PAPER NABS RATNER'S NAME Web surfers looking for Forest City Ratner's home page at www.forestcityratner.com get a surprising result: a Brooklyn Papers site featuring articles critical of the company and its controversial Nets arena project. Brooklyn Papers publisher Ed Weintrob-finding the url unclaimed-rented it for a year beginning August 5, and set it up to automatically forward visitors to a brooklynpapers.com page with articles such as "Earth to Bruce: Facts show he owns less land" and "Members: Ratner owns community boards."

We called for an explanation.

"It's clearly a newspaper Web site. We're not masquerading as a Forest City Web site," Weintrob explained. "I think it's a fairly above-board and honest thing." He added, "If you go to the site, you see all of our stories-pro, negative, and neutral."

We found negative and neutral, but not much in the way of pro-Ratner stories (unless you consider "Land grab goes to court" to be complimentary). Well, there was a mostly positive article by reporter Deborah Kolben about the July 25 opening of Target in Ratner's Atlantic Terminal mall. Kolben left the Brooklyn Papers shortly thereafter. No, we're not suggesting anything. Weintrob said people who type forestcityratner.com into a browser are seeking information about the company, and his newspaper's Web site provides it.

But Forest City Ratner spokesman Joe DePlasco saw another motive. "My guess is that they know people are more likely to get honest information by going to Forest City Ratner than to Brooklyn Papers and they are trying to kidnap them along the way. As everyone knows, Mr. Weintrob is completely opposed to this project, which is fine, but it would still be nice of him to let his reporters provide accurate and objective information. But hey, it's his newspaper and he wants to impose his view upon his people."

Weintrob has written columns against Ratner's project but said forestcityratner.com links "to our coverage of what Forest City is doing in Brooklyn. They're news stories. I wouldn't call it an advocacy site for anything."

OWENS SLAMS DEM STRATEGY With the presidential election over, Democrat Chris Owens, a contender for the House seat of his father Major Owens in 2006, let loose in an e-mail on the failures of his party. Wisely, Owens did it vicariously by forwarding an essay by Brooklyn writer Kevin Powell, rather than using his own words, lest they be held against him.

Powell wrote of the Democratic National Convention in Boston, "As happy as I was to be there I could not help but think, far inside the marrow of my Democratic bones, that it was a charade, a hoax. "There was no far-reaching vision, no expansive, humanistic agenda, no imaginative leadership, just, with the exception of brilliant speeches by Hillary and Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, and the Rev. Al Sharpton, a lot of empty rhetoric and unsophisticated retorts to the Bush-Cheney platform.

"It was evident to me that while the Dems had more A-list celebrities, threw better parties, allowed hip hop, the forever controversial yet dominant culture of our day, into its sacred halls, it was all dental floss distorting the fact we had, and have, no teeth on the left, and, really though, have been missing our teeth for some time now." Owens later did some of his own writing, explaining in a subsequent e-mail that personal experience would cause some Bush voters to go for the Democrat next time.

"It is the other side whose solidarity will crack as reality manifests itself. Someone on the other side will need an abortion. Someone on the other side will lose his job, have his benefits truncated, or lose his pension/life savings. Someone's parent will be victimized by the Republicans' Medicare plan. Someone's drinking water will become polluted unnecessarily. The Iraq War will continue along a perilous and indefinite course and more of their children will be fed to the war machine. Someone's televangelist or radio show host will be exposed as a hypocrite (at best) or grievous sinner…

"When that happens-when our unwavering pursuit of a greater America finally makes sense to someone who supported George Bush and Republican Congressional candidates-we will welcome our American cousin. And the next one. And the next one. The margin was slim, so all we need is a few."

Well, if we can play devil's advocate here: Many of those things have already happened to Bush voters. Owens seems to assume that swing voters vote in their best interests, rather than being swayed by marketing.

WEINER FOR MAYOR: A New York Times story concluded that Rep. Anthony Weiner "has all but made it official he is going to run for mayor next year." Weiner, who grew up in Park Slope, has hired a pollster and a direct-mail advertiser, the Times reported, and continues to raise money. He's been asking donors to take back what they gave his congressional campaign and redirect it to the account he'd use to run for mayor, which is eligible to receive matching public funds.

The Times article was rolling along comfortably until it offered this observation: "In 1991, when he was 27, he squeaked out a victory to win a seat on the City Council and then, eight years later, won a five-way race to take the Congressional seat that Mr. Schumer vacated when he went to the Senate. In each of those races, Mr. Weiner was considered the long shot, especially in his bid for Congress."

