The newest and most controversial candidate in the mayoral race, Anthony Weiner, said he knows he’s got a lot to prove but believes New Yorkers will be looking forward when choosing the next mayor.

“We’re making a big mistake if we think that voters are looking to the past,” Weiner said in a sitdown Friday with the Queens Chronicle editorial staff, the first of his candidacy. “When they go to flip that switch, it is a fundamental, forward-looking, aspirational thing.”

“This is a totally obvious statement, but being the mayor of the City of New York is a tough job, and people need to make sure they have somebody who’s tough enough to lead, but smart enough to listen and to lead in a collaborative way.”

That’s how City Council Speaker Christine Quinn (D-Manhattan) responded to the first question asked of her during an interview last Thursday with the Queens Chronicle editorial board: the old standard, “What makes you the best candidate?”

The race for mayor of New York City took a long-expected turn last night when Anthony Weiner, the former city councilman and congressman from Forest Hills, entered the contest with an announcement posted on YouTube.

Weiner, who quit the House two years ago after sending lewd photos of himself to young women across the country via social media and then lying to the public about doing so for two weeks, said he had made big mistakes in his life but is looking for a second chance.

(NAPSI)—A new poll on popular though sometimes controversial schooling issues shows that moms of school-age children are frustrated with K−12 education’s current course. Perhaps as a result, they want the ability to choose where and how their children are educated outside of public schools.

Millions of consumers will be faced with a choice to enroll in one of four different Obamacare “metal plans,” on Oct. 1. The metal plans are new categories of health insurance - nicknamed “metal” because each plan is named after a metal - created by the Affordable Care Act, a.k.a. Obamacare.

Ten blocks west of Resorts World Casino New York City, a billboard over Rockaway Boulevard advertised casino table games less than two hours away in New Jersey.

To anyone with even the slightest knowledge of marketing, the ad seems to make sense — targeting gamers leaving Resorts World perhaps disappointed that New York City’s first casino lacks real roulette wheels and craps tables.

Shot in Southeast Queens, “Let’s Get Bizzee” is a feature film that is said to truly inspire youngsters to make a change and be a part of the political process, according to director Carl Clay.

Clay’s re-released film will be featured on May 10 at the Black Spectrum Theatre followed by a panel discussion hosted by state Sen. James Sanders Jr. (D-Laurelton) on “Attack on Black Leaders: Corruption or Conspiracy?” at the event.

It’s been done before, he says. A longshot candidate can win the mayoralty of New York City. Just look at the race in 1977.

At this point in that year, former City Councilman Sal Albanese says, there were two candidates polling about where he is now —in the single digits. But their name recognition improved, and in the end, one of them won. That was Ed Koch. The other lost that election but did all right in politics in the end. His name was Mario Cuomo.

(StatePoint) With more women rising to top positions in business and government, the topic of women and their capacity for leadership has been all the buzz in the media lately.

(BPT) - Now that spring has sprung, drivers will be hitting the road in earnest to enjoy the warmer weather. In fact, according to Hankook Tire’s latest Quarterly Gauge Index, 56 percent of Americans are planning to take a road trip that involves driving 50 miles or more. On average, they estimate they will drive 1,025 miles. What is it about spring - besides the obvious pleasurable weather - that has so many people hitting the road?

One of the oldest youth organizations in the country continues to face pressure from members and activists over its policy on homosexuality and could change it in less than a month.

The Boy Scouts of America announced last Friday that a proposal aiming to eliminate the group’s longstanding ban on gay members will be voted on the week of May 20. While the measure would still prohibit gay adults from becoming scout leaders, the proposal would bar applicants from being denied membership because of their sexual orientation.

Former Rep. Anthony Weiner, the Forest Hills Democrat, may or may not have launched a campaign for mayor this week when he released a plan called “Keys to the City: 64 Ideas to Keep New York the Capital of the Middle Class” — and started a new Twitter account.

Weiner was forced from office a little less than two years ago when it was revealed that he had been sending lewd photos of himself to young women around the country, many via Twitter, and then lied about it for weeks. Until the scandal hit, he was a darling of the Democratic Party for his take-no-prisoners approach to political discourse, advocacy for the needs of his Central and Southwestern Queens district and staunch support of Israel, among other things. He was, for example, a foremost cheerleader of President Obama’s healthcare bill, without which, Weiner said, the economy couldn’t recover from the recession.

