Rockaway, Queens. (Photo: Getty)

Earlier this afternoon, "a group of irate Orthodox community leaders" held a conference call to protest poll site changes implemented in the Far Rockaway neighborhood of Queens. In the call, local Jewish leaders alleged their new voting location was designed to dampen turnout in their ideologically conservative community as it struggles to deal with the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy's devastation.

"We're a group of people who really, really suffered tremendously," Richard Altabe, a board member of the Far Rockaway Jewish Alliance, said. "Or voting rights are about to be taken away from us. It's going to be difficult enough to get people to vote....Our ability to speak and have our voices heard is going to be squashed by circumstances. I'm really, really horrified."

The new poll site in Far Rockaway, the leaders said, was a mile away from their current one. Eli Shapiro, of the Far Rockaway Jewish Alliance, claimed they presented a closer, alternative site to the Board of Elections but were shut down

"We've been told that the Democratic commissioner won't sign off on the change of location," Mr. Shapiro said, but he was unable to elaborate further on the specifics.

Mr. Shapiro and Mr. Altabe both represent organizations that formally endorsed GOP Councilman Eric Ulrich's campaign against Democratic Senator Joe Addabbo, which is among the most highly-watched in the entire state. Mr. Ulrich's campaign organized the conference call.

"Absolutely. Why else did they do that? Why else would they disenfranchise a community?" Mr. Altabe said when asked if it was a conspiracy to boost Mr. Addabbo's reelection bid. "I would not like to believe that Joe Addabbo himself would want such a thing. Even though we supported one candidate over the other, we don't believe Joe Addabbo to be an evil person."

Others have also sounded the alarm over the BOE's Election Day plans tomorrow, including Mayor Michael Bloomberg. As of this writing, the Board took down their list of poll site changes online, and the hotline number for more information, 1-866-VOTE-NYC, results in a dial tone. An alternative number provided by good goverment groups, 1-866-OUR-VOTE, is available, however.

BOE Commissioner J.C. Polanco said his agency is working "around the clock" to ensure all New Yorkers can vote tomorrow.

Governor Cuomo endorsing Joe Addabbo before a crowd of parade-goers

Governor Andrew Cuomo has had an infamously frosty relationship with the New York State Senate Democratic Caucus, but things may be starting to turn around a tad.

Almost exactly a month ago, Mr. Cuomo issued a small string of endorsements to three incumbent Senate Democrats, but all of them were in heavily Democratic districts where the outcomes would not affect the overall partisan makeup of the legislative body. This morning, however, Mr. Cuomo went in a different direction and endorsed an endangered incumbent, Senator Joe Addabbo, before a crowd of Columbus Day parade-goers on 5th Avenue.

"He has done great work, we've had a very productive past two years," Mr. Cuomo said, giving Mr. Addabbo props before declaring him to be a legislator of "conscience" and "political courage."

Mr. Addabbo occupies one of only two seats the Senate Republicans are offensively targeting statewide. His eastern Queens district was heavily gerrymandered to make it lean more towards the right. With a Siena College poll released today showing a neck-and-neck race between Mr. Addabo and his GOP challenger, Councilman Eric Ulrich, the Republican conference looks likely to spend a million dollars on the race by the time voters head to the polls on November 6th. So, the support of Mr. Cuomo, who has stratospheric approval ratings, it no small matter here.

Of course, the politics surrounding the governor's signature gay marriage legislation also factored into today's endorsement. Mr. Cuomo, widely thought to be considering a 2016 campaign for the White House as a Democrat, already offered his endorsement to a Republican Senator who flipped his vote on 2011's gay marriage legislation, which Mr. Addabbo had also done.

"The reason the state government has made progress is in part due to very difficult but correct votes that the Legislature has taken," Mr. Cuomo explained. "We passed a vote for marriage equality, which was right but was a difficult vote. But now a number of elected officials are in difficult races I believe in part because of the votes they took, and they took those votes in part because I was urging them to do it for the good of the state."

"Political courage, which is what Senator Joe Addabbo exhibited, should be encouraged, not be discouraged," he added.

Juan Reyes (Photo: Facebook)

In the final days of his unsuccessful primary campaign, GOP State Senate candidate Juan Reyes sent out campaign literature accusing his rival, Councilman Eric Ulrich, of being hypocritical on the topic of gay marriage. Many Republicans felt that the mailer in question, which criticized Mr. Ulrich hiring gay staff members and eating dinner with a gay colleague crossed the line. Even former Mayor Rudy Giuliani, in whose administration Mr. Reyes once worked, lumbered out to hold a press conference condemning the literature on the Steps of City Hall.

