The proposed lines for districts represented by state Sens. Shirley Huntley (l. to r.), Malcolm Smith and Joseph Addabbo are drastically different than what currently exists.

State Sens. Joseph Addabbo (D-Howard Beach), Shirley Huntley (D-Jamaica) and Malcolm Smith (D-St. Albans) may need to sign up for dance lessons if newly proposed district maps are approved because they will be doing the shuffle.

“It looks like a switcheroo,” Huntley said in a telephone interview Monday, comparing how the new lines give her parts of the Rockaways that are now Smith’s constituents.

Under the redistricting proposal submitted by the state Legislative Task Force on Demographic Research and Reapportionment, the Rockaways would be split, with Addabbo’s district representing the western Rockaway neighborhoods, including Breezy Point and Rockaway Park, while Huntley would represent Arverne and Far Rockaway.

Senate, state Assembly and congressional lines are redrawn every 10 years to account for population changes recorded by the census.

Smith now represents the entire peninsula while the Rockaways is split in Congress between U.S. Rep. Bob Turner (R-Middle Village), who has the western part, and Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-St. Albans).

The task force’s proposal would take away Lindenwood, Ozone Park, Woodhaven and Richmond Hill from Addabbo and give him part of the Rockaways, Fresh Meadows and Broad Channel.

If those changes go through, Addabbo’s district would be more conservative because of Republican-leaning areas in the Rockaways.

“It’s absurd the Republicans are trying every which way to stay in power,” said Addabbo, who beat longtime Republican Sen. Serphin Maltese in 2008. “The voice of the people has totally been ignored in the process and that’s a problem.”

Both Addabbo and Huntley said they would have preferred the Rockaways to be intact as the area is now. Addabbo represented part of the Rockaways in the City Council.

“I don’t mind representing the Rockaways again — I find it intriguing — but I’ve held the position that communities should not be divided. I don’t think Rockaway should have two state senators.”

The Republican-led Senate drew up the lines for its own chamber while the Democratic Assembly did the same.

Huntley said her district and Smith’s are both heavily Democratic and Republicans would have nothing to gain by tinkering with the lines in southeast Queens.

“I frankly thought our lines would stay the same,” she said. “I have no idea why anybody would do this. They could have left me how I was. It really doesn’t benefit them to do it.”

Gov. Andrew Cuomo has said he would veto any redistricting plan that is not drawn up by an independent commission, and Addabbo said it appears the lines will be legally contested.

“We are looking at lines drawn by a court at this point,” the senator said about the likelihood of litigation over the redistricting plan, which was conceived out of “the same politics that have plagued Albany for years.”

The senator said the process should be “about voters choosing their representatives, not representatives choosing their voters.

“The process is flawed to begin with,” he said.

Congressman Joseph Crowley (back) puts his arms on Councilman Peter Koo's shoulders during an event to announce that Koo was switching his affiliation from the Republican to the Democratic Party. Councilmen Jimmy Van Bramer (second r.) and Ruben Wills look on. Photo by Christina Santucci

Councilman Peter Koo (c.) shakes hands with state Sen. Toby Stavisky (l.). Photo by Christina Santucci

Councilman Peter Koo (front r.) shakes hands with Barbara Conacchio, the chief clerk for the Board of Elections' Queens office, after his registration card was stamped. Photo by Christina Santucci

City Councilman Peter Koo (D-Flushing) officially registered with the Democratic Party Monday at the Queens Board of Elections offices in Kew Gardens after running on the GOP line three years ago to win a seat on the Council.

Koo is the wealthy owner of the Starside Drugs pharmacy chain and self-financed his campaign.

“We cherish the diversity of our party,” said U.S. Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-East Elmhurst), chairman of the Queens Democratic Party, during a news conference Monday at the BOE. “Peter’s joining this effort is a boon to our party and I think it’s great for Flushing in particular.”

Koo said infighting within the Queens GOP was part of his decision to switch parties. He said Democrats had “more leadership” and “more members” on the Council.

“From the beginning, I was always a Democrat at heart,” Koo said.

Queens GOP spokesman Robert Hornak said the party expects to work with Koo in the future.

“We’re disappointed to see him go, but we’ve always had a good relationship with him and we think highly of him,” Hornak said.

City Comptroller John Liu, Koo’s predecessor on the Council, said Koo’s stances on social issues were more in line with Democratic views.

“The issues that he’s talked about … [are] ?really much in line with our Queens delegation,” Liu said, shortly before Koo handed in his registration form to Barbara Conacchio, chief clerk at the BOE. “So it’s only rational that Peter Koo is about to be a Democrat.”

Koo’s switch to the Democratic side means Queens has only three GOP elected officials: U.S. Rep. Bob Turner (R-Middle Village) and Councilmen Dan Halloran (R-Bayside) and Eric Ulrich (R-Ozone Park).

“We’re used to electing Democrats, not always converting them,” Crowley said.

After Koo’s switch, Halloran said, “political parties aren’t everything.

“Peter is still my friend and colleague, and I’ll still work with him to cut taxes and create jobs in northeast Queens,” he said.

During Turner’s race, Koo went against his party and endorsed state Assemblyman David Weprin (D-Little Neck).

When Koo ran in 2009, the Democratic field had five candidates running in the primary.

Koo also said the Republican presidential primary process “was a small part of my decision … especially on immigrant issues.

“I understand how hard it is to be a newcomer,” he said.

State Assemblyman Rory Lancman (D-Fresh Meadows) joked that he was mystified why Koo first joined the Republicans in the first place.

“I never quite understood why he was a Republican,” Lancman said. “Such a nice guy. He likes people, he likes the immigrant community.”

Councilman Leroy Comrie (D-St. Albans), dean of the Queens Council delegation, said the party always had a good working relationship with Koo.

“We always treated you like one of our own,” he told Koo. “We always treated him as an equal part of the delegation because it’s about serving people.”

Ex-U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner (r.) and his wife, Huma Abedin, had their first child, Jordan Zain Weiner, late last month. AP Photo/Barbara Kinney

Former U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner became a first-time father late last month after his wife gave birth to a 7-pound boy, the New York Post reported.

Weiner, who resigned from his Queens congressional seat earlier this year after a texting scandal, announced the birth of Jordan Zain Weiner in an e-mail to friends, calling his son a “sparkling wonder,” the Post said.

“Did I mention his mom is amazing?” Weiner said in the e-mail, referring to Huma Abedin, a top aide to U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. “We love you for welcoming him.”

