AND THEY'RE OFF (THE BALLOT) The political dreams of many a Brooklyn candidate ended last week, a solid month before the Democratic primary, as they were knocked off the ballot by petition challenges. Though the decisions could still be appealed, it appears we've seen the last of Barbara Taylor, who was challenging state Senator Velmanette Montgomery; Harry Kaloshi, running in the new East Flatbush/Flatbush/Borough Park senate seat; and Zachary LaReche, matched up against Assemblywoman Rhoda Jacobs, for at least another year. Also gone are two insurgent candidates for Civil Court judge, Alan Gelbstein and Jim McCall, neither of whom had enough signatures or enough money to take on the Brooklyn Democratic organization ("county").

That left five female candidates for three boroughwide judgeships-three Jews, one Latina, and one black. Sorry for the crude racial identifications, but that's the criteria most voters use in judicial primaries. Sources said nine Democratic district leader candidates from the 40th, 42nd, 46th, 55th, and 58th were also booted from the ballot because their petitions said "district leader" rather than the technical name of the position, state committeeman or committeewoman, owing to an error by an Astoria printer.

Among those removed was Colin Moore, known to many as a disgraced ex-attorney and rabble-rouser in Flatbush, whose attempted return to politics ended in humiliation as he filed just 422 signatures for male district leader in the 42nd A.D. He needed 500. Apparently Moore, who carried LaReche on his petitions, thought LaReche carried him as well. Not the case. "LaReche double-crossed him," one source chuckled.

LaReche had his own problems. Not only was he 35 signatures short, but on his petition he claimed to live at a Flatbush address with a Park Slope zip code. Talk about giving away your bluff. Footnote: Before the petition challenges began, county asked that its attempts to boot insurgent judicial candidates off the ballot be heard in Queens, rather than Brooklyn. Its professed reason was to remove any perception that it was benefiting from bias on the part of Brooklyn judges who owed their jobs to county. But the insurgents' supporters believe it was really intended to force witnesses to schlep to Queens to defend their petitions, perhaps dissuading them from appearing at all. As it happened, the request was denied.

McCALL STABS INSURGENTS IN BACK Brooklyn's black insurgent candidates still can't believe gubernatorial candidate Carl McCall broke his secret promise not to endorse the incumbents they were challenging. In exchange for McCall's neutrality, the insurgents were to support McCall against Andrew Cuomo. A McCall aide had breakfast at Junior's with a member of the insurgents' camp and explained the offer, which was relayed to Wellington Sharpe, Hakeem Jeffries, Zachary LaReche, Sandra Roper, Abdur Rahman Farrakhan, and Eddie Brumfield (who are challenging state Senator Carl Andrews and Assemblymembers Roger Green, Rhoda Jacobs, Clarence Norman, William Boyland, and Adele Cohen, respectively, in Democratic primaries).

Then came word that McCall had endorsed Green-an endorsement Green says he didn't even request, and therefore was especially happy to receive. His opponent, Jeffries, must have been stunned, and he wasn't the only one. "It is very disconcerting to these guys to hear that McCall has reneged on his promise," a representative of the insurgents e-mailed us. "Unfortunately McCall is building the reputation of someone who cannot be trusted, and even if he wins this round against Cuomo, he will find these little crimes coming back to haunt him in November."

Ironically, McCall's aide had said the one exception to his no-endorsement promise might be Assemblywoman Diane Gordon-who reportedly endorsed Cuomo.

NO DOUBTING THOMAS According to an employee of Dolores Thomas's campaign for Civil Court, about 13,000 signatures were filed to qualify her for the ballot, contrary to our reporting of one source's assertion that she had filed just 7,000 and was likely to be disqualified by a petition challenge. Thomas's person predicted that when the smoke clears, she would be on the ballot. That may be all Thomas needs to do to win, since she has the only black name among the seven candidates. The top three vote-getters in the Democratic primary will win easy victories in the general election and get 10-year Civil Court judgeships.

The Thomas employee, who asked not to be named, also objected to our report that Thomas had rejected an offer by Assembly candidate Sandra Roper to be part of Roper's insurgent slate, and complained furthermore that we'd incorrectly spelled the first name of Thomas's attorney, Gerry Dunbar. We might have spelled Gerry with a J, but our information about Roper's outreach to Thomas was correct. Roper wanted Thomas for her slate, but was brushed off. Later, word leaked back to Roper that Thomas's campaign didn't want to be associated with Roper. Other insurgent Assembly candidates were also not asked to carry Thomas on their petitions.

