Norman Weathering The Storm It's been a tough week for Assemblymember Clarence Norman, Jr., the county Democratic leader, who has come under intense scrutiny for $115,00 in no-interest loans his campaign committee took from the county Democratic party and $245,00 Norman's political club received from Mark Green's mayoral campaign. The initial front page story in the Daily News revealed that although the county committee had reported the loans, Norman's state campaign committee had not. Norman was unable to offer a detailed accounting of how the funds were spent, saying only that they went to campaign operations around the borough, and that his committee accountants had forgot to report them.

Additionally, a close Norman ally, Jackie Ward, was paid more than $95,000 for work on Green's campaign from the money Green had given Norman's Thurgood Marshall Democratic Club. Ward, who is employed to the tune of $80,000 per year by Comptroller William Thompson, Jr. (another Norman ally), was also paid $38,000 for work on Jeannette Gadson's (another Norman ally) losing borough presidential bid.

A subsequent piece by the Village Voice made "the case for criminal charges" while simultaneously questioning the political independence of District Attorney Charles Hynes' (again, a Norman ally). The Voice argued that if the loans from the county committee were spent in primary campaigns, each expenditure would be a misdemeanor violation of the state election law, which prohibits a party organization from spending on primaries.

Both the state board of elections and the city campaign finance board are looking into the revelations, which may in fact turn out to be less-than-earth-shattering reporting violations. Norman has maintained that there was nothing improper about the transactions. The stories come at a difficult time for Norman, who is caught up in a swirl of controversy regarding the county party's influence on the scandal-tarred Brooklyn judiciary, and a string of disappointing local and citywide election defeats, with only the most recent being Councilmember Angel Rodriguez' failed bid for speaker.

Either Norman's enemies smell blood, or they just enjoy piling on. "My phone has been ringing off the hook with people wanting me to run against him for assembly," said Councilmember James E. Davis, who is also a district leader. District leaders vote to elect the county leader.

District Leader Elizabeth Daly of the 52nd Assembly District said that there is growing discontent with Norman in Brooklyn's more liberal circles. "People are very concerned," she said. "You have these headlines and it looks like the Democrats are engaging in all these shenanigans. People look and wonder why they should get involved in politics. It's beyond discouraging, because one of the things that I've been trying to do is get people involved." Sources said that apart from the off-putting appearance of back room dealing, the large amount of money pouring into Norman's club and committee is enough in and of itself to ruffle feathers among district leaders. "The damaging thing was the $245,000 from Green going to [Norman's] club, because now you have 38 other district leaders asking, hey, where's mine," said one source.

But Norman still commands significant support among the political establishment, and this latest controversy does not seem to have truly threatened his standing. District Leader Bernie Catcher blasted the News for its story. "The Daily News is just looking to become muckrakers and they've decided to start in Brooklyn," he said. "As a district leader, I'm concerned that Clarence treats my community, my club and my members fairly, and I've always found that to be the case."

District Leader Ralph Perfetto also expressed support for Norman. "I've told my people not to rush to judgment," he said. "If anything, I think it's carelessness. I don't think it's a deliberate attempt to deceive anyone. He's also a gentleman, and a class act." Even Davis, who is constantly searching for chinks in Norman's armor, said that Norman is insulated by too many high-powered allies to be seriously wounded.

"Weakened? Weakened is a joke," he said. "Who's going to investigate him?" he asked, noting Norman's close ties to Hynes and to state Attorney General Elliot Spitzer. "There's only one way for Clarence Norman, Jr. to be taken out and that is for someone to run against him for the assembly and defeat him. Maybe this will reach some of his constituents, who will say enough is enough. Other than that, this is just a few extra lines in the paper."

This Panther Still Prowls You may have heard of Brooklyn councilmember Charles Barron, who made headlines just days after entering office by demanding that a portrait of Thomas Jefferson, whom Barron claimed was a pedophile and a racist, be removed from City Hall. Barron has also garnered attention by leading the Black and Latino Caucus' response to the overturned convictions of the officers in the Abner Louima case, and most recently by blasting Mayor Bloomberg for making allegedly "racist" comments about parents in poor neighborhoods not fully understanding the depth of the school system's failure. "He is simply out of touch," said Barron of the mayor. "It's like he's clueless about the world we're living in here."

