Category: TermLimits

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.