Helen Marshall was elected borough president in November.

Under the referendum, councilmem-bers would only be allowed to stay in office for a maximum of two consecutive four-year terms . . . a foreign concept to the now out-going Queens councilmem-bers, some of whom were originally elected in the 1970s.

Seven of those long-term Queens politicians argued openly against term-limits, claiming that they would leave the government in the hands of incapable and inexperienced newcomers and create chaos. This chaos would be especially strong in Queens, they claimed, where all 14 Queens councilmembers would be term-limited out at once. The seven – District 20 Democrat Julia Harrison, District 21 Democrat Helen Marshall, District 25 Democrat John Sabini, District 26 Democrat Walter McCaffrey, District 27 Democrat Thomas White, Jr., District 31 Democrat Juanita Watkins and District 32 Republican Al Stabile – joined 15 other members of the City Council to support a bill introduced on March 8 in the City Council’s Government Operations Committee that would repeal the referendum, even though the public voted for it twice.

The term limits controversy was a much-discussed topic for PRESS publisher Michael Schenkler in his weekly column "Not For Publication," which was filled with vile words for the seven councilmembers participating in the "term limits coup." Schenkler, who believed the seven councilmembers were operating with self-serving motives, called the seven "bottom-feeding, public-sucking scum," on March 2, and "self-serving jokers" in his Feb. 16 column.

On Feb. 16, the PRESS in a highly unusual move used it’s front page to illustrate its editorial — depicting a "wanted poster" with the seven councilmembers’ faces. Inside, the news story entitled, "The Borough on the Brink of Term Limits" gave the councilmembers their voice. Sabini said, "I am doing this because I think term limits are bad for Queens. It’s bad public policy." White also said, "Women, blacks, and Latinos have reached a position of power in the City Council, maybe even dominance. Now that it’s our turn, the rules change in the middle of the game."

But the PRESS’s stance on the importance of the issue was clear. The paper was not going to let the vote of the people be thrown out without a fight, and on March 8, the Council’s Government Operations Committee killed the bill by a vote of 5-4.

With the term limits repeal a failure, hundreds of Queens candidates filed with the New York City Board of Elections to run for one of the borough’s many vacant positions in 2001.

Through July 17, 107 candidates filed for one of Queens’ 14 City Council seats, while Councilmembers Helen Marshall, Sheldon Leffler and Al Stabile filed to run for Queens borough president. One-time Board of Education member Carol Gresser also filed for the position. Citywide, Council Speaker Peter Vallone and City Comptroller Alan Hevesi, both from Queens, threw their hats into the mayoral race.

In addition, over 100 candidates in Queens filed for matching funds with the Campaign Finance Board, an agency that keeps newcomers competitive by providing $4 for every $1 a candidate raises.

Although the Board of Elections cut down the number of Queens Council candidates to 80 after hearing filing objections on Aug. 1 and 2, the races in Queens and the rest of the city were still fiercely competitive.

In a marathon of interviews, the PRESS invited all candidates participating in a September Primary election to the paper’s Fresh Meadows office in August, where Schenkler interviewed all of them. Articles on each of the interviews were printed in the paper, giving Queens residents an in-depth look at their leadership choices. The paper also put together a voter’s guide with biographies and photos submitted by candidates.

On Aug. 31, the PRESS made its citywide endorsements, and on Sept. 7, its Council endorsements. The cover of the Nov. 1 issue asked people to vote, and the final ballot was printed for all readers to examine.

Everything was set. Everyone was ready. It was time for the Primary.

At 9 a.m. on the morning of Sept. 11, the polls opened for the Primary. Campaign volunteers distributed literature, candidates shook hands, and voters pulled levers. Everything seemed normal. And then the planes hit.

By 10 a.m., the New York State Board of Elections faxed all media outlets this message: "Pursuant to the governor’s authority, today’s Primary election has been suspended until further notice."

The Primary was suspended until Sept. 25, when less enthusiastic candidates took to the streets again. This time, additional numbers of police officers watched every polling place.

But that day came and went without any problems. Both Queens candidates were knocked out of the mayoral race, while Fernando Ferrer and Mark Green were stuck in a run-off election. Green eventually won on Oct. 11. Helen Marshall won the Democratic nomination for Queens borough president, taking her one step closer to becoming the first African American to hold the office. District 21 Council candidate Hiram Monserrate, unopposed in the General election, beat his two Primary opponents, making him the first ever Hispanic member of the Council in Queens.

The General election was scheduled for Nov. 6. The PRESS put endorsements in the Nov. 1 paper. And while the city mourned and tried to get back to normal, Queens was prepared to make quiet history.

On Dec. 27, Democrat John Liu raised his right hand in front of a supportive crowd of about 100 people at Flushing Library on Main Street and became the first Asian member of the City Council. Liu defeated his opponents in the Nov. 6 election, and during his inauguration, was praised for his ability to break the ethnic barrier.

Helen Marshall also made history, becoming the first African American to be elected borough president, defeating Republican Al Stabile for the office. She said at Liu’s inauguration, "All of this, pay attention everybody, is happening in Queens."

PRESS front page, Sept. 14, 2001.

In the newsroom, most phone calls were made on cell phones that only worked part of the time, but every conversation began with "are you alright? Is everyone alright?" Then we shared our story of that morning, and it became permissible to talk about the rest of life, deadlines, comments and call back numbers.

The hometown lines between boroughs evaporated and without anyone noticing, a proud borough of Queens became part of the swelling pride of New Yorkers.

The "vast majority" of the patients coming into Queens hospitals were "walk-ins" . . . they had walked home from Manhattan and decided they should see a doctor.

"Elmhurst Hospital, 37; Flushing Hospital, 9; Jamaica Hospital, 49; Mary Immaculate, 25; New York Hospital Medical Center of Queens, 30; North Shore Hospital at Forest Hills, 27; Queens Hospital Center, 1."

Three doctors from Jamaica Hospital reported back to Queens from what would come to be known just as "ground zero" at noon on deadline day. They had been stationed at the foot of what was the Twin Towers. Doctor Reginald Hughes told the PRESS, "We didn’t encounter many survivors." He described the scene as "very horrifying" and said they mostly treated rescue workers for "post traumatic stress disorder and shock" from the devastation of the scene and the number of bodies. Doctor Alice Kolasa remembered the police borrowing additional body bags from their Jamaica Hospital mobile unit.

It began with Fire Department First Deputy Commissioner William Feehan.