First, it was seven years later, not eight, that Weiner won his 1998 bid to succeed Chuck Schumer in Congress. Second, while Weiner could be said to have been a longshot in the 1991 City Council race, when as a 27-year-old in his first run for office he defeated political veteran Mike Garson, he was surely less of a longshot in the 1998 Democratic primary.

In that race, then-Councilman Noach Dear had the most money but no history of getting votes outside Borough Park; indeed, Dear had nearly lost his bid for reelection to attorney Bob Miller in 1991. Melinda Katz, then in the Assembly and now in the City Council, was the only woman and the only Queens resident in the 1998 primary but only 30 percent of the district was in Queens at the time. Dan Feldman, a Sheepshead Bay Assemblyman at the time, finished fourth (albeit a close fourth) in the primary, so he clearly wasn't the favorite either.

Weiner was the candidate most closely associated with Schumer, the popular incumbent who was vacating the seat. It seems to us the race was between Weiner and Katz, with an edge to Weiner because of the Schumer factor. Weiner won by fewer than 500 votes out of 45,113 cast. The fifth candidate in what the Times called a "five-way race" was a token Republican who was crushed in the general election.

Getting back to the mayoral race, the Times wrote that Comptroller Billy Thompson appears likely to run for reelection rather than for mayor. If so, that would help Weiner by leaving him as the only Brooklyn candidate (though Weiner now lives in Queens), but hurt him because Thompson might have split the minority vote with former Bronx borough president Freddy Ferrer. A Thompson reelection bid would also keep Assemblyman Jim Brennan from running for Thompson's seat.

THE GEOFFREY DAVIS STORY A train wreck makes for great copy, but it's not usually the conductor who writes about it. That won't stop Geoffrey Davis from authoring a book about his self-described "disastrous" initial run for public office, an impromptu bid for City Council in 2003 to succeed his brother James Davis, who was murdered on July 23 of that year.

"It will reveal my inner thoughts during debates, radio/TV interviews and on the assassination itself," Davis e-mailed us. "It should be in stores by the end of '05." He has no publisher yet but says he's had offers.

Davis, who is critical of Councilwoman Tish James for presiding over a fractured community and for supporting convicted Assemblyman Roger Green, plans to run again when the right opportunity comes along. But Davis is still not over his brother's shocking death and might never be. He was furious that Councilman Peter Vallone Jr. rejected his call for a City Council hearing on the assassination, which police said occurred after Councilman Davis led Othniel Boaz Askew around the metal detectors at City Hall. "Who are these people that say my brother James E. Davis brought this person through the metal detectors?" Davis e-mailed us. "Again, I'm calling for a hearing and I will not stop until I know the full truth. As time goes by, I will only become more resolute and aggressive in this matter, this I promise. My mother cries night after night because of this senseless murder. Our lives are destroyed and Mr. Vallone doesn't see the need for a hearing?"

It's an emotional response, and that's understandable. A hearing might be cathartic for the Davis family. But Vallone surely doesn't see that as the Council's job. Geoffrey Davis argues that the Council chambers may be unsafe, noting that the balcony where his brother was shot still lacks video cameras.

However, it should be noted that everyone who enters the chambers today must first pass through metal detectors-even the mayor. And second, let's not forget that Askew could have shot Davis anywhere. He was with the councilman all morning on that fateful day. But Davis does have some questions that deserve answers. For example, how did a cop on the first floor shoot Askew on a distant balcony five times? Why were police initially searching for a suspect who reportedly ran into a subway station outside City Hall? Neither Davis nor his mother Thelma Davis was ever told the results of the police investigation. "All the information we received came from the newspapers," he wrote. That ain't right.

MYSTERY JUDGES We sometimes get calls from readers asking for information about judicial candidates. At least some folks don't like the idea of voting for people about whom they know nothing. But in the general election, it hardly matters anyway. Candidates with the Democratic nomination always win in Brooklyn.

That's a problem, Mayor Mike Bloomberg said shortly after the November 2 voting. "While I am a great believer in electoral democracy, the process of filling positions on the Civil and Supreme courts is nothing less than a sham," Bloomberg said. "In last week's balloting for judges, there wasn't a single real contest in this city. Not one. That includes 'races'-and I use that term loosely-in which the victorious candidates had been found 'not qualified' by various local bar associations." (Was he referring to Supreme Court Judge Louis Marrero? Probably not, because like Bloomberg, Marrero's a Republican, though he got the Democratic nomination.)

