Asian American Federation’s Republican Mayoral Candidates Forum

The Federation funds, serves and advocates on behalf of its 40+ health and human service member agencies in the NY regional area. The Asian American Federation's mission is to advance the civic voice and well-being of Asian Americans. They collaboratively foster philanthropy in the community, undertake research to inform policies, and provide support to community service organizations. They were established in 1989, the Federation is the only pan-Asian, multi-issue non-profit organization representing a network of community service agencies in the Northeast. These agencies work in the fields of health & human services, education, economic development, civic participation, and social justice.


The Asian American Federation’s Republican Mayoral Candidates Forum was held last night, April 2nd at the CUNY Graduate Center, with over 100 in the audience. Adolfo Carrion, Jr. John Catsimatidis, and George McDonald shared two hours of their evening with community leaders. What was exciting about the event, is the fact Adolfo is the Independence Party candidate but was allowed to be in the forum.

The discussion panelists, S. Mitra Kalita from Quarts; Kwang S. Kim from the Korean Community Services of Metropolitan New York, Inc. (KCS); Luna Liu from the World Journal, and Vivian Lee from NY1, asked questions that related to the candidates’ leadership vision, focusing in on the areas of education, health and social services, small business, and community development. The moderator was Ti-Hua Chang at Fox 5 News.

At the end of the evening, audience members were asked to participate in a straw poll, selected the candidate that would get their vote based on the forum. The results are:

• Adolfo Carrion, Jr. – 44%
• John Catsimatidis – 29%
• George McDonald – 27%

With many more months of campaigning left to go, we hope that Adolfo will have many more opportunities to engage the City’s Asian American community.










NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote!

Michael H. Drucker
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NYC 2013 Crowded Republican Primary

New York City’s County Republican leaders conceded Tuesday that a crowded GOP primary for mayor seems unavoidable after they failed to unite behind one candidate or persuade any candidates to drop out during a closed-door meeting Monday night.

Party leaders now will focus on trying to make sure the primary is civil, hoping to not give any more ammunition to the Democrats.

Four Republicans - billionaire John Catsimatidis, former MTA Chairman Joe Lhota, media executive Tom Allon, and homeless-aid advocate George McDonald - are seeking the nomination.

Two non-Republicans - former Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrion Jr. and Queens State Sen. Malcolm Smith - are seeking the leaders’ permission to enter the primary. They will need 3 of the 5 leaders to approve and file a Wilson Pukula.

A Wilson Pakula is an authorization given by a political party to a candidate for public office in the State of New York which allows a candidate not registered with that party to run as a candidate in a given election.

McDonald said he welcomes Carrion to the fray because “our party can’t simply be for sale to the highest bidder”. But Catsimatidis and Lhota said there was no need for the GOP to look outside their ranks.

New Yorker haven't seen a Republican primary for mayor since Mike Bloomberg faced off against Herman Badillo in 2001.

After speaking with Adolfo Sunday, whether he gets the opportunity to be on the GOP ballot, he would accept the Independence Party's line if he is selected later this month, when the party's over 90 member Executive Committee votes.

Jacqueline Salit, President of IndependentVoting.org, discussed keeping New York City Independent and Moving Forward.

Click Here to read the interview!










NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote!

Michael H. Drucker
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NYC Mayor's Race for 2013 Begins

The road to City Hall is starting to get crowded.

"My wish for 2013 is that we elect a successor to this administration that is even better than what we've done," Bloomberg said.

The primary is currently scheduled for September but could be pushed up to June.

It now seems certain that Mayor Michael Bloomberg's successor will be chosen in a competitive General Election in November.

The most recent possible candidate is the former Metropolitan Transportation Authority chairman, Republican Joe Lhota, who has not officially declared his intentions. Former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani is poised to be a force in the race. Lhota was a top aid to Giuliani. He appears ready to promote his campaign.

Then again, neither have many of the other likely candidates for City Hall.

City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, a Democrat, is raising money for an expected run. So is Democrat Bill de Blasio, the City's Public Advocate. City Comptroller John Liu, a Democrat, is also expected to make a bid despite a campaign fundraising scandal. Bill Thompson is the only prominent Democrat to go public with his plans. He did so shortly after losing his challenge to Mayor Bloomberg in 2009.

Mayor Bloomberg is close with Quinn, but he is not offering any endorsements just yet.

There are other Republicans who may be running. Newspaper publisher Tom Allon switched parties to run on the GOP line. So did Doe Fund president George McDonald.

John Catsimatidis, the billionaire supermarket owner, is weighing a Republican bid, and former Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrion and State Senator Malcolm Smith are in the mix as well. They would need approval, Wilson Pakula, from the Republican leader's to get on the line. They would also need this approval to run on any of the minor party's line.

A Wilson Pakula is an authorization given by a political party to a candidate for public office in the State of New York which allows a candidate not registered with that party to run as its candidate in a given election.

The name refers to the Wilson Pakula Act of 1947, authored by state senator Irwin Pakula and then-assemblyman (and future governor) Malcolm Wilson, which forbids candidates from receiving the nomination of a political party if they are not registered as a member of that party, unless they receive permission to enter the primary from party officials representing a majority of the vote in the jurisdiction.

It all adds up to a lot of potential candidates who have their eye on City Hall.

Update
New York City mayoral hopeful Adolfo Carrión Jr. is a leading contender for the Independence Party nomination, a ballot line that once helped boost Mayor Michael Bloomberg into City Hall.

"The leadership feels very positive about his candidacy, the fact that he's an independent, his message of nonpartisanship," party strategist Jacqueline Salit said Thursday. "The response to him has been very strong."

Ms. Salit stressed, however, that a formal vote hasn't been taken by the party's executive committee and that Mr. Carrión is still meeting with officials. A vote could come within weeks.

I will be part of the selection process.










NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote!

Michael H. Drucker
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