Jordan, who weighed 7 pounds 5.8 ounces at birth, is the first child for Weiner, 47, and Abedin, 36.

Weiner, who had been in office since 1999, resigned in June amid a sexting scandal in which he admitted to having online relationships with a number of women and sent them lewd photos.

Weiner initially claimed his Twitter account was hacked but then came clean in early June.

He resigned later that month during a news conference at a Brooklyn senior center where he started his political career, leading to Gov. Andrew Cuomo calling for a September special election to succeed Weiner in the House of Representatives.

The special election was won by Republican Bob Turner, who defeated state Assemblyman David Weprin (D-Little Neck) in the heated contest.

U.S. Rep. Bob Turner (l.) replaced former Congressman Anthony Weiner in a November special election when Turner became the first Republican to hold the Queens-Brooklyn seat since 1920.

Heading into 2011, the Queens political scene was supposed to be uneventful, with District Attorney Richard Brown facing no opposition and the foregone conclusion that Democratic judicial candidates would defeat their Republican rivals as they have for every year in recent memory.

And while the November elections went as expected — Brown won a sixth term and the six Democratic judges on the ballot won seats on the bench — one unforeseen contest in September with an improbable ending would shock the borough and the country.

A showdown between state Assemblyman David Weprin (D-Little Neck) and retired Republican businessman Bob Turner was set in motion after then-U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner began a fall from grace when he lied about sending a lewd photograph of his crotch to his followers on Twitter.

As the scandal started to unfold in early June, Weiner, who at the time was considered the odds-on favorite to be the next mayor, said the photo was not of him and that his Twitter account was hacked.

But then later that month, an X-rated photo of Weiner that he sent to a Twitter follower was released and the congressman admitted it was indeed him who sent the pictures.

As calls for his resignation grew louder, Weiner at first was granted a leave of absence and said he would go to rehab.

Ultimately, as his support diminished, Weiner held a news conference in late June at the Brooklyn senior center where he launched his political career to announce his resignation from Congress, saying the distraction he caused made it impossible for him to do his job.

As soon as Weiner left his seat and Gov. Andrew Cuomo called a Sept. 13 special election to succeed the congressman, speculation grew over who the Democratic Party would select to run on its line.

In the end, Democratic leaders from Brooklyn and Queens chose Weprin and Republicans turned to Turner, who ran unsuccessfully against Weiner in 2010.

In what was widely believed to be a cakewalk for Weprin, Turner’s campaign built momentum as the weeks went by, first gaining support from former Democratic Mayor Ed Koch and endorsements from the Daily News and the New York Post.

Weprin had a number of Democratic elected officials on his side, including U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.).

A series of debates between the two candidates drew hecklers on one occasion as both men challenged each other’s views on federal spending, the deficit, Israel, Medicare and Social Security.

Early polls showed Weprin ahead, but as Sept. 13 grew closer, Turner had the upper hand.

Turner went on to defeat Weprin 53 percent to 46 percent and became the first Republican to hold that particular congressional seat since 1920.?

In Queens, Weprin bested Turner 52 percent to 47 percent, but Turner dominated the Brooklyn portion of the district 67 percent to 33 percent.

The shocking result was attributed by political observers to President Barack Obama’s unpopularity at the time and Turner’s success in making the race a referendum on Obama’s policies.

Also this year, the retirement of then-Assemblywomen Audrey Pheffer and Nettie Mayersohn opened the political stage to two aides who had served behind the scenes for years.

Phil Goldfeder, a former aide to Pheffer, Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Schumer, defeated Republican District Leader Jane Deacy to succeed Pheffer while Mayersohn’s longtime chief of staff, Michael Simanowitz, defeated College Point Republican Marco DeSena to replace Mayersohn.

Judge Toko Serita (c.) performed a wedding ceremony for Therese Lendino (l.) and Laura Casini at Queens Borough Hall July 24, when same-sex marriage went into effect in New York state.

Supreme Court Judge Darrel Gavrin (front l.) completes marriage documents for Darryl Wong and Michael Kandel (r.), of Douglaston, who were one of the 90 couples to get married in Queens the first day same-sex marriages could be performed.

Desiree (l.) and Katrice Bussell, of Jamaica, were one of 90 pairs to get married in Queens July 24, when same-sex marriage was able to be performed in New York state.

Before Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed the bill June 24 that would legalize same-sex marriage in New York state, Astoria LGBT activist Brendan Fay and his husband, Dr. Thomas Moulton, helped same-sex couples in New York cross the border into Canada or into neighboring states to get married.

Now he receives messages from people in Ireland and Poland eager to marry in New York state.

“It was just so great to see couples getting married and right here in our city,” Fay said.

The June 24 vote came down to four Republican senators from upstate New York who voted in support of the measure, but the debate had been fought in Queens for years. The state Assembly had voted for marriage equality in 2007 and 2009.

While 2011 would see all seven Queens senators vote in favor of the bill, in 2009 five of Queens’ senators voted against the measure: current state Sens. Shirley Huntley (D-Jamaica) and Joseph Addabbo Jr. (D-Howard Beach) and former Sens. George Onorato, Hiram Monserrate and Frank Padavan.

In 2011, the Queens political scene looked much different. Onorato retired and was replaced by Michael Gianaris (D-Astoria). Monserrate had been booted from the Senate following a misdemeanor assault conviction and lost the special election for the seat to Jose Peralta (D-East Elmhurst). Padavan, Queens’ only Republican senator, lost to Tony Avella (D-Bayside) in a contentious race.

Queens also now had two openly gay city councilmen — Jimmy Van Bramer (D-Sunnyside) and Daniel Dromm (D-Jackson Heights) — to advocate for the issue.

“The presence of these two capable, community-oriented, active councilmen has shown that gay legislators will do a good job of representing their constituents across the board, which in turn reinforces the idea of gay people as members of the community,” Queens College political science professor Michael Krasner said in an e-mail.

In mid-June, a large swath of Queens legislators, led by U.S. Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-Jackson Heights), held a news conference at Queens Borough Hall in support of marriage equality. Shortly afterward, Huntley and Addabbo announced they had taken polls of their districts and found their constituents now supported it.

Their flipped votes, along with a change of heart by then-Brooklyn Sen. Carl Kruger, meant all New York Senate Democrats except for Sen. Ruben Diaz Sr. (D-Bronx) were in support of the measure.

