Category Archives: Bob Turner

2017 Year In Photos



Baseball fan Timothy Cardinal Dolan sports a borrowed Yankees hat while the hat’s owner sports Cardinal Dolan’s zucchetto.

Mayoral candidates fighting and occasionally smiling, a governor working his fellow electeds and the cameras, a hometown president passing through.  Those are among the images in our 2017 photo retrospective.

Shot entirely in the five boroughs, our photo retrospective reflects our 2017 focus on the mayoral election and particularly on challengers looking to defeat Mayor de Blasio.  There’s more, however, with a mix of light moments, conflict and loss.

Our photographic look back at 2017 is available here.

Republican mayoral candidate Nicole Malliotakis heads to her car following a Saturday morning appearance at a Queens GOP “Unity Breakfast” in Glendale.

Note:  Our more extensive photo retrospective on the 2017 mayoral race is available here.

Malliotakis, Massey … & Bo?



Republican mayoral candidate Nicole Malliotakis offered a gracious farewell to former rival Paul Massey today, but she has not yet received his endorsement or the endorsement of the two Republican County chairman and organizations that supported him.

Speaking at a press conference today in Dyker Heights at which Malliotakis highlighted a street with trash and debris, Malliotakis said that she was surprised by Massey’s withdrawal, that she called Massey and thanked him for “the good, spirited debate” they had shortly before Massey’s withdrawal and “wished him well.”  She also “thanked him for coming into the race and expressing ideas.”   Malliotakis has not yet received Massey’s endorsement, although it appears that she has asked him for it.  She expressed hope that “the whole Party will coalesce around me,” but said only that she hopes it will happen after completing petitioning. Continue reading Malliotakis, Massey … & Bo?

Turner On Scalise



Former Congressman Bob Turner offered some thoughts on his former colleague, Rep. Steve Scalise, who was badly wounded in the attack on a Congressional Republican baseball practice this morning.  Scalise had a particularly important role in obtaining federal funding for Hurricane Sandy victims.  Turner’s district was heavily impacted by Sandy and Turner’s home was destroyed.

We spoke during a Rockaway Republican Club meeting in Belle Harbor.  Turner is now the Queens County Republican Chairman.

Ulrich Fundraiser



The Bo Show rolled into Howard Beach Saturday afternoon, adding some sizzle to Eric Ulrich’s reelection campaign fundraiser.  Ulrich, who seriously pursued running for mayor before opting to run for a third and final term on the City Council, has endorsed Bo Dietl for mayor and Dietl returned the favor appearing at Ulrich’s fundraiser.  Dietl encountered fellow mayoral candidate Nicole Malliotakis and Queens County Republican Chairman Bob Turner, an early and enthusiastic backer of mayoral candidate Paul Massey.  Massey, who has been endorsed by Turner’s Queens County Republican organization, did not attend.  Continue reading Ulrich Fundraiser

Malliotakis Moving Massey Endorsements? (Updated)



At a City Hall press conference Friday Republican mayoral candidate Nicole Malliotakis suggested that she may cause a change in two significant endorsements received by rival candidate Paul Massey.  Massey has received the endorsement of the Queens Republican Party and Staten Island Assembly Member Ron Castorina.  Queens Republican Party Chairman Bob Turner was an early supporter of Massey and his Queens Republican Party endorsed Massey last week.  Castorina, expected to be elected chairman of the Staten Island Republican Party soon, was the first elected official to have endorsed a Republican mayoral candidate (our report from his February 22nd endorsement is available here).

Friday I asked Malliotakis how she plans to overcome Massey’s early advantages of the two endorsements and significant fundraising.  Before criticizing Massey Malliotakis addressed the endorsements, saying that “perhaps that will change now that I’m in the race.”

Continue reading Malliotakis Moving Massey Endorsements? (Updated)

A Queens Harvest



Massey 3-13-17-7Republican mayoral candidate Paul Massey sought to again relaunch his campaign, with a visit today to Kissena Farms Kosher Supermarket in Flushing billed as part of a five day series of visits to the five boroughs “formally launch[ing]” his campaign.  His visit included his third press conference and a cameo by Queens Republican County Chairman Bob Turner, but omitted typical elements of a campaign launch such as cheering supporters, family or a symbolically important backdrop.

Massey arrived early and stood smiling and chatting with Turner as shoppers moved past them.  A few asked what was going on, but the majority rolled past pushing their cart and getting their list out.  Massey and the store manager then did a lap of the outer aisles, chatting about the products they passed, the grocery business and the upcoming holidays. Massey greeted a few shoppers, but he mostly walked past them seemingly absorbed in his conversation with the store manager.

