EDGE: Dromm Hopes to Make a Difference as New Gay City Council Member

From EDGE: By Michael K. Lavers

To describe the last few weeks as a whirlwind for New York’s two new gay City Councilmembers is a gross understatement. Inaugurals, new committee chairmanships, press conferences and a trip to Puerto Rico to meet with the family of a murdered gay teenager have certainly kept Jimmy Van Bramer [D-Sunnyside] and Danny Dromm [D-Jackson Heights] quite busy. Both men, however, remain all too quick to point out how much they love their new job.

"It’s been a great experience," Dromm, a former public school teacher who had taught in Queens for more than 20 years, told EDGE. "I love teaching, but this is a wonderful, wonderful job to have."

Dromm and Van Bramer are the newest members of what many affectionately dub the City Council’s "gay and lesbian caucus." Councilmember Rosie Mendez [D-Lower East Side] and Speaker Christine Quinn [D-Chelsea] round it out, and Melissa Mark-Viverito and others have periodically proclaimed themselves honorary members. Both men maintain their election will allow them to use what they categorized as the Council’s bully pulpit to push for marriage for same-sex couples and other LGBT-specific issues.

"There will be opportunities for us to stand up as a unit and express our feelings and express our power-as we did with Jorge Steven López Mercado," Van Bramer said to EDGE earlier this week.

Dromm, who chairs the Council’s Immigration Committee, agreed.

"I’m a strong believer of when people get to know each other, it’s very hard to discriminate against each other," he said. "As legislators, we can bring that home to our colleagues because we’re openly gay."

Dromm added his and Van Bramer’s election broke a glass ceiling, but the question remains: Will they, Mendez and Quinn have any collective power to further advance an LGBT legislative agenda at the city and state levels?

Kenneth Sherrill, a political science professor at Hunter College, became the city’s first openly gay elected official with his election as a Democratic district leader in 1977. He told EDGE gay and lesbian Councilmembers could prove pivotal during the upcoming city and state budget process. They could prove decisive in shaping the discourse over funding for HIV/AIDS services and the city’s Human Rights Commission and the implementation of safer-school programs.

"I would look for members of the state legislature and members of the City Council to mobilize to protect the community from what could be dangerous retrenchment," Sherrill said.

He conceded it is more difficult to determine whether a stronger LGBT legislative presence in Albany, which already includes state Sen. Tom Duane [D-Manhattan] and state Assemblymembers Deborah Glick [D-Manhattan,] Micah Kellner [D-Manhattan,] Danny O’Donnell [D-Manhattan] and Matt Titone [D-Staten Island,] could have secured passage of the marriage bill in the state Senate late last year. Sherrill added, however, their presence inevitably keeps an LGBT-specific agenda on the table.

"You can prevent them from forgetting about the issue," he said.

Pauline Park, co-president of the Out People of Color Political Action Committee and a long-time transgender activist, acknowledged the importance of LGBT people in office. As a long-time critic of Quinn, however, she argued their presence alone does not necessarily translate into progress for LGBT New Yorkers.

"Just because someone is openly LGBT or queer, that doesn’t mean there’s any guarantee they will support a progressive political agenda as an elected official-or an LGBT-inclusive agenda," Park said.

She further questioned whether LGBT Councilmembers actually have any tangible influence in Albany, and even in the five boroughs themselves.

"Holding press conferences doesn’t move legislation," Park added.

Both Dromm and Van Bramer remain optimistic they and their colleagues on the City Council and Albany will be able to advance an LGBT agenda.

"We’re going to be saying to our colleagues; this is important to us and we need you on board," Dromm said.

Philippine Daily Mirror: Filipinos Support Dromm as Chair of Immigration Committee

From Philippine Daily Mirror: By PDM News

Rain, wind, and cold weather did not hinder supporters from rallying behind Daniel Dromm at the Jewish Center in Jackson Heights. Dromm held a press conference to announce his latest position as the chair of the New York City Council Immigration Committee. “Dromm is the person we need for the job. He has been active in community affairs in the district for almost two decades already. He has advocated for community issues which includes just wages, traffic concerns, LGBT rights and justice for victims of hate crimes in the community”, Mon Mappala of the Filipino Political Action Committee (FPAC) said.

On November 3, 2009, Dromm received overwhelming support from the immigrant community when he was elected to serve the 25th district. His district has the highest percentage of foreign-born residents in New York City (the 25th district includes sections of Jackson heights, Elmhurst, LeFrak City, Corona, Rego Park and Woodside).

Council member Dromm declared, “As committee chairperson, I look forward to addressing the wide array of issues that our immigrants face when they come here. In the City council, I represent what is perhaps the most diverse, immigrant rich community in the city, if not the world. It is indeed an honor to chair this committee.”

“A patchwork of immigrants elects an openly gay councilman”, is how the New York Times dubbed Dromm’s recent election. Dromm who has irish roots, speaks Spanish fluently and once worked as a teacher promised to address different issues in the community.

Among the issues which is Dromm’s priorities in the Immigration committee are expanding of English-as-a-Second language programs, improving health care access for immigrants, opening jobs and community centers, improving housing for immigrants, relieving school overcrowding in communities with large immigrant populations, supporting federal legislation for the DREAM act and focusing on the need for a comprehensive federal immigration reform.

“Dromm truly understands the diversity of his district and the needs of the different neighborhoods that thrive in it. We are hopeful that his appointment as Chair of the immigration committee will bring our voices, the immigrant voices into the New York City Council. And he will help bring changes to our community including the ever growing Filipino Community”, Mappala said.

Council member Dromm declared during the press conference, “It does not matter where you come from or how you got here. What matters is where we are going together”. “What immigrants want is what all New Yorkers want – the right to pursue happiness and freedom in our great land”, Dromm added.

Philippine Forum, a local organization in Queens fighting for the rights and welfare of Filipinos, signified to help Dromm push for a comprehensive immigration agenda.

"The appointment of Council Member Dromm is a big victory for the Filipino community and our immigration campaign. Danny has been a close ally even before he was elected as NYC council member and we look forward to working with him in bringing concrete changes for immigrants”, Julia Camagong, Co-Executive director of Philippine Forum, stated.

Gotham Gazette: Dromm Helps Create Path to Citizenship for Children

From Gotham Gazette: By Courtney Gross

Hundreds of undocumented children in the city's foster care system may be eligible for permanent residency, City Council members said yesterday.

The problem is no one knows it.

On Wednesday, Council Speaker Christine Quinn and Immigration Committee Chairman Danny Dromm announced a proposal that would make sure the Administration for Children's Services kept tabs on children's' statuses. Quinn and Dromm introduced a bill (Intro 3) that would require the administration promptly identify children who qualify for protected status from the federal government.

While in foster care, undocumented children are eligible for a special immigrant juvenile status from the federal government, which could lead the way to permanent residency and a green card.

"We unfortunately know little of how many documented children even exist in the system presently," said Quinn.

The bill would also require the administration to assist kids in immigration services and mandate the administration report back to the council on results.

Currently, said council officials, the city has no idea how many children in the foster system who are eligible for protected status actually receive it. Quinn said the Administration for Children's Services only has two staffers devoted to finding out children's immigration status.

Many, officials said, slip through the cracks.

Quinn suggested this new legislation could help "hundreds" of immigrant children.

Advocates were on hand yesterday to champion the proposal. Although it would likely affect only a small population of foster care children, even one child moving on without protected status is a tragedy, said Nancy Downing, the director of advocacy and the legal department at Covenant House, a youth shelter.

"Even if you're talking about 10 kids a year, that’s significant because those are 10 kids that are really going to be leading a life of poverty," said Downing. "They can't get jobs. They can't get education, if they cant get financial aid."

When a child is 18, he or she leaves the city's foster system. Once out of the system, the child would no longer be eligible for the status, said Quinn.

The council's proposal would only apply to undocumented children in the foster system. It does not affect children in the juvenile jail system.

Dromm Pushes For More Inclusion in FDNY

On Wednesday, Councilman Daniel Dromm joined Councilman Larry Seabrook, chair of the Civil Rights Committee, and other Council Members in expressing outrage that the Department of Citywide Administrative Services continues to use entrances examinations that put Black and Latino candidates for New York City Fire Department jobs at a disadvantage in entering the service.

The Epoch Times: Dromm Challenges Ford on Immigration

From The Epoch Times: By Jack Phillips

NEW YORK—The Hispanic Federation slammed possible Democratic Senate candidate Harold Ford Jr. on Monday, alleging that his record on immigration isn't up to par for New York City. Ford is a former congressman from Tennessee who is rumored to be seeking a primary challenge against current U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.).

Ford voted yes on a 2005 bill that was mostly Republican-backed in the House and, if it was passed in the Senate, would possibly have charged all illegal immigrants in the U.S. with a felony, forcing them to be incarcerated for one year. Many civil rights, human rights, and religious groups opposed the bill when it first appeared.

Councilman Daniel Dromm said that Ford could not win over the city without immigrant support. "This is New York City. And New York City was built strong because of our immigrant population," said Dromm.

Gotham Schools: Dromm Joins UFT Against School Closings

From Gotham Schools: By Anna Phillips

The city’s teachers union and the NAACP filed suit against the Department of Education today, claiming that the city lost the right to close 19 schools when it violated the law that governs school closures.

Those who have read the law — or the “carefully crafted multi-tiered public process,” as the lawsuit states —can testify that it is not a simple one to follow.

Part of the mayoral control legislation that barely made it through the state legislature last summer calls for the city to hold hearings at each of the public schools slated for closure, for “stakeholders” to be consulted, and for the city to study and report on the effects closing schools would have on their surrounding communities. All of this had to be completed a certain number of days before the citywide schoolboard, the Panel for Educational Policy, voted on the closings.

The United Federation of Teachers is charging the city with putting up only “a pretense of compliance” with those procedures. The department’s Educational Impact Statements were “boilerplate,” Mulgrew said. Their notices of public hearings were published too late and the views of Community Education Councils, which function as local school boards with limited power, were ignored, the lawsuit alleges.

“I don’t know any other way to get the attention of the DOE,” said Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, who joined the UFT’s lawsuit. Stringer said he doesn’t oppose closing failing schools on principle, but believes the city has violated the law.

Absent from the news conference at the UFT’s headquarters in Lower Manhattan today was Democratic State Senator Daniel Squadron, who sponsored the law along with Republican State Senator Frank Padavan. In October, Squadron told a small gathering of residents from his district who objected to the law that he felt personally responsible for ensuring that the city followed the protocol it laid out.

DOE officials expected the UFT to sue, but appear particularly irritated by the NAACP’s decision to join as a plaintiff.

“Either you’re for fixing schools that have failed poor and overwhelmingly minority students for far too long, or you’re not. I know what side we’re on,” said Deputy Mayor for Education Dennis Walcott in a statement.

Other plaintiffs in the lawsuit include: the Alliance for Quality Education, Marty Markowitz, Bill Perkins, Eric Adams, Martin Dilan, Hakeem Jeffries, Robert Jackson, Charles Barron, Mark Weprin, Al Vann, Daniel Dromm, and Lewis Fidler.

Squadron did not return a request for comment.

NY1: Dromm Fights School Closings

From NY1: By Lindsey Christ

The United Federation of Teachers filed suit Monday against the Department of Education over its plans to close 19 city schools.

