Neck And Neck Borough presidential hopeful Ken Fisher has raised significantly more money than either of his opponents, but will not carry any appreciable financial advantage over Marty Markowitz into the September 11 primary election. According to the latest Campaign Finance Board filings, Fisher has amassed a total of $925,395-far more than any borough presidential candidate in the city.

"We've reached the [fundraising] ceiling," said Fisher spokesperson Julia Rothwax. "Together with the people on the ground and grassroots support, it shows the strength of his candidacy." All the candidates have joined the city's matching funds program and will be limited to spending no more than $1,177,000 in the primary. With matching funds, Fisher has reached the limit.

State Senator Marty Markowitz has pulled in $490,411, according to the CFB, which, with matching funds, puts him at just about $1.1 million, $77,000 short of the limit-ground that he can easily makeup before the election. Additionally, because Fisher overspent the limits for borough presidential candidates during the last two years, while he was still a candidate for mayor, he may not be allowed to spend the full amount allotted for the primary. Between 1998 and 2000, Fisher spent about $120,000 more than the program permits for borough presidential candidates. If the CFB rules that the money benefited him in his campaign for borough president, it could cut down the amount he is allowed to spend against Markowitz and Jeannette Gadson.

"[What's important] is not how much you can raise, but how much you can spend," said Jill Harris, Markowitz's campaign manager.

Gadson's filing was not immediately available from the CFB, but her spokesperson, Ernie Lendler, said that the campaign has raised about $240,000, bringing its war chest to $760,000 with matching funds. Although she trails her opponents by a wide margin, Lendler said he was unconcerned. "It's about how much money you're able to spend in the last two months of the campaign," he said. "I think probably Markowitz will have the most to spend. We'll be at the same level as Ken Fisher, who is spending money like water." Lendler said that Gadson has eight fundraising events scheduled for the near future.

Lendler did not know how much the Gadson campaign had left after expenditures. Fisher has spent $446,010, leaving him $479,384 in the bank before matching funds.

Markowitz has spent $250,213, and has $240,198 left before the match. Markowitz had the most contributors of any borough presidential candidate in the city, with 2,897, most of whom contributed $100 or less. Fisher had 2,577 contributors, while Lendler wasn't sure of how many people contributed to Gadson's campaign. "What Marty has is grassroots support, and that's what's going to translate into victory in September," said Harris.

But Rothwax, citing Fisher's strong fundraising showing and his recent endorsement by the Working Families Party, said that Fisher was the one with "strength and momentum." The Working Families Party, a consortium of unions and the community group ACORN, is particularly active in Brooklyn's black communities, and could help Fisher make inroads with a block of voters that Markowitz and Gadson are expected to command.

Coup De Grace Leaders of a challenge to unseat Republican County Leader Arthur Bramwell are claiming early victory, almost two months before the primary elections for district leaders and county committee members. "It's pretty much all over," said elections attorney Aaron Maslow, who is representing a group of Brooklyn Republicans seeking to install Brighton Beach District Leader Hy Singer as the new county leader.

In the day before the petition filing deadline last Thursday, said Maslow, three district leaders defected from the Bramwell camp and joined Singer's side, which calls itself Brooklyn Republicans United for New Leadership. The defections left Bramwell with supporters in five Assembly Districts, but Bramwell was unable to get their petitions and his own to the Board of Elections before the midnight deadline, leaving his camp completely off the ballot.

A spokesperson for the Board of Elections said that Bramwell was not listed as a candidate. Bramwell did not return messages left at the party headquarters. Singer could not be reached for comment.

The late filings leave only three Republican primaries in the borough-two district leader races in the 49th and 45th AD's, as well as one challenge to Councilmember Marty Golden, by Karen Ferraro. Ferraro's father, Arnaldo, is the manager of election day operations for the Board of Elections.

Many Brooklyn Republicans became unsatisfied with Bramwell's leadership after Vincent Gentile, a Democrat, defeated an incumbent Republican to win election to the State Senate. Additionally, sources said that the state party leadership did not believe that Bramwell could pull together an effective organization for Governor Pataki in his 2002 reelection bid.

County Looks To Bounce Roper The county party is preparing a vigorous challenge to the petitions of Sandra Roper, a Democratic candidate for district attorney. Roper is taking on 11-year incumbent District Attorney Joe Hynes. Last week, Roper filed 14,000 petition signatures, according to her spokesperson, Cheryle Williams Dent.

"I would say they leave much to the imagination," said Jeff Feldman, executive director of the county party. "At the end of the day, I don't think there will be a countywide challenge left." Roper needs 4,000 valid signatures to make the ballot.

Despite Feldman's confidence to the contrary, Williams Dent said that Roper would indeed make the ballot. "It's going to be a one-on-one race. There's a new sheriff in town, and her name is Sandra Roper," she said.

Williams Dent also said that Roper has already filed an order to show cause to challenge Hynes' residency. The Roper campaign has claimed that Hynes resides in Queens rather than Brooklyn. Orlando Rivera, a Hynes spokesperson, would not address the specifics of the residency challenge, saying only of Roper, "We wish her the best of luck."

A Challenge Afoot The first shot across the bow was fired in the 39th Councilmanic District race last week, as Anthony Pugliese's campaign announced it was eyeing a challenge to the petitions of Paul Bader, the husband of Rep. Nydia Velazquez. Pearl Lau, Pugliese's campaign manager, said that Bader filed only about 1,700 signatures, showing that he lacked the work ethic of a serious candidate.

"Anthony just kind of feels that Bader should have worked harder. We're disappointed that if that's the kind of work ethic he's going to show on the simple part, which is gathering signatures, then we don't feel that he's really a viable candidate," said Lau.

"Give me a break," said Bader. "Who is she to talk about doing work? What is interesting is that they made a public commitment not to challenge any petitions at an event that she put together."

At the forum to which Bader referred, held a few months ago, a general consensus emerged among the Democratic candidates not to challenge petitions. Lau, who had been part of a group organizing the forum, abdicated her role organizing the forum when she joined Pugliese's campaign.

Pugliese and Bader are vying for the same Carroll Gardens base in a seven-way primary. The Pugliese campaign has not yet decided if it will go forward with specific objections, but even raising the possibility is a slap at Velazquez. Some insiders expected that fear of ruffling Velazquez would keep Bader's opponents from challenging his petitions even though he filed a relatively low amount of signatures.

Bader said that he was confident he would prevail. "The quality of our signatures is very, very good," he said.

Gotlieb Gone Brian Gotlieb has dropped out of the Coney Island Council race, reducing the crowded Democratic field to nine candidates, and giving a boost to attorney Domenic Recchia. Gotlieb said that he was leaving the race to pursue a new position with Rep. Anthony Weiner, and to begin a new civic association in the shorefront high rises. Gotlieb, who had served as Weiner's deputy chief of staff, will now be the director of senior and youth initiatives.

"When it came down to it, I looked at the opportunity for working on the legislative end and felt that I would be more effective and create a more positive change for the people in the community," said Gotlieb of his new post. Insiders expect much of Gotlieb's support to fall to Recchia, who serves with Gotlieb on School Board 21.

Borough Politics Archive
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