Billy Thai, the insurgent candidate for the male Democratic District Leader in the 47th Assembly District, barely had time to pat himself on the back for a job well done, when his roughly 2,200 signatures on 296 petitions were challenged with the city’s Board of Elections – and if successful could see him thrown off the ballot.
The challenge comes in a growing hostile fight for political control of the district which includes Bensonhurst and Bath Beach – neighborhoods with large and growing Pacific Asian-Americans.
On one side is Thai under the tutelage of political muckraker Warren Chan and the relatively new Chinese Political Club of Brooklyn. On the other side is his incumbent opponent Charlie Ragusa, the longtime political pal of Assemblyman Bill Colton and a member of the United Progressive Democrats political club.
Colton, who has been in office for 19 years is running unopposed, and has done a good job representing, registering and empowering many of his new Asian-American constituents. He also employs several, including Nancy Tong the female Democratic district leader, and the only Chinese-American elected official in the borough.
But Chan and Thai maintain that Colton and Ragusa are manipulating the local Chinese-Americans with the help of several powerful Chinese-Americans and even the Chinese language media in a bid to hold onto their own power at a time when Chinese-American non-profits aren’t being funded by local government and issues pertinent to their communities are not being heard.
Ironically, it was three Asian-Americans that filed challenges to Thai’s petitions with at least one -Helen Nganheung Lau – reportedly a member of Colton and Ragusa’s Progressive Democrats club. But to Chan the three are selling out the Chinese-American community.
“The three Chinese that is objecting Billy Thai’s petition should be ashamed of themselves. The next time discrimination hit them and their families, they shouldn’t complain about lack of Chinese in government and lack of Chinese politicians. Because they are the first-hand front line in trying to silence a Chinese candidate to run for public office,” said Chan.
Chan alleges that all three are fronting for either Ragusa or Colton and insists that nearly all of Thai’s signatures are rock solid that involved 41 young Chinese Americans who went petitioning in all 70 EDs (election districts) of the district. To get on the ballot signatures of 500 registered Democrats living in the district are required.
Whole both Ragusa and Colton did not return any calls for comment regarding this story at post time, sources in the community accused Chan of committing several technical and spirit of election law violations.
Among these are that he utilized under voting age people to get the signatures, which is against the voting laws.
Additionally, sources said that field workers for Thai told people when they knocked on doors and met them at subway stations and popular gathering spots that they were with the Colton campaign and collecting signatures for him.
