William Kregler will be on the ballot in November to represent District 7, which covers western Queens and north Brooklyn. Photo courtesy of Kregler
Aug. 27, 2024 By Iryna Shkurhan
A former FDNY fire marshall and longtime Woodside resident is running for Congress against incumbent U.S. Representative Nydia Velázquez, who is currently in her 16th term.
William Kregler, who goes by Bill, declared his run as a Republican to represent New York’s 7th congressional district at the end of July. With just months before Election Day, he’s optimistic he can flip the district red.
In an interview with the Queens Post, Kregler shared that his main motivation for running is his dissatisfaction with the quality of life in the city. He cited issues such as crime, homelessness, and a failing transit system that he attributed to Democratic leadership.
“If you look at our history, if you ever want to fix something in this city, you have to vote Republican,” said Kregler, who believes that the city needs more federal attention and funding to solve its issues. “I like to look at myself as being the AOC of the GOP.”
While he has never held political office, Kregler ran for Queens Borough President in 2017 and received nearly 58,000 votes despite a similarly short campaign period. He was ultimately defeated by current Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz, who received 197,000 votes.
The former firefighter and police officer successfully climbed the ranks in both the NYPD and FDNY, ultimately becoming an expert in fire scene investigations. Now at 66 and long retired from public service, Kregler works as a consultant on emergency management and preparedness education.
In terms of national issues, Kregler outlined stances on immigration, gun violence, abortion and higher education. He aligns with Republican Party stances of strengthening border security, leaving abortion up to the states and stronger enforcement of minor crimes in line with the broken windows theory of policing.
Kregler has been rallying support for his campaign at community events across Queens. Photo via @billkregler on Instagram
“People will look at me and say, he’s a Republican, a conservative, and they’ll try to put a cowboy hat on me and an AR15 in my hand. I have to reply, I’m a New York City Republican conservative,” he said on his party affiliation. “I’ve lived and worked and spoken with people from other parties my whole life.”
One of the top issues on his radar is the expected depletion of social security benefits, which experts believe will occur in 2035. He sees the potential loss of retirement benefits for millions of Americans as more of a human issue than a political one.
“We need to fix Social Security immediately because it’s coming a lot sooner than global warming,” Kregler said, noting that he doesn’t believe in raising the retirement age and instead wants to see more effective spending in government.
Kregler’s advocacy goes back to 1991 when he sued the FDNY for denying him paternity leave to be present for the birth of his first daughter.
His complaint, filed with the State Human Rights Commission, claimed gender discrimination that didn’t give fathers the same consideration as pregnant women in the department. Kregler also said he experienced subsequent retaliation from his bosses after he complained and was passed over for a promotion to fire marshall at the time.
The legal battle lasted six years, eventually settling out of court with the agency admitting to discrimination. He recounted that in taking his fathering duties seriously, six law firms vied to take on his case pro bono.
Kregler’s lawsuit against the FDNY was covered in the NY Post in September 1992. Photo courtesy of Bill Kregler
“Now, firefighters can take time off whenever they want for the personal care of their children,” said Kregler. “That’s my Rosa Parks moment.”
Born and raised in Laurelton, he only briefly left Queens to live in Canarsie in his youth and jokes that he married into Woodside, where he has lived with his wife for the past 35 years.
While he has no official endorsements yet, he said that Staten Island Rep. Nicole Maliotakis has expressed support for his campaign. In making rounds at community events to garner support, he has been pictured with Curtis Sliwa, who often endorses NYC candidates ambitiously running on Republican platforms.
Both Velázquez and Kregler had no opponents in their respective parties in the primary elections. They will be on the ballot on Nov. 5 to represent nearly 750,000 people who reside in neighborhoods such as Long Island City, Astoria, Sunnyside, Maspeth, and Ridgewood, as well as parts of north Brooklyn.
But this is hardly the first time Rep. Velázquez faces a challenger since she became the first Puerto Rican woman elected to the House of Representatives. Just two years ago, Republican challenger Juan Pagan collected 20 percent of the vote in the general election. But that was the closest any candidate running to flip the seat has come in over a dozen elections since she took office in 1992.
Kregler remains optimistic that more voters than ever in the district are looking for a change.
“My whole life has been that compromising working together for the common good. I proved that in my public service over these decades,” said Kregler on his qualifications. “I’m going to prove it again on the House floor.”
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