NYC Council Election: Frank Spangenberg Seeks Bayside Seat

BAYSIDE, QUEENS — Democratic voters in New York City's 19th Council district, which includes College Point, Whitestone, Malba, Bayside, Douglaston, Little Neck, North Flushing, and Auburndale, will see 6 names on their ballots when they vote in the June 22 primary election.

One of those names will be Francis 'Frank' Spangenberg, a former NYPD lieutenant and game-show contestant.

Patch reached out to all candidates in the election to create these profiles. Spangenberg's responses are below.

<b>Age (as of Election Day)</b>

64

<b>Position Sought</b>

City Council - District 19

<b>Party Affiliation</b>

Democratic

<b>Neighborhood of residence (i.e., East Village, Astoria, etc.)</b>

Douglaston

<b>Family</b>

I am unmarried with no children. My parents, Frank Spangenberg Sr. (a police officer who worked in the 111th Precinct for 37 years) and Teresa Gillon Spangenberg (a stay-at-home mom), were both lifelong District 19 residents, but are now deceased.

<b>Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?</b>

No

<b>Education</b>

Ph.D. (Criminal Justice), City University of New York
Master of Public Administration, Harvard University
M.A. (Criminal Justice), University at Albany
B.A. (History), Queens College.

<b>Occupation</b>

In July of 2020, after 34 years of service, I retired in the rank of Lieutenant from the New York Police Department. Before that, I served three years as a high school teacher, and since 2018 have taught as an adjunct assistant professor in the master's degree program in criminal justice at John Jay College. I am currently performing academic research and writing in the field of criminal justice.

<b>Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office</b>

None

<b>Campaign website</b>

frankspangenberg.org

<b>Why are you seeking elective office?</b>

I have always believed that we all have an obligation to serve our community to the best of our ability, and to do as much good as we can while we have the time to do good. Through nearly 40 years of service to the people of New York as a teacher and as a police officer, I have had the opportunity to obtain valuable experience in many areas, and a thorough knowledge of a wide variety of issues that confront our city today. Now that my career in law enforcement has been completed, my desire to continue serving my community remains as strong as ever. I am now running for office because I believe that I can best use my knowledge and experience for the benefit of my community as a member of the City Council.

<b>The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.</b>

The single most pressing issue facing our district is public safety – specifically, maintaining the reduction in crime achieved in recent decades while simultaneously ensuring that police officers understand, respect, and work well with the communities that they serve. Recently, there have been a number of proposals introduced into the city council that do nothing to promote public safety, but instead simply display an obvious antagonism toward the city’s police. I believe that these proposals are seriously misguided. Instead of seeking to “defund the police", I would work to restore police funding, particularly in such areas as addressing the recent increases in shootings and hate crimes, and providing improved training for officers, particularly in the area of police/community relations.

<b>What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?</b>

Public safety and appropriate policing are vital issues for the residents of District 19. Through the combination of my 34 years of law enforcement service, and my academic studies and research as a Ph.D. in Criminal Justice, I have more experience and more accurate knowledge in the areas of criminal justice, successful law enforcement, and effective police reform than all of my opponents combined. Education is also an important issue for our district, and as the only Democrat in this race who has ever worked as a teacher, I am also more personally familiar with the sort of support and resources that our teachers and our students need in the classroom. My proven dedication to my community, my education and widely varied experience, and my familiarity with the district gained as a lifetime resident, all combine to set me apart from the other candidates.

<b>If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community (or district or constituency)</b>

The current council member is not running again because of term limits. As a result, none of the people running in this district is a "challenger" as the term is used here.

<b>How do you think local officials performed in responding to the coronavirus? What if anything would you have done differently?</b>

Northeastern Queens was badly neglected by the city in its response to the coronavirus. Despite the high percentage of senior citizens in District 19, there was no vaccine location in the district until the last week of March, more than three months after vaccinations began. One thing that should have been done differently is that multiple vaccination locations should have been opened in northeastern Queens much earlier, with assistance provided to help seniors in scheduling appointments and receiving transportation if necessary.

<b>Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.</b>

In addition to the issue of public safety and police reform that I already mentioned, there are a number of other issues that I believe are also very important for District 19 and its residents. The first of these is education; School Districts 25 and 26 are among the best in the city, but they are also among the most overcrowded. While school construction may be necessary, the building of new schools is a process that can take years. The problem of overcrowding needs to be addressed today, using innovative methods such as those proposed by the Citizens Budget Commission. Another important issue is preventing reckless overdevelopment in northeastern Queens, and preserving the district’s special character. I will fight any effort to eliminate all single-family (R1 and R2) zoning. Addressing the needs of our elderly residents is another vital issue. Our district should be given its fair share of resources so that our seniors can receive the support and assistance they deserve close to home. I also oppose closing Rikers Island and building new jails around the city. The problem with Rikers is not one that will be solved merely by putting a new jail in Queens at great expense. Instead, the city needs to reform the methods and processes at the location it already has. Homelessness is an additional issue that concerns all New Yorkers, including the residents of District 19. However, creating shelters in neighborhoods without appropriate transportation or support services does not serve the homeless, but instead creates facilities that are little better than warehouses for people. I will oppose placing shelters in inappropriate locations, while also working with all relevant city agencies to create better and more permanent housing solutions for the homeless.

<b>What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?</b>

Most of my past career was spent performing research, policy analysis, planning, and program development at the highest levels of the nation’s largest law enforcement agency. I was frequently called upon to be a “problem solver”, and to find ways to address numerous complex issues. In performing that role, I worked closely and directly on numerous projects with representatives of many federal, state, and local agencies, including the MTA, NYC Transit, the state and city Departments of Transportation, NYC Department of Finance, NYC Department of the Aging, and even the NYC Department of Sanitation. Through my knowledge of what different agencies can do, and the resources available at the neighborhood level, I helped create and implement innovative solutions for a wide variety of problems affecting the safety, welfare, or quality of life of New Yorkers.

<b>The best advice ever shared with me was:</b>

Never despair; things always have a way of working themselves out.

<b>What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?</b>

I am not the sort of man who changes his positions based on what he thinks his listeners want to hear. Instead, I will always do my best to be honest and forthright with everyone. In addition, I will always be available to listen to any problem brought to me. More than 40 years ago, when I was in college, I served as an intern for State Senator Frank Padavan, and I learned a lesson I have never forgotten regarding the importance of taking care of the constituents in one’s district. Finally, I am not afraid of learning new things, or looking at questions from a new point of view, and if I ever find that I have made a mistake on any matter, I will always be willing to admit it, and take actions to correct the error.