Fundraising blowback for Juan Anon

 

 Queens Chronicle

Beleaguered Assemblymember Juan Ardila (D-Maspeth) closed out the latest campaign finance filing period last week with less than $12,000 cash on hand, state records show. While an increase from last July, when he had $934.22 in cash on hand and had raised just $2,000 from one donor last February, his poor performance relative to his primary opponents, who have tens of thousands of dollars available, suggests his reelection bid may be feeling the effects of two women’s sexual assault allegations against him.

The end of the latest filing period provides Queens residents with the clearest financial picture of the race for Assembly District 37 thus far, and is the first since Ardila officially filed for reelection in November.

Ardila was accused of sexually assaulting two women at a 2015 party, allegations first reported by the Chronicle last March. Ardila denied the women’s accounts, and did not heed calls from many of his colleagues, as well as Gov. Hochul, for his resignation. Instead, he hired a lawyer to independently investigate the allegations and craft a report.

Ardila did not respond to the Chronicle’s requests for comment for this story by press time Wednesday.

In addition to becoming a pariah among many of his peers in Western Queens and in Albany as a result of the allegations, Ardila lost quite a bit of the financial support that had propelled him to victory in the 2022 Democratic primary, most notably from the Working Families Party and the Courage to Change PAC, a political action committee formed by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-Bronx, Queens) designed to support progressive candidates. Both groups rescinded their endorsements of Ardila in March, and neither has donated money to him in his reelection bid. In 2022, the WFP gave his campaign $43,665 — the most of all of Ardila’s donors — while the Courage to Change PAC gave $4,700.

Since then, Ardila, who had only been in office some two and a half months when the accusations became public, has struggled to raise money for his re-election bid. State campaign finance records show Ardila finished the cycle with $11,844.32 cash on hand, thanks in part to a $2,000 loan he gave himself right before the filing deadline and a $1,500 contribution he made to his own campaign. Together, the two account for $3,500 in his account, or about 30 percent. His largest donation (not counting from himself) is $1,000 from a Sunnyside-based veterinary clinic.

 

Primarying Juan Anon

Queens Eagle 

 Assemblymember Juan Ardila will face off against a familiar face in next year’s primary after a third candidate has officially filed to challenge the scandal-plagued lawmaker for his Western Queens seat.

Sunnyside attorney Johanna Carmona, who ran against Ardila in 2022, has officially filed to be a candidate in the 2024 primary for the 37th Assembly District, state election filings show. Carmona is now the third candidate in the race for the district, alongside Ardila and Democratic Socialists of America-backed labor organizer Claire Valdez.

Carmona, who formerly worked with the seat’s previous holder, Cathy Nolan, is likely to receive the backing of the Queens County Democratic Party. Carmona received the support of the party during her first bid for the seat last year.

In 2022, Carmona placed third in voting for AD37, receiving just shy of 20 percent of the vote behind Aridla and Hunters Point civic leader Brent O’Leary.

Carmona was working as a court attorney in Queens Civil Court until last month, when she began working as legislative administrative manager at City Hall.

The Eagle reported in November from multiple sources that Carmona had been discussing a run in recent weeks at political events, including the SOMOS conference in Puerto Rico. Carmona declined to confirm the reports at the time.

Carmona did not comment on the filling Monday night.

Representatives for the Queens County Democratic did not respond to request for comment.

The field against Ardila has grown since sexual assault allegations first surfaced against him in March.

Caption Juan Ardila

 

Juan Ardila brought climate change to Maspeth last week

 

 

I joined the Department of Environmental Protection and over a dozen residents to tour Flushing Avenue homes in Maspeth that have been experiencing costly flooding during rainstorms. 

 

The picture on the right was taken this past winter and not recent. Look at the snow on the lawn.

 

More Ardila pre-Assembly malfeasance

 

NY Post

Assemblyman Juan Ardila — who faced accusations of sex abuse — hasn’t yet paid $19,200 in arrears for a two-bedroom Maspeth apartment he used to rent, a Queens landlord claims.

In an interview with The Post, his former landlord, Anne O’Reilly, said she’s not afraid to take Ardila to court over the issue.

“I feel like it’s an injustice to me,” she said.

But Ardila scored a temporary legal victory last month when a Queens judge dismissed a case filed by O’Reilly in June when Ardila only owed $11,200.

He moved out in November. (wow, he was still squatting there after he won the election-JQ LLC)

The judge ruled Ardila, who was sued alongside unnamed roommates, was served outside the required 10-17 days before a court date, a technicality that won’t prevent O’Reilly from refiling the suit in the future.

She told The Post she aims to do just that to get Ardila to pay the year of outstanding rent.

“I’m a nurse and try to take care of people and I think people should respect everybody and if I’m working hard I expect everyone else to work hard — if they’re working — to pay their rent,” she said.

Ardila tried to turn the tables on his former landlord in a statement to The Post where he claimed he and his mother had been harassed by her.