The act passed June 24 and was signed by Cuomo the same day. A month later, 90 same-sex couples lined up at Queens Borough Hall to be married.

In November, Van Bramer and his longtime partner, Dan Hendrick, announced they will be joining those who have been married in Queens next year.

“I think the main impact has been to solidify the alliances between the gay community and the other liberal groups in the Democratic Party,” Krasner said. “I also think it may have the long-term effect of isolating anti-gay marriage groups.”

Some states have seen a backlash after granting same-sex marriages. The Supreme Court of California’s decision to allow gay couples to marry ended when voters passed the constitutional amendment known as Proposition 8. Iowa voters defeated three judges who ruled in favor of marriage equality.

Krasner said Assemblyman David Weprin’s (D-Little Neck) pro-marriage equality vote may have contributed to some religious groups voting for now-Rep. Bob Turner (R-Middle Village) in the race for the 9th Congressional District, but he said the main reasons for Weprin’s defeat were his weakness as a candidate and an anti-President Barack Obama sentiment.

Krasner said Addabbo and Huntley, as incumbents, will remain hard to beat.

Fay said that while a potential backlash was a concern, he nevertheless believes the vote was a turning point.

“I look forward to the day when all other states follow New York,” he said.

U.S. Rep. Bob Turner wants Gov. Andrew Cuomo to eliminate the toll on the Cross Bay Bridge. Photo by Christina Santucci

U.S. Rep. Bob Turner (R-Middle Village) reminded Gov. Andrew Cuomo of his Queens roots after writing the governor in an effort to end the toll on the Cross Bay Bridge.

Then-Mayor Rudolph Giuliani instituted a rebate program in 1997 for Broad Channel and Rockaway residents who used the Cross Bay Bridge that gave residents a $2.26 rebate on their E-ZPass statements each time they made a round trip.

But in July 2010, citing budget woes, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority partially rescinded the rebate, only reimbursing residents after they made one round trip in a day.

“Quite simply, the toll is a discriminatory fee against Queens’ residents,” Turner wrote to Cuomo. “It forces them to pay a toll to travel from one part of the borough to another. It is a dubious and expensive distinction that my constituents who commute to New York City, who visit friends and family in Queens, and who travel throughout the area have to pay this toll.”

Turner referred to Cuomo’s roots to the borough — he grew up in Hollis — in the letter.

“You and I were raised in Queens. We understand and appreciate the area’s wonderful cultural and geographical diversity, particularly along the coastal areas in the Rockways,” Turner wrote. “I am sure that you would agree that this geographical diversity should not come at an unfair cost to the residents of the borough.

“I ask you to make this a top priority on your agenda for relieving the economic burden on the citizens of my district,” Turner said. “I look forward to working with you and other elected officials as we try to end the toll.”

The congressman’s letter comes three weeks after state Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder (D-Ozone Park) appealed to MTA Executive Director Joseph Lhota to get rid of the toll.

The toll was implemented to pay for construction of the bridge, which has long been paid off.

City Councilman Eric Ulrich will be chairing Mitt Romney’s campaign operation in the city. Photo by Christina Santucci

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney has tapped City Councilman Eric Ulrich (R-Ozone Park) to head his campaign operations in New York City.

Ulrich, 26, is a rising star in the Republican Party who was first elected to the Council when he was 24.

He is one of five Republicans on the Council and among three GOP councilmen from Queens.

Romney, a former governor of Massachusetts, is the frontrunner for the GOP nomination in the race to decide who will face President Barack Obama in November 2012.

The announcement came from Romney’s New York state chairman, Guy Molinari, the former Staten Island borough president and congressman.

“Since being elected in 2009, Eric Ulrich has emerged as one of the rising stars in the Republican Party,” Molinari said in a statement. “I am honored that he has agreed to work with me to ensure that Gov. Romney assembles a formidable organization here in New York City for our party’s primary and we return New York to the Republican column next November.”

Ulrich said he believes Romney is the best candidate in a crowded Republican field.

“As the debate over our nation’s future reaches a critical stage, I am certain that Gov. Romney has the experience and ideas needed to get our country moving again,” the councilman said in a statement. “In 2009 and 2010 the Republican Party in New York City experienced remarkable gains in city, state and congressional elections. I am looking forward to working with Guy Molinari to build on those successes and elect Mitt Romney the next president of the United States.”

The gains Ulrich was referring to include U.S. Rep. Bob Turner’s (R-Kew Gardens) upset victory in September over state Assemblyman David Weprin (D-Little Neck) in the special election to replace former U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner and the elections of GOP City Councilmen Peter Koo (R-Flushing) and Dan Halloran (R-Whitestone).

U.S. Rep. Gary Ackerman says he would like Congress to raise the limit on mortgages the government can guarantee in high cost areas.

U.S. Rep. Gary Ackerman (D-Bayside) said last week he was leading a bipartisan effort in Congress to stabilize the housing market in Queens and other high-cost areas by raising the limit on mortgages the government is allowed to guarantee.

Ackerman sent a letter signed by 131 members of Congress last month, urging House leaders to reinstate the $725,750 mortgage loan limit that would allow Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and the Federal Housing Authority to guarantee mortgages in areas deemed to be high-cost, such as New York, Boston, Chicago, southern California and San Francisco, among others.

Congress had raised the limit from $625,000 in 2008 in an attempt to stabilize the housing sector, but that extension expired at the end of September and reverted back to its previous figure. The congressman said many private lenders have been extremely reluctant to make additional mortgage loans in the still sluggish economy.

“Forcing this transition in a weak market, before the private market has shown the willingness to take on additional mortgage risk, is not wise policy during a housing crisis,” said Ackerman, a senior member of the House Financial Services Committee.

“Middle-class homeowners are struggling through the most difficult economic times since the Great Depression. If a large portion of the housing market is forced to fend for itself, the result will be disastrous for homeowners throughout Queens and all across the country,” the congressman said.

In addition, he said the expiration of the higher limits forces homeowners to seek more expensive, privately funded mortgages with higher down payment requirements.

“We should be doing all we can to stimulate the economy and help the housing sector recover rather than socking homeowners with higher interest rates and larger down payments. Making the cost of mortgages more expensive makes zero sense during these fragile economic times and will only slow the economy’s delicate recovery,“ said Ackerman.

