NYC Council Election: John-Alexander Sakelos Seeks Bayside Seat

BAYSIDE, QUEENS — Republican 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 2 names on their ballots when they vote in the June 22 primary election.

One of those names will be John-Alexander Sakelos, a Queens-based professor, researcher, and writer.

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

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

27

<b>Position Sought</b>

City Council 19

<b>Party Affiliation</b>

Republican/Conservative/ Save Our City (New Ind. Party)

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

Bayside

<b>Family</b>

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

No

<b>Education</b>

PS 184/ JHS 194 (In District)
Frank Sinatra School For the Arts
The University of Michigan-BFA
George Washington University-MFA

<b>Occupation</b>

Florist (Family Business- Flowers By Peter in Flushing)
DOE Teacher & Professor of Humanities
Union Stage Actor

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

N/A

<b>Campaign website</b>

www.john4ny.com

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

We need a new generation of civil servant with a practicable and well thought out agenda to address the crisis that has been caused by 20+ years of poor representation. Our city is in a downward spiral and the the only way to save her is to elect officials who will put people over partisan politics and bring common sense solutions to politician made problems.

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

Crime. If you fix the crime problems the other issues we face (mainly concerning our economic state and quality of life) will fall into line. We need to give our NYPD the tools and resources they need to do their job successfully and start using the broken windows method of policing again.

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

Our campaign has been endorsed by the PBA, Republican, and Conservative parties because we are the only candidate in the race who they feel can adequately handle the plethora of problems facing district 19. The other individuals seeking this office, some of them not even from this neighborhood, are career bureaucrats and will be forced to toe their party line no matter how radical the agenda (just look at our current councilman and his vote to defund the NYPD if you want proof). We need a civic leader who comes from the same background as the people they are representing and understands that the position they hold is an honor and not their exclusive right.

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

Our city councilman is term limited out so this is an open seat. That being said, a big reason as to why we have mounted this campaign is because our councilman voted to defund the police; I speak for many people who think that was a disgraceful vote done in the name of political expediency.

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

If they got a grade it should be an F. None of them fought the Cuomo Nursing Home directive even though they knew it would cost thousands of lives; their silence in the name of politics is equal to gross negligence and makes most of them unfit to serve. In regard to the economic fallout our elected officials wanted to stay shut down as long as possible and this caused irepperabae harm to our local and state economies. Furthermore, despite having one of the oldest populations in the city, our district was very late in getting a vaccination site.

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

Refunding & Supporting the NYPD.
Improving District 19 Infrastructure and Sanitation Services.
Reviving our economy and recovering from the pandemic.
Rebuilding NYC’s middle class and small businesses via tax cuts and incentives.
Reopening schools and halting the teaching of radical propaganda like Critical Race Theory in the classroom.
Fighting for Specialized High Schools and Gifted & Talented programs.
Giving in-district students priority in school placements.
Ending NYC’s sanctuary city status for criminals.

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

No past accomplishment counts as credible evidence for future success in an elected position because nothing can prepare you for the the unique set of challenges that will come about in any particular legislative year. My experience as a teacher, professor, small business owner, and union member will all factor into how I work with the community and the city government to bring much needed change to Queens leadership.

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

Go fishing.

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

If you agree with somebody else 100% of the time you should see a therapist. I can't guarantee that you will always agree with me but I do guarantee that as your city councilman my door will always be open and our office will always be transparent.