Queens, NY, October 20, 2020: As Election Day approaches, voters have begun to undergo their own subjective vetting process for politicians that find themselves on the ballot this November. One common criteria voters appear to be looking into are a candidate’s “time in office” prior to the 2020 election, and familial ties between candidates and prior held office seats.
As the Hunter Biden—Joe Biden scandal sees an increasing amount of public scrutiny, voters have begun to steer away from candidates who have close family members currently in politics, or those who formally were in office.
In the New York State Assembly race for Queens’ 23rd District, the current incumbent, Stacey Amato (D) of Rockaway, appears to be failing this “family history” test amongst constituents this time around. Amato’s mother, Audrey Pheffer, held the current incumbent’s seat for 24 years before resigning in May 2011.
According to constituents across the Assembly District, Amato’s familial political history is yielding a loss in favoritism, as an increasing number of voters perceive “family in politics” to be “inevitably corrupt,” as one Broad Channel resident explained. Another resident in the Assembly District, this time of Ozone Park, proclaimed “I don’t know a single thing [Stacey] Amato has done for our side of the Cross Bay Veterans Memorial Bridge. She comes around a few months before election year. That’s it.”
For these reasons, one can understand why Amato’s Republican counterpart has seen a growth in appeal over the last few months. Peter Hatzipetros, the first-time politician from Howard Beach, is a young (33 years old), well-spoken attorney, born and raised in the neighborhood he seeks to represent if elected into office.
Voters have explained that, among his “grass roots” and “blue collar” priorities including the FDNY and the NYPD, Hatzipetros appears to be untainted by the power of government. If elected, Hatzipetros well be the first member of his extended family to ever hold public office. The candidate’s inexperience in politics is proving to be a benefit in an election year where many New Yorkers are eager to vote out life-long politicians who are brought nothing but corruption and chaos to suburban towns like those which makeup the 23rd Assembly District of Queens.