In the News…

Noah C. Zuss, July 10, 2008

More than Two Ways to Begin Political Career

Want to run for public office in Queens?

A seminar at LaGuardia Community College and a Manhattan-based nonprofit can help political novices reach these lofty goals.

At LaGuardia on July 15, former Speaker of the New York City Council and longtime civic leader, Peter Vallone Sr., of Astoria, will be the keynote speaker in the award-winning lecture series, “How to Run for Public Office in New York City.”

In addition to the address by Vallone, the seminar at LaGuardia will feature three evening lectures taught by well-known experts in their field. Speakers will explore election law, fundraising, debating, public speaking, finance law and overall campaign management.

But this is only a lecture series designed to educate and inform.

Helping people learn the nuts and bolts, and even launch a run for county office is Grassroots Initiative, a non partisan political consulting organization in Tribeca.

Grassroots helps first time candidates enter politics by encouraging budding office holders in the five boroughs to run for some 30,000 city-wide party positions.

These party positions are predominantly for county committees and district leader voluntary offices that if left empty will be filled by recommendations from state and city elected officials.

In recent years almost 14,000 offices have been left vacant citywide, a number Alex Carabelli, deputy director of Grassroots Initiative wants to see decline significantly.

Opportunities are abundant, as this year alone more than 6,000 county committee seats are up for election in the Bronx and Queens.

“We try to push people to make county committee position what they want it to be,” Carabelli said.

The county committee and district leader positions are not glamorous, but serve as an entry point for many people with political ambitions.

Notable success stories include Manhattan borough President Scott Stringer who got his start by running for, and winning, a district leader position.

These offices can also serve as an entry point for newly immigrant and less powerful communities. In 2005 Several Sikh candidates got involved in politics by running for positions in South Ozone Park and Richmond Hill.

County committee members make endorsements for City Council, State Senate and State Assembly at election time in the fall. County committee members also elect district leaders for election districts throughout the city.

“We try to drop the barriers of entry for people wanting to get into politics; those are often monetary,” Carabelli said. “If a person wants to get into politics in most places in the country it is easier because our local legislature in the city is the City Council. The City Council is a huge jump and also very competitive.”

To lessen people’s trepidation or intimidation over the enormity and competitiveness of the process, Grassroots makes the process quite simple.

Ian Steinberg, a third-year law student at Hofstra University and an avowed Queensite from Bellerose wanted to get involved in City politics after graduating with a political science degree from SUNY Albany.

He credits the 2000 Presidential election for nudging him into politics.

“The 2000 election got me really interested. I was very unhappy with the result,” he says.

Steinberg interned at the State Assembly after graduation, calling the experience “the best time of my life,” and the Assembly “the most interesting, fun place I had ever been.”

Upon graduation he wanted to use this passion and ambition to continue down this political road, so he called and e-mailed the offices of assemblymen and City Council members looking for advice, or an entry point to get involved, but to no avail.

That was until he heard back from Grassroots.

After receiving a candidate packet in the mail with basic guidelines and information he got to work on his first political campaign, and began knocking on doors, running for county committee in the 16th election district.

Running unopposed, Steinberg got his signatures before the deadline this Friday, he only needed 11, and was off to the county party — even inviting some friends to come along. His ambition was infectious, inspiring several like minded friends to join him and become candidates themselves.