The suit accuses Schools Chancellor Joel Klein of ignoring the law and not properly analyzing the impact of closures on students and communities.

UFT President Michael Mulgrew was joined by teachers, parents, community groups and elected officials for the announcement.

"It has become clear to us that they have not followed the law," Mulgrew argued.

The Panel for Education Policy voted last week to close 19 underperforming schools.

The decision came against objections from students and parents, who rallied and spoke at the meeting for nine hours.

"We listened. I mean we did detailed analysis of these schools and we listened to what people had to stay, but at the same time we cannot allow schools that have not done their job, so we met the letter of the law," said Deputy Mayor Dennis Walcott.

"What we are asking here is for this process to be redone, because it was not followed correctly. We cannot ignore the public comment," Mulgrew said.

During an appearance Monday on NY1's "Inside City Hall," Klein responded strongly to the lawsuit.

"The schools that were front and center in that lawsuit like Jamaica, Beach Channel and Columbus and others, they were schools that were identified by the state as persistently lowest performing in the entire state. What we need to do is come up with better solutions for our state," Klein said.

When asked about accusations that the process was fixed, Klein said that during the public hearings, no one made a compelling case for keeping the schools open.

The schools will be phased out over several years, meaning current students will be allowed to graduate, but there will be no new enrollments.

Most of the closed schools will be replaced by smaller schools, often in the same building.

Dromm Endorses Senator Gillibrand

Queens Gazette: Dromm Addresses Community Board 3

From Western Queens Gazette: by Thomas Cogan

Community Board 3’s first meeting of 2010 at the board’s usual meeting place, I.S. 227, the Louis Armstrong School in Corona, three politicians introduced themselves and talked. A spokesman for a local ambulance service sought letters of approval for a plan that would expand its territory. There was a new election of board officers. Near the end of the meeting, there was word of a proposal to build an elementary school, while the MTA proposal to eliminate free transit fare for students was not appreciated.

City Councilmember Daniel Dromm was the first politician to the front of the room. New to political office, he first defeated incumbent Helen Sears in a primary race for nomination to the City Council’s 25th district seat then won the November election, where, he acknowledged, his share of the vote was 75 percent. Just after being inaugurated, he was named head of the council Immigration Committee.

Dromm has a 25-year background teaching in city schools and spoke first of educational matters. He noted that the local problem of overcrowded classrooms would be allayed considerably if an arrangement could be effected for public school students to fill 700 seats at the now closed Blessed Sacrament elementary school at 34-20 94th St. “It would be like getting a new school,” he said. He praised the Renaissance Charter School, a K-12 school that has operated at 35-59 81st St. for nearly a decade. Turning to another critical area, he deplored the healthcare situation since the recent closing of three Queens hospitals, saying the closings have had a particularly severe impact on Elmhurst Medical Center, where people in need of treatment often must wait nine or 10 hours just to be admitted. He said that several primary care centers are needed locally, and added that he and Congressmember Joseph Crowley have been trying to gain funds from the federal stimulus package, which might be used toward getting some of those centers.

He said that day laborers, widely seen as a great problem in the vicinity of Roosevelt Avenue, should instead be seen as those “least amongst us” that he learned about in his Catholic youth. Allowing that they have caused some problems, he said that they need community centers to address their situation of being unattached to just about anything. He praised the closing from time to time of 78th Street to make it a play street for children, hailing Board 3 Member Ed Westley for his part in bringing it about. Considering the number of local restaurants, he said that Jackson Heights should stage something like Atlantic Antic in Brooklyn’s Atlantic Avenue neighborhoods. He concluded by saying: “The strength of our community is the diversity of our community.”

Elmhurst Times: Dromm Opposes Closing Newtown High School

From Elmhurst Times: by Jeremy Walsh

Consistently low graduation rates at Grover Cleveland High School in Ridgewood and Long Island City High School and Newtown High School in Elmhurst have placed all three institutions on the list for state and federal funding that would either completely make over the schools or close them entirely.

The state-issued list of 57 schools with graduation rates below 60 percent or consistently low scores on state English and math exams was released last Thursday. It includes 10 schools in Queens.

City Councilman Daniel Dromm’s (D-Jackson Heights) office has scheduled a meeting with Newtown HS staff. Dromm said he opposed closing the school.

“In general, my impression of Newtown has been that ... people were happy with Newtown and I have not heard any problems,” Dromm said, praising the state DOE for informing his office when the report was to be released. “I hope they’ll let us in on what the decision making process is.”

NY1 Noticias: Daniel Dromm en Pura Política

NY1: Dromm Elected Immigration Chair

WNYC: Brian Lehrer Interviews Dromm

El Diaro: Concejales de NY viajan a PR por crimen de odio

El Diaro/MANUEL E. AVENDAÑO:

Una delegación de concejales neoyorquinos, encabezada por la presidente Christine Quinn, viajará mañana a Puerto Rico para reunirse con la familia de Jorge Steven López Mercado, el joven homosexual de 19 años de edad, que fuera brutalmente asesinado el pasado noviembre.

“El mensaje que queremos enviar al gobernador (Luis Fortuño) es que el resto de los Estados Unidos está viendo este caso y que quiere que se haga justicia”, dijo Quinn, en declaraciones exclusivas a EL DIARIO/LA PRENSA.

La presidente del Concejo Municipal agregó que decidió ir a la isla cuando escuchó acerca del crimen, de lo “increíblemente brutal que fue contra una víctima tan joven”.

Quinn expresó que se ha sentido “muy molesta” por la manera en que se ha manejado el caso, con el silencio del gobernador y por el trato que se le dado a la víctima “casi como a un criminal”. “La forma de tratar este caso ha sido ofensiva y atroz”, dijo Quinn.

Por su parte, la concejal Melissa Mark-Viverito (D-Manhattan) dijo a este diario que los concejales de Nueva York se unirán a otros funcionarios electos de Chicago, donde la comunidad puertorriqueña ha recaudado fondos que serán entregados a los familiares de López Mercado.

Los ediles Rosie Méndez (D-Manhattan), Danny Dromm (D-Queens) y Jimmy Van Bramer (D-Queens) integran también la delegación.

“Queremos que el gobernador entienda que el silencio no es aceptable”, dijo Mark-Viverito. Agregó que pese a que desde el 2002 existe una ley contra los crímenes de odio en Puerto Rico –firmada por la entonces gobernadora Sila Calderón- “hasta el momento no se ha llevado un caso a la corte”.

El cadáver de López Mercado fue hallado el 13 de noviembre en la ciudad de Cavey. Había sido decapitado, desmembrado y parcialmente quemado.

NYTimes: Dromm "We Are Fighting to Make People's Lives Better"

Daniel Dromm and members of the Keltic Dreams Irish dance group performed “Y.M.C.A.” at his inauguration party on Sunday.

Huddled with aides last week in a room upstairs from his future district office, which the incumbent he defeated in the Democratic primary had yet to clear out, City Councilman Daniel Dromm ironed out the final details of his inauguration party.

They discussed when the bagpipes would chime in, who would sing “The Star-Spangled Banner” and which line would be recited by each of the four judges administering the oath of office. “And when the show begins, we’ll do the drag queens and then Randy Jones,” he said, referring to the original cowboy in the Village People.

Mr. Dromm’s choice of entertainment was at once a personal indulgence (“I’m a fan of early disco,” he explained) and a tongue-in-cheek statement of his sexuality. He is the first openly gay elected official to represent Jackson Heights, Queens, a neighborhood known for its diversity of people and cuisines that enjoys a more obscure distinction as a haven for gay men and lesbians.

At first glance, it might seem incongruous that gay people would find acceptance in a place that is home to large populations of South Asian and South American immigrants, who usually hold conservative values. In the days leading up to the general election, Mr. Dromm’s Republican opponent, a Bangladeshi Muslim named Mujib Rahman, tried to turn his rival’s sexual orientation into a campaign issue, denouncing Mr. Dromm as a “radical gay activist.”

Still, Mr. Dromm, 54, won with nearly 75 percent of the vote.

Jackson Heights was not always this way. Mr. Dromm, a veteran gay activist and former teacher at an elementary school, recalled that a police helicopter hovered overhead, in case violence broke out, when the neighborhood held Queens’s first gay pride parade in 1993. Tensions had been running high since a gay man from Colombia, Julio Rivera, was stabbed to death in a bias attack three years earlier.

What Mr. Rivera’s killing did, though, was expose the divisions and intersections within the many worlds that define Jackson Heights. Problems still persist: Just last month, a gay man reported to the police that he was beaten by bouncers at a Mexican restaurant on Roosevelt Avenue. But for gay people and Latinos, at least, “it’s not a matter of coexisting, but a matter of how much they overlap,” said Joe Rollins, 48, a political science professor at the City University of New York who is gay and has lived in Jackson Heights for eight years.

It is exactly this sense of mash-up multiculturalism that many gays said had attracted them to Jackson Heights, along with its vast subway network and its housing stock, ample and relatively affordable apartments with luxurious gardens and ornate architectural flourishes.

That it has a gay subculture “was a sort of bonus, but not a deciding factor,” said Alfonso Quiroz, 37, who four years ago began organizing monthly dinners that now draw more than 30 people — most of them gay men, but also some lesbians and a heterosexual couple.

“It was never about your ethnic background, your religious background, your sexual orientation, or about being rich or poor,” said Mr. Quiroz, a spokesman for Con Edison who has lived in Jackson Heights since 2003 with his partner, Jeff Simmons, 45. “It was really about feeling comfortable here.”

Glenn Magpantay, 41, and his partner, Christopher Goeken, 42, moved to Jackson Heights from Boerum Hill, Brooklyn, in 2004 because “we wanted a place where we could raise a family,” said Mr. Magpantay, a civil rights lawyer. He is of Filipino descent, Mr. Goeken is white and they have an adopted son, a 3-year-old black boy named Malcolm.

“To us,” Mr. Magpantay said over empanadas at a Colombian restaurant on 37th Avenue, “living in a racially diverse neighborhood was very important.”

Gay men said they were not afraid to hold hands with their partners while walking the streets. And while there are gay bars and clubs on Roosevelt Avenue — patrons described the scene as twice as fun as Manhattan’s, but half the price — there is no sense of an enclave like there is in Chelsea, where gay people seem to inhabit a world of their own, they said.

“Jackson Heights happens to have a lot of gays, but it’s not a gay neighborhood,” said Jeffrey Reich-Hale, 35, a hotel sales director who was eating at a neighborhood restaurant. “We have our problems, but you really feel like everyone belongs everywhere.” In recent years at the Queens Gay Pride Parade, which Mr. Dromm helped found, sidewalks have been packed with immigrant men, women and children cheering as gays from Colombia, Ecuador and Peru pass by, waving their countries’ flags. It is the city’s largest gay parade outside Manhattan and it has “a real neighborhood feeling, with people coming out with their folding chairs, their coolers, like you’d see on Memorial Day,” said City Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn, who is a lesbian and has been one of the parade’s most loyal participants.

But at his inauguration party on Sunday, in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, Mr. Dromm made sure to point out that as a councilman, he would not embrace “a gay agenda,” but causes that are important to the people he represents, like traffic and parking improvements, additional parkland and the creation of a day laborer hiring site. (His district also includes parts of Corona, Woodside, Elmhurst and East Elmhurst, which has a sizable Chinese population.)

