Mayoral Endorsement Up In Air Some insiders have begun wondering whether Assemblymember and County Leader Clarence Norman is able to coalesce boroughwide support for his mayoral candidate, City Comptroller Alan Hevesi-especially since Norman has not yet called together the county's executive committee to vote on an endorsement. By comparison, Norman was able to get the committee months ago to unanimously endorse State Comptroller H. Carl McCall for governor, even though that election isn't until 2002.

The disparity between county's enthusiasm for McCall and Hevesi has led some to question whether there really will be a county candidate for mayor. "I think you're seeing a lot of independence," said one insider. "It might be a story-has reform come to Kings County?" We doubt that very much. Instead, some believe that Norman has not called for an endorsement because he cannot muster the votes and wants to avoid the embarrassment of a loss, or, at best, a very tight contest. "Where's he going to come up with a majority vote?" asked one undecided and skeptical district leader.

Norman did indeed say he may not call the committee together to vote on an endorsement. "We may not formally do it [make an endorsement]. That's a possibility," he said. However, he said that he may not call the committee to endorse because he simply doesn't need to. "I've talked to all the leaders directly, or with [County Party Executive Director] Jeff Feldman having called some. We're printing up the petitions now because we already know the disposition of the leaders.

"Basically, Hevesi will be carried by about 75 percent of the leaders. Mark Green has maybe four assembly districts carrying him, and Freddie Ferrer has one assembly district carrying for him, the 54th. Whether [the committee] sits down formally or not, we have talked and we know how everybody is disposed," said Norman.

He said that the committee made such an early and strong endorsement of McCall to send a message to his opponent in the Democratic primary, Andrew Cuomo. "Getting an endorsement for Hevesi is no problem, it's just a question of doing it," added Norman.

A Family Affair A jolt of intrigue was introduced into the 46th Councilmanic District race this week, as Doreen Greenwood made her potential candidacy public. Greenwood, a self-employed real estate broker from Gerritsen Beach, is connected by marriage to District Leader Lew Fidler, who is also a candidate in the race. Greenwood is married to Joel Garson, brother of Supreme Court Judge Michael Garson. The relationship is somewhat convoluted, but here it is: Fidler's wife's sister is married to Michael Garson.

Despite the remote family tie, the bad blood between the two camps is notorious in southern Brooklyn, originating in a 1998 assembly race that set Fidler and Michael Garson at odds over Joel Garson's candidacy. Joel Garson lost the race to Lena Cymbrowitz.

Now, Joel Garson said his wife is challenging Fidler, and he also had a few choice words for his distant associate. "He [Fidler] already lost the City Council once. The only reason he's the district leader is because he was handed that spot," said Garson. Fidler said that he has twice defended his leadership, once against a Garson-backed candidate. Of Garson himself, he added, "For a gentleman who got 16 percent of the vote in an assembly race in which he spent $160,000, to comment on who can win a Council seat, I have no idea."

Fidler said that Greenwood's candidacy was devised to settle a score with him. "It will give them something to do this summer, and hopefully keep them out of other trouble," he said. Both men took pains to point out that they are not related by blood.

Phyllis Taliaferro and Abe Levy are also running for the seat.

It's Herb's Call Since all politics is local, it should come as no surprise that several southern Brooklyn district leaders are waiting for the word from Councilmember Herb Berman on whom to endorse for borough president. "The [District Leader Lew] Fidler side of the 41st, and the 39th and 45th assembly districts are in a quandary over [State Senator Marty] Markowitz and [Councilmember Ken] Fisher. The main concern we have, all of us, is how does it play out for Herb Berman, who is our favorite son?" said one district leader.

Berman, who is term limited, is running for city comptroller against former Board of Ed President William Thompson, Jr.

"Fisher will be helpful to Herbie in terms of Williamsburg and Greenpoint and a very large Jewish community that he has not had access to, that he would with Fisher. On the other hand, Marty has a very good reputation with the Heights and the Park Slope people, and the African American voters of the borough. We all want to be sure that we're doing the best thing for our friend Herbert. We're all waiting to see what he feels is best for him," said the district leader.

Berman did not return a call seeking comment.

Around Town A well-placed mole reported several interesting sightings at the recent opening of State Senator Marty Markowitz's campaign headquarters in Flatbush. Henna White, District Attorney Joe Hynes' liaison to the Hasidic community, was surprisingly present. The presence of White, who is a Lubavitcher Hasid, is remarkable because common wisdom dictates that the Lubavitcher could have Markowitz third on their list for borough president. Councilmember Ken Fisher has good relations with the Hasidic community, and Assemblymember Clarence Norman, who is backing Jeannette Gadson, represents a large swath of Lubavitcher Hasidim in Crown Heights.

Another surprising attendee was District Leader Bill Saunders. Saunders is closely allied with State Senator Velmanette Montgomery, who has endorsed Gadson. However, Saunders is running for Council in the 35th District, where Norman has backed Tish James-giving Saunders reason to bolt Gadson for Markowitz, and perhaps giving Montgomery reason to willingly suffer Saunders' choice.

Markowitz also traded endorsements with Jack Carroll, who is running for Council in the 39th District, and David Yassky, who is a Council candidate in the 33rd District. Neither is surprising, since Carroll was formerly president of Markowitz's home club, and Yassky is running against District Leader Steve Cohn, a Fisher ally.

Ouch District Leader Michael Geller must have cringed when the man he is leaning toward endorsing for mayor, Mark Green, said during a recent televised debate that he would vote for former Mayor David Dinkins over former Mayor Ed Koch and Mayor Giuliani. Geller's apparent preference for Green was surprising to begin with, considering that Geller twice backed Giuliani, who loathes the public advocate.

One source said that after seeing the debate, several members of Geller's southern Brooklyn club, the High-Way Democrats, came to the district leader and said they would no longer carry Green's petitions, opting for Council Speaker Peter Vallone instead.

"We've always had a very good relationship with Peter," said Geller. "People who are carrying Peter's petitions will not be penalized in our club, but the bulk of the petitions will be for Green." Green, of course, chose Dinkins in part because he was hoping to get his endorsement, which he recently did. But Green's answer certainly rubbed Geller's rank-and-file the wrong way.

"The problem that Mark has among a lot of people is that they do not want to go back to the kind of New York we had before Giuliani. And by mentioning Dinkins, it makes a lot of people nervous in our community. I understand there's a large city out there and Mark has to appeal to a lot of different constituencies, but I think he's committed to going forward and not backward in the final analysis," said a diplomatic Geller.

Borough Politics Archive
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