Local

(This article was written late Tuesday night with the latest information possible.)

In an election that focused on concerns over crime, former cop Eric Adams easily defeated civilian patrol founder Curtis Sliwa among other Democrats in citywide races who earned their spots on the November ballot after winning in crowded primaries earlier this past June. The Queens-born headliner ran on a centrist platform that included the reversal of a few of his predecessor’s ideas such as abolishing the plainclothes police unit and eliminating the gifted and talented program in public schools.

In the country’s largest town, property taxes take up the largest share in the cost of living and it is the top issue for Hempstead Town Supervisor Donald Clavin, who is running for reelection this year. Having won his seat in 2019 after serving for 18 years as the town’s Tax Receiver, he takes pride in keeping down the cost of governing the sprawling unit of more than 793,000 residents to the east of Queens.

The center of the Queens Jewish community can be mapped in a few precise ways: the Eruv boundary, certain ZIP Codes that match these boundaries, and the legislative districts into which they fit. Following the publication of last year’s nationwide census, the state is preparing to redraw the district lines to reflect shifts in the demographics and population, which could unite some neighborhoods under a single district, and divide others among several representatives, diminishing the clout of a community.

Superficially, the neighborhoods of Howard Beach and Astoria could not be more different. Located on the opposite ends of Queens, one is densely populated with views of Manhattan across the East River, while the other has a suburban appearance with breeze from Jamaica Bay and noise from airplanes at the nearby airport. What they have in common is that on November 2, the New York City Council seats for these two neighborhoods are up for grabs with a very real possibility of a leftist victory in each one.

Take a walk on Hempstead Avenue, the main road in West Hempstead, and if the upcoming general election would be determined by lawn signs and banners, the Republicans would have a landslide. Their headliner is Bruce Blakeman, a County Legislator from Atlantic Beach running for County Executive against incumbent Laura Curran.

Rabbi Manny Behar, a mentor to many elected officials, candidates, and community leaders, is returning to his roots and reuniting with his family at the end of this month. “We’ve talked about it for many years. Our home will be close to my father and Evelyn’s brother,” he said. “Everybody has his or her own circumstances for returning.”