By Jeremy Walsh
With a long history of working for the City Council and the backing of the Queens Democratic Party, Deirdre Feerick has been called a political insider by her opponents, but she regards her experience as an advantage, not an insult.
“I’m the one that has a lifetime involvement in this district,” she said. “I’m not running to run. I’m running because of this district.”
The 41-year-old attorney and Woodside resident has spent the last 12 years investigating issues and helping craft legislation for the Council. Before that, she was involved with various civic groups and organizations.
Feerick, daughter of an NYPD detective and a nurse, was raised in Long Island City and Sunnyside. She graduated from the Dominican Academy before moving on to SUNY Albany and Brooklyn Law School.
After joining the Council’s organization as an investigative attorney, she was responsible for checking out Metropolitan Transportation Authority issues, including speeding trains, MetroCards and commuter van safety.
She also helped craft legislation on day care centers and domestic violence services — an experience she said prepared her for the kind of consensus leadership required in the Council.
“There wouldn’t be legislation passed in a vacuum,” she said. “If someone disagreed with an elected official, they made sure to tell me about it.”
Feerick said the job taught her to seek out and accommodate those with opposing opinions.
“My ability to balance both and appreciate the passion in both is what is different,” she said.
Feerick’s political aspirations began early with a sixth-grade interview with then-U.S. Rep. Geraldine Ferraro of Queens.
“When she ran for office, she couldn’t get a bank to lend her money to run,” she said, noting the banks required a co-signature by a woman’s husband.
She also cited former New York Gov. Al Smith, whose political life in the 1920s was marked by a commitment to the issues and needs of immigrants and the poor, as another influence.
“He was strong in his belief and his commitment to help those who were unable to help themselves,” she said.
Feerick touted her focus on local issues, noting she organized a coat drive for the Borden Avenue Veterans Residence as part of a fund-raising event for her campaign and keeps a donation jar for a food pantry at her campaign tables.
“There are these little things you can do, and if you give people the opportunity, most people do it,” she said.
Feerick led her Democratic competitors in fund-raising with $57,150 by the May 15 deadline, according to filings with the Campaign Finance Board. Queens Library External Affairs Director Jimmy Van Bramer had brought in $45,239, Long Island City attorney Brent O’Leary was third with $35,522 and Woodside translator David Rosasco trailed in fourth place with $5,589.
Feerick also has some bigger-picture ideas, like encouraging developers to build mid-price housing in northern Long Island City for the younger generation of people growing up in the area’s massive public housing projects.
“We have a real opportunity to get a place where people who economically progress would have the ability to live near their families,” she said. “If the only path we’re showing them is a moving truck out of the district, that’s no good.”
But at the same time, Feerick had no harsh words for the residents of newer, high-rise luxury buildings popping up in Long Island City.
“It shouldn’t be us against them,” she said. “I don’t think new residents love the neighborhood any less.”
Reach reporter Jeremy Walsh by e-mail at jewalsh@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 154.
