By Bill Parry
U.S. Rep. Joe Crowley (D-Jackson Heights) is seeking re-election for the eighth time in the 14th Congressional District, which covers large sections of Queens and the Bronx. As vice chairman of the Democratic Caucus, he holds the fifth-highest ranking post in House Democratic leadership.
That’s part of the problem, according to his challenger, Elizabeth Perri, a Republican from the Bronx. “I think he’s a mouthpiece for the Obama administration,” she said. “While other Democrats are separating from this administration, Crowley continues to be a rubber stamp for the president.”
Perri is a district leader and a community activist involved in schools. She entered the race at the request of Bill Newmark, the Bronx Conservative Party chairman. “I have my conservative views on things and that’s never going to change,” she said.
From his seat on the House Ways and Means Committee, Crowley is able to work directly on issues of importance to the residents of the 41st District. The Woodside native and Queens College graduate believes in keeping Medicare and Social Security strong, improving health care for all Americans and creating a tax code for American families and small businesses.
Crowley began serving in Congress in 1999.
“He’s held the seat for quite some time and that’s part of the problem,” Perri said. “I see his face publicly at events, but I don’t see him getting much done in Congress.”
Crowley was not available for an interview but his spokesman Alex Florez said, “Congressman Crowley remains focused on an agenda that reflects the values of his constituents. Whether he’s fighting to raise the minimum wage, helping New Yorkers get back to work through on-the-job training, or improving our quality of life by making airports better neighbors, he’s comitted to continuing to work on those issues that matter most to the people of his district.”
Perri, who works in an accounts payable and accounts receivable department in a Manhattan plumbing firm, said more needs to be done to boost the economy and reduce unemployment. “I was raised with old-fashioned conservative values and I’ve lived here for 38 years, and raising two sons, frankly I don’t like what I see around here.”
She fell short as a candidate for state Senate District 34 in 2012, losing to Jeffrey Klein in the general election. In 2013, Perry received 8 percent of the vote in last November’s race for Bronx borough president against Ruben Diaz, Jr., who won easily with more than 89 percent of the vote.
As for the campaign against Crowley, the challenger said, “So far it’s going pretty good.”
Reach reporter Bill Parry by e-mail at bparry@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4538.
