Vote This Tuesday, Nov. 3

The race for City Hall and Borough Hall will be the focus of this Tuesday’s general election, as New Yorkers will head to the polls on Nov. 3 to elect their next mayor, public advocate, comptroller, borough president and City Council members.

Polling places across the five boroughs will open at 6 a.m. and close at 9 p.m. All registered voters 18 years of age and older are permitted to participate in the election. For voting information or to find a polling site, call 1-212-VOTE-NYC or visit www.vote.nyc.ny.us.

Topping the ballot this year is the mayoral contest between the incumbent Mayor Michael Bloomberg, the Republican/Independent nominee seeking a third term in office, and his Democratic challenger, City Comptroller William Thompson, who is also running on the Working Families party line.

While that race may be grabbing the most citywide headlines, there are a number of hotly contested battles for City Council seats in the Times Newsweekly’s coverage area in Brooklyn and Queens on the ballot this Tuesday.

One of those area races is for the 30th City Council District seat, which includes parts of Ridgewood, Glendale, Maspeth, Middle Village, Woodhaven and Richmond Hill. City Council Member Elizabeth Crowley, the Glendale Democrat who was elected to the office last November, is being challenged in her quest for a four-year term by former City Council Member Thomas Ognibene, the Middle Village Republican who held the seat from 1991 to 2001.

Crowley is also running on the Working Families party line, while Ognibene is listed on the Independence and Conservative lines.

Ridgewood’s other representative in the City Council, Diana Reyna, is facing competition in her bid for a third term in the 34th Council District seat, which also includes parts of Bushwick, East Williamsburg and Williamsburg. Reyna, a Williamsburg resident who won the Democratic nomination narrowly in the Sept. 15 primary, will square off against Working Families Party nominee and primary runner-up Maritza Davila of Bushwick as well as Republican and Conservative nominee Jacqueline Haro of Williamsburg.

City Council Member Eric Ulrich, the Republican from Ozone Park who won the 32nd Council District seat in a February special election, is running for a full term in office against Democratic District Leader Frank Gulluscio of Howard Beach. The council district includes the neighborhoods of Woodhaven, Richmond Hill, Ozone Park, South Ozone Park, South Richmond Hill, Howard Beach, Lindenwood, Broad Channel and the Rockaways.

Ulrich is additionally running on the Independence and Conservative voting lines, while Gulluscio is also the nominee of the Working Families party.

Voters in three City Council districts in western Queens will also elect brand new members to the city’s legislature on Tuesday. In the 25th Council District—which includes parts of Corona, Elmhurst, Jackson Heights and Rego Park—Democratic and Working Families nominee Daniel Dromm of Jackson Heights will square off against Republican, Independence and Conservative choice Mujib Rahman, also a Jackson Heights resident.

The incumbent holder of the seat, Helen Sears, lost her bid for a third term in the September primary; her term expires on New Year’s Day.

Democratic and Working Families candidate James Van Bramer of Sunnyside is facing Republican and Conservative nominee Angelo Maragos of Long Island City for the 26th City Council District seat covering parts of Astoria, Long Island City, Maspeth, Sunnyside and Woodside. The winner of the election will succeed City Council Member Eric Gioia in January.

The race for the 29th City Council District seat—which includes parts of Rego Park, Forest Hills, Kew Gardens, Maspeth, Elmhurst and Richmond Hill—is a contest between three Forest Hills residents.

Former City Council Member Karen Koslowitz, the Democratic and Independence candidate who is seeking to be reelected to the seat she previously held prior to 2001, is facing the second-place finisher in the Sept. 15 Democratic primary, Working Families nominee Lynn Schulman, and Republican candidate Bartholomew Bruno.

Citywide, borough, judicial races

In addition to Bloomberg and Thompson, voters also have several third party nominees to choose from in this Tuesday’s mayoral contest. They include Stephen Christopher of Brooklyn (Conservative), Francisca Villar of the Bronx (Socialism and Liberation), Dan Fein of Manhattan (Socialist Worker), Billy Talen of Brooklyn (Green), Joseph Dobrian of Manhattan (Libertarian) and Jimmy McMillan of Brooklyn (Rent is Too Damn High).

New Yorkers will also elect a new public advocate to replace the outgoing Betsy Gotbaum. The Democratic nominee, City Council Member Bill de Blasio of Brooklyn (who is also running on the Working Families line) is facing Republican nominee Alex Zablocki of Staten Island, Conservative pick William J. Lee of Manhattan, Socialist Worker nominee Maura Deluca of the Bronx and Libertarian Jim Lesczynski of Manhattan.

With Thompson running for mayor, voters will also have the chance to elect the city’s new comptroller. City Council Member John Liu of Flushing, the Democratic and Working Families nominee, is facing Republican Joseph Mendola of Manhattan, Conservative Stuart Avrick of Manhattan, Libertarian John Clifton of Jamaica and Rent is Too Damn High nominee Salim Ejaz of Flushing.

Queens Borough President Helen Marshall will also be up for reelection this Tuesday. Marshall, who is running on the Democratic and Working Families party lines, is being challenged for a third term in office by Republican nominee Robert Hornak of Astoria and Conservative Robert Schwartz of Forest Hills.

Three Queens Supreme Court justices will be elected by voters on Nov. 3. Residents of the 11th Judicial District in western and southern Queens will select three individuals to serve on the bench.

The candidates for the 11th Judicial District are listed as follows:

• Thomas Raffaele of Jackson Heights (Democratic);

• Robert Beltrani of East Elmhurst (Republican and Conservative);

• Diccia Pineda-Kirwan of Flushing (Democratic);

• John F. Casey of Flushing (Democratic and Conservative);

• Daniel Lewis of Briarwood (Democratic) and,

• Joseph Kasper of South Ozone Park (Republican).

Ballot questions

Finally, voters will also decide to approve or disapprove two ballot questions related to the state legislature.

Ballot proposal one deals with a proposed land swap between the state and National Grid in upstate St. Lawrence County. The state is considering conveying up to six acres of land in a forest preserve to the utility company in order to build a new power line. In return, National Grid would give the state 10 acres of forest land in the same county, which would then be incorporated into the forest preserve.

The second ballot question would authorize the state legislator to pass legislation allowing prisoners in state and local correctional facilities to provide volunteer services for nonprofit organizations.