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Special Election Between Gentile and Donovan Being Held Tuesday

By Nicholas Rizzi | May 4, 2015 5:02pm
 The special election between District Attorney Dan Donovan and Brooklyn Councilman Vincent Gentile is on Tuesday, May 5, 2015.
Donovan and Gentile Special Election
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STATEN ISLAND — After more than 100 days without representation, the election to fill the congressional seat left vacant by Michael Grimm was being held Tuesday.

Voters took to the polls to decide between District Attorney Dan Donovan, a Republican, Democrat Councilman Vincent Gentile and Green Party candidate James Lane for the seat, which covers Staten Island and parts of Brooklyn.

Donovan was thrust into the national spotlight after a grand jury ruled not to indict NYPD officer Daniel Pantaleo for the death of Eric Garner under his watch at the helm of the District Attorney's office.

While Gentile vowed to make it a campaign issue, it went largely unmentioned in the race, according to the New York Times.

The DA picked up endorsements from nearly every major publication in the city: including the Staten Island Advance, the New York Daily News, the New York Post and the New York Observer.

"I think our campaign was absolutely on point," said Donovan at PS 13 in Rosebank, where he voted Tuesday morning. "It was uplifting, we gave the voters a reason to vote for us."

Gentile recently picked up an endorsement from Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who called the Brooklyn council member "a steadfast advocate for first responders and he is committed to growing our economy by cutting taxes, creating jobs and supporting small businesses."

Moneywise, Donovan beat out Gentile for campaign contributions, raising $419,251 more than him. 

But on Tuesday, Gentile was hopeful voters would elect him instead of the Republicans who have previously ran the district.

"It's time for a change," Gentile said at Fort Hamilton High School in Bay Ridge, where he voted. "You need somebody who’s going to go down there and not be part of the Republican agenda that's anti New York City."

The two have debated three times during the race, with Gentile claiming Donovan ducked out of several other head-to-heads.

Here's a rundown on some issues in the campaign and each candidate's opinion:

Hurricane Sandy

In debates, both candidates agreed the process to get Sandy victims back home needed to move faster.

Gentile attacked Donovan for not bringing charges against contractors who committed fraud on victims, but Donovan said it should be handled by state prosecutors.

Donovan said the FEMA process needed to be more streamlined and open. Gentile said he thought de Blasio's changes to Build it Back were effective.

Immigration

In interviews, Donovan said he doesn't support President Obama's plan to shield millions of undocumented immigrants from deportation and that expelling them from the country "should be explored."

In debates and later interviews, Donovan softened on his stance and said there should be pathways to become a legal citizen, but undocumented immigrants should face fines or penalties for breaking the law. He also said the process to gain citizenship should be streamlined.

Gentile said he supports Obama's plan and called it a "humanitarian" fix to the immigration issue.

Iran

Both candidates said the nuclear deal with Iran should hinge upon them recognizing Israel as a country. Gentile said the deal was a good framework, but Donovan said he would oppose the nuclear deal plan if elected.

Grand Jury

On the topic of grand juries in the wake of the controversial Garner decision, Donovan said that people should respect the jury's decision and that maintaining secrecy is necessary in order to get witnesses to testify in cases.

"We have a very difficult time to get witnesses to testify in any cases," Donovan said.

Gentile said that Donovan should have consented to the release of at least the testimony of NYPD Officer Daniel Pantaleo, who was the arresting officer accused of putting Garner in a chokehold before his death, to shed some light on the grand jury's decision.