Stavisky to Face First Republican Challenger of Her Career
Democrats unworried, but Peter Koo claims to have shaken complacency in district
Fri, 13 Jun 2008 16:53:00
Democratic State Sen. Toby Ann Stavisky (D-Queens) is set to face her first Republican challenger this November since first being elected nearly nine years ago.
GOP pharmacist and businessman Peter Koo said he has shaken her out of complacency and forced her to become more involved in the community.
“The current senator is more or less out of touch with the average New Yorker,” he said. “Now that she is facing competition, she is coming out. In a way, it is good for the communities.”
He is mounting his uphill challenge in the heavily Democratic 16th Senate District covering the northwestern Queens neighborhoods of Flushing, Bay Terrace, Fresh Meadows, Oakland Gardens, Rego Park and Elmhurst.
Koo, who has the backing of the Queens Republican Party, said he would be willing to spend up to $500,000 of his own fortune made through his chain of five pharmacies in the Flushing area. On top of that, he claimed to have raised about $150,000 in contributions.
His campaign has registered with the state Board of Elections, but did not file before the latest deadline in January.
As of the January filing, Stavisky had $158,000 on hand.
Stavisky, the first woman from Queens to serve in the State Senate, was elected in 1999 to fill the vacancy created by the death of her husband, Leonard Stavisky, who had held the seat since 1966. She is supported by the Queens and state Democratic parties.
She has had no Republican challengers in any of her general elections, although there have been several smaller party candidates, whom she beat handily. The district has about four times as many registered Democrats as Republicans, according to the state Board of Elections.
Koo hopes to put together a winning coalition of Republicans, new immigrants and local business owners using a campaign emphasizing cutting red tape for smaller companies.
Stavisky declined to be interviewed for an article about the campaign, but spokesman Joe Reubens rejected the idea that she was out of touch.
“Sen. Stavisky has maintained an active and energetic presence in the district,” he said, where she has an office, hosts events and handles constituent issues.
Doug Forand, a spokesman for the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee, said the organization was not concerned with the GOP challenge.
“Although we take nothing for granted, this is a race we are not worried about at all,” he said. “The fact is this is a Democratic district and she is the Democrat with deep roots. They can spend a million or two million, but she will be re-elected in November.”
Oliver Tan, Koo’s campaign manager, said Democrats would be willing to cross over and support her.
“We don’t believe people will just vote along party line. This year with the Democratic primary, people have shown they want to vote their principles,” he said.
Koo, 52, was born in China, and moved to the United States in 1971. He opened the first of his Starside Drugs pharmacies in 1991. He is the president of the Flushing Chinese Business Association and a board member of Community Board 7 and the Downtown Flushing Business Improvement District.
Both candidates have indicated an openness to debates.
Queens College political science professor Michael Krasner said the advantages of her name recognition and years of representing the district would be hard to beat, even with a heavy financial investment.
“Money does a lot, as Bloomberg’s example demonstrates, but Bloomberg only beat Mark Green narrowly,” he explained, referring to the 2001 New York City mayor’s race. “And Green gave him an enormous amount of help.”
GOP pharmacist and businessman Peter Koo said he has shaken her out of complacency and forced her to become more involved in the community.
“The current senator is more or less out of touch with the average New Yorker,” he said. “Now that she is facing competition, she is coming out. In a way, it is good for the communities.”
He is mounting his uphill challenge in the heavily Democratic 16th Senate District covering the northwestern Queens neighborhoods of Flushing, Bay Terrace, Fresh Meadows, Oakland Gardens, Rego Park and Elmhurst.
Koo, who has the backing of the Queens Republican Party, said he would be willing to spend up to $500,000 of his own fortune made through his chain of five pharmacies in the Flushing area. On top of that, he claimed to have raised about $150,000 in contributions.
His campaign has registered with the state Board of Elections, but did not file before the latest deadline in January.
As of the January filing, Stavisky had $158,000 on hand.
Stavisky, the first woman from Queens to serve in the State Senate, was elected in 1999 to fill the vacancy created by the death of her husband, Leonard Stavisky, who had held the seat since 1966. She is supported by the Queens and state Democratic parties.
She has had no Republican challengers in any of her general elections, although there have been several smaller party candidates, whom she beat handily. The district has about four times as many registered Democrats as Republicans, according to the state Board of Elections.
Koo hopes to put together a winning coalition of Republicans, new immigrants and local business owners using a campaign emphasizing cutting red tape for smaller companies.
Stavisky declined to be interviewed for an article about the campaign, but spokesman Joe Reubens rejected the idea that she was out of touch.
“Sen. Stavisky has maintained an active and energetic presence in the district,” he said, where she has an office, hosts events and handles constituent issues.
Doug Forand, a spokesman for the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee, said the organization was not concerned with the GOP challenge.
“Although we take nothing for granted, this is a race we are not worried about at all,” he said. “The fact is this is a Democratic district and she is the Democrat with deep roots. They can spend a million or two million, but she will be re-elected in November.”
Oliver Tan, Koo’s campaign manager, said Democrats would be willing to cross over and support her.
“We don’t believe people will just vote along party line. This year with the Democratic primary, people have shown they want to vote their principles,” he said.
Koo, 52, was born in China, and moved to the United States in 1971. He opened the first of his Starside Drugs pharmacies in 1991. He is the president of the Flushing Chinese Business Association and a board member of Community Board 7 and the Downtown Flushing Business Improvement District.
Both candidates have indicated an openness to debates.
Queens College political science professor Michael Krasner said the advantages of her name recognition and years of representing the district would be hard to beat, even with a heavy financial investment.
“Money does a lot, as Bloomberg’s example demonstrates, but Bloomberg only beat Mark Green narrowly,” he explained, referring to the 2001 New York City mayor’s race. “And Green gave him an enormous amount of help.”
