
“The support that has come out in the past day or two has been outstanding,” Como told The Courier on Tuesday morning, June 8.
Addabbo has represented the 15th Senate District, which includes parts of Middle Village, Maspeth, Ridgewood, Glendale, Ozone Park, Woodhaven and Howard Beach, since 2008 when he defeated longtime Republican Senator Serphin Maltese by more than 10,000 votes, or 14 percent.
“I take every opponent seriously and certainly Anthony is not going to be any different,” Addabbo said.
However, some Republicans believe that Addabbo’s victory against Maltese was the result of a perfect storm led by the large turnout from Obama supporters who voted in that election. Republicans say that no Obama on the ticket combined with the anti-incumbency and anti-Albany wave could make this year’s race much different.
Meanwhile, the spotlight will certainly be back on this race in November as the Democrats, who currently hold a 32-30 edge in the State Senate, look to retain their majority while the Republicans will look to retake control of the chamber that they held for nearly 40 years.
“We have seen what an all-Democratic state Legislature has done and it’s definitely not working,” Como said. “It’s definitely time to bring the Senate back to Republican control.”
Addabbo said that during the past two years in Albany he has greatly increased the visibility of the office by opening an additional headquarters in Middle Village and starting a 24-hour Senate hotline for residents to call.
“I really do believe the connection I have had with the residents during the past two years has been great and hopefully that will continue through the campaign,” Addabbo said.
Como said that his campaign will begin circulating petitions this week, and he will open an office and get a staff in place within a week.
“I have a game plan in the works because, like I said, this is something I had been considering for a while now,” Como said.
