Thursday, May 25, 2006
Catching up on local and state politics
LOOKING AHEAD by Wally Dobelis
This reader had quite a surprise, reading that ex-Senator Alphonse D’Amato has endorsed Eliot Spitzer for governor. Does this mean that the GOP is really on a rocky road?
One counter indication might be that two prominent Democrats, both 2005 candidates for Manhattan Borough President, have joined Mayor Bloomberg’s government, our former Councilwoman Margarita Lopez to sit on the Board of the Housing Authority, and gay/CB activist Brian Ellner to be the counselor for community affairs with the Board of Education. But let’s not be rash, it might be the Mayor’s way of building a broad base for whatever office he is aiming at in 2009 – he will be only a vigorous 67 then - as well as the generous pay, $162k and $165k a year, respectively.
The GOP is in an internal turmoil, with infighting for both the hopeless Governor and Senator candidacies. Hillary Clinton’s Senate seat in 2006 has attracted two vigorous Republican candidates – presumably expecting that Hillary’s presidential candidacy in 2008 will position the Republican contender, either because she will have gone national, or will be vulnerable in 2012. John Spencer, ex-Yonkers mayor, banker and Vietnam veteran, has been challenged by the socially prominent Kathleen “KT” McFarland, 54, Deputy Assistant Defense Secretary for Public Affairs under Reagan, a NSC staffer under Nixon and Ford, a Kissinger protégé. Having left government 25 years ago to raise a family of five, she is ready to come back and has hired two big-time managers, Ed Rollins the Gingrich man and Adam Goodman the Kathleen Harris campaign ace, and both Spencer and Clinton are getting whacked – the latter has been accused of flying spy helicopters past KT’s Hamptons’ bedroom windows. Wow, what fantasy life!
On the Governor level, exuberant ex-Gov of MA, Bill Weld, was originally warmly welcomed by both Pataki and Giuliani. Now both are withholding endorsement, pending party developments. Weld has somewhat weathered the charges about his Kentucky Decker College involvement, a charter school venture, but is now meeting competition from Assemblyman John Faso from Columbia County, the serious party loyalist and former Minority Leader, who in 2002, at the party’s call, ran for Comptroller, losing narrowly to Alan Hevesi. Faso, who is a fiscal expert (his committee saved the NYS $5B in 1994 and rescued the budget), and has to contend with low visibility, is favored by the Conservative Party, without whose endorsement winning the Governorship is deemed impossible. As for a daytime job, Faso is a partner in a national law firm (he went to Georgetown Law at night).
The Democratic Attorney General field is narrowing. Good Dad, Assemblyman Richard Brodsky has withdrawn; he is donating a kidney for his 16-year old immune system deficient daughter Willie, and will not be ready to campaign. Councilman Dan Garodnick and Assemblyman Jonathan Bing are favoring Andrew Cuomo for AG, and he is certain to have 25% of the vote in the state Democratic Party’s convention in Buffalo, in the last days of May, assuring him a spot on the primary ballot in September. But the field is still too large for any of the other candidates to gain a similar advantage, and some, notably Denise O’Donnell, the former federal attorney from Buffalo, and Charlie King, a former chair of the NYCounty Democratic Committee, are attempting to have Cuomo help remove the restriction, else they will have to go into the expensive and demanding procedure of collecting petition signatures throughout the state. But Cuomo will not give up an advantage, and the remaining field, Mark Green and Sean Patrick Maloney are resigned to it; the latter, formerly President Clinton’s link to the gay community, is positive about making it to the ballot.
Which leaves us with Eliot Spitzer, the “can’t lose” candidate for Governor, still being pursued by Tom Suozzi, Nassau County Executive, who wants to tell him in a public debate how his fellow citizens feel about gay marriage and abortion. Good luck, Charlie, er, Tom.
Speaking of contests, received a cheery Message From Assemblywoman Sylvia M. Friedman, who was elected on January 28, and the next day in Albany signed on to co-sponsor seven bills. She too is expected to have a Democratic contester, for the 74th AD, Brian Kavanagh, former chief of staff for Councilwoman Gale Brewer.
One of Sylvia’s bill addresses the proliferation of bars in our neighborhoods, and will help regulate those that are not good neighbors; another, Healthy Teens Act, would establish age-appropriate sex education programs. Recognition of marriage without gender barriers and discrimination based on gender identity are two other topics. She applauds the legislative budget with its $1.8B school construction and the $9.4B increase in city financing cap, $19.7M for libraries, restoring $320M for CUNY and SUNY, and co-sponsors senior care bills, such as increasing the income eligibility for medical and nursing care. There’s more. Sylvia’s district office is in the formerly Steve Sanders’ space, using the same phone number – 201 E. 16 Street, 212-979-9696. Some speed, some action!
