QUEENS CHRONICLE, Thursday, November 9, 2023 Page 18
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Paladino routs Avella in decisive victory
CM wins rematch by more than 20 points by Sophie Krichevsky Associate Editor
City Councilmember Vickie Paladino (R-Whitestone) cruised her way to a second term Tuesday night, winning a rematch against former Councilman and state Sen. Tony Avella by more than 20 percentage points, according to the city Board of Elections’ unofficial election night results, Paladino celebrated the win with some 50 of her supporters and volunteers (some of whom were as young as 12) outside her campaign office at the Bay Terrace Shopping Center, where she could be found dancing along to ’80s hits as others joined a conga line. As she approached the podium for her acceptance speech, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ “I Won’t Back Down” blasted from the speakers. “Does anybody need any more proof than that?” Paladino said. “My theme song — ‘I Won’t Back Down’ — and we didn’t back down!” “What we showed the City of
New York was that we all can come together,” she added later. “This is about accomplishing what people think you cannot get done. In my office, there’s no such thing as a problem — there’s only a solution.” Paladino’s victory comes just two years after she defeated Avella in a race for the same seat by less than 400 votes, or less than two points. Even as turnout was significantly lower this time around, with 19,355 total votes this year and 27,891 in 2021, Paladino won handily, picking up 11,648 votes, or 60.18 percent, to Avella’s 7,634, or 39.44 percent. Her support was not limited to any particular area, either. Of Council District 19’s 78 election districts — the smallest geographic region for which the BOE has records — Avella won only 13. “Although the election didn’t go the way I hoped, I want to thank all of the people who have supported me over the years,” Avella said in a post on X, previously known as Twitter. “I am grateful for each and
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every one of you.” In part because the race was a rematch of 2021’s tight contest, the election had widely been reported as one to watch. But the councilmember’s son, Thomas Paladino Jr., dismissed that idea in his speech Tuesday night. “We won this race from the day it was announced — that’s a fact,” he said. “This ‘horse race’ between my mother and her opponent was never real, and I think that the results tonight demonstrate that. This was a concoction, a figment of our opponent’s imagination.” The councilmember’s son made a similar characterization in March 2022, calling the veteran lawmaker “delusional” when Avella announced his second bid by saying an “unofficial government in exile” may be warranted as long as Paladino held the seat. Avella has largely been out of the public eye since he narrowly won the Democratic primary this summer, which St. John’s University political science professor and analyst Brian Browne said was likely a contributing factor. But Browne also said Pal-
Councilmember Vickie Paladino won re-election by a landslide 20-plus-point PHOTO BY SOPHIE KRICHEVSKY margin Tuesday night. adino had a clear message for voters. “She’s been visible on issues, she’s been out there in the community,” he said. He added later, “She was outspoken on the migrant crisis early, and still is. And I think that resonated.” Browne said Avella struggled to do the same. “There was no issue that he galvanized people around to come out and support him,” he said. Instead, Avella focused on opposing Paladino, referring to her more than once as a white supremacist, claiming her son has far right-wing affilia-
SPORTS
tions and highlighting the councilmember’s campaign efforts last year in support of embattled Rep. George Santos (R-Nassau, Queens). Thomas Paladino Jr. called Avella’s comments “lies,” “slander” and “libel” Tuesday. The councilmember seemed to address Avella’s portrayal of her son Tuesday when she said, “Let me make myself very, very clear: I’m a mother who’s proud and I’m proud of my boy. And if anybody’s got a problem with that, that’s too Q damn bad.”
BEAT
Mets win at Emmys by Lloyd Carroll
PHOTO COURTESY DAWNMARIE NAPOLITANO
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Chronicle Contributor
Sunshine brings light to ‘13’ Becoming a teenager is a transformative life stage, and to capture that, Little Mary’s Sunshine Studios, a Queens-based vocal studio that originated in Howard Beach, is performing “13 the Musical,” directed by DawnMarie Napolitano. The cast is all local to Howard Beach, Ozone Park, Rockaway and Middle Village and ranges in age from 11 to 17, Napolitano told the Chronicle. The musical, with music and lyrics by Jason
Robert Brown, follows young teens finding themselves, navigating friendships and first relationships and surviving life in this new stage — all with a little more homework to do. The performances will be held at St. Francis Preparatory School in Fresh Meadows on Nov. 10 and 11 at 7 pm., and on Nov. 12 at 12 and 3:30 p.m. For tickets or more information, visit linktr.ee/sunshinestudiosny. — Kristen Guglielmo
For the past 66 years, the best in local sports television was honored as a small part of the New York Emmy Award presentation for news and documentaries. This year, local channels finally had their own standalone ceremony. WABC-TV news correspondent N.J. Burkett, who doubles as head of the New York chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, admitted to the audience at the Paley Center last Monday that attendees were not happy to be leaving the news Emmy Awards the last few years around 1 a.m., and changes had to be made. In a battle of Queens, Forest Hills native son Ian Eagle, the television voice of the Brooklyn Nets, triumphed over Flushing denizen and longtime Mets broadcaster Gary Cohen for the best play-by-play. While Cohen did not win, it was a good day for SNY Mets talent. Cohen’s booth mate, Ron Darling, won the Emmy for in-game sports analyst. Former Mets star Todd Zeile won for best studio analyst for his work on the Mets pre- and postgame shows. One of the nominees in the category Zeile won is SNY’s Connor Rogers, who is part of SNY’s quartet of Jets pre- and postgame personalities, along with Bart Scott, Willie Colon and Steve Gelbs. Rogers never played football, but he is extremely knowledgeable, and reports on what
the Jets did right and wrong in a way that appeals to thinking sports fans. Unlike too many others in the sports media, he is not seeking clicks on social media by saying outrageous things. Bruce Beck’s understudy at Channel 4, John Chandler, won the Emmy for best sports anchor within a traditional newscast. I have always liked his easygoing delivery. He subtly lets viewers know not to get too euphoric if their favorite team wins, or despondent if they lose. Chandler, like Channel 2’s Steve Overmyer, also goes out in the field on general news stories. Both do fine work reporting on more serious things than the games people play. Warner Wolf is the most entertaining sports anchor to ever deliver scores and news at the end of every newscast. He is famous for his catchphrase, “Let’s go to the videotape!” as well as having fun with a team that got demolished that night. “If you had the Jets and 50 points, you lost!” he would state with a hearty chuckle. Wolf received the Governor’s Award for lifetime achievement. At 86, he has not lost any of his wit, as he regaled the audience with anecdotes from his career, including his first job in Pikeville, Ky. He admitted sports anchors had it easier in the era before the internet and ESPN, because most viewers did not know how their favorite Q teams did until he gave his report. See the extended version of Sports Beat every week at qchron.com.
