It's now official. GOP candidate Bob Straniere has officially declined the judicial nomination that was very shadily thrown his way on Monday night.
Bob Straniere really meant it when it said he didn't want to run for the state Supreme Court judgeship for which he was nominated by the Manhattan GOP Monday in a last-ditch attempt by supporters of Rep. Vito Fossella to enable him to seek re-election.
At of 3:02 p.m. Straniere officially declined the nomination, according to the city Board of Elections. He filled out a certificate of declination and signed it.
Until he did so, he was on the GOP line for two different offices in three different boroughs (counting the little sliver of Brooklyn that's in the 13th CD). He is now merely a congressional candidate.
The Manhattan GOP has until Sept. 30 to fill the vacancy, although it's not like people are banging down the doors to run on the Republican line in Manhattan judicial races - a near-certain loss if ever there was one.
Also, Tim Cochrane has now officially accepted the Conservative Party line in NY-13, leaving Vito Fossella and his supporters nowhere to actually put their boy on the November ballot.
It would seem now all but certain that Vito Fossella's Congressional career will be over in January of 2009. He's done, for the 111th Congress at least.
Kevin Powell released a statement earlier today commenting on his loss to Ed Towns in the NY-10 Democratic primary last week. The statement touches all the bases such a release should. It thanks the volunteers and the donors and voters. It also states quite clearly that Powell is indeed running again in 2012, whether against Edolphus or his son Darryl.
We also know all residents deserve representation that will speak loudly on their behalf around matters like affordable housing, education, healthcare, jobs, and ending the war in Iraq. And we know these residents deserve representation that does not campaign for just the last few days of a campaign cycle. And we know that all the voter intimidation, manipulation, and suddenly broken voter machines were not mere coincidence. Nor were the attacks on my character that appeared in certain newspapers and websites. Nor is it a coincidence that Mr. Towns refused to debate one single time, in spite of repeated calls for a public hearing about the issues. Elected officials like Congressman Ed Towns do not believe in democracy. They believe in maintaining their power and privilege, at the expense of the American people, by any means necessary. So we will never know, for sure, what the real vote count was, because this was never a fair campaign from the very beginning.
That is why I am proud to say I will be a candidate for Congress again in 2010. The campaign has already begun because of you.
It has begun because of all the outpouring of love and encouragement I have received from you, the people, here in Brooklyn, in other parts of New York City, and from across the country. All the phone calls, emails, text messages, and snail mail has been so incredibly humbling and gratifying. Sometimes when you are in the middle of a very serious campaign for political office, you have no idea how many people care, how many people want you to win, how many people believe in you and your team and the desire to see a movement for change across America. And I am especially grateful to the multicultural army of younger people who worked on our campaign, who voted, who told me this is the first time they actually took politics seriously. I say to the young people, in particular, do not give up, and do not forget that it has always been younger people, in America, and around the world, who make change happen. Together, we will win in 2010.
We the people are the leadership we are waiting for in Brooklyn, in America, and we are not going to let anyone turn us around. I have learned so much from this experience, am so grateful for the amazing people I have met, and I don't care if I am running against Mr. Towns in 2010 or his son, Assemblyman Darryl Towns. We are going to end the business and cycle of family politics and shameless nepotism in Brooklyn once and for all.
Just as Abraham Lincoln lost nearly a dozen political campaigns before becoming president of the United States, just as Barack Obama lost a Congressional campaign in 2000 before becoming the Barack Obama of today, we are going to take this 2008 campaign as a necessary step toward victory in 2010.
I sure hope he learned some stuff about campaigns and campaigning this year.
The Hasidic communities of South Williamsburg in Brooklyn are once again making their presence known in key primary races. The race between SD-25 challenger Dan Squadron and incumbent Marty Connor could very well be decided by who those communities choose to support and early indications are that they are divided in their loyalties. The factions have been warring since 1999 when the sect split in a succession dispute and that split has also influenced their political participation. Liz has a story about the electoral dimensions of the dispute in this morning's Daily News.
A warring Brooklyn Hasidic sect is divided in a key Democratic state Senate primary that involves some of the city's most powerful political figures - and could affect the '09 mayoral race.
