JEFFRIES BLASTS GEOFFREY DAVIS Geoffrey Davis, or should we say Geoffrey A. Davis (he likes to use his middle initial, as did his late brother, Councilman James E. Davis), e-mailed us that he'll "almost definitely" run for Democratic district leader in the 57th Assembly District. Big deal, you might say. Who even knows what district leaders do? But this race promises to be a political war, with lots of back story, rivalries, and bad blood.

Davis's e-mail discussed his potential opponents, incumbent Francis Byrd and former Assembly candidate Hakeem Jeffries. Jeffries had passed up the 2003 race to succeed James Davis, making Geoffrey Davis the favorite, an advantage he squandered in losing to Tish James. "Hakeem, I respect tremendously for not running against me out of respect for my brother," Davis wrote. "He must understand my brother was also the district leader. Should I run for district leader (almost definitely) I expect Hakeem to continue that respect for his first and only major endorser."

James Davis did indeed endorse Jeffries in 2002 against Assemblyman Roger Green. But that was because Green had supported Tish James over James Davis in 2001. Whatever the case, Jeffries didn't take kindly to the suggestion that he owes Davis another free pass. "The guy's had his 15 minutes of fame. It's over now," said Jeffries, who blamed Davis for "single-handedly snatching defeat from the jaws of victory" in the Council race.

"The number of people who take him seriously in the community can be counted on one hand," Jeffries added. He wasn't finished. "He has all of his brother's bravado and none of his brother's gifts," Jeffries said. "I certainly won't be taking political advice from Geoffrey Davis."

This is as angry as we've ever heard Hakeem Jeffries, who's known for his reserved demeanor and measured statements. It could be that he's trying to step out of that shell, or he could be a little resentful of how the Council race turned out. Remember, Geoffrey Davis and his mother, Thelma Davis, could have given Jeffries the Democratic nomination. Had they not determined that the 35th District seat belonged to the Davis family and thrust Geoffrey into a race that he was ill prepared to undertake, Jeffries would probably be in the City Council today. Instead, it's Tish James, a disciple of the man who defeated Jeffries twice, Assemblyman Roger Green.

Lest we leave Byrd out of the fray, here's what Davis wrote about the incumbent: "I think I can beat Byrd. I have far more name recognition than him, I work much harder and now I have the election experience. He is not Tish James-the community knew her already from running two grueling elections against James (the 2001 Council primary and general elections). I strongly don't think her votes will transfer to him."

Yet Davis thinks his late brother's votes will transfer to him, as about 3,000 did in the Council race. "Should I run again, I'll keep my brother's original 3,000 votes (2,000 in the 57th A.D.) and pick up my own 3,000 to 4,000 votes, which is a total of 6,000 to 7,000 votes. The political machine understands that." That may be news to the political machine.

But let's hope he does run, and Jeffries, too. A three-way race with Byrd, who has ties to the Tish James-Roger Green camp, would surely be a highlight of the summer-even if the prize is just one of 42 unpaid Democratic state committee positions in Brooklyn. "If [Hakeem Jeffries]…decides to run," Davis wrote, "then let's get ready to rumble."

NOACH DEAR BY ANY OTHER NAME In a bizarre story reported by Errol Louis of the New York Sun, former City Councilman Noach Dear said he's now using the name "Noah" because it's easier to pronounce and understand. But Dear's opponent in the upcoming Democratic primary, State Senator Kevin Parker, charged that Dear is "trying to Christianize his name" to help him campaign in black churches.

That might be a stretch. Given that Dear wears a yarmulke, the new name would only help him with blind parishioners. A Dear spokesman told us the name change would prevent the mispronounciations of Dear's first name during his 2002 campaign. It seems he was sometimes introduced as if his name rhymed with coach, poach, and roach. But Dear may have to do more than remove a single letter from his name to beat Kevin Parker in a district that's 58 percent black. We would suggest something entirely new.

