11th CD Candidates To Debate In Bay Ridge On Tuesday, March 31

With 40 days left until the May 5 special election to fill the seat of scandal-ridden Congressman Michael Grimm, the Bay Ridge Community Council has announced that it will be holding a debate between the three candidates next week.

Staten Island District Attorney Dan Donovan, City Councilman Vincent Gentile, and Green Party candidate James Lane will face off on issues like healthcare, immigration, and disaster relief on Tuesday, March 31. The event, hosted by Vincent Bocchino, the council’s president, will take place at the Guild for Exceptional Children’s Bay Ridge headquarters, located at 260 68th Street, starting at 8:15pm.

The debate will be coordinated by former council presidents Alexander Conti and Dean Rasinya, who currently co-chair the council’s civic affairs committee. Rasinya will introduce the participants and Conti will serve as moderator. The council’s executive secretary Robert Kassenbrock will be the timekeeper.

The debate will be open to the public and attendees will have the opportunity to submit questions for the candidates on immigration, homeland security, foreign affairs, economy, taxes, Social Security, disaster relief, and health services (Medicare, Medicaid, and the Affordable Care Act).

The debate location is accessible via the B37 Bus line, the R Subway line at Bay Ridge Avenue, and is handicapped accessible.

The candidates are seeking election for the 11th Congressional District, which covers Staten Island and parts of southern Brooklyn.