JACK DELANEY

jdelaney@queensledger.com

When you ask Vickie Paladino what she’s most proud of from her second term in the City Council, the answer comes quickly: “I was able to really be heard.”

The answer is apt. Paladino, the minority whip and a member of the right-leaning Common Sense Caucus who was elected in 2021 and again in 2023 to represent north- east Queens, has established a reputation as a conservative firebrand amid the legislative body’s sea of blue.

Now Paladino is running for a four-year term in District 19 against Democrat Ben Chou, in one of only a small set of competitive council races this November.

She won’t struggle with name recognition. Paladino’s opponents label her social media presence as divisive. But the Whitestone native’s supporters say she’s helping to v

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