The reason may be that Dunbar is friendly with Brooklyn D.A. Joe Hynes, a Roper enemy. Or perhaps Thomas felt she could avoid a petition challenge by not allying with county's enemies. We're not sure why county didn't challenge Thomas's petitions, since Thomas could well defeat one of county's three candidates. Dunbar had been slow to return our call about Thomas's petitions, and by the time he did the story had gone to press. When he did call, he declined to list the Brooklyn candidates he was representing, other than Assemblywoman Diane Gordon, who should be returning our call any month now. We'd phoned Gordon about a report that she endorsed Andrew Cuomo over Carl McCall for governor, making her one of the few black elected officials in the city to do so. (Dunbar now says he's not interested in appearing in this column. Join the club.)

Getting back to the race for Civil Court, Jim McCall apparently filed just 8,000 signatures, not the 11,000 his people told him they'd collected. "I can neither confirm nor deny that," said McCall. "Most of my information I get from your column, even about my own campaign." Here's some more information for you, Jim: you're off the ballot. As is your running mate Arthur Gelbstein. You were doomed by a petition cover sheet error.

You might be asking, Why does this election matter? Indeed, the makeup of Brooklyn's Civil Court won't likely affect your life. But these elections have recently become a test of the power of the once-mighty Kings County Democratic organization. More losses like the two county endured last year will only accelerate its weakening. County's reputation took a further hit when Judge Victor Barron, who got his job with county's help in 1998, pleaded guilty this month to demanding and receiving a bribe from a plaintiff's attorney. And county's detractors are running around saying past judicial candidates have paid county six-figure sums for its support.

Getting McCall and Gelbstein off the ballot enhances the chances of county's candidates: Robin Garson, Marcia Sikowitz, and Karen Yellen. Let's hope county's candidates are not represented by attorneys working pro bono in the hopes of being rewarded by county's friends on the bench, who distribute lucrative receiverships, guardianships, and the like. If county feels these arrangements make it stronger, in fact they do the opposite.

BROOKLYN FINISHES LAST IN OLYMPIC PLAN The proposal to have New York City host the 2012 Olympic Games leaves Brooklyn well out of medal contention, with just three minor events targeted for the County of Kings-archery, indoor volleyball, and beach volleyball. Adding to the missed opportunity is that beach volleyball is slated for Williamsburg, where there is no beach, and indoor volleyball for Coney Island, whose famous beach could use such an event to recapture its old glory. (Indoor volleyball would be held in the Brooklyn Sportsplex, which doesn't exist and probably never will unless the city lands the Olympics.) Brooklyn, the city's most populous borough with about 2.5 million people, would have even fewer events than Staten Island. Queens would get 11 events, plus the Olympic Village. Manhattan would get 13, plus the Olympic Stadium.

Brooklyn beep Marty Markowitz hasn't given up on the borough getting its fair share from NYC2012, the committee behind the proposal. "Obviously the borough president was extremely disappointed that the committee wasn't able to identify other venues in Brooklyn," said Markowitz spokesman Andy Ross. "But once the plan becomes a reality, we can start working more closely with the committee to identify other possible venues in the borough. The bottom line is, this is not cast in stone yet."

Brooklyn's paucity of events was not for lack of fondness for or familiarity with the borough, given that NYC2012 is headed by Brooklyn native Jay Kriegel, a graduate of P.S. 238 and Midwood High School whose parents still live in Midwood and are prominent Congregation Beth Elohim members in Park Slope. The committee's original proposal included a spectacular water polo site on Pier 5 next to the Brooklyn Bridge, but it conflicted with plans for Brooklyn Bridge Park and no compromise could be reached with the park people.

The committee also envisioned an indoor volleyball facility on York Street in DUMBO, which would have become a recreational center for the neighborhood, but the Jehovah's Witnesses refused to sell the vacant space, preferring to hold it for its own use. The Sportsplex was Plan B. Transportation difficulties ruled out other Brooklyn sites. Proposing venues not convenient to the Olympic Village would lessen the city's chance of being named host, Kriegel said. The U.S. Olympic Committee will announce the nation's host city candidate on November 3, and the International Olympic Committee will select the winner in July 2005.

If New York City wins, look for Markowitz to propose some exhibition sports to be held at appropriate locales in Brooklyn: drag racing (4th Avenue), hot-dog eating (Nathan's), electronics-store haggling (Coney Island Avenue), bumper cars (Gowanus Expressway), and parking-spot hunting (Brooklyn Heights).

MARTY WASN'T ALL WRONG We were correct in noting that Borough President Marty Markowitz miscounted the number of Brooklyn congressman and state legislators in his latest newsletter. But he was right, and we weren't, about the number of councilmembers. We forgot that Staten Island's James Oddo also represents a piece of western Brooklyn.

GETTING FAT? BLAME YOUR CONGRESSMAN It's too bad that Michael Pollan's recent op-ed in the New York Times about corn taking over America's diet wasn't published before Reps. Nydia Velazquez, Jerry Nadler, and Ed Towns and Senators Chuck Schumer and Hillary Clinton voted for the $190 billion farm subsidies bill in May, committing the nation to 10 more years of corn overproduction.