“My mother and I moved to this apartment when I was 14. I was staying with my girlfriend but my mother has endured relentless harassment from her landlord, particularly throughout the pandemic & even left her without heat during some of the coldest days,” he said in a statement that included a link to a past 311 heating complaint.

“Experiences like these only reinforce my unwavering commitment to advocating for tenants’ rights and protections in Albany,” he added.

But Ardila, who technically was not on the lease signed by his mother when he was a child, did not say whether he still owed rent to O’Reilly until several hours after The Post reported about the dismissed suit.

“I do not owe rent,” he said.

The legal win for the rent-skipping legislator came one month after two women accused Ardila of forcibly touching them at a 2015 party while they were intoxicated. 

Juan should be really grateful that George Santos exists as the worst elected official from Queens, because he deserves just as much press scrutiny and notoriety.

Unwanted Juan

Sunnyside Post 

 Juan Ardila, the Queens assemblymember who has been accused by two women of sexual assault and refused to step down from office, has come under fire for posting photos of himself at a community event without the permission of the attendees and the organizers.

Ardila attended an Earth Day gardening event in Long Island City last week and posted photos of himself with several of the participants at the Smiling Hogshead Ranch on Instagram. According to attendees, he was not invited but showed up.

The assemblymember and his staff circulated among the gardeners and took photos, which were subsequently posted on the lawmaker’s Instagram.

“I had a great time spending #earthday with my team at @smilinghogsheadranch in #LIC,” one post reads, with photos of attendees.

One photo included Frank Wu, a Community Board 2 member and president of the Court Square Civic Association, who was at the event with his young son. Wu requested Ardila to delete the post when he saw it.

“I asked him [to take it down]…because people might assume that I am condoning or approving or supporting him,” Wu said. “There have been some bad things reported, unacceptable things. I didn’t consent to have my photo taken.”

Ardila’s staff did take it down, although it had been up for more than a day.

Ardila, who first took office in January after winning the 37th District assembly seat vacated by the now-retired Catherine Nolan last year, has been accused by two women of sexual assault that allegedly took place at a party in October 2015.

The accusations were made public in March when one of the victims reached out to local media—including the Queens Post—and said that Ardila “got physical” with her – and was “touching her” — while she was drunk on a couch at the party. Another woman at the same party has also accused him of groping her.

Ardila apologized for his behavior in a statement shortly after the accusations were made public.

“I fully take responsibility for my actions…and I am interested in and eager for a restorative justice-centered process, so that we can heal and repair the damage done.”

Restorative justice??? That's what he's banking on?  No wonder all those fauxgressives like that policy.

Why doesn't the Assembly Person try to photobomb the latest Transportation Alternatives and Riders Alliance rallies like he used to? Bet it's because their mega-moneyed donors have ghosted him after they pretty much platformed and elected him.

Nowhere Juan

Queens Eagle

Queens Assemblymember Juan Ardila, who was recently accused by two women of sexually assaulting them at a 2015 party, has lost his ability to represent his Western Queens district, his constituents, local elected officials and his colleagues in Albany say.

On Thursday night, a representative for the freshman Democratic lawmaker appeared before Queens Community Board 2, which overlaps with Ardila’s district. The board is chaired by Danielle Brecker, who, as an elected state committee member, became one of the first elected officials to call for Ardila’s resignation last month. During Thursday’s meeting, the first since the allegations were made, Brecker had a message for Ardila.

“I don’t want to make this awkward,” Brecker told Ardila’s representative. “But there is a lot of frustration with the feeling that the assemblymember has not properly or fully addressed the allegations against him – and that he should really consider resigning.”

It’s been a month since the allegations against Ardila were first made public. In that time, nearly all of his Western Queens colleagues, one of the women he allegedly sexually assaulted, a number of his constituents and the governor have called on him to step down. He has, thus far, ignored those calls.

But also in that time, his fellow state legislators have been engaged in what is often the most important time in a lawmaker’s calendar – budget negotiating season. According to his colleagues, Ardila has been absent and has become, to some assemblymembers, a pariah in Albany. Some of his constituents have lost faith in his ability to advocate for them. And a number of his Western Queens colleagues at more local levels of government have sworn off collaborating with him on any policies or projects.

“A lot of people in the community have said to me, ‘this is really not okay’,” Brecker told the Eagle on Friday. “The first step of restorative justice is to listen to your survivor, and if you're an elected official, the second step of restorative justice is to listen to your community and to try to restore that trust, and if the community is saying we need you to step down, he should be listening to that.”

Other members of the board, including First Vice Chair Dr. Rosamond Gianutsos, said they were “concerned” that Ardila was not in Albany this week, and Caroline Spitzer, a constituent of Ardila’s, said she was disappointed that the lawmaker did not attend their meeting himself considering he wasn’t in Albany fighting for their needs in the state’s budget.

“Since he is posting on social media and not in Albany, I assumed he would be at the meeting,” Spitzer told the Eagle on Friday.

