NYC-CC30: District 30 Council race intensifies with contrasting perspectives from Pogozelski (D) and Holden's staff

The race for the District 30 City Council seat has grown increasingly contentious, with candidate Paul Pogozelski at odds with current Council Member Robert Holden and his Chief of Staff, Daniel Kurzyna, over allegations of misinformation and associations with past political figures.

Tensions escalated following a report by the New York Post, in which Holden criticized Pogozelski for briefly working with Robert Hornak, the former executive director of the Queens County Republican Party. Holden, who is not seeking re-election, has endorsed two members of his office—Alicia Vaichunas and Phil Wong—in the race and claimed that Pogozelski is misleading voters into believing he has Holden’s support.

“Paul Pogozelski is clearly operating from the dirty playbook crafted by the disgraced former members of the Queens Republican machine — lying about endorsements, attacking the character of residents, and taking credit for accomplishments he had nothing to do with,” Holden told the Post. “Now he’s brought one of its chief architects, Robert Hornak, directly into his campaign — an operative closely tied to former public officials with corruption issues and some who served prison time.”

Hornak was previously active in Queens GOP politics during a period when former vice chairman Vincent Tabone and ex-City Council Member Dan Halloran were arrested in connection to a $200,000 bribery scheme aimed at securing a Republican mayoral ballot line for Democratic State Senator Malcolm Smith in 2013. Hornak was never charged, but the others involved were convicted and sentenced to prison. Halloran was recently arrested again in Miami on charges related to child pornography.





https://qns.com/2025/04/district-30-council-race-pogozelski-clash-holden/