Dov Says Neither Assemblymember Dov Hikind's non-endorsement in the Senate race was greeted with tempered surprise by political insiders, most of whom expected Hikind to back Hillary Clinton. "This way he's out of the loop and he has everything," said one source within the Hasidic community, who believes that Hikind reaped the benefit of the limelight and has avoided the risk of any backlash. Another source speculated that community reaction to Hikind's expected endorsement of Hillary Clinton "must have been just visceral." Simcha Felder, Hikind's chief of staff and president of the United New York Democratic Club, said that the community as a whole was in favor of Rep. Rick Lazio. Last week, Felder "made an impassioned plea" for the club to issue its own non-endorsement, which it did.

The strength of anti-Hillary community sentiment, said one source, may have been enough to make Hikind think twice about his own political future. "What I think (Hikind) is truly afraid of is that as Noach Dear floats around in life looking for something to do, that Dear might run against him for the Assembly and take him out. Ordinarily I think that Hikind would beat Dear, but I don't know if he could have gotten away with this," said the source.

Hikind said the theory was bunk. "Since when can Dov Hikind be pressured? Since when does Dov Hikind sell out?" he asked rhetorically. Hikind said that he could not elaborate on the reasons why he chose to make a non-endorsement "because it involves the privacy of the principals on both sides." He added that he did not speak with Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, a Clinton backer. Clearly, Hikind's decision will not please Silver, but the Borough Park politician is apparently not too concerned about it, perhaps because of Silver's weakened stature as speaker. Regardless of who wins the election, Hikind said that Jews should rest assured on the issue of Israel. "Either way, we will have a friend of Israel in the Senate," he said.

Bill de Blasio, Clinton's campaign manager, said that the Clinton camp respected Hikind's decision. "We appreciate the fact that there was common ground on areas of interest to him that he considered making an endorsement," said de Blasio. Despite losing out on the endorsement, the Clinton campaign must be breathing a sigh of relief, since the party-swinging Hikind could have easily backed Lazio and been an attack dog on Jewish issues.

Gold Looking At Dear Seat District Leader Jacob Gold is in the process of retiring from his job with the Board of Elections and is eyeing a run for Noach Dear's Council seat. If the Council declines to tinker with the term limits law, the Dear seat will come open in 2001. "Technically speaking, I'm on my terminal leave," said Gold. "It sounds very ominous, but it's just my days in the bank." If Gold gets all his paperwork finished, he'll be officially retired in January. Gold said that he was considering the race but has not yet formed a committee.

"A lot of people active in the community and active in politics said, 'Jacob, there's term limits and Noach cannot run for reelection-you should look at it.' I haven't taken any concrete steps toward it. It doesn't mean that I won't, it just means that I haven't done it. I have to look at the numbers," he said. Gold did find symbolism in one number: 44. Gold is a leader in the 44th A.D., and Dear's councilmanic district is also number 44. "If you believe in mystical symbolism-there it is," he said.

Wrong Place, Wrong Time In its most down and dirty moments, politics takes on an aspect of war-a lesson that some young Bay Ridge Republicans learned the hard way.

The earnest troupe was pounding the pavement in the 52nd A.D., putting up posters for Veronica Pawson, the Republican Assembly candidate. By some turn of fate or stupidity, the high school foot soldiers stopped by the Independent Neighborhood Democrats headquarters at 247 Smith Street. Apparently oblivious to the fact that the windows of IND's shop are plastered with the smiling faces of Veep Al Gore and Senator Joe Lieberman, the kids asked if they could put up posters for Pawson.

A peeved IND volunteer informed the youngsters that if they tried to put the posters up, he would "kick their mother's ass in." "Other than that, things are going fine," said Pawson of her campaign. "It's all in good fun," said an IND volunteer. "I actually winked at them too. They're good kids. They laughed."

A Contradiction? District Leader James Davis made a show of endorsing Independence Senate candidate Jeff Graham, traipsing down to the Kings County Democratic Party headquarters to make the announcement right in the backyard of his nemesis, Assemblymember Clarence Norman. But there is an aspect to Graham that clashes mightily with Davis' most well-known community work: his Stop the Violence March. The march draws large crowds and public officials from all over the city, and Davis has made a name for himself as the march's organizer.

But Graham, according to published reports, is against stricter gun control laws. "He came to the Stop the Violence March when I invited him," said Davis. "I'll take a closer look at the position, and if necessary the door of discussion is open." Davis said that he chose to endorse Graham because he felt Graham would be most responsive to Davis' constituency, and that Hillary Clinton was tossing "political fluff" at the black community.

Love Him Two Times Steven Cymbrowitz has not spent one day in office, but he's already achieved something that no other state official has done this year. Cymbrowitz will actually appear twice on the ballot: Once as the Democratic candidate for Assembly in the 45th A.D., and once as a candidate to fill the unexpired term of his late wife, Assemblymember Lena Cymbrowitz, which runs until December 31. "I'm the only candidate in New York state who's on the ballot twice," he said. He's now sending out literature instructing voters on how to vote for him twice.

Borough Politics Archive
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