GOP Senate hopefuls spar over housing issue

ALBANY -- It began with an attack on the Obama administration, but a controversy over a housing issue wound up with two Republican Senate hopefuls harshly assailing one another Monday.

And the fracas between the candidates, Nassau County Comptroller George Maragos and Rep. Bob Turner (R-Far Rockaway) culminated with Maragos accusing Turner of trying to "incite racial strife" and getting called "bizarre and ignorant" in return.

The verbal sparring began when Turner held a news conference at a Larchmont train station to criticize an Obama administration lawsuit over low-income housing in Westchester County. Turner and Maragos are vying for the GOP Senate nomination in a June 26 primary along with Manhattan attorney Wendy Long, for the right to face Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.).

Last week, a federal court ruled that Westchester officials violated terms of a 2009 housing discrimination settlement. County officials have said they will appeal. Turner called the lawsuit a "dramatic government overreach" and an attempt to "socially engineer communities."

"Westchester County is not racist, it's expensive," Turner said in a statement. "What's happening in Westchester is another frightening example of this president's goal to drastically expand the federal government beyond its constitutional powers."

Shortly after, Maragos pounced. "Bob Turner's stunt today calling for Obama to 'call off the dogs' has done a grave disservice to Westchester residents by injecting potentially racially divisive language into a sensitive local issue," Maragos said. "I support Westchester in its fight with HUD [the U.S. Housing and Urban Development agency], however, I fear that Mr. Turner's ill-advised statement will set back any resolution to the issue, incite racial strife and may negatively impact Westchester residents."

Maragos also said Turner failed to speak up on the issue while he was in Congress and lumped him in with others who "prefer to make accusatory and inflammatory statements in public rather than to find solutions through compromise."

A Turner aide fired back, accusing Maragos of a "bizarre and ignorant attack."

"George Maragos is either so ignorant that he doesn't understand the massive federal government overreach that is occurring in Westchester or he is defending the Obama administration's attempts to trample over individual and property rights," said Turner spokeswoman Jessica Proud. "Which is it, George?"

Long aides didn't immediately comment. Instead, the Long campaign focused on same-sex marriage, issuing a news release calling on President Obama to leave the issue to state governments.