The Satmar faction led by Williamsburg-based Rabbi Zalman Teitelbaum rebuffed an eleventh-hour plea by Mayor Bloomberg to support his candidate, political newcomer Daniel Squadron, in the 25th Senatorial District.
Zalman loyalists are backing Squadron's target, incumbent Sen. Martin Connor, who is championed by Brooklyn Democratic Party boss Vito Lopez and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver.
The Zalman camp received a visit last week from Deputy Mayor Kevin Sheekey. He pleaded Squadron's case, but left without a deal, said a source close to Zalman's political adviser, Rabbi David Niederman. Mayoral spokesman Stu Loeser declined to comment.
...
Meanwhile, followers of Rabbi Aron Teitelbaum - who is based in Kiryas Joel in Orange County but has a presence in Williamsburg - are supporting Squadron.
In these low turnout NYC primaries, the Hasidim are often able to exert great influence and, in a race as close as the SD-25 race is expected to be, their votes could be the difference. The UJCARE folks claim they turned out 10,000 people last night at a rally for Squadron and the UJO folks are sticking with Connor at the request of Brooklyn Dem Boss Vito Lopez.
Another race where the Hasidim could prove the difference is the primary race between challenger Kevin Powell and incumbent Ed Towns. The northwest part of the district holds a large part of the South Williamsburg Hasidim. Powell has been aggressively, if not rather clumsily courting them and it seems he's made at least some progress. That said, though there is some anger at Towns in the Satmar community, he's a known quantity to to many.
Both of these races could swing on Satmar votes. Which factions will show up and who they support could very well be decisive.
Last night I posted about my neighbor, James Powderly, and 5 other Brooklynites who were arrested in Beijing for daring to speak out about the Chinese occupation of Tibet during the Olympics. Today we learn that 6 unnamed Americans were sentenced by the Chinese police to 10 days in "administrative detention."
Beijing police said Thursday it had handed out 10-day detention terms to six foreigners believed by an overseas activist group to be pro-Tibet campaigners involved in Olympic protests this week.
In a brief faxed statement, the city police information department said "Thomas" and five other foreigners had been apprehended on Tuesday for "upsetting public order", without identifying the six people any further.
"Beijing police decided to give the six 10 days of administrative detention," the faxed statement said.
Administrative detention is a punishment that can be meted out by Chinese police without having to go through the courts.
Students For a Free Tibet said it assumed the six were American pro-Tibet activists who police detained in Beijing on Tuesday.
I hope they won't actually be held that long and will soon be back here in Brooklyn. That said, I think it's instructive to take a look at the way justice is dispensed in China. Americans who speak out get 10 days. Elderly Chinese grannies who just wanted the chance to speak out get a year's worth of "re-education through labor."
One of my neighbors is being held by Chinese authorities in Beijing. James Powderly has been in detention for nearly 55 hours now. His crime? Speaking out for the plight of a Chinese occupied Tibet. He's not alone either. Three other Brooklynites were arrested later in the day.
The Chinese, who are hoping that their efficient oversight of the Beijing Games will wipe away memories of Tiananmen Square, have arrested one of Williamsburg's best-known multi-media artists after discovering that he planned to project a pro-Tibet message on a building in the Chinese capital.
Artist James Powderly has been in a Chinese jail since Aug. 19 - though the official charges are unknown.
...
Though Powderly was apprehended alone, he traveled to Beijing to collaborate with five activists from the group Students for a Free Tibet - including Brooklynites Samantha Corbin, Jacob Blumenfeld, and Lauren Valle - who were arrested later that day after unfurling a light-up "Free Tibet" banner in front of the famed "Bird's Nest" stadium, the student organization said.
The whereabouts of Powderly and his American compatriots remain unclear. A spokesman from Beijing's Municipal Publicity Security Bureau refused to comment on Powderly's arrest, according to the Associated Press.
I would hope that my neighbor James and his fellow Brooklynites will be released soon. Hell, the whole circus leaves town in a few days and it would be best if this was resolved before all the attention shifts away from Beijing. I mean, China treats its own people bad enough while the world's attention is focused squarely upon them. Check out this story about two elderly women sentenced to a years "re-education through labor" for merely being persistent in their efforts to secure a permit to protest in the designated "protest zones" the razing of their homes to make way for the Olympic facilities.
