Marty Names Senior Aides New Borough President Marty Markowitz recently announced four of his top appointments, with Yvonne Graham heading the list. Graham, the founder and executive director of the Caribbean Women's Health Association, will serve as deputy borough president, taking over the spot held by Jeannette Gadson. A Clinton Hill resident, Graham has served on many health-related organizations, as well as the Mayor's Advisory Commission on Immigration.

"I think she's an example of how you can make it in Brooklyn," said Markowitz. "Here's a woman born and raised in Jamaica, comes to New York, and based on her intelligence and assertiveness, her sense of purpose, she was able to create one of the largest women's healthcare organizations in America, headquartered right here in Brooklyn. It speaks to the hope and opportunity that Brooklyn brings. "That's a large reason why she was selected. She's someone I've known for years, personally. She brings superb expertise, and healthcare is the largest employer in Brooklyn." Markowitz also said that her experience suited the borough's social service needs.

Shortly after Markowitz won the election, speculation surfaced that he might retain Gadson. Despite the fact that Gadson was one of his opponents, Markowitz maintained a good relationship with her. However, Markowitz said that she was ultimately not interested in the job.

It is not surprising that Markowitz chose a Caribbean-American woman as his deputy. He has represented Flatbush, a largely Caribbean-American neighborhood, in the State Senate for 21 years. Since his victory, he has put a premium on assembling a diverse administration.

The three other appointments hail from neighborhoods within or adjacent to his State Senate district. Michael Burke, a Park Slope resident who was the director of government operations under former Borough President Howard Golden, will serve as Markowitz's chief of staff. Burke has worked for Golden since 1997. Some may be surprised that Markowitz, who has a chilly relationship with Golden, has retained any of his predecessor's discretionary staff, but Burke was not viewed as a Golden crony. Additionally, his knowledge of the machinations of Borough Hall appealed to Markowitz. "The perception about me and Howie may be correct, but it doesn't necessarily impact every member of the staff. Michael Burke was not in the inner loop at Borough Hall. He was not setting policy, nor did he ever treat me with disrespect," said Markowitz. "I felt I had to come in with somebody that has solid experience. The job of chief of staff is a major step up for him. He's full of energy and drive. Because he knows the players at Borough Hall, what I got for Brooklyn is someone with experience and at the same time with the vision and drive to change."

Seth Cummins, another Sloper who has been general counsel at the city Department of Transportation since 1989, will serve as Markowitz's general counsel. Glenn von Nostitz, a resident of Prospect Heights who has spent the last seven years as a deputy public advocate, will serve as director of communications.

Three Beeps Consider Board of Ed Speaking of borough presidents, an idea originally put forth by Ken Fisher, who lost to Markowitz, has been adopted by three of the city's five beeps. During his campaign, Fisher proposed that if elected, he would appoint himself to the Board of Education. He said that the move would create a more efficient and accountable structure, allowing Brooklynites to hold their borough president's feet to the fire on education issues.

Naysayers blasted the idea as detrimental, saying that only education experts should serve on the board, and that the body was already politicized enough without the introduction of actual politicians. Additionally, some saw the idea as an attempt to boost the power and profile of the borough president, a post that has been much diminished since the abolition of the Board of Estimate. Regardless, now Manhattan Borough President Virginia Fields, Queens Borough President Helen Marshall and Bronx Borough President Adolpho Carrion have all come forth and said that they would like to appoint themselves to the board of education.

"I think it's great for Ken Fisher," said one insider. "It shows he had good ideas. But I don't think it's going to work. I don't think they will do it. You can't raise money when you're on the Board of Ed-ask [former board president and current comptroller] Bill Thompson. "Also, it's a real job. It's not a joke. This is not the mayor's decency commission. You are either going to be a lousy borough president or a lousy member of the Board of Ed."

Dear To Albany? Rumors continue to swirl about former Councilmember Noach Dear's future plans. According to one report, Dear is eyeing a run at the state legislature. However, sources say he will be hard pressed to find a seat he can realistically win. "The rumor is going around that he's running against [State Senator] Carl Kruger, but I don't know if he's suicidal enough," said one insider. Kruger has butted heads more than a few times with some of his colleagues, but he is a visible and popular elected official. "Carl is about as strong a candidate as you're going to get, as far as being popular with the community," said the source.

Another possibility would be challenging Assemblmember Dov Hikind. The two Borough Park pols have had an antagonistic relationship for years, but insiders believe that Dear would also find Hikind too tough to tackle. That leaves Assemblymember Bill Colton and State Senator Seymour Lachman, but both represent parts of Bensonhurst, where Dear is not exactly a favorite son. Dear, who has done nothing to discourage the rumors, did not return calls seeking comment.

Two Specials Worse Than One Now that State Senator Roy Goodman has announced he will step down, it is likely that the special election for his seat will be called for the same day as the special election to fill Marty Markowitz's vacant state senate seat. It remains to be seen whether the additional election will drain troops from Carl Andrews, who is widely expected to be the Democratic nominee for Markowitz's seat. State Senate Democrats, particularly Senator Martin Connor of Brooklyn Heights, the minority leader, will now have to spread their resources over two races instead of one.

The election to fill Goodman's seat, where the incumbent will be a Republican, will be especially important to Democrats since they lost the seat last year in an extremely close recount. The Upper East Side seat is also viewed as growing Democratic turf controlled by a Republican holdover. But even if the Democrats turn their attention primarily to the Goodman seat, it shouldn't hurt Andrews, said one insider.

"It won't totally drain troops from Carl Andrews. There's not a great need for Hasidic bodies on the Upper East Side of Manhattan these days," said the source, noting that Markowitz's senate district contains a part of Crown Heights. Additionally, Andrews is backed by his best friend: Assemblymember Clarence Norman, Jr., the county leader, who has some troops of his own.

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