“I believe that our struggles as progressives, as gays, as immigrants, as Latinos, as South Asians, as African-Americans, as Asians, as Muslims, as human beings, is one and the same,” he told an audience of about 600 people. “We are fighting to make people’s lives better.”

Written by Fernanda Santos. Published New York Times January 15th, 2010

NYPost "Dromm: 74th St-Roosevelt Hub is Gold"

From NYPost: by Jeremy Walsh

The same day last week that the MTA approved a doomsday budget that eliminated two subway lines in Queens, elected officials in Jackson Heights called the agency’s attention to a potential lost funding source: the 74th Street-Roosevelt Avenue transit hub.

“It is absolutely shameful that the MTA is considering throwing students under the bus before pursuing revenue from these valuable properties,” City Councilman-elect Daniel Dromm said of the new budget, which includes charging students for trips to and from school. “The MTA must focus on all revenue opportunities before they talk about any service cuts or massive fare increases for students.”

State Assemblyman Jose Peralta (D-Jackson Heights) said the Metropolitan Transportation Authority “needs to look deep into their reserve fund and find appropriate sources of funding.”

Assemblyman Michael DenDekker (D-Jackson Heights) also urged alternate methods of increasing revenue.

“Before the MTA starts to implement any service cuts at all, it should check all available financial resources, such as the leasing of MTA property and all other revenue sources they have,” he said.

The $132 million 74th Street station project took five years to finish, Dromm’s office said. It boasts 14 commercial spaces that could be rented out to tenants.

At the time, elected officials said the MTA Real Estate Committee had received a stunning number of applications for the storefronts. But when the new facility opened in November 2006, merchants complained that the MTA charged much higher rents than other landlords in the neighborhood.

MTA spokesman Kevin Ortiz said 11 of the commercial spaces at the station are either currently occupied or licensed and awaiting the tenant to move in.

The largest of the spaces, a 4,000-square-foot storefront on the street level, is empty right now because the vendor is having problems with his architect, Ortiz said.

“What we said was, ‘As a sign of good faith ... would you increase the amount that you give the MTA up front as a security deposit?’ And he did that,” Ortiz said. “He’s assured us he’s coming.”

Dromm’s office pointed out another transit hub, the Fulton Street station in Manhattan, was recently renovated with 20,000 square feet of commercial space that goes for $150 a square foot annually.

The 74th Street station was the 14th-busiest of all the MTA’s subway stations in 2008, serving 16.4 million passengers that year.

Queens Chronicle: Dromm Wins

From Queens Chronicle: by Willow Belden

A “Yes we can” mentality permeated Club Atlantis Tuesday night, when Danny Dromm celebrated his victory over incumbent Councilwoman Helen Sears.

Dromm took nearly 50 percent of the vote in the primary, beating Sears by about 10 percent, while rival Stanley Kalathara took just over 11 percent. No Republicans are running for election in District 25, so Dromm will be unchallenged in the November election.

“This is unbelievable,” Dromm told a crowd of jubilant supporters after the results came in. “The people have won, and the people will continue to win. ... We are going to redefine politics.”

Dromm, who has been a public school teacher for 25 years and is a leader in the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, was the only candidate in Queens — and one of just four citywide — to unseat an incumbent in the primary.

“It is nearly impossible to take out a city incumbent,” said state Assemblyman Jose Peralta, who spoke at Dromm’s victory celebration. “They said it couldn’t be done, and we proved everyone wrong — we did it.”

Sears, who is finishing her second term on the City Council, had the backing of the Queens Democratic Organization and several prominent politicians, but she came under attack for voting to extend term limits, seeking to remove street vendors from parts of her district and opposing legislation aimed at toughening lead paint regulations. Opponents also complain that St. John’s Hospital closed under her watch and claim she is often unresponsive to the wishes of her constituents.

After thanking his staff and volunteers, Dromm’s victory speech took a serious tone. He noted that he is one of two openly gay Queens candidates who claimed victory in the primary — the other being Jimmy Van Bramer, who beat rival Deirdre Feerick in District 26 — and tears came to his eyes as he spoke about how his personal experiences have shaped who he is.

“Being a person who has faced discrimination, who has faced hatred and who knows what that does to people, I promise to every single community in this community — to our South Asian community, to our Latino community, to our LGBT community, to our Asian community — I am going to be your fighter on the New York City Council,” Dromm said.

That set off a chant of “The people, united, shall never be defeated! The people, united, shall never be defeated!” amongst the crowd of supporters.

Dromm then reached out to the individuals and groups backing his main rival.

“To the Queens County Democratic Organization, I am extending an olive branch,” he said. “I will work with you. ... We are going to work together for the betterment of this community. We will bring the resources to this community that the community deserves.”

He added that he looks forward to working with Congressman Joe Crowley (D-Queens and the Bronx), who also endorsed Sears.

Dromm didn’t dwell on specific policy items Tuesday night, but a large part of his campaign centered on improving education by creating more classroom space, reducing class sizes and ensuring that teachers and parents would have more involvement in decision-making processes.

The winner has pledged to take a tough stance on landlords who make life difficult for middle- and low-income tenants and prides himself on his detachment from the real estate industry.

To improve healthcare and ease hospital overcrowding, Dromm advocates setting up “primary care resource centers,” and he is a strong supporter of improving public transportation and creating more public green spaces.

City Hall News: Meet Your New City Council Member Daniel Dromm

A teacher who has learned hard-fought lessons takes his seat in Queens
by Andrew Cotlov

Danny Dromm thought he was safe when he paused underneath a tree for a moment to savor his victory as he walked to his election night party. A bird, standing on a branch above, thought otherwise.
“I had on a crisp white shirt too,” Dromm said. “They say it’s good luck. That’s when I knew I’d do okay.”

But it was not luck that put Dromm on the Council. The veteran public school teacher won a bitter contest against incumbent Helen Sears, one that saw several candidates drop out once the term limit extension allowed Sears the chance to run again.

The race was marred by charges from Sears supporters that Dromm was arrested for prostitution in 1972 (he was only 16 years old and says he was arrested for being gay) and from Dromm’s side that Sears was unresponsive to a district that grew increasingly diverse over the last eight years.

When asked about the negative turn the race took and the accusations against his own campaign Dromm responded, “It was definitely aggressive, but you have to do what it takes to win. I’m a fighter, since Day 1 in politics I’ve always been a fighter, and I’ll remain a fighter to bring back the resources this community needs. I’ll continue fighting for the people of this district.”

Dromm is used to bitter fights.

In the 1990’s he gained some notoriety after coming out as an openly gay teacher in response to the local school board’s intense opposition to the city’s new Rainbow Curriculum, which was intended to teach tolerance to elementary school students. The new curriculum came under heavy attack from critics, particularly from school board president Mary Cummins, who argued it was teaching children homosexuality.

“There were protests and there was a lot of homophobia. I was literally the front page story of Newsday.” Dromm recalled. “It catapulted me to a leadership position in the gay community.”

Dromm taught at PS 199 for 24 years and saw firsthand, he said, how new education policies have affected his students. He added that it is a priority to bring the classroom’s focus back to teaching and away from standardized tests.

“What happens politically effects what happens in education.” Dromm explains, “I know what goes on in the schools and nobody can pull the wool over my eyes.”

He says he is working already to add new classroom space for students in the neighborhood and to bring a new primary healthcare facility to Jackson Heights in hopes of taking some of the pressure off Elmhurst Hospital, the only remaining hospital in the district.

At his election night party, over loud, thumping music at the gay nightclub The Atlantis, supporters tugged at him and mugged to have their photo taken alongside their new councilman.

“He has some kids on his campaign that were his students, and are high school and college students now, that still have such warm feelings for him,” explained Laura Cadorette, one of his campaign workers and a friend of Dromm’s for nearly a decade. “He provided a very positive influence; the people in the community react that way to him too.”

After the party, Dromm said he was aware there is much work to be done. Still, he added, he may take some time away before being sworn-in to catch up on things that were neglected over the course of two-year-long campaign.

“I love Broadway theater and I am dying to see a new show,” he said. “I want to go soon with my mother.”

NY Daily News: Dromm ousts two-term incumbent in upstart vs. machine battle

From New York Daily News:
In surprising twist to Queens politics as usual, an upstart candidate went up against the borough's Democratic party machine and won.

Daniel Dromm, 53, an elementary school teacher and gay activist, beat out two-term City Councilwoman Helen Sears by 621 votes in Tuesday's 25th District Democratic primary.

Dromm also handily beat Stanley Kalathara, 64, who garnered 730 out of 6,473 total votes, according to the Board of Elections' unofficial tally.

Dromm will face off against Republican candidate Mujib Rahman, 51, on Nov. 3 for the Jackson Heights seat.

"We listened to what people told us," a triumphant Dromm said yesterday. Voters "wanted to relieve overcrowding in the schools and they wanted health care centers in the community, and we have a plan to address those issues."

Unseating an incumbent was no easy task.

"It's nearly impossible to beat an incumbent in this day and age," said Assemblyman Jose Peralta (D-Jackson Heights), who endorsed Dromm. Incumbents "have every resource available to them, from money to volunteers."

Peralta said he believes voter frustration with Sears helped Dromm win the primary.

"She was out of touch with her constituents," Peralta said. "Not only do people know who [Dromm] is, but people have seen his work."

Dromm grabbed headlines in the early 1990s for coming out of the closet to protest homophobia at the school where he worked. A year later, he co-founded the annual Queens gay pride parade.

During his campaign, Dromm had to contend with anonymous mailings detailing his arrest record going back almost 40 years.

He said he believes the mailings backfired.

"People said they're tired of these tactics," Dromm said.

Sears graciously conceded defeat in a statement Wednesday.

"I reached out to Danny and left a message congratulating him on his win," Sears said. "He fought an energetic campaign."

NY Daily News Endorses Daniel Dromm

From NY Daily News:
Cream of the Council crop:
The people who should represent you at City Hall

Herewith the Daily News guide to those City Council candidates whose primary victories tomorrow hold the greatest promise of raising the low quality of the municipal legislature:

District 25(Jackson Heights, East Elmhurst, Elmhurst, LeFrak City, Corona):
Danny Dromm is a veteran teacher, Democratic district leader and head of the Queens Pride Committee. He has multiples of the energy of incumbent Helen Sears.

El Diario Endorses Daniel Dromm

We like Dromm’s aggressive stance on opening a center in his district. We also like his sensitivity to immigrant issues, including challenges for English Language Learners, and his overall political position: that in order to bring about change, one must affect the political structure.

DANIEL DROMM FOR DISTRICT 25
From El Diario:
One of the competitive electoral races in which New York City voters can have an impact is in City Council District 25 in Queens.

There, Daniel Dromm, a veteran educator and activist, is leading a spirited campaign against incumbent Helen Sears to represent neighborhoods like Jackson Heights, Elmhurst and Corona. District 25 is 46 percent Hispanic.

Sears has several noteworthy accomplishments. For example, Sears was one of the co-sponsors of legislation that created a commission to study the possibility of opening day labor centers. As El Diario-La Prensa frequently reports on, these centers are considered crucial for preventing day laborers from being exploited and for addressing community concerns about workers gathering on the streets.

