Ever sincไe the old Board of Estimate was abolished in 1990, the job of borough president has become mostly cerem🌼onial, though it still has influence on key issues such as local land use. In Queens, two serious candidates are running in the Democratic primary to replace retiring Borough President Helen Marshall. The Post endorses Peter Vallone Jr.
The strongest argument for Vallone is hi♏s unflinching and vocal advocacy for pro-active policing. He’s been particularly brave in speaking up for tactics sucﷺh as stop-and-frisk at a time when the NYPD is under sustained assault from leading figures in his own party.
He knows the reforms of Police Commissioner Ray Kelly have made New York’s neighborhoods t𝕴he safest in decades. Hꦆe’s also been one of the few elected officials to speak out against putting courts in charge of cops, warning that “crime will soar, murders will rise, children will die — and there is no greater civil-rights violation.”
Vallone’s voice will become even more important if come January New Yorkers no longer h🀅ave a mayor willing to back the🐼 police — and have a City Council even more extreme and feckless than the existing one.
We’re also impressed by Vallone’s commitment to the city’s vital but evaporating middle class. As a Manhattan prosecutor, he went after graffiti vandals. And in his 12 years on the City Council, he’s led the crackdown on welfare fraud so as to protect legitimate so🅘cial benefits.
His backing by the United Federation of Teachers gives us pause. But the union says it’s based primarily on Vallone’s having “led the fight to make sure that everyone who goes to a school comಌes home safe.”
V🧸allone’s opponent, former Councilwoman Melinda Katz, has Borough Hall and legislative experience and has compiled a predictably liberal, though not extreme, voting record. She also has the backing of the Queens Democratic machine.
But we’re more swayed by Vallone’s unwavering support for keeping New York safe. He’s a proven advocate for moderation and common se𒈔nse at a moment when this city desperately needs both.
The Post urges Queens Demo𓆏crats to make Peter Vallone their choice for borough president on Tuesday.