By Mark Hallum
A northeast Queens business leader officially announced his candidacy against Assemblyman Edward Braunstein (D-Bayside) at a Republican dinner event in Queens Village in mid-March.
David Bressler, a regional manager for Bimbo Bakeries and president of the Bay Club, spoke out against irresponsible government spending and wasteful bureaucracy at the Queens Village Republican Club’s March 18 Lincoln Dinner.
“At the Bay Club and in my profession, you need to establish a budget and at year’s end, you must balance that budget. You need to implement and have oversight of all expenditures, whether they are operating expenses or capital projects. It should be the same when managing our local state and federal governments,” Bressler said. “Unfortunately, many politicians do not adhere to these principles.”
Bressler said irresponsible spending from politicians has led to large deficits and he praised the tax plan passed by the federal government, claiming it has resulted in wage increases and bonuses from several companies due to the corporate tax deduction.
He slammed Mayor Bill de Blasio, who proposed charging for garbage pickup in front of private homes to incentivize residents to recycle, and came out against the property taxes on homeowners in northeast Queens.
“We need to replace those politicians and the way they go about managing the government,” Bressler continued. “I’m sure there are candidates with good financial background, such as myself, who would discover millions of dollars of government waste… I’m in it to make Edward Braunstein a private citizen.”
But despite the words in his speech, Bressler said he is interested in running a civil and respectful campaign against Braunstein, who he claims to have no animosity toward other than disagreements over how government should be run.
Braunstein ran unopposed in 2016 in both the primary and general election and has been largely unchallenged since his election in 2011.
Bressler was born and raised in Whitestone and attended Bayside High School, before settling down in Bay Terrace in 1994.
He manages the Bay Club, which is a gated community of 1,037 units housing 2,400 residents, as well as different amenities for over a decade and has been with Bimbo Bakeries, a Mexican vendor which supplies well-known brands, for up to 18 years.
Bressler’s announcement to run precedes the creation of a campaign and submission of petitions to the Board of Elections.
Reach reporter Mark Hallum by e-mail at mhall
