Councilman Ulrich (Photo: Facebook)
The New York Times reported this afternoon that Queens Councilman Peter Koo will switch his registration to the Democratic party, reducing the number of Republicans in the City Council to four. In an interview with The Politicker, Mr. Koo’s Queens colleague, GOP Councilman Eric Ulrich, lamented what he called “major blow” to the party and placed substantial blame on the Queens Republican Party for failing to do enough to keep Councilman Koo.
“I’m really disappointed, but at the same time I can’t blame him. Peter is a rock star and a superstar in his community. He represented the future of this party and I tried to do everything I could to help him stay in the Republican Party. But I don’t think people at county level or the local level were particularly helpful in respect to that.”
Councilman Ulrich’s comments echo what sources told the Times, saying that Mr. Koo’s switch came because “he did not feel appreciated by the Queens Republican Party and infighting in the county organization made him increasingly uncomfortable.”
The Queens Republican Party is infamously divided, with Mr. Ulrich siding with an insurgent group that recently tried to elect their own leader over incumbent County Chairman Phil Ragusa.
“It’s been played out in the papers, I don’t want to rehash them,” Councilman Ulrich said about the county feud today. “There was a lot that other people could have done to keep Peter Koo in the party and they simply did not do it … They could have engaged him a little more. They could have included him more in the decision-making process. I think they could have treated him a little better than they did. The finger pointing will start after the fact, of course.”
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I am truly disappointed on Peter Koo’s decision to change his registration to Democ”RAT”
Peter we hate to see you go.
Before there was the “Oracle at Delphi” there was Count Vampire J. Machiavelli
VJ Machiavelli
Power to the People who “VOTE”
Well said Councilman. Councilman Koo is from my area and the Republican Party failed to engage an individual who should have been the poster child of the Republican Party. An immigrant from Hong Kong who built a successful chain of drug stores is everything that the Republican Party stands for. Unfortunately Councilman Koo was ignored because he took the high road and would not play the GOP game. When we worked on the Halloran campaign in 2009, everyone was asking about the Asian community and the Chairman and Executive Chairman just brushed it off. As a matter of fact many of us in the community were offended by the negative advertising against the GOP community which was developed and supported by members of the GOP with their outside consultants. We all know where the blame lies, it is time for people not to point fingers but demand the resignation of the GOP leadership. There is justifiable reasons was the party is split. The GOP has lost two State Senators and now a Councilman since 2008. Time for new leadership, because if we do not get new leadership there will be no elected officials or candidates to run.