Andrew Yang and Elizabeth Crowley cross endorse in Bayside Friday (twitter)
June 21, 2021 By Christina Santucci
Andrew Yang and former Councilmember Elizabeth Crowley announced last week that they are supporting one another’s respective campaigns for mayor and Queens borough president.
The candidates held an event in Bayside to cross endorse each other Friday – with supporters including the firefighters union.
“Together, we’ll deliver for Queens by reducing crime, helping small businesses open and grow, and providing the best possible public school education in every neighborhood,” Yang said in a statement.
During Friday’s event, he praised Crowley’s past roles as chair of the City Council’s Committee on Fire and Criminal Justice Services.
“No one has been stronger on public safety than Liz,” he said.
Yang said he was thrilled both to endorse Crowley and to receive her support for mayor.
Crowley, meanwhile, praised Yang for providing a fresh perspective.
“If this city is to come back from the pandemic, we can’t do it with the same insiders and politicians. Andrew has proven that he has the ideas and energy to bring our city back,” Crowley said in a statement.
She lauded Yang’s proposals to bring tech jobs to Queens and for a People’s Bank, which would improve access to banking services and provide small business lending. City officials estimated in 2020 that 350,000 households citywide did not have a bank account, and they spent about $225 million per year in check cashing fees.
“We need a mayor that will put people first, not politics,” she said.
Yang has also been endorsed by several Queens elected officials: Congressmember Grace Meng, Assemblymember Ron Kim and state Sens. John Liu and Toby Stavisky.
The candidates were joined Friday by officials and members of the Uniformed Firefighters Association (UFA), which has endorsed both Yang and Crowley.
“Liz has always been behind us in everything we have done, and Andrew has the promise and the vision to do things that City Hall has never done,” UFA President Andrew Ansbro.
Ansbro and UFA Vice President Bob Eustace said that the Fire Department needed more resources to help city residents, save lives and put out fires.
Eustace cited the closure of FDNY Ladder 116 in Long Island City in 2003 – and the rapid population growth in the neighborhood in recent years.
“That is rolling the dice. That is gambling. We need a track record of someone who has helped us,” he said of Crowley.
Crowley is running against incumbent Donovan Richards and Councilmember Jimmy Van Bramer for the Queens Borough President seat, which Richards won in a special election last year.
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Good to Know, who I Shouldn’t Vote for!
This is a friendly reminder that Michael Bloomberg was responsible for the closure of FDNY Ladder 116 and numerous other fire stations across the city.