Castro files petitions to challenge DA DiFiore
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- July
- 16
Reporter Rich Liebson writes:
WHITE PLAINS – Saying he was the true Democrat in the race for Westchester County district attorney, Tony Castro today said he’d submitted nominating petitions with more than 14,000 signatures in support of his primary challenge of incumbent Janet DiFiore.
“The rank and file recognize me as a true Democrat, not the candidate of a wealthy and powerful political machine,’’ he said at a news conference outside the county Board of Elections office. “The people know that we can win, and they want an independent prosecutor, not an imbedded politician, as the district attorney.”
Castro, who ran two close but unsuccessful campaigns for the job with the Democratic endorsement in the past, was snubbed by party leaders at their convention this year. The party endorsed DiFiore, who defeated Castro while running as a Republican in 2005.
She switched parties in 2007.
Castro also submitted petitions with 2,000 signatures to secure the Independence Party line in the November general election.
The Republican candidate is Dan Schorr.
Asked what changes the public would notice if he were elected, Castro said that, under his administration, “You would not have the indecisiveness, the low morale and the turnover you have now.”
After the announcement, DiFiore’s campaign issued a statement saying that she wanted to thank “all those Democratic volunteers from across the county who collected petition signatures on her behalf.”
DiFiore spokeswoman Tracy Everson noted that Castro’s campaign finance report “reveals significant expenditure for wages during the petition period, suggesting that he needed to pay petition carriers in order to qualify for the ballot.”
Castro could not be reached to comment on the statement, but said during his news conference that people were “enthusiastic about signing” his petitions.
July campaign financial statements show that Difiore has spent $38,303 on the campaign and still has a $420,092 balance in her war chest. Schorr has spent $115,002 thus far, and has a balance of $60,341. Castro’s statement shows $93,355 in expenses, with a closing balance of $9,193.
But Castro said funding will not be a problem in his campaign.
“We will have enough money to get our message out,’’ he said.
This entry was posted
on Thursday, July 16th, 2009 at 4:30 pm by Liz Anderson.
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If the democrats thought Castro was a good candidate and he should be the next D.A, why is it that when his financial reports became public yesterday did he only have $9,000. in his account. I will tell you why, “Nobody wants to contribute their money to a candidate who can not win and who has a terrible history.”
D.A. Difiore is going to defeat Castro overwhelmingly in the September primary. Castro can enjoy his 15 minutes of fame, because it will be over real soon.
$9,000. in Castro’s campaign account shows he weak he really is. Maybe the money being spent on his campaign is coming from people who Castro cannot report so he accepts gifts or cash and does not file that money or gifts. This is how things work when you tie yourself to certain people.
Tracey Everson? The News 12 anchor? are we sure she’s difiore’s spokesperson or is that a typo?
I am told by our reporters this is correct; Tracy is spokeswoman for the campaign as of a few weeks ago.
I’ll say ONE thing for Castro – he’s certainly voracious for punishment. Was a time when this sort of thing was diverted, then stopped short by a judgeship or some other plum, but that’s hardly in the cards here, unless the Democratic Machine divines that he might split the ticket enough to give Schorr a reasonable shot. Maybe he’s just plumping his tombstone plaudits: “Ran Numerous Times for Obscure DA Position, Albeit Unsuccessfully.”
I think he is trying to fail as a candidate as many times as he failed the bar exam. (5)
Having Tracey Everson on as the D.A.’s spokesperson is a good move on behalf of the DiFiore campaign. Tracey Everson is a respected, well liked person who is in touch with the people of Westchester, I could not think of a better spokesperson for the DiFiore campaign. Tracey will be part of a winning campaign.
It was interesting that Castro admitted on News 12 that he had to pay people to go out and gather signatures for him so he could run in a primary. What that says to me is Castro has no organization, he has no real supporters who are willing to do the grunt work for him, but he does have people who will work for him only when they are paid. That is the formula for a candidate who is on his way to getting crushed. What will Castro do when his $9,000. runs out? One can assume that he will start using his credit cards to pay workers (not volunteers) to continue on with this poor campaign he is running.
The people of Westchester see through all his garbage and they realize that D.A. Janet DiFiore is a person who is willing to do her job to the best of her ability for all people of Westchester to include: Democrats, Republicans, Conservatives, Independents and the rest of the people of Westchester. The D.A.’s job is a job to serve all the people, Castro seems to believe that the D.A.’s job is a job to take care of a particular group of people. Castro is dangerous and must be defeated.
If you look at Tony’s filing, between January and April he spent almost $12,000 for fundraisers at a bagel place in Yonkers. What was on those bagels – caviar?
And for all that money, the filing shows no contributions received before May. Did the people who attended (if there were any) just eat and run without contributing?
