DANIEL DROMM, Democrat for City Council

District Leader and City Council candidate Daniel Dromm was pleased to lead the Jackson Heights Beautification Group's Halloween Parade.

Labels: CommunityOrganizing

Parade Grand Marshalls Daniel Dromm and Speaker Christine Quinn hand out goody bags.
Daniel Dromm with City Council Speaker Christine Quinn and civic leader Edwin Westley.
Dromm with local children.

Labels: CommunityOrganizing

From NY1 News:
It was a bittersweet moment for an Jackson Heights couple Thursday, whose emigration to the United States from Colombia back in 2001 was born out of tragedy. Congressman Joseph Crowley and District Leader Daniel Dromm joined Leanor and Armando Garzon to announce that the couple – in their 70s – will soon become U.S. citizens.

“We are honored to become American citizens because it was our son’s dream for us. We thank Congressman Joseph Crowley and Danny Dromm for all their help and assistance in seeing us through this most difficult time in our lives. There is no doubt that the reward of citizenship has helped somewhat to alleviate our difficulties and we are proud to now be Americans,” said Leonor and Armando Garzon.

Yesterday, U.S. Congressman Joseph Crowley (D-NY) and Danny Dromm, District Leader 39th AD, congratulated Leonor and Armando Garzon on passing their citizenship exam and becoming naturalized citizens after 7 long years.

“For 7 years, Leonor and Armando Garzon worked to bring their son’s murderer to justice. Their strength and persistence in the face of tragedy was tremendous, and I was honored to be a part of their tireless efforts to put a killer behind bars,” said Congressman Joseph Crowley. “Today, I am proud to call the Garzons fellow citizens, and I wish them all the best as they embark on a new chapter in their lives here in the U.S.”

The Garzons came to the United States under very difficult circumstances. In the early morning hours of August 15, 2001, after leaving a bar on Roosevelt Avenue, Leonor and Armando’s 35-year-old son, Edgar, was walking home to his Jackson Heights residence when John Love McGhee jumped out of a car and viciously attacked him – crushing his skull. To be by their son’s bedside, the Garzons left everything they had in Bogota, Colombia, including their other two children and three grandchildren, to come to the United States and be with their son. Edgar died a couple weeks later, on September 4, 2001, at Elmhurst Hospital Center.

After the death of their son, the Garzons decided to stay in the United States and fight to make sure that their son’s murderer was put behind bars. And, on October 17, 2008, John Love McGhee was sentenced to 22 years to life for the murder of Edgar Garzon.

Labels: CivilRights, CommunityOrganizing

From Queens Times:
Gathered together at the Silver Spoon Restaurant where the 21st Century Democratic Club held its pre-election meeting are District Leaders Daniel Dromm, Barbara Jackson, James C. Lisa, and Vita Broome, with Helen Sears. George Onuorah arranged this meeting with the Obama campaign to rally the LeFrak community.

Labels: CommunityOrganizing, Obama

At the recent County Committee meeting of the Democratic Organization of Queens County, District Leader Daniel Dromm was elected as Sergeant-at-Arms. In this position, Dromm moves up to become a top officer of the organization. Dromm expressed his gratitude to Congressman Joseph Crowley, County Leader, for entrusting him with this new position.

Labels: CommunityOrganizing

District Leader Dorothy Phelan (D-Jackson Heights) has endorsed Daniel Dromm in his campaign for the 25th District City Council seat.

Labels: Endorsements

Photo caption: Latina community leader Julissa Ferreras and Daniel Dromm at Queens' first Dominican Parade held recently in Jackson Heights.

Latina community leader and former Democratic District District Leader Julissa Ferreras has announced that she is endorsing Daniel Dromm for City Council in 2009. Dromm is running for the 25th District City Council seat in Jackson Heights, Elmhurst, East Elmhurst, Corona, LeFrak City, Rego Park and Woodside.

Ferreras said, "As a bilingual civil rights activist and leader in education reform, Danny Dromm will help unite our community as an agent for change in the City Council."

