Brooklyn and Queens conservatives hold annual American Heritage dinner

July 27, 2018 By John Alexander Brooklyn Daily Eagle

American Heritage Dinner honoree James LeMonda was congratulated on his award. Eagle photos by Arthur de Gaeta

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Community leaders from Brooklyn and Queens came together for the Conservative Parties of Kings and Queens Counties’ American Heritage Dinner on Tuesday, July 24 at the El Caribe Country Club. This year’s event saluted James LeMonda, president, and the men and women of the Uniformed Fire Officers Association (UFOA).

The Kings and Queens County Conservative Parties, formed in 1962, offered New York voters a new voice in addition to the three existing political parties at the time.

Hosting the event were New York State Conservative Party Chairperson Mike Long, Kings County Chairperson Gerard Kassar and Queens County Chairperson Thomas Long.

Among the elected officials in attendance were state Sen. Marty Golden, Queens City Councilmembers Eric Ulrich and Robert Holden, and Brooklyn City Councilmember Kalman Yeger.

Also attending were attorneys Mike Connors and Richard Brown, Conservative Party Secretary David Ryan, candidate for lieutenant governor Julie Killian, attorney general candidate Keith Wofford and Brooklyn Assembly candidate Steve Saperstein.

“We had a great dinner tonight with the Brooklyn and Queens Conservative Parties,” Kassar said. “We honored the Uniformed Fire Officers Association and its President James LeMonda. We had most of our statewide ticket here, including our candidates for lieutenant governor and attorney general.”

The Thaddeus S. Dabrowski American Heritage Award was presented to LeMonda for his service to the city of New York. The Bronx-born LeMonda grew up in Brooklyn and graduated from Queens College. He became a New York City police officer before being joining the FDNY.

In 1994, LeMonda was promoted to lieutenant and was later assigned to Engine 234 in Brooklyn. Seven years later he was appointed captain of Engine 234 and in 2005 he was promoted to battalion chief and assigned to the 11th Battalion until his election to the Fire Officers Association Executive Board in Sept. 2009. In 2014 he was elected president of the UFOA.

“It’s a great event tonight,” Mike Long told this paper. “I was honored at this event back in the ‘90s. The party honors people who do a really great job, and our honoree tonight is the head of the fire officers who do a lot of hard work and save a lot of people’s lives in the city of New York.”

Thomas Long shared his brother Mike’s sentiments. “It was a pleasure to honor James for over 30 years of service protecting the people of this city as a policeman, fireman, fire chief and now head of the union,” he said.

Golden said this event was extra special because it brought together the top of the Republican and Conservative Party lines.

“This is a great night,” Golden said. “This whole ticket is doing a great job and we’re looking to be successful in November and I think we will be.”