May 20, 2021 By Christian Murray
Several candidates are running to represent the 23rd Council District—a position that is currently held by Barry Grodenchik who is not seeking re-election.
In our latest podcast, we talk to Harpreet Singh Toor who is one of seven candidates campaigning for the seat.
Toor, who aims to become the first Indian-American to be elected to the city council, is vying for a seat that covers a large section of eastern Queens. The primary is scheduled to take place on June 22.
He discusses in the podcast how he is opposed to defunding the police; how he supports the gifted and talented programs in city schools; and how he would advocate for affordable housing.
Toor also wants to bring additional bus service to the district—particularly buses that run north/south.
He says that residents should be citizens in order to vote in city elections, saying: “I want everyone to have an incentive to be an American citizen.”
Toor, a financial consultant, is well known in the community. He is a former Community Liaison for Assemblyman David Weprin, and supervised community outreach for the 2020 Census count in Queens.
He is credited with building a diverse coalition that helped pass the New York Workplace Discrimination Law. The law prohibits employers from discriminating against employees due to their religious attire.
Toor was also involved in the successful campaign for co-naming two streets, Gurdwara Street and Punjab Avenue.
The other candidates in the race include Steve Behar, Sanjeev Jindal, Jaslin Kaur, Linda Lee, Debra Markell, Koshy O. Thomas.
For more information on Toor, please click here.
City Council District 23 covers the neighborhoods of Bayside Hills, Bellerose, Douglaston, Floral Park, Fresh Meadows, Glen Oaks, Hollis, Hollis Hills, Holliswood, Little Neck, New Hyde Park, Oakland Gardens and Queens Village.
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