Kings County Supreme Court Judge John Ingram (r.) swears in U.S. Rep. Bob Turner at a ceremony Sunday. Photo by Rebecca Henely

Despite a disruption from a small protest, U.S. Rep. Bob Turner (R-Kew Gardens) was inaugurated Sunday at Metropolitan High School in Forest Hills before an enthusiastic crowd. The first Republican congressman to represent the district since 1923 received support from Republicans and Democrats at the ceremony.

“We are here today because Bob Turner stood up for what was right,” said Rep. Peter King (R-Massapequa Park), who acted as master of ceremonies for the inauguration.

About 150 people attended the event at the 91-30 Metropolitan Ave. schools in Forest Hills. Turner’s wife Peggy held the Bible as he was ceremonially sworn in by Kings County Supreme Court Judge John Ingram.

But the swearing-in did not go completely as planned when Astoria resident Adam Weissman, 33, yelled out a criticism of Turner during the oath and was escorted out.

Weissman said he was a part of TradeJustice, a collective of various organizations against free trade. The protest, which included two other people, was sponsored by the protest group Occupy Wall Street and targeted Turner’s ?yea vote on a free trade agreement with Colombia, Panama and South Korea. President Barack Obama signed the bill last month. Weissman said the law would outsource hundreds of thousands of American jobs.

“I was trying to say that Bob Turner, after two months in office, has already sold out the voters of Queens and Brooklyn,” Weissman said.

The interruption did not faze Turner, who received a standing ovation. After being sworn in, Turner said the country was off-track because of a drift in foreign policy, out-of-control spending and regulatory organizations that he claimed hindered business development.

“People are waking up as you’ve woken up,” Turner told the crowd. “Things are wrong.”

He also characterized Occupy Wall Street as being on “the wrong track” and said America’s capitalist system leaves people free to work and keep their profits.

“America has been a beacon to the world,” Turner said.

Turner’s win over state Assemblyman David Weprin (D-Little Neck) in the special election for the 9th District seat, which opened after former Democratic Rep. Anthony Weiner resigned amid a sexting Twitter scandal, was seen as an upset for the largely Democratic district. His coverage area winds through Queens and Brooklyn, including the neighborhoods of Kew Gardens, Forest Hills, Maspeth, Middle Village, Ridgewood, Ozone Park, Rego Park, Howard Beach, Glendale, Fresh Meadows, Oakland Gardens, Rockaway Beach and Woodhaven.?

Former Democratic Mayor Ed Koch, whose endorsement of Turner was a great factor in him getting elected, said that while he has known Turner a short time, they have become good friends.

“I look forward to participating in his next election,” Koch said.

While Turner was joined for his inauguration by City Councilmen Dan Halloran (R-Whitestone) and Eric Ulrich (R-Ozone Park), Turner’s Democratic colleagues also attended the inauguration, including state Sen. Joe Addabbo Jr. (D-Howard Beach) and Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder (D-Howard Beach).

Addabbo, who supported Weprin in the special election, said he was happy for Turner and dedicated to working with him to serve their constituents.

“People benefit when elected officials work together and that’s the oath we took,” Addabbo said.

Assemblyman Phillip Goldfeder (c.) is sworn into office as his wife, children and U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer (from second r.) and state Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver look on. Photo by Ivan Pereira

Assemblyman Phillip Goldfeder (l.) talks with state Sen. Malcolm Smith following his inauguration. Photo by Ivan Pereira

Elected officials from all over the state gathered at Junior High School 210 in Ozone Park Sunday to pass the torch to the community’s newest representative in Albany.

State Assemblyman Phillip Goldfeder (D-Howard Beach) was inaugurated before his family, friends, community members and fellow elected officials.

Goldfeder, who worked in the political offices of City Councilman James Sanders (D-Laurelton), Mayor Michael Bloomberg and U.S. Sen Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), succeeded former Assemblywoman Audrey Pheffer, who became the Queens county clerk in June after serving the 23rd Assembly District for 24 years.

The new Assembly member said he was grateful for all the support he received from both the party and constituents and vowed to improve their quality of life.

“As the new assemblyman, I’m going to do the things I promised on the campaign,” he said.

The district includes the neighborhoods of the Rockaways, Howard Beach and portions of South Ozone Park.

Several Democratic members of the state Legislature, including state Sen. Malcolm Smith (D-St. Albans), Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D-Manhattan) and Assemblywoman Grace Meng (D-Flushing), were in attendance for the event, at 93-11 101st Ave., ?and said the rookie elected official will be making big waves in office.

Smith noted that two key Republicans — U.S. Rep. Bob Turner (R-Kew Gardens) and Councilman Eric Ulrich (R-Ozone Park) — were at the inauguration and he called on Goldfeder to continue to lead in a bipartisan manner.

“The aisles shouldn’t matter. You should do what is right,” he said.

Silver agreed and said Goldfeder’s long career in the New York political arena has made him a strong community activist, and he would not only be able to convey the community’s voice to Albany but also bring Albany’s side of the issues back home.

“You are part of a young collection of leaders who continue to define themselves as defenders of working families,” he said.

Pheffer, who was Goldfeder’s former boss, said she was confident he would be able to fill her shoes.

“There are so many, many problems that need to be worked on,” she said. “I am confident that he is going to do a better job [than me]. ?He is confident.”

Goldfeder said he is working on solving those issues, including the elimination of the toll at the Cross Bay Bridge and creating new incentives for neighborhood store owners during the down economic times.

“Right here, there are many businesses that need to survive,” he said.

U.S. Rep. Bob Turner (l.) talks with ground troops in Afghanistan as part of his five-day trip. Photo courtesy Bob Turner

U.S. Rep. Bob Turner (R-Kew Gardens) quietly slipped away on a congressional field trip to Afghanistan earlier this month.

The recently elected freshman congressman was whisked away to the war-torn nation, which the U.S. military has been operating in for just over a decade, in order to give him a first-hand look at the area where he will be flexing his legislative muscle.

In a rare occurrence for a lawmaker only elected in September, Turner sits on three congressional committees where the Afghanistan war plays a key role: Foreign Affairs, Homeland Security and Veterans.

“This was more introductory,” said Turner, after he had returned to Washington, D.C., following the five-day trip which began Oct. 14?. “There is enough to do back here, but it’s a good idea to get some firsthand knowledge.”

It was no sightseeing trip.

Turner’s trip included Kabul, the country’s capital, and four other stops in smaller cities and bases, including Bagram Airfield. In each place and along the way he received briefings from the military and CIA and watched Afghan troops being trained. He also visited a military outpost to see the outreach efforts and the day-to-day life of special operations troops.