But with the lack of follow up to recommendations issued by the day labor commission, we like Dromm’s aggressive stance on opening a center in his district. We also like his sensitivity to immigrant issues, including challenges for English Language Learners, and his overall political position: that in order to bring about change, one must affect the political structure.

Times-Ledger Newspapers Endorse Daniel Dromm for City Council

TimesLedger is giving its endorsement to Dromm, who has proven to be a passionate fighter for issues important to the community and is expected to be a more visible member of the Council if elected.

District 25: Danny Dromm
In the three-way race in District 25, voters will choose between the two-term incumbent Councilwoman Helen Sears; Danny Dromm, a school teacher and community activist; and Stanley Kalathara, an immigration lawyer who is a relative newcomer to local politics.

Sears is running on the strength of her experience in the Council as a budget negotiator and has defended her vote to extend term limits by saying more than eight years is needed to complete long-term capital projects.

Dromm has touted his history as an activist on gay rights and immigration issues as well as his knowledge of education after decades of teaching in city schools, while Kalathara has focused largely on Sears’ vote in favor of extending term limits.

TimesLedger is giving its endorsement to Dromm, who has proven to be a passionate fighter for issues important to the community and is expected to be a more visible member of the Council if elected.

Ecuador News Endorses Daniel Dromm

Ecuador News Endorses Daniel Dromm for New York City Council, 25th District.

New York Times Endorses Daniel Dromm

..The district deserves more energetic representation.
Daniel Dromm, a public schoolteacher and activist, is ready to take on the area’s needs — mainly too few schools and health facilities. We endorse Mr. Dromm.

From the New York Times:

District 25, Queens (Jackson Heights, Elmhurst, Corona):

This is now one of the city’s most diverse districts. Though Councilwoman Helen Sears has made efforts to expand her services, the district deserves more energetic representation. Daniel Dromm, a public schoolteacher and activist, is ready to take on the area’s needs — mainly too few schools and health facilities. We endorse Mr. Dromm.

Queens Tribune Endorses Daniel Dromm

From Queens Tribune:

Danny has built networks throughout the district for years, has mobilized the people of his community and has taken tough stands on hard issues where his personal life has been put on the line for the betterment of a cause. In short, Danny is not afraid of a fight, and we are confident in his ability to fight for his district within the City Council. The Queens Tribune endorses Danny Dromm in the Democratic Primary.

25th District
A three-person race, this primary comes down to incumbent Helen Sears, political and community leader Danny Dromm and newcomer Stanley Kalathara, who brings a fresh perspective to an ever-changing neighborhood.

Helen has been a longtime community servant, but was voted in under the new term limits that forced her predecessor John Sabini to leave office. She has served the community, but also served herself by voting to overturn the will of the people when she voted to extend a third term for the members of the City Council. Though that issue alone is not enough for us to oppose her re-election, in a closely matched contest, where we feel that a challenger, in this case Danny Dromm, can do just as good a job for the people, it is a deciding factor.

Danny has built networks throughout the district for years, has mobilized the people of his community and has taken tough stands on hard issues where his personal life has been put on the line for the betterment of a cause. In short, Danny is not afraid of a fight, and we are confident in his ability to fight for his district within the City Council. The Queens Tribune endorses Danny Dromm in the Democratic Primary.

Gay City News Endorses Daniel Dromm

From Gay City News:
In Queens District 25, longtime LGBT and Democratic Party activist Daniel Dromm is taking on incumbent Helen Sears to represent Jackson Heights, Elmhurst, Woodside, and Corona. Dating back to the early 1990s, when the anti-gay murder of Julio Rivera sparked outrage and a determination to speak up and be visible in Queens, he has played a critical leadership role in the borough’s LGBT community — in its annual pride celebration, its community center, a gay Democratic club, and assisting the victims of homophobic violence and their families. During the education curriculum wars of the early ’90s, Dromm, a school teacher, became the target of a vicious anti-gay propaganda campaign waged by a local school board member, a challenge he surmounted with considerable dignity. This year, an anonymous smear campaign, based on a 38-year-old tale of his arrest as a teenager when police nabbed him necking in a parked car, was launched against him, a reminder that gay sexuality will always be an issue for some in politics.

The dust-up this year is particularly unfortunate given Sears’ good record on gay issues, which has attracted support among several LGBT leaders in Queens. Notwithstanding the incumbent’s embrace of our community’s agenda, she has had eight years on the Council, and Dromm would be a welcome gay voice from a district outside Manhattan. He is a dedicated activist and hard worker who has kept on his toes throughout a long campaign season. Dromm deserves support from LGBT voters.

Queens Ledger Endorses Daniel Dromm

From Queens Ledger

"Daniel Dromm is that rare, one-of-a-kind politician, and so this paper is endorsing his bid for City Council."

"If elected, Dromm would bring the exact combination of new ideas, credibility and experience the district needs."

"Improving the quality of life, the living standards and overall well-being of residents in the 25th District is a major undertaking. Dromm is up for the challenge."

New York City’s 25th Council District is often referred to as the most diverse district in the most diverse county in the country. This may very well be true.

Encompassing parts of Jackson Heights, Elmhurst, East Elmhurst, Rego Park, Woodside and Corona, the district represents large Latino, African-American and South Asian communities, not to mention a variety of other, smaller ethnic enclaves.

Each group has different needs, though of course many overlap (affordable housing, safe streets, economic opportunities and improved schools, are some).

It takes a special elected official to serve such a broad constituency, someone with a wide range of professional experience and personal compassion.

Daniel Dromm is that rare, one-of-a-kind politician, and so this paper is endorsing his bid for City Council.

Dromm is running against Councilwoman Helen Sears and Stanley Kalathara.

Endorsing a challenger over an incumbent means something.

It means, in this case, that Dromm already has in place the political relationships, skills, and far-reaching vision to take over where Sears has left off, without missing a beat, and actually improve upon her record.

Dromm is no novice to city politics or community organizing. He is the reigning Democratic District Leader in the 39th Assembly District, a position he was elected to in 2002. He has since won re-election three times.

He is a member of several community organizations, and an award-winning public school teacher. Dromm, who is gay, founded the Queens LGBT Pride Parade and Festival 15 years ago and runs it proudly to this day.

His long career in the community has won him many friends; Dromm’s name, especially in Jackson Heights, where he is most recognized as an effective community advocate, carries weight. Dromm’s inch-by-inch knowledge of the district rivals, if not surpasses, that of Sears. He speaks excellent Spanish, a certain job requirement of City Council members in years to come.

Simply put, he understands the district’s most pressing issues - from over-crowded schools to the abundance of crime along Roosevelt Avenue - and in each case has a fairly specific plan of action.

In comparison, Sears, who is seeking a third term, appears slightly out of touch with her constituency. To be sure, she has done some good work, in health care especially. But after eight years in office, she has begun making mistakes that Dromm would avoid.

For example, Sears recently proposed creating a “vendor-free zone” in the district to cut down on street vendors, who she said are eating into the profits of struggling, storefront small businesses.

That claim is in dispute, in what has become a hot-button issue of late. Regardless, Sears’ blanket, one-size-fits-all approach to the issue betrayed a thoughtlessness, or at the least an inattention to detail, that could prove dangerous in a third term in office.

On this and other issues Dromm - who supports regulating street vendors but not eliminating them entirely - takes a more nuanced view, which is essential in a district with myriad competing interests. (Of the three, Kalathara had the best, most comprehensive ideas on tackling street vendor problems).

Which isn't necessarily to say that Sears should disappear from public service. Her obvious interest in promoting the arts, not only in her district but throughout the city, would serve her well as the driving force behind a nonprofit or other community organization, as would her strong background in health care.

However, if elected, Dromm would bring the exact combination of new ideas, credibility and experience the district needs.

Improving the quality of life, the living standards and overall well-being of residents in the 25th District is a major undertaking. Dromm is up for the challenge.

Queens Gazette: Dromm Receives Important Endorsement of Ivan Lafayette

From Queens Gazette:
In the expected-to-be close Democratic Party primary in the 25th Council District (Jackson Heights), school teacher and gay advocate Daniel Dromm has received an important endorsement from former Assemblymember Ivan Lafayette.

In choosing Dromm, Lafayette, one of the highest-ranked regular Democratic former office holders in the district, bypassed another longtime regular Democratic official, incumbent Councilmember Helen Sears. For many years both Lafayette and Sears served as Democratic district leaders in Jackson Heights. Lafayette, who served for 32 years in the Assembly before retiring, said he endorsed Dromm after years of working personally with him and also because of Dromm's "commitment and effectiveness on the issues that matter most to me, —better schools, more access to doctors and health care, and improved quality of life".

Dromm also was recently endorsed by the Citizens Union, United Auto Workers and the Association of Legal Aid Attorneys. Also in the 25th district primary is Stanley Joseph Kalathara.

Gotham Gazette: Closed Hospital Plays Key Role in Jackson Heights Race

From Gotham Gazette: by Candice Brown

Any number of potential City Council candidates saw their plans thrown into turmoil in late 2008 when the City Council voted to extend term limits and allow incumbents, including Mayor Michael Bloomberg, to run for a third term in their respective New York City offices.

The move whittled away a number of challengers in District 25, which encompasses Jackson Heights, Corona and East Elmhurst. But two -- Daniel Dromm and Stanley Kalathara -- have remained in the primary race to challenge incumbent Helen Sears. With a spirited primary race underway, the conventional wisdom -- that an incumbent always wins -- might not hold true here. The winner of the Democratic primary will face Republican Mujib Rahman in November.

The diverse district faces an array of problems, including a lack of health facilities, development and overcrowded schools. While the candidates all seek to address those issues, their platforms emphasize different areas. Sears, who was first elected in 2001, is taking on the district's health care dilemmas; Dromm, a schoolteacher and union leader who is also a gay activist, is focusing on education reform; Kalathara, a lawyer and businessman, wants to clean up the neighborhood by improving the quality of life and attract dollars that would otherwise be spent in Manhattan.

The Hospital Closing

The fault line of this campaign is the recent closing of St. John's Hospital. When Caritas Healthcare, the company that ran St. John's Hospital and Mary Immaculate Hospital, also in Queens, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy early in 2009, the hospitals were unable to keep their doors open. Even before Caritas' bankruptcy, St. Johns had been plagued by a shortage of beds and outdated equipment.

Consequently, the 100,000 patients serviced in their emergency rooms must now go to other medical centers. Residents of Corona, East Elmhurst and Jackson Heights have to use the already strained resources of the two remaining neighborhood hospitals, Holliswood and Queens Hospital Center.

Sears' opponents hold her responsible for the closure of St. John's. Sears maintains that she moved quickly to keep the health center open. New York State extended money to the hospital, but said it could not make regular contributions.

"She only showed up at a protest at the very end. She should have started [taking measures to avoid this] since her election," said Dromm.

