Mayoral candidates Bo Dietl, Sal Albanese and Nicole Malliotakis rolled into Whitestone last night, attending a candidate forum hosted by the We Love Whitestone Civic Association. The forum drew a modestly-sized audience of 30-35 people.
The forum was structured to have each candidate speak on their own, with an opening statement and responding to written questions from the audience. Dietl and Albanese ended answering questions together, with some discussion between the two candidates but without them falling into a debate. Malliotakis arrived shortly after Dietl departed and she spoke solo as Albanese sat and listened.
Questions for the candidates included a Whitestone-centric concern on helicopter noise and the broader homeowner concern around both the amount and unevenness of property tax assessments. According to Whitestone residents at the forum, the neighborhood has a large volume of fairly low altitude helicopter flights, primarily between a Manhattan heliport and the Hamptons, that disrupt residents. The three candidates offered sympathy and promised to try to help, but none offered any plans or path to alleviating the neighborhood noise.
Video:
Here is the full presentation, including Q&A, by Bo Dietl and Sal Albanese:
Here is Nicole Malliotakis’ full presentation:
Photo Gallery:
Our photo gallery is available here.