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Curtis Sliwa visits Middle Village meeting to support civic leader’s City Council bid

Curtis Sliwa JPCA
Photo by Anthony Giudice/QNS

The fiery founder of the Guardian Angels, Curtis Sliwa, came to Thursday’s Juniper Park Civic Association (JPCA) meeting in Middle Village to boisterously endorse its president, Robert Holden, in his quest for a City Council seat.

Though the story broke days earlier, Holden officially announced to the JPCA membership on April 27 at the meeting that he will be running against Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley in this September’s Democratic primary.

The longtime Middle Village resident laid out some of the reasons for his decision to run, specifically citing last summer’s battle against the city’s efforts to transform the Holiday Inn Express into a homeless shelter.

“The biggest reason was the past homeless shelter fight in Maspeth,” Holden told the crowd. “Elizabeth Crowley didn’t come to one protest, didn’t give one cent to the effort. Everybody donated money from the neighborhood, she didn’t give one penny.”

Sliwa, who also chairs the New York State Reform Party, praised the JPCA for their hard work transforming the community, all under Holden’s leadership. He also made it a point to bash Crowley and her record on the Council, calling into question her leadership and concern for the community.

“Even though she doesn’t come to any of your rallies or any of your important meetings, but when it comes down to [running] for office, she will be there asking for your vote,” Sliwa said. He charged that “she’s got the most corrupt Democratic machine behind her,” apparently referring to the Queens County Democratic Party chaired by Congressman Joe Crowley, the councilwoman’s cousin.

“So to get Bob Holden in there, he’s going to give a colonic to the system,” Sliwa added. “He’s going to be a voice in City Hall, not only for the district, which is more than Juniper Park, more than Middle Village, more than Glendale, Woodhaven and other parts. He’s going to be a voice for the city.”

Sliwa assured Holden that he would have the Reform Party’s line in the general election, regardless of the Democratic primary’s outcome.

Voters will be hitting the polls in the Democratic primary on Sept. 12.