Kalathara said, "I am not going to play the blame game." But he cited his concern about the impact of any re-emergence of swine flu this fall, noting that the two remaining hospitals serving the densely packed district were already seeing a doubling in cases

Sears, a former healthcare professional, has spent a great deal of time defending her past two terms in local debates, rather than speaking of her aspirations for a third term. During her two terms, she said, the Corner Care Pavillion opened as a health center for neighborhood residents. Now she said, it will add a woman's health clinic. "This district is incredibly diverse -- every country in the world is represented here," she said. "A woman's clinic will bridge cultural differences and will provide and teach women how to seek healthcare."

Interviewed in a restaurant where the waitress speaks Spanish, Dromm cites his experience in advocacy and community affairs. "I recently organized a documentary screening about Muslim Sikhs to be shown in a Jewish center," he said.

His self-titled Dromm Plan vies to improve life for community residents with measures such as ending the self-certification practiced by real estate contractors and reducing noise pollution by pushing through legislation. He also proposes measures to help the area's many immigrants, such as addressing the employment scams which they too often face. "A center for day-laborers where they could meet potential employers would create safer situations and ensure union jobs by bringing immigrants into them," he said.

Kalathara, a self-made man who prides himself on his awareness of neighborhood difficulties, holds his interview in his neighborhood law office where the clientele are of Indian and Latino origin. He said he wants to address foreclosures, job loss and safety on Roosevelt Avenue and Junction Boulevard. "Installing lights, on stretches of blocks that often go without them is another plan to ease crime," he said.

He plans to push legislation to secure daily garbage pickup for his district and proposes the widespread use of charter schools to improve the education standards in city schools. "I will donate 10 percent of my salary to give funds to the most worthy community organization or school in this district," he said.

Kalathara extols his campaign as "a message of belief, opportunity." Holding himself up as an example of the American dream -- Kalathara worked his way up from an Indian immigrant-busboy to a lawyer -- he said, "I want to set an example for others." Indignant about the economic disparities between his district and many Manhattan neighborhoods, he said, "Queens is not a second class world. I want to make sure Queens citizens are treated first class,"

On the day of his interview, Kalathara was fighting to stay on the ballot. He sat, confident behind his desk in his Queens law office. "I've sent one of my lawyers to handle the case," he said. When questioned about the validity of the signatures on his ballot petitions, he said simply that Dromm, who had challenged them, "is a sour grape."

Votes for Immigrants

In this district of many immigrants, there is debate about Resolution 245, which would give non-citizens the right to vote in New York City elections. Dromm strongly supports the act, while Kalathara merely agreed. At a recent debate, Sears had no opinion to give, saying, "I'm here to tell you that I'm not sure where I'm on this. I haven't given it much consideration."

The passage of resolution 245 would have an enormous impact on the political landscape of New York City, particularly in this heavily immigrant Queens District. Estimates place those who are of age but cannot vote in New York City elections at 1.3 million, easily more than one-eighth of the city's overall population.

Explaining his support for the resolution, Dromm said, "There should be no taxation without representation. This is a basic American tenant, and it's the key to ones destiny."

Money and Support

Sears remains the campaign heavyweight in terms of budget. She leads with $128,493. Dromm is second in funds with $103,958 and Kalathara with $92,489.

Dromm has endorsements from the Working Families Party; Service Employees Union Local 1199, which represents healthcare workers; the United Federation of Teachers, as well as by local politicians including state Sen. Tom Duane and three City Council members from Queens.

Queens Chronicle: Meet the City Council

Queens Chronicle Profile by Willow Beldon
Daniel Dromm
As a public school teacher of 25 years, it’s not surprising that Daniel Dromm’s number one priority in his bid for a City Council seat is education.

In a district plagued by overcrowded schools, Dromm pledged to work hard to decrease class sizes. “What we’ve got to do is get additional seats here in the district,” he said. “We have to think of creative ways to be able to do that. We may have to build up instead of out. We may have to use existing space and convert it into classroom space. We may have to rent from the Catholic schools.” Dromm also supports unionized charter schools.

To fund new schools, Dromm would dip into the “airport fund,” a $100 million pot of money allotted to the neighborhoods bordering LaGuardia Airport. The money, which comes from the federal government through the Port Authority, is intended for capital projects.

In addition to reducing class sizes, Dromm would advocate for more teacher and parental involvement in school affairs. “[Chancellor] Joel Klein has really had a top-down management style that has excluded the parents and actually excluded the voices of the teachers in terms of the decision-making process,” Dromm said, adding that he supports mayoral control but feels more checks and balances are needed.

Another priority is health care. With St. John’s Hospital closed and Elmhurst Hospital overwhelmed by the volume of patients it receives, Dromm feels the area needs “primary care resource centers.” He pledged to work to bring doctors and insurance companies together to create accessible centers for routine medical care.

Then there are quality of life issues — things like traffic congestion and public transportation, which Dromm said incumbent Helen Sears (D-Jackson Heights) has neglected to address. He stressed the importance of strengthening the public transportation system and suggested means of improving traffic flow.

Dromm wants 73rd Street, which currently has two one-way segments that “collide” at Roosevelt Avenue, to become one way in a single direction. He also complained that the recent removal of a bus stop on 73rd Street, which was replaced with several metered parking spaces, is aggravating, rather than alleviating congestion. Dromm said he would solicit input from the community about these and other transportation-related issues, using neighborhood input as a guide to advocate for infrastructure improvements.

On the housing end, Dromm said affordable apartments should be a must in new buildings. “Any time we allow development to go on in the district, we should be asking for affordable housing,” he said, adding that at least 30 to 50 percent of the units in any given development should be priced for low- or middle-income families.

As for jobs, Dromm wants to promote green industries and said processes such as retrofitting buildings with greener components could put many people to work. In addition, to encourage small businesses, he wants to reduce what he calls “overburdensome regulations” which individuals must comply with in order to open new establishments.

In all areas, Dromm pledged to engage the community and be attentive to constituents’ concerns and wishes. “I think that we have the same problems in the community that we had eight years ago,” he said. “What we need now are solutions. ... I think I have the ability to bring people together.”

Dromm is well known for his leadership in the neighborhood’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. He founded the Queens pride parade and has been an active supporter of LGBT rights.

He is currently the district leader for the Democratic party and has received endorsements from a wide array of unions. His fundraising efforts have placed him between his two competitors, Sears and Stanley Kalathara, with $111,000.

Queens Ledger: "Dromm Roll, Please"

From Queens Ledger: by Daniel Bush

Before Danny Dromm got his hands on it, there was nothing remarkable about the first Sunday in June in Jackson Heights.

Now, each year on that day, Jackson Heights and Dromm play host to the Queens LGBT Pride Parade and Festival, a vibrant annual event born of the organizing work Dromm started there in the early 1990’s.

The parade exemplifies Dromm’s special brand of activism in Queens, where Dromm, who is gay, is best known as a champion of gay rights.

Yet there is much more to Dromm’s candidacy than this aspect of his work, something he acknowledged he must prove in order to win the City Council’s 25th District seat.

Dromm - a decorated public school teacher and Democratic district leader - is running against Councilwoman Helen Sears, who is seeking a third term, and Stanley Kalathara, a community activist.

“I have been a strong advocate for my community for twenty years,” said Dromm. He said his consistent track record of challenging the status quo is “one of my greatest assets in running for City council.”

Dromm said if elected he would apply his community organizing to solve issues across the district - from sanitation services to crime, education, and small business growth.

“I’ve crossed bridges,” said Dromm, who was elected to the post of 39th Assembly District Leader, Part A, in 2002. He has since been re-elected three times. “That’s what needs to be done in our community. [We need to] bring people together.”

Dromm supports directing more resources towards community-based health initiatives. He said he would build local health centers for uninsured and low-income residents, so they no longer have to go to Elmhurst Hospital’s emergency room for primary care service.

Dromm criticized Sears for not doing more to save St. John’s Hospital, which closed earlier this year.

“How could she have allowed St. John’s to close?” said Dromm. “Someone should have been out there screaming and yelling.”

Likewise, he said the district - which is small, geographically, but has a dense, largely immigrant population - needs more city resources to improve education, sanitation services, and traffic congestion and help struggling small business whether the recession.

Dromm noted that securing funding for these and other projects, including efforts to reduce crime and encourage the development of affordable housing, will be harder than ever, but said that doesn’t mean they can’t be done.

“I know we have a budget crisis, but we still need someone” to fight for the district’s needs, Dromm said. He said his relationship with elected officials in Queens and throughout the city would help him advocate for his district and achieve immediate results.

Indeed, Dromm has racked up a list of important endorsements that could give the incumbent Sears, the Democratic party candidate, pause for worry.

Dromm has been endorsed by Assemblyman Jose Peralta, Queens Council members Julissa Ferreras and Eric Gioia, and the Working Families Party, among others.

The Democratic primary will be held on September 15.

© queensledger.com 2009

Queens Chronicle: Dromm Advocates for High School in JH

From Queens Chronicle:
by Willow Belden

Jackson Heights could become home to a new charter high school, if an application submitted to the Department of Education is approved — and if the school can find a suitable location.

The Renaissance Charter High School for Innovation would house approximately 500 students in grades nine through 12 and would be located either in District 30 or District 24.

Daniel Dromm, a longtime Jackson Heights teacher and candidate for City Council, said teachers and parents are very involved in decision-making at Renaissance, which is a plus.

“What works with students is what we have going on with students at Renaissance,” he said, calling the institution “a model for charter schools.”

Crains: Dromm 'Big Winner' of Grassroots School Parent Support

From Crains:
Educational Justice PAC, which bills itself as the city’s first parent-initiated grassroots political action committee, will unveil its City Council endorsements today. The big winner is Daniel Dromm, a public school teacher challenging Queens Councilwoman Helen Sears in the Democratic primary. Dromm got $2,750, the maximum donation allowed. S.J. Jung, running for an open seat in Flushing, got $750, and Mark Winston Griffith, challenging Councilman Al Vann in central Brooklyn, got $500. Eight incumbents received $250 each from the PAC, which says it’s trying to increase accountability at the Department of Education.

JH Times: "Dromm Touts Activist Past"

From Jackson Heights Times: by Jeremy Walsh
"Dromm Touts Activist Past"
When Daniel Dromm launched his bid for the City Council last year, he did not expect to be the underdog. But when Mayor Michael Bloomberg succeeded in extending term limits, the public school teacher and Democratic district leader found himself pitted against incumbent Councilwoman Helen Sears (D-Jackson Heights).

“It does change my strategy,” he said. “But that’s going to be a problem for her, because I disagree with her a lot.”

Dromm said as a councilman, he would focus on overcrowding in schools, traffic congestion and health care.

He criticized Sears for not bringing additional school seats to her Council district, noting that Districts 24 and 30 are two of the most overcrowded in the city.

“We’ve got to build up [on existing sites] or we find other places to do it,” he said. “Just saying that we can’t do something is not acceptable.”

To alleviate traffic congestion, Dromm proposed redirecting and extending some one-way streets in the Jackson Heights Historic District, as well as commissioning a traffic impact study for the LeFrak City area, which he fears will be overwhelmed by vehicles traveling to and from the new shopping center along Junction Boulevard in Rego Park.

NY Hotel & Motel Trades Council Endorse Dromm

NY Hotel & Motel Trades Council Local 6 has endorsed Daniel Dromm for the New York City Council, 25th District.

The union has 12,000 members in Queens and it plans a comprehensive program to communicate with them to support Dromm. It also plans to recruit volunteers for the campaign using an intensive canvassing effort.

