THE ROGER GREEN CONUNDRUM Even longtime supporters of Roger Green couldn't overlook the explanation for resigning from the Assembly he gave at the Lambda Independent Democrats endorsement meeting. "I stepped down because…I had to acknowledge I had made a mistake with respect to a travel voucher," said Green, who plans to run for his former seat this summer.

Given that it's been four years since his "mistake" (Green sought and received reimbursement for travel expenses he never incurred, pleaded guilty in February and was fined $2,000), it's obvious there was more to his resignation than he was letting on. Green quit on June 1, just a week before prospective candidates can begin collecting signatures to get on the September 14 primary ballot.

Dan Tietz, Lambda's president, offering what he called "a more cynical view," told Green, "It could look to some that you chose to resign…at a late date…as something of a set-up…not giving someone else an opportunity" to run.

Green would rather have not resigned at all, but he did so in a deal with Assembly Speaker Shelly Silver to prevent (or at least forestall) the release of the Assembly Ethics Committee's report on his misconduct, which would have prompted his colleagues to punish him. "When I stepped down…I did not want the New York State Assembly embroiled in controversy," Green said when pressed by Lambda members. "I would have loved to have sat there and fought this thing out…but I was advised against it," Green added, apparently referring to Silver.

The former legislator wasn't exactly a picture of contrition. He said, "I don't like to use the race card," but then did exactly that, comparing his situation to that of two white politicians, George Pataki and Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz. "I know that Marty Markowitz made the same mistake that I made," pleading guilty to a misdemeanor as a state senator, said Green. Yet Markowitz wasn't booted from office.

Markowitz must be incensed that Green is dragging him through the mud, but when we asked, the beep bit his tongue and e-mailed back, "I have enormous respect for Roger Green. He has served Brooklyn with distinction. I know that when someone's under pressure they say things they don't really mean to say and I'm confident that's what happened in this case."

Pataki was found to have used a state plane for campaign-related travel, Green said. "The governor had a bill for $28,000, wrote a check for $6,000, and walked home," said Green. "There was no prosecution." Citing a "double standard of justice," Green said his crime consisted of a single voucher for $90 on December 13, 1999. That conflicts with reports that Green was reimbursed regularly for driving expenses when he didn't even have a driver's license. Perhaps Green was referring to the charge he pleaded guilty to in a deal that made others go away.

Green now hopes to recast himself as a reformer, which was the reputation he had when first elected 22 years ago. That may be difficult, and not just because of the voucher scandal. Recall that his response to two primary challenges by Hakeem Jeffries was to have Jeffries's house drawn out of the district by 50 feet, preventing Jeffries from running this year. That's the kind of thing reform Democrats despise. Oh, we forgot-Green denied any role in the redistricting. And he wonders why his credibility is sinking.

NADLER FURIOUS AT FEDS Rep. Jerry Nadler is incensed that a federal prosecutor slapped a mobster tag on Sal Catucci, who runs a Red Hook shipping operation. Nadler has been trying to get the Port Authority to renew Catucci's lease, but the city wants the piers to be used instead by cruise ships. Nadler is looking into whether the prosecutor's besmirching of Catucci during an unrelated sentencing hearing was proper conduct, since no evidence was given, and Catucci (who was not a party to the proceeding) had no opportunity to defend himself.

We have an answer: the federal rules of evidence don't apply at sentencing hearings, so the prosecutor could cite hearsay. Plus he's immune from defamation lawsuits. Prosecutors do have ethical guidelines, but some violate them regularly without repercussion. Bottom line: prosecutors can say just about anything at sentencing hearings and get away with it.

CONNOR CAN'T ESCAPE It seems State Senator Marty Connor will never be able to live down his role in eliminating the commuter tax in 1999. At least as long as Ken Diamondstone is around. Diamondstone, who finished third in the 2001 primary won by Councilman David Yassky, lit into Connor as the senator made his pitch for the Lambda Independent Democrats' endorsement June 3.