Ardila was not assigned to a budget negotiating committee, the only freshman Democrat to be left out. Spitzer said his exclusion from a committee also concerns her.

“We are in critical budget seasons and the fact that he wasn’t represented in any committees has me concerned,” she said. “We, as a district, are suffering for that.”

Although Brecker is not a constituent of Ardila’s, her board’s purview overlaps with his district. The board works closely with elected representatives at all levels of government and Brecker said that as of late, she doesn’t think that Ardila has been an effective representative.

“If he's not effective in Albany, he shouldn't be in Albany,” she said. “He's not doing the job.”

“I thought he was kind of good, but I feel like right now, [his constituents] are not being represented,” she added. “I was in Albany three weeks ago advocating for things in the budget. I didn't see him. I saw both of my electeds, I saw all the area electeds…I didn't see him anywhere.”

An average assemblymember is not negotiating the state’s budget line-by-line. Instead, they advocate for their position during their party’s conference meetings or they advocate for their position in public through rallies, the press or town halls with their constituents.

According to an assemblymember who requested anonymity, Ardila has been iced out of budget talks over the past month.

“I think there are a number of members who do not want to share space with him…I mean that in the very literal sense – if he's on the floor, I know that there are people who don't want to be on the floor,” the assemblymember said. “His presence in a room has an impact on whether or not people want to be in that same room.”

NY Post 

  Assemblyman Juan Ardila ditched a pro-bail reform rally at the Capitol on Monday before refusing to answer questions from The Post about sexual misconduct allegations made against him by two women. The freshman Queens Democrat has avoided the press in recent weeks without explicitly saying whether he forcibly touched two women without their consent while they were intoxicated at a 2015 party.

One of the women says Ardila exposed himself and forcibly kissed her as well.

“I put my statement out and am focusing on doing the work,” the lawmaker said during a four-minute, one-sided interview in which The Post pressed him to clarify his contradictory statements about whether he did what he is accused of.

Fellow Democrats have mostly shunned Ardila, 29, ever since the Queens Chronicle revealed the accusations against him on March 13, weeks after he took office.

Juan Anon investigates and exonerates himself

  

Queens Chronicle

 

Assemblymember Juan Ardila (D-Maspeth) hired legal counsel to conduct an independent review of the accusations of sexual assault made against him, and it has found him not guilty, two sources familiar with the situation told the Chronicle. The same sources said Ardila plans to announce the findings next week.

Ardila had not previously made public the review, which was conducted within a matter of weeks as Albany was and still is in the midst of budget negotiations for the upcoming fiscal year. He did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

When one of the two women accusing the lawmaker learned of the review — for which she told the Chronicle she was not contacted — she on Thursday opted to press charges and cooperate with a criminal investigation into the allegations by the NYPD’s special victims unit and the Office of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, as the New York Post reported Thursday night. Bragg’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Office of Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark is also involved with the case, a source familiar with the investigation told the Chronicle. Asked for confirmation on the DA’s role in the case, a spokesperson for the office said, “We are unable to comment on a possible investigation right now, but will provide information at a later time if we can.”

Assemblymember Catalina Cruz (D-Corona), a close ally of Ardila’s, had previously called for an independent review into her colleague’s alleged actions. 

Asked about her role in the review, Cruz wrote in a message to the Chronicle, “I have no comment except to say that I can confirm that I have never and don’t practice that area of the law and I’m not involved with any type of investigation on this matter.”

Less than three weeks ago, Ardila was accused of sexually assaulting the women, two Fordham University students, at an October 2015 party in Manhattan with other Fordham students and alumni, as the Chronicle first reported. He had graduated from the school the previous spring. His first accuser said she came forward after learning he had been elected to the state Assembly in November.

Neither woman had reported her experience to the police in 2015 — which one of them previously told the Chronicle was out of a lack faith in the legal system and initially, a lack of tangible evidence — nor had either taken any legal action up until now. 

Asked about her change of heart, the victim, who is pressing charges, said in a statement to the Chronicle, “Juan Ardila’s disregard for the calls from elected officials and my call for resignation is a clear sign that he is unfit for public office. 

“I hope for a fair and swift investigation and justice will be served. Juan Ardila must be held accountable for the pain inflicted to his victims including those who may have not publicly come forward yet.”

Bad Don Juan Ardila is not going

💧Today, my colleagues in the State Assembly & I passed a resolution proclaiming March 22 as #WaterDay in the state of NY!

Fresh water is one of our planet's most precious resources, so let's fight to keep our waterways clean, free of pollution & keep water accessible to all. pic.twitter.com/5FfRi9Peel

— Juan Ardila (@JuanArdilaNYS) March 22, 2023

AMNY

Ten days after a series of bombshell allegations came out accusing Assemblyman Juan Ardila of sexually assaulting two women, one of the victims told amNY Metro that she is devastated that he has shown no signs of stepping down and that his actions represent a continued “abuse of power.”

