Politics & Government

Voters, Candidates Hit The Polls Early In Forest Hills

Long day ahead for poll workers as voters pour into polling stations.

were busy from the time the doors opened at 6 a.m. in Forest Hills, with residents coming out to register their votes all over the community.

Workers at polling sites in the area said the morning rush had been so busy, they hadn't had time to check and see just how many people had voted.

People in the area came out for a variety of reasons, but the one thing most people put at the top of their priority list: The economy.

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"Taxes, taxes and taxes, to me that's it," said Forest Hills resident Chris Dukas, 55, outside . "Had I had Donald Trump as a choice, I would have voted for him."

Dukas said that ultimately, when it came time to make a decision, he voted for someone he thought would "breathe a little freshness" into the atmosphere in Albany, without going over the edge of reason.

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"I'm just tired of what I call 'career politicians,' … the problem is, you can't just be a good builder, you have to have ethical substance."

Other Forest Hills residents agreed, saying they took into account the job the incumbents had done, and the desire for new faces on the governing scene.

Lenin Batista, 26, said he voted based largely on the economy, and as a referendum on health care.

"I looked at it as an issue of the economy, and people who support health care [reform] versus people who don't support it," Batista said. "That was a pretty important issue for us."

A lifelong Republican casting her ballot at Goddard Middle School, Victoria Saparata, 39, of Ozone Park predicted a GOP sweep on Election Day, despite voting in the same polling place as State Sen. Joe Addabbo Jr. "We need a change back to when people had jobs and the economy was moving," Saparata said. 

Forest Hills resident Robert Sonneman, 75, a Republican, said he felt the Democrats have had their chance to govern.

"I voted straight Republican because the Democrats are so corrupt," Sonneman said. "They have done terrible jobs with us ... they tax and spend ... because they are irresponsible budget-wise. If they're for the poor, how come they end up very rich? We need new blood, I'm telling you."

The candidates were no strangers in the area, either. State Sen. Joe Addabbo Jr. put in a quick appearance at one polling station and grabbed some breakfast from the school's snack bar. 

Dueling assembly candidates and hit the polls at , and shook hands with a few local voters.

U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner, when asked what he was focused on, had a simple answer: "Winning," he said.

"I take this race very seriously. We're in a very difficult political environment all around the country and it's no different in Brooklyn and Queens. I've taken nothing for granted, run a pretty intense campaign, and I think this is fundamentally a campaign about whether we move forward or, kind of, move back."

Stopping by to drop off cookies for poll workers in Middle Village, Anthony Como said he felt confident going into the day.

"I feel great, ever since we started the cookie run this morning, the turnout everywhere has been overwhelming," Como said. "There's an intense feeling that there's a time for change, and that time is now." 

Toby-Ann Stavisky, state senator from Forest Hills and Flushing, disagreed.

"Hopefully, people will see through the subterfuge and see that when President Obama took over, we were deep in a recession and Wall Street was failing," she said. "But we are out of the recession. Anger is not a good method of government."


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