By Dee Richard
How the weeks fly by! Would you believe it’s now February? This past week was both fun and productive and informative.
Jan. 25 was a gastronomical delight. It was the Bayside Business Association’s Taste of Bayside at the Adria Hotel in Bayside. Judging by the number of attendees, it appeared to be a success. Congratulations to the BBA, as it is trying to put Bayside on the map.
I think we can thank Judy Limpert, of Alma Bank; Dominick Bruccoleri, of Papazzio’s Restaurant; and Angela Gozzi for putting it all together. I do not have much of a sweet tooth, but the offerings of the Francis Lewis Pastry Shoppe were to die for, and from what the men said, the cigars that the Habana Hut were passing out were also pretty good.
Lauren Whalen Nelson, of the Queens GOP, is the organizer of the Northeast Queens Tea Party Patriots. She intends to hold monthly meetings at the Queens GOP HQ on Francis Lewis Boulevard in Whitestone.
The purpose is to bring like-minded people together who believe in less government, free trade and upholding the Constitution as the supreme law of the land. You go, girl! At the meeting last Thursday, they introduced a young man by the name of Frank Scaturro, a candidate for the 4th Congressional District in Nassau County. I did not have the opportunity to have more than a small chat with him, but on the surface he seems to be a nice, competent young man. Good luck, Frank!
Friday night was girls’ night out. This time it was at the Deluge Restaurant in the Sheraton LaGuardia East Hotel in downtown Flushing. The girls were Janet Malone, former president of the Northeast Queens Republican Club; Debbie Markell, district manager of Community Board 2; Joann De Martino, of Signature Bank; myself; and Myra Baird-Herce, of the Flushing Chamber of Commerce and Business Association.
At the dinner, Myra gave us all a copy of a press release stating that the FCCBA is now dissolved and has ceased all activities. That’s too bad and also sad. I had covered many of their monthly meetings for quite a few years at the Sheraton. The organization was established in 1928 and since 1932 it has participated in many major projects pertaining to Flushing. The demographics have changed so drastically, so I guess this, too, is the end of an era.
Saturday was my kind of day. It was the Queens GOP’s candidates school. It was also held in the Adria Hotel. It was not only a lot of fun, but informative as well. They had some excellent speakers. Among them was Jay Townsend, president of Townsend Group Consultants; Jason Weingartner, finance director of the New York Republican State Committee; Bob Bishop; Robert Hornak; Daniel Peterson; and City Councilman Dan Halloran. Phil Ragusa, Vincent Tabone and the rest of the GOP group: You did an excellent job. Thank you for inviting me. I enjoyed it.
The gist of the program was that if you are considering running for office, you can possibly do it yourself on your own, but it is smarter and safer to hire professional consultants. The section on compliance is not one you should try on your own, as it confounds both lawyers and accountants. If you make mistakes, you can get thrown off the ballot and the fines are fierce. You need professional help. Aside from consultants, it is good to work with your party, or at least consult with it. No matter what party you belong to, it’s really sound advice. Thank you, Dan, for the kind words you said about me. It’s nice to know my hard work is appreciated.
Saturday night was one of my annual fun affairs. It was the Queens Lesbian and Gay Pride Committee’s 19th annual Queens Winter Pride dinner-dance. This year’s awards went to John Liu, city comptroller; John Kryminski, coordinating manager of social services at Elmhurst Hospital Center; and Drew Tagliabue, executive director of PFLAG New York City. They must have had 300 guests. Just about everybody was there.
At the event, Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer announced he and his partner of 13 years, Dan Hendrick, are going to be married July 28, which is Jimmy’s dad’s birthday and Dan’s mother’s birthday. What a nice gesture. Congratulations and have a happy, loving life together.
