Queens Borough President Candidates Rack Up $2M In Public Funds

KEW GARDENS, QUEENS — The six candidates competing in a March 24 special election for Queens borough president have racked up nearly $2 million in public campaign funds, the city's Campaign Finance Board said Tuesday.

The agency doled out an additional $66,000 in public funds to match candidates' latest campaign contributions, bringing the total public funds payment in the special election to $1,964,798, according to Campaign Finance Board data.

Former City Council Member Elizabeth Crowley received the most cash from the Campaign Finance Board, raising just over $900,000 after three public matching fund payments.

The Campaign Finance Board has also distributed more than $600,000 to City Council Member Costa Constantinides and about $457,000 to City Council Member Donovan Richards since Jan. 30, when the agency first issued matching funds for the election.

Candidates will receive one last infusion of public funds based on their financial disclosure statements due Friday, according to Campaign Finance Board spokesperson Matt Sollars.

"Public campaign financing means candidates can run competitive campaigns without seeking big contributions from special interests," Campaign Finance Board Executive Director Amy Loprest said. "For voters, public campaign financing means a more diverse pool of candidates and more competition in our elections."

Borough president candidates had to raise $44,614 and have at least 100 contributions from Queens residents to be eligible for public funds, which match the first $175 of a contribution by an 8-to-1 ratio.

Candidates will have to return the public funds they don't spend on their campaigns, but the city might not see those repayments for several years thanks to a lag in the Campaign Finance Board's campaign audits. (The agency's auditors are still in the process of reviewing 2017 campaign records.)

Queens voters can start heading to the polls as early as Saturday, when the city kicks off a weeklong early-voting period, to choose a replacement for former Borough President Melinda Katz, the newly-elected district attorney.

The next borough president will only spend nine months in the position. A primary this summer and a November general election will determine who finishes the rest of Katz's term, which ends Dec. 31, 2021.