To be fair, if Castro has to pay working supporters because some of them might feel he has no real shot, and thus won’t be able to produce for them
positions and patronage, –
at least he’s not paying with taxpayer supported dollars, jobs and deals, which is the way challenged incumbents often work. Unfortunately, these things would be no different if Castro were the incumbent and overwhelming favorite, but he isn’t. As they say at the seashore, let’s call a wade a wade.
Just in from a meeting with some friends in White Plains and I received the most unbelievable news about the District Attorney’s race. Here, here, come one come all, this is important information: Sam Zherka the man who is under criminal investigation in Manhattan for money laundering, promoting prostitution and narcotic distribution walked D.A. candidate Tony Castro into the Board of Elections to turn in his signature petitions. One must ask themselves, “What is on the mind of Tony Castro?” How could a candidate for the highest law enforcement job in Westchester County so openly and defiantly flaunt his relationship or partnership with a man like Sam Zherka? I normally do not blog, but I am scared for Westchester County and its residents. Think about this, if Tony Castro were to get elected he would hang around with person’s that are under criminal investigation? This reminds me of the old days when the mob controlled everything and some in law enforcement thought hanging around with a mobster or a suspected mobster was a badge of honor. You can always judge a person by the company they keep.
Tony Castro and Sam Zherka a look at the record.
Zherka is under criminal investigation for the above.
Zherka’s brother is in custody in federal prison for selling drugs.
Zherka’s sister was recently denied a carting license because of her family background.
The following is my personal opinion.
I agree and disagree because in addition to ones friends you are a product of your family in my personal opinion.
Let’s review what we know about the Zherka family. And let’s not forget about Selim Zherka’s daddy, he spent over ten years in prison.
Why leave out Selim Zherka’s mommy? She spent three years in prison according Sam Zherka himself.
Since I am not like Sam or his garbage newspaper I will actually mention that Selim says his parents were in prison in Albania because they opposed the communist.
That’s his story. He is not an accurate reporter of the truth in my opinion. How would he even know? If his parents spend time in prison for bad acts do you think they would tell their kids?
I remember when the Mariel Boat lift from Cuba occurred and we ALL thought that these freedom lovers had escaped evil. That was certainly true for some (most in fact) however there were tons of criminals and mental patients that the government unloaded on the US and we had no way of knowing.
I think the same applies here. How can we know if mommy and daddy Zherka were in prison because they fought the Commies or for some other reason? Remember that in Communist China as well as Communist Russia politicians who were involved in misdeeds were in power, then in prison, then in power again so EVEN if there WERE in prison on political grounds that doesn’t mean jack to me.
Well the only way I could come to a personal conclusion is by looking at the kids. So here we go…
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Sister Hatixa Zherka at 30 years old is drinking at some bar at 3:45 AM. (I could stop right there)...
She gets into an altercation with an NBA bad-boy. According to the newspaper she and her brother Ali are part of a group that tries to flee the scene; part of the Zherka party is arrested.
Hatixha and her brother file a $50 million lawsuit against the other (rich) party. I understand that she was claiming that she was the victim of racism. She is white the other party was African American.
Recently she was part of a group that filed a $50 million lawsuit (now withdrawn) charging that the City of Yonkers should pay because (I guess) she was damaged because she could not as easily obtain the FREE rag given out by HER OWN BROTHER.
(By the way I never supported the actions that caused that lawsuit, however I also do not feel that anyone has the right to clutter up our cities with their news racks, WE own the streets, not you. You want to sell some newspaper or give it away you should not think you own OUR streets. Get you garbage in one of those long multiple paper things like anyone else. You have no business chaining anything to OUR public property. This ain’t some commie country. You want? You PAY! Or get in line with the rest of the world.)
So I’m done with Hatixha Zherka
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Hasime Zherka.
On April 14, 2009 the New York City Board of Ethics refused to grant an exemption application for a registration to operate as a trade waste business license to NES Builders, Inc. which is owned by Hasime Zherka. They denied this “based upon the record as to the Applicant, the Commission denies its exemption/registration application on the ground that this Applicant lacks good character, honesty and integrity…”
The commission also noted that the initial background investigation identified issues for further investigation (1) Zherka’s potential relationship with several individuals connected to Albanian organized crime and (2) the relationship between NES and BK Contracting/Elite III Contractor Corp. (owned by Nicholas Nespolini, the purported father of Zherka’s child), which owes the commission a $ 5,000 fine for unlicensed activity.
The denial announcement went on to say that “the commission is vested with broad discretion to refuse to issue a registration to any applicant that it determines lacks good character, honesty and integrity. The evidence recounted above demonstrates that NES falls far short of that standard”.
