By Sarina Trangle
State Sen. James Sanders Jr. (D-South Ozone Park) has two familiar foes standing between him and his securing the Democratic line in the Sept. 9 primary.
Gian Jones, a Bayswater resident with a real estate business, and Everly Brown, a Rosedale developer, are also running in the 10th Senate District.
Jones sought Sanders’ seat in 2012, and Brown’s list of election bids includes a bout with then-City Councilman Sanders in 2003.
All candidates said economic development was a priority in the district, which stretches from Arverne to Far Rockaway and up through Rosedale, Springfield Gardens, South Jamaica, South Ozone Park and Richmond Hill.
About 128,411 registered Democrats live in the district, according to the state Board of Elections. City primary results show some 9,500 voted in 2012, which was a presidential election year.
Sanders said he was close to opening a Rockaway vocational school where businesses would train students for six months and then hire them. He said hotels near John F. Kennedy International Airport, truck transportation companies and diamond businesses were interested in the initiative.
The senator said he seeks to stem the tide of gentrification by building affordable housing on the northern side of the peninsula, pushing for community benefit agreements when “mega developers” build in Rockaway and tapping the city Economic Development Corp. to negotiate CBAs on behalf of residents.
Jones said he would press for a credit union in the district. He would also stake out a preferential status for constituents with minority, women and veteran-owned businesses interested in bidding on JFK contracts.
Jones, who worked as an aide to then-state Assemblyman Gregory Meeks, envisioned supporting plans to revive the Rockaway Beach Long Island Rail Road spur and provide permanent and robust ferry service.
He, too, mentioned the need to balance gentrification by supporting rent protections in multi-family homes.
Jones said he sought a resolution to a five-year legal case and served five months behind bars on a conspiracy to commit bank fraud charge. He publicly discusses this experience to show people can have success after prison.
Brown said he would open a community college on a public housing complex in Rockaway, usher in an amusement park and gauge ways to support job providers by having biannual audits of district employment.
Modeling a comprehensive social service district off the Harlem Children’s Zone also topped Brown’s goals.
Reach reporter Sarina Trangle at 718-260-4546 or by e-mail at strangle@cnglocal.com.
