Negative hearsay was spreading quickly on the day after the arrest of

Negative hearsay was spreading quickly on the day after the arrest of Republican Councilman Dan Halloran in Bayside, Queens. Democrats thought the investigation launched by federal authorities could hurt the operation of the Queens County Republican Party and, therefore, offer an opportunity for change in the City Council.

Among the possibilities, Kevin Kim, an Asian candidate who won the Democratic nomination in 2009 in Council District 19 – which includes Bayside – who is considering coming back and running for the seat again this year. Kim may become the only Asian candidate in the upcoming City Council election campaign.

During the 2009 campaign, the young Korean-American lawyer and his rival, Halloran, came onto the scene with similar backgrounds: they were both first-timers running for public office.

Halloran graduated from St. John’s University’s School of Law and Kim from Columbia Law School. They were both good at debating, and their professional experiences were similar. Indeed, it was Kim’s outstanding performance in the debates that helped him defeat competitors and win the nomination in the Democratic primary.

Memories of ‘Asian Invasion’ Still Fresh

After Kim won the primary in the Democrat-dominated District 19, many thought he would win in the general election and make history for the Asian community. But in the next three months, Halloran managed to turn the tide with shocking campaign strategies.

For example, his campaign handed out campaign flyers with a picture of crowds of new immigrants on the streets in neighboring Flushing and captioned it: “Do you want Bayside to be like this?” to criticize overdevelopment in the heavily-immigrant neighborhood. This triggered a huge outcry in the Asian community.

In the short period between the primary and the general election, the competition between Kim and Halloran quickly turned into a battle of religion and race. A local English-language newspaper in Queens ran a front page article attacking Halloran’s neo-pagan faith of Theodism, and it also accused Halloran of stirring anti-Asian sentiments in the district.

Furthermore, according to a complaint filed to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) by the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF) in 2010, Kim’s campaign workers were attacked and experienced discrimination. The NYPD has also investigated a case in which a group of young white men attacked two volunteers of Kim’s campaign and shouted racist phrases like “White power!” and “White supremacy!” During the clash, a Korean volunteer was injured in the head.

The heated campaign continued through Election Day. According to AALDEF, some of Halloran’s volunteers told voters Kim is “Chinese,” and the “neighborhood is getting really Asian. Chinese people are taking over,” in order to persuade them to vote for Halloran.

A Reputable Character

When facing inquiries afterwards, Halloran disputed the accusations. He said the DOJ had dismissed the complaints, and he believes there should not be divisions among different races in the same community. All immigrants are Americans, and the interests of America should always be the priority. The election ended with victory for Halloran who, by a margin of a mere 881 votes, defeated Kim in the Democratic stronghold.

Halloran hasn’t pulled back on his controversial tactics since his win. Last September, he used the f-word while attending a public event, and immediately made headlines in the English-language media. Later, when he tried to help defeat Democrat Grace Meng in her campaign for the 6th Congressional District, The Times of Israel quoted him as accusing Meng of having Chinese nationality and raising most of her campaign funding from the Chinese community.

Despite these controversies, some in the political field pointed out Halloran’s high approval rating in the three years since he has become councilman, particularly among white people and conservative Democrats. He left his office open 24 hours a day during the 2011 snowstorm and Hurricane Irene, and Hurricane Sandy in 2012 to offer help to constituents. He was also the first councilman who criticized city government for doing a lousy job with snow removal in Queens during the snowstorm in December 2011. Therefore, it may still not be an easy job for Democrats to grab the seat back from him in the City Council election this November.

Insiders said on April 3 that after Halloran was arrested for alleged bribery, Kim, though still undecided, has started considering the pros and cons of running again. The pros are clear: first, the possibility for the Democrats to win back the seat has increased this year; and, second, in addition to Halloran, Vince Tabone, the vice chairman of the Queens County Republican Party, is also involved in the scandal. This will be a heavy blow to the party and a good chance for Kim.

The newly minted redistricting map has drawn District 19 with a 28 percent Asian population, among which, are mainly Chinese and Korean. There are four Democrats who have announced plans to run for the seat, including Paul Vallone, son of former City Council Speaker Peter Vallone who ran before; Austin Shafran, the former vice president of public affairs for Empire State Development under the Cuomo administration, who is from a politically active family; former state Assemblyman John Duane; and community leader Paul Graziano.

The period to petition for signatures for the election will start in early summer. Kim still has a chance to join the race if he decides to do so at the last minute. But the four already in the pool have been fundraising for a while. And fundraising may be the biggest challenge Kim will face if he decides to run.

The 42-year-old Kim graduated from Stanford University and Columbia Law School. He worked as deputy chief of community affairs in the office of former Congressman Gary Ackerman. He is also a longtime friend of Meng, who was elected last year. If Kim decides to run, he will certainly bring more uncertainties to the already heated battle among the five candidates in Council District 19.

By Stella Chan Sing Tao Daily
Translated by Rong Xiaoqing from Chinese