The politicians then wouldn't be able to plead ignorance about how the epidemic of obesity and Type 2 diabetes coincided with the food industry's switch from sugar to cheaper corn sweeteners in the 1980s. Putting aside all the economic and philosophical arguments about farm subsidies, Pollan exposed the untold nutritional damage being wreaked by the surfeit of corn that results from the subsidies. Farmers spend about $3 to grow a bushel of corn that fetches about $2 on the open market. But the subsidies make corn so profitable that it's now grown on more than twice as much land as is in New York state. Subsidies and overproduction keep corn inexpensive-and that's why you can buy two liters of Coke for 79 cents (on sale). When soda and snacks are that cheap, more people buy them. Many kids now get 20 percent of their calories from corn sweeteners.

So Velazquez, Nadler, Towns, 277 other House members, 64 senators, and President Bush helped ensure another decade of inexpensive, government-subsidized junk food. That's especially bad for Velazquez's 49-percent Latino district, given that Latino boys have the highest rates of obesity among youths and diabetes rates are rising among Latinos. Ironically, Velazquez and many others voted for the bill in part because it also increased funding for school nutrition programs. That's like voting for a bill subsidizing tobacco farms because it also funds quit-smoking programs.

P.S. Growing a single bushel (56 pounds) of corn requires half a gallon of fossil fuel to create the needed fertilizer and pesticides, which in turn run into our groundwater, rivers, and oceans, killing marine life. And the reason cows-who evolved to eat grass-are pumped up with antibiotics is the government-subsidized corn they're fed makes them sick.

PERFETTO, SEMINARA RENEW FEUD Bay Ridge Democratic district leader Ralph Perfetto and political rival Joanne Seminara don't figure to be breaking bread anytime soon. Seminara is running against Perfetto's wife Phyllis O'Neill for female leader and has recruited Brian Honan to challenge Perfetto for male leader in the new 60th Assembly District. Chances are, Perfetto and Seminara will win, presenting the ugly prospect of co-leaders who don't get along. The two were on opposite sides in the last mayor's race, with Perfetto backing Mark Green and Seminara allying herself with Peter Vallone.

Perfetto said their feud erupted because she and 14 supporters joined Perfetto's club in order to get its endorsement for her failed 2001 council race, but only two collected signatures for the club's candidates. The other 12 collected for Vallone. Perfetto's club later expelled Seminara and her father and even banned them from entering. "She slighted the organization. She used the organization," said Perfetto.

Seminara, with whom we spoke before hearing from Perfetto, pretended to have no idea why Perfetto hates her. Honan said it was just because she allied with Vallone. How disingenuous. Did these people think we wouldn't call Perfetto to hear his side? But one source said being district leader is not Seminara's goal anyway. "She sees having the leadership as a stepping stone to succeeding Marty Golden in the City Council," our source said. Seminara has twice lost to Golden.

Alas, her wait could be longer than expected. The council is amending the term limits law, which will allow Golden to run for another term in 2003 (though if Golden wins his race for state Senate this year, that will be moot).

McCALL STRATEGY SIMPLE AS BLACK AND WHITE Some folks expect Civil Court judicial candidate Jim McCall-should he get back on the ballot-will put up campaign posters with his photo in Bay Ridge but not in Fort Greene and other black neighborhoods. Why? "He's a good-looking Irishman," noted Democratic district leader Ralph Perfetto. In Bay Ridge, that should benefit McCall. It could do the opposite in black areas. But there, McCall will hide his mug and use his other advantage: the same last name as black gubernatorial candidate Carl McCall. Democratic leaders fear Jim McCall could get some name-association votes from Carl McCall supporters, even though Jim McCall is neither black nor a Democrat. Thus, he's not expected to show his face much in minority communities. "Good political strategy," Perfetto observed.

While Perfetto managed a chuckle, Brooklyn Democrats are legitimately worried that the conservative McCall could find his way to the bench. "This guy could steal a judgeship based on the happenstance of his last name," said another district leader. "If we allow him to do this, shame on us."

Even McCall's sex could help him. Though Brooklyn voters tend to prefer female judicial candidates, some don't, and McCall is one of just two men in a race with five women for three positions. McCall ran as a Democrat for state Senate two decades ago in Bay Ridge, losing the primary to John Gangemi, who then lost to Chris Mega in the general election. As a Central Brooklyn Independent Democrats member living in Windsor Terrace, he ran against Assemblyman Joe Ferris in 1982. He became a Republican after moving to Bay Ridge. "I was certainly more conservative than a lot of the Democrats I knew," he said. People often mistake him for a Conservative Party member because he's seen at so many Conservative Party events. But because he's running for judge and (ahem) not a political office, McCall can be in the Democratic primary.

Borough Politics Archive

2002
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2001
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2000
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1999
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