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Incumbent: Claire Shulman
(can't run in 2001)
The Candidates:
- Carol Gresser (Dem)
- Sheldon Leffler (Dem)
- Helen Marshall
(Dem/Lib/Wor)
- Michael Niebauer (Ind)
- Alfonse Stabile (Rep/Con)
For who has donated to these candidates see the Campaign
Finance Board:
Contributors
to Carol Gresser
Contributors
to Karen Koslowitz
Contributors
to Sheldon Leffler
Contributors
to Helen Marshall
Contributors
to Audrey Pheffer
Anthony Seminario did not file
Contributors
to Alfonse Stabile
Campaign
Feature:
After Claire
Claire Shulman's dominance over the borough's politics
will inevitably make whoever succeeds her look small by
comparison. The best known candidate is Carol Gresser, who
served as president of the Board of Education and was part
of the board faction that battled Mayor Rudy Giuliani. But
she left the board on bad terms with Shulman, so the borough's
political power structure is looking for another candidate
to back.
That candidate appears to be Assemblywoman Audrey Pheffer
of the Rockaways. She entered the race late--she held her
first fund-raiser in December--but she's a Democratic district
leader and apparently has Shulman's support (her fund-raiser
was at Shulman's house). Many expect Pheffer to get the
backing of the Queens Democratic organization, which would
make her and Gresser the leading candidates at this early
stage.
Pheffer's problem is she is one of several Jewish candidates
in the race and, together, they may could split the Jewish
vote, enabling a candidate of another ethnic persuasion
to win. (Gresser, for example, is Irish.) The other Jewish
candidates are Council members Sheldon Leffler of Hollis
Hills and Karen Koslowitz of Forest Hills.
Blacks are also a major ethnic block in Queens and there
is an African-American candidate in the race--Councilwoman
Helen Marshall of East Elmhurst. However, she is from northern
Queens, far away from the big middle-class black neighborhoods
in southeast Queens near JFK International Airport. That
could make it hard for her to rally the borough's blacks
to her campaign.
Assemblyman Anthony Seminario of Richmond Hill has also
talked about running, though he's more conservative than
most Democrats and could run instead for the Republican
nomination. Finally, Republican Councilman Alfonse Stabile
of the Rockaways is interested in the contest, though the
value of the GOP nomination in an overwhelmingly Democratic
borough is questionable.
Campaign Trail
6/8
The Queens district attorney is looking into allegations
that Queens councilmember Al Stabile, candidate for Queens
borough president, mishandled hundreds of thousands of dollars
from a Little League he ran for 23 years. "There's no money
to take,"Stabile replied. (NY
Post)
5/22
The Queens Democratic Organization formally endorsed City
Councilmember Helen Marshall for Queens borough president
yesterday. Three candidates have dropped out and the field
for the Democratic nomination has been reduced to Marshall,
Councilman Sheldon S. Leffler and Carol A. Gresser, a former
Board of Education president. (Daily
News)
5/21
More on the Queens Democratic Organization's likely endorsement
today of Helen Marshall for Queens borough president, the
first time they will have endorsed a black candidate for
the office (NY
Times)
5/20
The meeting of the Queens Democratic Organization tomorrow
night will ratify Democratic boss Thomas Manton's endorsement
of Alan Hevesi for mayor and Helen Marshall for Queens borough
president. Among the 14 candidates the machine is likely
to choose to endorse for City Council seats (all seats in
Queens have no incumbents) include: Tony Avella in Bayside
(district 19), John Liu in Flushing (district 20), Peter
Vallone Jr. in Astoria (district 22) David Weprin in Queens
Village (district 21), Melinda Katz in Forest Hills (district
29). (Daily
News)
5/18
Councilwoman Helen Marshall will get the backing of the
Queens Democratic Organization in her run for Queens borough
president. (Daily
News)
5/16
City Councilwoman Helen Marshall may be the favorite for
the Queens Democratic party's pick for borough president.