The mayor continued, "But virtually no one knew that bit of information, nor anything else about these candidates. It's no wonder that about 30 percent of New Yorkers who voted for president last week saw no reason to vote for even one judge. No one wants to cast a vote without information, especially when it could help elect corrupt or unqualified judges."

FLY THE LIBERTARIAN SKIES We noticed an exchange of letters in this paper between Brooklyn Libertarian Party Chairman Gary Popkin and conservative Courier-Life columnist Stanley Gershbein in which Popkin suggested airlines be allowed to choose what level of anti-terrorism security to provide, and Gershbein applauded the idea.

Their philosophy is to let passengers (not the government) decide what they want to pay for and whether to endure security screenings. Popkin wrote, "People should not all be forced into a single mold decided upon by bureaucrats, when freedom to choose always provides more satisfactory outcomes."

Satisfactory for whom? Not for the office workers, firefighters, and police officers who would die when an inexpensive, fast, low-security airline's planes were hijacked and crashed into a skyscrapers. Wait a minute. Hasn't that happened before?

TIDBITS State Senator Carl Andrews, who sits on the committee on gambling, said he voted against a Republican bill authorizing Video Lottery Terminals, but not because they are mindless, addictive, paycheck-gobbling games that disproportionately victimize poor people, which is why some folks call VLTs "video crack." Rather, Andrews objected because not all the revenue from the VLTs was earmarked for education…

Traffic enforcement agents don't like to be called meter maids or brownies (their uniforms were once brown), insist they don't have quotas, and claim to be civil servants. But they are hardly serving the public by repeatedly ticketing cars such as the Volkswagen Cabria with Connecticut plates and an open rear window that collected summonses for a week at a metered spot in Park Slope. It had been towed there to make way for a movie shoot. Eventually, a neighbor alerted the police, but two days later the car was still there. With two more tickets. Perhaps DOT Commissioner Iris Weinshall, a Park Slope resident, should instruct her people to report missing cars so that they may be returned to their rightful owners, which would also clear the parking spots for other motorists…

Possible Brooklyn district attorney candidate Arnie Kriss's November 9 fundraiser in Dumbo drew about 75 former prosecutors from the staffs of incumbent Joe Hynes and his two predecessors, Eugene Gold and Liz Holtzman, according to a pal of Kriss. He added that Kriss has raised $280,000 with more pledged.

Contact Brooklyn Politics at (718) 399-3693.

Borough Politics Archive

2004
November 22 column.
November 15 column.
November 8 column.
November 1 column.
October 25 column.
October 18 column.
October 11 column.
October 4 column.
September 27 column.
September 20 column.
September 13 column.
September 6 column.
August 30 column.
August 23 column.
August 16 column.
August 9 column.
August 2 column.
July 26 column.
July 19 column.
July 12 column.
July 5 column.
June 28 column.
June 21 column.
June 14 column.
June 7 column.
May 31 column.
May 24 column.
May 17 column.
May 10 column.
May 3 column.
April 26 column.
April 19 column.
April 12 column.
April 5 column.
March 29 column.
March 22 column.
March 15 column.
March 8 column.
March 1 column.
February 23 column.
February 16 column.
February 9 column.
February 2 column.
January 26 column.
January 19 column.
January 12 column.
January 5 column.

2003
December 29 column.
December 22 column.
December 15 column.
December 8 column.
December 1 column.
November 24 column.
November 17 column.
November 10 column.
November 3 column.
October 27 column.
October 20 column.
October 13 column.
October 6 column.
September 29 column.
September 22 column.
September 15 column.
September 8 column.
September 1 column.
August 25 column.
August 18 column.
August 18 column.
August 11 column.
August 4 column.
July 21 column.
July 14 column.
July 7 column.
June 30 column.
June 23 column.
June 16 column.
June 9 column.
June 2 column.
May 26 column.
May 19 column.
May 12 column.
May 5 column.
April 28 column.
April 21 column.
April 14 column.
April 7 column.
March 31 column.
March 24 column.
March 10 column.
March 3 column.
February 24 column.
February 17 column.
February 10 column.
February 3 column.
January 27 column.
January 20 column.
January 13 column.
January 6 column.

2002
December 30 column.
December 23 column.
December 16 column.
December 9 column.
December 2 column.
Novemer 25 column.
Novemer 18 column.
November 11 column.
November 4 column.
October 28 column.
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.