“They have it worked it? so they are not wasting a lot of time here,” he said of his schedule. “We were hopping from one spot to the other.”

In-between information sessions, Turner ate military grub with soldiers from the New York City area.

“I don’t know if my memory is fading, but it seems a hell of a lot better than the stuff I remember,” said Turner, a veteran who was drafted into the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War and served two years on a military base in Louisiana.

Turner is also no stranger to the open road. He is driven by wanderlust and has traveled to all seven continents on more than 50 trips out of the country for both business — Turner was a high-level television executive — and pleasure. Some of those trips to places like Oman and Egypt prepared him for the chaotic environment on the streets of Kabul, but he saw progress in some areas.

“Afghanistan will be stable enough, self-sufficient enough, that al-Qaeda or other groups would not be able to have training facilities so they could launch international strikes from the territory as they did in 9/11,” he said.

The United States invaded Afghanistan shortly after the 2001 attacks. By a federal mandate, the troops will almost totally withdraw by 2014, according to Turner.

But America also administers aid, and Congress does not always agree with the U.S. Department of State, the congressman said.

“Congress has a slightly different take than the State Department,” he said. “We’re interested in foreign aid and how it’s spent, and not only humanitarian aid, but in other areas leveraging some aid for our interests.”

But Turner’s favorite part of the trip was visiting with the GIs, who he compared with an unflattering assessment of the Zuccotti Park protesters.

“Their morale is terrific, they are focused, professional and they have a great sense of camaraderie … it was very encouraging — in sharp contrast to some of their other generation hanging around Wall Street now,” he said.

Newly elected U.S. Rep. Bob Turner talks to TimesLedger staff about his first weeks in office. Photo by Christina Santucci

Newly elected U.S. Rep. Bob Turner (R-Howard Beach) met with his predecessor, Anthony Weiner, for an hour last week to discuss ongoing issues in the 9th Congressional District.

Turner requested the tete-a-tete to try and make his transition to Congress as smooth as possible for constituents, he said in an interview at TimesLedger Newspapers’ office last Thursday.

“There are a lot of things in the pipeline,” Turner said of the roughly 166 active case files Weiner’s staff has stayed to work on since the former Democratic congressman resigned in June amid a sexting scandal. “It was all business. I never asked how he was feeling.”

Turner already has his sights on several Queens issues.

He will pick up the torch on many problems Weiner worked on or was at least aware of, Turner said, even though the two men are from polar opposites of the political spectrum. The Republican congressman, for example, plans to intervene on behalf of Middle Village residents who are tormented by trains running through their neighborhood, he said.

Turner also expressed concern for the eroding beaches of Rockaway, the gas pipeline running through Broad Channel and his opposition to the expansion of a John F. Kennedy International Airport runway into environmentally fragile Jamaica Bay.

Turner has not met with many other members of the Queens congressional delegation to talk about issues that affect the borough. He did sit down, however, with City Councilman Peter Koo (R-Flushing),? despite the fact that Turner’s district encompasses only a small piece of Koo’s Flushing. The councilman endorsed Turner’s opponent, state Assemblyman David Weprin (D-Little Neck), in the special election race that culminated Sept. 13. Koo met with Turner to talk about the issues facing groups of Asian immigrants since some live in Turner’s district.?

Turner has also been under the wing of Rep. Peter King (R-Massapequa Park), who Turner said has been charged with easing the neophyte into his new job.

“This has been a whirlwind,” Turner said, saying he did not have the luxury of attending introductory sessions that helped some of his freshmen colleagues acclimate last year.

He has already voted about 20 times, and like most congressmen he has had little time to actually read what he was voting on.

He espoused many of his campaign talking points — namely his desire to repeal the National Health Care Act and rein in government spending as well as his aversion to taxes and the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.

Turner said there is a desire on the Republican Party’s part to keep the 9th CD instead of redistricting it out of existence as Democrats might have done had they won the seat. Either way he still plans to run again for office.

Turner was mum about the current infighting between two factions of the Queens GOP, saying he was above the fray since he worked in Washington.

He also has not picked a favorite in the Republican presidential race.

The 70-year-old Turner also revealed a few nuggets about his formative years, and they confirm he will not be changing his political ideology anytime soon.

In college, Turner was part of Young Americans for Freedom, a politically conservative action group that stood in stark contrast to other radical student groups at the time.

“Most students were radical, bomb-throwing,” he joked. “But I took a different turn.”

State Assemblyman Rory Lancman (r.) chats with his newly elected colleague Phil Goldfeder on Election Day. Photo by Christina Santucci

Newly elected U.S. Rep. Bob Turner (R-Howard Beach) weighed in on his first piece of legislation the same day he was sworn in to the House last Thursday, which a Democratic lawmaker in Queens said is indicative of why the 9th Congressional District voted Turner into office for the wrong reasons.

“Literally on Day 1, he was sworn in in the morning and by the end of the day he had voted to not only undermine very basic protections that American workers have against abuse and retaliation, but literally pave the way for American jobs to be outsourced overseas,” said state Assemblyman Rory Lancman (D-Fresh Meadows) the day after the vote.

Turner voted along with much of the Republican Party to pass the Protecting Jobs from Government Interference Act in Congress with a vote of 238-186.

The act seeks to deprive the National Labor Relations Board of power to regulate how private companies ?deal with unions, according to Lancman, who chairs the Subcommittee on Workplace Safety and reportedly had his eye on the 9th District seat before the Queens Democratic Party picked state Assemblyman David Weprin (D-Little Neck) as its candidate.

Currently, if a company moves a factory out of a particular area and the NLRB deems it was moved to avoid unions, the board can force the company to move the factory back under the National Labor Relations Act.

The legislation that Turner voted for in Congress would take that power away.

Lancman said companies have the right to build factories and move wherever they want, but not if that move is in retaliation for workers exercising their right to organize.

But Turner said he voted with regard to the aircraft manufacturing company Boeing, which wanted to build a new facility in South Carolina, but was being prevented by the NLRB.

“They were blocking the building of the plant,” Turner said, adding that he vote was meant to help the company create 10,000 jobs that would be a part of the new plant.

Turner’s upset election has alternatively been referred to as a referendum on Obama’s administration, his policy on Israel and even the issue of gay marriage, and the former television executive even had many Democratic politicians supporting him.

But that message was sent Sept. 13, Lancman said, and now voters are left with Turner’s conservative Republican political leanings for the rest of the term.