For example, he could change his name to "Kevin Parker." That would assure him of a 50 percent chance of victory, since voters wouldn't know which Kevin Parker was which. There are other possibilities for new names. If Dear appeared on the ballot as "Al Sharpton," he would likely break his three-election losing streak.

Of course, even Dear might deem a name change to Al Sharpton too great a sacrifice to win an election. If so, he could go with "Colin Powell." But voters might not believe Colin Powell was running in Brooklyn. Perhaps Dear could call himself "Major Owens" instead. Unfortunately, we won't have a repeat of the 2003 legal challenge by Councilman Domenic Recchia against Anatoly Eyzenberg, who attempted to appear on the ballot as Tony Eisenberg. That's because Dear will appear on the ballot under his given name, Noach.

THE OWENS SCORECARD A little proofreading could have saved Rep. Major Owens from printing such quotes on his latest campaign mailing as "These savage pressures will drive living standards down to the future." On the bright side, the literature did have a nice color photo of Owens. But lest we be accused of focusing on trivial matters, we'll take a look at the "Congressional Report Card" Owens posted on his mailing-ratings from eight different special-interest groups based on his votes in the House.

While the numbers appear stellar, they seem commonplace when compared with the scores of Owens's New York colleagues. Owens noted his 100 percent rating from the American Federation of Teachers. But the other 18 Democrats in the delegation also got 100s. His 100 percent from AFSCME was matched by 16 other New Yorkers. His perfect score from the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare was matched by 13 others. In the previous Congress, Owens's 83 percent ranked him 15th in the state.

More distinguishing was his perfecto in 2003 from Americans for Democratic Action. Only three other New Yorkers achieved that: Anthony Weiner, Jerry Nadler, and Louise Slaughter. But Owens was not one of the four New Yorkers with perfect ADA scores in 2002 (he got a 90). Nor was he perfect in 2001 (he missed one vote) or 2000 (he missed two). His previous perfect ADA score was in 1999.

If you like the AFL-CIO, you'd like the 99 percent lifetime score the union federation gave Owens. But you'd also like the 14 other New York House members with scores of 92 percent or higher. (Nadler got the only perfect score.) Owens reported a 100 percent rating from the Human Rights Campaign. That's accurate for 2003, but Owens missed two of the six votes on which the rating was based. (So did Reps. Nydia Velazquez and Ed Towns.) Some groups count missed votes against a politicians' rating, but not the HRC. Otherwise, his score would have been 67 percent.

We did find one discrepancy: Owens's mailing said his American Conservative Union score was 0%. In fact, it was 12 percent in 2003, thanks to two votes at the end of the year with which the ACU agreed. Owens still tied for the lowest ACU rating in the state, which (as a proud liberal) he wears as a badge of honor. What were those two pro-ACU votes? Owens and most of his fellow New York Democrats agreed with the conservative union that a measure authorizing spending for Patriot-Act snooping intruded on civil liberties. Owens and the ACU also both opposed the expansion of Medicare in November, which will cost about $200 billion more than the president advertised.

GOLDEN KNOCKED ON ABORTION A reader who clearly doesn't like State Senator Marty Golden e-mailed us this: "I read a recent letter to the editor by Pat Russo that stated Marty Golden should be judged by his 'votes, deeds, and words.' Golden's votes, deeds and words on the issue of abortion have not been consistent…He wants conservatives to believe that he's championing their cause, when in reality he doesn't care if he can get more votes. Just look at the fact that he endorsed abortion doctor Oleg Gutnik for City Council back in 2001. Golden also accepted a $500 contribution in Sept. 2002 from (a medical practice) in Bay Ridge which prescribes emergency contraception. Golden will screech at conservative meetings that he is against certain practices, but he has no problem accepting money and support from those who profit from such practices."

