THANKSGIVING DAY REPORT TO THE ROCKAWAY REPUBLICANS

Tom Lynch and Stu Mirsky visited the Woodside Regular Republican Club (Patrick Hurley, president) last Tuesday night, November 23rd. They found a great deal of enthusiasm for the Republican cause there and plenty of anger among the membership at the party's recent decline here in Queens and thoughout much of the rest of New York State.

Their district leader, Ed Coyne, spoke at some length about how frustrated he has become with current leadership. He was recently taken to task by Queens County Leader Serph Maltese over his statements concerning this situation and his booing of State Senator Joe Bruno in Albany for allowing the party to deteriorate as it has. Coyne is articulate and has been a Republican activist and leader in Queens for about 40 years. He indicated that he will not retract what he has said since he believes the Republican Party in New York State is in dire straits because of past and current leadership failures. His club passed a resolution supporting him in the face of a written rebuke he has received from State Senator Maltese. Senator Maltese had a representative in the room but she remained silent. Ed Coyne noted that this was the first time in his memory that Senator Maltese had sent a representative to one of their meetings!

Also present was a young fellow named Steve Shaw, of the investment banking community, who has declared his intention to challenge Mayor Bloomberg in the primaries in order to unseat him. He laid out his campaign platform which includes a return to real fiscal conservativism (cutting city spending instead of raising taxes), rolling back laws that intrude on individual liberty like the mayor's anti-smoking legislation, and rebuilding the Republican base in New York City, something, he admitted, that neither Mayor Bloomberg nor his illustrious predecessor, Mayor Giuliani, ever did. Mr. Shaw is youthful and, unfortunately, lacks any governmental experience, a real drawback in any run for high political office like the mayoralty. Ed Coyne cautioned him about the process for getting on the ballot which may prove a serious obstacle in the face of the mayor's resources to scoop up petition signatures quickly in the early stages of the process (commencing this coming June). Mr. Shaw is seeking early volunteers to get behind him in his effort to build an infrastructure to ensure he can qualify. Shaw also expressed an interest, after the meeting, in coming out to address the Rockaway Republicans. He told us that he believes he can successfully mount a grassroots campaign to challenge Mayor Bloomberg in the primary, despite the vast differences in their financial positions.

Tom and Stu indicate they were very favorably impressed with the Woodside Club's enthusiasm and desire to work with the Rockaway Republicans to revive our party in Queens County. The members of the Woodside Club reacted favorably, on their part, to the information Tom provided them about the progress we've been making here in Rockaway. As with the "linkages" already established between our group and the Forest Park and Ozone Park groups, this is one more link in the chain we are forging to rebuild cooperation among local Republican organizations in Queens in order to end the harmful isolation that has been allowed to set in through the inattention of Republican higher-ups in this county and state.

Tom and Stu invited the Woodside Club members and their leaders to join us and other interested party activists and leaders on January 11th for the Downstate Grassroots Republican summit which is being sponsored by the Rockaway Republicans at the Belle Harbor Yacht Club. Pat Hurley, Ed Coyne, and Steve Shaw all said they'll be attending, adding still another group of serious local Republicans to our growing list of allies and friends around the county.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING . . . WE HOPE TO SEE ALL OF YOU AT THE UPCOMING NOVEMBER 30TH MEETING OF THE ROCKAWAY REPUBLICANS AT THE BELLE HARBOR YACHT CLUB AND AT THE GRASSROOTS REPUBLICAN SUMMIT, SAME LOCATION, ON JANUARY 11, 2005!