So here we are again, approaching primary day for some key and consequential races in our district. Let’s star out by talking about the Republican primary between incumbent City Council member Eric Ulrich and challenger Juan Reyes, a Forest Hills attorney.
In this contest to unseat Sen. Joe Addabbo, Reyes comes to the table with the nod of GOP party bosses, whose organization is under Federal investigation, no experience and at the helm of what is shaping up to be an extremely campaign. Ulrich on the other hand, arrives with experience in government, popularity among his present constituency and an unwillingness to load up the mudslinger and hurl away.
We respect Ulrich for that, however, from time to time in politics a little mudslinging is not only expected but justified. Looking behind the scenes in this race it’s clear to see that it isn’t a sincere effort to break into politics that is behind Reyes’ campaign. It’s the execution of ulterior motives and the personal agendas of Queens GOP bosses. Their long standing hatred for Ulrich, based on his unwillingness to follow them like a blind sheep is what is at the heart of their support for Reyes.
But leaving them out of the equation for a moment, let’s just focus on Reyes himself. Aside from the fact that he has absolutely no experience relevant to the office he seeks, he has in all of his local chatter and mail pieces focused on one thing only, the fact that Ulrich is, in his opinion, not fit for the office.
In our thinking it is always a sign and clear and present danger when a candidate cannot say one word about what he or she will do if elected and focuses instead on trying to convince voters why they should not elect their opponent.
It is no secret that this newspaper finds Eric Ulrich to be a man of substance, as well as, an adept, strong community leader. However, even if we were not able to sing so many praises for the rising Republican star, we would be able to support any of the claims made about him by Reyes.
Plainly, Juan Reyes is a liar and an inexperienced one at that. He makes his entrance into the political arena at the behest of a gang of political hacks better known for breaking laws than making them. Reyes is not a legitimate candidate. He is a spoiler, propelled forward by vendetta, who could never win the general election for this seat. Additionally, if he were to win the Republican primary, Ulrich would still remain on the ballot on the Conservative and Independent lines.
If you haven’t guessed yet, we are heartily endorsing Eric Ulrich in the Republican primary on Thursday, September 13th for State Senate and we urge you to follow this advice.
Moving on to the second race under consideration, in the 38th State Assembly contest, incumbent Assemblyman Mike Miller is facing a challenge from Etienne David Adorno. Adorno has been very visible in the campaign, hosting rallies for stop signs and jumping on a number of community bandwagons, trying to gain popularity and recognition. While we commend Adorno for his efforts, we must throw our support behind Mike Miller. He has worked hard consistently and is always available to his constituents.
We feel that he has demonstrated the commitment to the community necessary to effectively legislate. In addition, Mike Miller is a welcome change. We can always find him around the neighborhood; thankfully we can’t find him in the company of his inept and indictable colleagues. Basically, we like Mike and hope the voters will return him to Albany. Oh yes, once again, it’s Miller time.
We hope that you will give our endorsements careful consideration, but regardless of your personal choice at the voting booth, we encourage you as always, to make the effort to get out and vote. Change, for the good or bad does not happen without a registered voice.