This reader had quite a surprise, reading that ex-Senator Alphonse D’Amato has endorsed Eliot Spitzer for governor. Does this mean that the GOP is really on a rocky road?
One counter indication might be that two prominent Democrats, both 2005 candidates for Manhattan Borough President, have joined Mayor Bloomberg’s government, our former Councilwoman Margarita Lopez to sit on the Board of the Housing Authority, and gay/CB activist Brian Ellner to be the counselor for community affairs with the Board of Education. But let’s not be rash, it might be the Mayor’s way of building a broad base for whatever office he is aiming at in 2009 – he will be only a vigorous 67 then - as well as the generous pay, $162k and $165k a year, respectively.
The GOP is in an internal turmoil, with infighting for both the hopeless Governor and Senator candidacies. Hillary Clinton’s Senate seat in 2006 has attracted two vigorous Republican candidates – presumably expecting that Hillary’s presidential candidacy in 2008 will position the Republican contender, either because she will have gone national, or will be vulnerable in 2012. John Spencer, ex-Yonkers mayor, banker and Vietnam veteran, has been challenged by the socially prominent Kathleen “KT” McFarland, 54, Deputy Assistant Defense Secretary for Public Affairs under Reagan, a NSC staffer under Nixon and Ford, a Kissinger protégé. Having left government 25 years ago to raise a family of five, she is ready to come back and has hired two big-time managers, Ed Rollins the Gingrich man and Adam Goodman the Kathleen Harris campaign ace, and both Spencer and Clinton are getting whacked – the latter has been accused of flying spy helicopters past KT’s Hamptons’ bedroom windows. Wow, what fantasy life!
On the Governor level, exuberant ex-Gov of MA, Bill Weld, was originally warmly welcomed by both Pataki and Giuliani. Now both are withholding endorsement, pending party developments. Weld has somewhat weathered the charges about his Kentucky Decker College involvement, a charter school venture, but is now meeting competition from Assemblyman John Faso from Columbia County, the serious party loyalist and former Minority Leader, who in 2002, at the party’s call, ran for Comptroller, losing narrowly to Alan Hevesi. Faso, who is a fiscal expert (his committee saved the NYS $5B in 1994 and rescued the budget), and has to contend with low visibility, is favored by the Conservative Party, without whose endorsement winning the Governorship is deemed impossible. As for a daytime job, Faso is a partner in a national law firm (he went to Georgetown Law at night).
The Democratic Attorney General field is narrowing. Good Dad, Assemblyman Richard Brodsky has withdrawn; he is donating a kidney for his 16-year old immune system deficient daughter Willie, and will not be ready to campaign. Councilman Dan Garodnick and Assemblyman Jonathan Bing are favoring Andrew Cuomo for AG, and he is certain to have 25% of the vote in the state Democratic Party’s convention in Buffalo, in the last days of May, assuring him a spot on the primary ballot in September. But the field is still too large for any of the other candidates to gain a similar advantage, and some, notably Denise O’Donnell, the former federal attorney from Buffalo, and Charlie King, a former chair of the NYCounty Democratic Committee, are attempting to have Cuomo help remove the restriction, else they will have to go into the expensive and demanding procedure of collecting petition signatures throughout the state. But Cuomo will not give up an advantage, and the remaining field, Mark Green and Sean Patrick Maloney are resigned to it; the latter, formerly President Clinton’s link to the gay community, is positive about making it to the ballot.
Which leaves us with Eliot Spitzer, the “can’t lose” candidate for Governor, still being pursued by Tom Suozzi, Nassau County Executive, who wants to tell him in a public debate how his fellow citizens feel about gay marriage and abortion. Good luck, Charlie, er, Tom.
Speaking of contests, received a cheery Message From Assemblywoman Sylvia M. Friedman, who was elected on January 28, and the next day in Albany signed on to co-sponsor seven bills. She too is expected to have a Democratic contester, for the 74th AD, Brian Kavanagh, former chief of staff for Councilwoman Gale Brewer.
One of Sylvia’s bill addresses the proliferation of bars in our neighborhoods, and will help regulate those that are not good neighbors; another, Healthy Teens Act, would establish age-appropriate sex education programs. Recognition of marriage without gender barriers and discrimination based on gender identity are two other topics. She applauds the legislative budget with its $1.8B school construction and the $9.4B increase in city financing cap, $19.7M for libraries, restoring $320M for CUNY and SUNY, and co-sponsors senior care bills, such as increasing the income eligibility for medical and nursing care. There’s more. Sylvia’s district office is in the formerly Steve Sanders’ space, using the same phone number – 201 E. 16 Street, 212-979-9696. Some speed, some action!
# posted by Wally Dobelis @ 7:15 PM 
