Bay Ridge

Congress candidates open their Brooklyn campaign headquarters

March 23, 2015 By Paula Katinas Brooklyn Daily Eagle
Front-runner Daniel Donovan (photo left) admits that he’s worried about voter complacency in his race against Vincent Gentile (photo right). Donovan photo courtesy of Donovan campaign. Gentile photo by Paula Katinas
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Gearing up for a special election that is less than two months away, congressional candidates Daniel Donovan and Vincent Gentile both opened their Brooklyn campaign headquarters over the weekend as each man sought to get a foothold in the borough.

Gentile, a Democrat, went first, opening his campaign office at the Stars and Stripes Democratic Club at 7321 15th Ave. in Bensonhurst in a building owned by 7321 15 Avenue LLC on Saturday morning.

Donovan, a Republican, chose to open his headquarters on a major Bay Ridge commercial strip, setting up shop at 9712 Third Ave. on Sunday afternoon. The building is owned by 9712 3rd Avenue Realty LLC.

“I need everyone’s help and I need everyone’s vote,” Donovan told his supporters at the opening.

Both Donovan and Gentile have already opened their respective Staten Island headquarters.

The 11th Congressional District, the seat that Donovan, Gentile and Green Party candidate James Lane are seeking, covers the entire borough of Staten Island and includes parts of several Southwest Brooklyn neighborhoods.

But the majority of the district, approximately three quarters, is located on Staten Island.

The special election will take place on May 5.

The contest was necessitated by the resignation of Michael Grimm. Grimm, a Republican who served two terms in congress, resigned on Jan. 5 after pleading guilty to tax fraud.

Gentile, a councilmember representing a district that covers Bay Ridge, and Dyker Heights and includes parts of Bensonhurst, is seen by most political experts as the underdog in the race because of Donovan’s strong ties to Staten Island, a borough that dominates the map of the congressional district. Donovan, a life-long Staten Islander, is the Staten Island district attorney.

At his event, Gentile told rank-and-file members Democrats to ignore his underdog status.

“We’re going to surprise a lot of people,” Gentile told members of the Stars and Stripes Democratic Club.

Aware of the uphill battle he faces, Gentile sought to tout his connections to Staten Island.

“I got elected three times on Staten Island,” he said, referring to his three terms as a state senator in the 1990s representing a district that included parts of Brooklyn and Staten Island. “I’m the only guy in this race who has represented both sides of the bridge,” he said.

Joseph Bova, the Democratic Party’s district leader in the 49th Assembly District, implored Stars and Stripes Club members to do their best to promote Gentile on Staten Island. “We all have family on Staten Island,” he said, urging the members to reach out to their friends and relatives on the other side of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge and get them to vote for Gentile.

For his part, Donovan appeared to be aware of his front-runner status and candidly admitted that he’s worried about voter complacency.

“My biggest fear is ‘Dan’s going to win.’ You cannot believe the fear it gives me,” he said, adding that he is concerned voters will assume he is a shoe-in and as a result won’t show up to vote on May 5 out of an assumption that the election will be a landslide and that their votes won’t make a difference.

He intends to work hard to win over the voters, he said.

Mike Long, chairman of the New York State Conservative Party, who has endorsed Donovan, also talked about the possibility of voters staying home on May 5. “This is not an election you can take for granted,” he told Donovan’s supporters.

Donovan also acknowledged that he is largely an unknown quantity in the Brooklyn end of the congressional district. “I’ve never had the opportunity to represent the people of Brooklyn,” he said. “You won’t be embarrassed. I’ll make you proud.”

 

 

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