According to the NY Daily News: "HTC has played a big role in Queens elections of late, getting actively involved in the elections of Julissa Ferreras and Elizabeth Crowley to City Council, as well as the election of Joseph Addabbo to state Senate."

Crains: Strong Union Support Will Help Dromm

From Crains:
A number of insurgent City Council candidates are receiving institutional support, putting incumbents at risk of defeat in September’s Democratic primary. Politically active unions 32BJ SEIU, which represents building service workers, and the Hotel and Motel Trades Council have targeted several races, as has the Working Families Party, in what promises to be a test of unions’ political might in the city.

The two unions and WFP are expected to recruit volunteers and organize massive voter outreach efforts, which have a far greater effect than endorsements by officials and organizations that merely issue a press release and move on.

More hotel union endorsements are imminent. Labor often follows the lead of the union-backed WFP, which has endorsed teacher Danny Dromm over Queens Councilwoman Helen Sears.

Queens Tribune: Dromm Building Coalition to Win

From Queens Tribune: Providing Equality For All New York Citizens
By MICHAEL SCHENKLER

That knock on your door could be the official start of the New York City 2009 campaign season. This week, petitioning begins as part of the antiquated process of candidates getting their name on the ballot. The process remains antiquated and reform only comes by court mandate since the guys in control – the party structure and incumbents – benefit from a system requiring many signatures and open to accosting opponents with an intricate and expensive legal process.

While not close to the 65 Queens candidates who ran for Council when the entire delegation was term limited, we see real races shaping up in a handful of seats where no incumbent is standing for election and one challenge to an incumbent that is certainly worth focus and ink.

The one incumbent facing a serious challenge is Helen Sears in the 25th. With Alfonso Quiroz dropping out of the race, the candidacy of activist and Dem District Leader Danny Dromm with the backing of the Working Families Party, must be considered as a threat to the Councilwoman who voted to overturn the people’s will and extend her own term in this rapidly changing District. The candidacy of businessman Stanley Kalathara should not impact the Sears-Dromm race significantly. Look for Dromm to try to build a coalition of Latinos – he’s fluent in Spanish – gays and disenchanted voters to be the only Queens candidate to knock off an incumbent in this year’s Council races.

NY1: Dromm Bringing Change to Queens

From NY1:With a same-sex marriage fight brewing in the New York State Senate, thousands turned out for the Pride Parade in Queens yesterday.

Backers of the bill took to the streets in Jackson Heights in support of legislation. The parade's founder says he started the event to fight for basic civil rights; a fight that he says goes on today.

"Back in those days, we wanted the right not to be fired from our jobs, to be able to find housing without discrimination," said Queens LGBT Pride Parade Founder Daniel Dromm. "And today we are fighting for marriage equality. That's a sign of the seed change and the attitude of elected officials, particularly in the borough of Queens."

Daily News: Dromm Fighting for Marriage Equality

From NY Daily News:
For thousands of New Yorkers marching in the annual Queens gay pride parade, marriage rights can't come fast enough.

"We're fighting for marriage equality," said City Council candidate Daniel Dromm, who started the parade 17 years ago. "We're fighting for the 1,300 rights that married heterosexual couples get. It's very important for LGBT people to have visibility."

WPIX: Dromm at Queens Pride Parade

From WPIX:
JACKSON HEIGHTS, N.Y. (WPIX) - It was the usual spectacle: flashy, festive, cultural and colorful. But this years Queens Gay Pride parade had an added attraction: politicians on parade pushing to make New York the 17th state to legalize same sex marriage.
Daniel Dromm, parade founder and City Council candidite, said:"The parade is so important because it provides us with visibility and lets everyone know that we are their family, friends, and neighbors."

Dromm: Queens Pride Focuses on Marriage Equality

From New York Daily News by Clare Trapasso:
Organizers of this weekend's Queens gay pride parade are expecting the event's largest turnout yet as the push for a same-sex marriage bill appears to be gaining steam. Participants are hoping to change the minds of three state senators in the borough who are opposed to legalizing gay marriage in New York.
"Most of the people who are going to be coming to the parade are going to be focusing on marriage equality," said parade co-founder Daniel Dromm.
The 17th annual Queens Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender Pride Parade will kick off at noon Sunday at 37th Ave. and 89th St. in Jackson Heights. Dromm expects 40,000 attendees - about 10,000 more than last year. Organizers hope a big turnout will pressure state Sens. George Onorato (D-Astoria), Shirley Huntley (D-Jamaica) and Frank Padavan (R-Bellerose) into supporting a same-sex marriage bill. "The senators need to realize that lesbian, gay, transgender and bisexual people are their friends, their neighbors," Dromm said. "We are, in fact, everywhere."

From Jackson Heights Times by Jeremy Walsh:
One could say Queens Pride runs right through Jackson Heights and means both the spirit of the borough and the popular gay parade. The sentiment is even truer this year as the gay, lesbian and transgender community is abuzz about the possibility of New York legalizing same−sex marriage. This year’s theme for Sunday’s event is “Your Rights, Our Rights, Human Rights,” said Daniel Dromm, parade founder and organizer.
“It states that everybody has a stake in LGBT rights, and I think for that reason, it’s really appropriate this year,” Dromm said.
“This has become very much a tradition in Jackson Heights, and it’s really accepted by people who live there,” he said. “It’s really a family parade."

Queens Gazette: Dromm "Right Side of History"

From Queens Gazette:
The group Western Queens for Marriage Equality co-sponsored a rally attended by close to 2,500 supporters on Sunday evening, May 31 in Athens Square Park in Astoria. Jeremiah Frei-Pearson, one of the group’s leaders, and Ron Zacchi, its executive director, conducted the proceedings, which urged state Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith to bring Governor David Paterson’s Marriage Equality bill to a vote before the state senate session ends on June 22, and pushing for both Smith and state Senator George Onorato to vote yes.
District Leader Daniel Dromm, running for City Council as well as teaching social studies at a public school, said that he teaches his students about being on the right side of history. “Today,” he declared, “we are on the right side of history!”

City Hall News: Queens County and Others Inch Toward Dromm in Race Against Sears

From City Hall News:
Queens County and Others Inch Toward Dromm in Race Against Sears
Immigrant issues, LGBT resonance define Jackson Heights primary
by Betwa Sharma

Incumbents do not tend to get voted out of the Council. But that is exactly what several challengers are hoping to do in the Jackson Heights district of Helen Sears (D), who is defending herself against charges that she is ineffective and out of step with the constituents.

“She has achieved little in eight years, and now her time is over,” said Daniel Dromm, who teaches the fourth grade and is considered by many to be the most likely to knock off the 80-year old Sears. “The community is desperate for change.”

A dedicated gay rights activist since the early 1990s, Dromm has already secured endorsements from the United Federation of Teachers and from many district leaders—almost unheard of for a challenger.

Dromm is confident that he will get support from the two political clubs he founded—the New Visions Democratic Club and the Lesbian and Gay Democratic Club. He also hopes to get the backing of the John F. Kennedy Democratic Club of Queens, which is Sears’ home club.

A big boost for Dromm is that Maureen Allen, president of the JFK club, has already endorsed him. Political heavyweights in the community, including Assembly Member José Peralta (D) and Council Member Julissa Ferreras (D), who represents the neighboring district, are also on his side.

By making education, quality of life and civil rights his top issues, Dromm has won support in different groups of the diverse neighborhood.

“Danny is the fresh air this neighborhood needs,” said Will Sweeney, a resident and community activist. “The generation that would vote for Sears has passed.”

The buzz is that Dromm will also win the nomination of the Queens County Democratic Party over Sears. A political insider described the incumbent as “not very innovative,” who did not go out of the way for her electorate. “The party is in a tight spot right now,” he said. “They’re thinking of easing her out.”

There is some fatigue in the community as well, according to a district leader who spoke on the condition of anonymity and slammed the Council member for skipping meetings and events.

“People do not get help from her office in accessing city services, and they are simply tired of Helen Sears,” the district leader said.

Dromm, who was the party’s choice before the term limits extension, has managed to retain his support inside the party. The district leader expressed confidence that the majority of district leaders were leaning towards nominating Dromm as the party candidate.


But district leader and Assembly Member Michael Den Dekker said he believes Sears remains strong.

“She has worked in the community since I was a little kid,” he said. “Her political record is hard to beat.”

That is the argument Sears herself is making on the trail.

“No one has more insights into this community and no one can represent it better,” she said.

The district has undergone rapid change since Sears was first elected in 2001, becoming a center for immigrants from Latin America, South Asia and East Asia.

Two immigrants, Bryan Pu-Folkes and Rodolfo Flores, gave Sears a spirited challenge in the 2005 primary. In that extremely low-turnout, 6,800-vote race, Sears eked out a victory with 4,225 votes.

Despite the flood of immigrants, the voting pattern does not reflect the changing demographics of the community. Many newcomers do not register to vote, do not apply for citizenship or eventually move out to a richer neighborhood.

Out of 58,664 total registered voters, there are some 7,000 South Asians registered to vote, according to SEVA, an immigrant advocacy group based in Queens.

Stanley Kalathara, a lawyer who has raised $67,952, and Mujib Rahman, a Bangladeshi resident of Elmhurst who has not reported campaign funds, are also in the race but have not emerged as serious competitors. Then there is Alfonso Quiroz, another LGBT activist, who has $67,686 in the bank.

Sears, meanwhile, reported $119,623 on her May filing for a committee that remains technically undeclared. Dromm reported $81,087.

While Dromm is seen as the inimitable pioneer of activism, Quiroz is making his mark as a new-age activist. He is addressing issues like clean energy, economic development, education, affordable housing and transportation.

Many residents, however, are put off by his position as spokesperson for Con Ed.

Quiroz called that background an advantage.

“My experience in the energy sector will be very useful for the community,” he said.

There remains some question, however, over whether or not two gay candidates will split the vote of the burgeoning LGBT community of Jackson Heights. But Quiroz is not worried about splitting the vote with Dromm.

“We’re two completely different people. Different generations, political paths and outlooks,” he said.

Plus, there are old-fashioned factions among the South Asians who may not vote for a gay candidate, like local Muslim merchant Mohammad Pier.

“We are very conservative and it is against our religion,” Pier said.

But many South Asians seem not to care about the sexual orientations of the candidates, and, like Sikh voter Jaspreet Singh, are more concerned about civil rights for people often targeted because of their turbans and long beards.

For all that is being discussed, though, Den Dekker said he believes September will be about one question.

“This is what an election is all about,” he said. “Vote for experience, or vote for change.”