Ardila, a first-term assemblyman who represents western Queens, has been silent since he issued a statement on March 14, one day after several local news outlets reported allegations that he had sexually assaulted two intoxicated women at a party in October 2015.

He said in that statement that he took “responsibility for my actions” and was “eager for a restorative justice-centered process.”

But not a word has been uttered by him since on the matter, despite calls from more than a dozen elected officials for him to resign. The officials include Gov. Kathy Hochul, State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, Congressmembers Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Grace Meng, New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, and state Sens. Kristen Gonzalez, Julia Salazar and Mike Gianaris, Ass. Zohran Mamdani, Councilmembers Julie Won, Tiffany Caban, Robert Holden and many more.

One of the women who accused Ardila of sexual assault said his silence was in keeping with his character.

“Juan’s response to the accusations has shown me that little has changed between now and 2015,” she told amNY Metro. “Despite the evidence, Juan initially denied the allegations, and then reluctantly delivered a manufactured apology followed by radio silence.”

The woman, who called for him to resign last week, then went on to say: “It is clear that he does not care about the harm that he has inflicted on others, including his constituents who feel deceived and are calling for him to resign. Juan does not embody the level of integrity or honesty that should be expected from someone in his position. Just like that night in 2015, he continues to abuse power. He needs to resign.”

Ardila posted two tweets Wednesday night, the first communication he has had with constituents since his May 14 statement. Neither addressed the sexual assault allegations.

Juan Ardila admits sexual assaults; victim/constituent and AOC demand his resignation

 

 Queens Post

Freshman Assemblyman Juan Ardila, who represents western Queens, faced political fallout Tuesday after being accused of sexual assault by two women—allegations that the lawmaker did not refute when asked for comment.

Ardila, who first took office in January after winning a vacant 37^th District assembly seat last year, allegedly targeted two women at a party in October 2015. The party took place inside a Manhattan apartment and was attended by Fordham University students and alumni.

One of the victims, who reached out to Queens Post and requested anonymity, said that Ardila “got physical” with her – and was “touching her” — while she was drunk on a couch at the party. The woman, who was 21 at the time, said Ardila then tried to drag her into the bathroom before a friend intervened.

Meanwhile, another woman that night provided a statement saying that Ardila pulled her into the bathroom a short time later, before exposing himself and then groping her. The woman allegedly then ran out of the bathroom.

The women were both seniors at Fordham University’s Lincoln Center campus at the time of the party. Ardila had graduated from the university in the spring and had just started working for Brad Lander, who was a councilmember at the time. Neither woman had ever spoken to Ardila prior to the night of the party.

Ardila, who was endorsed by progressives such as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and State Sen. Jessica Ramos in his race last year, issued a statement late last night expressing regret for his actions. The statement came shortly after he told the Queens Chronicle that he had no knowledge of the alleged incidents.

“I apologize for my behavior,” Ardila said in his statement. “I have spent time reflecting and I hope to prove that I have matured since college. I’m committed to learning from this and I am able to demonstrate my own personal growth.”

But the victim who contacted Queens Post wasn’t buying Ardila’s statement after it was read to her.

“I find Juan’s statement to be deeply troubling and dismissive of the harm he has caused me and others. His apology—which comes on the heels of his initial denial—rings insincere,” she said. “He blames the assault on youthful indiscretion during college (although he had graduated at the time of the incident) and I find this both dismissive and insulting. Sexual assault is a serious crime, and it is not something that can be excused or explained away by age or circumstances.”

The woman, who moved to Long Island City last month, said that she only decided to go public with her ordeal when she discovered that Ardila was an assemblymember—and the one who represented her area.

“The public deserves to know about his past,” she said, noting that she has reached out to several local news outlets about the incident.

Queens Post

While Queens Assemblyman Juan Ardila acknowledged and apologized for sexually assaulting two women at a party in 2015, one of his alleged victims now demands that he step down.

“I am calling for Juan Ardila to resign as an Assembly member and would like to see the organizations and elected officials who have publicly supported Juan retract their support,” the woman, who wishes to remain anonymous, told Queens Post Tuesday afternoon.  

Some elected officials and community leaders called for an investigation into Ardila, while others demanded his resignation and asked those who previously endorsed him to withdraw their support.

These announcements come one day after news broke that Ardila allegedly sexually assaulted two women at a Manhattan party held by Fordham University students nearly eight years ago. One victim said he inappropriately touched her and tried to lead her into the bathroom before a friend intervened, while another said he groped her. Both requested to be anonymous.

Ardila, who issued an apology following the allegations, was elected last year to represent the 37th assembly district covering western Queens, taking over a seat that was left vacant by Cathy Nolan.

Among those who endorsed Ardila during his campaign last year were Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez; Comptroller Brad Lander; Public Advocate Jumaane Williams; Queens Borough President Donovan Richards; state Senators Michael Gianaris and Jessica Ramos; Council member Tiffany Cabán, the Working Families Party and many others.

