Juggling Act. Reports that Bill DeBlasio will become Hillary Clinton's campaign manager raise a tangle of questions about whether he can pursue his ambition for Stephen DiBrienzaís City Council seat and continue to serve as a member of Community School Board 15. Currently New York State Coordinator for the Department of Housing and Urban Development, DeBlasio headed President Clinton's New York State campaigns in 1992 and 1996. He's also worked for Mayor David Dinkins, Rep. Charles Rangel and City Council Speaker Peter Vallone. Clearly, DeBlasio has the stats to be a force in a council race, but sources have pointed to his relative dearth of community experience as his Achilles' heel. The work he was doing on the school board was one way for him to remedy the situation and establish a local presence.

But the new gig could stop him in his tracks. "Obviously he's not going to be around in the community much if he's going to be managing Hillary's campaign," said one source. DeBlasio was on vacation and could not be reached for comment.

"On one hand, if Hillary wins, he'd be a psychotic individual to run for council. That would be a big downward move," said another source. However, if Hillary loses, then DeBlasio will have a network of big money donors and a lot of hands-on experience with labor leaders. But again, because he would be consumed by the Senate race until November of 2000, he couldnít make community inroads until very late in the game, and local connections could be tantamount in the crowded race for the 39th Councilmanic seat. Moreover, if DeBlasio accepts the position, and if the job of campaign manager is as demanding as one suspects, will he be able to fulfill his duty as a school board member?

Mission Impossible. Some members of the local political community believe simple math dictates that there is no way Hillary Clinton can defeat Mayor Rudolph Giuliani in a statewide race. The theory goes like this: Because the upstate voting patterns are overwhelmingly conservative, Clinton would have to carry as much as 75 percent of the city, as well as a good share of the suburbs, to win. "There's not a professional in the business who thinks she can win," said one Democratic district leader. "How is this woman from Arkansas going to get 75 percent of the city, particularly with whatís going on with the Jewish electorate?"

That scenario has caused some Democrats, such as Assemblymember Lena Cymbrowitz and Councilmember Michael Nelson, to take a pass on endorsing her -- at least for now. One Brooklyn Democrat, State Senator Carl Kruger, has crossed party lines and endorsed Giulianióa move that some say may be repeated by others, despite the county party's affirmed support of Clinton.

One source within the county party said that there has been speculation that Clinton could hold a joint press conference with Rep. Nita Lowey, announce that she is dropping out, and then endorse Lowey. However, said the source, that possibility seems like a long shot, as the state Democratic organization is going ahead with its plan to fete Clinton on December 21 at the Pierre Hotel in Manhattan.

Wings of the Dove. As more names are dropped into the race for borough president, Assemblymember Dov Hikindís candidacy grows stronger. "I'm sort of gearing up for it," said Hikind. "I intend to get very serious about it next year." One of Hikind's strengths is that he is supported by an Orthodox voting bloc that no other candidate can chip away at. Therefore, as the race becomes more crowded, Hikind's presence becomes larger -- particularly if Assemblymember Daryl Towns, State Senator Marty Markowitz and Deputy Borough President Jeannette Gadson divvy up the minority vote.

Additionally, Hikind said that he has been meeting with leaders and elected officials in the black and Latino communities in order to garner whatever support he can from those constituencies. Interestingly enough, in a borough of about 2.3 million people and myriad races and cultures, Hikind could take Joralemon Street with the vast majority of his support emanating from one group. Naturally, Hikind wants to distance himself from that fact.

"I am a proud Jew, but I serve everyone in the same fashion," he said. "I look forward to going into other communities and competing for the vote. A lot of people in those communities, as they respect someone who stands up for them, they also respect someone who stands up for what they believe in. I'm going to fight for every part of Brooklyn."

Hikind said that his outspoken criticism of the way the police handled the Gideon Busch shooting has helped him to create alliances with minority communities and proven him to be someone who is "not afraid to stand up and speak out." And in terms of the bottom line, Hikind's war chest will surely be full. He currently has about $600,000 in reserve, although he will not transfer that money toward the borough president's race. Instead, he said, he will raise new money that will be matched under the recently enacted laws. His first major fundraiser is slated for May. He said that he expects to draw 2,000 people at hundreds of dollars per head. "We could probably raise enough money in one night to max out," he said. That's bad news for the competition, especially Markowitz, who has historically had trouble raising money.

Borough Politics Archive
November 25 column.
November 18 column.
November 11 column.
November 4 column.