Virginia Salow (c.), a member of the Queens Colony Civic Association, says eastern Queens has been divided into three state Assembly districts for the 30 years she has lived there. Photo by Rich Bockmann

Flushing resident Sunny Hahn voices her opinion on redistricting. Photo by Rich Bockmann

Leaders from more than a dozen eastern Queens civic groups met in Bellerose last week, demanding their communities be united by the state task force that will redraw the area’s legislative lines for the coming decade.

The state Legislative Task Force on Demographic Research and Reapportionment is expected to release its first-draft maps within the next few weeks, and the members of Eastern Queens United stressed the importance of seeing their neighborhoods represented by one state Assembly district.

Currently, Glen Oaks, New Hyde Park, Bellerose, Floral Park and Queens Village are represented by Assembly members David Weprin (D-Little Neck), Ed Braunstein (D-Bayside) and Barbara Clark (D-Queens Village).

“It’s difficult to get any of them to come to my civic association because we are on the fringe,” said Nagassar Ramgarib, president of the Queens Village Civic Association, in the auditorium of the Queens High School of Teaching, Liberal Arts and the Sciences.

Bob Friedrich, president of Glen Oaks Village, said all of these neighborhood share common quality-of-life issues and that the different civic groups all work together.

“It’s important that whoever represents us understands that when our civics speak, their words are backed up by tens of thousands of votes,” he said.

The group invited a number of politicians to the meeting, asking them to pledge their support for its cause, testify at public meetings and pledge to vote “no” on any map that divided the community.

Before leaving to attend a personal engagement, Weprin said he “fully supported keeping the communities united” and would testify at the public meeting that will be scheduled once LATFOR releases its map.

When Friedrich asked the assemblyman to make the pledge, Weprin replied, “I can’t commit to voting ‘no,’” which drew boos from a handful of the approximately 150 attendees.

“I didn’t like that he wouldn’t commit,” said Charlie Vaicels, of the Queens Colony Civic Association in Bellerose. “He probably has commitments to other people.”

Braunstein was attending an event in Whitestone that evening, and Clark did not respond to an invitation, Friedrich said.

“It goes to show you, if you’re on the periphery of their district, they don’t care,” he said.

Eastern Queens United also wants to be represented by one state Senate district.

“I’ll go to those hearings and scream my head off, but the issue will be decided behind closed doors,” said Sen. Tony Avella (D-Bayside), who affirmed Friedrich’s pledge.

City Councilman Mark Weprin (D-Oakland Gardens), who used to hold his brother’s Assembly seat, wrote a letter to the heads of LATFOR urging the task force to create a district that resembled the one he represents in the council.

He said the real problem is that the current process is set up so that each political party can keep its majorities in the two legislative houses.

“Independent redistricting is important today because people don’t respect the government,” he said.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo has said he would veto any map not created by an independent commission, sending the decision to the courts to be decided.

“That might be the best way to go,” the councilman said. “I like that I can say, ‘The politicians didn’t do it.’”

Former Penn State football defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky (c.) arrives at a Pennsylvania district court. He is charged with sexually abusing eight young men. AP Photo/The Patriot-News/Andy Colwell

In the wake of the Penn State sexual abuse cover-up scandal, state Assemblyman Ed Braunstein (D-Bayside) is renewing his call for passage of a bill that would require New York colleges and universities to report on-campus violent crimes immediately to the authorities.

“The recent scandal at Penn State University involving legendary football Coach Joe Paterno highlights a serious problem that needs to be addressed in New York state,” said the assemblyman.

Earlier this month, a former assistant coach for the Penn State football team was arrested on charges of sexually abusing young boys, in some instances on the university campus. Paterno learned of the allegation of the abuse in 2002 and reported it to school officials, though the matter was never reported to the authorities.

Two top university officials were also arrested and charged with failing to report the information to the authorities, as required by Pennsylvania state law, the New York Times reported.

“Currently, there is no mechanism in [New York] law to mandate that colleges and universities notify local authorities when informed about violent crimes committed on campus,” Braunstein said. “Absent this requirement, many colleges and universities frequently attempt to ‘handle’ these incidents in-house out of fear that contacting the police would generate negative publicity for the school.”

Earlier this year, the assemblyman introduced a bill that would require colleges and universities in the state to alert authorities within 24 hours of learning of a violent felony on campus.

“All too frequently we hear stories about on-campus crimes, often sexual in nature, that are swept under the rug by colleges in an effort to protect their reputation,” he said. “This creates a system where criminals are not held accountable for their actions and parents are not given the facts about the safety of the school where they choose to send their children.

“The statistics indicate that one in five college females are the victims of actual or attempted sexual assault and a shocking 95 percent of these cases go unreported. The deplorable actions of Penn State’s administration are far too common and we cannot accept similar behavior here in New York,” he said.

State Sen. Toby Stavisky (D-Whitestone), the ranking minority member and former chairwoman of the Senate Higher Education Committee, said the bill is timely and necessary.

“What happened at Penn State is a horrible abuse of trust by an authority figure,” she said. “This crime should have been reported promptly to the police.”

“Our bill would require such crimes to be reported to the police within 24 hours. This type of incident could have happened anywhere, especially in an environment where sports trumps academics,” said the senator.

Queens Supreme Court Justice Lee Mayersohn (l.) congratulates Assemblyman Michael Simanowitz, as Simanowitz's wife Jennifer and daughter Elisheva look on. Photo by Christina Santucci

Former Assemblywoman Nettie Mayersohn (l.) shakes hands with Assemblyman Michael Simanowitz, who worked on her staff and won her seat in the Assembly after she retired. Photo by Christina Santucci

Queens Supreme Court Justice Lee Mayersohn (l.) swears in Assemblyman Michael Simanowitz, who is surrounded by his family - daughter Elisheva and parents Sheila and Sherman Simanowitz. Simanowitz was elected to the seat in which Mayersohn's mother, Nettie, had served. Photo by Christina Santucci

Residents of the 27th state Assembly District began a new era for their community as they welcomed the first new Assembly member in nearly three decades to represent Flushing, Whitestone and Fresh Meadows.

Assemblyman Michael Simanowitz (D-Flushing) appeared at a formal ceremony Sunday before various borough and state officials, including Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D-Manhattan), Queens Democratic Chairman U.S. Rep. Joe Crowley (D-Jackson Heights) and Assemblyman Ed Braunstein (D-Bayside).

Simanowitz won the special election for the seat in September after his former boss and predecessor, Nettie Mayersohn, 86, announced her retirement from the Assembly after 28 years in office.

The new Assembly member, who was inaugurated by Mayersohn’s son Judge Lee Mayersohn, promised his constituents at the Electrical Industry Center on Parsons Boulevard in Pomonok that he would carry on the good work she has done over the years.

