Hashing It Out Hillary Clinton's sit-down last week with Borough Park Assemblymember Dov Hikind may signal a thaw in the relationship between the two politicians, although Hikind has not yet said he will endorse Clinton. Hikind has been critical of Clinton and has been a mouthpiece for the Orthodox community's doubts about her candidacy. But the meeting, brokered by Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, lasted almost two hours and left both parties with a favorable impression.

"I found the meeting to be extremely constructive, and obviously that's something positive," said Hikind. "One of my major objectives was to present to her and tell her in no uncertain terms why people in so many parts of the Jewish community are so upset with her. I was not disrespectful, but I was very firm in getting across to her the level of bad feelings about issues concerning Israel." Hikind would not discuss specifics of the conversation, but said that the two discussed Clinton's view of Israel and the case of Jonathan Pollard, who was convicted of spying for Israel. pBill DeBlasio, Clinton's campaign manager, would not say whether Clinton opposes or supports clemency for Pollard. However, he did say that she "has expressed some serious concerns about the Pollard situation, particularly around due process issues." He added that Clinton believes in a "strong and secure Israel" and that U.S. aid to the Palestinian authority should be cut off if the authority unilaterally declares statehood. He characterized the meeting as productive and said that it was an "honest exchange of viewpoints on different issues." Hikind said that aides to Rep. Rick Lazio have also contacted him about a meeting, and that he is open to the idea.

However, he said that the main problem with Lazio is that "nobody knows him. "Every time I go into a meeting, people may be saying negative things about Hillary, but nobody is saying anything about Lazio, which is really quite remarkable," he said. Lazio did make one sojourn to Borough Park, during which he stopped to have a slice of pizza and mug for the cameras. "I'm not impressed by people eating pizza," said Hikind.

Rudy Backs Noach Mayor Giuliani appeared in Queens to endorse Councilmember Noach Dear in his bid against Rep. Anthony Weiner. Dear, a Democrat, is running in the Democratic primary but has also secured the Republican line for the general election. Weiner is a strong supporter of Hillary Clinton, the mayor's former opponent. Alluding to Dear's 1998 violations of campaign finance law and an older incident in which he struck a plea bargain and paid a fine to avoid prosecution for skimming funds from a charity, Weiner wondered whether Giuliani was endorsing Dear "for his record or his rap sheet." Harris Leitstein, Dear's campaign manager, said that Weiner's barbs were designed to draw attention away from the issues in the race. "Does Anthony Weiner want to talk about what's going on today?" he asked.

It's Charles, Says Vito Rep. Vito Fossella endorsed Charles Capetanakis over former State Senator Robert DiCarlo. DiCarlo and Capetanakis are vying for the Republican line in the general election against State Senator Vincent Gentile. The primary between Capetanakis and DiCarlo has revealed a schism in the Brooklyn Republican Party, which has not made an endorsement in the race. DiCarlo has the support of the Conservative Party, while Capetanakis has the support of the Staten Island Republican Party, as well as Councilmember Marty Golden and Fossella.

During his endorsement, Fossella praised Capetanakis' work as president of School Board 20, as well as his work in the private sector. Despite Fossella's status as one of the rising stars in the Republican Party-he delivered a prime time speech at the national convention-- DiCarlo said that he believes the endorsement will have little impact. "I don't think people vote because other people tell them how to vote," he said. "I think people vote based on the candidate's record, and in this case the candidate who can best beat the liberal, so I don't think it will cost me anything."

Whoa, Nellie Gladys Santiago, a challenger to State Senator Nellie Santiago, was put back on the ballot after a successful appeal and subsequent a victory in state Supreme Court last week. Gladys Santiago was originally tossed after she failed to appear at the Board of Elections. But an appellate judge ruled that the decision to remove her was premature, sending the issue back to Supreme Court. There, she successfully defended her petitions, winning the right to run.

The situation creates a bit of name confusion on the ballot, as both Gladys Santiago and State Senator Santiago are running against each other twice: Once for state senate, and once for district leader in the 54th Assembly District-a position which State Senator Santiago also holds. To further complicate matters, Assemblymember Vito Lopez-who is at war with State Senator Santiago-- is backing a third candidate for state senate, Richard Velazquez.

Virtual Sal Sal Albanese has launched a Web site about his campaign for mayor that he hopes will help "democratize the election." The site, www.Sal2001.com, includes a neighborhood section where people from around the city can post concerns about their communities. "I'm not exactly a tech guy or a Web guy, but I appreciate the opportunity the Web gives campaigns and regular people to communicate with one another," he said.

The site also features "Sal-O-Grams," animated shots of Albanese with dialogue blurbs that can be e-mailed to friends. Visitors to the site can also volunteer for his campaign or contribute money online. Albanese, who trails the other mayoral candidates by a massive margin in fundraising, is hoping that the site will neutralize some of that disadvantage. "It's an ability to communicate with voters in a very non-expensive fashion, which allows a campaign like mine to level the playing field," he said.

Borough Politics Archive
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