“I think that those who voted for Mr. Turner to make a protest against Obama on Israel or health care … that protest was on Tuesday,” he said. “But now the philosophy that Bob Turner represents is going to be reflected in the votes he takes and those are going to be conservative Republican votes.”

In this particular vote, Lancman said that since Queens is made up of largely working-class residents, many of whom are members of unions, it was a vote that was not in line with his constituency’s best interests and instead was simply along party lines.

“If he’s going to be a solider in John Boehner’s conservative, anti-government army in Washington, then I’m going to continue to call him on it,” Lancman said.

Bob Turner (c.) speaks to supporters during an Election Night party with his wife, Peggy (second from r.), by his side. Photo by Christina Santucci

Democrats may have a 3-1 advantage over Republicans in the 9th Congressional District, but President Barack Obama’s unpopularity and the state of the economy sank state Assemblyman David Weprin’s (D-Little Neck) chances of winning the seat over Republican Bob Turner, according to political observers.

“I think there was a lot of anger about the economy and a lot of anxiety about jobs,” said Elizabeth Holtzman, who held the seat for four terms in the 1970s and 1980s and expressed interest in running this time around, but was passed over in favor of Weprin by Queens Democratic Party Chairman U.S. Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-Jackson Heights). “People are angry and worried and it’s not only in the 9th Congressional District.”

In Queens, Weprin bested Turner 52 percent to 47 percent, but Turner dominated the Brooklyn portion of the district 67 percent to 33 percent.

In an interview, Weprin said his poor showing in Brooklyn was due to Turner’s having more recognition there — he ran for the seat two years ago — and Weprin’s vote in favor of gay marriage in the state Assembly.

“My support for marriage equality hurt me with the Orthodox [Jewish] community,” he said.

“It was a perfect storm against me,” said Weprin, including “the fact that my opponent successfully made the race a referendum on Obama.”

Weprin said his campaign tried to get out the message that Turner wants to cut the federal budget by 35 percent and slash Medicare and Social Security.

“The media didn’t cover any of that,” he said.

Holtzman, who has strong ties to Brooklyn — she used to be the Brooklyn district attorney — and is familiar to Queens residents for her stint in the House seat that was up for grabs last week, said she believes she would have been a stronger candidate.

“People knew me as a very strong, outspoken fighter for many causes,” she said. “As someone who stood up to a lot of presidents — from Richard Nixon to Gerald Ford to Jimmy Carter, regardless of party — I think people understood I could be a very strong messenger.”?

But one political observer said the candidates did not matter as much in the special election as someone who was not running: Obama.

“Congressional elections are generally viewed in the context of the president,” the observer said. “When you’re a Democrat running against a Republican and George Bush is the president, you do well. When you’re a Democrat and Barack Obama is the president, you don’t do as well.”

The observer said the most telling indicator of the outcome of the special election was a Public Policy Polling poll released four days before the contest that showed Obama with a 31 percent approval rating in the 9th Congressional District and a less than 50 percent approval rating among Democrats in the district.

“In the end, I don’t think it mattered much about the candidates,” the observer said. “In a race for Congress, people look first and foremost to the president.”

Turner appeared to gain momentum early in the race when he picked up his first high-profile endorsement, when former Democratic Mayor Ed Koch backed him.

In endorsing Turner, Koch urged voters to cast their ballot for the Republican “to send a message to Obama” on his Israel policy.

“Once Koch injected ‘send a message,’ that was all she wrote for David Weprin,” the observer said. “Koch was not relevant except that he was able to give voice that people who wanted to send a message to Obama [should] send a message to Obama. It was not about gay marriage, it was not about Israel.”

Holtzman agreed the election gave voters unhappy with Obama a reason to vote for Turner.

“Once the race was viewed as sending a message to Washington, there were a lot of people who wanted to send a message to Washington, particularly on the economy,” she said.

In a May congressional special election upstate, the Democratic candidate was not expected to win, but the race occurred a week after Osama bin Laden was killed and Obama’s approval rating at the time was 48 percent.

The Democrat captured 48 percent of the vote and won the election in a three-way race.

U.S. Rep. Bob Turner (r.) chums it up with Mayor Michael Bloomberg over breakfast in Howard Beach, as the two businessmen meet for the first time. Photo by Christina Santucci

The victory by U.S. Rep. Bob Turner (R-Howard Beach) in the race for the 9th Congressional District seat has complicated plans for the congressional redistricting that is set to take place next year.

“It kind of flips things on its head,” said Alex Camarda of the government watchdog group Citizens Union in New York. “It obviously complicates things for the Democrats downstate. That was the seat they were planning to get rid of.”

In the 2010 census, the decline in the state’s population corresponded to losing two seats in Congress, which will bring the number to 27.

The typical thinking would be that each party would lose a seat. One would be picked from upstate and the other from downstate, according to Camarda. Afterward each district in the state would become slightly larger to absorb the people who lost their representatives.

As the election unfolded, it was widely thought that state Assemblyman David Weprin (D-Little Neck) would win the seat, which would then be eliminated, and the Republican Party would pick an upstate seat to dissolve.

But now that Turner is in office, both parties will have to change their strategies.

One factor is that Turner has repeatedly expressed his willingness to stay in Congress, even if his seat is eliminated.

He met with Mayor Michael Bloomberg Monday for the first time over breakfast in Howard Beach. The two businessmen-turned-lawmakers talked about their careers, the acquaintances they had in common and the future of New York City.

Turner said he would run against other incumbents, which means he could become a possible contender for other Democratic seats in the area, which are held by U.S. Reps Gregory Meeks (D-Jamaica), Joe Crowley (D-Jackson Heights) or Gary Ackerman (D-Bayside).?

But Republicans will have to choose whether they want to protect Turner’s seat, which could go back to a Democrat in the future, or protect some upstate legislators who recently won elections, according to Barbara Bartoletti, legislative director for the League of Women Voters.

It also remains to be seen whether Democrats will go after Rep. Kathy Hochul (D-Greece), who won upstate in a heavily Republican area.

Regardless of how the new lines will look, Bartoletti said the process will be decided by party politics behind closed doors.

“The party bosses and special interests gain in situations like this,” she said.

If Turner’s seat is eliminated in Queens, she said the Democratic Party will look to protect more senior members like Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-Astoria).

But Gov. Andrew Cuomo has said he will veto any legislative lines that are not drawn by an independent commission, a position he shares with several Queens lawmakers.