(Daily
News)
5/15
The Lesbian and Gay Democratic Club of Queens endorsed Carol
Gresser for Queens borough president, narrowly choosing
her over Helen Marshall. (Daily
News)
5/13
With about a week to go before the Queens Democratic organization
makes its endorsements, the race to succeed Claire Shulman
as Queens borough president is turning nasty. Councilmember
Sheldon Leffler associated one of his rivals, former Board
of Education President Carol Gresser with Donald Manes,
Shulman's predecessor, who killed himself in 1986 as his
administration was mired in scandal. Gresser's husband Larry
was Manes' deputy. (Daily
News)
5/1
Former Board of Education President Carol Gresser announced
her candidacy for borough president of Queens yesterday.
(Daily
News)
3/29
Queens Democratic Party Leader Thomas Manton dominates the
most disciplined party organization in the city, which considers
primary contests strife, and avoids them. But this year,
five people are vying for the open seat of borough president,
all 14 City Council seats in Queens have no incumbent because
of term limits - some have as many as eight candidates -
and two Queens pols, Hevesi and Vallone, are running for
mayor. Manton has a lot of deciding (endorsing) to do, but
has not done it yet. (NY
Times)
3/25
St. Albans Councilman Archie Spigner is poised to deliver
his potent Guy R. Brewer Democratic Club to aid Helen Marshall's
bid for Queens Borough President. (Daily
News)
3/21
Tony Seminerio decides not to run for Queens Borough President.
(Newsday)
3/15/01
City Councilman Sheldon Leffler has a slight lead over the
pack of eight other borough president hopefuls in raising
funds for the race. According to the Campaign Finance Board,
Leffler had $431,115 -- including matching funds -- in his
war chest as of Jan. 11, the first deadline of the year
for candidates' campaign finance disclosures. Second in
fund raising was Queens' former Board of Education representative
Carol Gresser with $423,022.(Times
Ledger Newspapers)
3/8/01
Although the Queen Republican Party organization has not
announced its choice for the borough president race, most
informed opinion says that Queens Councilman Al Stabile
will be the GOP choice. Over the past week, Tony Seminerio
has told the GOP that he will not be a candidate for the
Borough Presidency, leaving only northeast Queens Councilman
Mike Abel to challenge Stabile for the Republican nomination.
Abel, however, has been able to raise only $3,000 for his
BEEP bid. (Queens Courier)
3/7/01
A prominent local Republican, former Queens Republican head
Fran Werner, endorses Democrat Carol Gresser for Queens
borough president. (Daily
News)
2/22/01
Haydee Zambrana, a bilingual education counselor
in Corona, becomes first Hispanic, ninth candidate, in the
race for Queens Borough President. (Newsday)
2/6/01
Helen Marshall wants to be the first black borough president
of Queens. (City Limits)
1/28/01
Real estate developers and other businessmen "who need a
friend in City Hall," as Bob Liff puts it, are the major
contributors to Democratic candidates, often giving to several
candidates in the same race. For example, both Red Apple
supermarkets owner John Catsimatidis and publicist Howard
Rubenstein gave to all four of the leading Democratic contenders
and to both candidates for comptroller. Rubenstein also
gave to two candidates for Brooklyn borough president, and
two for Queens borough president. (Daily News )
1/17/01
For Queens borough president: former Board of Education
president Carol Gresser, $200,000; City Council member Sheldon
Leffler, $124,000; Assembly member Audrey Pheffer, $70,000;
City Council member Karen Koslowitz, $53,000. The amount
for City Council member Helen Marshall was unavailable by
press time, and Assembly member Anthony Seminerio did not
file. (Daily News)
1/08/01
Arthur Nitzburg in his column on politics (Queens Courier)
lays out the political landscape in Queens. There are already
100 candidates for the 14 open council seats. "What total
chaos. What a mess we are all in. How delightful." Then
he adds: "But wait until they get into the Council. The
winners won't believe how meaningless a job they've won."
Of course, all this new blood could (and probably will)
change the Council itself for the better." There are at
least eight candidates to succeed Claire Shulman as Queens
Borough President, he says. There are two Republicans, Mike
Abel and Al Stabile, both current members of the City Council.
There are six Democrats, each one representing "an entirely
different section of this intensely diverse county," Nitzburg
says, and one of them likely to win, since Queens has not
elected a Republican borough president for 40 years. "My
best guess at this moment is that the race will come down
to two key contenders - Douglaston's Carol Gresser or Corona's
Helen Marshall. But don't count out the other candidates-Audrey
Pheffer, Karen Koslowitz, Sheldon Leffler and Tony Seminerio."