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Volume XX • Number 38 • September 12 - 18, 2013 •
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Voters say sayonara to ‘Strip Club’ Stanton; Cohen wins Council seat by huge landslide By HAYDEE CAMACHO A jubilant Andrew Cohen thanked his supporters and campaign workers after sweeping the Democratic primary to represent his party as 11th District candidate in the general election on November 5th. Cohen swept past rival Clifford Stanford in all but one election district Preliminary results reported Cohen winning 67.8 percent of the votes to Stanton’s 32.2 percent. “I’m thrilled to death,” he said. “It was really a true marathon. I look forward to winning in November and working with a new mayor and a new speaker. I look forward to serving the people of this district.” Track coach and business woman Cheryl Keeling, who tried to run for the City Council seat, was at the celebration. Her candidacy was derailed when Stanton challenged her nominating petitions and had her tossed off the ballot. “I’m very happy for Andy,” she said. Keeling plans to continue her run in the general election as a candidate under the School Choice party line. “It’s too bad there isn’t a council person and deputy council person. Maybe we can do that for Governor and
Lieutenant Governor.” Current District 11 incumbent Oliver Koppell praised Cohen as “a man of good judgment and clear thinking.” He said the district, which represents the neighborhoods of Riverdale, Norwood, Kingsbridge, Woodlawn and Wakefield is one of the most diverse in the city. “This is a man who will relate to every one of those communities with sympathy and empathy.” Cohen thanked Koppell for his dedication to his campaign. “You were a true supporter, an early believer,” he said. “I can’t tell you how many people have told me about the big shoes I have to fill. Your record has been an inspiration.” Holding up some of the electoral division results in his hand, Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz remarked, “he relates extremely well to the people in this district and it’s obvious that they understood that he relates to their problems. Andy showed himself to be the type of person who is going to be extraordinary once he takes office.” Cohen thanked wife, Heather Erhard, along with his siblings and parents for their campaign help. “I
think I got every vote in the Parkway House thanks to the efforts of my mom, he said laughing. The race, once considered competitive, started turning Cohen’s way when the4 Riverdale Review newspaper revealed that Stanton had accepted large contributions from the owner of the infamous Scores strip club. Andrew Wolf, the publisher of the Review noted that Stanton led a failed boycott against the newspaper. “People like Stanton can only thrive under the cover of darkness,” Wolf noted. They
never can stand the scrutiny that comes from the bright light of freedom that results from a free press. I’m proud that we played this independent role in revealing his questionable connections. I think voters now understand his motivation in trying to silence us.” Wolf noted that since Stanton spent thousands of dollars to try and silence the Riverdale Review, “those funds were a campaign expenditure and should be taken into account and counted towards his campaign expenditure limits.”
This could cost Stanton thousands in matching funds that he would be forced to return to the city’s Campaign Finance Board, Wolf noted. “Taxpayer funds should never be used to compromise a free press and free speech. This is not a totalitarian society, despite Mr. Stanton’s efforts to muzzle us. Ultimately the voters had the last word by rejecting Stanton so overwhelmingly. Now we have to make sure that taxpayers won’t be forced to pay the bill for Mr. Stanton’s perfidy,” he concluded.
New commanding officer at the 50th Pct. By HAYDEE CAMACHO As a student at Queens College, Captain Paul Rasa, the new commanding officer of the 50th precinct studied economics but didn’t see a future for himself in business. “I always wanted to
Captain Paul Rasa
help people,” he said. “A few of my friends were taking the police exam and I decided to take it.” Captain Rasa began his appointment as commanding officer of the five-0 on Monday, September 9th, the same day former commanding officer, Deputy Inspector Kevin Burke, began a new position at the World Trade Center Command. Always the police officer, Rasa identifies the neighborhood he grew up in not only by name, but precinct number. “I grew up in Ridgewood, Queens within the confines of the 104th precinct.” He was the middle child of three children. His parents still live in the neighborhood. After receiving his degree, Rasa joined the police force in February of 1994. He was the first officer in his family. “I never had any doubts,” he said. “My parents Continued on Page 12
Andrew Cohen, now the Democratic candidate for City Council in the 11th District in the Northwest Bronx, checks out the election returns at his victory party Tuesday evening. Cohen defeated censorship advocate Clifford Stanton by a huge margin in the Democratic Primary election.