Massey 3-13-17-5

Continue reading A Queens Harvest

Turner With Massey



Queens County Republican Chairman Bob Turner supports mayoral candidate Paul Massey, although he’s not ready to describe it as “a formal endorsement.”  Turner joined Massey at a press conference today in Flushing, dubbed by the Massey campaign as “formally launching” his campaign.   “I am supporting Mr. Massey, but this is short of a formal endorsement” said Turner when I asked Massey whether he has Turner’s support or endorsement.  Turner had stood off to the side watching as Massey held his press conference, not joining him at the lectern.  (When I spoke with Turner on March 2nd, he seemed supportive of Massey, but was not nearly as direct.)

In a conversation  with Turner afterwards he emphasized that the Queens Republican organization has not yet endorsed or supported Massey, although he expects a decision on whether to do so in “less than a month.”  Turner appeared quite optimistic on the effort by the five New York York City Republican county chairs at uniting behind a single candidate.  Doing so, presuming Massey is their choice, may discourage Eric Ulrich (the only New York City or New York State Republican elected official representing Queens) or John Catsimatidis from entering the race or encourage Michel Faulkner to end his campaign.

Video:

Here’s our post-presser conversation:

Bob Turner On The Mayoral Race



 

Queens County Republican Chairman Bob Turner.  3/2/17
Queens County Republican Chairman Bob Turner. 3/2/17

Will an effort by New York City’s five Republican County chairs to avoid a mayoral primary by uniting behind a  single mayoral candidate succeed?  It’s possible, but some of the county chairs are publicly skeptical.  Beyond the initial challenge of agreeing on a single candidate, should such agreement occur the county chairs and organizations can’t prevent other candidates from running.  They can cajole, try to convince and pressure candidates, but candidates will have the opportunity to petition on to the primary ballot regardless of county organization preferences.

Queens County Chairman Bob Turner expressed that view tonight, affirming that the county chairs would like to unite but acknowledging that it’s beyond their direct power.  In a brief conversation last night Brooklyn County Chairman Ted Ghorra similarly lauded the goal of uniting but expressed doubt about it happening and emphasized the importance of voters having a chance to hear from all interested candidates.  In late January and early February Manhattan County Chairwoman Adele Malpass expressed more enthusiasm for the effort, saying she was hopeful that it would conclude by late March or early April.

Turner told me tonight that he will “probably” personally endorse a mayoral candidate and that he expects to do so in about two weeks.  He would not say who he’ll support but it’s my guess (and that’s really just a guess) that he’ll go with Paul Massey.

Republican mayoral candidate Paul Massey (standing with hands folded) listens as Queens County Republican Chairman Bob Turner speaks at the Queens Village Republican Club. 3/2/17
Republican mayoral candidate Paul Massey (standing with hands folded) listens as Queens County Republican Chairman Bob Turner speaks at the Queens Village Republican Club. 3/2/17

 

Video – Here’s what Turner had to say following a Paul Massey appearance at the Queens Village Republican Club:

Bob Rob & Bob



Former Congressman Bob Turner hosted Republican gubernatorial candidate Rob Astorino and Republican comptroller candidate Bob Antonacci this afternoon for a press conference at Turner’s home in Breezy Point.  Astorino focused on a favored theme:  that Governor Andrew Cuomo has wrongfully used approximately $40 million of Hurricane Sandy relief funding for thinly disguised political ads promoting Cuomo.

Turner, elected to replace Anthony Weiner, was winding down his one term in Congress when Sandy struck.  More than 100 homes, including Turner’s, were destroyed by a fire that raged through Breezy Point as Sandy’s storm surge struck.  The homes behind Astorino, Antonacci and Turner are newly rebuilt, replacing some of the homes destroyed by that fire.

During the Q&A portion of the press conference (which begins at about 4:00) I asked Astorino questions about other Sandy-related topics, including his view of the overall response to Sandy by New York State government and whether he would do anything differently concerning the NYS Department of Financial Services and it’s regulation of insurance companies, which he would control as governor.  Astorino appeared unwilling, or unable, to move on to other Sandy-related topics, staying focused on Governor Cuomo’s use of federal relief money for TV advertising.  The Q&A began with my question of why Astorino’s fellow Republicans, in the state senate, have permitted Cuomo’s use of Sandy money as condemned by Astorino.

Note:  Astorino held a separate press conference this morning, with Democratic gubernatorial candidate Zephyr Teachout, available here.