Councilman Robert Holden, who currently represents District 30, has officially launched his campaign for re-election.
In a campaign video released on Tuesday, Dec. 15, Holden reiterates his stance on law and order policies as well as his opposition of Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration, specifically his plans to close Rikers Island, the mishandling of ThriveNYC funds, housing the homeless in “warehouse-style shelters,” and attempts to eliminate the SHSAT test for specialized high schools.
“Our city has lost its way, as many of our elected officials have abandoned the policies that kept our streets safe for decades. City Hall has tried to govern with protest slogans instead of common sense,” Holden said in the video. “I have been one of the few voices in the council to stand up to the de Blasio agenda.”
Holden says he’ll keep fighting for “quality-of-life issues, help the city recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, create a better business environment for small businesses and reverse the city’s rise in crime and homelessness,” if re-elected to District 30, which encompasses Ridgewood, Glendale, Maspeth, Middle Village, Woodhaven and Woodside.
“As your councilman, I know that it’s critical to address quality-of-life issues, such as graffiti, litter, illegally parked vehicles and unreasonable noise pollution as soon as they appear. Over these past three years, I have never stopped fighting for you,” he said. “We’ve done a lot together these last three years, and there’s a lot more we need to do.”
After losing the primary to former Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley, Holden won the general election in 2018 by running on four lines, including the Republican Party line.
There is currently one other challenger to his seat, Democratic candidate and Maspeth native Juan Ardila, who was most recently endorsed by state Senator Jessica Ramos.
Holden’s official campaign launch comes months after some of his constituents held a rally in the hopes of recruiting him to run for mayor. Those supporters, though, were met with counter-protestors.
