By Tom Momberg
Candidates running for the City Council election in eastern Queens reported more campaign endorsements as the primary election on Thursday, Sept. 10, drew neared. New political backing came in for Rebecca Lynch, Satnam Singh Parhar, Barry Grodenchik and Bob Friedrich.
Lynch, the former deputy commissioner of the mayor’s Community Affairs Office, who has mostly obtained labor endorsements so far, was endorsed by the Tenants Political Action Committee this week.
The Tenants PAC is an organization that raises money from tenants, progressive labor unions and affordable housing and tenants’ rights supporters to recruit tenants to volunteer for elections and the political campaigns of candidates the committee feels best represent the voices of renters in the city.
“We know that Rebecca will be a champion for tenants and tenants’ rights on the City Council,” PAC Treasurer Michael McKee said in a statement. “I first met Rebecca at a tenant meeting when she was 8 years old. She grew up fighting for tenants, and we know that she will continue to do so when she is elected.”
The Tenants PAC estimated there are roughly 4,500 rent-regulated apartments in the 23rd Council District, which includes parts of Queens Village, Bayside Hills, Glen Oaks and Bellerose. McKee said Lynch would be an ally for residents living in those units.
Parhar, president of the Long Island India Association, also announced a campaign endorsement this week from the Taxi Driver-Owner Association, which represents more than 6,000 taxi medallion owners in the city.
The association was only recently launched to represent medallion owners when Uber, a ride-sharing technology company, struck a deal with the city in which the mayor agreed not to limit the number of Uber drivers while it conducts environmental and traffic-impact studies. Meanwhile, the city continues to limit the number of medallion owners.
“Over the past several years medallion owners have been ignored by the city, while ‘app’ drivers have been given increased benefits and rights,” association spokesman Satwinder Singh said in a statement. “It is time that there was a level playing field for both medallion owners and ‘app’ drivers, and we believe that Parhar will help bring the same level of fairness to both groups of drivers.”
Grodenchik, currently on leave from his administrative position under the Queens borough president, announced an endorsement from former Borough President Claire Shulman this week.
Grodenchik served as a top aide to Shulman when she was in office.
“Barry was then—and continues to be—a devoted public servant for the people of Queens,” Shulman said in a statement. “He knows the level of commitment it takes to serve in public office and has the experience to boot. I have no doubt in my mind he will serve us admirably.”
Friedrich, president of Glen Oaks Village, held a news conference last Friday at which civic and residential co-op leaders from around the borough announced their seals of approval for the candidate, independently of their affiliations.
Friedrich’s endorsements included but were not limited to Richard Hellenbrecht, former president and current member of the Bellerose Commonwealth Civic Association; Elaine Young, vice president of the West Cunningham Park Civic Association; Jerry Wind, president of the Bellerose Hillside Civic Association; Janice Schreibersdorf, president of Beech Hills Co-Ops; Bob Ricken, former president and current board member of North Shore Towers in Glen Oaks; Nagassar Ramgarrib, vice president of the Queens Village Civic Association and Paul Stein, president of the Bell Park Gardens Co-Ops.