In 1999, the tax became a political football that Democrats and Republicans tried to use to win a special election in Rockland County. In what resembled a game of chicken, each side hoped the other would kill the bill, but no one did, and when Governor George Pataki signed it, New York City lost more than $500 million in taxes from city workers who lived elsewhere. Connor, who at the time was the Senate's Democratic leader, described it as a gigantic political miscalculation. "It's probably the vote I most regret," Connor told Lambda members. "I can't undo that vote. At the time I didn't think it would become law."

Since then, Connor has fought hard for reinstatement of the tax, he said. After their testy exchange, Connor told Diamondstone, "Hindsight has made you right about that, Ken." The senator, who so far is unopposed in the Democratic primary, won the club's endorsement.

GOP, SLOAN BATTLE The weird story of Sam Sloan and the Brooklyn Republicans has gone from the bizarre to the ridiculous, as the would-be congressional candidate battles for the G.O.P. ballot line against Rep. Ed Towns. Though he's not a registered Republican, Sloan appeared to be in line for the party's nomination, only to have it snatched away when Republican leaders found raunchy writings on Sloan's personal Web site, including essays on rape and how to perform oral sex. Sloan, who believes his personal writings have no bearing on his qualifications for office, charged that the G.O.P. turned on him when it discovered he was Muslim. He blamed Orthodox Jews in the party leadership.

That sparked outrage among Republican leaders, who are mostly not Orthodox Jews and have partnered with Muslim candidates in the past. (In 2002 they gave their ballot line to Democrat Abdur Rahman Farrakhan in an Assembly race near Sloan's East New York home.) Party leaders had voted May 5 to give Sloan a Wilson-Pakula, an exemption to allow him to accept the Republican line, but later said the action was invalid. Sloan plans to research his legal options and file suit if he feels he has a winnable case. In a curious sidebar, Sloan is also looking into whether his replacement on the Republican ticket, Isabelle Jefferson, is a descendant of Thomas Jefferson. Sloan is the author of "The Slave Children of Thomas Jefferson" and calls himself "the world's expert on this subject." "Isabelle Jefferson is almost without doubt a descendant of one of the slaves of Thomas Jefferson or is married to one," Sloan e-mailed us.

POLS LOBBY LAMBDA At the June 3 Lambda Independent Democrats endorsement meeting, Rep. Anthony Weiner recalled the same meeting in 1998 when his opponent, then-Councilman Noach Dear, had someone in the audience recording Weiner voicing his support for gay marriage. According to Weiner, copies were made of the tape and distributed to Orthodox Jews at an Agudath Israel meeting. "If anyone is wearing a wire today," Weiner quipped, "I want to reiterate my support" for gay marriage…

During her appearance before Lambda, State Senator Velmanette Montgomery said, "I do not think I have an opponent (in the September 14 Democratic primary), but I'm asking everyone to keep your eyes and ears open just in case." At the same meeting, Councilwoman Yvette Clarke told the gay-lesbian-bisexual-transgender club that "homophobia is still an issue" in parts of her Flatbush district. "Leadership is very important," said Clarke, who's running for Congress against Rep. Major Owens. Despite Clarke's smooth presentation, the club endorsed the incumbent over her and Councilwoman Tracy Boyland. A possible fourth candidate, Gabriel Toks Pearse, was unknown to the club and not invited to the meeting.

Owens, as expected, got Lambda's endorsement. During his presentation, he talked about the battleground Congress has become, saying, "We are talking about ruthless people who will stop at nothing to win." But enough about Clarke and Boyland… Boyland hit a tripwire when a Lambda member asked why she answered "support" on the club's questionnaire to the query, "Do you support or oppose the current law that mandates the reporting of those with HIV to public health officials and requires partner notification?" Boyland, intentionally or not, did the smart thing: gave an incomprehensible explanation. Club members, who oppose the law, appeared too confused to pursue the issue, which would only have made things worse for her.

