Make Yourself At Home Assemblymember Steve Cymbrowitz of Sheepshead Bay raised eyebrows last week when he organized two local events for Republican Governor George Pataki in Brooklyn's Sephardic Jewish community. Cymbrowitz, a Democrat, is close to Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, who has endorsed state Comptroller H. Carl McCall. Cymbrowitz was instrumental in organizing the two Pataki events on Saturday, April 13, at the Ahi Ezer and Shaare Zion congregations. He placed calls to local elected officials on Friday, asking if they wanted to attend, said sources.

Cymbrowitz said that he brought Pataki to his district because local constituents wanted to thank him for giving the go-ahead to the Ahi Ezer geriatric center, slated for state-owned land. "I was able to get that approval by the governor, and the people wanted to say thank you," said Cymbrowitz.

Cymbrowitz said the event was not political, but insiders couldn't help but wonder whether Cymbrowitz would be the latest Brooklyn Democrat to cross-endorse Pataki. State Senator Carl Kruger backed the governor and is now the vice chairman of Democrats for Pataki, chaired by Manhattan State Senator Olga Mendez.

Former Councilmember Herb Berman, who like Kruger is a member of the Thomas Jefferson Democratic Club, is now Pataki's special assistant for economic development, city finance and lower Manhattan development. He also serves as a Jewish liaison.

But Cymbrowitz said he wasn't going to follow in their footsteps. "There's no inference that I'm endorsing the governor," he said. "This was not for any political advantage or for any political gain. This was simply the community wanting to thank the governor for allowing the nursing home to be built."

Lachman Ponders His Next Move State Senator Seymour Lachman may not yet know exactly where he'll run for reelection this summer, but one thing's for sure -- he's running, all right. Lachman's own district was bushwacked by the Senate GOP to cut a path to Albany for Councilmember Marty Golden. After the first reapportionment proposal, Lachman announced he would run in a newly drawn adjoining district if it held up, and then promptly watched that district get eviscerated in the second proposal. "I will be running for reelection," said Lachman recently. "I haven't yet decided where I'm going to run."

Former Councilmember Noach Dear has said that he will run in the 25th Senate District, where Carl Kruger will seek reelection. Lachman could potentially run in that district.

Other insiders believe that Lachman could also run in the proposed 21st Senate District, which is an open seat. The district is majority black but has a substantial portion of Jewish voters, making it viable for a Jewish candidate in a field crowded with black candidates.

Toney, Knipel Eye Senate Run Two other politicos considering running in the 21st Senate District are District Leader Laurie Citron Knipel and Vaughan Toney, who served as chief of staff to former Councilmembers Una Clarke and Lloyd Henry.

"I'm looking very seriously at running for that seat," said Toney, adding that the district's black population was mainly Caribbean-American. "It interests me a great deal." Toney finished third in the race to succeed Henry, won by Councilmember Kendall Stewart. He has already spoken about his plans with the county leader, Assemblymember Clarence Norman, Jr., Assemblymember Rhoda Jacobs and District Leader Jake Gold.

Knipel has already sent out letters to local officials about her designs on the seat. Any white candidate like Knipel would face an uphill battle for the seat not only because of the black majority but also because McCall's presence at the top of the ticket is likely to energize that vote.

Millman Backs Fleishman Alan Fleishman is one step closer to replacing Ralph Perfetto as male district leader in the 52nd Assembly District. Assemblymember Joan Millman announced her support for Fleishman, who is now the clear front runner in the race. Millman chose Fleishman over her former chief of staff, Greg Atkins.

Under the assembly reapportionment plan, Millman is slated to lose the conservative Bay Ridge portion of her district and pick up more than 50,000 liberal-leaning Park Slope residents. Perfetto is running for male leader in Assemblymember Adele Cohen's district.

With her district radically altered, Millman needed a male leader with roots in Park Slope, and Fleishman perfectly fits the bill. "The demographics of the district influenced my choice," said Millman. "You have to have somebody who represents the new part of the district."

Fleishman, a Park Slope resident, is head of community relations for city Comptroller Bill Thompson, a position he also held under former Comptroller Alan Hevesi. Fleishman is also a past president of the Lambda Independent Democrats, and has close ties with the district's other two clubs, Millman's Independent Neighborhood Democrats and the Central Brooklyn Independent Democrats. "It's terrific news," said Fleishman. "I think it gives people a clear view of what the assemblywoman would like, which is to run with me. Things are looking very good."

Atkins will no longer run for the seat. Chris Owens, the son of Congressman Major Owens, has expressed interest in the post but has not yet declared his intent to run. There has also been speculation that Paul Bader, the husband of Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez, is considering running, but he has brushed off the idea in public.

Millman said that it was not easy choosing Fleishman over Atkins. "I think very highly of Greg. He has innumerable skills," she said. "It was a hard decision to make, but I felt confident with it and I felt like I made the right one." Elizabeth Rose Daly is the female leader.

De Blasio In Cuomo's Corner:Councilmember Bill de Blasio is uniquely situated regarding the Democratic primary for governor. Throughout his long political career, de Blasio developed ties with both candidates, H. Carl McCall and Andrew Cuomo.

De Blasio developed relationships in the city's black political establishment while working as special assistant to Deputy Mayor Bill Lynch in the David Dinkins administration. He also worked on Rep. Charlie Rangel's 1994 reelection campaign. In addition, he worked on McCall's behalf, although not directly for him, during his 1994 campaign for state comptroller. De Blasio also worked in a senior capacity under Cuomo, while the latter was head of Department of Housing and Urban Development. De Blasio served as the regional director for New York and New Jersey.

Recently, de Blasio sent out a letter to district leaders explaining his reasons for supporting Cuomo and asking for their support. The letter was as close to a formal endorsement announcement as de Blasio may get, since he has made no public, splashy display. "I consider myself very close to Andrew. I respect Carl very much and I think he's a good public servant.

But I think Andrew Cuomo would be a better governor," said de Blasio. De Blasio said his allies from the Dinkins administration put the pressure on him to endorse McCall, "although most of them understood I developed a very close relationship with Andrew," he said.

De Blasio said that while he expects McCall to carry most of the political establishment, many district leaders, who could form a base for a local street operation, are up for grabs. Assemblymember Clarence Norman, Jr., the county leader, is supporting McCall, but has so far left the choice to the individual leaders. "There's a lot of people undecided," said de Blasio, who will be trying to sway them to Cuomo's side.

Borough Politics Archive

2002
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2001
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2000
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1999
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