Vickie Paladino, NYC Council member Interview

Vickie Paladino talks with Mendte in the Morning about the Mayoral race and other down ballot races to be determined on election day.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Now let's talk to Vicki Palladino, New York City Council
member represents District nineteen of Northeast Queens, which he's with
us every Wednesday at this time in VICKI, good morning
to you. Every single time we talk, I mean to
get this in and never do. So let's just start
with this. Early voting started, and you are running for office.

Speaker 2 (00:21):
Yes I am, And this is what we have to
talk about. Loud, You're right every week. Well, it's been
a really busy, busy years thus far, and the fund
is still continuing from my race. Just for everybody out there,
early voting please it This pertains to every aspect of
this election. But it starts this Saturday, the twenty fifth.

(00:46):
We have ten days of early voting everybody. We go
from October to twenty fifth to November second, we get
a day off, and then it's election day. I'm begging you,
begging you, please do not wait for election day to vote.
It's going to be mayhem. Go out, bank your vote,

(01:07):
go out Saturday. There's different hours pertaining to most polling places.
They're simple enough. Most of them go from ten am
until four pm. Then there might be a variation on
one day or two, but you've got ten days to vote.
Everything is pertaining to this election is going to rest
on numbers. And I don't know how many understand that

(01:31):
as many as forty percent of the total electric electrical Oh,
listen to me, I'm early vote in early voting. Yeah,
And I think this tremendous number.

Speaker 1 (01:47):
I think this is going to set a record this
election because we really haven't had competitive mayoral elections in
the past, VICKI, and so there's going to be, you know,
many people voting in this election that haven't voted in
the past several So in a way, it's kind of
a crapshoot. We don't know what's going to happen. And

(02:07):
I think about down ballot, like your race, how that's
going to affect you.

Speaker 2 (02:13):
Thank you, Larry. You know, if this was two years ago,
when I ran in twenty three, or when I ran
four years ago in twenty one, I might feel a
little bit more concerned. This is a race again that
I don't take for granted, you cannot. My opponent very
quietly has got his tie to Zoe Ran and to

(02:35):
the DSA, and they've been making some inroads here in
District nineteen. Certain parts of my district, I'll name one
in particular, College Point that's AOC's land over there. My
council district has three congress people. It's made up of AOC,

(02:59):
great men, and Tom Swazi. So there you've got three
different ways of thinking, right. You know, You've got AOC
who's off the wall. You've got Grace Mang who's very reasonable,
so we'll disagree on federal politics. And then we have
Tom Swazi who always tries to play flip flop, depends

(03:19):
on which way he wants to go that day. But
I get along with everybody. But this is the biggest thing.
The biggest thing, like I wanted to say, is that
he's very quietly got these zo ran backers and that's
what we're seeing come out now two weeks prior. So
I got my backing of he's a firefighter. I have

(03:42):
the backing of the firefighter unions. I have very strong
support from the firefighters booths on the ground themselves, who
are looking forward. They do not get along well with
this young man. So you know, I don't want to
say too much, but this has been for me a

(04:04):
great experience and I'm looking forward to a really successful run.
And when we talk on November fifth, my goodness, Larry,
we're gonna need a half hour.

Speaker 1 (04:16):
It's gonna be the infestation of socialism into this race.
We always think just about the mayor's race. It is
going to affect every race because you're gonna have people
out there voting that never voted before. And hopefully there's
enough out there that's going to counterbalance the socialist vote.

Speaker 2 (04:38):
See my issue here in my district and anybody who
lives from College Point to Little Neck Dugston, that's District nineteen.
Everybody that's Northeast Queens understand. They want my seat. They're
not happy the dsay they want this seat. Now I

(04:59):
have s strong support, but not a single person can
take my race for granted. I hear it all the time.
Oh you're a shoe in. Oh Vick, you don't even
think about it. Oh no, vict don't worry. We're vote
no no, no, no, no, no one is a shoe in.
No one.

Speaker 1 (05:16):
Right, that's how you lose. By the way, when you
start believing that that's how you lose, that is correct.

Speaker 2 (05:21):
Complacency breeds laziness. Laziness keeps people home. Or or they'll
skip the box. Perhaps, Oh, don't worry, because a lot
of people are so top of the ballot minded. They've
got to think about the council races. They've got to
think about the down ballot, my race, all our council
races that we're up this year. We've got to realize

(05:45):
that we steer the ship at City Hall. So if
God forbid, this young guy wins, go forbid this terrorist wins.

Speaker 1 (05:55):
Right, you don't want to rubber stamp in the City
Council for him so he can do everything he wants to.

Speaker 2 (06:00):
No, And that's exactly and I've spoken to you. See
another thing that's happening, which we'll be talking about as
we go down the road. Here is going to be
the new speaker of our City Council. And Adrian Adams
is out. Adrian Adams just you know, she just took
that ship and when it's fall left with it as

(06:20):
she possibly could see. Cow choud to the Progressive Left,
which are eighteen members out of fifty one in the
City Council. So when I got a phone call yesterday
to meet one of the candidates to go for lunch
with her because she'd like to be speaker and she'd
like my vote. I made it very clear to her

(06:42):
where I stand, and made it very very clear that
I want to know where you sit. You're going to
know where I sit because there will be a battle
boy out every turn. I will not sit idly by.
And she says, well, you really didn't sit.

Speaker 1 (07:01):
Right. That's true. I don't think anybody ever accuses you
of sitting idly by. Listen. It's a great warning that
you're giving that we have to care about all of
the races, not just the mayoral race, and we can't.
We do need if zoramm Donnie gets in, we need
voices like yours to come out against him. Vicki Palladino,

(07:22):
New York City Council represents District nineteen of Northeast Queen.
She's with us every Wednesday at this very time. Vicki,
thanks so much for talking to you.

Speaker 2 (07:31):
We'll talk again next week, all right, Larry, looking forward
to and have a great day.

Speaker 1 (07:36):
Talk to you then.