After initially confirming that they would attend, Elizabeth Crowley and Anthony Como wimped out of a debate hosted by the Juniper Park Civic Association last night at the last minute, claiming they had to attend, of all things, an editorial board meeting at the Queens Ledger scheduled hours in advance for the exact same time. The civic's forum was not to be a candidates night, but a true debate, with tough questions and the opportunity for rebuttals. Apparently, Ms. Crowley and Mr. Como were afraid of having to answer those questions, so they conspired with Walter Sanchez, publisher of the Queens Ledger, to come up with an excuse (and a lame one at that).

Charles Ober kept his promise and impressed many in attendance with his knowledge of issues specific to Middle Village and Maspeth.

Mr. Ognibene, the former councilman for this area, brought up the fact that Anthony Como is contributing to overdevelopment by building a hideous McMansion on the same street that Tom lives on. “This thing casts a shadow on my house,” Ognibene lamented.

Como was also taken to task for calling himself an active member of the JPCA despite not showing up to most meetings or attending any of the moany protests we have held over the years.

“If I list myself as being a member of an organization, it is because I actively worked on behalf of that organization,” Ober said.

Both candidates also raked Crowley over the coals regarding her campaign finance fraud charges and her disqualification from the matching funds program.

Before ending for the night, the community was told by JPCA President Robert Holden, “Remember who insulted you here tonight by not showing up.”

Ognibene & Ober: 1
Como & Crowley: 0