By Philip Corso
Endorsements have racked up for both the Republican and Democrat hoping to unseat embattled and outgoing City Councilman Dan Halloran (R-Whitestone), but one crossed party lines.
Paul Graziano, a former Democratic candidate, endorsed GOP-backed Dennis Saffran for the northeast Queens seat at a news conference inside his Bayside district office after what he called an ugly primary season. Graziano came in third out of five candidates vying for the Democratic nomination, losing to party-backed Paul Vallone, who will face Saffran in November’s general election.
In his endorsement, Graziano cited a series of negative attack ads that Jobs for New York, a political action committee for the Real Estate Board of New York, mailed out in support of Vallone’s campaign as evidence that Saffran was the most “adult” candidate for the 19th Council District seat.
“We’ve had four years of not having an adult in the room,” Graziano said while taking a not-so-subtle jab at Halloran, who said he would not seek re-election so he could focus on clearing his name in the face of a federal corruption indictment. “To me, this is just a continuation of that, if not worse.”
Saffran said he was happy to accept Graziano’s endorsement because of his work helping to downzone the district alongside state Sen. Tony Avella (D-Bayside), who actually beat Saffran for the same Council seat in 2001 by just under 400 votes.
“Paul has been the leader in the fight throughout Queens to preserve the residential quality of our neighborhoods,” Saffran said. “He is the go-to resource on these issues.”
Vallone also collected some key endorsements over recent weeks from some of his party’s biggest players. Most recently, the Flushing attorney announced U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) was throwing his support behind his campaign.
“I could not be more proud to have the endorsement of Sen. Schumer,” Vallone said. “His contributions to bettering the lives of middle-class families and improving the quality of life we enjoy here in northeast Queens have been immense.”
Also adding their names to the star-studded list of Democrats endorsing Vallone were U.S. Rep. Grace Meng (D-Bayside), state Assemblywoman Nily Rozic (D-Fresh Meadows) and former Rep. Gary Ackerman.
“I know the people and the neighborhoods of northeast Queens like the back of my hand, which is why I know Paul Vallone is the right choice to help preserve our precious quality of life and protect the middle-class families who live here,” Ackerman said. “Now more than ever, the people of the 19th City Council District need a leader who can deliver the resources this district deserves.”
Ackerman, however, was not always behind Vallone. Earlier in the primary, Ackerman put his support behind Austin Shafran, former spokesman for Empire State Development.
Shafran came in second behind Vallone in the Sept. 10 primary by less than 150 votes, beating out Graziano in third place, Douglaston attorney John Duane in fourth and former Halloran chief of staff Chrissy Voskerichian in fifth.
Only one of Vallone’s former Democratic opponents, Duane, formally endorsed him after the primary. The others, Shafran and Voskerichian, did not follow suit.
Reach reporter Phil Corso by e-mail at pcorso@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4573.