Councilman Robert Holden, a former opponent of Ardila’s when campaigning for City Council in 2021, was the first elected leader to come out today to demand his resignation. He also called on those who had endorsed him to retract them.

“Juan Ardila’s record of racism, xenophobia, homophobia, antisemitism, reckless driving, and now sexual assault has disqualified him from office,” Holden said in a statement. “His actions are reprehensible and unacceptable, and they should be disavowed at all costs by elected officials, like [Queens Borough President] Donovan Richards, unions, and other groups. Sexual assault must never be tolerated.”

Richards responded, saying the allegations against Ardila are “deeply troubling and require a full and thorough investigation.”

“If these disturbing accusations against him are found to be true, Assemblymember Ardila should resign,” Richards said in a statement to Queens Post. “Trust in government cannot be possible without accountability from all who have been elected to lead our communities.”

A spokesperson for U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez told Queens Post the congresswoman believes Ardila should step down.

“We will be withdrawing his Courage to Change PAC endorsement, which was issued for his 2022 campaign,” the spokesperson said.

Bad Don Juan

 

Queens Eagle

Queens Assemblymember Juan Ardila has been accused by two women of sexual assault during a 2015 party shortly after he had graduated college.

The two women, who both attended Fordham University at Lincoln Center at the same time as Ardila, allege that at a party in October of 2015, the current assemblymember for Long Island City, Sunnyside, Maspeth and Ridgewood, but at the time a recent graduate of the school, sexually harassed one of them and attempted to pull her into a bathroom, then later in the night pulled another woman into the bathroom and assaulted her. 

The first victim, who reached out to the Eagle and also spoke to the Queens Chronicle on the condition of anonymity, alleges that while she was drunk, Ardila attempted to pull her into a bathroom before a friend intervened. 

The first victim was also sent a communication from the second victim in which the second victim claims Ardila pulled her into the bathroom and forcibly kissed her and removed his pants.

The first victim, who was 21-years-old at the time, said the night of the party she was heavily intoxicated. Ardila was allegedly also at the party and had previously had no interactions with the first victim. 

The first victim said she remembers sitting on the couch next to Ardila, and remembers him being “very close” to her and “touchy.”

“I was the most intoxicated person there,” she recalled.

“But I do remember being on the couch, in the living room kind of away from everyone else, with Juan and it was towards the very end of the night, so people were starting to leave and the party didn't feel as crowded,” she added. “I remember he and I were close to each other, and he started getting physical with me.” 

At that point, she said her memory cuts out. Her friend, who also wished to remain anonymous, says she saw Ardila pulling the first victim into the bathroom, and decided to intervene.  

“They crossed paths with me and I saw [the first victim] way beyond the ability to consent,” the friend told the Eagle. “So, I interceded and I just grabbed her arm and I said, like, ‘No, she's drunk,’ and that was the end of it.” 

The second victim declined to speak to the Eagle.

However, she shared an account of her experience via text message to the first victim after the first victim informed her that she’d be reaching out to the press. The text was shared with the Eagle. 

“It happened towards the end of the night,” the second victim’s message said. “As far as I can recall [Ardila and I] had exactly zero conversation. It’s possible we were introduced because we’d never formally met before but I don’t remember that.”

“We were standing in a group by the door when [Ardila] said come here, and pulled me into the bathroom,” the text continued. “What felt like 0.2 seconds later we were in the bathroom with the door closed and he was kissing me. When I realized what was happening I pulled away, looked down, and he’d already taken his penis out and was stroking himself.” 

She said she bolted out of the bathroom and immediately told her friends what had happened. 

According to the text, Ardila then left the party. 

Queens electeds hog the spotlight for Newtown Creek revitalization

Queens Post

Elected officials and local leaders held a rally in Long Island City Friday calling on the city and state to repair a badly damaged section of the Newtown Creek.

The rally took place in front of the Dutch Kills Tributary near 29th Street, where large chunks of a retaining wall surrounding the creek have collapsed, causing concrete and debris to spill into the waterway.

The demonstrators say that the damaged bulkhead has polluted the waterway with dumped tires, concrete blocks, and other historic fill. The collapse, campaigners say, has also created dangerous instability in the adjacent roadway – located just three feet away from the unstable shoreline.

They demanded the three governmental agencies — the state Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC), the city Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) which owns the adjacent land — immediately address the deteriorating containment walls.

The campaigners presented renderings of redesign proposals showing how the agencies could create a new shoreline around the Dutch Kills Tributary that adds a public access point to the waterfront. It also incorporates native species and habitat restoration.

Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, Councilmember Julie Won, members of the volunteer group the Newtown Creek Alliance and LaGuardia Community College President Kenneth Adams attended the rally. Juan Ardila, who won the Democratic primary for the Assembly District 37 seat in June, also participated in the event along with a number of environmental activists.

“This shoreline is in need of investment if it’s going to reach its full potential,” Richards said.

“It needs to be restored… to be made accessible for everyone to enjoy, helping families in our community thrive for generations to come. We are calling on our agencies to get their act together, now is not a time for bureaucracy, now is the time for the cure.”