This morning's New York Times contains an endorsement in the NY-13 primary. The Times calls both candidates, Steve Harrison of Brooklyn and Mike McMahon of Staten Island, "appealing", but says that Harrison lacks McMahon's "record of accomplishment."
On the Democratic side, two appealing candidates are facing off. Stephen Harrison, a lawyer who ran a spirited campaign against Mr. Fossella two years ago, has strong community ties in the Brooklyn part of the district and has demonstrated an admirable passion for public service.
He does not, however, have the record of accomplishment of his opponent, Michael McMahon. Mr. McMahon has done an impressive job representing Staten Island in the City Council since 2001, showing leadership on some of the city's thorniest issues. As chairman of the sanitation committee he was instrumental in overhauling the waste management plan to make it fairer and more environmentally sound, and he has been a steadfast champion of recycling, ushering through pioneering legislation on electronic waste.
Mr. McMahon also has a deep understanding of transportation and infrastructure issues, including a strong commitment to mass transportation. He would be a valuable advocate on these fronts in Washington.
As the only Democrat in the Council from Staten Island, Mr. McMahon has proved adept at reaching out to moderates and conservatives. That broad appeal would be an advantage in representing this conservative- leaning district, which gave 55 percent of its votes to President Bush in 2004. Mr. McMahon wins our endorsement in the Democratic primary.
I know quite a few folks who were going to this thing last night and it sounds like NY-10 primary challenger Kevin Powell had assembled a pretty good crowd. The candidate was there. About 500 people were there. The headliner? Not so much.
It was no joke.
More than 500 people waiting for a performance by funnyman Dave Chappelle for a political fund-raiser were stunned when he didn't show.
The event at Eugene, a hip-hop club on W. 24th St., was for Kevin Powell, who's challenging incumbent Edolphus Towns for a congressional seat in Brooklyn.
Doors opened at the club at 7 p.m., but shortly after 10 p.m., Powell, 42, faced the inevitable.
"We got a call saying he has missed his first flight and he was trying to catch a second flight, and he didn't catch that one," he said.
Powell said those who bought tickets can come to his next fund-raiser.
Two months after deciding to sit out the SD-25 primary, Ken Diamondstone this morning announced that he is running to replace the term limited David Yassky, my City Councilman. Diamondstone narrowly carried lost the Brooklyn part of SD-25 in his 2006 primary with Marty Connor and he's certainly got some name rec advantages in the southern part of the district.
"I'm launching this campaign for City Council because the hard-working people and families of Brooklyn can't wait any longer for good government," said Diamondstone in a press release this morning.
"Now is the time to take back Brooklyn. I'm going to fight for the bold progressive reform we need to protect our neighborhoods and help them flourish."
While I'm certainly willing to listen to Diamondstone, my early favorite is still this guy.
It looks more and more like City Councilman Mike McMahon is the Dem establishment's choice for the NY-13 seat. Today, Charlie rangel and 11 othe Dem congresscritters from NYC proclaimed their support according to Liz:
The 12 House members (Ackerman, Clarke, Crowley, Engel, McCarthy, Maloney, Meeks, Nadler, Rangel, Serrano, Towns, and Weiner) issued the following joint statement:
"Following the lead of local Staten Island and Brooklyn Democrats, the New York City Congressional delegation is proud to stand behind Staten Island Councilman Mike McMahon in his campaign for Congress."
"This year, we have an historic opportunity to turn the last Republican Congressional district in New York City Democratic. We are committed to seeing that Mike McMahon is successful."
"In the past eight years, New Yorkers have shown tremendous strength - together we have lived through the horror of 9/11, and we have seen New York soldiers off to war. But the misplaced priorities of the Bush administration have weakened our City, and there is a great deal of work to do to take us in a new direction."
"We are confident that Mike McMahon will play an important role in bringing our troops home from Iraq, and in winning our fight for good-paying New York jobs, reduced gas prices and quality health care for all Americans."
What's interesting to me is the absence of my Congresswoman's name, Nydia Velazquez. I wonder what that's about.
I really don't wish to pile on the seemingly hapless Staten Island GOP too much today, but this SI Advance story is just too good to let go.
