All posts by John Kenny

Photo Gallery: Wiley on the Upper West Side



Mayoral candidate Maya Wiley held a press conference and voter meet & greet on the Upper West Side Thursday evening.  Wiley criticized rival candidate Eric Adams over recent reporting on Adams’ possible failures to properly account for real estate investments and for failing to release his tax returns.

Mayoral candidate Maya Wiley displays copies of her tax returns during an UWS press conference. 6/17/21

After the press conference Wiley greeted supporters and passersby, receiving warm responses from about 15-20 people.

Council Member Helen Rosenthal, a Wiley supporter and local council member, attended the press conference at 96th and Broadway.  Mark Green, the 2001 Democratic mayoral nominee and former public advocate who has endorsed Wiley, also attended the press conference.  Neither Rosenthal or Green spoke during the press conference.

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Mayoral candidate Maya Wiley hugs a man who just said that he voted for her. 6/17/21

Cuomo Photo Retrospective



Governor Andrew Cuomo’s political path forward is increasingly tenuous, with fellow elected Democrats demanding his resignation in response to multiple claims of sexual harassment and misconduct and to the debacle of his handling of COVID-19 in nursing homes.  With the prospect of Cuomo’s time as governor ending here’s a photo retrospective on his tenure.

NYS senators Andrea Stewart-Cousins and Jeff Klein join hands following a press conference with Gov. Andrew Cuomo. 4/4/18

 

Our Cuomo photo retrospective covers 2014-2019.

Photo Gallery: de Blasio At Coney Island Hospital



Mayor Bill de Blasio’s visits for the nightly 7 p.m. applause for healthcare workers included an April 16th visit to Coney Island Hospital.  Accompanied by his wife Chirlane McCray, de Blasio’s visit also marked the kickoff of a citywide program to provide healthcare workers with shelf-stable food, home cleaning products and personal care products.  Sponsored by Debra and Leon Black, Aramark, the Robin Hood Foundation and the Red Cross, the program is intended to provide some personal support and ease shopping burdens on overwhelmed healthcare workers.

In a daily yet still remarkable scene several dozen FDNY firefighters and EMS staff, whose profession is also focused on lifesaving and aiding those in distress, applauded departing hospital staff.

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Photo Gallery: Ozone Park Civic QBP Forum



Our Neighbor’s Civic Association of Ozone Park hosted a Queens borough president candidate forum, drawing Jim Quinn, Donovan Richards, Elizabeth Crowley, Costa Constantinides and Anthony Miranda to one of the final forums before the March 24th special election was cancelled (and later rescheduled for June 23rd).  Civic association President Joe Caruana moderated the forum.

Our Neighbor’s Civic Association of Ozone Park President Joe Caruana leads the Pledge of Allegiance. 3/3/20

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Photo Gallery: Bayswater Civic QBP Forum



The Bayswater Civic Association hosted a Queens borough president candidate forum, with Costa Constantinides, Jim Quinn, Anthony Miranda and Elizabeth Crowley appearing before an audience of approximately 50 people.  The forum was moderated by Eugene Falik, with remarks by Bayswater Civic Association President Enid Glabman.

Costa Constantinides speaking at the Bayswater Civic Association Queens BP candidate forum. 3/2/20

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Photo Gallery: St. Pat’s For All Parade



The 21st St. Pat’s For All parade marched up Skillman Avenue, drawing thousands of participants and spectators on a sunny March Sunday.  The St. Pat’s For All parade was founded by Brendan Fay in response to the long exclusion of LGBTQ groups from the large Manhattan parade.  That exclusion ended in 2016 but the St. Pat’s For All parade continues as a vibrant Irish celebration drawing enthusiastic involvement from the LGBTQ community and the Jackson Heights and Woodside neighborhoods that host the parade.

St.Pat’s For All founder Brendan Fay, just ahead of the 2020 parade. 3/1/20

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Photo Gallery: Christ Church Int’l QBP Forum



Christ Church International hosted a Queens borough president candidate forum, drawing Costa Constantinides, Anthony Miranda and Elizabeth Crowley to Jamaica on a Saturday night.  The forum was co-sponsored by Faith In New York, with FINY executive director Crystal Walthall moderating.  The forum also featured remarks from Christ Church International Bishop Joseph N. Williams.

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Photo Gallery: Cruz For Richards



Assembly Member Catalina Cruz expressed her support for Council Member Donovan Richards in the Queens borough president special election, joining Richards for a Corona press conference.  Cruz described herself and Richards as close friends, noting that Richards supported her in her 2018 primary against a candidate backed by the Queens Democratic Party.

As they waited for the press conference to begin Cruz and Richards face timed with Cruz’s mother, as captured in the photo below.  After seeing the photo Cruz later tweeted “[h]e calls her mi madre. She calls him mi hijo. We are more than colleagues, we’ve become family.”

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Photo Gallery: RYTF QBP Forum



The Rockaway Youth Task Force sponsored a Queens borough president candidate forum that featured four candidates.  Anthony Miranda, Costa Constantinides, Donovan Richards and Elizabeth Crowley attended the forum at Macedonia Baptist Church in Arverne, appearing before a full house of approximately 200 people.

Candidates Elizabeth Crowley, Anthony Miranda & Donovan Richards join hands during an opening prayer. 2/24/20

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Photo Gallery: COBA For Quinn



Queens borough president candidate Jim Quinn received the endorsement of the Correction Officers’ Benevolent Association (COBA), with COBA President Elias Husamudeen appearing with Quinn at a rain-soaked press conference at the site of a proposed new jail.  That proposed jail is the Queens iteration of four new jails planned by the de Blasio administration as part of the closing of Rikers Island.  Both Quinn and COBA oppose the closing of Rikers and building of new borough-based jails.  That opposition, and his related opposition to the recently enacted changes in New York state bail laws, is the centerpiece of Quinn’s borough president candidacy.

Continue reading Photo Gallery: COBA For Quinn

Photo Gallery: NYLCV Queens BP Forum



The New York League of Conservation Voters held a candidate forum focused on environmental and sustainability issues.  Costa Constantinides, Anthony Miranda, Donovan Richards and Elizabeth Crowley attended, fielding questions from moderator Katie Honan and the audience at the New York Hall of Science in Corona.

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Photo Gallery: Bay Terrace BP Candidate Forum



The Bay Terrace Community Alliance held a candidate forum featuring all six active candidates in the March 24th Queens borough president special election.  (A seventh candidate, Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer, is on the ballot but has announced that he’s ended his campaign and is not seeking election.)  BTCA President Matthew Silverstein, 1st VP Warren Schreiber and 2nd VP Phil Konigsberg questioned the candidates for nearly two hours, with the candidates also given the opportunity to pose a question to one of their competitors.

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Our full photo gallery is available here.