“Thank you for showing me ?the kind of elected official I want to be,” he told her.

The 27th District also includes the neighborhoods of College Point, Forest Hills, Kew Gardens Hills, Electchester, Pomonok, Briarwood, Kew Gardens and Richmond Hill.

The who’s who of elected officials applauded Mayersohn for her time in office and the various pieces of legislation and programs she supported. Mayersohn pushed for the passage of the Baby AIDS Law in 1996, which requires doctors to tell mothers if their babies are infected with the HIV virus.

“Nettie Mayersohn was known in the halls of the U.S. House of Representatives and the halls of the U.S. Senate,” Crowley said.

Mayersohn said she was humbled by the support.

“I want to thank you for the support you gave me as an assemblywoman for 28 years,” she said.

Crowley told Simanowitz, who served as Mayersohn’s chief of staff for 15 years, that the best way to be an effective leader was to reach out to the other aisle and show voters that government can be bipartisan.

“People need a restoration of their faith in government. Michael, my suggestion to you is to make a lot of friends,” Crowley said.

Silver said Simanowitz has already proven to be a strong leader during his first two months in office and will be a major contributor to Albany.

“We look forward to your contributions to our efforts. We know you will serve your constituents and the house with loyalty, patience, honor and integrity,” he said.

Simanowitz said he is focused on several issues, but the top one is boosting the state’s economy and encouraging job growth. He noted that one in six New Yorkers is either underemployed or unemployed, which has caused a huge exodus of young adult residents.

“New York needs to lead, not follow, when it comes to job growth,” he said.

The new assemblyman added that his office is always open and he will be taking the community’s interests and concerns very seriously.

“I may be one of the new kids on the block, but I will run to help the people of the state,” he said.

Christina Santucci contributed to this article.

Congress is considering legislation introduced by U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer that would ban certain chemical ingredients in bath salts, which are used as recreational drugs.

Fresh on the heels of a similar state law signed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo three weeks ago, U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) announced last week that legislation he introduced to ban the sale of bath salts has been passed out of a key Senate committee.

Earlier this month, the governor signed a bill introduced by state Assemblyman Ed Braunstein (D-Bayside) that categorized the stimulant 4-Methylmethcathinone — also known as Mephedrone,? Methylenedioxymovalcrone or MDPV — as a Schedule I controlled substance and prohibited the sale, manufacturing, possession or distribution of any products containing it in the state.

The chemical is an ingredient in several brands of bath salts and plant foods, which are being snorted, smoked and injected as a drug with effects on the body similar to cocaine and methamphetamines. Both Braunstein and Schumer have called attention to reports of violent and unusual behaviors exhibited by users of the substances as rationale for their respective bills.

Schumer’s legislation, the Combating Dangerous Synthetic Stimulants Act of 2011, would add MDPV and mephedrone to Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act, which classifies drugs that are illegal and cannot be prescribed under any circumstances.

“Bath salts are a deadly narcotic that get displayed and sold at store counters and smoke shops like candy at a convenient store,” Schumer said in a written statement. “This bill will remove these dangerous drugs from the reach of our kids and make it clear to manufacturers that if you try to peddle this deadly toxin, you will be held accountable.”

Schumer said the Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously passed the bill and the House Energy and Commerce Committee passed the companion bill.

The senator said 34 states, including New York, have banned the substance as well as the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada and Israel.

State Assemblyman Ed Braunstein's bill to ban dangerous, fake bath salts in the state was signed into law last week. Photo by Christina Santucci

In an attempt to head off a disturbing new trend before it takes hold in New York state, Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed a law Friday banning the sale of certain bath salts, which are being abused as drugs.

State Assemblyman Ed Braunstein (D-Bayside) introduced the bill in February. It was the assemblyman’s first bill to be signed into law.

“Me and some of my staff early on had read reports from other states about people taking these drugs and exhibiting some really bizarre behavior afterwards, like running around in the streets naked and committing murders. We thought if it’s a problem down there, then it can happen here, and we’d better nip it in the bud,” he said.

“One incident took place in Louisiana, when a 21-year-old man cut his throat and shot himself to death. And in Mississippi, a tragedy occurred when a sheriff’s deputy was murdered by a man allegedly under the influence of bath salts,” Braunstein said.

The legislation categorizes the stimulant 4-Methylmethcathinone — also know as Flephedrone, Methylenedioxymovalcrone or MDPV — as a Schedule I controlled substance and prohibits the sale, manufacturing, possession or distribution of any products containing it.

The substance is listed in certain plant foods and bath salts under the names Cloud Nine, Scarface, White Dove, Charge, White Lightning, Ivory Wave, Hurricane Charlie, Red Dove and Ocean.

In other parts of the country, the salts are perceived as legal alternatives to cocaine, LSD and methamphetamines.

When smoked, snorted or injected, they can cause extreme paranoia, hallucinations, delusions, agitation, hypertension, chest pain, headaches, heart attack, stroke and suicidal thoughts.

Braunstein said such fake bath salts have already been banned in Britain, Australia and Canada as well as in Florida, North Dakota and Louisiana.

State Sen. Tony Avella tells North Shore Towers residents of his ideas to reform Albany. Photo by Howard Koplowitz

State Sen. Tony Avella (D-Bayside) said he is trying to reform Albany but is finding some resistance from his Republican colleagues ?during a visit last Thursday to North Shore Towers.

Avella told the crowd he is the sponsor of a bill to limit state legislators to four terms, or 16 years, in office because he said the restrictions will make lawmakers more accountable to their constituents.

Legislators now can run for as many two-year terms as they want, which Avella said means they are in campaign mode every other year.

“This is a big reason why there’s so much dysfunction in Albany — they’re always running for office,” he said of his colleagues. “There are some very arrogant people in Albany that I’ve got to know in three months.”

But the senator said there is “some interest in term limits.

“It’s going to be a fight to get it done, but I think there’s going to be movement on reform,” he said.

The freshman senator said he is also the author of a bill that would prevent legislators from collecting a pension plus their salary while in office.

He said 16 state legislators are “double-dipping” by using a loophole that allows them to retire for one day and then go back to work so they can collect a pension on top of their salary.

“People are entitled to their pension, but when you retire,” Avella said.

The senator told the audience at North Shore Towers that he also sponsored a bill to ban hydrofracking — a controversial practice in which companies drill for natural gas and use toxic chemicals to release it — in the state, saying the method would be harmful to the city’s drinking water that it gets from upstate.

“I think it’s a disgrace,” Avella said, saying the jobs that hydrofracking would create upstate is “not worth the threat to the water supply.”

Avella said there are GOP senators who “want the jobs and they don’t care about the environment.”

