Fundraising heats up ahead of likely Assembly special election
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Former Assemblymember Michele Titus took the bench in Queens Civil Court earlier this month and her inauguration ceremony is Jan. 30. Titus’ move vacated the Assembly District 31 seat, but Gov. Andrew Cuomo has yet to call a special election to replace her. AP Photo by Hans Pennink.
By Victoria Merlino
Nearly a month after veteran Assemblymember Michele Titus took the bench in Queens Civil Court, Gov. Andrew Cuomo has yet to call a special election to replace her — but that hasn’t stopped at least seven candidates from raising campaign cash in the uncertain contest.
District 31 District Leader Richard David, a York College adjunct professor, has raised the most money, according to financial disclosure reports published by the Board of Elections last week. David has not officially declared his candidacy, but he has $36,871 on hand. He received 124 individual and 11 corporate contributions during the last financial disclosure period, which lasted from July 15, 2019 to Jan. 15.
Notable contributors include Brooklyn State Sen. Roxanne Persaud, who donated $100, and a number of area businesses, including $1,500 from Hack’s Halal in Richmond Hill, $200 from Golden Arrow Sports Bar in Richmond Hill and $100 from Cabana Breeze in South Ozone Park.
At a Richmond Hill town hall in November, David and U.S. Rep. Gregory Meeks, chair of the Queens County Democratic Party, called on Queens to elect South Asian lawmakers. No one of South Asian or Indo-Caribbean descent has ever been elected in Queens County. David was raised in a Hindu household in Jamaica.
Chiedu “Shea” Uzoigwe, a former staffer for State Sen. James Sanders Jr., has $27,658.16 on hand, with 23 contributions during the last filing period, including $3,500 from the Iron Workers PAC.
Khaleel Anderson, a Community Board 14 member, has $15,000.42 on hand. He received money from 118 individual contributions, most of whom chipped in less than $125. Anderson is a board member of the Rockaway Youth Task Force.
Tavia Blakley, a former staffer of Titus’, has $2,195.55 on hand, with 16 contributions and two loans to the campaign from Blakley totaling $1,525.
Lisa George, a current staffer in Sanders’ Rockaway office, has $2,139.19 on hand with 23 individual contributions and one corporate contribution, from the Rockaway Beach Boulevard Construction Co.
Derrick DeFlorimonte, a Community Board 13 member, has $1,739.63 on hand. He received 31 individual contributions during the last filing period.
And Varinder Singh, a real estate consultant and construction manager, filed an “in lieu of statement,” which means that the campaign’s receipts and expenses did not exceed $1,000 this reporting period.
Cuomo’s office did not respond to an email asking for information on the potential special election, but voters in the Southeast Queens Assembly District may be heading to the polls three times in less than three months.
New York’s Democratic presidential primary will take place on April 28. If Cuomo picks that date, for the AD31 special election, voters will return to the polls less than two months later for the state primaries on June 23.
Queens residents will also cast their ballots in a special election for Queens Borough President on March 24.
