By Tom Momberg
Bob Friedrich is now outfund-raising and outspending his Democratic competitors vying for Mark Weprin’s former City Council seat in eastern Queens.
The city Campaign Finance Board released an updated campaign finance summary this week after the seven candidates running for the seat submitted their 32-day pre-election reports that were due Aug. 10. They revealed Friedrich had raised a total of about $97,500 and spent about $68,700.
The second-largest fundraiser, Satnam Parhar, reported raising just under $92,000 and spending about $34,600.
Parhar, a community advocate and president of the India Association of Long Island, and Friedrich, head of the Glen Oaks Village co-op who previously ran campaigns for City Council and state Assembly, were the only two candidates who have so far reported earnings from the city CFB’s matching funds program.
About $33,200 of Friedrich’s reported spending was on a strategic campaign planning team, signage and campaign literature, according to the report. Friedrich also reported $35,400 as an outstanding liability to a political consultant firm.
Some $46,500 of Parhar’s total reported campaign earnings, and about $60,500 of Friedrich’s were given to the candidates by the matching funds program, which matches six-to-one from the city’s general fund any money raised from private city residents.
Parhar reported most of his campaign spending on materials for fund-raiser events, printing and canvassing campaign literature, employing campaign petitioners, paying for website hosting services and supplying food to his staff, according to his report.
Other Democratic candidates are Barry Grodenchik, Cellia Dosamantes, Ali Najmi and Rebecca Lynch, who is also running for the seat on the Working Families Party line.
Grodenchik, currently on leave as the director of community boards and parks for the borough president, has raised about $65,400 and spent about $56,700 so far on his campaign. Most of his expenditures went toward a political campaign consultant firm and employing campaign workers, as well as toward signage and items for fund-raiser events, according to his report.
Dosamantes, former chief of staff to a Long Island state assemblyman, reported raising about $43,000 and spending roughly $37,400 on her campaign. About $6,000 was spent on campaign workers collecting petition signatures. She spent the rest on an election attorney and a campaign consultant firm, according to the report she filed with the city CFB.
Najmi, a Queens-based attorney and activist who was the campaign spending frontrunner last month, has now raised a total of about $75,300 and reported spending about $32,000. Most of the expenditures Najmi reported to the city CFB were for campaign petitioning and literature canvassing, campaign consultants, an election attorney, and campaign office rent and supplies.
Lynch, who most recently worked as deputy commissioner of Mayor Bill de Blasio’s Community Affairs Office, has reported to the city CFB raising just under $79,000 and spending about $44,500. Lynch spent most of her campaign funds on campaign literature, fund-raising vendors, office rent and campaign workers, who also collected petition signatures.
Finally, retired NYPD commander and police advocate Joe Concannonreported to the city CFB, raising about $15,500 and spending about $19,500 — the least of any other candidate vying for the Council seat that covers Queens Village, Glen Oaks, Bayside Hills, Oakland Gardens and Bellerose.
But Concannon, who is running on Republican and Conservative party lines, does not face primary opposition on Thursday, Sept. 10, and may report more funds as the November off-year general election approaches.
Concannon reported spending most of his funds on fund-raising events, campaign literature, campaign consulting, parking and travel, according to the city CFB. Concannon also reported $8,600 in outstanding liabilities to various campaign consultants and firms.