Getting back to reform, Avella told residents he cut up his state-issued “on official police business” parking placard and refused his lulu, or stipend given to state legislators for sitting on or chairing legislative committees.

Avella claimed the lulus are “the way the leadership controls your vote.

“The only people who should control my vote are you,” he said.

A North Shore Towers resident asked Avella if he was willing to sign ?on to the bill reclassifying co-op and condos as homes instead of rentals. Avella said he supports two identical bills that would do just that.

He said there is a general practice in Albany under which two identical bills are introduced with the only differences being the date when it will take effect.

Avella said one bill on the co-op issue ?is sponsored by Sen. Toby Stavisky (D-Whitestone) and state Assemblyman Ed Braunstein (D-Bayside) and another by Assemblyman David Weprin (D-Little Neck) and a Republican sponsor in the Senate.

“I signed on to both bills just in case,” Avella said, saying the reclassification of condos and co-ops “should’ve been done decades ago.”

On the budget, Avella said the spending plan that was passed could have been better if it contained the so-called “millionaire’s surcharge,” which would have generated $4 billion in revenue, almost half of the state’s $10 billion budget gap.

Avella said he introduced a bill to reinstate a true “millionaire’s surcharge,” which would apply to anyone earning $1 million in income a year.

The millionaire’s tax that was not renewed this year applied to anyone making $200,000 in adjusted income, Avella said.

The senator said the state also should have legalized sports betting — an idea he first came up with during last year’s campaign — which he said would have added $30 billion to the state’s coffers from the city alone.

“All of this money is going to organized crime and they’re using it to fund all of their illegal activities,” he said.

State Sen. Tony Avella (c.) greets colleague Sen. John Sampson (r.), who was a surprise guest at the ceremony. Photo by Christina Santucci

State Sen. Tony Avella (D-Bayside) held his inauguration ceremony at Queensborough Community College Sunday, where colleagues voiced their high hopes for the freshman’s independent spirit.

“He’s my kind of guy,” said U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), who spoke at length about Avella before swearing him in on stage. “We are sure … he will not lose touch with this district.”

Schumer touted Avella’s grassroots rise through politics. Avella began as a staff member for many noted politicians, including former Mayors Ed Koch and David Dinkins, before serving as a city councilman and running for mayor himself.

“No one put a silver spoon in this guy’s mouth,” he said.

As examples, Schumer mentioned a pay raise for Council members that Avella refused to take, giving the money back, and his adherence to term limits even though the law was revised to add a third term.

“We’ve elected one of our best,” he said.

Councilman Daniel Dromm (D-Jackson Heights) praised Avella for his support of the gay and lesbian community and his support for marriage equality.

In Avella’s inaugural address at the close of the ceremony, he shied away from policy and instead thanked all the people who helped him throughout the campaign. And in an emotional moment reminiscent of U.S. Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio), Avella became slightly choked up when he thanked his wife and extended family.

But speaking after the address, Avella made it clear what he wants to accomplish.

“Ethics reform and campaign reform are the first things,” he said.

Avella said he is already working on a measure to install term limits for all state officials.

“It’s important for fresh blood,” he said. “Problems change every day.”

Avella said career politicians can become stagnant and lose touch with the people they are elected to represent.

As far as Queens is concerned, Avella wants to improve transportation options for the borough.

“My district has no subways. We need buses,” he said. “I want to bring back the routes that were eliminated.”

Avella has a reputation for independence and blunt speech and was even depicted in a Washington, D.C., cartoon as riding a motorcycle as part of a gang called “The Wild Bunch.”

Avella said he wants to stay true to his rogue image, but like many politicians who campaign on promises of change, he conceded that a degree of cooperation might be necessary.

“There are opportunities for compromise,” he said. “But the core issue of reform cannot be compromised.”

In between Schumer’s appearance and Avella’s inaugural address, the audience heard a large contingent of Queens politicians sing the praises of the newly elected state senator, including state Sen. Toby Stavisky (D-Whitestone), who once employed Avella as her chief of staff.

“Tony is going to continue to fight for those issues that are important,” she said, citing budget and ethic reforms for which the state senator is known.

The wise-cracking emcee for the event was Councilman Mark Weprin (D-Oakland Gardens), who referred to state Assemblyman Edward Braunstein (D-Bayside) as the “best dimples in the Democratic Party” and introduced several musical acts that performed throughout the nearly two-hour event.

Assemblyman Edward Braunstein (l.) is congratulated by Queens District Attorney Richard Brown (r.) after Brown swore Braunstein in. Braunstein's girlfriend Stephanie Stern (c.) looks on. Photo by Christina Santucci

Queens leaders gathered in Auburndale Sunday afternoon to ring in the beginning of Ed Braunstein’s career as a state assemblyman.

The Bayside Democrat was feted with a triumphant inauguration ceremony at the Auburndale American Legion Post No. 123 at 198-09 33rd Ave., which attracted local and national leaders alike to celebrate the swearing-in of the young politician.

“It turned out to be very nice. I think the whole event went off very well,” Braunstein said. “It was light, it was fun, and I also wanted to give my constituents the opportunity to meet some of their leaders in an intimate setting and they were all fantastic.”

Looking dapper in a pin-striped gray suit, Braunstein gave a gracious speech before a standing room-only crowd, thanking many of those who were gathered in the room as well as two people who were not: Ann-Margaret Carrozza, whom he replaced as the 26th District’s representative in the Assembly after she chose to step down with this year’s election, and former state Sen. Frank Padavan, a Republican who was ousted from his seat by longtime rival Sen. Tony Avella (D-Bayside) after 38 years in that post.

Avella gave brief remarks at the event, after which he said he wished the best for Braunstein as the two delve into their new roles in Albany.

“When I speak at these inaugurations I always say I give the shortest speech,” Avella said. “I think he’s going to do a good job in Albany and I look forward to working with him.”

Braunstein said Carrozza would be remembered for her work with veterans and education and that though many people in the room did not agree with Padavan’s politics, there is no Democratic or Republican way to fix a pothole.

Braunstein was sworn in by Queens District Attorney Richard Brown with girlfriend Stephanie Stern by his side. Afterward, the couple hugged in celebration.

A number of local elected officials attended the event, including U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-New York), U.S. Reps. Joseph Crowley (D-Jackson Heights) and Anthony Weiner (D-Forest Hills) and city Comptroller John Liu, as well as several of his new colleagues in the Assembly.

“I’m really excited to have Ed Braunstein as a new colleague,” state Assemblywoman Grace Meng (D-Flushing) said from Albany Tuesday. “He’s really hitting the ground running and we’ve already had meetings with him on how we can help our constituents and the people of Queens, and I can say from up here that he is a very hard worker.”

