Hikind Questions Hil Over Alleged Slur The latest step in the dance between Assemblymember Dov Hikind and Hillary Clinton finds the First Lady out of favor with the Borough Park politico, who has criticized her in the wake of an anti-Semitic slur she allegedly uttered at a campaign manager in 1974 after Bill Clinton lost a Congressional race.

The source of the accusation, a book penned by former National Enquirer reporter Jerry Oppenheimer, is suspect. Aside from Oppenheimer's previous employment, the subject of the alleged slur, Paul Fray, later admitted in a letter that he sometimes made accusations about Clinton without "factual foundation," according to a document produced by the Clinton campaign. Oddly, Fray is not even Jewish. He has a Jewish relative, although he is not sure which relative it is. Clinton has strenuously denied the allegation.

Hikind stressed that he does not believe she is anti-Semitic. However, he does believe that the accusation, in combination with the notorious Suha Arafat incident, cuts into Clinton's trust among Jewish voters-a key base of support for Democratic candidates. "The issue here with Hillary is one of credibility, and that's what I'm stressing," said Hikind, who pointed to the presence of three witnesses who say they heard the remark. "Based on what I've read, do I believe there's validity to this? Yeah, I do. Do I believe this is the worst thing that has happened and it's a disaster for Mrs. Clinton? I don't. This happened 26 years ago, and I do have that in mind."

Clinton's swift response to the report, as well as the actions of Bill Clinton, who called a Daily News editor of his own accord to deny the story, point to the danger that the Clinton campaign believes the accusation poses. Hikind pointed out that a Democrat needs to win the Jewish vote by a large margin to win a statewide race. Clinton only has 54 percent support among Jewish voters. "For a Democrat, that's a recipe for disaster, and part of it is a credibility issue," he said.

The Clinton campaign has been trying to win Hikind over for a long time, with mixed results. Clinton herself paid a shiva call to Hikind after his father died this year, and afterwards he spoke warmly of her. However, he has not relented in his criticism or his call for her to visit his assembly district and face a community that does not unanimously support her. The Clinton campaign could not be reached for comment by press time, as the switchboard at their headquarters was overloaded on the heels of the allegation.

Sources say that higher-ups in the Democratic Party, including Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, continue to try to broker a formal meeting between Hikind and Clinton.

Friction In Crown Heights Assembly Race The schism between the Orthodox Jewish and black communities in Crown Heights is being manifested in ugly fashion in the race between Assemblymember Clarence Norman, Jr. and James E. Davis.

A recent mailing circulated throughout the 43rd Assembly District contained a racist cartoon satirizing Norman, in addition to two pieces of literature that raise legitimate questions. Another mailing directly accuses him of favoring the Orthodox community over the black community in the allocation of state resources. The cartoon, photocopied from Our Time Press of June 1999, attacks Norman for voting to repeal the commuter tax by depicting him as a someone who purposely sacrifices the needs of the black, urban community for political capital in the white establishment. Additionally, the dialogue blurbs above the Norman figure's head contain what can best be described as a racist parroting of a black man misusing large words. "I thought that was very denigrating," said Norman of the cartoon, citing its "Birth of a Nation-type oratory." "I didn't do that well in English, but I think I speak a little better English than what was manifested there," he said.

Norman is convinced that Davis is behind the mailings. "Of course he's not man enough to put his name on it," said Norman. But Davis said that he had nothing to do with the mailings, and that they were the product of swelling resentment against the incumbent assemblyman. "Clarence has a lot of enemies in the 43rd Assembly District," said Davis. "There are a lot of people working, some underground, some above ground. There's a whole lot of grassroots organizations, as well as established organizations, who are tired of Clarence Norman." Davis said the real issue was why Norman voted to repeal the commuter tax, which is expected to cost the city $360 million this year.

Norman defended his support for the tax cut by saying that the Assembly was not a monolithic body and must support the interests of its suburban members. Last year was a good time to repeal the tax, he said, because the city had a budget surplus of almost $2 billion.

Dear, Weiner On The Rocks:Councilmember Noach Dear tweaked Rep. Anthony Weiner's bachelor status in a press release criticizing Weiner for voting against a Republican proposal to eliminate the so-called marriage penalty tax. "I want people to understand that there is an alternative to anti-family politicians like Anthony Weiner in the Democratic Party," said Dear in the release. "I plan to use my influence in Congress to protect family values. I know how important this is. I only have to look to my own family to know that I'm doing the right thing." Dear is running as a family-first man against Weiner, and hoping to use his own domestic example to contrast the boyish congressman as some sort of political swinger. "The Marriage Penalty Tax effectively punished couples for being married, which goes against traditional American values," said Dear in the release. The Weiner camp responded in turn by painting Dear, who will run in the Democratic primary but has already accepted the Republican nomination, as a typical GOP'er.

"Congressman Weiner supported the fair and fiscally responsible marriage penalty reduction that was offered by the Democratic Party," said Serena Torrey, Weiner's spokesperson. "I am not surprised that Councilman Dear would instantly embrace the more regressive Republican measure. As the Republican candidate for Congress, I am sure Councilman Dear will spend a lot of time this summer defending the GOP agenda." Different versions of the measure passed both the House and Senate. A compromise between the bills has been reached. In election year wrangling, President Clinton has said he will veto it unless Republicans agree to add prescription drug coverage to Medicare, which they have thus far refused to do.

Keeping Tabs Councilmember Ken Fisher, a candidate for borough president, is way ahead of his competition in the money race. For the most recent period ending July 11, Fisher's filing with the New York City Campaign Finance Board shows that his committee, Fisher 2001, has raised $523,185, some of which was netted while he was a candidate for mayor. With matching funds, Fisher could have almost $1.2 million-leaving him just $100,000 short of the $1.3 million spending cap a full 14 months before the primary. Fisher has roughly $300,000 on hand.

Meanwhile, Fisher's opponents, State Senator Marty Markowitz and Deputy Borough President Jeannette Gadson, lag far behind. Markowitz filed $123,658, not including matching funds. The matching funds could bring him near half a million dollars. Markowitz has about $90,000 on hand. Gadson filed $57,550. She has almost $48,000 on hand. Her average donation, at $351, was the highest. Fisher's average was second at $261, while Markowitz's average was third at $135.

Borough Politics Archive
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