While much of the city’s Democratic establishment was on the
dais at the midtown Hilton Tuesday night to celebrate Bill Thompson’s
near-stunning upset of Mike Bloomberg, Christine Quinn spent her evening at a
dive bar in Queens.
The Council speaker arrived at Woodhaven House, an Irish pub
in Rego Park a half hour before most of the other people who came to celebrate
Council Member Liz Crowley’s victory over Tom Ognibene. Quinn waited for
Crowley—and her cousin, county leader Joe Crowley—to arrive, kibitzing with
district leaders and campaign volunteers about the early returns.
As the too-close-to-call mayoral race unfolded on a nearby
television, Quinn went to stand alongside Queens Democratic Party elected
officials honoring Crowley’s win.
“Helping Liz keep this seat was incredibly important to me and the whole City Council,” Quinn said.
A bagpiper came on to serenade the crowd, while Queens
Democrats commiserated over the losses of Kevin Kim, Yen Chou and Frank
Gulluscio. Quinn stayed past 11:30.
Political consultant Hank Sheinkopf (who spent the evening
at the Sheraton, celebrating with Bloomberg, his main client for this election
season) said that Quinn’s presence in Queens demonstrated her need to retain
the support of Queens Democrats as she seeks to retain her speakership.
“All politics starts at home,” Sheinkopf said. “You go to where you
strength was in the first place, and for her, that’s in Queens.”
Four years ago, Queens County’s unified support of Quinn
gave her the votes that put her over the top in the race for speaker against Bill
de Blasio, now the public advocate-elect.
Queens Democratic Party Executive Secretary Michael Reich said
that Quinn also stopped by other Queens party members’ events.
“She’s a very smart politician,” Reich said. “She was going
around and recognizing her members. That’s what you’d expect her to do.”
Quinn spokeswoman Maria Alvarado, meanwhile, tamped down any
rumors Quinn was worried about retaining her speakership—or that a falling out
with Thompson over her late endorsement in the mayor’s race let to her absence
at the Hilton on Tuesday night.
Alvarado said that Quinn had simply been in Queens all day
campaigning for several Council candidates and decided to stay in the borough
for the evening.
“Afterwards, she went to a celebration with those members,” Alvarado said. “She is speaker, and her first responsibility is to her Council members.”