Drawing the Battle Lines It's that time of the decade again. The political world is abuzz with talk of redistricting-who will get squeezed, who will get sliced, who will be forced to square off against their neighbor, or who will be cut off completely. Congressionally, Brooklyn looks to be in solid shape, say insiders, with little real change likely to take place unless Rep. Jerrold Nadler is forced to battle his colleague, Rep. Carolyn Maloney, or give up a chunk of his waterfront turf. But as far as the Assembly districts are concerned, local sources say that the 39th District could be vulnerable. The district, which covers Canarsie, Mill Basin, Mill Island, Bergen Beach and Starrett City, is represented by Frank Seddio, who took office in 1998 after the death of longtime Assemblymember Tony Genovesi.

But Seddio's neophyte status isn't the only ominous marker for the district. The demographics in Canarsie have shifted from older, white, empty-nesters toward black families, many of Caribbean-American descent, which means that a simple shift of the lines could put any white candidate in great jeopardy. Plus, last spring Seddio gave serious consideration to joining the failed coup of Syracuse Assemblymember Michael Bragman, which didn't exactly endear him to Speaker Sheldon Silver, who will be drawing the new lines with Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno.

But despite all those considerations, the district is likely to remain viable for Seddio for a few reasons, chief amongst which is the 39th Assembly District Leader Bernie Catcher. If Catcher's district is picked apart, he will be forced to move his club into adjoining districts in order to survive, which will create a raft of challenges for neighboring incumbents. On that point, a prominent member of the Thomas Jefferson Democrats had this to say: "The 39th is dedicated to continuing as a strong, viable force, and no matter what is done with the lines we will pick somewhere to call home and run."

If the 39th was broken, the club would most likely direct its efforts at Assemblymember Helene Weinstein's district. "They have a great familiarity with the players and the turf," said one source. In order to avoid those battles, Weinstein is likely to press Silver to keep the 39th viable for Seddio and Catcher. Weinstein, a 20-year incumbent, is close enough to Silver to get the job done, say sources. One option being considered is turning the 39th into a so-called "waterfront district." In that scenario, Seddio would retain as much of Canarsie as possible, the high-performing areas of Mill Island, Mill Basin and Marine Park, gain a splinter of Brighton Beach and swing along the highway to take in the pocket of Bay Ridge currently held by Assemblymember Adele Cohen.

Cohen Eyes Leadership As Council Race Grows A new candidate has dropped into the Coney Island Council race. Just weeks after the death of District Leader Marsha Rapaport made the race suddenly more competitive, Brian Gotlieb has announced that he will indeed be running. "Basically I've been looking at the race for a while, and with the other folks in the race I think our community has an embarrassment of riches. Everybody is bringing something to the table, but right now I'm working for the seat," said Gotlieb. "It's a crowded race but it's something that I feel confident about."

Gotlieb will most likely have the backing of Rep. Anthony Weiner, for whom he works as deputy chief of staff. Gotlieb also serves on School Board 21. Another name being bandied about is Marty Levine, former chair of Community Board 13, who came within 400 votes of toppling Assemblymember Adele Cohen in 1998. Levine declined to comment on the race.

By the way, Cohen said she will seek Rapaport's vacated district leader post. "I've already had conversations with (County Leader) Clarence (Norman)," said Cohen. "I think (being district leader) will keep things moving in the direction they were because Marsha and I were such a close team."

Did You Notice? Rep. Anthony Weiner must have been flattered to be named one of the New York Post's "Up and Comers of 2001." But as quickly as The Post hailed his rising star, it demoted him, too. The blurb on Weiner was accurate enough, but Weiner was identified as a councilman in the photo caption.

What Happened? State Senate Minority Leader Martin Connor is asking the state Board of Elections to conduct a full investigation of its Manhattan office. Because of what Connor alleges to be inaccurate counts of flawed absentee ballots and a subsequent controversial re-mailing of corrected ballots, Connor's candidate, Liz Krueger, lost a close election to incumbent State Senator Roy Goodman, a Republican. Krueger was leading until votes from the re-mailed ballots were counted.

While Senate Dems were hopeful of regaining the majority this past year, Goodman's seat was the only one they really had a grip on, however tenuous. Connor sent a 13-point letter to the chair and vice chair of the Board of Elections, stating that an investigation would prevent future confusion and create the groundwork for a permanent remedy.

"I would be very interested in introducing legislation to protect voters from future problems such as those encountered in November," he wrote. A spokesperson for the Board said that the letter was received and is currently being reviewed by the Board's lawyers.

The $5 Million Man District Leader James E. Davis is free to pursue his $5 million lawsuit against the city, a federal judge recently ruled. Davis was dismissed from the police force in 1998 after his name appeared on the ballot as the Liberal Party candidate for Assembly. The City Charter states that no officer can receive the nomination of a political party. But Davis won reinstatement to the force last January, when a state judge ordered that he be hired again, with back pay.

Two weeks ago, Federal Judge Shira Scheindlin dismissed Davis' claim that his firing was racially motivated, but she said that his suit could go forward on the basis that Davis' firing violated his First Amendment rights. Davis, who now works as the youth officer in the 69th Precinct, is still fighting to get his old job back at the Police Academy, where he taught social sciences. "I've never been late. I've never been absent. This was a punishment," said Davis, who nearly toppled Clarence Norman in 1998 and won the district leadership in November 2000 against a Norman-backed candidate. He is now planning a run for City Council in the 35th District, where Mary Pinkett currently holds the seat.

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