Council Member Bob Holden speaking at a rally in support of the NYPD 108th Precinct in Sunnyside in August 2020. About 150 people turned out in support of the NYPD–including Holden. The supporters were greeted by about 100 protesters. The event took place without incident (Michael Dorgan, Queens Post)
Dec. 6, 2021 By Allie Griffin
Council Member Robert Holden is looking to form a bloc of like-minded moderate colleagues in the City Council to provide a counter to members on the “far left”.
Holden submitted paperwork to the Council Speaker’s Office to form the “Common Sense” caucus about two weeks ago and is confident it will be approved in the coming weeks, he told the Queens Post Friday.
He said about 10 to 12 current council members have expressed interest in joining the caucus.
Council Members Kalman Yeger of Brooklyn and Joseph Borelli of Staten Island are working alongside Holden to create the caucus.
Queens Council Member James Gennaro has also been named as a potential caucus member in published reports, though Holden declined to provide names of members who may join.
The moderate caucus would provide a direct counter to the Council’s progressive caucus, which was formed in 2009 and currently has 20 members. The Council’s other five caucuses are the Black, Asian and Latino caucus; the Irish caucus; the Jewish caucus; the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender caucus; and the women’s caucus.
Holden said he hoped to form the Common Sense caucus four years ago but didn’t have support from the council leadership.
This time around, Holden said there’s growing momentum for more moderate politics because “people are fed up”.
“People see that the city is out of control under de Blasio’s socialist positions,” Holden said. “We need to go back to the center.”
Holden has been an outspoken supporter of the NYPD and has been a harsh critic of the defund the police movement. He has attended several Back the Blue rallies in support of cops, including one in Sunnyside in 2020. He was the only elected official to attend that rally.
.@BobHoldenNYC was immediately interrupted by counter-protesters as he took the mic?️ at pro-@NYPD108Pct rally in #Sunnyside Saturday.
?️“They’re trying to silence us, we won’t be silenced…
We have to #BackTheBlue,” Holden said.@queenspost @sunnysidepost #Queens #protest pic.twitter.com/XSiNn5wn2X
— Michael Dorgan (@MDorganNYC) August 23, 2020
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10 Comments
Wait til he finds out we will have a black mayor starting in just about two weeks! To be a fly on the wall…
This is needed to counter the extreme policies of people like Caban. I am more than happy to donate to their cause. We need common sense back. Not far leftist policy that throws law abiding citizens under the bus.
Voting for moderate democrats tend to go out the window when progressives are telling you that all your troubles are due to racists whites including crime and offer you more handouts.
Newsflash – Robert Holden makes six figures solely because of Bill De Blasio. He went from being the volunteer editor of a racist local rag to riches. You’d think he would show a little more respect for the mayor that got him his job. In two years he will certainly be redistricted out of that job. Can’t wait for this ungrateful twit to crawl back into the corner common sense dictates he belongs in. What a f$&@ing moron!
Disaster is not a common word and for the word to appear within both of the only two comments in this article makes it appear to be one person posting under multiple handles.
I hope his caucus gains traction; it’s about time that common sense prevail after the disaster that was the de Blasio administration.
Deblasio and his radicals are of no use to the working class, then again most if not all never had a real job.
Rob ( Hashtagger- Yes, you’re the only one who has a real job, who rides mass transit, owns a car , pays taxes, paid for your own education, obeys the law, blah blah blah. It must be exhausting being you. I know it’s exhausting just viewing your propaganda posts.
Are there any moderates in the city council left. I wish Holden was Sunnyside’s councilman instead of Julie .
finally, a moderate in this disaster of a city.