COUNCIL RACE IN HOME STRETCH It was no surprise that City Council candidate Sara Gonzalez bolted the Central Brooklyn Independent Democrats endorsement meeting after her presentation, rather than waiting with competitors Eddie Rodriguez and George Martinez for the result. The real puzzler is why she showed up at all.

Gonzalez, the chairwoman of Community Board 7 in Sunset Park, had no chance to win CBID's endorsement, which went to Rodriguez, as expected. (Rodriguez got 26 votes, Martinez 10, and Gonzalez one.) Gonzalez's earlier appearance at the Independent Neighborhood Democrats endorsement meeting only hurt her, as former CB 7 district manager Gene Moore showed up and revealed that disgraced ex-councilman Angel Rodriguez and Gonzalez colluded to get rid of him. Perhaps she hoped to undo the damage at CBID, where she passed out copies of Moore's letter of resignation, which said he was leaving on his own accord.

But CBID members are far too sophisticated to believe a letter of resignation. No doubt Moore had to write it to get his severance pay. The fact is Councilman Rodriguez, who appointed many CB 7 members and had them install Gonzalez as chairwoman, was preparing to have them vote against renewing Moore's contract. Moore saw the writing on the wall, and quit. Gonzalez's question-and-answer session at CBID was rocky. She said she was pro-choice but opposed Medicaid funding of abortions, which she said "goes a step further." Club members grumbled.

She was asked if she had endorsed a candidate in last year's 39th Council District race. She didn't know which district that was, even though it borders the 38th District in which she's running. Answering a third question, Gonzalez hedged before acknowledging that Assemblyman Vito Lopez-not a favorite of the reform club-was supporting her candidacy. During the club's discussion of whom to endorse, one member commented, "She had no connection to any issue." It was Gonzalez, by the way, whose challenge of former Assemblyman Javier Nieves's petitions led to his removal from the November 5 ballot.

Eddie Rodriguez had a much smoother evening at CBID, making a fairly solid presentation and receiving warm praise from club members, including Assemblyman Jim Brennan and Councilman David Yassky. But there was one bump, so of course we'll focus on that. He was immediately asked about former School District 15 Superintendent Frank DeStefano, who was supported by Rodriguez and other school board members even after the New York Post revealed he'd used district money for lavish lunches, retreats at expensive resorts, and car service to take him to and from work. "This was a man who used school funds as his own cookie jar," a club member told Rodriguez. "We looked into the issue very strenuously," Rodriguez replied. "I'm not happy those things happened…But frankly, we found no wrongdoing."

Because "instructionally, Frank DeStefano did some good work" and principals supported him, Rodriguez felt he should stay. What Rodriguez failed to realize was that a man who so carelessly wasted school money and used it for personal expenses was not morally fit to lead the district. A dark cloud hung over District 15 for a year before Rodriguez and other board members realized DeStefano had to go.

Rodriguez's residency-he recently moved to Sunset Park from his home in Park Slope, which was half a block outside of the council district-did not come up at CBID, though his opponents labeled him a carpetbagger during a televised debate. Rodriguez was instead asked about his acknowledgement in The New York Times that he'd spent an afternoon collecting signatures for Angel Rodriguez (no relation) last year, but he downplayed the matter and the club didn't seem to care. Martinez, though, seemed to think it big news. "That was a new revelation in The New York Times," he declared giddily. "I didn't know that."

But the Times also revealed that Martinez has a new explanation for his decision not to participate in the Campaign Finance Program, which has already given Gonzalez's campaign $35,914 in public funds. Martinez told the newspaper it would be wrong for his campaign to take public money during such a budget crunch. He repeated that to CBID, only to be reminded of his previous explanation-that his lawyer promised him a five-figure legal bill to comply with the program's paperwork. CBID President Susan Loeb, who ran for the same council seat in 1997, told Martinez, "I didn't pay a dime to comply. It's really easy." Martinez said joining the program shouldn't be a litmus test, given that Angel Rodriguez participated and turned out to be a criminal.

A club member later suggested-without any evidence-that Martinez ducked the program to help hide controversial Red Hook developer Greg O'Connell's financial support of Martinez's campaign. Apparently not everyone believed Martinez's assertion that he'd raised $20,000 without a single $1,000 donation. But on the whole, Martinez's youthful enthusiasm and eloquence was positively received, portending future political success for Sunset Park's new Democratic district leader. Whether that success comes as soon as November 5 remains to be seen.

