New Endorsements Shape Northeast Queens City Council Race

BAYSIDE, QUEENS — The City Council race to succeed Barry Grodenchik is starting to heat up as Northeast Queens officials make their picks known.

Debra Markell, a North Shore Towers resident and district manager of Queens Community Board 2, all the way on the other side of the borough, first earned the endorsement of U.S. Rep. Tom Suozzi and former U.S. Rep. Steve Israel. Western Queens Assembly Member Cathy Nolan followed suit. Outside of New York City altogether, Glen Cove Assembly Member Chuck Lavine and Nassau County Legislator Joshua Lafazan offered their support.

But Grodenchik is backing Steve Behar, who served as Grodenchik's campaign manager in the 2015 special election that landed him on the City Council and has since worked as his counsel.

Grodenchik announced in October that he would not run for re-election in 2021. That opens up his seat representing Bayside Hills, Bellerose, Douglaston, Floral Park, Fresh Meadows, Glen Oaks, Hollis, Hollis Hills, Holliswood, Little Neck, New Hyde Park, Oakland Gardens and Queens Village.

"No other candidate has the experience and the knowledge to be ready to immediately fight for our district," Grodenchik said in a statement about Behar. "The next Council Member will be dealing with a health crisis, an economic crisis and a fiscal crisis. Only Steve is prepared to handle all of these crises."

Behar's also appears to have the tacit support of other lawmakers: His $8,800 in fundraising includes $175 from Manhattan City Council Member Ben Kallos and $25 from City Council Member Costa Constantinides of Astoria, records show.

Markell has raised more than $26,000 so far, including $175 donations from City Council Member Paul Vallone, who represents the adjacent district, and his mother, Tena.

U.S. Rep. Grace Meng has donated $175 to both candidates, according to campaign finance records.

Behar and Markell are familiar competitors. They ran against each other in 2009 for the Northeast Queens City Council seat now held by Paul Vallone, although Vallone would not win it until 2013.

With months to go until the June Democratic primary that will determine the seat's likely winner, the growing list of endorsements only says so much.

Neither Behar nor Markell is the race's top fundraiser so far. That title belongs to Linda Lee, the president and CEO of Korean Community Services of Metropolitan New York and a Queens Community Board 11 member.

This month, Assembly Member Nily Rozic became the first Eastern Queens lawmaker to endorse Lee's campaign.

Lee has brought in more than $61,000 for her campaign — almost double the amount raised by the race's second-most-prolific fundraiser, Jaslin Kaur, a 24-year-old organizer, campaign finance records show. (Meng also donated to Lee's campaign.)

Lee has also greatly outspent all nine of her opponents, putting $30,000 into the race so far. Behar comes in second with about $12,600 in spending, while Markell has spent about $4,600.

Kaur, meanwhile, has the backing of the Working Families Party and the NYC Democratic Socialists of America, as well as a slate of progressive lawmakers that includes state Sens. Julia Salazar and Jabari Brisport and Assembly Members Zohran Mamdani, Marcela Mitaynes and Phara Souffrant Forrest.

Other candidates include Seth L. Breland, Christopher R. Fuentes-Padilla, Sanjeev Jindal, Mandeep S. Sahi, Koshy Thomas and Harpreet S. Toor.