By Phil Corso
Endorsements have continued to pile up for candidates running for state Senate in northeast Queens, with the latest endorsement coming from postal workers in support of the 11th Senate District’s Democratic incumbent.
State Sen. Tony Avella (D-Bayside) collected an endorsement from the Flushing Letter Carriers Association Branch 294 last Thursday as he gears up for November’s general election against Republican and Conservative challenger Joseph Concannon.
The Flushing Letter Carriers Association Branch 294 represents more than 1,500 postal workers in the northeast Queens community, the group said, and endorsed Avella in his re-election bid for the Senate seat he was elected to in 2010.
The redrawn district covers a large piece of northeast Queens, including College Point, Whitestone, some of Flushing, Bayside, Fresh Meadows, Hollis Hills and the neighborhoods bordering Nassau County.
“Tony Avella has shown a true understanding of the issues important to postal workers and is a fighter for important labor rights,” said Tony Paolillo, president of the postal workers group. “We look forward to his victory in November and pledge our support to his campaign.”
Avella said he has stood beside postal workers in his community, advocating for the survival of borough post offices as employees worry about relocation and closure threats.
“Postal workers provide an essential service to our communities and deserve to have someone who will fight for them when it counts,” Avella said. “I thank these men and women for their support and look forward to continue working together in the days ahead.”
A former city councilman, Avella was elected to the Senate in 2010 in a special election against former incumbent Sen. Frank Padavan. Other endorsements Avella has collected include those of the Hotel Trades Council, the Sierra Club and the New York League of Conservation Voters.
Challenging Avella in the Nov. 6 election will be Republican and Conservative party-backed Joseph Concannon. The 25-year NYPD officer and honorably discharged veteran of the U.S. Air Force said northeast Queens was in need of a full-time, full-term senator to work on its behalf, motioning to rumors that Avella might consider a run for borough president.
Concannon has campaigned on reducing taxes and fees, eliminating unnecessary regulations, and protecting small business owners and entrepreneurs in the borough. He has received an endorsement from both the Republican and Conservative parties and opened a campaign office in Bayside over the weekend in the company of Padavan and congressional candidate and Councilman Dan Halloran (R-Whitestone).
“The voters of eastern Queens deserve the full attention of their state senator, just like they had with Frank Padavan,” Concannon said.
Reach reporter Phil Corso by e-mail at pcorso@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4573.
