Category Archives: Michael Tolkin

Queens Trib Forum Lightning Round



The Queens Tribune and St. John’s University hosted an unusual candidate forum Tuesday evening, putting Democratic and Republican mayoral, comptroller and public advocate candidates together on stage for two hours.  Participating candidates included mayoral candidates Nicole Malliotakis, Bo Dietl, Sal Albanese, David Bashner and Mike Tolkin, comptroller candidates Scott Stringer and Michel Faulkner and public advocate candidates David Eisenbach and J.C. Polanco.

We’ll begin near the end, with the Lightning Round questions:

Update – Full Forum:

Here is the full forum:

$5 Million?



$5 million.  That’s what Democratic mayoral candidate Mike Tolkin reports putting into his campaign recently.  It’s an extraordinarily large amount, significantly exceeding the $2.7 million that Paul Massey reported lending his campaign through mid-May.  There’s a catch, however.  Tolkin reports the $5 million as an in-kind contribution of “Campgn Lit. / Campaign Assets.”  He has separately loaned his campaign $225,000, but raised only $2,590 in cash contributions.  Continue reading $5 Million?

Reform Party Candidate Forum



The Reform Party hosted a mayoral candidate forum Tuesday, with six candidates appearing and seeking the 2017 Reform Party nomination for New York City mayor.  The participating candidates included Democrats  Sal Albanese, Michael Tolkin and Kevin Coenen, Republicans Michel Faulkner and Rocky De La Fuente and currently man-without-a-party-but-hoping-to-run-as-a-Republican Bo Dietl.  All expressed a desire to run on the Reform Party line in addition to that of their respective party.

The Reform Party was created in 2014 by Republican gubernatorial candidate Rob Astorino as the “Stop Common Core” ballot line.  Winning more than 50,000 votes in that election brought a four year ballot existence for the party, which changed its name to the Reform Party.  Astorino and his allies lost control of the party, however, with Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa taking control.  (There’s a separate and unaffiliated Reform Party that is part of the national Reform Party of the United States.)  According to Sliwa, the Reform Party’s 18 committee members will select the party’s mayoral nominee, likely in late April or May.

Video – Here are the six candidates giving short introductions:

Update – Photo Gallery:

Our forum photo gallery is available here.