State Assemblyman Edward Braunstein (l. to r.), his girlfriend Stephanie Stern, and Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman spend time at Braunstein's swearing-in ceremony at the state Court of Appeals in Albany last week. Photo courtesy of Braunstein's office

State Sen. Tony Avella (D-Bayside) and state Assemblyman Edward Braunstein (D-Bayside) said they were focusing on the state budget and ethics reform after being sworn into office last week.

“I’m worried about how the budget cuts will impact everybody — in the state, in New York City, in Queens and in my district,” said Avella, who holds the 11th Senate District seat previously occupied by former Sen. Frank Padavan for nearly four decades. “Will the discretionary funds, which the nonprofits depend upon, be cut like they were last year?”

Braunstein, who represents the 26th Assembly District, also said he was concerned about the $10 billion budget deficit the state now faces and how it will affect Queens.

“We have to make sure there are acceptable cuts,” said Braunstein, who sits in the seat once held by former Assemblywoman Ann-Margaret Carrozza. “I don’t want to see cuts to senior citizens.”

The two lawmakers from northeast Queens also said ethics reform would be a major issue alongside the budget, and Avella said he and other state senators were sponsoring a package of reform bills that would form an independent redistricting commission and strengthen laws that would mandate lawmakers to disclose sources of outside income.

“We’re calling upon the Legislature, including the Republican majority, to move ahead quickly with this,” Avella said.

Braunstein and Avella were officially sworn in Jan. 4, though they will hold their own inauguration ceremonies in their districts later this month. Braunstein will hold his at 12 p.m. on Jan. 23 at the Auburndale American Legion Hall at 198-09 33rd Ave., and Avella will hold his Jan. 30 at 1 p.m. at Queensborough Community College at 222-05 56th Ave. in Bayside. City Councilman Mark Weprin (D-Oakland Gardens) will be the master of ceremonies at Avella’s event and U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) will perform the invocation.

Both legislators said they were pleased with Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s State of the State address, and Braunstein threw his support behind the governor’s call to carve funds from Medicaid.

“I’m happy the governor is pushing cuts to Medicaid,” Braunstein said. “This is something I campaigned on. The goal is to cut $2 billion from Medicaid.”

Avella said he believed the state could gain revenues if New York legalized sports betting.

“I’m going to try to reinvigorate that issue,” Avella said.

The two lawmakers also agreed that they would fight for resources for schools in their districts during the budget process, and Braunstein said he was prioritizing curbing overcrowding in classrooms.

Avella said he planned to oppose the city’s plan to close Jamaica High School.

“I’m taking the lead against this,” said Avella, who noted the fight may include a lawsuit against the city.

“Jamaica High School neighborhood students are treated like second-class citizens,” Avella said. “Their class sizes are much bigger, they don’t have technology, they don’t have the resources the other students are given.

Ed Braunstein (l.) receives a congratulatory hug from his father Ed, Sr. Photo by Christina Santucci

The increasingly bitter campaign for the northeast Queens state Assembly seat came to an end Tuesday night with Democrat Ed Braunstein’s victory over his Republican challenger Vince Tabone.

After receiving 58.5 percent of the vote in Tuesday’s election, Braunstein will replace fellow Democratic Ann-Margaret Carrozza as the assemblyman, based on unofficial results with all precincts reporting early Wednesday morning, NY1 said. The district covers Bayside, Little Neck, Douglaston, College Point and Whitestone.

Tabone garnered 41.5 percent of votes, according to NY1, in his failed bid to succeed Carrozza, who announced earlier this year that she would not run for re-election to the seat she has held since 1996.

In other northeast Queens results, Assemblyman David Weprin (D-Bayside) was re-elected after he defeated Republican Timothy Furey and Bob Friedrich, who ran on the Conservative line after losing the Democratic primary to Weprin.

Weprin got 67.1 percent of the vote with all precincts reporting, according to NY1, while Furey received 23.6 percent and Friedrich pulled in 9.2 percent.

Tabone, who conceded to Braunstein late Tuesday night, said he will continue to serve the community despite losing the election.

“I’ve had a wonderful opportunity to serve the public in city and state government for almost 15 years and I’ve served the community,” said Tabone, a Bayside resident and attorney for John Catsimitidis’ Manhattan-based Red Apple Group with a long career of civic involvement. “For me it’s not the end of the world. I’ve had a wonderful opportunity to serve the community … and I’m not going to go away.”

Braunstein, a former aide to Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D-Manhattan) and current member of Community Board 11, said he will be getting straight to work now that he is headed to Albany on behalf of his native northeast Queens.

“I’m going to start on Jan. 1 working on the things I spoke about throughout the campaign,” Braunstein said during his victory speech at his campaign’s post-election celebration Tuesday night at Cascarino’s Brick Oven Pizzeria in Bayside. “We need to bring a new emphasis on ethics reforms in Albany, we need to create jobs in this down economy and we need to ensure northeast Queens remains the best place to live in New York state.”

Both candidates sent enthusiastic campaign teams to polling sites throughout northeast Queens, where they touted their qualifications for higher office.

Luigi Farina, a Whitestone resident, handed out campaign literature and spoke to voters about Tabone at PS 193 in his hometown, saying he was the best choice for the community.

“Vincent has a lot of experience. I think he’ll bring it to Albany,” he said. “He’s already worked for [former Mayor Rudy] Giuliani, and he’ll bring that experience to Albany.”

Adam Lombardi, a volunteer with Braunstein’s camp, used a megaphone, literature and conversations with voters to get voters to choose his candidate.

“Ed’s message is from the people, for the people, and that message has reverberated throughout the community,” he said. “The sentiment among the community about Ed Braunstein for assemblyman is simply outstanding.”

Ever since he announced his candidacy, Braunstein, 29, has campaigned on a platform of cutting spending, reforming Albany and protecting quality of life in northeast Queens, particularly for schoolchildren and seniors.

Tabone, 44, trumpeted his experience as a former employee in the city Economic Development Corp. as proof that he had the ability to reform the fiscal situation in Albany. He also argued that his longer period of experience in government and community advocacy made him the better candidate to represent the community.

Both candidates accused one another of being too entrenched in the system to be in a position to cast themselves as the outsiders they both claimed to be, and concerns about campaign donations from questionable donors arose on both sides of the campaign.

Weprin campaigned on his experience both in his two terms on the City Council, where he served as chairman of the Finance Committee, and his short tenure as an assemblyman since he was elected to that office in a special election in February. He said he plans to use his financial acumen to benefit the residents of Queens and New York state.

Weprin’s Assembly district covers Bellerose, Bayside, Douglaston, Floral Park, Fresh Meadows, Glen Oaks, Hollis, Holliswood, Little Neck, New Hyde Park, Oakland Gardens and Queens Village.