OPPONENT TRIES TO ENGAGE MILLMAN Green Party candidate Kenn Lowy is trying desperately to give the impression that there's a race going on for state assembly in Brownstone Brooklyn. But the incumbent, Joan Millman, is having none of it. "Ms. Millman is not actively campaigning, and I am," Lowy e-mailed us. "Joan Millman's failure to campaign demonstrates that she is not interested in meeting the people she represents." Millman faxed this response: "Rather than merely campaigning, I continue to actively serve my constituents while reaching out to those neighborhoods that are new to the 52nd A.D."

If that's true, we wonder why constituents' e-mails to Millman receive this response: "Because this Assemblymember is currently participating in an election, the Assembly's mail moratorium policy during elections will prevent the Assemblymember from responding to your message via Assembly email." "Actively serving constituents" should include responding via email, since Millman's office is not always open. Plus, on the day we called, her phone lines were down.

Still, we don't buy Lowy's argument that by not campaigning-shaking hands and handing out fliers at subway stations, flooding mailboxes with literature, running phone banks and the like-Millman is not meeting constituents. She is a fairly visible legislator, regularly attending community meetings and events. What her failure to campaign does demonstrate is her belief that neither Lowy nor Rosemarie Markgraf, the Republican-Independence-Conservative party candidate, can defeat her November 5. It's a reasonable assumption, given that incumbent Democrats in "safe" seats regularly get 80 percent of the vote in general elections.

Yet Lowy continues to insist that he can win. Given that he is campaigning and Millman isn't, he wrote, "It will be interesting to see what happens when the voters of the 52nd A.D. go to the polls." We replied, "For a Green Party candidate to knock off an incumbent Democrat in a general election in Brownstone Brooklyn would be the greatest upset in the history of politics, not to mention sports, games, wars, and anything else that has ever been contested." Add in that Lowy will be splitting whatever anti-Millman vote there is with Markgraf, and his bid becomes even more hopeless.

But we are nonetheless thankful for Lowy's candidacy. Elections, however lopsided, are good for democracy. Not to mention political columns.

YASSKY SUPPORTS ANTI-SMOKING BILL Despite some reservations about how much to protect smokers from their own vice, Councilman David Yassky has decided to vote for Mayor Mike Bloomberg's bill to ban smoking from all bars and restaurants in New York City.

The councilman, whose district includes Brooklyn Heights and Park Slope, was won over by the argument that employees in bars shouldn't be subjected to second-hand smoke in the workplace. He added, "More of my constituents would support the mayor's bill" than would oppose it. Yassky is up for reelection next year, and a pro-tobacco vote would have been exploited by any Democrat who ran against him. Still, we think Yassky's decision was one of conscience more than politics.

NYDIA VOTES NO ON ELECTION REFORM Rep. Nydia Velazquez was the only House member from New York state, and one of just 48 nationwide, to vote against the election reform bill that arose from the Florida debacle of 2000. We e-mailed her press secretary, the helpful Wendy Belzer, for the reason. Belzer replied that she'd find out, then asked, "Are you going to slam us on it?" Who, us?

OK, we did give Velazquez some grief for her support of farm subsidies, especially given the number of farms in Brooklyn. But there were better reasons for her to vote against the election reform bill-particularly since she knew it would pass anyway, allowing her to cast a protest vote without killing much-needed federal funding for election improvements. The bill contains some measures that Velazquez and other Latino representatives felt could limit ballot access for Latinos, notably identification requirements for first-time voters and what Belzer called a "citizenship check-off box mandate."

The American Civil Liberties Union agrees, asserting that "the highly complicated new identification requirements…were insisted on by a number of conservative members of Congress ostensibly for anti-fraud reasons even though there is no evidence to suggest that electoral fraud is anything approaching a problem. Such ID requirements are unnecessary, harmful to privacy, a further threat to an already-failing electoral system and lead to discrimination." Among the ACLU's numerous objections is that the bill sets new standards for voting equipment but exempts punch-card machines, which cost Gore the 2000 election. After the House vote, the bill passed the U.S. Senate, 92-2. New York's Chuck Schumer and Hillary Clinton both voted against it.

IN GENERAL, ELECTION IS SNOOZER The general election, scheduled this year for November 5, is generally a snoozer in all Brooklyn neighborhoods save Bay Ridge, the only enclave where Republicans have a fighting chance-or are indeed the favorites in districts that stretch to Staten Island. This year is no exception, as the Bay Ridge-based state Senate District 22 hosts a hot race between incumbent Vinny Gentile and Councilman Marty Golden.

