The race for the 19th Council District has a set candidate for the Republican Party. Well, it had one up until Councilman Dan Halloran (R-Whitestone) was arrested on corruption charges in April.

The incumbent has since announced he will not seek re-election, leaving the door open for a fresh-faced Republican to enter a field that is seemingly growing in number by the week.

“Gravity of the Sculpture: Part II” will remain on display at The Dorsky Gallery, 11-03 45 Ave., Long Island City, through July 3. Call (718) 937-6317, email david@dorsky.org or visit dorsky.org.

“Gravity of the Sculpture: Part II” will remain on display at The Dorsky Gallery, 11-03 45 Ave., Long Island City, through July 3. Call (718) 937-6317, email david@dorsky.org or visit dorsky.org.

“Gravity of the Sculpture: Part II” will open on Sunday, May 5 with a reception from 2-5 p.m. and remain on display at The Dorsky Gallery, 11-03 45 Ave., Long Island City, from Sunday, May 5 through July 3. Call (718) 937-6317, email david@dorsky.org or visit dorsky.org.

New York City has 578 miles of coastline, with much of it in Queens.

And the borough has about as many ways to enjoy water recreation as there are arguments about who in the borough makes the best pizza.

“We were the first team to ever beat the Celtics, who went 68-14 that year, in a seventh game at the Boston Garden,” former Knicks forward Jerry Lucas recalled last Friday night as the Knicks honored members of their 1972-73 squad, the last New York team to win an NBA championship.

Lucas obviously took a pride in that accomplishment, but he was also sending a message to fans of the current Knicks team that even the Miami Heat, led by Lebron James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh, a team that recently peeled off 27 straight wins, can be beaten by the never-say-die Knicks in the playoffs.

St. John’s University men’s basketball coach Steve Lavin jokingly calls himself the “Kindergarten Cop” over the lack of juniors and seniors on his team. But if he can keep his troops healthy and intact for a year or two, then the Red Storm should return to the NCAA Tournament — better known today as March Madness.

Red Storm fans will have to be patient, however, because it probably won’t be this year, based on Sunday’s 63-47 loss against their old Big East nemesis, the Pittsburgh Panthers, at Madison Square Garden.

State Sen. Malcolm Smith (D-Hollis) defended his decision to join the Independent Democratic Caucus at a packed town hall meeting in Cambria Heights on Jan. 30 at the Alpha Phi Alpha Senior Center.

But activist, minister the Rev. Charles Norris was not satisfied with the explanation being offered, and the exchange between the two became heated. Smith accused Norris of seeking media attention. Norris called Smith a bad senator before the lawmaker cut him off and abruptly ended the meeting.

Democrats appear to have won a majority in the next session of the state Senate, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll be in control of the chamber, with all the perks that brings.

For one, two races remain undecided, the one for a new seat west of Albany that pits Republican George Amedore against Democrat Cecilia Tkaczyk, and the one between incumbent Sen. Steve Saland (R-Poughkeepsie) and Democratic challenger Terry Gipson. In the latter race, Conservative nominee Neil Di Carlo has taken votes away from Saland.

Long before Councilman Eric Ulrich (R-Ozone Park), ran to unseat Democratic incumbent state Sen. Joe Addabbo Jr. (D-Howard Beach), received nearly $900,000 in campaign contributions, before Addabbo was endorsed by Gov. Cuomo, and before their district was devastated by Hurricane Sandy, Addabbo and Ulrich were just Eric and Joe, two parishioners at Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Roman Catholic Church in Ozone Park.

Addabbo and Ulrich faced off Tuesday in what has been described as “the most closely watched and possibly most expensive state legislative race in the country,” for the 15th State Senate District which includes this neighborhood. Addabbo won by a wide margin.

Democrats appeared to retake control of the state Senate Tuesday, as Republicans failed to win a Queens race they had poured resources into and may have lost several other tight contests around New York.

The likely changeover from GOP control would be one more victory for the party that saw President Obama re-elected and solidified its control of the U.S. Senate even as it lost a few more seats in the House of Representatives.

Driving down the ramp toward Shore Front Parkway off the Cross Bay Veterans Memorial Bridge, it is common to catch the red light at the end of the ramp before the Rockaway Freeway.

But the view from the stop light has changed. Now, the view is uninterrupted straight to the ocean.

With the 2012 season now history, the Mets look ahead to 2013. General Manager Sandy Alderson makes no secret that the first order of business is to sign long-term contract extensions with Cy Young Award candidate RA Dickey and third baseman — and, far more importantly, franchise face — David Wright.

Alderson should also budget some funds for free agent-to-be outfielder Scott Hairston. On a team infamous for its collective lack of home run prowess, Hairston belted 20 dingers playing more or less in a part-time role. Although known for his bat more than his defense, Scott was also very reliable with his glove — and he’s a go-to person for the media to speak with before and after games, after losses as well as wins.

