Although some things change in Queens politics, some of the dirty tactics of longtime Bloomberg operatives stay the same. These quotes are from 2005...
Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg has not yet said whether he will challenge the petitions of the man who intends to run against him in the Republican primary, Thomas V. Ognibene. But some people have beaten the mayor to it, among them one Bart Haggerty, a Queens Republican who happens to be the brother of a campaign aide to Mr. Bloomberg, John Haggerty Jr.
Coincidence?
Yes, says Willliam T. Cunningham, a campaign strategist for the mayor, who reported that John Haggerty is listed as a contact on Bart Haggerty's challenge, because John Haggerty is expert at determining whether signatures on nominating petitions are valid. ''It's just a happy circumstance that we're able to monitor this stuff this way,'' Mr. Cunningham said.
Bart Haggerty did not respond to a message left on his home answering machine, and Mr. Cunningham said he would relay a request for comment to John Haggerty. But he added that he did not believe Mr. Haggerty would be available because ''he's locked in a room studying the signatures.''
The Haggerty brothers are members of the Forest Park Republican Club, which recently endorsed Mr. Bloomberg and is part of the so-called ''rebel faction'' that has splintered from the Queens County Republican Party backing Mr. Ognibene.
Mr. Bloomberg's campaign hired Mr. Haggerty -- who is taking a leave of absence from Gov. George E. Pataki's office -- to help, among other things, the mayor's petition drive. That drive has included the aggressive collection of petitions on Mr. Ognibene's home turf in Middle Village, Queens.
Mr. Ognibene said he was not buying Mr. Cunningham's denial of the Bloomberg campaign's involvement in the challenge to his petitions, saying he had found ''a bunch of clowns to do it.''
''He's got John Haggerty on his payroll,'' Mr. Ognibene said. ''If the mayor thinks he's going to be able to do this and distance himself from it, it's a disgrace.''
Mr. Bloomberg's campaign seems to be risking looking as if it is bullying, or buying through legal action, Mr. Ognibene out of the race. Such a move at the very least would seem to go against Mr. Bloomberg's own statements during his fight for nonpartisan elections, when he said that the system as it stood was beholden to the wants of the parties.
''Nobody else ever mounts a successful challenge or a competitive race, because the system is so dominated by the entrenched interests,'' he said at the time.
Mr. Ognibene said he would have 7,959 signatures on petitions, a few hundred above the required 7,500, but still not much of a cushion for challenges.
Mr. Bloomberg, meanwhile, is going to face his own issues at the Board of Elections: complaints were filed with the board against his Republican and Independence Party petitions.
...this family has been using these underhanded legal tactics and the influence and resources of some easily swayed elected officials to try to gain power for their own personal advantage for more than 25 years. Check out this story from 1987...
The Queens Republican organization, once a bellwether in statewide elections, is so torn by dissension that its leadership has been unable to function, politicians say.
The dissension among Queens Republicans is so pervasive that the party was unable to make a strong effort for the borough presidency left vacant by the suicide of Donald R. Manes last year. Earlier this month the Republicans could not even nominate candidates for eight Supreme and Civil Court judgeships. Wide Implications.
Mr. Haggerty's principal antagonist is Sheldon Farber, a lawyer with considerable real-estate interests, who is also a rabbi without a congregation. There is general agreement that the struggle is a matter of personalities and power, not the ideological, ethnic or religious divisions that often mark political power fights.
Mr. Farber argued yesterday in an interview that he is the county leader until his term expires next September. He said there was no provision in the party rules for the executive committee to elect Mr. Haggerty or anyone else until then. He also accused Mr. Haggerty of ''fabricating'' the count of his supporters at the executive committee meeting this month.
Even Serphin R. Maltese, the state chairman of the Conservative Party, who is a law school classmate of Mr. Haggerty and a friend of Mr. Farber, said he had ''tried very hard to mediate'' the struggle. Mr. Haggerty responded that it was ''none of his business.''
The civil war in Queens Republican ranks comes as the party is probably at its lowest ebb. It is the victim over the last two decades of a middle-class movement to the suburbs; reapportionment that cost the borough four of its Republican assemblymen; the loss of the governorship, which fed patronage and campaign funds to the borough, and a drop in court patronage as a result of state rulings.
The same pointless effort to be "powerful" has driven the Haggerty Family into the fight now taking place in the 28th Assembly District. This fight has nothing to do with ideology, but power. Nothing to do with building the Republican Party, but for them selfishly to be able to hire and fire with the authority of the Queens GOP organization. When will it end? Doubtful it ever will.
But where the Haggerty's have failed before, they now attempt to use the wealth of a liberal registered independent to get over-the-top. Should the thousands of conservative-based Republicans in Queens allow this to happen?
Of course not.
The Republican Party has much work to do over the next few years to re-build. Electing someone from the Haggerty family to a position of leadership in the Queens GOP will not help that work in any way - and I've NEVER heard Bart Haggerty or any other Haggerty family member explain what they would do with the power of Party leadership.
As well, the Haggerty's have no interest in a competitive election for this office. They will only resort to legal tricks and behind-the-scenes maneuvering to "win" this race. Petitions get challenged. Lawyer bills pile up. And all the while, democracy and the Republican Party lose.
The Queens GOP has much to be excited for this year. Three very competitive races for Council - one for re-election. A Borough President's candidate with much momentum and the largest number of Registered Republican voters in all of NYC.
Why are we wasting our energy, as we have we been forced to endure for the last two decades, on pointless infighting?
I hope that every Republican in Queens, especially in the Middle Village/Forest Hills areas, steps up and says a big loud "NO" to this selfish waste of time being inflicted on the Party by the Haggerty family. And I also hope that every Republican in Queens remembers that Bart Haggerty and his brother John are using the influence and resources of the Mayor to create this havoc.
If Bloomberg will not tell his hired help to stay out of our Republican business here in Queens, I would argue he doesn't deserve our vote and support as Republicans. The longer this petty, selfish battle is waged by the Haggerty's, the more that point is made clear...
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written by bluecollarconservative , June 24, 2009
I wholeheartedly believe that Republicans living in the 30th Council District should rally behind Tom Ognibene to win the seat back from the Democrats and incompetent Elizabeth Crowley. I also firmly believe that Tom Ognibene should disassociate himself from the Haggerty’s and their feeble attempt to steal a leadership position within the county organization. Additionally, I hope that Mr. Ognibene’s memory is refreshed after reading this article by Mr. Golub and recalls how nasty the Haggerty’s were during his 2005 primary against the mayor.
Mr. Ognibene should graciously and quietly thank the Haggerty’s for using the mayor’s resources and volunteers in getting him petition signatures and then inform Bart that he is going to support Jay Golub and the Queens County organization to save the 28th Assembly District.
Moving forward Tom Ognibene doesn’t need the Haggerty’s and neither does the 28th Assembly District.
True unity cannot occur as long as the Haggerty’s continue to throw political grenades at anyone who steps in their way from obtaining the political power they so maniacally crave.
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