Halloran Kicks Off Re-Election Campaign

Councilman Dan Halloran, R-Whitestone, officially kicked off the campaign to retain his northeast Queens seat last week during an event in Whitestone that drew more than 100 supporters.

Halloran, who was first elected to the Council in 2009, already has several Democrat contenders who will face off in this fall’s primary election.

The candidates include Paul Vallone, an attorney who is the brother of Councilman Peter Vallone Jr., D-Astoria, and Democratic State Committeeman Matthew Silverstein. Former Assemblyman John Duane is also believed to be eyeing the seat.

Halloran, who recently ran against U.S. Rep. Grace Meng, D-Flushing, in the race to replace former Congressman Gary Ackerman, launched his re-election campaign last week at Whitestone’s Verdi’s, where he was joined by former state Sens. Frank Padavan and Serph Maltese, Councilman Eric Ulrich, R-Ozone Park, and a number of local residents.

“This campaign is about three things: neighborhoods, neighborhoods and neighborhoods,” Halloran said. “This is a very special district, where I was raised and have lived my entire life. We need to fight to keep us from becoming just another part of the big city.”

The councilman told the crowd that his office had been ranked first in the City Council for constituent services for the past three years.

“We have closed over 8,000 constituent cases,” he said. “Other candidates may talk about what they might do. I can tell you what we have done: we’ve saved the after school programs, kept the fire houses open and enabled places like Douglaston’s Alley Pond Environmental Center and the Bayside Historical Society to go on serving Queens.”

GOP mayoral candidate Joe Lhota, who attended the campaign kickoff, said he endorsed Halloran for re-election.

“I more than endorse him, I want him to win,” Lhota said.