A prominent co-op board president in Queens City Council District 23 is throwing his weight behind mainstream Democratic candidate Debra Markell while trashing the Democratic Socialists of American (DSA) candidate Jaslin Kaur, PoliticsNY has learned.
Glen Oaks Village Co-Op President Bob Friedrich fired off the open letter to concerned residents based on two issues – affordability and crime.
“Please take the time to read this and be informed so you can walk into the voting booth armed with knowledge. The views here are mine only, the co-op does not officially endorse candidates,” Friedrich wrote in endorsing Markell as his first choice in ranked Choice Voting (RCV).
“As a community leader, I go to numerous monthly meetings on behalf of our co-op and always seek additional police resources for our community. Contrary to the “defund police” rhetoric we hear often, I have yet to meet one resident of Glen Oaks Village who wants fewer police patrols and less active policing in our community.
Friedrich, who founded the think tank organization the Presidents Co-op & Condo Council (PCCC) about 10 years ago, said there are many bills in Albany and the City Council, that if passed, will dramatically increase maintenance, or rent if you sublet.
The PCCC is vigilant in monitoring legislation but needs candidates that are co-op friendly and support the NYPD in order to keep our co-op affordable and maintain our quality of life. Legislation that will dramatically increase our costs (your monthly maintenance) through crippling property taxes, water rates or unfunded mandates on co-ops, have the potential to add hundreds of dollars to your monthly maintenance which is why electing co-op friendly candidates is so important. This is not an exaggeration; I deal with these issues all the time and understand the unintended consequences of them,” he wrote.
The PCCC has interviewed most of the mayoral candidates and city council candidates that will appear in the Democratic primary.
Friedrich is endorsing Eric Adams as his first choice for mayor and Kathryn Garcia as his second choice. For District 23, he made Markell his first choice, Linda Lee his second choice and Sanjeev Jindal as his third choice.
Friedrich said that under no circumstances would he vote for Kaur.
Although she [Kaur} often states that she lives in Glen Oaks, she does not live in the co-op but rather the private homes south of our co-op. Her positions align with the DSA. She opposes any additional funding for the police and actually believes in significant reductions to the NYPD at a time of escalating violence in our city,” wrote Friedrich.
“Her positions on zoning, bail reform, minimizing jail capacity, etc. will lead to further deterioration of quality of life. Her position on all these issues are radically at odds with all of the City Council candidates running in our district. As a result of this significant lack of transparency, I refer to her as the bait and switch candidate. She should not be ranked on your ballot,” he added.
The district includes Bayside Hills, Bellerose, Douglaston, Floral Park, Fresh Meadows, Glen Oaks, Hollis, Hollis Hills, Holliswood, Little Neck, New Hyde Park, Oakland Gardens and Queens Village.
Early voting is all this week and the Primary Election Day is next Tuesday, June 22.