Queens Chronicle: Dromm Calls For More ESL Funding

From Queens Chronicle:
The four candidates for Helen Sears’ seat in the City Council laid out their reasons for running and responded to a range of questions from immigrants at a forum in Jackson Heights on Monday.
Among other things, attendees asked the candidates what they would do to ensure the availability of affordable housing, what measures they would take to help immigrants gain U.S. citizenship, how they would protect undocumented domestic workers from abuse and exploitation, what their positions are on non-citizen voting rights and where they stand on gay marriage.
The candidates, who are vying to represent parts of Jackson Heights, Elmhurst, East Elmhurst, Rego Park, Woodside and Corona, began with brief opening remarks about their reasons for running.
Daniel Dromm of Jackson Heights, who has been a teacher for 25 years, started in Spanish before switching to English.
“I’m running for City Council because I have a hope,” Dromm said. “I have a hope that we can have a better community. I have a hope that we can have a better education system. I have a hope that together we can fight for civil rights for everyone in the community.”
Dromm added that he thinks it’s important that the council representative for District 25 speak Spanish to be able to “communicate with the majority of the people who live here in this community.”
Stanley Kalathara, an attorney and former real estate agent originally from India, said he aims to improve the quality of life in all parts of District 25 by reopening St. John’s Hospital, building a new high school, rezoning Roosevelt Avenue as a business improvement district and beautifying the neighborhoods.
“I know how to create jobs,” Kalathara said, citing his business and legal experience.
Alfonso Quiroz of Jackson Heights, a public affairs manager at Con Ed, said he stands out from other candidates because he is independent and said that if elected, he would work hard to reach out to the various communities in the district.
“One of the first things I’m gong to do when I’m elected is to create a task force where I can sit down with a lot of the people in each of the communities and figure out what’s going wrong and how we can solve it,” Quiroz said. “I think it’s extremely, extremely important that everyone has a voice — that everyone has a seat at the table.”
Incumbent Helen Sears, who has represented District 25 in the City Council for the past seven years, spoke of her accomplishments in office.
“It probably is the most progressive council that has ever been,” Sears said. “We have passed more laws for immigrants; we have passed more laws for gay rights; we have passed more laws for human rights; we have done more for tenants in housing. Can we do more? Absolutely. Do I wish to do more? Yes, and that’s why I’m running for reelection.”
During the question-and-answer session, candidates pandered hard to their audience. Dromm began many of his answers in Spanish; Quiroz several times compared himself to immigrants by mentioning that he moved to New York from Chicago without knowing anyone; Kalathara pointed out that he was an immigrant and went through the naturalization process; and Sears said her years in office have given her the experience and the head start she needs to get things done.
In response to concerns that were raised, each of the contenders repeatedly began their answers with something to the effect of, “I think that’s an extremely important issue, and I care deeply about it.”
The candidates sometimes used up nearly all of their allotted speaking time by reiterating the importance of the issue at hand rather than explaining what they would do to remedy the problem.
Nonetheless, attendees said they thought the forum was informative and useful — in part because the candidates sometimes took clear stances on issues that are of importance to minority communities.
For example, all four candidates said it’s important to establish better means of protecting day laborers and domestic workers, and all clearly said they support gay marriage.
There were also some topics about which the candidates did disagree or at least proposed varying solutions.
For example, when someone said that 35 percent of the district’s population can’t vote because they’re not U.S. citizens, Dromm said he thinks anyone who pays taxes should have the right to vote. Kalathara agreed but added the qualification that individuals with a criminal record shouldn’t be allowed to vote. Quiroz called for general immigration reform, and Sears said immigrants should have to show a commitment to the United States and to learning English before being allowed to vote.
On the subject of immigration and citizens’ rights, the candidates each talked of their plans to facilitate the naturalization process for immigrants. Sears said two offices in the district already offer ESL classes and other services, but Dromm called for “much, much more funding for ESL and help with getting citizenship.” He said he would set aside some of his discretionary funds for this.
Kalathara said he would provide his constituents with help on “all immigration issues, any time, day or night — for free.” Finally, Quiroz called for public-private relationships that would help provide ESL instruction.
A third example of differing opinions involved after school programs, many of which are reducing services due to budget cuts. Kalathara pledged to give seven percent of his salary to pre-kindergarten programs. Dromm said he would work to reprioritize funding and channel money back into the district. Sears reiterated that it’s hard to come up with adequate funding for extracurricular programs but that at least the mayor is committed to maintaining the number of teachers in classrooms. Quiroz said budget cuts are inevitable and advocated sitting down with principals, parents and students to figure out how to deal with them.
Several of the forum’s attendees said they thought the event helped them get a sense of who the candidates are and what they stand for.
“I didn’t really know the candidates,” said Monica Lorza, a Jackson Heights resident. “With this, you can get a sense of what they’re thinking.”
Victor Oquendo agreed, saying the forum helped him differentiate between the candidates, although as he put it, “Sometimes they derailed from the questions.”
Brendan Fay offered warm praises. “I was amazed,” Fay said. “What we’ve witnessed here is the ability of diverse communities to gather and debate about issues that affect their lives. ... I was glad to hear every single one of [the candidates] say they’re for ending discrimination in our community.”

JH Times: Dromm "Agent of Change"

From Jackson Heights Times:
Most of the answers at a City Council candidates’ forum at the Jackson Heights Diversity Center Monday night were expected, as the three leading contenders for Councilwoman Helen Sears’ (D−Jackson Heights) seat and the incumbent all showed strong support for the issues brought up by immigrant rights groups that helped organize the event.

Sears, who is seeking a third term in office; Democratic District Leader Daniel Dromm; Con Edison spokesman Alfonso Quiroz; and Jackson Heights lawyer Stanley Kalathara all said they would focus on increasing English classes and employment opportunities for immigrant communities if they win in September.

The 25th Council District, which includes Corona, East Elmhurst, Elmhurst, Jackson Heights and part of Rego Park, has a population that is 53 percent first−generation immigrants.

The four said they were in favor of granting legal noncitizens the right to vote in municipal elections.

Sears again touted her experience in the Council and her contributions to budget negotiations, noting that the previous two−term limit took Council members out of office before they could see the completion of projects they had inserted into 10−year capital plans.

Dromm said Sears did not get enough done in office and offered himself as an agent of change for the district.

Quiroz emphasized his pledge to bring officials and community groups together at a series of forums to determine the district’s problems.

Kalathara called Sears’ argument that term limits are bad for communities “the most ridiculous argument I have ever heard” and said he planned to create a business improvement district for Roosevelt Avenue.

When asked what she would do to help community groups preparing residents to take the citizenship examination, Sears pointed out that funding had been cut for citizenship classes in recent years.

“They’re filled and it shows the demand we have,” she said of the community organizations in the district. “We need more.”

Dromm criticized Sears’ answer.

“We have not received the full amount of funding that we need,” he said. “I would reprioritize my discretionary spending.”

Quiroz, who presented himself as a political outsider, said Dromm and Sears were being unrealistic.

“It’s really easy to say you’re going to move money from here to here,” he said, suggesting he would encourage public−private partnerships to help fund more citizenship programs.

In a moment of magnanimity, Kalathara, an immigration lawyer who became a legal citizen in 1986, offered his expertise to constituents free of charge if elected to the Council.

There were few moments of tension during the evening. At one point, Dromm called on the other candidates to commit to not accepting any campaign contributions from real estate developers. None of the other candidates responded.

Queens Courier: Dromm 'Important to be Creative'

From Queens Courier:
by Claudia Cruz

From the tone of the first candidate forum, District 25 incumbent Councilmember Helen Sears has her work cut out for her.

“Here’s an example of walking the walk and talking the talk,” said challenger Daniel Dromm about Sears’ efforts to help the disabled community in the district. “Helen’s district office is not even handicap accessible.”

Dromm, a district leader in Jackson Heights, and fellow candidate Stanley Kalathara, a business owner, lawyer, and president of Indo-American Democratic Committee, did not mince words when describing Sears’ work in the district for the last eight years.

Sears, who has represented parts of Jackson Heights, Elmhurst, East Elmhurst, Rego Park, Woodside, and Corona, spent more time defending her record on issues such as the local economy, education, crime, youth and recreation, and Con Ed, among others, than talking about her goals if re-elected.

Sears pointed to her years on the transportation committee in the City Council and how she helped get medallion taxis to become wheelchair accessible. She highlighted her continuous battle for a ramp at the Jackson Heights Post Office and the success of getting an elevator in the 74th Street/Roosevelt subway station.

“It took 15 years to get an elevator in there,” she said. “It works and it doesn’t, but it’s better than what we had.”

Dromm pointed to his history of standing up for special education students and working with the 82nd Street Business Improvement District to get ramps in front of stores. Stanley Kalathara said concisely, “I agree with both and I’ll do a better job.”

The friendly banter between the three out of five candidates – Alfonso Quiroz and Mujib Rahman did not attend – kept the approximately 50 intergenerational and international crowd engaged. Assemblymember Jose Peralta, who publicly endorsed Dromm this past March, yielded his time to audience questions.

“What are you going to do about getting a high school in the district?” asked one person. “Would you vote for resolution 245 that grants the right to vote for non-citizens?” asked another. “Why did you vote against the lead paint resolution?”

More than once Sears found herself on her own. She said that Ivan Lafayette had led the charge for a new high school but that “geographically we’ve got no space.” Kalathara responded that Sears was “always shifting responsibility,” and Dromm said that it was important to be creative like building up or consider eminent domain.

Both Kalathara and Dromm favor the passage of resolution 245. Sears responded, “I’m here to tell you that I’m not sure where I’m on this. I haven’t given it much consideration.”

A heated debated ensued over Sears’ vote against the lead poisoning bill of 2004.

“Yes, I was one of the few who voted against and I’ll tell you the same thing I said then ‘It’s absurd that I’d want lead in children,’” said Sears, who said the city has targeted areas where incidents of lead poisoning was high versus applying the law to the entire city. She instead favored a law that would ban the importing toys from countries with no lead bill. “The fact is that it was a very bad bill.”

Dromm and Kalathara agreed that Sears had not done enough. “You see, this is what politicians do, politics as usual. Just give an answer, did you support or not support,” said Kalathara. “I don’t really think you focus on the community.”

After the forum, the feedback from the crowd was consistent.

One 30-year resident of Jackson Heights, who did not want to give her name, said that Kalathara was funny and that despite voting for Sears in the past, this year she’ll vote for Dromm.

Queens Chronicle: Dromm Offers Hope

From Queens Chronicle:
by Willow Belden

Three of the five Democratic candidates for Helen Sears’ seat in the City Council spoke at a forum hosted by the New Visions Democratic Club in Jackson Heights Thursday, explaining why they think they should be elected, and answering questions that community members posed.

Daniel Dromm of Jackson Heights, who has been a teacher for the past 25 years, called for more emphasis to be placed on the district’s schools and on other programs for children. He promised strong support to the gay community and said he would work hard to create more green space in the area.

“In this community, it’s not that we’ve had a lack of good ideas, but that we’ve had a lack of leadership,” Dromm said. “I want to offer to people the hope that we can have things better in this community.

JH Times: Dromm 'Bring People Together'

From Jackson Heights Times:
by Jeremy Walsh

Challengers to City Councilwoman Helen Sears’ (D−Jackson Heights) seat wasted no time in tearing into the incumbent at a candidates’ forum last Thursday as she publicly indicated her interest in re−election.

Speaking in front of the New Visions Democratic Club, Sears, Democratic District Leader Daniel Dromm and Jackson Heights attorney Stanley Kalathara spent 90 minutes exchanging criticism of one another and ideas for the district in the first face−to−face discussion of the race.

Sears, who was first elected in 2000, touted her experience as she asked the club to re−elect her to a third term. Representatives from Sears’ office did not confirm whether it was the first time she publicly announced her interest in re−election.

