Curtis Sliwa has endorsed Alicia Vaichunas for Metropolis Council
Picture courtesy of Alicia Vaichunas
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Alicia Vaichunas, a candidate for Metropolis Council District 30, has secured the endorsement of Curtis Sliwa, “the people’s mayor” and founding father of the Guardian Angels.
Sliwa, recognized for his long-standing advocacy on public issues of safety, introduced his help for Vaichunas as she campaigns to succeed term-limited Council Member Robert Holden.
Vaichunas, a longtime aide to Holden and a devoted civic chief within the district kicked off her marketing campaign with a rally attended by Sliwa, who expressed confidence in her skill to characterize the varied communities of District 30, which encompasses the neighborhoods of Ridgewood, Maspeth, Center Village, Glendale, Elmhurst, and Rego Park.
“I am incredibly proud to support Alicia Vaichunas for New York City Council District 30 to succeed the great Bob Holden,” mentioned Sliwa.
“Alicia has worked hard in constituent services for years with Bob Holden, helping thousands of residents across Queens with so many different needs. Alicia has the experience needed to be your next Council Member and will be ready on Day One to serve you—and no one else. I’m proud to work with Alicia to make sure she is elected so she can continue working hard for you.”
Vaichunas, who at present serves as Council Member Bob Holden’s deputy chief of employees, was fast to specific her gratitude for Sliwa’s backing.
“It’s an honor to have the endorsement of the People’s Mayor, Curtis Sliwa,” acknowledged Vaichunas. “For decades, he’s volunteered to keep NYC safe, and having his support means the world to me. No one in this race is more qualified or ready on day one than me to continue Bob Holden’s great work and fight for our district.”
Vaichunas has loved a promising marketing campaign to date after capturing out the gates early on. 5 days after launching her marketing campaign, she raised $15,275 from 201 contributors. Almost 80% of the funds raised got here from District 30 residents, reflecting robust grassroots help for her candidacy. The typical donation is $76, underscoring the broad, native backing she has garnered in such a short while.
Among the many contributions, 170 District 30 residents donated a complete of $12,045, with $11,650 of that quantity eligible for matching funds.
One other 28 contributors from outdoors the district supplied $2,955, of which $2,430 is matchable. New York Metropolis’s voluntary public financing program permits small-dollar contributions to be matched, encouraging candidates to interact with on a regular basis New Yorkers slightly than counting on massive donations from particular curiosity teams.
Vaichunas’ work in the neighborhood speaks for itself. As a civic chief in Maspeth and a former PTA president at PS/IS 49, she has made vital strides in advocating for quality-of-life enhancements.
She was a key determine in efforts to forestall the conversion of the Vacation Inn in Maspeth right into a homeless shelter in 2016, a struggle that rallied the neighborhood in opposition to a choice that many felt would undermine the neighborhood’s stability. She additionally uncovered a scandal concerning the admissions course of at Maspeth Excessive College that uncared for to contemplate parochial college college students.
In one in every of her more moderen successes, Vaichunas helped Center Village resident Stefania Mazzini get better $14,000 after she was scammed in a telephone fraud. Vaichunas labored with the Queens District Lawyer’s Workplace to make sure Mazzini obtained her a reimbursement, demonstrating her dedication to defending the neighborhood from crime.
“When you get money back for these constituents, it makes you feel great,” Vaichunas mentioned on the time. “It makes coming to work worthwhile.”