In sum, Barron has been perhaps the most visible councilmember this year apart from Speaker Gifford Miller. Whether his persona is resonating with his colleagues and the public or turning them off remains a matter of debate. When he does things like speak out about the Louima appellate court decision, insiders say he's giving expression to a justifiable anger. But when he rants about portraiture, others say he is overplaying his hand.

"He's one card from going off the deep end, but he can be a political star," said one member of the Council's Black and Latino Caucus. "He's very politically intelligent, and can have a very bright political future. But he's one press conference away from being a left-wing publicity hog. Yes, you hear backdoor whisperings, but no one has come out and said anything because the potential for greatness is there. The verdict is still out. People are waiting and watching."

Barron said that his role as councilmember includes all the normal duties: constituent services and dealing with issues of crime, education and economic development. However, he, said his role is not limited to that set of duties. "I think there has to be a radical voice in this town that's not afraid to raise the questions of racism, be it structural racism, institutional racism or individual bigotry. I feel that I have to be that voice" said Barron.

Barron noted that two white councilmembers had joined him in his criticism of the mayor's remarks on education, that one of the officers in the Louima case had been re-indicted and that he was instrumental in pushing through rules changes designed to make the Council more egalitarian. "I think I've been very effective in my first 90 days in office," he said. "I'd say what I've accomplished in 90 days some elected officials around here haven't accomplished in 22 years. I won't name any names." Barron said that he has not experienced any resentment among his colleagues, some of whom have been eclipsed by him in the early going.

"I've seen no signs of jealousy," he said. And, he said, he is not about to tone it down. "I was asked on a recent T.V. show, 'Are you an ex-Black Panther?' I said, no. I'm still a Panther to my heart. Let's get it straight."

A Bloomin' Idiot Councilmember David Yassky of Brooklyn Heights, Williamsburg and Greenpoint lightly sparred with Mayor Bloomberg this week over comments Bloomberg made about incinerators. Asked by reporters whether he would consider citing such noxious facilities in his own Upper East Side neighborhood, Bloomberg replied that Park Avenue would not be a viable location since an incinerator there would drive away the city's tax base. Further, he clumsily added, it was common practice to site such facilities in poor and working class neighborhoods, since those people were only working their way up the economic ladder.

"The fact of th ematter is that where you tend to site thing-unfortunately-it tends to be in areas that are also in proximity to people who are just starting their way up the economic ladder," said Bloomberg. Although Bloomberg was perhaps describing the biased reality of citing priorities, his comments were enormously stupid since they legitimized the indefensible practice of citing dangerous and burdensome uses in poor neighborhoods, many of which are black and Latino. We're sure those residents would be pleased to know their mayor views this reality as acceptable but "unfortunate."

The Greenpoint section of Yassky's district is home to many of the city's waste transfer stations, and its incinerator closed in 1994. If the mayor were to seriously push his incinerator plan, Greenpoint would surely be a target location, as perhaps would Red Hook.

"In terms of a policy judgment about where is the correct place for undesirable things like an incinerator, it's just not fair to say that undesirable, unhealthy facilities should only go near poor people," said Yassky, who added that those communities are already overburdened by health risks.

Clarke One, Bloomberg Zip Councilmember Yvette Clarke scored a victory this week, as the Council overwhelmingly sided with her against the mayor to reject a proposed development in Crown Heights. The city had planned to give the property for $1 to a non-profit development group to build low-cost housing, a project advocated by Mayor Bloomberg. But Clarke had objected to the process by which the group was chosen. "The process was not transparent. In short, there was no bidding process for the developer," said Michael Roberts, Clarke's director of communications.

Clarke was accused in a Daily News editorial of anti-Semitism, an allegation that she denied. She was eventually vindicated, as several Jewish councilmembers, including Brooklyn's Simcha Felder, defended her, and the Council voted 43-0 with six abstentions, to reject the proposal.

Even though Clarke came out the political winner, Roberts said that Clarke did not consider the political dimension of the events. "We did not see it as a political issue; this is an issue of common sense," he said. "This is about a courageous councilmember who said we are going to abide by the letter of the law and do contracts correctly. We have no quarrels with the mayor. We want great relationships with him and his administration. We see this as a disagreement and not something that warrants any confrontation."

Borough Politics Archive

2002
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2001
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1999
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