Two Staten Island Republicans whose districts will also include Bay Ridge next year are expected to win. Rep. Vito Fossella faces Democrat Arne Mattsson and Green Party candidate Henry Bardel, while Assemblyman Matthew Mirones faces Democrat Matthew Spano. All live on Staten Island. Newspaper custom obligates us to inform you of the other races, in which the Democratic nominees will be overwhelming favorites to defeat the Republican (R), Conservative (C), Independence (I), Liberal (L), Working Families (WFP), and Green party candidates who wiggled onto the ballot.

For Congress, Rep. Jerry Nadler faces Republican Jim Farrin, Conservative Alan Jay Gerber, and Green Dan Wentzel. Only Gerber, of Borough Park, lives in Brooklyn. Rep. Anthony Weiner of Sheepshead Bay faces Alfred Donohue (R-C) of Midwood, Rep. Ed Towns faces James Kampil (R-C), Rep. Major Owens faces Susan Cleary (R-I) of Flatbush and Alice Gaffney (C) of Marine Park, and Rep. Nydia Velazquez of Brooklyn Heights faces Cesar Estevez.

For state Senate: Marty Malave Dilan faces incumbent Nellie Santiago (R-L-WFP) in the 17th District, after defeating Santiago in the Democratic primary; Velmanette Montgomery faces Alan Romaguera (R) of Windsor Terrace in the 18th, John Sampson faces Walter Moseley (R-C-I) in the 19th, Carl Andrews faces Salvatore Grupico (R-C) in the 20th, Kevin Parker faces Noach Dear (C), Herman Hall (I), and Lori Citron Knipel (L) in the 21st, Seymour Lachman (D-C) of Bensonhurst faces Al Curtis (R-I) of Staten Island in the 23rd, Marty Connor of Brooklyn Heights faces Manhattanites Hyman Silverglad (R-I) and Ken Schaeffer (WFP) in the 25th, and Carl Kruger (D-R-L) of Flatlands faces Steve Walters (C) of Sheepshead Bay in the 27th.

For the state Assembly: Diane Gordon faces Lorraine Foote (R) and Ernest Johnson (C) in the 40th A.D., Helene Weinstein faces George Johnston Jr. (R-C) in the 41st, Clarence Norman faces Leona Williams (R) and Sandra Roper (I) in the 43rd, Jim Brennan faces Luke Vander Linden (R-I-C), whose Bay Ridge home is well outside Brennan's 44th A.D., Steven Cymbrowitz faces Theodore Alatsas (R-C) in the 45th, Adele Cohen faces Mark Belli (R-C) in the 46th, Bill Colton faces Nike Navor (R) and Rose DelGiudice in the 47th, Dov Hikind (who also has the Republican line) faces John Toolan (C) in the 48th, Peter Abbate faces Cynthia Gallo (C) in the 49th, Joe Lentol faces Walter Wrubel (R-C) in the 50th, Felix Ortiz faces Washington George Artus (R-C) in the 51st, Joan Millman faces Rosemarie Markgraf (R-I-C) and Green Kenn Lowy in the 52nd, Vito Lopez faces Germania Taveras (C) in the 53rd, Darryl Towns faces Khorshed Chowdhury (R-C) in the 54th, William Boyland faces Abdur Rahman Farrakhan (R) in the 55th, Annette Robinson faces Stanley Kinard (R-I) in the 56th, Roger Green faces Rick Ocasio (R) in the 57th, Nick Perry faces Robert Gaffney (C) in the 58th, and Frank Seddio faces Peter Evangelista (R-C) in the 59th.

Typically, candidates who lose in the Democratic primary shut down their campaigns even if they have another party line in the general election. For example, Noach Dear has the Conservative line in Senate District 21 (he declined the Republican nomination) but is no longer seeking the seat, his campaign manager said. (However, Dear told Brooklyn Conservative Party head Jerry Kassar that he would continue running.) Knipel, Roper, Farrakhan, and Kinard also lost in the Democratic primary. Santiago inherited the Republican line after that party's candidate, Raphael Sylvester, died. But the Brooklyn Democratic organization, which backed her in the Democratic primary, is now backing Dilan, the Democratic nominee.

