When Ryan James Girdusky, a 25-year-old Maspeth resident and Republican campaign consultant, woke on the morning of April 2, he immediately noticed something was amiss – the day had barely begun and already voice mails were clogging his cell phone and emails flooding his inbox.
Could Bob Turner be the “fix” for the latest of the Republican wounds inflicted by the recent charges against Council member Dan Halloran? Republican insiders say he may be the only hope.
Within minutes, Girdusky, the former vice president of the Queens County Young Republicans, learned the Federal Bureau of Investigation had just issued a statement on Twitter: “FBI arrests state Senator Malcolm Smith, (Councilman) Daniel Halloran and others following public corruption investigation. Details to follow.”
Soon, Girdusky, along with the rest of New York, discovered that a sweeping federal probe had ended with the arrests of politicians in both parties and charges that Halloran (R-Whitestone) and Smith (D-Hollis) had allegedly tried to bribe GOP officials, including former Queens Republican Vice Chairman Vince Tabone and former Bronx Republican Party Chairman Joseph Savino, both of whom resigned from their leadership posts not long after being arrested, to land Smith a spot in the Republican mayoral primary.
For some, the recent arrests have merely reaffirmed a long history of cynicism when it comes to New York politics – U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara, whose office conducted the investigation that ensnared the Queens politicians, said the charges “demonstrate, once again, that a show-me-the-money culture seems to pervade every level of New York government.” On the other hand, it also has a number of Queens Republicans taking a hard look at the future of a party that has long experienced infighting and is now facing some serious public image issues – but which political insiders argue could play a much larger role in a borough with deeply conservative pockets.
“Something’s got to give so we can all get along,” Girdusky said of the party that tends to split into two camps: one that aligns themselves with current Queens GOP Chairman Phil Ragusa and another that identifies with Councilman Eric Ulrich (R-Ozone Park). “We don’t have to be the Republican party of the Bronx, where they can’t get anyone elected. If you look at other counties, like Staten Island, and how well they do – we can be like them. We have a lot of parts of Queens that are accessible to Republicans.”
While Queens Republicans remain at a disadvantage when it comes to registered voters, being outnumbered by Democrats by a margin of about six to one, there are more registered Republicans in Queens than anywhere else in the city. According to state Board of Elections statistics, there are 134,000 registered Republicans in Queens. Brooklyn has the second highest number of Republicans at 127,000; Manhattan has 114,000; Staten Island comes in third with 80,000; and the Bronx has the lowest with 45,000.
Along with the number of registered voters, Queens is often cited as having conservative street cred – Republican Mayor Rudy Giuliani, for example, has said he would never have landed in the city’s highest office had it not been for the support of the borough’s right-leaning denizens.
Clearly thought of as the future of Republicans in Queens and the city, Eric Ulrich was at the forefront of leading the charge against Ragusa and Tabone when he suspected involvement in corruption more than a year ago.
Despite this, Queens has just two Republicans representing it – and now one of them is under arrest. The limited number of Republican wins is one of the criticisms people like Ulrich have lobbed against the Ragusa camp, and, in light of these arrests, the Ozone Park councilman has called on the Queens GOP chairman to step down – and for former U.S. Rep. Bob Turner to take his place.
The Queens County GOP did not return a request for comment for this article.
Turner, a retired businessman who most recently held the seat vacated by former U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner, has said he is amenable to the idea – which has been embraced by younger party members, like Girdusky, as well as more established politicos – potentially even some in Ragusa’s camp, according to some political insiders.
“It seems dark right now, but there’s a lot of hope for the Republican Party,” said Kevin Ryan, a Halloran spokesman and general secretary of the Northeast Queens Republican Club. “I think a major change is needed, and I think it’s on the way… We need someone like Bob Turner to lead the GOP in a different direction, who gets along with everyone and who people think is honest.”
Ryan also called Ulrich “the brightest light in the party right now because he’s calling for fresh leadership.”
As for the future of Halloran – who allegedly made the now infamous quote, “it’s all about the f-ing money,” to a cooperating witness in the federal corruption investigation – he is not resigning, Ryan said, and his office remains open to deal with constituent issues.
While some argue that Halloran still has a chance to hold onto his seat – previously held by now Democratic state Sen. Tony Avella (D-Bayside) – Queens College Political Science Professor Michael Krasner said it seems likely the borough will bid adieu to the Whitestone councilman.
“This is a definite setback, and it will weaken (the Republicans) for the next couple of rounds of elections, and maybe longer,” Krasner said. “They’ll lose their vice chairperson and one of their few elected officials in all likelihood.”
Krasner also cast some doubt on whether a leadership change – such as Turner taking the reins at the GOP – would make a difference in rejuvenating the party’s image, saying the meaning of such a shift may be a little too insider-baseball for the average voter – and might be discredited by those in the know.
“What they’re going to try to do is differentiate themselves with cosmetic changes in the face of this kind of scandal,” Krasner said. “That’s going to be heavily discounted by anyone who’s paying attention. The chances it would have a substantial impact would be quite small.”
“The main impact will be increased cynicism and decreased participation,” Krasner continued, in reference to the arrests in general. “If there’s a Republican who gave $50 in the last election, they’ll be less likely to do that this time around.”
By Anna Gustafson
