The Whitestone Republican Club opened its first meeting of the new year last Wednesday night with a full house, drawing residents, civic leaders and local elected officials to a wide-ranging discussion on public safety, city governance and the state of New York politics.

The January meeting, held at 10-20 Clintonville St., featured guest speaker John Chell, former Chief of the Department of the New York City Police Department, who addressed crime trends, policing challenges and the evolving role of law enforcement in New York City.

The meeting was held at 10-20 Clintonville St. Photo by Robert Pearl

The evening included an extended question-and-answer session that touched on public safety, quality-of-life enforcement and community relations with the NYPD.

John Chell speaks at the January 2026 Whitestone Republican Club meeting. Photo by Robert Pearl

Chell also offered some opinions on the current mayoral administration and, when asked about Jessica Tisch continuing as NYPD commissioner, he answered, “They’re going to try to work through it and meet in the middle somewhere. Does it happen? Remains to be seen.” Noting their differences, he deadpanned, “She wants to put people in jail and he doesn’t.”

Chell spoke proudly about the mass-arrest and breakup of the Columbia campus pro-Palestinian protest last spring (which was broadcast on live television), treating attendees to intimate operational details.

Club officials said attendance exceeded expectations, reflecting heightened interest in local civic engagement at the start of the year and “an excellent way to begin 2026,” noted a club representative.

The Whitestone Republican Club meets on the second Wednesday of every month, and its next meeting, scheduled for Feb. 11, will feature anticipated guest speaker gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman.

Queens City Council Member Vickie Paladino, who represents parts of northeast Queens and hosted the meeting, spoke candidly about her role in the City Council, legislative priorities and the challenges of working across party lines in a body dominated by Democrats.

New York City Council Member Vickie Paladino speaks at the first Whitestone Republican Club meeting of 2026. Photo by Robert Pearl

During her remarks, Paladino spoke positively about the newly installed City Council Speaker, Julie Menin, describing her as a pragmatic figure and someone she believed could be worked with despite political differences. Paladino characterized Menin as a moderate voice within the Council and expressed hope for functional cooperation on issues affecting outer-borough communities.

Photo by Robert Pearl
Chell and Paladino. Photo by Robert Pearl

Less than 24 hours after the Whitestone meeting, Speaker Menin announced City Council leadership assignments and committee placements, a move that quickly became a political flashpoint.

Menin revealed that Paladino had been stripped of all but two committee assignments, citing what she described as “abhorrent” content on Paladino’s social media accounts. Paladino retained seats on the Veterans Committee and the Fire Safety Committee, both areas she has worked on since joining the Council.

One of Paladino’s controversial social media posts had previously been referred to the Council’s Standards and Ethics Committee, according to Council officials.

“There is numerous, numerous, too many to count content on her social media that is abhorrent and unacceptable, and I made that decision about the committees with that in mind,” Menin said when announcing the leadership team.

Paladino responded on the air, addressing the decision during a radio interview on 77WABC with Sid Rosenberg, where she rejected the characterization of her conduct and expressed surprise and displeasure with Menin’s remarks and subsequent action.

Paladino stated that she had requested to serve on only two committees, contradicting the implication that the decision was imposed solely as a disciplinary measure.

“I actually requested that I only have two committees,” she said.

She added that she would continue to attend public hearings and participate in Council work beyond her formal assignments.

“Criminal justice, you’ll see me. Public safety, you’ll see me. Education, you’ll see me,” Paladino said.

The controversy centers on a social media post Paladino made following a terror attack targeting a Hanukkah gathering in Sydney, Australia, in which several Jewish people were killed. The attack was widely condemned internationally.

Paladino said she posted in the immediate aftermath of the violence, describing social media platform X (formerly Twitter) as a “battleground” for political speech. She emphasized that she was responding emotionally to what she described as a radical Islamist attack on Jewish civilians.

At the Whitestone meeting, Paladino told attendees that her remarks were directed at radical Islamists, not Muslims broadly, and said her intent was to condemn extremism and defend the Jewish community.

During the radio interview, Paladino acknowledged the wording of her post but defended her right to speak freely.

“I can say whatever I want under the First Amendment — and I do — but I’m always polite to my colleagues on the Council,” she said.

She also criticized what she described as unchecked rhetoric from other Council members, noting that statements she considers hateful and inflammatory made on the Council floor or on social media have not resulted in similar disciplinary action.

Despite the embarrassing dispute, Paladino said she remains willing to work with Council leadership. Paladino said she does not take Speaker Menin’s remarks personally but sharply criticized the decision to raise the issue publicly, saying she felt blindsided after private assurances and conversations with her the night before.

The developments underscored the sharp ideological divisions within City Hall, especially since the Democrats outnumber the Republican members 46-5.