Following his loss in last Thursday's election, Mr. Reyes apparently regrets sending the mailing. In a third-person statement posted on his campaign website over the weekend, he claimed to have not personally reviewed it and profusely apologized to anyone who might have been offended:

Clearly, what our campaign intended to say in one of our final mailings was not what people heard, and for that the Reyes campaign is deeply sorry. The campaign’s only goal for that mailing to expose the hypocrisy of flip-flopping, but in the final days of the campaign we rushed a piece to press and should have given our candidate time to scrutinize it.

Juan Reyes personally apologizes for the hurt some of our friends, neighbors and fellow citizens felt — regardless of whether they are gay or straight.

As an attorney and concerned citizen, Juan believes strongly that everyone should have the opportunity to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, and that everyone should have the opportunity to exercise their own free will in determining what that happiness is, and how they live their lives in achieving it.

Juan also believes those rights must be protected under the law, and respected as a common courtesy by friends and strangers alike. That’s good government, good citizenship, and good manners.

Whatever disagreements we may have over specific legislation, Juan believes strongly that what unites Americans as a people is our willingness and desire to live in a country where different people of many backgrounds can exist together in peace and harmony. It’s what makes us Americans.

That’s the world Juan and his wife believe in, and more importantly, it is the kind of world in which they want their three young daughters to live in when they are older.

Upset that the state GOP leadership is fully backing Mr. Ulrich to take on Democratic Senator Joe Addabbo, Mr. Reyes has sent out a mailer in the eastern Queens district declaring, "COMRADES! THE GLORIOUS PARTY LEADERSHIP HAS ALREADY CHOSEN COMRADE ULRICH AS YOUR NEW SENATOR. DO AS YOU ARE TOLD AND OBEY THEM."

Mr. Ulrich is PhotoShopped to be wearing a Soviet military uniform next to that declaration, while on the backside of the flier, Mr. Reyes urges voters to "Say NYET! to Soviet-style Elections" next to a black-and-white photo of Soviet leaders saluting.

The entire GOP political establishment isn't behind Mr. Ulrich, however; the Queens Republican Party has officially backed Mr. Reyes. But the Senate Republican conference has a little more muscle behind their endorsement and has transferred hundreds of thousands of dollars to the aspiring state senator's campaign account, making him the favorite when voters head to the polls next Thursday.

Mr. Reyes' mailing concludes by features photos of several founding fathers and suggesting Mr. Ulrich winning the election is tantamount to the authoritarian system the United States freed itself from in 1776.

Reached for comment, Mr. Ulrich's spokeswoman Jessica Proud wasn't amused.

"This senate district is home to many Eastern Europeans who fled Soviet oppression for freedom here in the United States," she said. "For Mr. Reyes to bring images of that terrible and brutal period of history is deplorable and he owes an apology to those he's offending and to Mr. Ulrich for the disparagement."

She added, "This mailer is also an exact same copy of a piece that was done in a state senate race ten years ago. It's a retread from the John Fleming campaign in seat that now belongs to Jeff Klein."

View below:

Bob Dole and Juan Reyes (Photo: Reyes campaign)

Juan Reyes, an attorney campaigning for the Republican nomination to take on Queens State Senator Joe Addabo, has rolled out two endorsements not often seen in New York City politics: former presidential candidate Bob Dole and former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. The endorsements can probably be chalked up to the fact that Mr. Reyes worked for both men in Washington before returning to the city to help former Mayor Giuliani's administration.

"He won't tolerate the political nonsense that has done so much damage to New York's economy," Mr. Dole said in a statement this morning, calling Mr. Reyes an "outstanding leader who will fight for you and your family in Albany."

F0r his part, Mr. Rumsfeld said, "Juan is smart, tough minded, decent and hardworking. He is a solid conservative who stands for lower taxes, less government spending, and a strong emphasis on economic growth in the private sector."

Mr. Reyes is taking on City Councilman Eric Ulrich in the fast-approaching GOP primary, only 9 days away. The Queens Republican Party is notoriously factious and quarrelsome, but Mr. Reyes is officially supported by the majority faction, an endorsement Mr. Ulrich has described as not being worth a "warm bucket of spit."

Mr. Ulrich has his own endorsements, of course, notably been the entire Senate Republican conference and his campaign coffers are flush as a result, making him the favorite to win on September 13th.

The winner will take on Mr. Addabbo, a veteran pol made vulnerable by Republicans, who gerrymandered it to contain every conservative voter in eastern Queens. Indeed, Mr. Addabbo's seat is one of only two Democrat-held ones statewide that Republican strategists are heavily targeting to flip over to their side.

Eric Ulrich and Pete King in what may make good material for campaign literature. (Photo: Ulrich campaign)

City Councilman Eric Ulrich, campaigning for the Republican nomination to take on incumbent Senator Joe Addabbo, got a nice little boost for his campaign this afternoon when he announced that Congressman Pete King is endorsing his electoral effort. Although Mr. King doesn't represent the Queens district, his turf isn't too far away and the veteran representative very well might be the state's top GOP official.

