With the September 13, special election to replace Anthony Weiner approaching, women leaders came out to show their support for Democratic candidate David Weprin.
The women showered praise on Weprin, who was joined on the steps of Queens Borough Hall by his wife and two daughters, for a press conference last Thursday.
Women make up 55 percent of the 9th congressional district, a key voting demographic Democrats want to capture.
City Council Speaker Christine Quinn (D-Manhattan) kicked off the proceedings, which she dubbed as “Women for Weprin,” noting that Weprin had supported women’s rights such as abortion rights, which could not be said about Weprin’s opponent, Republican Bob Turner.
“There are two candidates in this race: one who wants to scale back a women’s right to choose to a time when women did not have full access to reproductive choices in this county,” Quinn said. “Then there’s another candidate, David Weprin, who always stood firm 100 percent, behind a woman’s right to choose.”
Weprin is also running on the platform of restoring Planned Parenthood funding, which the House voted to defund earlier this year. According to NY1 television, Turner supports the House’s decision to end federal funding for the organization.
Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney (D- Astoria, Manhattan) worked alongside Weprin since they were interns at the New York State Assembly, and she said that when he was Chair of the New York City Council Finance Committee, Weprin took a “special effort” to make sure that programs that helped and assisted families were kept in place.
She hopes that Weprin can assume a similar position if he gets elected to fill the congressional seat left vacant by ex-rep Anthony Weiner, following a sexting scandal that forced him to resign.
“I hope we can make him that once he gets to Congress, so we wouldn’t have these devastating cuts to women, children and families.” Maloney said.
Knowledge and familiarity with the district is a key reason for Councilwoman Karen Koslowitz’s (D-Forest Hills) support.
“I’m not so sure he knows what Forest Hills and Rego Park really looks like, or Kew Gardens, because I have not seen him at all in our community,” Koslowitz said about Turner.
Turner lives in the Rockaways and held his campaign kick-off in Forest Hills. Weprin lives in Holliswood—just out of the district.
Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley (D-Middle Village) ensured Weprin that her eight sisters (“She has a lot of them,” Weprin joked) and her mother, all of whom live in the 9th congressional district, would come out to vote for him.
After remaining in the background for most of the press conference, Weprin thanked his supporters.
“I’m a little speechless and a little overwhelmed because I’m very honored to have this distinguished crew of elected officials and women leaders endorsing my candidacy,” Weprin said. “I will be a very strong advocate for the women of the 9th congressional district as well as the women for our city, state and country.”
Weprin also responded to Turner’s allegations that he was either clueless to or was responsible for the 2008 slush fund scandal, in which city funds were being allocated to sham non-profits and then later doled out by the Speaker as political favors.
“My response is my opponent is grabbing at straws, it’s ridiculous,” said Weprin, who pointed out that he handed in eight balanced and on-time budgets during his time as the Chair of the Finance Committee. “I happen to think that Washington could use a little bit of that,” Weprin said.
When asked about supporting President Barack Obama’s re-election bid, Weprin demurred.
“I’m running for the congressional seat,” Weprin said. “We’ll talk about reelection as we get closer to the election.”
However, later in the week, campaign spokesperson Elizabeth Kerr said Weprin does support Obama.
“David supports the President for re-election next year – the real question is if Bob Turner supports John Boehner and his plan to end Medicare,” she said to The Politicker.
by Luis Gronda