Vincent Tabone, vice chairman of the Queens GOP Party, said the Turner victory was a statement that voters in the district did not want to lose their representation.

“The people of the 9th Congressional District voted to maintain their congressional representation,” he said. “They fully comprehended that had they voted for Weprin, they were consenting to a dissolution of their congressional seat.”

In addition, voters voiced their opinion that the country was heading in the wrong direction, Tabone said.

Bob Turner carries his ballot over to the voting machine in Breezy Point. Photo by Christina Santucci

Assemblyman David Weprin and his wife Ronni greet voters outside PS 26. Photo by Christina Santucci

In a shocking upset, Republican congressional candidate Bob Turner defeated Assemblyman David Weprin (D-Little Neck), 53 percent to 47 percent, with about 70 percent of precincts reporting as of midnight Wednesday, according to preliminary results from the Associated Press.

If Turner is certified as the winner, it would mark the first time a Republican has won the seat in roughly a century.

But as of midnight Tuesday, Weprin had not conceded.

“There’s still a lot of votes to be counted and we’re not sure where they’re coming from,” the assemblyman said at his Election Night party in Forest Hills.

Addressing supporters at his victory party in Howard Beach, Turner said his win sent a message to Washington.

“Mr. President, we’re on the wrong track,” he said. “We have had it. We have had it with your treatment of Israel. I am telling you, I am the messenger. This message will resound for a year.”

Turner had a commanding lead in Brooklyn precincts, leading Weprin 70 percent to 30 percent, while Weprin had a four-point advantage in Queens, 52 percent to 48 percent.

In the last hours of the campaign, Weprin’s camp accused the Turner campaign of encouraging supporters to jam their phone lines at 3 a.m. Tuesday.

“It is outrageous that Bob Turner’s allies would resort to jamming our phones in an effort to prevent our campaign from contacting voters and getting out the message about how radical Bob Turner really is,” Weprin campaign spokeswoman Liz Kerr said.

Turner’s campaign called the accusation “nonsense” and said it was one of the many “shenanigans” it had had to deal with.

Turnout across the district — which includes Forest Hills, Rego Park, Fresh Meadows, Hillcrest, Kew Gardens, Kew Gardens Hills, Richmond Hill, Howard Beach, Broad Channel, Ozone Park and parts of the Rockaways — was heavy.

Hillcrest resident Ed Bridgewood, a registered Republican, said he voted for Turner.

“I’m more in accord with his ideas than with Weprin’s,” he said.

Another Turner voter said he cast his ballot for the Rockaway Republican because he agreed with Turner’s views of “less taxes, less government.”

Victoria Brown-Douglas, who voted at St. Nicholas of Tolentine, said she backed Weprin because she was a strong supporter of the president.

“I can’t even imagine what it would be like for a Tea Party candidate to win,” she said. “I’m a Democrat. I’m all about Obama and I’m all about Weprin.”

During the race, Weprin tried to paint Turner as a Tea Party candidate bent on destroying Medicare and Social Security while Turner tried to frame the election as a referendum on unpopular President Barack Obama’s policies.

Since the race began, polls showed the contest becoming increasingly competitive, with early surveys giving Weprin an eight-point lead and a Siena College poll released Friday having Turner with a six-point lead over his Democratic rival.

Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani (r.) stumps Monday for Republican Bob Turner, who is running for the 9th Congressional seat.

Republican Bob Turner will know if he won the race for New York’s 9th Congressional seat Tuesday night, but he got some last-minute support from former Mayor Rudy Giuliani in Forest Hills this afternoon.

Giuliani touted Turner in front of the leafy neighborhood’s Long Island Rail Road station — the same spot where Turner began his campaign — lauding the former television executive’s business experience. He also used the opportunity to take repeated swipes at President Barack Obama, comparing his recent plan to foster job growth to “warmed spit” and criticizing the president’s stance on Israel.

“We need to send somebody to Washington who will send a message to President Obama,” Guiliani said.

Giuliani bashed the president over job growth and the ballooning national debt.

The former mayor also said Turner’s opponent, state Assemblyman David Weprin (D-Little Neck) who is an orthodox Jew, would likely follow Obama’s position that the Middle

Eastern nation concede territory in accordance to the pre-1967 boundaries with neighboring Palestine.

“It doesn’t matter who you are, it’s what your policies are and who you’re going to support,” he said. “It seems to be David Weprin will be just another vote for the Obama administration.”

But if Turner is elected, Giuliani said it could change the course of the president’s agenda in the Middle East.

“I think it would be a wake-up call to the Obama administration to have a realistic policy about the Middle East, particularly about Israel,” he said. “Israel is our ally, not the

Palestinian authority. Israel has legitimate concerns about their safety.”

Turner also fielded questions, but gave answers that seemed curt compared with the lengthy explanations offered by the former mayor.

When asked if he was a Tea Party activist, Turner replied that he was not ashamed of the Tea Party’s backing and supported some of their ideas.

“Tea stands for ‘taxed enough already,’ I can live with that,” he said.

Turner also clarified that he does not plan to dismantle Social Security and Medicare, despite what his critics have said.

Giuliani chimed in to say that Social Security reform is necessity for the future of the country.

“If you are 45 [years old] or younger, you won’t collect it,” he said.

Turner was confident about the result of tomorrow’s elections, echoing pundits who have called the election a bellwether for the rest of the nation.

“I think it is a referendum in many ways,” Turner said. “That message will come through loud and clear tomorrow and can be interpreted as anyone wants.”

If Turner wins, his time in Congress might only last for a year. Redistricting that is set to take place in 2012 will likely abolish the 9th seat, but that will not mean the end of his political career.

He said that he will run for office again in 2012.

“That fight might be more fun than this one,” he said.

State Assemblyman David Weprin greets a voter. He is touring the district Monday to rally support in Tuesday's special election.

Assemblyman David Weprin (D-Little Neck) made a final push for votes Monday in his run for Congress, visiting members of the Queens Community House Rego Park Senior Center and sticking to his talking points of saying he would fight to preserve Social Security and Medicare.

Weprin is in a tight race with Republican Bob Turner, a retired Rockaway businessman, with a Siena College poll released Friday showing Turner ahead by six percentage points.

Weprin downplayed the significance of the survey.

“The only poll that counts is the one tomorrow,” he said, referring to the special election. “I think we’re going to have a big victory tomorrow.”