This week Mayor Bloomberg, he of many parties, announced his endorsement of Assemblywoman Grace Meng (D-Flushing) in the race for the newly redrawn 6th Congressional District.

“New Yorkers demand representation in Washington that puts the needs of the taxpayers ahead of partisan politics,” the mayor said in announcing the endorsement. “Grace Meng will be the independent voice in Congress that middle-class families in Queens deserve.”

Queens Historical Society presents “Permanent Residence: Uncovering the Cemeteries of Queens” through April at the Kingsland Homestead, 143-35 37 Ave. in Flushing. Call (718) 939-0647, ext. 17 or email info@queenshistoricalsociety.org

The Queens Chronicle will cohost a debate between incumbent state Senator Joe Addabbo Jr. (D-Howard Beach) and his opponent Councilman Eric Ulrich (R-Ozone Park) at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 18 at Our Lady of Grace Church, at 100-05 159 Ave. in Howard Beach.

The Forum newspaper and good government group Citizens Union join the Chronicle as cohosts of the debate, which will be held less than three weeks before voters go to the polls in what could be the tightest state legislative race in New York State.

The Queens Chronicle will co-host a debate between incumbent state Senator Joe Addabbo Jr. (D-Howard Beach) and his opponent Councilman Eric Ulrich (R-Ozone Park) at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 18 at Our Lady of Grace Church, at 100-05 159 Ave. in Howard Beach.

In the final weeks of the Republican primary for the 15th state Senate district, Forest Hills attorney Juan Reyes, backed by the Queens GOP leadership, whacked his opponent, Councilman Eric Ulrich (R-Ozone Park), for being supported by the state Republicans, for often voting against the wishes of his party and even for being a devout Catholic with gay friends.

In the end, none of it appeared to have worked. If anything, it might have backfired.

The Republican primary for the state Senate in the newly redrawn 15th District got nasty in its final days.

President Obama and his Republican opponent, Mitt Romney, have two very different visions for the future of Medicare, a program that affects millions of older adults — the question is whom do elders and their advocates side with?

The crux of the debate is this —Romney stresses that Obama’s plan would cut $716 billion from Medicare, making it unsustainable, while Obama says Romney’s idea of turning the program into a voucher system would be disastrous.

Last week, the world saw the Republican Party on display at our party’s National Convention in Tampa. And though you might not have been able to see it on TV, there was a decidedly New York flavor.

Yes, our state was well represented at the RNC. New York isn’t in the mainstream with the national GOP, as we all know. But it’s worth remembering that New York has an incredible Republican tradition. We’re the home of the Rockefellers, Teddy Roosevelt and Rudy Giuliani. We bring an important perspective to the party, even if we’re in the minority. We don’t agree with the national party on every issue, and that’s okay. But we do agree with the most important GOP principles — cutting taxes, creating jobs and getting government out of the way of hardworking people and small business owners.

Look at Juan Reyes’ resume and one sees what ordinarily would be impeccable credentials for a Republican seeking his first elective office.

The Forest Hills resident is a father of three and a partner at a prestigious Manhattan law firm.

It’s been three and a half years since Councilman Eric Ulrich (R-Ozone Park) won a special election to replace Joe Addabbo Jr. after the latter’s ascension to the state Senate. Now, the 27-year-old Ozone Park native is running against his predecessor for the seat in Albany.

The district — which includes Glendale, Howard Beach, Maspeth, Middle Village and Ozone Park — was in Republican hands for decades before Addabbo won it in 2008. It was redrawn to include conservative-leaning neighborhoods like Kew Gardens Hills, home to a large bloc of Orthodox Jews, and Breezy Point. The new lines make the district more competitive, and that attracted Ulrich, who had been lobbied to run for the seat in 2010 and also for the seat vacated by former Rep. Anthony Weiner in 2011, which was won by Rep. Bob Turner (R-Middle Village).

Although they got engaged far from home in tropical Puerto Rico, Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer (D-Sunnyside) will marry his beau Dan Hendrick, spokesman for the League of Conservation Voters and former editor-in-chief of the Queens Chronicle, here at home in the borough.

“It’s a very special day in my life,” Van Bramer, 42, said.

Former Mayor Ed Koch, whose backing of U.S. Rep. Bob Turner (R-Middle Village) in last year’s Congressional special election was cited as a major reason for the latter’s victory, is making another endorsement

The Democrat, known for often crossing party lines, is sticking to his own in the competitive 15th state Senate District race. Koch announced he was endorsing incumbent state Sen. Joe Addabbo Jr. (D-Howard Beach) for re-election. Addabbo is facing Councilman Eric Ulrich (R-Ozone Park) in a more conservative district that includes Orthodox Jewish neighborhoods like Far Rockaway and Kew Gardens Hills.