Robin Kelly Shears got the nod from Lambda in her Civil Court race following a dynamic presentation. She noted that when people are treated poorly by court clerks, law secretaries, and other courtroom workers, "most of the time it's because the judge is nasty. It comes from the top."

DEMS VIE FOR LACHMAN'S SEAT: Two Staten Island residents came to the Lambda Independent Democrats meeting in Brooklyn looking for the gay club's endorsement in the race to succeed State Senator Seymour Lachman. First to speak was former New York City cop Kelvin Alexander, who hails from the group 100 Blacks in Law Enforcement Who Care. Waiting her turn quietly was Diane Savino, who's backed by Lachman.

When Savino made her pitch, she was asked what she'd done to oppose police brutality by an audience member who appeared to be planted by Alexander. Alexander himself then began heckling Savino from the back of the room, showing a lack of decorum that betrayed his lack of experience in orderly political forums.

Lambda member Alan Fleishman saved Alexander from further embarrassment by interrupting the exchange to congratulate the candidates. "Thank you both for coming here," Fleishman said. "Seymour Lachman never gave us the time of day."

BATF GETS CASH BACK The Brooklyn AIDS Task Force got back the $50 it contributed, somewhat inadvertently, to the congressional campaign of Tracy Boyland, who has returned a whole host of corporate contributions banned by federal law. A BATF worker attended a Boyland function to promote the non-profit but didn't realize it was a political fundraiser. When BATF executive director Elaine Greeley learned of the situation, she authorized the $50 to pay for the ticket. But the organization's policy is not to contribute to campaigns, a BATF source explained.

"It was a misunderstanding," said the source, who was concerned that mention of the improper contribution in this column would hinder BATF's fundraising. We had left several messages at two different BATF offices to get an explanation before publishing the item but hadn't received a call back. Donations to BATF can be made through its Web site, www.batf.net.

TIDBITS Another potential candidate for Councilman David Yassky's seat (should Yassky quit to run for district attorney in 2005) is Bob Zuckerman, a past president of the Stonewall Democratic Club, a citywide gay-lesbian-bisexual-transgender organization. Zuckerman recently moved from Cobble Hill to Sackett Street in Park Slope, which is in Yassky's district…

Some people believe Rep. Ed Towns persuaded Bob Dorf, whom Towns had been supporting for Civil Court judge, to withdraw from the countywide race at the request of the Thomas Jefferson Democratic Club, which is backing Saul Needle and didn't want a split of the white male vote. In exchange, according to the rumor, the T.J. Club will support Towns's son, Assemblyman Darryl Towns, for his father's seat whenever the elder Towns retires. We didn't bother calling Towns for the obligatory denial…

Responding to criticism from potential congressional primary opponent Gabriel Toks Pearse, the press secretary for Yvette Clarke said written requests are required to meet with the councilwoman because her previous open-door policy resulted in meetings with constituents all day on issues her staff could handle. The press secretary, Rance Huff, added that Clarke will have raised over $100,000 by the next filing date in her race against Rep. Major Owens…

Helene Weinstein made a rare appearance in the press when she introduced a bill to forbid Con Edison from sealing settlements of negligence lawsuits. The assemblywoman was quoted in The New York Times saying the legislation would enable the media and government to learn "promptly" about public hazards. But it seems to us that Con Ed would eliminate hazards alleged in lawsuits before settling those cases…

Councilwoman Sara Gonzalez finally took a position on the controversial proposal for an Ikea in Red Hook, coming out in favor of it. She cited its potential economic benefits…

Councilman Kendall Stewart is supporting his aide Asquith Reid in the race to succeed Stewart as Democratic district leader in East Flatbush's 58th Assembly District. Sam Taitt is backing Weyman Carey against Reid. Taitt narrowly lost the 2001 and 2003 City Council races to Stewart and plans to run again in 2005.

Contact Brooklyn Politics at (718) 399-3693.

Borough Politics Archive

2004
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2003
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2002
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2001
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2000
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1999
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