Koo Backs Dem; Debate Turns Ugly
By DOMENICK RAFTER
There’s no summer vacation for the candidates vying to replace former U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner – nor for those who seek to out-shout their opponent’s supporters.
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| An unruly crowd of hecklers gathers at Young Israel of Kew Gardens Hills to watch the spirited debate. Photo by Ira Cohen |
Democratic candidate David Weprin and Republican candidate Bob Turner have been crisscrossing the district in both Brooklyn and Queens meeting voters and rounding up endorsements.
Weprin got a key cross-party endorsement last week from Councilman Peter Koo (R-Flushing), who had endorsed and campaigned for Turner in 2010; he endorsed Weprin at the Flushing Chinese Business Association on Main Street on Aug. 18.
Koo focused on immigration issues in his endorsement of Weprin.
“I am crossing party lines to support the best candidate for this community,” Koo said. “David Weprin embraces new immigrants and he knows the importance of having the opportunity to achieve the American dream. When I look in the mirror, I know in my heart I’m making the right choice.”
Koo’s spokesman James McClelland said his four Republican colleagues on the City Council respect Koo’s decision. Councilman Eric Ulrich (R-Ozone Park), who was a leading candidate for the seat, has endorsed and has been campaigning with Turner.
Weprin also gained the endorsement of the top firefighters unions, the Uniform Fire Officials Association and the Uniform Firefighters Association. The two unions gave their endorsement, along with Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley (D-Middle Village) at Engine 305 in Forest Hills on Sunday.
He also received the endorsement of U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand.
At a spirited debate Monday night held at Young Israel of Kew Gardens Hills and sponsored by the Queens Civic Congress, the candidates faced off in front of an unruly crowd of hecklers. Turner explained his position as a true independent running under a Republican banner. “I owe no one anything,” he said. “I am not a party loyalist and they don’t have anything I want or need.”
Weprin noted his positions against President Barack Obama on Israel and against Council Speaker Christine Quinn on congestion pricing and term limit extensions as signs that he is not always going to toe the line of his party.
Turner has vowed to cut 35 percent in federal spending over the next 10 years, and that would include dramatic reductions in agencies such as the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture and the U.S. Dept. of Education. He also opposed extending unemployment benefits for people who have been receiving unemployment for 99 months.
“Fifty percent of people whose benefits run out end up finding a job,” he said. “When is enough enough? The burden is on the individual. There is a point, and I think we’ve reached it.”
Many of Weprin’s responses to questions were cut short as he would bring up Tea Party references to Turner’s candidacy, eliciting huge roars and protest from the crowd, who then would drown out his answers.
The National Republican Campaign Committee, the body that oversees GOP Congressional campaigns nationwide, sent Turner’s campaign $44,500 in funding last week, a sign they may be taking the race seriously. The NRCC however is preoccupied with another special election in Nevada, a seat the GOP is defending. That election will be held the same day.
Editor Brian M. Rafferty contributed.
Reach Reporter Domenick Rafter at or (718) 357-7400, Ext. 125.