Queens Democrats: Unanimously Call for Monserrate's Immediate Resignation

From Daily News:
Queens Democratic Party district leaders unanimously passed a resolution this morning in support of the call by their chairman, Rep. Joe Crowley, for Sen. Hiram Monserrate to resign immediately.

The resolution, introduced by Assemblywoman Vivian Cook, who chairs the county committee, also called on Monserrate to relinquish his position as a party district leader.

Monserrate was not present for the vote, nor was Martha Flores-Vazquez, one of the few district leaders who supports the embattled senator. (She recently forwarded around an e-mail that accused the "American media" of being on the "hunt" against Hispanics).

According to Mike Reich, the party's executive secretary, 65 of the 72 district leaders attended a breakfast meeting at the Shalimar Diner in Rego Park. The DLs also support Crowley in his plan to back a primary challenger against Monserrate next fall if his fellow senators' effort to unseat him fails, Reich said.

"We can’t do anything right now except we can all be out there stating that what Hiram Monserrate has done is unacceptable for an elected official, and he should do the community that he claims to serve the right thing and step aside because he has to pay the price for what he has done and he has to pay the price for his acts," Reich said.

Reich said he believes Monserrate's girlfriend, Karla Giraldo, suffers from battered woman's syndrome, adding:

"She thinks if she sticks by Hiram, he's going to marry her and everything will be nice and cozy. But Hiram has a record of this kind of behavior."

Reich recalled that Monserrate, then a Council candidate, was accused in 2001 of running over a tow truck driver who was attempting to repossess his car at about 4 a.m. The incident occurred on the even of the primary elections and was vastly overshadowed by the Sept. 11 attacks. There were no charges lodged against Monserrate.

"He lucked out in that regard," Reich said. "He's always been known as a thug around the community. We look back in history and say, 'You know, there were signs and we may not have recognized them.' What he did here is just inexcusable."

When I noted this is a complete180 for the Queens Democrats, who abandoned then-Sen. John Sabini to back Monserrate last year (Sabini ended up dropping out of the race), Reich said:

"Sometimes you make mistakes. We backed him because we thought he was what the community wanted...The straw that broke the camel's back for John was the drunk driving conviction. Fortunately for John, he didn't hurt anyone. The same can't be said for Hiram."