While the seat is considered the crown jewel of borough politics, top Republicans have been hesitant to get in the race. Two other top-tier candidates, District Attorney Daniel Donovan and County Clerk Stephen Fiala, took their names out of consideration last week.
The party's inability to lock in a high-profile candidate is not sitting well with some Republicans.
WAKE-UP CALL
"It's a wake-up call," said one. "We can't be one-personcentric. Because when that one person goes down, we all go down."
The borough GOP has been accused of becoming too reliant on Fossella in recent years at the expense of developing a strong enough bench.
"Talk about dysfunctional?" said another. "This is dysfunctional."
Ouch. Don't feel too bad for them though as it appears help is on the way:
Also being interviewed by the party were artist Scott LoBaido and community activist Dennis McKeon.
"Somebody has to take on this fight," Yost told the Advance.
Yost, a retired detective, pointed out that he'd raised $360,000 for the Vitaliano race, and said that he was confident he could raise the big bucks necessary to mount a congressional run.
LoBaido, known for his politically controversial paintings, said that he was inspired by California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who also used a career in the arts as a springboard to public office.
You are going to have to be able raise the big bucks, Mr. Yost. You'll be on your own, mate. As for you, My LoBaido...um, yeah. Best of luck with that.
The GOP recruiting meltdown in NY-13 continues. It's becoming increasingly obvious that there just isn't any top line Republican in the district that is willing to run for this seat. After their best bet, Staten Island DA Dan Donovan took a pass, we learned that their Plan B, state Senator Andrew Lanza might want the job, but his Senate majority is under siege and needs all hands on deck this fall for what is shaping up to be an epic battle for control of that chamber. (And, let's face it, they can't recruit for crap for the state Senate this year either.) Their Plan C, County Clerk Stephen Fiala, decided better of a run over the weekend and now the only Republican making overt noises about running (again) is a guy the Staten Island GOP absolutely despises, former Assemblyman Robert Straniere.
Finding a candidate to replace Representative Vito J. Fossella, who will step down at the end of the year, is proving much harder than Republican Party leaders ever imagined.
Since Mr. Fossella admitted having a child out of wedlock more than two weeks ago, Republican after Republican, including some of the district's best known elected officials, has opted not to run for his seat. Now Republican leaders are seriously questioning whether they can find a candidate capable of winning a seat that the party has held for 28 years.
"We're hurting," said Guy V. Molinari, the former Staten Island borough president and dean of the island's Republicans. "I think that the Congressional seat is probably the most coveted seat locally. And yet, with the vacancy approaching, those that we thought would be the leading candidates in this case, particularly the incumbent elected officials, are taking a pass."
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Yesterday, Mr. Molinari said that another aspirant had withdrawn his name from consideration: James S. Simpson, administrator of the Federal Transit Administration and a former commissioner of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
Meanwhile, Jamshad Wyne, a physician who is the finance chairman of the Staten Island Republican Party, announced over the weekend that he, too, would not be a candidate. Dr. Wyne had considered running and had planned to hold a fund-raising event.
However, there is one newcomer to the race for the Republican nomination: Robert A. Straniere, a former assemblyman who lost the Republican primary for his seat in 2004 to Vincent Ignizio. Mr. Straniere said that although he had been away from politics for several years, he was ready to run for the Congressional seat he had sought twice before. Both times he failed to receive support from the local Republican Party.
...
In fact, Mr. Molinari described Mr. Straniere's chances of being supported by the Republican leadership as "impossible." He said that Mr. Straniere "would not be at all acceptable to the Republican Party. I would speculate that 98 percent of the Republican County Committee would say, 'No dice.' They would rather vote for a Democrat than for Straniere." Many Republican officials are still waiting to see what State Senator Andrew J. Lanza decides. Officials close to the senator say he is not inclined to run, in part because he doesn't want to commute between Washington and Staten Island, where his family lives.
Mr. Lanza is also under intense pressure to remain in the Senate. Running for Congress would force him to give up his seat in the Senate at a time when the Democrats, who already control the Assembly, need just two seats to take control of the Senate for the first time in 40 years.