We faxed the message to Golden for a response but didn't get any. Why he'd rely on us to defend him against accusations of hypocrisy is a mystery, but here we go: Number one: Gutnik, a gynecologist, is a Republican, so it shouldn't be surprising if fellow Republican Golden endorsed him. Number two: Emergency contraception prevents pregnancies. It does not cause abortions. Even if Golden opposed the "morning after pill" he could hardly be expected to ask all doctors who contribute to his campaign whether they prescribe it. And if he knew they did, what would it accomplish to return their donations?

TIDBITS In a Brooklyn Paper article, Sunset Park activist David Galarza said his decision to support George Martinez in the 2002 special election for City Council may have added to the enmity between him and Councilwoman Sara Gonzalez, who didn't reappoint Galarza to Community Board 7. Gee, you think? Martinez was running against Gonzalez! If Galarza wanted to remain on CB 7, he should have made nice with Gonzalez after she won the election. Perhaps he's not given to being obsequious, but that's the way the game is played…

It's looking certain that Mark Peters will run for District Attorney in 2005. He's hired a high-powered fundraiser and is aiming to build a war chest of $2 million to $3 million. He told Crain's, "Unfortunately, to get the message out in a borough this big, that's what it takes." Especially when few Brooklynites have heard of you…

Bruce Ratner's Brooklyn Nets Web site says, "Brooklyn was, at one point or another, home to basketball greats like Michael Jordan, Red Auerbach, Red Holzman, Connie Hawkins, Lenny Wilkens, Bernard King, Billy Cunningham, Ro Blackman, World B. Free and Stephon Marbury." Not making the cut were playground legend Fly Williams, former Nuggets and Sixers coach Doug Moe, and Pistons coach Larry Brown…

We got four press dispatches in one day from Comptroller Billy Thompson. Maybe he really will run for mayor…

Councilman David Yassky's PR machine continues to hum along. He co-authored a Daily News opinion piece promoting his code-of-conduct bill for gun companies. The he appeared on NPR talking about the lawsuit he joined to clean up Exxon/Mobil's Newtown Creek oil spill…

Unlike Senators Chuck Schumer and Hillary Clinton, who support only civil unions, Rep. Jerry Nadler supports gay marriage as well. "I suspect that people in the gay community will understand the nuance of the difference between civil unions and marriage a lot more than most other people," Nadler told the Observer. "If you're supporting civil unions, unless you think you're going to really explain the difference, you might as well support gay marriage."

Half of the new power plants proposed for New York City in the last three years have been slated for Rep. Nydia Velazquez's district. Greenpoint, Williamsburg, and Sunset Park are particularly inviting targets for power companies. Fed up, Velazquez introduced a bill that would prevent communities from being disproportionally exposed to contaminants. It's a nice gesture, but don't expect it to pass. Some areas will always have a greater share of power plants, which need access to water and the right zoning…

Last week we left Michael Gerstein off the list of potential Democratic Civil Court candidates in the 6th Judicial District. Gerstein, who has a commercial litigation practice, told us he's "strongly considering" running and could make an announcement after May 20. Gerstein finished second to Sylvia Hinds-Radix in the 2001 race, losing by just over 2 percentage points…

Councilman Charles Barron answered criticism that his candidacy for mayor is designed to boost his chances of someday winning Rep. Ed Towns's seat by telling The New York Times, "If I wanted to run for Congress, I wouldn't have to run citywide to do that." Rather, Barron said, "I'm running because I want my kind of progressive-some call it radical-politics included in the campaign. I'm running because I intend either on being the mayor or influencing who does become the mayor." But first he'll need the courts' permission to run for reelection at the same time…

Next time you're asked to donate to the Brooklyn AIDS Task Force, consider that rather than go towards fighting AIDS, your cash might be funneled to a politician's campaign, as was the case when the Boerum Hill-based BATF handed Councilwoman Tracy Boyland's campaign for Congress $50. Corporations aren't even allowed to give money to candidates for Congress. Our calls to BATF weren't returned.

Contact Brooklyn Politics at (718) 399-3693.

Borough Politics Archive

2004
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2002
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2001
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2000
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1999
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