"Eric understands that the way to put New Yorkers back to work and grow our economy is by lowering taxes on families and small businesses and reigning in the reckless government spending that has created unsustainable deficits and threatens our competitiveness," Mr. King said in the statement. "His conservative principles of limited government, safe streets and a strong quality of life will make him an excellent representative in Albany and I urge all Republicans to vote for him on September 13th."

In order to make that trip to Albany, Mr. Ulrich will first need to defeat attorney Juan Reyes in the primary. Mr. Reyes is backed by the dominant faction in the bitterly divided Queens Republican Party.

Despite the divide, however, Mr. Ulrich has mopped up plenty of establishment support, including Mr. King's House colleague Bob Turner. Unlike Mr. King, of course, Mr. Turner represents a good portion of Mr. Addabbo's newly redistricting seat -- one Queens operative estimated as much as 80%.

Majority Leader Dean Skelos and the State Senate's Republican conference have also backed Mr. Ulrich, and their campaign committee has showered him with hundreds of thousands of dollars to help make him the favorite to get the GOP nod on September 13th. To wit, Mr. Ulrich currently has over $350,000 in his campaign war chest, while Mr. Reyes is closer to $20,000.

Update: Senate Democratic spokesman Mike Murphy emails in a response:

"How appropriate that while Senator Addabbo was down at City Hall supporting stronger gun control legislation Eric Ulrich was accepting the endorsement of a right wing Congressman who has voted against common sense gun regulations even supporting decreasing the waiting period required to buy a gun. "

Eric Ulrich (Photo: Facebook)

Queens Councilman Eric Ulrich, currently a candidate for the State Senate against Joe Addabbo, announced he supports legislation to increase New York State's minimum wage to $8.50 this evening. The move places him on the opposite side of the issue than Majority Leader Dean Skelos and the Republican conference, who steadfastly oppose the legislation.

"People are hurting in Queens and the current minimum wage simply isn't enough to make ends meet for families here," Mr. Ulrich said in a statement. "Single parent households are especially hit hard by the rising cost of living in New York. The bottom line is that there simply aren't enough hours in the week at $7.25 per hour to pay the rent or mortgage and to buy the basic household items they need. I have listened to both sides of this argument, but one truth resonates more than any other: If we don't take this action, too many families are going to go under."

The Democrats in the State Senate and Assembly have been pushing hard for the minimum wage boost and have sent signals that they aim to make it a key campaign issue in November, but Mr. Ulrich, campaigning in a swing district, clearly isn't interested in being bludgeoned on the issue.

It's hardly Mr. Ulrich's first break from the party orthodoxy, however. He's come out in favor of comprehensive immigration reform, was the only Republican in the City Council to vote for rent stabilization, and co-sponsored paid sick leave legislation.

In the release, he tried to frame the issue as nonpartisan.

"The minimum wage should not be a partisan issue," he argued. "I believe that people who work hard to support their families deserve a better standard of living."

Eric Ulrich (Photo: Facebook)

GOP Councilman Eric Ulrich announced his candidacy for a State Senate against incumbent Joe Addabbo this morning, putting a new seat in play that previously lacked a strong challenger.

"Today,  I am excited to announce that I will be a candidate for State Senate in District 15," he said in a video posted on YouTube. "This was not an easy decision for me to make and I had every intention of running for reelection next fall. But the stakes are simply too high. While I've been able to accomplish many great things at the local level, I believe I can accomplish even more."

Mr. Ulrich, who's only 27, directly addressed his young age in his announcement.

"If we're serious about revitalizing our communities, creating good paying jobs and encouraging young people like me to stay in New York, then we've got to lower the tax burden for homeowners and small businesses and invest in higher education so that people can compete for the jobs of the 21st century," Mr. Ulrich said. "I'm running for State Senate because I want to make a difference."

Mr. Addabbo, who previously held Mr. Ulrich's Council seat, was elected to the State Senate in 2008 after defeating 20 year Republican incumbent Serphin Maltese. He easily won re-election over his GOP challenger in 2010.

The redistricting process made Mr. Addabbo's district more friendly to a potential Republican challenger with the addition of the Breezy Point neighborhood of Queens, which helped propel GOP Congressman Bob Turner to his surprising victory in the special election to replace Democrat Anthony Weiner last fall. Mr. Ulrich, who is considered a rising star in New York City's Republican party, is working with political consultant Bill O'Reilly, a veteran of Mr. Turner's House campaign.

Watch Mr. Ulrich's campaign announcement below.

That gives advocates 29 Democratic votes (Democratic State Senator Ruben Diaz Sr., a Pentecostal minister, is not expected to drop his opposition).

So far, no Republican has come out in support of the bill, but a handful of "undecided" GOP members are thought to be possible converts, including Jim Alesi, Greg Ball, Mark Grisanti and Andrew Lanza.