By Sarina Trangle
State Sen. James Sanders (D-South Ozone Park) was poised for a sophomore term in Albany after coasting through Tuesday’s Democratic primary.
Sanders secured 74.8 percent of the vote with 73 percent of election districts reporting, compared to his rivals Everly Brown’s 20.8 percent and Gian Jones’ 4.4 percent, according to preliminary results from the Associated Press.
No major political party with ballot line status has filed petitions to run a candidate in the Nov. 4 election, which means Sanders only faces the prospect of a candidate backed by a smaller, independent party. He appears bound for a second stint representing the 10th state Senate District, which runs from Arverne to Far Rockaway and up through Springfield Gardens, Rosedale, Rochdale Village, South Jamaica, South Ozone Park and Richmond Hill.
The candidates all pitched economic development plans, with Sanders and Jones noting gentrification of the peninsula merited attention.
Sanders said he was close to debuting a vocational school in Rockaway that would have companies train those without degrees for six months or less and then hire them.
He also said he would push mega-developers to sign community benefit agreements and attempt to get the city Economic Development Corp. to negotiate on behalf of constituents when signing CBAs.
Jones called for the creation of a credit union in the district and said he would push for John F. Kennedy International Airport projects to go first to qualified women-, minority- and veteran-owned businesses in the district.
And Brown described plans to open a community college on a public housing complex in Rockaway and an attempt to revive the peninsula’s history as home to an amusement park.
Mayor Bill de Blasio, the building service workers union 32BJ SEIU, city public employees union DC 37 and other organized labor groups backed the incumbent..
Brown said he received support from ex-Sen. Shirley Huntley, who just finished a 10-month prison stint, and former Councilman Allan Jennings.
Jones touted backing from Michael Duncan, Sanders’ former chief of staff, and Community Board 14 member Felicia Johnson
Reach reporter Sarina Trangle at 718-260-4546 or by e-mail at strangle@cnglocal.com.
