[From Queens Chronicle]

by Willow Belden, Editor

City Council">

Green Party candidates are often dismissed as unviable — and indeed only eight Greens hold public office in the state — but an environmentalist from Astoria promises to pose real opposition to Peter Vallone Jr. in her bid for City Council.

Lynne Serpe, who works for a nonprofit that helps low- and middle- income families weatherize their homes, has raised more than $100,000 including matching funds from the city’s Campaign Finance Board — on par with Vallone’s $107,650. And she has received four times the number of petition signatures necessary to secure a slot on the ballot — more than many candidates in the Democratic primary.

Serpe, an active member of the Two Coves Community Garden, has focused her campaign largely on quality-of-life issues, such as creating more greenery in the neighborhood, cleaning up streets, installing sidewalk benches and bringing supermarkets to underserved areas. Her ideas for boosting job growth center on creating environmentally oriented work opportunities across an array of fields.

Continue reading Serpe puts Green Party in the spotlight at Queens Chronicle