March 5, 2021 By Christian Murray
A long-time Jackson Heights resident with a background in politics and public relations is running to be the next city council member for the 25th District.
Alfonso Quiroz, who lives on 34th Avenue with his husband Jeff Simmons, enters the race with a long history of civic leadership.
He is one of eight candidates vying for the seat that covers Elmhurst and Jackson Heights. The primary is scheduled to take place on June 22.
Danny Dromm, the current office holder, is ineligible to seek re-election due to term limits.
We talk to Quiroz in a podcast about his campaign and his platform.
Quiroz discusses his goal of improving the small business environment and the local healthcare system in the wake of the pandemic. He also says that he brings a unique voice to these issues as a gay Latino.
He also says that he is an advocate for the 34th Avenue open street program and would like to see a small dog run built at Travers Park if elected.
Quiroz has been active in the community in the 20 years he has lived in the district.
He was the president of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Queens, was a Democratic District Leader and a former Community Board 3 member. He is currently a member of the Jackson Heights Beautification Group.
Quiroz was also the deputy chief of staff to former Councilmember Helen Sears, who represented the district prior to Dromm. He worked in public relations for Con Edison until two months ago.
The other candidates in the race include: Fatima Baryab; Lucy Cerezo Scully; Suraj Jaswal; Shekar Krishnan; Liliana Melo; Manuel Perez; and Carolyn Tran.
For more information on Quiroz, click on his campaign site at here.
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