“A pretty shameful day for Washington.” That’s how President Obama described the failure on Wednesday of attempts to tighten gun laws. He is correct.

Who could be against expanding background checks for people trying to buy firearms? Only the leadership of the National Rifle Association and its dependents on Capitol Hill. Poll after poll shows the public wants it to be just as difficult to buy a weapon at a gun show as it is at a store. Yet members of the U.S. Senate, led by Republicans but including Democrats, knocked down even that common-sense, along with others meant to reduce the daily carnage in our streets.

Four of the Democratic hopefuls for mayor gathered at Queens College on Tuesday to talk about education, public safety and other issues.

Former Councilman Sal Albanese, Public Advocate Bill de Blasio, Comptroller John Liu and 2009 Democratic nominee Bill Thompson attended the event, which was co-moderated by journalist Errol Louis and Michael Krasner, a political science professor at the school.

Dear Editor:

All polls show that Americans approve of stronger gun control regulations. Folks, that’s not enough!

The NRA has a strong grip on most Republicans and many Democrats in Congress. It will take 60 votes in the Senate to pass a reform bill (there are 55 Democrats vs. 45 Republicans there). Neither party is in control. However, the tough battle will be in the GOP-majority House.

If we want the poll “approval” to become reality, the following “urgent action” must be taken ... now! All Americans must get off their butts and demand Congress pass a bill so that Obama can sign it into law. This action will require willpower. We must turn up the heat on Congress — letters, emails, phone calls, petitions.

Tell ‘em in the only language they know: Pass a gun reform bill now or we will vote you out of office!

The last two weeks have provided a steady list of reasons to be cynical about government as a whole, and the doling out of taxpayer funding in particular. But running on parallel tracks has been an attempt at opening up the decision-making process to three Queens lawmakers’ constituents.

Councilmen Dan Halloran (R-Whitestone), Mark Weprin (D-Oakland Gardens) and Eric Ulrich (R-Ozone Park) were three of eight city legislators to enroll in Participatory Budgeting, which allows constituents to vote on the allocation of up to $1 million in discretionary funding.

A recent Quinnipiac University study shows that 48 percent of Americans support same-sex marriage, up from 36 percent in 2008 — and perhaps surprisingly, more senior citizens are supporting marriage equality than ever before.

This shift in approval also seems to be reflected here in Queens.

Mayor Bloomberg plans to ban foam food containers from takeout places, schools, and delis throughout the city. Following a successful ban on transfats, as well as a proposed ban on supersized sodas and cigarettes in public places, removing polystyrene foam boxes, cups and trays is the mayor’s latest attempt to reduce the city’s carbon footprint and improve the quality of life in New York.

“Something that we know is environmentally destructive, that is costing taxpayers money, and that is easily replaceable, is something we can do without,” Bloomberg announced in his final State of the City address at the Barclays Center.

(BPT) - What would you do with an extra hour this week? Maybe you would sit down to watch your favorite TV program, jump back into that book you’ve been dying to finish, or pick up the phone to catch up with an old friend. Gaining an hour this week may be as simple as having a good relationship with your bank.

(BPT) - Saving for retirement is a scary prospect for many Americans. In fact, just 14 percent feel confident they will have enough money to live on when they retire, according to the 2012 Retirement Confidence Survey by the Employee Benefit Research Institute. And 60 percent say they have less than $25,000 saved for retirement, the survey reveals.

Have you been hitting the snooze button on your insomnia? Or wishing you could? For many adults suffering sleep problems, the challenge is not necessarily falling asleep, but staying asleep – and getting back to sleep if they wake in the middle of the night.

Spring cleaning is a tradition worth keeping for many Americans: 62 percent of those recently polled by the Cleaning Institute say spring cleaning is an annual ritual in their home.

City Council Speaker Christine Quinn (D-Manhattan) has been considered the frontrunner in this year’s race for mayor all along, and a new survey by Quinnipiac University serves to bolster her standing, though with one little caveat.

If the Democratic Primary contest were held today, 37 percent of voters would cast their ballots for Quinn, the poll found. That’s more than her three closest competitors combined. Public Advocate Bill de Blasio, formerly a city councilman from Brooklyn, got the nod from 14 percent of the poll’s respondents. Bill Thompson, the Democratic nominee in 2009, when he was the city comptroller, came in third at 11 percent. And current Comptroller John Liu, who previously had been the councilman from Flushing, was chosen by 9 percent.