Perhaps we shouldn't be surprised that the GOP is having such a hard time fielding a candidate for this seat. Someone described their predicament to me the other day as finding someone willing to "parachute onto the deck of the Titanic."
The NRCC is at a massive financial disadvantage this year. There just isn't going to be money from DC to support whoever eventually gets the nod to run, especially after they dumped tons of money into three straight special election losses that should probably have never been competitive in the first place. This will likely further suppress the enthusiasm of donors to the NRCC as well as donors to individual candidates. The potential candidates who are remaining on the sidelines know that all to well. They'll be on their own against a cash flush DCCC that can and will support their candidates and can exploit targets of opportunity as they arise. The GOoPs also know that they won't be taking back the majority anytime soon and that they are running for the right to sit in what will be an historically small minority in the House.
Still, this seat was one that the NRCC definitely thought they could mount a credible defense in and it looks increasingly likely that that defense may strangled in the crib as they can't seem to find anyone willing to take up the GOP standard in the 13th. In other words, it's a complete recruiting meltdown, a nightmare, for the GOP, both locally and nationally as regards this seat.
What does all this mean?
But Richard Flanagan, an associate professor of political science at the College of Staten Island, said that it would be a severe blow to the Republicans' prospects if they did not come up with a candidate who is well known and can raise money effectively.
"If they can't run a front-line candidate," Mr. Flanagan said, "it becomes: Advantage Democrats."
As of 4pm this very afternoon, the FDNY's vacate order of my old building is officially lifted three months and 10 days after it was ordered. Though I won't be joining my neighbors in returning to my old apartment, I am beyond happy for them. It's been quite an experience...
Liz is reporting that the Working Families Party may be about to throw their support to Dan Squadron, who is running a primary campaign against my state Senator, Marty Connor.
A source who was on hand last night at the Working Families Party Coordinating Council said the organization voted to endorse Dan Squadron, a political neophyte and former aide to Sen. Chuck Schumer, who is mounting a primary challenge to veteran Democratic Sen. Marty Connor.
The next step is a meeting of the party's executive council, which is scheduled to get together on March 14 at the Crowne Plaza in Albany.
According to my source, several unions represented by the labor-backed party stuck up for Connor last night, but the local South Brooklyn club and ACORN had the majority of votes in the room and wanted Squadron.
While this is certainly good news for Squadron, it's truly terrible news for the man who WFP backed in the 2006 primary against Connor, Ken Diamondstone, who has also been making noise about taking another run at Connor this year. In fact, if WFP backs Squadron, it may keep Diamondstone out of the race altogether.
Diamondstone said he is "seriously considering" getting into the race and that the WFP's support "is and has been very important" to him. He said he has been assured the party has not made a final decision on an endorsement, adding:
" I would welcome their support this time around. Failing that, I would certainly need to evaluate what the loss of support by WFP would mean for our campaign. But I'll determine that should that occur."
I don't know Diamonstone personally, but I have met Squadron a few times and have had the chance to speak with him at length a few times. I'll just say that I can easily see why a healthy portion of the WFP membership would be interested in backing him. Dan is very bright and has an excellent grasp of reform issues and of how state government actually works here. He's exactly the kind of smart, young progressive that are now coming out to run for state Senate knowing that they'll be able to go to Albany and actually, ya know, do stuff and make an impact. I say all of this because I truly believe it and not because Dan once said that the Albany Project was The greatest blog (I've done an interview with, so far).
I'm mainly posting this for other members of the 475 Kent diaspora. I'm getting plenty of google traffic from people searching for information on the situation. I am doing much the same myself. We're all just trying to get as much info as we can and to begin to organize. None of us want to leave as we really do love the place where we live and where many of us work. Anyway, here's a roundup of news on what's happening:
I just wanted to thank everyone who wrote and called yesterday. No less than five different people offered Molly and I a place to stay. Three of them I know personally, two of them I've never even met. It was a truly humbling experience and I am very, very grateful. I'll be taking one of them up on it today and we'll be leaving 475 Kent for now. Hopefully we'll be able to come back soon. I really do love this place and I'm not the only one.