It is signed by the Business Integrity Commission
Michael Mansfield –Chairman
John Doherty –Commissioner (Dept of Sanitation)
Jonathan Mintz-Commissioner (Dept of Consumer Affairs)
Deborah Buyer-General Council Designee (Dept of Small Business Services)
Brian O’Neill –Inspector Designee (New York City Police Dept).
Jayme Naberezny- Inspector General Designee (Dept of Investigation)
So I’m done with Hasime Zherka
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Ali Zherka
From the NY Daily News in 96’
A man who says that Knicks forward Anthony Mason beat him at the China Club in 1995 is one of three men police are seeking in a double homicide at the glitzy Manhattan strip club Scores.
The man, Ali Zherka, 29, of Yonkers, is wanted along with brothers Victor and Simon Dedaj of Monroe, N.Y., in the June 21 slaying of a waiter and bouncer at the E. 60th St. club.
The three, who police say are members of an upstate Albanian organized crime ring, have been on the run since the Scores shooting. Police believe one of the men has fled to California and another has fled to Toronto.
“These men are dangerous,” said Officer Robert Samuel, a police spokesman. “We need the public’s help to apprehend them. But we want to stress that people should not apprehend them themselves. They are extremely dangerous.”
End article
Ali was not convicted of any crime but his two friends were and they went to jail for the crime.
Ali, who is Sam’s brother is now in Federal Jail in Brooklyn on unrelated other charges. He faces 25 years if convicted according to the press release from the FEDS.
So I’m done with Ali Zherka
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Selim Zherka- is a strip club owner (I could stop there)
And publisher of the rag called the Guardian. The Guardian publishes that it searches out all sides of issues and presents a balanced picture. That is a lie in my opinion; I don’t think they do any such thing.
It is the personal newspaper of Selim Zherka that attacks the completely innocent children of his political opponents as just one example. That makes him deeply evil in my opinion and I do not think the children of Communist oppression that found freedom here in the United States could ever do such a thing.
Selim’s newspaper wrote that Dr. Giulio Cavollo accepted thousands of dollars for the endorsement of the Independent Party in Westchester and also for the ballot line of that party. Now Selim Zherka appears with him in political rallies. There seems to be no explanation of the former charges he made in his own newspaper regarding this very corrupt person (according to Selim Zherka’s newspaper which called him part of an Axis of Corruption.)
Selim is currently under investigation for drug dealing, prostitution, and money laundering. He was recently arrested in Mt. Vernon and he was carrying a gun and a knife.
So I’m done with Selim Zherka
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Kujtim Zherka
A person with this name was part of the absurd (now withdrawn lawsuit against Yonkers. Now a person with this name is arrested after a car he is in is found to have $35,000.00 worth of pot and he is found to have Vicodin on him according to police reports. I believe this is Sam’s nephew.
So I’m done with Kujitim Zherka
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So does this look like the family of former innocent political prisoners of a communist regime? It doesn’t to me.
Does anyone think the children of Alexander Solzhenitsyn could be inserted here? Absurd, in my opinion.
Does anyone thing the children of Natan Sharansky could have been inserted here? Preposterous, in my opinion.
While it’s true that all of the former communist regimes used prison for their political ends that fact does not translate into the disappearance of common crimes and common criminals. The thugs of the world did not suddenly disappear because the government practiced Five Year Plans. In fact many of these regimes played games of musical chairs when it came to politicians in and out of jail.
Based on the facts above I do not accept the story of Selim “Sam” Zherka about why his parents were in jail for years. I do believe they were in jail, however.
I have no facts however in this regard, and make no statement of facts in this regard, just my opinions.
Of course all of this is my personal opinion. Thank God for our rights of Free Speech here in the US!
there is no way that westchester democrats will allow
tony castro anywhere near the da’s office
Correct. But – DiFiore, however goaded, was foolish in ever personally engaging in phone calls, jousts, and shouting matches with an unelectable opposition except in formal debate.
I am pleased that the facts about Castro and his relationships are being revealed.
democrats have the obligation to call upon tony castro
to disassaciate himself from zherka..and to return all
campaign contributions accepted to date and to refuse
both future monetary contributions and/or in kind
contributions in the form of paid for mailers and tv
It should be real simply to find out who is funding Castro, just follow the money. Someone will put the dots together and figure out who is paying for the polls, the paid workers (not volunteers) and the mailers. This money must be accounted for Castro cannot get away with allowing others to pay his cost and not put those cost in his financial reports. Castro has tied himself to the same people he claims he wants to prosecute if elected D.A..
Please folks, don’t be fooled by Castro the snake, he is in bed with people of criminal investigation and suspected of having mob ties.