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    I ON POLITICS

    Western Queens Gazette
    October 8, 2008
    NY

    Term Limits Issue Turns Into A Real Dogfight

    Well, nobody ever said changing the term limits law was going to
    be easy.

    The mayor is looking for an easy way out by merely letting the City
    Council vote on extending limits to 12 years in all, from two to three,
    four-year terms for all citywide officials and all councilmembers.

    There is, however, strong support among a number of councilmembers
    for making the change through a referendum, voted on by the city's
    electorate. One of the leaders pushing this proposal is Councilmember
    David Weprin (D- Hollis); another is John Liu (D- Flushing).

    Other than there being differences on how the change should be made,
    still another group of councilmembers doesn't want to change the term
    limits law at all.

    Besides this, Ronald Lauder and the mayor have differences on changing
    term limits. While the mayor is holding out for a permanent change,
    Lauder would go along with changing term limits only for the 2009
    election, because the economy is so bad generally and particularly
    because the city's situation is horrendous. Given these circumstances,
    the mayor should remain in office for another term because he's
    uniquely qualified to lead the city through these unsettled times.

    SENIORS GREET GIULIANI, MALTESE: For his part, Maltese wasn't just
    sitting on his hands last week and had a big name talent helping his
    campaign. Former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, who scored impressively
    in Queens in his two mayoral victories, was back in the borough
    last week to campaign with Maltese and Councilmember Anthony Como,
    both of whom are running for re-election. The former mayor and the
    candidates visited senior centers in Republican strongholds Glendale
    and Ridgewood. Maltese also announced another endorsement by a police
    line organization, the Police Conference of New York (PCNY), which
    represents 229 Police Benevolent Association chapters plus eight
    regional conferences, for a total of 25,000 officers throughout
    the state. Previously, Maltese had been endorsed by the Detectives
    Endowment Association and the Bridge and Tunnel Officers' Benevolent
    Association. Maltese has also gotten major endorsements from District
    Council 37 (DC 37), the 1.1-million-member municipal workers union, the
    Public Employees Federation, the Civil Service Employees Association,
    and the state AFL-CIO.

    However, there are those who object to the notion that there
    aren't any other people qualified to lead the city through a
    perilous period. Among them are Congressmember Anthony Weiner (D-
    Queens/Brooklyn), city Comptroller William Thompson and Councilmember
    Tony Avella (D- Bayside), all of whom are Democrats and all of whom
    have indicated that they plan to run for mayor even if Bloomberg gets
    a chance to run for a third term.

    Weprin, who had long planned to run for city comptroller when his
    second term ended next year, has led the call for making changes in
    the term limits law by referendum only with a citywide vote. His
    position is backed by good government groups and others. All feel
    that the original term limits law and one other subsequent vote on
    the issue were both brought about by the entire city electorate,
    so the same method of approval or disapproval must be followed.

    Liu said in a statement, "I've never supported term limits. I think
    it makes sense to extend them, but not this way by a city council
    vote. The term limits were enacted by referendum and confirmed by
    another referendum. So if we are going to tinker with this law,
    it should go back to the people."

    Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum also backs Weprin's bill.

    Others speaking out on the issue were Councilmembers Peter Vallone
    Jr. and James

    Gennaro and Comptroller Thompson. Thompson stated: "First and foremost,
    the will of the people should not be ignored. I am opposed to any
    extension of term limits by legislative fiat. The voters have spoken
    twice and any attempt to disregard their voice sends a message that
    democracy has

    taken a back seat."

    On a similar note, Gennaro said, "The issue of extending term limits
    has gone to the people twice through public referendum, and any
    revisiting of the issue should go back to the people. If brought before
    the council, I would go with the will of the people and vote no."

    Vallone stated:

    "The earthquake that hit Wall St. this week has caused us to consider
    new ways to shore up our political foundation. Mayor Bloomberg is a
    great choice for the New Yorkers to have during these trying times,
    and I will therefore take a serious look at any term limits legislation
    that comes across my desk."

    DEM BACKERS SHOW UP FOR ADDABBO: As the election calendar showed the
    start of the final month of the 2008 campaign, City Councilmember
    Joseph Addabbo Jr. turned his campaign for state senator against
    incumbent Senator Serphin Maltese up a couple of notches.

    At one of his biggest rallies of the campaign, the Ozone Park/Howard
    Beach lawmaker was joined by City Comptroller William Thompson,
    Congressmember Anthony Weiner and other Democratic Party supporters,
    as well as members of several labor unions who have endorsed him
    and pledged to hit the pavement for him from now to Election Day on
    November 4.