Assemblyman Rory Lancman (D-Fresh Meadows) and Assemblywomen Grace Meng (D-Flushing) and Nettie Mayersohn (D-Flushing), who were unopposed for re-election, retained their seats and are headed back to Albany.

State Assembly candidates Ed Braunstein (l.) and Vince Tabone are both running for the seat formerly held by Ann-Margaret Carrozza.

Attacks have taken the front seat in the final days of the race to replace state Assemblywoman Ann-Margaret Carrozza (D-Bayside).

Over the past two weeks, the two Bayside candidates — Democrat Ed Braunstein and Republican Vince Tabone — exchanged barbs in a succession of debates and candidates’ forums.

Braunstein, 29, a former aide to Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D-Manhattan) and member of Community Board 11, squared off against Tabone, 44, who has worked for the city and state governments and is president of the North East Queens Community Action Network, at the Mitchell-Linden Civic Association last Thursday.

Braunstein called Tabone a “Tea Party extremist,” citing Tabone’s having sought the Taxed Enough Already Party line. Tabone retorted by saying the attack was “about as fair as me calling him an Al Sharpton Democrat.” The remarks highlighted the partisan undertones of the election, as did their opinions on possible one-party rule in Albany.

“I don’t think there’s anything wrong with all Democrats in state government,” Braunstein said. “Yes, there are certain aspects of the Democratic Party that are too quick to raise spending …. But I think a Democratic Senate, Democratic Assembly and Democratic governor would work fine.”

Tabone responded that Republicans are essential to ensuring there is opposition to Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver’s (D-Manhattan) power.

“If we don’t elect 10 or 12 Republicans — hopefully — like myself, then he’s going to continue to have a veto-proof majority,” he said.

After the dust at the Flushing civic had settled, their camps were back to deriding each other in separate interviews.

Austin Finan, campaign manager for Braunstein, reiterated Monday a slam Braunstein voiced at the forum calling into question a $3,800 donation Tabone accepted from Myers Mermel, a candidate for governor endorsed by the Queens County Republican Party, of which Tabone is executive vice chairman.

“When Vince Tabone receives a $3,800 maximum contribution from Myers Mermel, a fringe Republican candidate for governor with an outside chance of winning, and the Queens Republicans then turn around and endorse his candidacy, that speaks for itself and is pay-to-play at its worst,” he said.

Tabone defended the donation, saying he does not have a vote on the county or state committees because he is not a district leader.

“No one has called on me to return that money and why would I? He’s a private citizen,” he said. “That is a ridiculous thought. Because someone ran for office they’re excluded from participating in the public process?”

Tabone criticized Braunstein about contributions he accepted, including $25,000 from one developer funneled through limited liability companies — which both camps admitted was legal — and large donations from Guardian Life, a company under investigation by the state attorney general’s office, and Delaware North, a bidder for the scandal-plagued Aqueduct Race Track racino contract.

“Ed now has this foray into public life and the first thing you do is raise money from donors, and much of the money he raised is either from clients of his registered lobbyist uncle or groups or people under investigation,” Tabone said.

Finan said the Braunstein campaign has not broken any laws.

“Ed’s campaign has operated in accordance with the law at all times,” Finan said. “The Braunstein campaign questions how the Tabone campaign can accuse our campaign of pay-to-play when endorsements of the Queens County Reps and Vince Tabone are up for sale.”

The Braunstein camp also pointed out that Tabone has lived in Bayside less than a decade while Braunstein has lived there his whole life, and said that Tabone lost three elections while living in Astoria.

Tabone countered by saying he has served Bayside for all eight years since he moved to the community for its superior schools, and that his record of running for office will not sway voters who believe in his policies.

Carrozza, first elected to the Assembly in 1996, announced earlier this year that she would not run for re-election. Her district covers Bayside, Little Neck, Douglaston, College Point and Whitestone.

Ed Braunstein (l.) and Vince Tabone are vying for the state Assembly seat Ann-Margaret Carrozza has chosen to leave at the end of her term.

With the general election only two weeks away, the candidates vying to replace state Assemblywoman Ann-Margaret Carrozza (D-Bayside) are beginning to take shots at each other’s qualifications and backgrounds while working overtime to shake hands and reach out to voters.

The attacks come in a race in which the Democrat has raised nearly double the funds for his campaign as his Republican challenger.

Republican Vince Tabone, an attorney for John Catsimitidis’ Manhattan-based Red Apple Group, and Democrat Ed Braunstein, a former aide to Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D-Manhattan), reiterated their visions for New York while questioning those of their opponent’s in separate interviews this week.

Tabone has brought in $105,386, spending $24,756 while Braunstein has raised $206,242 since the start of the year, spending $193,615. Tabone said much of his remaining money will go toward a final push in the last two weeks of the campaign.

Tabone spent nearly half of his funds — $11,400 — on campaign literature, which he purchased from a variety of firms, according to campaign records. Another $4,860 went to fund-raisers at area restaurants like Il Toscano in Bayside and Maggie Mays and Bourbon Street in Bayside, according to the records.

Braunstein spent more on literature — $40,874 — than Tabone did on his entire campaign, most of which went to the company Multi Media, and spent $39,262 on consulting, with $35,262 going to the Parkside Group, the records show. He also spent nearly $20,000 each on printing and petitioning, according to the records.

Tabone, 44, a Bayside resident who worked for the city Economic Development Corp. and hammered Braunstein, 29, for his relative youth, said he does not have the experience needed to represent the district. He also contended that Braunstein’s close association with Silver makes him too close to Albany to change it.

“I’ve been paying real estate taxes almost longer than my opponent’s been alive, so I understand the struggles that working families are having in this environment as well as seniors on fixed incomes,” Tabone said Monday. “He seems like a nice young man, but he’s only had one job, and that has been working for Shelly Silver, who every newspaper board from The Wall Street Journal to The Village Voice say has been a leading impediment to fiscal responsibility and ethics reform.”

Braunstein, a lifelong Bayside resident and member of Community Board 11, said his experience with Silver’s office would not influence his decisions if he is elected and that he has made cleaning up Albany a central part of his platform.

“I did constituent services for Sheldon Silver in his downtown Manhattan office, I wasn’t up in Albany perpetuating what many consider are the current problems,” he said. “I’ve proven myself willing to take positions that are outside the status quo.”

Braunstein also shot back at Tabone, saying Tabone’s position as executive vice president of the Queens County Republican Party makes him unfit to consider himself an outsider and said his age and lack of extensive experience in politics are good things.

“Voters think it’s a big positive that Ed is an outsider and he’s not entrenched like Vince is,” Austin Finan, Braunstein’s campaign manager, said. “That’s how Vince made his living. He’s basically a party boss.”

