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The war chests are filled; the mailers are flying; and in some cases the heated tones of party rhetoric are getting louder as the candidates running for City Council in Queens make the last efforts for winning over the voters.

Queens is a largely Democratic county, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t pockets of Republicans who would be pleased to add to – or at least maintain – their numbers in the Council.

District 19
Kevin Kim, a three-year staffer for U.S. Rep. Gary Ackerman’s (D-Bayside) Community Affairs Unit is taking on Dan Halloran, a former cop, bar owner and prosecutor who is currently a lawyer in Mineola.

The race has seen its share of sensationalism, as Halloran’s role in his self-described “pagan” faith has been brought into question, with his campaign refusing to answer questions regarding the effect that role may have on his legislative agenda.

Halloran, whose campaign said he resigned from the NYPD in 1991 because they would not grant him leave for a pagan holiday, has refused to answer any questions about his leadership role since the story was first broken in September.

In a letter sent to other pagans, Halloran wrote, “I have run a Heathen community in New York for 20 years and it has been Theodish for over 12 years. I have served the Troth for over 18 years in a variety of religious and secular ways,” adding, “the fact is my run for public office should be irrelevant to my co-religionists, except as a source of pride, that we are moving into mainstream politics in a major city... If I am elected, it will be as the first Heathen elected in America to a major office- maybe anywhere in the Anglo-European world… our faith will be able to take pride in another accomplishment after 2,000 years of suppression.”

District 20
Democrat Yen Chou and Republican Peter Koo tout different philosophies towards legislating while keeping interests of their future constituents in mind.

“It’s the job of government to teach people how to fish, instead of buying fish every day,” Koo said.

According to New York State Board of Elections records, Chou has not voted in any election or primary since registering in 1999.

“The message is, ‘No one is perfect,’” she said. “That is one thing I accept about myself. I’m saying maybe that is something I feel regretful for.”

Koo is most recognizable as the owner of the Starside Pharmacy chain, but is also active as President of the Flushing Chinese Business Association and Chairman of Program Services for the Flushing Business Improvement District.

Chou has touted a legacy of educational leadership, as a former teacher and member of the 26th District Community Education Council, but had a less-than-50 percent attendance rate during her stint with the CEC.

District 22
Incumbent Peter Vallone, Jr., who is heavily favored in the district so closely tied to his family name, is expecting a large push from Green Party challenger Lynn Serpe, who has raised $23,213 and gained an additional $82,434 in matching funds. With $84,108 still on hand as of Wednesday, she leads over Vallone’s $45,581 on hand. Vallone, who is a participant in the Matching Funds program, has opted not to seek taxpayer dollars to help boost his campaign.

Vallone, who chairs the City Council’s Public Safety committee, drew heat over his vote to extend Term Limits for an additional term.

District 23
In this battle, the Democratic Primary was not the end for candidate Bob Friedrich, who lost to Mark Weprin in September, but remains on the ballot on the Conservative line.

They are both fighting for the seat held by David Weprin, who lost his bid to attain a spot on the ballot for Comptroller in November. Insiders have said that if Mark Weprin were to win his brother’s seat, it is possible that David Weprin’s name could come up to replace his brother in a special election.

District 25
Danny Dromm ousted incumbent Helen Sears from the ballot for November and still faces a challenge from a profoundly under-funded Republican, Mujib Rahman, though historically the Jackson Heights seat has voted Democratic. If Danny were to win, he would likely be one of two new Council members from Queens who are gay men.

District 26
The second likely gay man to win a Council post from Queens is Jimmy Van Bramer, who defeated County-supported Deirdre Feerick in the September primary. Though Feerick is still on the ballot on the Independence line, she has thrown her support behind Van Bramer, who faces newcomer Angelo Magaros, who has $67,078 available in the bank as of Oct. 2. Like the neighboring District 25, Republicans do not typically fare well in the 26th, but Van Bramer will definitely have to work hard to bring out the vote if he wants to make it to City Hall in January.

District 28
Thomas White may have shaken off a slew of rivals for the Democratic nod in his race for re-election, but one managed to hang on. Ruben Wills, defeated in September, is running on the Conservative line against White – who defeated lead challenger Lynn Nunes by a mere four votes. If Wills can get the word out that he is still on the ballot, he may have a shot to unseat White, who had previously been term-limited out of office in 2001, but returned after four years of Allan Jennings representing the district.

District 29
Democrat Karen Koslowitz defeated a wide range of candidates in September, but like Wills in the 28th, one has managed to stay on and isn’t going down without a fight. Lynn Schulman remains on the ballot on the Working Families line, and is hoping for a chance to knock down Koslowitz who, like White, in the 28th, was term limited out of office in 2001.

District 30
In the first of two races where neither incumbent has been in office more a year, Elizabeth Crowley defends her win from last November, this time against a strong Republican challenger in Tom Ognibene – who was term limited out of office in 2001. This will be the third election for this district in the last 17 months. Following the scandal that led to Dennis Gallagher’s resignation, a special election was held in July 2008 bringing Anthony Como to office. He was defeated by Crowley in November, and the young Democrat is hoping to get back to the council for a full term. Ognibene is well-liked and has a lot of support in the district, and the Crowley name is gold in western Queens, so at this point it’s anybody’s guess who can walk away the winner in November.

District 31
Young Republican Scherie Murray is taking on incumbent James Sanders, who voted to overturn term limits late last year to allow himself a third term in office. Murray’s coffers, however, are almost entirely depleted – she has spent $1,380 of the $1,453 she has raised, while Sanders is sitting on more than $40,000 as of Oct. 2.

District 32
Another newcomer to the council, Eric Ulrich, was just elected in February to replace Joe Addabbo, who moved up to the State Senate. This 24-year-old is being challenged by local Frank Gulluscio, who used to work for Addabbo and has been the District Manager for Community Board 6 for years. In a district where Democrats and Republicans seem to have equal representation, we’ll have to wait until November to see if the young incumbent can beat the experienced challenger.

There are three districts in Queens where the incumbents face no challengers – District 21, Julissa Ferreras; District 24, James Gennaro and District 27, Leroy Comrie.

Reach Editor Brian M. Rafferty at brafferty@queenstribune.com or call (718) 357-7400, Ext. 122.