    All told, about 300 Addabbo supporters showed up at the Ridgewood
    Democratic Club to start the countdown to Election Day. To Addabbo,
    the large turnout represented the "people power" component of the
    campaign, and when the day ended, the labor union volunteers had
    accomplished one of their missions: ringing some 3,000 doorbells to
    pass the word about Addabbo's candidacy.

    Thompson and Weiner, who both plan to run for mayor next year, gave
    pep talks to the energized crowd, both hitting the same theme about
    the need for change in Albany.

    Addabbo also promised to "deliver for all New Yorkers" and to keep
    the pressure on until Election Day.

    DIVERSE $UPPORT FOR GENNARO: In the other hot state senate race in the
    borough, in which Democrats hope to make inroads against Republican
    control of the state senate, Councilmember James Gennaro is challenging
    incumbent Senator Frank Padavan in Northeast Queens.

    Gennaro reports that he has raised more than $723,000 for his campaign
    and has more than $400,000 of that still on hand.

    But beyond the numbers, Gennaro emphasizes, "The contributions come
    from a diverse array of supporters, including the Asian- American
    community, the Jewish community, the environmental community and
    progressive activists interested in seeing the Democratic Party take
    control of the state senate for the first time in four decades, a
    situation that would materialize with just two Democratic victories
    in November."

    However, Padavan has faced serious challenges in the past and it will
    be interesting to see how this one turns out.

    GIANARIS SPEAKER AT GREEKAMERICAN OBAMA EVENT: Assemblymember
    Michael Gianaris was the special guest speaker at a fundraiser for
    the Obama/Biden ticket in New York City attended by more than 100
    Greek-American supporters. The Astoria lawmaker, stressing the
    importance of political activism for young Hellenes, recounted
    how his involvement in the 1988 Michael Dukakis campaign served
    as his springboard into political life and his election as
    an Assemblymember. He urged those who were present to journey
    to battleground states like Pennsylvania and Florida to help
    the Obama/Biden team make its final push toward victory in
    November. Gianaris also recounted his meeting with Barack Obama
    previously at a Chicago fundraiser.

    At the September 25 event at the Olympic Tower Atrium Cafe in Manhattan
    other guests present were Democratic Party activist Angelo Tsakopoulos;
    r. Dean Lomis, former chair of the American Hellenic Institute, and
    event host Jeff Kurzon, who is affiliated with Armenians for Obama and
    Obama NYC. The fundraiser co-hosts were Dean Sirigus and Olga Alexakos.

    CROWLEY HAILS US-INDIA CIVILIAN NUCLEAR PACT: The three-year effort
    to forge an agreement between the United States and India to authorize
    the transfer of U.S. civilian nuclear technology scaled a major hurdle
    when Congress approved the historic link up, Congressmember Joseph
    Crowley announced.

    Crowley, House Chief Deputy Whip, who supported the agreement
    throughout that period both in Congress and in the Indian- American
    community which is included in his district, hailed the pact's passage.

    "Today's passage of the final agreement is an historic moment, and
    the agreement's impending enactment will cement a critical partnership
    that I hope will continue for decades," he declared.

    Crowley (D- Queens/The Bronx), a member of the House Foreign Affairs
    Committee and former chair of the Caucus on India and Indian Americans,
    is a key leader on South Asian affairs in Congress. The Elmhurst
    lawmaker helped to broker the U.S.- India nuclear pact, which now
    goes to the Senate for approval.

    REAL GRASSROOTS CAMPAIGN: For almost three decades, the Enchanted
    Florist & Greenhouse, at 65-10 Grand Ave. in the heart of the Maspeth
    shopping district, has been owned and operated by Tony Nunziato.

    On a recent Saturday, he temporarily converted part of the shop's large
    storefront into campaign headquarters for his run as the Republican
    candidate for the 30th Assembly District seat held by Assemblymember
    Margaret Markey, the Democratic incumbent.

    Nunziato plastered the upper part of the building with large signs
    announcing his campaign, and in a news release was just as outspoken
    in making renewal of the commuter tax his key issue. Nearly 10 years
    ago, the tax on Long Islanders and surburbanites north of the city was
    repealed, denying the city $4 billion in revenue each year. Markey,
    Nunziato pointed out, was one of the members of the Assembly Democratic
    majority that voted to end the tax. Nunziato's name will also be on
    the Conservative and Independence Party lines. The district includes
    Maspeth, Woodside, and portions of Long Island City, Middle Village,
    Astoria and Sunnyside.
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