Tabone countered that his years of service and understanding of the community will win when voters go to the polls.

“There will be a clear choice. They can vote for someone who has the public and private experience in the community, or they can vote for someone who represents a continuation of the politics-as-usual that has plagued Albany for the past many years.”

Carrozza, who was first elected to the Assembly in 1996, announced earlier this year that she would not run for re-election. Her district covers Bayside, Little Neck, Douglaston, College Point and Whitestone.

Edward Braunstein greets voters outside PS 169 in Bay Terrace. Photo by Christina Santucci

Edward Braunstein won last week’s Democratic primary because he had broad support from voters across his northeast Queens district as well as the backing of the party’s county organization, political insiders said.

Braunstein, a former aide to state Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D-Manhattan) and a member of Community Board 11, fended off opponents John Duane, a former assemblyman in the district, as well as attorneys Steve Behar and Elio Forcina in the Sept. 14 primary.

He will now face off against Republican Vince Tabone in the Nov. 2 general election. The seat is open after Assemblywoman Ann-Margaret Carrozza (D-Bayside) announced earlier this year that she would not seek another term.

Borough Democrats and political analysts said the Queens Democratic Party’s support for Braunstein helped the 29-year Bayside resident to win the primary.

“I think Braunstein won because he had the most support out there,” said Jerry Iannece, who ran last year for Tony Avella’s Council seat and is the chairman of CB 11. “He had the county organization, the unions and the elected officials. The writing was on the wall. With low turnout, you’d expect that to happen. He’s an articulate, young and intelligent guy who is ambitious and understands what an Assembly member is supposed to do.”

Duane, who placed second in the race, threw his support behind Braunstein on primary night as the election results poured in.

Evan Stavisky, who works for the Parkside Group and helped run Braunstein’s campaign, said the win proved that the borough Democratic Party could still draw voters to the polls.

“In a primary, voters look for cues,” he said. “In a general election, the road map is provided by party affiliation. As a Democrat, you support certain values and, as a Republican, you support certain values. Above all else, Ed had the support of the Queens County Democratic Party. He had some very good endorsements. I think people saw an aggressive, hard-working young man who will be able to accomplish great things for the community.”

Michael Krasner, a political science professor at Queens College and co-director of the Taft Institute, said the primary’s results provided further proof that incumbents and candidates backed by the county parties were difficult to defeat.

“The general point is that, at that level, party organizations still matter,” he said. “The Queens party is still out there and they can still deliver votes. In a primary situation with low turnout, county designation is really important. Anyone challenging the county will have an uphill battle.”

The district covers Bayside, Little Neck, Douglaston, College Point and Whitestone.

Edward Braunstein leaves PS 41 with girlfriend Stephanie Stern in Bayside. Photo by Christina Santucci

Edward Braunstein, a former aide to state Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D-Manhattan), edged past three opponents Tuesday in the Democratic primary in the first step of the race to replace Assemblywoman Ann-Margaret Carrozza (D-Bayside), according to unofficial election results.

Braunstein, 29, who is also a member of Community Board 11, will now face Republican Vince Tabone, an attorney for John Catsimitidis’ Manhattan-based Red Apple Group, during the general election Nov. 2. The Democrat took 37 percent of the vote, according to unofficial results.

“We are going to focus now on the general election and beating Vince Tabone,” Braunstein said.

John Duane, a former assemblyman in the district and brother of state Sen. Tom Duane (D-Manhattan), came in second with 31 percent of the vote, while Steve Behar, a Bayside attorney who ran for Tony Avella’s former City Council seat last year, took third place with 18 percent of the vote.

Elio Forcina, a Whitestone attorney, came in fourth with 12 percent.

Duane threw his weight behind Braunstein at Sullivan’s on 41st Avenue in Bayside, where Braunstein’s camp celebrated their win Tuesday night.

Braunstein formerly worked at Silver’s Manhattan office in constituent services.

Carrozza, who was first elected to the Assembly in 1995, announced earlier this year that she did not plan to run for another term in office.

The district covers Bayside, Little Neck, College Point, Douglaston and Whitestone.

Poll workers in Bayside and Douglaston said more voters had turned out to vote than they had expected Tuesday morning. Voting at Bayside’s PS 158, on Oceania Street, had been slightly slower with only 45 people having voted as of 10:15 a.m., but workers at Bayside’s PS 41 on 35th Avenue said 102 residents had voted by 10:45 a.m.

Workers at Douglaston’s PS 98 on 235th Street said 95 people had voted as of 11:30 a.m.

Richard Albrecht of Bayside said he voted for Behar at PS 198.

“He is dedicated to this neighborhood and the other three guys are too much of the old school,” he said.

David Cooper cast his ballot for Duane at Bayside’s PS 41.

“He was previously in office, so he has experience,” he said of Duane. “He is a solid Democrat.”

Greg Dennard voted for Braunstein at the Le Havre Club on 9th Avenue in Whitestone.

“He seems like the most established candidate — the type of guy we need for Whitestone,” he said. “I’ve read about all the candidates online and they’re all very similar. But he seems to have it right. He has a lot of support and I think that would help us.”

One worker at PS 41 said he believed the key issue driving voters to the polls was “frustration” with the political system.

“They are voting out of frustration,” said the poll worker, who did not want to give his name. “People are being hit in their pocketbooks.”

The candidates for state Assemblywoman Ann-Margaret Carrozza's seat -- John Duane (l. to r.), Vince Tabone, Edward Braunstein, Elio Forcina and Steve Behar -- debate in Flushing. Photo by Nathan Duke

The five candidates vying for state Assemblywoman Ann-Margaret Carrozza’s (D-Bayside) seat told Mitchell-Linden Civic Association members during a debate last week that they would fight special interests and lobbyists if voters send them to Albany.

Democrats Steve Behar, Edward Braunstein, John Duane and Elio Forcina as well as Republican Vince Tabone mostly agreed on a series of topics, from Medicaid fraud to job creation in the district, during the debate held by the civic last Thursday in Flushing.

But the five opponents clashed over who among them would be the most independent voice in the state Legislature.

Each of them vowed to do their part to make Albany less dysfunctional.

“Our budget is a disaster,” said Behar, an attorney who previously ran for former Councilman Tony Avella’s seat. “It was passed over 120 days late. Every time there is a budget crisis, the government decides to balance the budget on the backs of the middle class.”

All five candidates proposed fighting Medicaid fraud in the state as a means of reducing the budget.

“We spend more than Texas or California, which have twice our population,” said Tabone, an attorney for John Catsimitidis’s Red Apple Group. “We need to start acting like adults again and being careful with taxpayers’s money.”

Forcina, a Whitestone attorney, said money lost to Medicaid fraud could be better spent on constituent services.