Ferraras joins an impressive group of Latino leaders who have endorsed Dromm's candidacy which includes NYS Assembly Member Jose Peralta, NYC Council Member Rosie Mendez and District Leader Fior Rodriguez.

Ferreras has a long history of community involvement in the Jackson Heights, Corona and Elmhurst communities. She is currently the Chief of Staff to Council Member Hiram Monserrate and was a former director of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO).

Ferreras is currently considering running for Council Member Monserrate's seat which he will vacate if he wins election to the NYS Senate as is expected on November 4th. Monserrate is running unopposed.

"I am deeply honored to have Julissa's support," Dromm said. "She has been an advocate for many of the same things that motivate me to run for City Council. She is a fighter for quality education and civil rights. I am most grateful to have her support."

Labels: Endorsements

Youths International is a Corona/LeFrak City-based organization dedicated to helping youths succeed. Daniel Dromm has been a long time supporter of the organization and its founder George Onuorah (left). Danny attended its recent fundraiser held at the Crowne Plaza at LaGuardia.

Labels: CommunityOrganizing, Youth

District Leader and City Council candidate Daniel Dromm (center) was joined by several volunteers including Sebastian Maguire (left) and Michael Mallon (right) on a recent fall weekend. Dromm was encouraged by many voters to continue to move forward with his winning campaign.

Labels: CommunityOrganizing

District Leader Daniel Dromm was an honored guest at the Jackson Heights Merchants Association's street festival celebration of Diwali - a Hindu/Sikh celebration of lights. Pictured with Danny is Shiv Dass, the former president of the JHMA and currently its Chairman/Administration.

Labels: CommunityOrganizing

New Yorkers have made it clear, voting twice for term limits for New York City. Now, some politicians in City Hall are trying to undo the public's will.

Whether you're for them or against them, setting term limits should be up the voters alone. It's our decision!

Go to http://itsourdecision.org/ to tell Mayor Bloomberg and the whole City Council to Respect Our Vote!

Labels: Term Limits, Working Families

Statement by Council Candidate Daniel Dromm on Term Limit Extension Bills

Daniel Dromm, a candidate for New York City Council, 25th District seat (Queens) issued the following statement today in response to two bills regarding the extension of term limits for elective officials.

Twice in the last fifteen years, the people of New York City have voted to limit elective officials to two full terms in office. Term limits help keep elected officials accountable to the public and defend against the abuses of unlimited tenure. The proposals now before the City Council offer a stark choice for the future of the political system our great city: reaffirm the will of the people and the basic principles of democracy and good governance, by forming a charter review commission and possibly holding a special election on term limits in the spring; or cynically toss democracy aside for personal political ambition by changing term limits legislatively.

The people of New York City benefit when our elections are more competitive and the nearly insurmountable advantage of incumbency is leveled. That is why I support term limits, and most of the people currently serving on the council owe their positions to the fact that a majority of New Yorkers feel that way, too. When the question of extending term limits to three terms was brought to the voters in 1996, they rejected it. To serve your community for eight years as a City Councilmember is not a right, but a tremendous honor. I don't understand why some of our elected officials would be unsatisfied with that, especially when they have benefited from it themselves. Any attempt to do an end run around the will of the voters by legislative maneuvering will undermine our democracy.

Some are saying that we can't afford to lose experienced leaders like Mayor Bloomberg because of the country's financial troubles. This city has not faced a more dire and immediate crisis than we did in the months and years after September 11, 2001. The election that year was the first time term limits went into effect. We had an unprecedented turnover of leadership in the city that year, from the Mayor to the Borough Presidents and two-thirds of the City Council. We weathered it just fine, and the voters are perfectly well qualified to decide whether the difficult times ahead warrant a change in term limits. I encourage Councilmember Helen Sears to do the right thing and stand against a legislative change to term limits and, if she must support either bill, to vote for creating a charter review commission to look at the issue and offer it up to the voters to decide.

Labels: Term Limits

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.

Labels: Press, Term Limits