 

Juan Ardila wins assembly seat despite his car culture addiction and traffic violence while campaigning

Juan and done again and for good

 

 

Queens Post

Juan Ardila, a candidate running to represent western Queens in the state Assembly and a crusader against car culture, drives a compact sports utility vehicle that has racked up nearly 30 traffic violations since 2019.

The black Audi Q3 has been hit with multiple speed camera violations in school zones in the vicinity of Queens Boulevard and 55th Street. The vehicle has been ticketed for blocking crosswalks, parking in front of fire hydrants to obstructing driveways. There is also a bus lane violation, and a violation for blocking a pedestrian ramp.

Multiple people have told the Queens Post that he drives the vehicle and have provided photos and videos of him in it. He is often seen driving through western Queens as he campaigns to represent the 37^th Assembly District, which covers Long Island City, Sunnyside, Woodside, Ridgewood and Maspeth.

His critics argue that his violations undermine his campaign, since he is a staunch advocate for street safety. His platform calls for conflict-free protected bicycle lanes, pedestrian safety measures and an end to car culture. He was endorsed by StreetsPAC today, which he announced via twitter.

🚨 ENDORSEMENT ALERT! I am thrilled to announce that we’re now backed by @StreetsPAC. Our streets belong to everyone, including #pedestrians & #cyclists. #Transportation is a matter of #justice & #equity. I will fight to make sure all NYers have safe access to our #publicspaces pic.twitter.com/yb3oNOzafi

— Juan Ardila (@JuanArdilaNYC) June 16, 2022

Ardila, when questioned about the violations, told the Queens Post “I don’t have a car.” In a short unannounced phone interview, he refused to say who the vehicle belonged to, nor did he address the violations. He said he had to get off the phone but would call back in 5 minutes.

He didn’t call back, and after the Queens Post reached out again, he sent a text asking for the questions to be e-mailed. The questions were e-mailed but there has been no response.

The DMV did not provide the name of the registered owner of the vehicle. Tim O’Brien, a spokesperson for the state DMV, said the agency typically does not share private registration information citing the Driver Privacy Protection Act (DPPA).

 The Audi has been hit with 41 violations since 2017, although the limited public records available show that the vehicle was sold to an unnamed party in Queens in 2018. Since then, the vehicle appears to have remained in the name of one owner and has generated 29 violations.

Multiple people have said that they have seen Ardila driving the vehicle in recent years. In fact, video was taken of him in the car prior to a candidate forum held at the Ridgewood Presbyterian Church on Thursday June 9.

“I heard that he had a lot of traffic violations, so when I saw him in the car I took photos,” said Stefan Smetko, who was at the forum working on behalf of Brent O’Leary who is also vying for the Assembly seat.

Of course readers of this blog are aware of the evolution of Juan Aridla and his vain attempts to get into elected office. Last year while running for City Council he got involved in silly protests against residents he would have represented if he won and he got into major hot water when he got caught saying homophobic, racist and sexist things on social media platforms yet his base and the NYC's fauxgressive establishment politicians still stood behind him and endorsed him. This year in his mission to get into the State Assembly, Juan embraced the "public streets for people" movement and lobbies like Transportation Alternatives and Streets PAC above to get elected, so it's going to be interesting to see how they will continue to justify backing their chosen one to push and legislate their agenda to usurp streets from driving and make life difficult for residents with a man who is so dependent on car culture he needs multiple vehicles to get around town and is so addicted to car culture that he was willing to risk his political ambitions by driving and parking like an entitled jerk.

Maybe Ardila liked their agenda because he thought the streets would have more room for privileged drivers like him to drive on and also these bike/open street think tank lobbies donors to TransAlt, Streets Pac and Open Plans as well, especially car culture based corporations like Lyft and Uber and all their fellow hypocrite car owners and car dependent people from other corporations like the big banks and elected officials as well. They don't want safe streets "for people", these elitists wants the streets for themselves.

 

So long Juan. Thanks for sparing us one less regulatory captured politician in elected office. Now go get a real job.

 

 

Here comes Ardila again

Queens Post

Three Democrats — one progressive and two moderates — have launched campaigns for Cathy Nolan’s state assembly seat this week.

Juan Ardila, a progressive, along with James Magee and Vlad Pavlyuk have announced that they are running for the 37th Assembly District covering Long Island City, Maspeth, Ridgewood, and Sunnyside.

The candidates told the Queens Post of their candidacy shortly after it was reported that Nolan is expected to retire, leaving the seat wide open.

Ardila, a staffer at the Legal Aid Society, has previously run for office. He unsuccessfully ran against incumbent Council Member Robert Holden in the Democratic primary for District 30 last year. He generated 45 percent of the vote.

The 28-year-old Maspeth native has prior government experience, working in Brad Lander’s council office and as a consultant for the NYC Department of Education, where he supported the expansion of universal pre-K and 3-K for All program.

