Name: Richard La Salle
Age: 47
Party Affiliation: Nominated by Independence, Republican and Conservative Parties.
Occupation: Attorney
Decision to Run: My clients requested that I do so. District 13 has been in a relative decline for the 20 years that I have been practicing law in Jackson Heights. They requested that I take my attention and affection for the community to the next level. My goals are to improve education, support the small businesses that comprise our micro-economy, clean the streets and sidewalks and eliminate the political corruption that permeates our neighborhood.
Major Issues: Taxes and jobs.
Top Priorities: Focus on lowering our taxes to stimulate business growth. This will in turn create more jobs which will drive up the demand for employees. Once the demand for employees increases, so will their wages. Once the economy is thriving again, the balance between unions and employers will be re-established. Closely related to business and job growth are education and cleanliness.
The 60 percent high school drop-out rate in our community must change in order to have a greater pool of new business owners and employees; and without clean streets and sidewalks, potential customers and clients from outside of the neighborhood would be less likely to visit our district. When these objectives are accomplished, which I am certain I can do, we will have a neighborhood which rivals Astoria and Forest Hills. We will become a destination for all New Yorkers.
Name: Jose R. Peralta
Age: 38
Party Affiliation: Democrat
Occupation: New York State Senator
Decision to Run: I want to continue the work I have been doing the last seven years in the state legislature to make our community a safe, healthy place where working men and women want to raise their families and can send their children to good schools; where seniors are valued, respected members of the community; and where New Yorkers from across the city can come to shop in a safe, clean and inviting environment.
Major Issues: The top two issues for my constituents are education and economic development. During my tenure as a public official, I have helped open four schools and created tax incentives for small business.
Top Priorities: My first objective would be to focus on cleaning up Roosevelt Avenue and “taking it back,” as New York City took back Times Square in the mid-1990s. My goal is to lead an effort to “clean up” the area by increasing security, closing illegal and irresponsible businesses, pressuring gangs and pornographic businesses out of the area and making the neighborhood safer, cleaner, healthier, and more welcoming.