Dromm, a gay rights activist and public school teacher, attacked Sears for inadequate leadership. “I have some skills in the community that I have shown to bring people together,” he said.

Dromm took Sears to task for not doing more for the struggling hospital in Elmhurst (St. Johns) when its parent company went bankrupt in 2005.

“St. John’s was ready to close a number of years ago,” he said. “We should have been on top of that years ago.”

Queens Tribune: Dromm Applauds Marriage Equality Bill

From Queens Tribune:
by Vladic Ravich

Facing dismal approval ratings and hard economic choices, Gov. David Paterson switched gears this week and introduced a bill to allow same-sex marriage in New York. He insisted that the issue is a matter of morality and human rights whose time has come.

“Our work to correct injustice cannot depend on factors like timing or guaranteed success,” Paterson said. “For too long, LGBT New Yorkers have been told to wait for their civil rights and personal freedom. We will not wait any longer. Now is the time for action. Now is the time for leadership. Now is the time to march forward together.”

Local activists for gay rights celebrated the decision. Daniel Dromm, a candidate for the 25th Council district, said “I think if we wait too long the timing is never right. The most important thing is that we get the bill in… I don’t see why this time around the bill is creating so much noise, but it’s time, and I think we should proceed on it and we should get people on record on it.”

JH Times: Dromm Strong in Council Race

from Jackson Heights Times:
by Jeremy Walsh

The dynamics of November’s City Council races were beginning to take shape in western Queens as candidates reported their fund−raising totals for the March 15 city Campaign Finance Board deadline.

The race in District 25, which includes Corona, Elmhurst, Jackson Heights and Woodside, was in limbo, although Democratic District Leader Daniel Dromm has raised $79,072.

It was unclear if Dromm would face incumbent Councilwoman Helen Sears (D−Jackson Heights), who is remaining coy over what seat she will seek in the upcoming election. Sears had raised $110,623 by March 15.

Third in the race is Con Edison spokesman Alfonso Quiroz, Sears’ former deputy chief of staff, who had raised $62,558 by March 15. Trailing Quiroz was Jackson Heights lawyer Stanley Kalathara, who had raised $29,632 by March 15.

JH Times: Con Ed Must Prevent Eruptions

From Jackson Heights Times: After two manhole explosions rattled Queens over the past two weeks, state Sen. Hiram Monserrate (D−East Elmhurst), his elected Council successor Julissa Ferreras and Democratic District Leader Daniel Dromm gathered in Jackson Heights Friday to call on Consolidated Edison to step up its monitoring efforts.

Since January, there have been 40 electrical incidents reported in the city, including the explosions at 77th Street and 37th Road and at 40th Avenue and 43rd Street, Monserrate said. Con Ed spokesman Chris Olert said the number was probably accurate, but noted that the FDNY has recorded fewer manhole incidents this year than last.

Monserrate, Ferreras and Dromm suggested Con Ed was not putting any of the increased revenues it got from a recent rate hike into the infrastructure of communities like Jackson Heights. “If you’re going to increase your rates, you should have safety for your customer,” Ferreras said. She and Dromm also called on the utility to send out more inspectors to areas of aging infrastructure.

Queens Chronicle: Con Ed Endangering Queens Residents

From Queens Chronicle: For many pedestrians and motorists, traversing the streets and sidewalks of western Queens has turned into a game of Russian roulette. A manhole cover explosion last Thursday at 77th Street and 37th Road in Jackson Heights was the 13th incident in Queens linked to Con Edison since the beginning of the year, according to state Sen. Hiram Monserrate (D-East Elmhurst).

Democratic District Leader Danny Dromm, who plans to run against Councilwoman Helen Sears (D-Jackson Heights) in September’s primary, joined Monseratte and Ferreras at the site of last week’s 77th Street blast, demanding more oversight of a utility giant responsible for repairing and maintaining 93,000 miles of underground electrical cable throughout the city and upstate Westchester County.

“Queens residents want to know what is going on and why this is happening with such frequency in our borough,” Dromm said.

Queens Gazette: Pols Want Con Ed Investigated For Flying Manhole Covers In J.H.

From Queens Gazette:Following two manhole explosions in Jackson Heights and Elmhurst last week, state Senator Hiram Monserrate and City Councilmember-elect Julissa Ferreras called on Con Edison to investigate the incidents. Monserrate (D- Jackson Heights), who was joined in the request by local Democratic District Leader Daniel Dromm, said that in working with the state Public Service Commission (PSC), he had uncovered more than 40 "electrical incidents" throughout the five boroughs since January.

Dromm said, "Queens residents want to know what is going on and why this is happening with such frequency in the borough."

A Con Ed spokesman explained that the company has undertaken a program to replace the present manhole covers with vented ones to prevent smoke from smoldering cables from building up, causing fires and sending the manhole covers flying.

Queens Courier: Dromm Marches in St. Pat's For All Parade

From Queens Courier:
One day a year, on St. Patrick’s Day, the Irish and non-Irish alike wear green, sing jigs and show off their buttons that say “Kiss Me I’m Irish.”

Everybody can be Irish on that day unless, according to the organizers of the Fifth Avenue St. Patrick’s Day Parade, you are a gay or lesbian. Ten years ago this weekend, the all-inclusive St. Pat’s For All Parade and Festival in Sunnyside was born and organizers believe that the theme of inclusiveness has been the reason for the parade’s success.

Latinos, Choctaw Native Americans, Tibetans, school bands, girl scouts, bag pipers, puppeteers, gays and lesbians, Mayor Michael Bloomberg and City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, will march alongside Irish men and women on Sunday, March 1 beginning at 1:30 p.m. on 43rd Street and Skillman Avenue in Sunnyside and ending at 61st Street and Woodside. Other political leaders marching will include Representative Joseph Crowley, City Comptroller Bill Thompson, Councilmembers David Weprin and Tony Avella, and District Leader Danny Dromm.

“What we were doing was trying to find an alternative to the Hibernian parade in Manhattan,” said Dromm, a co-founder of the parade and a proud gay Irish Catholic. “What better place to have an inclusive St. Patrick’s Day Parade than in Queens, the borough of nations.”

photo credit: flickr/afulki

Crains: Ferreras' Victory Boosts Dromm

From Crains Insider:
Ferreras’ Victory Boosts Dromm

At her special-election victory celebration on Tuesday night, Queens Councilwoman-elect Julissa Ferreras joined state Sen. Hiram Monserrate and Assemblyman Jose Peralta in endorsing fellow Democrat Danny Dromm, who is running for Councilwoman Helen Sears’ seat this fall. Such public support—Dromm, a teacher, has also been endorsed by the United Federation of Teachers—should help him fend off efforts by Sears to push him out of the race. Sears has been courting the county organization, and insiders say she wants the field cleared for her.

Observer: Dromm's Presence Felt in Special Election

From New York Observer:
(In an item about the City Council Special Election in neighboring 21st City Council District)
District leader Danny Dromm isn't a candidate in this race, but his presence was felt. That's his literature on top of everyone's seat before the debate.

Photo credit: PolitickerNY/Azi

Dromm in Queens Chronicle: Shocking Con Ed Fire in Jackson Heights

From Queens Chronicle:

For a few hours at least, a quiet Jackson Heights block turned into “The Towering Inferno” of 80th Street.

Flames two stories high rose from a Con Edison electrical cover in the early morning hours of Feb. 11, shocking even longtime residents used to feeder cable fires on 80th Street between 34th and 35th avenues.

According to 25th City Council District candidate Daniel Dromm, the fire was the fourth feeder cable fire to occur on the block in the last few years.

JH Times: DA Brown Installs Officers at LGDCQ

From Dee Richard's column in Jackson Heights Times:
Also Monday night, District Attorney Richard Brown swore in the new officers in Danny Dromm’s Lesbian and Gay Democratic Club of Queens at its meeting at St Mark’s Episcopal Church in Jackson Heights. It was a great turnout. City Councilmen Tony Avella and David Weprin (and Congressman Anthony Weiner) were guest speakers.

photo credit: queensda.org

Queens Chronicle: Dromm Supports More Independent Oversight of NYC Public Schools

From Queens Chronicle:
The state Senate Democratic School Governance Task Force held a public hearing on Feb. 5 at Queens Borough Hall to gather input on the mayoral control policy, which will end in June unless legislators renew it this year. Speaker after speaker stressed that changes need to be made.

The hearing came one week after an Assembly committee held a similar hearing in Queens, where again the majority of speakers asked that the law be overhauled.

Danny Dromm, a teacher at P.S. 199 in Sunnyside and a District 25 City Council hopeful, gave his support to the United Federation of Teachers’ proposal to continue mayoral control with changes. The UFT approved a report that reconfigures the PEP so it can operate independently, give more power to the CECs and enable superintendents to help bridge the gap for parents and schools who need more information and assistance, in addition to others.

ClockTower News Interviews Daniel Dromm

Mole's Progressive: Dromm is 'Excellent Candidate'

From Mole's Progressive:

Let me highlight some excellent candidates running in New York in 2009:
Daniel Dromm for City Council: a public school teacher running for the City Council District 25 seat in Queens. He was a founder of the Lesbian and Gay Democratic Club of Queens and chapter leader of United Federation of Teachers, PS 199Q. He has been endorsed by the United Federation of Teachers, Mark Green, and others. WFP seem to be considering him as well. Dromm received the "Community Service Impact Award" from the Times Ledger Newspapers (2006), the "Outstanding Teacher of the Year" PS 199Q Principal's Award (2006), and the "Citation of Honor" from the Queens Borough President (1995). Seems like exactly the experience we need on the City Council.

Crains: Dromm Will Run No Matter What

From Crains:"Facing the term limits squeeze" by Matt Sollars

The Working Families Party’s decision to oppose the legislative extension of term limits—and the possibility that it will campaign against supporters who seek re-election in 2009—will make some City Council members think twice about voting to allow a third term.

In Queens, council members Peter Vallone Jr. and Helen Sears represent districts that voted overwhelmingly for term limits in the 1990s. Of the two, Sears is especially vulnerable. One of the candidates for her seat, veteran public school teacher Daniel Dromm, has already won the support of the United Federation of Teachers and says he will run no matter what.

City Hall News: Dromm Positioned as "Education Candidate"

From City Hall News: "Dromm, a public school teacher for the past 24 years, is positioning himself as the education candidate. What this district wants is a change in education. They want someone who knows the educational system,” he said. He has raised $31,666 so far, city campaign finance records show.

Chronicle: Funding Law Helps Dromm

From Queens Chronicle: "Campaign funds are making news from the presidential race on down, as smaller contributors, not established funding experts, are making the difference to candidates."...“My experience with campaign finance and term limits is that it’s opening the door to people like myself to run for public office,” said Daniel Dromm — a likely candidate for City Council in Jackson Heights — in an interview last month. “It’s the 6-to-1 matching that really makes it possible for community based people to run.”

Tribune Names Dromm "Rising Star"

From Queens Tribune: "Longtime gay activist and now Democratic regular, District Leader Danny Dromm leads the field as the likely heir to the seat held by Helen Sears in the 25th. With Bryan PuFolkes and Alfonso Quiroz both mentioned as possible candidates, it seems it may take a return from the State Senate by John Sabini to cause the Dromm train from stalling. "