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Uphill climb for challengers
Minority candidates in ethnically diverse district try to overcome entrenched politician and low voter turnout

BY JONATHAN MUMMOLO
STAFF WRITER

August 2, 2005

In Jackson Heights, two minority City Council candidates are trying to tap into one of the most ethnically diverse districts in the city by seeking to unseat an incumbent.

But they face an uphill battle in the Democratic primary, political analysts say, because first they must convince immigrants and minorities to come out and vote.

Despite its large population, District 25, now represented by Councilwoman Helen Sears (D), has among the lowest number of registered voters in Queens, according to the Board of Elections.

Because of the slim number of voters, it takes surprisingly few votes to win the primary in District 25, which emcompasses parts of Corona, Elmhurst, East Elmhurst, Jackson Heights, Rego Park and Woodside.

Sears, who made headlines earlier this year when she helped block New York City's first Wal-Mart from being built in Rego Park, won her party's nomination in 2001 with only 2,705 votes.

Registration among the district's immigrant and minority communities is especially low, experts said, adding to the difficulties challengers Bryan Pu-Folkes and Rodolfo Flores face in their attempt to defeat Sears in the Sept. 13 Democratic primary.

"Many of the immigrant communities have a changing population," said Walter McCaffrey, a former councilman in Queens who is now a political consultant for mayoral candidate C. Virginia Fields.

"Either people have not applied to become citizens, or if they have, then as they begin to move up the economic ladder, many move to other areas," he said.

Pu-Folkes, 36, a New York City human rights commissioner and son of Burmese and Jamaican parents, is founder of the Jackson Heights non-profit New Immigrant Community Empowerment (NICE), a group that lobbies for immigrant rights and causes.

He said he considers the district a "cultural mecca" and sees health problems stemming from the environment and the need to bridge cultural divides - especially in the small business community - as major issues of his campaign.

"Many small businesses are immigrants from all over the world. We want to help them with the cultural and language barriers," Pu-Folkes said. "There are many programs available to them that many business owners are not aware of."

Flores, 52, a social worker and Peruvian immigrant, is making another run at Sears after being kept off the ballot in 2001 for invalid signatures.

He said garbage collection has become a problem in Jackson Heights, along with linguistic obstacles for aging immigrants.

"The first population of Hispanic immigrants is becoming older now," he said. "We need bilingual people. We need translators."

Though Sears is white and the community she has represented since 2001 is nearly 70 percent Asian and Pacific Islander and Hispanic, experts say her opponents don't present a huge challenge.

Equipped with a voting record and the name recognition that comes with incumbency, Sears, 75, who has been the Democratic district leader in the 34th Assembly District since 1978, is poised for re-election, political consultants said.

"I think she's done a great job for her constituents, and my sense is she's going to win the race," said consultant Suri Kasirer, of Kasirer Consulting in Manhattan, who is not working for any candidate in the area. "There are not a lot of registered voters there, meaning you need a smaller number to get elected in that district," she said.

Sears, the City Council's Queens budget negotiator, said she has numerous initiatives aimed at helping minorities and immigrants, including investigating conditions faced by day laborers and funding after-school programs in Thai and Turkish neighborhoods. She also seeks to arrange free screenings and an information session for Latina women, who suffer higher rates of cervical cancer.

"I get the support I do, not because I'm an incumbent sitting here and haven't done anything," Sears said. "It's because I'm an incumbent that has accomplished."

Pu-Folkes, of Jackson Heights, has come closest to matching Sears' war chest of more than $92,000, raising more than $60,000, according to the July 15 Campaign Finance Board filing. He is a graduate of New York University School of Law and worked as a public interest lawyer from 1999 to 2003.

He said that although he thinks he has garnered enough support to defeat Sears, voter registration in his district will play a role in the race.

"It will affect the election in that many people who are stakeholders in the community ... will not participate and will become vulnerable to elected officials who pay more attention to squeaky wheels," he said.

Of the 164,807 people in District 25, only 58,664, or 36 percent, are registered voters, according to the 2000 Census and the Board of Elections. In nearby District 27, which is nearly 80 percent black with many Caribbean immigrants, more than half the population is registered.

Flores, of Jackson Heights, who is not applying for city matching funds, could face fines for missing both the Campaign Finance Board and Board of Elections' July 15 disclosure deadlines, officials at the boards said.

Republican candidate Masud M. Rahman, 36, an Elmhurst software engineer originally from Bangladesh, likely will face the winner of the Democratic primary.

Sears, who chairs the council's Committee on Standards and Ethics - and also serves on the Finance, Health, Transportation and State and Federal Legislation committees - said she has worked to address the needs of her diverse district.

"We have touched on every issue possible from every voter," she said.

THE CANDIDATES

Councilwoman Helen Sears

75, Democrat,

District leader, Queens budget negotiator

Bryan Pu-Folkes

36, Democrat, city human rights commissioner

Rodolfo Flores, 52, Democrat, social worker

Not pictured:

Masud M. Rahman,

36, Republican, software engineer