THAT'S COMMISSIONER CURTIS, IF YOU PLEASE The Republican candidate challenging Seymour Lachman in Senate District 23, Al Curtis, hasn't been a commissioner of anything for nearly seven years, but that doesn't stop him from referring to himself as "Commissioner Curtis" 10 times in his on-line biography. Curtis explained, "I served as a commissioner (of Youth Services for two years) in the Giuliani administration. Commissioners have the option of continuing to use the title." Well, but there's certainly no law against it. But we haven't come across too many ex-commissioners who do. Whatever the case, Mr. Curtis (if we can call him Mr.) is undoubtedly reading this and wondering why we would even bother with such trivia, given all the important issues at stake in the race. The answer is: because we can.

Issue number two: Lachman got the endorsement of the Staten Island African-American Political Association over Curtis even though Curtis is an African-American from Staten Island and Lachman is neither. "It does not bother me," Curtis emailed us. "I have received the endorsement of almost every African-American minister on Staten Island in addition to ministers of other ethnic groups." Curtis added that Jewish Democratic district leader Mike Geller of Brooklyn endorsed him, though Lachman is Jewish, Democratic, and from Brooklyn and Curtis is none of the above. Of course, Lachman never sought an endorsement from Geller, who doesn't represent any part of the senate district, which is 55 percent Brooklyn (Coney Island, Bensonhurst, Sunset Park, Borough Park) and 45 percent Staten Island.

Issue number three: The Conservative Party, which almost always favors Republicans over Democrats, gave its ballot line to Lachman. "I was interviewed by the Conservative Party," Curtis explained. "I do not have the Conservative Party endorsement because the party's positions on a number of issues are contrary to my beliefs. I consider myself a liberal Republican." But it would be naïve to think the Conservative Party endorsed strictly on the basis of ideology. Politics usually plays a role. In this case, we heard that Staten Island Borough President Jim Molinaro stopped Curtis from getting the Conservative line because Curtis's wife had supported Molinaro's opponent in the race for borough president last year.

Instead, the Conservatives were told to pursue Lachman, who accepted the line and ditched the Liberal Party. Curtis then got the Liberal line, completing the bizarre exchange. And speaking of bizarre, a Curtis campaign aide recently alerted us to a Saturday press conference in Borough Park at which Governor George Pataki would be endorsing Curtis. Wait a minute. A Saturday press conference in Borough Park? Who would hold a press conference in an Orthodox Jewish neighborhood on the Sabbath? Needless to say, the event was canceled. We've heard no news of a Pataki endorsement since.

Borough Politics Archive

2002
October 21 column.
October 14 column.
October 7 column.
September 30 column.
September 23 column.
September 16 column.
September 9 column.
September 2 column.
August 26 column.
August 19 column.
August 12 column.
August 5 column.
July 29 column.
July 22 column.
July 8 column.
July 1 column.
June 17 column.
June 10 column.
June 3 column.
May 27 column.
May 20 column.
May 13 column.
May 6 column.
April 29 column.
April 22 column.
April 15 column.
April 8 column.
April 1 column.
March 25 column.
March 18 column.
March 11 column.
March 4 column.
February 25 column.
February 18 column.
February 11 column.
February 4 column.
January 28 column.
January 21 column.
January 7 column.

2001
December 10 column.
December 3 column.
November 19 column.
November 12 column.
November 5 column.
October 22 column.
October 1 column.
September 6 column.
September 4 column.
August 30 column.
July 23 column.
July 2 column.
June 25 column.
June 11 column.
May 28 column.
May 21 column.
May 14 column.
May 7 column.
April 30 column.
April 23 column.
April 9 column.
April 2 column.
March 26 column.
March 19 column.
March 12 column.
March 5 column.
February 26 column.
February 19 column.
February 12 column.
February 5 column.
January 29 column.
January 22 column.
January 15 column.
January 8 column.
January 1 column.

2000
December 25 column.
December 18 column.
December 11 column.
December 4 column.
November 27 column.
November 20 column.
November 13 column.
November 6 column.
October 30 column.
October 23 column.
October 16 column.
October 9 column.
October 2 column.
September 25 column.
September 18 column.
September 11 column.
September 4 column.
August 28 column.
August 21 column.
August 7 column.
July 31 column.
July 24 column.
July 17 column.
July 10 column.
June 26 column.
June 19 column.
June 12 column.
May 15 column.
May 8 column.
April 24 column.
April 10 column.
March 13 column.
March 7 column.
February 21 column.
February 14 column.
February 7 column.
January 31 column.
January 24 column.
January 17 column.

1999
December 16 column.
December 9 column.
December 2 column.
November 25 column.
November 18 column.
November 11 column.
November 4 column.