Martha Taylor To Kick Off City Council Campaign In Queens [UPDATED]

The field for a City Council race in Queens added a familiar face in Martha Taylor, a longtime district leader and civic activist who ended her campaign for the same seat in 2009 when Councilman James Gennaro decided to run for a third term. This year, with Gennaro term-limited, Taylor will face off against Assemblyman Rory Lancman and will kick off her campaign with a fundraiser on Jan. 7. The event will be attended by many political luminaries, including a “special guest”–Queens kingmaker, Rep. Joe Crowley.

“As the district leader she really has been out in the trenches for quite a number of years and that will build you a base of support and good will,” said Doug Forand, a consultant for Red Horse Strategies, the firm running Taylor’s campaign along with Bliss Street Strategies.”She prepared for a run before the end of term limits four years ago, so she had a little bit of money left over from that [race] to start and she’ll be building up her war chest for this one again.”

Forand is hopeful that Taylor’s name recognition and focus on quality of life issues like public safety and education, will win over the middle class voters in her district, especially against Lancman, who’s coming off a failed congressional bid against Grace Meng.

“It’s a little bit challenging when you run for one office and you don’t get it, and then you turn around and run for another office,” Forand said, speaking about Lancman.

Correction: A previous version of this post stated that Martha Taylor was defeated in her race for City Council by Councilman James Gennaro in 2009.