Ardila listed a number of issues he hopes to fight for in his candidacy announcement.

“I’m running for State Assembly because Queens residents deserve affordable housing, improved public transit, and a plan to combat climate change,” he said in a statement. “In Albany, I will be a champion for our seniors, our workers, and our tenants. I am excited to fight for a better future for all New Yorkers.”

Ardila is a first-generation New Yorker and the son of Colombian and Honduran-Cuban immigrants.

He comes to the race with a batch of early endorsements from local progressive leaders. State Sen. Jessica Ramos, Assembly Member Catalina Cruz, Council Member Jennifer Gutiérrez and the groups Make the Road Action and Churches United for Fair Housing Action have all announced their support for him.

Meanwhile, life-long Sunnyside resident Jim Magee, 41, told the Queens Post Tuesday that he is running for the district 37 seat.

Magee, an attorney, is best described as a moderate who believes — much like Mayor Eric Adams — that the bail reform system needs to be tweaked.

“I think my experience as a prosecutor and as a criminal defense attorney would be helpful when it comes to bail reform,” Magee said. “I am concerned about the rise in crime.”

Magee, who has a wife and two young children, runs a law practice in Sunnyside specializing in criminal defense, personal injury, civil rights and civil litigation.

Prior to opening his own practice, he was an assistant district attorney in Brooklyn from 2007 until 2012. He prosecuted DWI, assaults, theft, drug possession, drug sale, gun possession to trial before being moved to the Sex Crimes Unit where he became an expert on DNA evidence.

Magee, who has not run for office before, said that he is concerned about the wealth disparity in the state. He said that he would advocate for raising taxes on high income earners.

The third candidate, Pavlyuk, is a local business owner and resident of Hunters Point in Long Island City. He operates an electronics business out of East New York.

The 28-year-old describes himself as a moderate Democrat. He said the progressive movement in the past two years has made sense, but it is time for the state to move back toward the center. This will be Pavlyuk’s first run for office.

#JuanAnon post mortem

Yesterday we saw Borough President Donovan Richards expose himself as a sore winner. Today, let's highlight a sore loser.

This was published on social media after the June 22nd election by 30th District City Council candidate Juan Ardila:

Well first off, it looks like Holden absolutely slayed you in the absentee ballot count because his lead over you grew to more than 900 votes from 541:

Middle Village receives the most resources? What proof is there of that? Maybe you can point us to where you found this evidence so this injustice can be corrected. Or maybe you're saying this because you don't know where the district actually begins and ends...

Now, if by "failing to reach these voters in a meaningful way" you mean you marched through their neighborhood with a bunch of out-of-district gentrifiers so you could scream "racism" after your opponent introduced legislation to repeal an unconstitutional law, you'd be correct. That's a really big reason why you lost, along with cheering on the ripping of American flags off houses. It also didn't help that you enlisted snarky gentrifier bros to run your campaign and they expressed repeated disdain for older home-owners who have lived there for decades. The most avoidable mistake was your campaign manager sending out a fact-challenged email expressing support for noise. If you had been paying any kind of attention, you would have realized this was the number one quality of life issue throughout Queens for most of the spring.

Blaming your loss on gerrymandering is a stretch because the last redistricting was approved by the Dept of Justice during the Obama administration. (Literally the commission drew the lines the current way to protect the interests of Latinos in neighboring districts because so many gentrifiers moved into Bushwick.) Saying the will of 90% of the people is being ignored is an obvious falsehood since more people district-wide voted for the other guy.

Also, it goes without saying that crying discrimination when you have racist, sexist and homophobic crap on your own social media makes you look like a big hypocrite. When no one has ever heard of you, that's a pretty rough way to introduce yourself to the electorate.

But what probably brought it home for Holden was your complete silence on vandalism at the church that many in the district are members of (including you), the defacement of the Queens Vietnam Veterans Memorial, and repeated attacks on the Asian community who naturally backed Holden in large numbers. The incumbent outshined you on every issue in the last few weeks of the campaign - and got legislation passed, to boot - while you were busy taking selfies.

But, hey, it's not all doom and gloom. Your former boss, Brad Pander, is probably hiring.

o·ver·con·fi·dent / (adjective) excessively or unreasonably confident.

The result:

Campaign manager larps as random hard worker family person in his candidate's campaign ad

We're exactly one week away from changing the course of history in District 30. It's an honor to run to represent you in the City Council and I look forward to being your Democratic nominee.

Share this video far & wide and I'll see you at the polls! This one is for you 💪 pic.twitter.com/NHxndSFYRJ

— Juan Ardila (@JuanArdilaNYC) June 15, 2021

 

If you plan on deception to get residents to vote for your groomed client Derek, at least find a different pair of shades to wear. 