“There’s a lot of that money that should go into senior services,” he said. “Certain things should not be cut – elder care, education, money for autistic children.”

Duane, a former assemblyman in the district in the 1980s, said another method to reform dysfunctional Albany would be to reform how campaigns raise and spend funds.

“Sadly, some of the legislators who were in Albany in 1983 and 1984 are still there,” he said. “I think campaign finance reform is a fundamental change we need in Albany.”

Mitchell-Linden members asked the candidates to discuss community issues that were specific to the Flushing civic.

Braunstein, who previously worked in constituent services for state Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D-Manhattan), said he believed overdevelopment and traffic-related issues were pertinent to the neighborhood.

“As of late, there has been a tremendous effort to rebuild downtown Flushing,” he said. “It creates jobs and we need to find places to house people. But we need to find the right construction. There will be a lot of traffic and less parking.”

Each candidate told civic members that they would be an independent voice amid Albany’s culture of party politics.

Duane said he would not accept funding from “corporate special interests,” while Forcina pointed out that the money his campaign has raised has primarily been from northeast Queens.

Tabone said he believed the state was in disarray due to “one-party rule in Albany” and Braunstein called for “independent ethics oversight” in the Legislature.

Behar vowed to “stop the revolving door that allows politicians to go up to Albany, learn the ropes, leave five years later and become a lobbyist.”

For the borough’s congressional races, the union has backed incumbent U.S. Reps. Gary Ackerman (D-Bayside), Anthony Weiner (D-Forest Hills), Carolyn Maloney (D-Astoria) and Joseph Crowley (D-Jackson Heights) for their reelection campaigns. However, the union did not give an endorsement to U.S. Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-Jamaica) or his Republican opponent Asher Taub.

For state Senate races, DC 37 backed state Senators Shirley Huntley (D-Jamaica), Frank Padavan (R-Bellerose) and Toby Stavisky (D-Whitestone) for their reelection bids, but did not issue endorsements in the races of incumbents Jose Peralta (D-Jackson Heights), Malcolm Smith (D-St. Albans) or Joseph Addabbo (D-Howard Beach), or in the race to replace George Onorato (D-Astoria), in which Assemblyman Michael Gianaris (D-Astoria) is running unopposed.

The union also gave endorsements to several state Assembly candidates including incumbents Audrey Pheffer (D-Rockaway Beach), David Weprin (D-Little Neck), Margaret Markey (D-Maspeth) and Jeffrion Aubry (D-Corona), as well as candidate Francisco Moya, who is facing Hiram Monserrate in a Democratic primary for the 39th Assembly District seat that was vacated by state Sen. Jose Peralta (D-Jackson Heights). The winner of that primary will face Republican Humberto Suarezmotta.

The union did not make endorsements in several Assembly races, including District 26, where there is a Republican candidate and a crowded Democratic primary field vying to replace departing Assemblywoman Ann-Margaret Carrozza; District 28, currently held by Assemblyman Andrew Hevesi (D-Forest Hills), who is facing Joe Fox in a Democratic primary and a Republican opponent, Alex Powietrzynski; District 34, where incumbent Barbara Clark (D-Queens Village) is being challenged in a Democratic primary by Clyde Vanel; District 37, in which incumbent Cathy Nolan (D-Ridgewood) is facing a Republican challenger, John Malone; and District 38, where incumbent Michael Miller (D-Woodhaven) faces a Democratic primary with Nick Comaianni and Republican opponent Donna Marie Caltabiano.

Representatives for DC 37 were not available to comment Friday on why they declined to endorse candidates in certain Queens races.

State Assembly candidate John Duane’s campaign sent out a mailer last week that addressed issues pertaining to Vietnam veterans.

John Duane, a candidate for the seat now held by Assemblywoman Ann-Margaret Carrozza, has come under fire from one of his fellow opponents as well as a Bayside community activist for a mailer sent out by his campaign on Vietnam veterans. But Duane insisted the flier’s message was being distorted.

Duane, a former assemblyman in the district and the brother of state Sen. Tom Duane (D-Manhattan), sponsored a tuition assistance bill for Vietnam veterans during his tenure in Albany in the 1980s.

A mailer sent out last week by his campaign shows a photo of three veterans with their backs to the camera and includes the quote, “We didn’t return home to parades. It seemed like America just wanted to forget Vietnam, even the veterans like me who served there.”

The inside of the flier attributes the quote to a Vietnam veteran named John C., with whom Duane is pictured. The veteran goes on to praise Duane’s tuition assistance bill.

But Elio Forcina, a Whitestone attorney who will face off against Duane as well as Edward Braunstein and Steve Behar in the Sept. 14 Democratic primary said he found the mailer misleading.

“I thank my opponent John Duane for his work for veterans when he was in the Assembly over 20 years ago, but I served in the Marines and his most recent mail piece is beyond the pale,” Forcina said. “I put my life on the line for my country. John Duane didn’t, but his mail wrongly suggests otherwise. He was a conscientious objector during Vietnam and now he has the gall to imply he served.”

But Duane defended the mailer and said he “helped thousands of Vietnam veterans better their lives at a time when they were being persecuted in the United States.”

“I believe when you run for public office, you should be able to read,” he said. “If he’d read this piece, he would see it does not say that I was a veteran. It doesn’t imply anything of the sort.”

Duane said that if elected, he would introduce a tuition assistance bill for veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

But Frank Skala, president of the East Bayside Homeowners Association and a member of Community Board 11, said he also took issue with the flier.

“Not one of the guys in that picture is John Duane,” Skala said. “The flier is apparently intended to deceive.”

The winner of September’s primary will go up against Republican Vince Tabone in November’s general election.

Kevin Kim (l.) and Grace Meng (r.) endorse Ed Braunstein (c.) for state Assembly.

State Assemblywoman Grace Meng (D-Flushing) and former city Council candidate Kevin Kim endorsed Ed Braunstein for the seat state Assemblywoman Ann-Margaret Carrozza (D-Bayside) is vacating this fall.

Braunstein, 29, has served on Community Board 11 for more than a year and said he wants to help address local issues in Northeast Queens.

Meng said that as an Assemblywoman and fellow attorney, she is excited to support Braunstein’s candidacy.

“I’m looking forward to him, he’s very energetic,” she said at an endorsement event Thursday morning. “And he’s proven himself to be someone who reaches out to all communities, and that’s important because his district is becoming more diverse.”

Kim, who lost to Republican Dan Halloran in last year’s city election to fill former city Councilman Tony Avella’s seat, said that Braunstein volunteered for his campaign last year and that he found him to be a dedicated person who would serve Northeast Queens well.

“He has a strong character and demeanor which will serve him well in Albany and I trust that Ed will be responsive to the needs of the Korean-American community,” Kim said.