That said, I found the reactions from my elected reps interesting. While I didn't expect all that much from Yassky, he was essentially useless. Lentol and Connor's folks never got back to me. Sure, it was a holiday, but 150-200 of their constituents were out in the cold. It wasn't much of a holiday for us. At a minimum, an acknowledgement of that fact would have been reassuring.
But, you know who did get in touch? Dan Squadron, the man running to be my new state Senator. I hadn't reached out to Dan at all, but he emailed last night offering to do whatever he could for me and my neighbors.
150 (a conservative estimate, IMHO) of your constituents are being put out of their homes, with two hours notice on the coldest night of the year.
An estimated 150 people had to relocate when city officials evacuated an 11-story factory building in Brooklyn on Sunday night, citing illegal loft conversions and fire safety violations involving a matzo bakery in the basement.
The city also shut an adjoining four-story factory building, which had been converted to a Hasidic school and catering service.
The loft building, a blocklong concrete structure converted from a pasta factory years ago, is at 475 Kent Avenue in South Williamsburg. The smaller building is at 32 Division Street.
Firefighters and buildings inspectors gave tenants a midnight deadline to leave. The American Red Cross was on hand offering hotel lodging for the night..
"People have been living here for 10 years, so why, all of a sudden on the coldest day of the winter, the night before a holiday, are we being asked to leave?" said Yuri Sivo, 48, a screenwriter, who said he had moved there last fall.
I should mention that I am one of them.
Instead of taking steps to mitigate the fire hazards with an end to fixing them outright, the FDNY has decided that the safest thing to do is to make 150 people homeless immediately. On a Sunday night. Before a holiday. On the coldest night of the year.
My questions are this:
How exactly is my safety enhanced by removing myself and my dog from our home on a night that could literally freeze us to death?
My state Senator, Marty Connor, may have quite a primary fight on his hands. Former Schumer staffer Dan Squadron has raised a over $200K according to his latest campaign filing. What's even more impressive to me than dollar figure, however, is the number of donors. His filing lists 358 entries and almost all of them appear to be individual, small dollar donors. There's some big money in there, but take a look for yourself. There's plenty of $50 donors there as well. Plus, his campaign looks to be running pretty lean. He's got almost $190K cash on hand.
As for Connor, his filing isn't up yet, but Azi is hearing that he's raised less than $5K. But, don't forget he's a 30 year incumbent (and one time Minority Leader) and this is still New York. Incumbency counts for a hell of a lot. Beating Connor won't be even a little bit easy.
That said, Squadron's filing shows that he's definitely for real and the primary in the 25th isn't going to be the cakewalk that Marty Connor grown accustomed to all these years.
State Senator Eric Adams (D-Brooklyn) has been in office a little less than a year, a fact he readily concedes. This did not prevent him from complaining about his base pay of $79,500 and doing so in a thoroughly offensive manner. He went so far as to claim that his base pay, the third highest rate of pay for any state legislature in the nation and for which he is performing a part time job, "qualifies (him) for public assistance." It was quite a spectacle.
There are plenty of folks in the Senator's district that work two and three jobs to make half of his base pay. Some of them qualify for public assistance. There are tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers, many in his own district, who work two or three jobs and are scared to death that they will lose their homes as the subprime lending mess continues to snowball. There are millions of New Yorkers who are struggling just to pay their skyrocketing property taxes while working more than one job while Senator Adams says to his colleagues "I don't know how some of you are making it" on $80K a year BASE pay.
He then has the gall to tell the Senate, the taxpayers of New York and his own constituents to "Show me the mon-ey! Show me the mon-ey! That's what it's all about."
It was an offensive display and Senator Adams should be ashamed of himself. The man has been in the Senate for less than a year and has done little of note as far as I can tell. Yet, he feels he deserves a significant raise in pay. It's not like you didn't know what we pay legislators when campaigned for the job, Senator.
For the record, I have no problem with raising the pay of lawmakers. It has been quite some time since they had a raise. I get that. But that raise needs to be earned. Want a raise, Senator Adams? EARN IT. Deliver.
When you are able to deliver on some basic and badly needed reforms, get back to us. I'd gladly support a raise. Until then, may I suggest you do what everyone else in such a situation has to do. Get a second job. You're a smart guy, a former cop. I'm sure you won't have trouble landing another part time gig.