 

Racist defends another racist by calling someone else racist

ANALYZING MEDIA IMAGES: One District 30 candidate, Juan Ardila, has already been accused of racist social media posts, while the other candidate, Bob Holden, recently used a mailer to remind people that he's a Democrat with an Asian wife. But in this fierce battle of reputations, which candidate deserves more scrutiny? - Phil Campbell 

Queens Free Press

I am a writer and a homeowner living in City Council District 30, which represents Middle Village, Maspeth, Glendale, and parts of Ridgewood, Woodhaven, and Woodside.

Pretty dull intro, right? Right. Not many people outside of my district care about this city council race, which has Juan Ardila challenging the incumbent Bob Holden.

The New York Post, though, found a reason to care. It splashed a scandalous story in its pages about how the Ardila had posted several homophobic and racist slurs on his Facebook page ten years ago, when he was still a teenager.

Ardila, who boasted endorsements from groups like the LGBT club the Stonewall Democrats of New York, was quick to apologize. “I fully understand how wrong and hurtful that language is and I wholeheartedly apologize,” Ardila, 27, said.

That might have been the end of it, but Holden, whom The Post identified as a moderate, fumed at Ardila's egregious teen behavior. Holden called Ardila’s apology “contrived” and "meaningless” since it apparently came too late. 

But then Holden went further: “There is no place anywhere in the Democratic Party, on the New York City Council or in the City of New York for the kind of racist, homophobic, misogynistic language that Mr. Ardila has publicly posted on social media.”

Hold on. Now this is interesting. I've been following Holden’s career since his slender political victory as a Republican nominee in 2017, and an enormous question loomed for me after I read his indignant response: Has the Bob Holden of 2021 forgotten everything about the Bob Holden of the past ten years?

 
QC:

What's with that caption about Holden's wife? The mailer doesn't focus on her. Are Asian women not supposed to be seen?

Is this progressive?

JQ:

 When I saw the bio of this intrepid reporter, my fauxgressive radar started going wild.

He had quite A LOT to say about Gothamist's conspiracy laden post supporting Ardila's theory that Holden was colluding with the Republican party to get on their ballot on their exclusivity comment thread (and also a lot more about the Juniper Berry mag). Which I screen-shot when a QC reader told me her comment on their disqus feed got memory holed.

 

 

What I find fascinating about his shitpost is how he called Holden an ineffective legislator, which has an element of truth to it considering the dominant influence of fauxgressive ideologues the likes of Speaker Corey Johnson, Jimmy Van Bramer, Brad Lander, Steven Levin, Carlina Rivera etc. etc. etc. that hardly votes against Mayor's de Blasio's donor and agents of the city influenced policy decisions.

Gothamist immediately closed the comment thread after 8 comments, giving Phil's screed the feel of an additional op-ed to bolster the Holden as Republican and racist narrative and a publicly funded digital publication proxy endorsement of Ardila (Gothamist is run by WNYC, for now). 

This isn't journalism or even editorializing, this is JuanAnon

Which is appropriate Memorial Day weekend candidate behavior?

Honoring those lost in the fight to keep our country free:

#MemorialDay looks a bit different this year without the traditional parades, but #ForestHills knows the importance of honoring our fallen heroes no matter the circumstances.

Honored to join today’s ceremony and pay tribute to those neighborhood residents who sacrificed for us. pic.twitter.com/QncAVgMMvJ

— Queens Borough President Donovan Richards (@QnsBPRichards) May 30, 2021

Memorial Day is a solemn reminder of the ultimate sacrifice that many of our service members in the United States Armed Forces made defending our country.

With these heavy hearts, we offer our thoughts and gratitude to the families of those who lost loved ones in battle. pic.twitter.com/SAUMkP5ie8

— Elizabeth Crowley (@ElizCrowleyNYC) May 31, 2021

I was proud to participate in this year's Memorial Day wreath laying ceremony with the United Veterans and Fraternal Organizations of Maspeth and @MaspethFederal. The rain could not dampen our grateful spirit.
#MemorialDay2021 #maspeth pic.twitter.com/aSfNawGKmd

— Robert Holden (@BobHoldenNYC) May 30, 2021

I was honored to attend @MelindaKatz’s #MemorialDay observance ceremony yesterday. Remembering our fallen soldiers is what this weekend is about. Enjoy, but also remember. pic.twitter.com/znqLtPv7tW

— David Weprin (@DavidWeprin) May 28, 2021

Shamelessly barnstorming apartment buildings and quiet neighborhoods for votes:

All this rain has produced at least one good thing - higher than average contact rates on the doors! pic.twitter.com/tyFuZ1gtn6

— Jimmy Van Bramer (@JimmyVanBramer) May 30, 2021

Lots of people home on this rainy Sunday full of enthusiasm for electing @tiffany_caban! pic.twitter.com/TOQbNANRMu

— Brad Lander (@bradlander) May 30, 2021

Rain or shine we’re talking to all our neighbors in my hometown #maspeth pic.twitter.com/drDhLKz3XZ

— Juan Ardila (@JuanArdilaNYC) May 29, 2021

(FYI: The "V for Victory" hand gesture was introduced in January 1941 as part of a campaign by the Allies of World War II.)