Braunstein has come under fire for being too much of an insider as a result of his seven years working at state Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver’s (D-Manhattan) office, but Meng said that experience will help him in Albany if he is elected.

“I know in the papers it said he worked for the speaker, for example,” she said. “But in this bad economy it’s important to have someone who has experience in the Assembly and with constituents.”

Braunstein said that he admired and respected both Meng and Kim, and that he looked forward to working with them in the future.

“I am proud and honored to have the support of Assemblywoman Grace Meng and Kevin Kim,” he said.

Braunstein will face off against three Democrats in the September primary, including Bayside attorney Steve Behar, who ran for former City Councilman Tony Avella’s seat last year; John Duane, a former assemblyman in the district and brother of state Sen. John Duane (D-Manhattan); and Whitestone attorney Elio Forcina.

The winner of the primary will face Republican Vince Tabone, who works as an attorney for John Catsimitidis’ Manhattan-based Red Apple Group.

Edward Braunstein is one of four Democrats running for state Assemblywoman Ann-Margaret Carrozza’s seat.

State Assembly candidate Edward Braunstein came under attack this week from his opponents in the race to replace Assemblywoman Ann-Margaret Carrozza (D-Bayside) after his campaign put out a flier calling for Albany reform.

Braunstein’s opponents were quick to point out that the Bayside Democrat formerly worked for state Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D-Manhattan) and that his campaign is being run by The Parkside Group, a political and consulting lobbying firm.

“Braunstein is the epitome of Albany,” said Robert Hornak, a spokesman for Vince Tabone, the sole Republican in the race for Carrozza’s seat. “For him to position himself as a reformer is insulting.”

Braunstein has already been endorsed by prominent Democrats, including gubernatorial candidate Andrew Cuomo as well as U.S. Rep. Gary Ackerman (D-Bayside), state Sen. Toby Stavisky (D-Whitestone) and former City Councilman Tony Avella. Last week, he got the nod from Bayside’s former Council candidates Paul Vallone, the brother of Councilman Peter Vallone Jr. (D-Astoria), and Jerry Iannece, chairman of Community Board 11.

A flier went out to voters in the Assembly district last week in which Braunstein is pictured underneath the caption, “Albany is an embarrassment. We deserve better.”

In the flier, Braunstein pledges to reform Albany by fighting for greater transparency in state government, ridding the state Legislature of “corrupt politicians,” reining in special interests and stopping “reckless government spending.”

Steve Behar, a Democrat in the race for Carrozza’s seat who ran for Avella’s Council seat last year, said the flier angered him.

“By definition, he can be neither an independent nor a reformer,” he said. “In his mailer, he claims he will rein in special interests, yet the special interests he’s going to rein in paid for the mailer itself.”

Evan Stavisky, a spokesman for Braunstein’s campaign, pointed out that Cuomo, who is running on a campaign of reforming Albany, had thrown his weight behind Braunstein.

“While his opponents are launching ridiculous political attacks, Ed Braunstein has unveiled a comprehensive plan to reform Albany and end the dysfunction,” he said. “Ed’s plan includes sweeping campaign finance reform, tough new ethics laws and independent redistricting. That’s why Ed Koch calls him a hero of reform. That’s why Ed Braunstein continues to build grassroots support throughout northeast Queens.”

But Steven Stites, a spokesman for Democrat Elio Forcina’s Assembly campaign, said that Koch’s website asks candidates to fill out a form in which they pledge to run on a campaign of reform and that everyone who fills out the form is listed on the site.

“What bothers folks is that Braunstein is implying that Koch endorses him,” Stites said. “His commitment to reform is filling out a questionnaire.”

Stavisky also pointed out that Braunstein no longer worked for Silver and, during his tenure at the Assembly speaker’s office, he worked in constituent services, not policy making.

In his endorsement last week, Iannece said he believed Braunstein “demonstrated the ability to bring people together and reach consensus.”

John Duane is running for state Assemblywoman Ann-Margaret Carrozza's seat this fall. Photo by Nathan Duke

John Duane said he will draw from his Albany experiences but act as a “citizen legislator” if elected this fall as a replacement for state Assemblywoman Ann-Margaret Carrozza (D-Bayside).

Duane, 57, a former assemblyman in the district from 1983-84, will face off against Edward Braunstein, who works as a legislative assistant for Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D-Manhattan); Steve Behar, an attorney who ran last year in the race for then-City Councilman Tony Avella’s seat; and Elio Forcina, a Whitestone attorney, in September’s Democratic primary.

Vince Tabone, an attorney for John Catsimitidis’ Manhattan-based Red Apple Group, is the race’s sole Republican after former police officer Rob Speranza was kicked off the ballot.

Duane, whose brother is state Sen. Tom Duane (D-Manhattan), said he will prioritize improvements to district education and services for senior citizens as well as sponsor bills to aid war veterans and prevent consumer fraud in his bid for Carrozza’s seat.

“Our schools are overcrowded and the idea of charter schools is a non-starter,” he said. “We have the best school district in New York City. We need to improve them, not take away their space for charter schools.”

Duane said he believed senior citizens in northeast Queens were grossly neglected. During this summer’s heat wave, he said the closest cooling center for the elderly was in Rego Park. The Assembly district covers Bayside, Little Neck, Douglaston, College Point and Whitestone.

“This district has the second-highest number of seniors in Queens, but the least amount of senior centers,” he said.

During his previous Albany tenure, Duane was a prime sponsor of a bill to provide tuition assistance to Vietnam War veterans. If elected, he said he would propose a similar bill for veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

Duane, a Manhattan attorney who practices consumer class-action law with a focus on credit counseling fraud, said he would also introduce a bill that would improve laws to protect state residents from being defrauded.

“In the past seven years, I’ve represented 1.2 million consumers defrauded by companies that claim to be not-for-profits that can reduce debt,” he said. “I’ll sponsor legislation to protect consumers from this type of fraud.”

He also said he believes there needs to be more economic initiatives in the district, citing the number of shuttered businesses along Bayside’s Bell Boulevard.

“The vacant stores are multiplying,” he said. “The tax structure is regressive. Albany doesn’t do anything to help small businesses expand or prevent fraud. It taxes people out of business.”

But Duane said he believes the factor that will most help his Albany bid is the fact that he has lived in Little Neck for many years and raised his family in the community.

“We have a government that is comprised of career politicians,” he said. “I think the founding fathers thought of a country filled with citizen legislators. I don’t think legislators understand how the middle class is burdened by taxes and how difficult it is to raise children and pay for college. They have become disengaged with real life in their communities. They don’t understand how a four-month late budget impacts people.”

Carrozza announced earlier this year that she would not run for re-election.