Former U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner’s resignation from Congress on June 21 amid a sexting scandal led to the special election.

Weprin said voters have a clear choice between him and Turner, noting the two disagree on everything from gun control — Weprin is for it — to abortion — Weprin is in favor of a woman’s right to choose.

“There’s a clear difference on so many issues,” he said. “The difference in this race is going to be Social Security, Medicare and jobs.”

The Democratic candidate was joined by elected officials representing the area along with his mother, Sylvia Weprin.

City Council Speaker Christine Quinn (D-Manhattan), a former colleague of Weprin’s when he was on the Council, said voting for Weprin will “send a message to Washington.

“We need people in Washington who are going to work to make Americans’ lives better,” she said.

“The right person to represent this district is David Weprin,” said City Councilman Danny Dromm (D-Jackson Heights). “He’s not afraid to stand up for civil rights. He understands how to get things done.”

Weprin’s brother, City Councilman Mark Weprin (D-Oakland Gardens), encouraged voters to cast their ballot for him.

“David’s always been someone who’s committed to public service, his community,” Mark Weprin said. “He’s going to be a fighter for us in Washington.”

City Councilwoman Karen Koslowitz (D-Forest Hills) said she has known the Weprin family for more than 30 years.

“David Weprin has a proven record,” she said. “He’s a great legislator and I know he will be a great congressman.”

Koslowitz then took a swipe at Turner, accusing the Republican of only caring about people in the district when he needs their votes.

“We don’t need someone who comes around only on Election Day,” she said. “We need someone who’s there for us every day.”

The race between congressional candidates David Weprin (l.) and Bob Turner has garnered national attention. Photos by Christina Santucci

Political action committees have donated to Assemblyman David Weprin’s (D-Little Neck) campaign at a rate nearly 50 times as high as his Republican rival, Bob Turner, in the race for the 9th Congressional District seat, Federal Election Commission records showed.

Weprin raised more than $291,000 from PACs while Turner received only $6,000, according to the FEC records.

The Republican Congressional Campaign Committee gave $5,000 to Turner with the New York State Conservative Party donating $1,000.

Dozens of congressman and other elected officials have donated to Weprin, including $2,000 apiece from House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and U.S. Reps. Joseph Crowley (D-Jackson Heights), Jerry Nadler (D-Manhattan) and Gary Ackerman (D-Bayside).

Weprin also heavily benefitted from contributions from unions, which accounted for a large portion of the $291,000 he raised from PACs.

Turner received $1,000 each from U.S. Reps. Michael Grimm (R-Staten Island) and Peter King (R-Massapequa Park), according to the FEC.

Weprin also had 269 individual contributors compared to Turner’s 134 individual donors.

Turner’s campaign received more than $138,000 in contributions, not including a $65,000 loan Turner gave himself, and spent more than $118,000, leaving him with more than $93,700 in cash on hand, according to the latest FEC disclosure information.

Weprin’s campaign took in more than $450,000 in contributions, spent about $250,000 and has more than $202,000 in cash on hand — more than double the amount Turner has left, according to FEC records.

Weprin and Turner were thrust into the race after U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner resigned in May amid a sexting scandal.

The 9th CD seat that they are vying for includes Forest Hills, Fresh Meadows, Oakland Gardens, Kew Gardens, Kew Gardens Hills, Howard Beach, Ozone Park and parts of the Rockaways and Brooklyn.

The race has been defined by the candidates’ stances on the federal budget, entitlement programs and Israel, although both Turner and Weprin oppose President Barack Obama’s idea that the Jewish state go back to its pre-1967 war borders as a precondition for negotiations with the Palestinians.

Weprin has attacked Turner, saying his plan to cut the federal budget by 35 percent is not feasible if Turner also wants to preserve Medicare and Social Security.

Turner is slamming Weprin for being a “career politician,” having positions that mimic the unpopular Obama and for failing to state the correct figure when asked what the federal deficit was.

Both campaigns earned critical endorsements in the race, with Turner getting the backing of former Mayor Ed Koch, King, the New York Daily News, the New York Post and the Jewish Week, while the United Federation of Teachers, U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the firefighters’ union are throwing their weight behind Weprin.

Earlier in the race, a Siena College poll found Weprin leading Turner by six points, but both campaigns had surveys conducted on their behalf last week.

A poll conducted by McLaughlin & Associated and commissioned by Turner found him and Weprin in a dead heat, with both men at 46 percent.

Weprin released his own survey, done by Global Strategy Group, that showed the assemblyman with an eight-point lead over Turner.

In the final days of the campaign, the contest has taken a turn for the weird.

Weprin, a Democrat, had a borough magician named “Wendy Wizard” endorse Turner outside a Rockaway fund-raiser last week, playing off a New York Times editorial that urged voters to cast their ballot for Weprin.

In the endorsement, the Times criticized Turner, a retired businessman from Rockaway, for saying he wants to slash the federal budget while keeping Social Security and Medicare intact.

“That would take a magician, not a businessman,” The Times said.

Turner’s campaign said the Weprin camp was going off the deep end.

“The Weprin campaign is becoming increasingly bizarre. We suggest they all head back to Hogwarts and regroup,” Turner campaign spokesman Bill O’Reilly said, referring to the fictional wizard school from the Harry Potter books.

Turner’s campaign accused the Weprin camp of sending in spies that purported to be Turner volunteers while Weprin’s campaign said they had no knowledge of such incidents.

Bob Turner

Parties
Republican and Conservative

Campaign Office:
159-49 Cross Bay Blvd.
Howard Beach, Ny 11414
(718) 480-1972

Biography
Bob Turner is a retired television executive and a Rockaway Point resident.

Turner spent 40 years in the television industry and was president and chief executive officer of Pearson PLC’s North American television operations and was the producer of “Baywatch” and “The Jerry Springer Show.”

Turner has served on the board of the National Association for Television Programming Executives and serves as a pro-bono trustee to the Achilles Track Club and Family Focus Adoption Services.

This is Turner’s second run for the 9th Congressional District, having run against then-U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner in a race where Turner drew roughly 40 percent of the vote.

Issues
Turner is in favor of cutting the federal budget by 35 percent, including eliminating the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Education, while preserving benefits for those on Social Security and Medicare.

Turner is opposed to the federal stimulus package, which he calls “a colossal failure,” and is in favor of cutting taxes.

On national security, Turner says he is against trying foreign terrorists in civilian court and suggests they face military tribunals instead.