The Queens Young Republicans hosted their first event in over five years on February 4 on the campus of St. John’s University, attracting various student groups and city Republicans.

Ryan Girdusky, the club's vice president, said the event, attended by nearly 100 people, was a success, given that he and club President Meaghan Mapes helped to re-establish the Queens Young Republicans just over a month ago.

“It’s been difficult just trying to get established and get young people involved,” Girdusky said. “It’s difficult to be young in politics and get people to take you seriously. Often times the older candidates will take advantage of the young people, throwing them aside when they are done.”

Members of the St. John’s Republican club were present at the event, along with Republican club representatives from various local universities.

Queens councilmen Eric Ulrich, Peter Koo, and Dan Halloran were the main speakers. The three Republican lawmakers, who won elections last November, answered questions prepared by members of the Young Republicans.

“It was very interesting to hear all the councilmen speak,” Girdusky said. “Eric was great because he is so young and Peter because his story is so inspiring. He had so much going against him, but he beat the odds.”

Koo, who colleagues affectionately refer to as the “rock star” of the City Council because of his large following, won his seat in the heavily Democratic 20th Council District.

The 24-year-old Ulrich made headlines when he won the 32nd Council District seat and became the youngest member of the City Council.

The councilmen spoke on a variety of topics, ranging from attempts to attract more young people to the Republican Party to the current recession to the difficulties of attracting voters in a city known for its liberal views.

“As a Republican in this city, we have to work twice as hard as the Democrats,” Ulrich said. “Once we get into office, we have to produce and work 10 times as hard as our Democratic counterparts.”

A major point of emphasis for all speakers was the need for unity within the party and the attempts to attract a wider variety of voters. Ulrich said that the factions within the party have led to recent struggles, bringing them to the point they are today. Currently in the Queens delegation to the City Council, Democrats outnumber Republicans by an 11-3 margin.

“If we ever want to see a majority or the inside of the Oval Office again, we have to welcome people of all points of view into our party,” Ulrich said. “We can’t worry about the exceptions and need to focus on the majority.”

Herb Stupp, a St. John’s graduate who worked in the Giuliani Administration, spoke of the need for students to get involved in their school and community. The former Young American for Freedom member spoke of his experience as a student and his struggles getting other students to visit the polls.

“What (President) Obama did was go to the housing projects and knock door to door,” Stupp said. “That’s what we need to do as well, going from dorm to dorm and getting your fellow students involved. Nothing can duplicate the face-to-face interaction.”

Halloran, whose campaign attracted nearly 60 volunteers under the age of 30, also stressed the importance of youth involvement in the Republican Party.

“The Young Republicans haven’t been active in Queens for over five years, so their input has been non-existent,” Halloran said. “We need youth leaders to become involved, and the way you do that is exactly what you are doing tonight.”