Thursday, November 15, 2007
An update on local politics – 74th Assembly District , NYC
LOOKING AHEAD by Wally Dobelis
The political season seems to be year-round these days, with serious Presidential candidates starting their campaigns with at least a two-year lead, right after the Congressional elections, or even earlier. Let’s see who likes whom in our much turned-ovcr 74th Assembly District (Steve Sanders to Sylvia Friedman to Brian P. Kavanagh – welcome to T&V, Steve!), which runs from Delancey to 48th Streets, and has four Democratic club Parts.
Part A belongs to CODA (Coalition for a District Alternative) Club, which has chosen not to endorse a Presidential candidate. The club has a rule that if a candidate fetches under 60% of the members’ votes, there’s no endorsement, and their vote was about even between Edwards and “no endorsement.” Clinton was not in play, there is much anti-war feeling in the neighborhood. The club territory is south of 14th Street, Mike Farrin is the State Committeeman , and the District Leaders are Anthony Feliciano and Carmen Perez (since September, replacing Katrina Monzon, who stepped down).
The history of our Alphabet City South of the Border –14th Street – neighbor community is interesting. CODA was founded in 1992, when Antonio Pagan beat Miriam Friedlander in the 2nd City Councilmanic District race. This was after the 1989 New York City Charter Revision that divided 34 City Councilmanic Districts into 51, and this multi-racial and multi cultural neighborhood got some culturally uniform base. Distressed by gentrification and the subsequent displacements of local people who had established roots in this dynamic neighborhood, they decided to step forward, with Pagan, who came from the Lower East Side Coalition Housing Development. Later, in the 1997 election, concerned with Pagan’s development philosophy and connections, CODA members pushed forward a social worker, Margarita Lopez, to become the City Councilperson. She gave up her seat to her Chief of Staff Rosie Mendez in 2005. Note that this is a huge district, 150,00 people 10% of Manhattan, the size of Syracuse. Pagan, who had an unsuccessful run for Borough President, and joined the Giuliani cabinet as Commissioner of Employment. Lopez also lost her BP race in 2005, joining Bloomberg’s Housing Authority.
Part B, the GSID (Gramercy Stuyvesant Independent Democrats) Club, which covers Stuyvesant Town (not PCV), with DLs Tom Nooter and Virginia LePree, has not endorsed as yet. There is a division between the Clinton and Edwards’s people (ex-Assemblyperson Sylvia Friedman is rumored to be running for an Edwards delegate spot), with some members still hoping for a Gore candidacy (a feeling not unique in this 74th AD club). The club has an endorsement meeting scheduled at the Seafarers, 123 East 15th Street on Tue. 11/27, 7:30 pm.
Part C, the Samuel J. Tilden Democratic Club, 14th to 26th Streets, has voted overwhelmingly in their October meeting to endorse Hillary. The DLs are Louise Dankberg and Steven Smollens, and if you want to get involved in the Hillary campaign, call NYState Clinton Campaign chair Robin Chapelle, 212-213-3717. Part D, the Eleanor Roosevelt Democratic Club, covering 23rd to 45th Streets, DLs are Molly Hollister and Charles Buchwald, and they have not announced plans for an endorsement meeting. About non-endorsement: when there is a disagreement within membership, a club can opt for “captain’s choice,” that is any member can support any candidate, using the club as a base. A straight “no endorsement” means the same, except it does not allow using the club as base.
On the Republican side, the uptown County Committee has endorsed Rudy Giuliani. Frank Scala. DL of the Vincent Albano Republican Club, has his hesitations, given that Giuliani is not a true Conservative. He still remembers that when he was running for the State Assembly with Giuliani, assured of an endorsement, he found Giuliani’s campaign literature printed back-to back with Virginia Field’s. New York voters are a non-homogeneous bunch, in general, not willing to be bound by party lines and affiliations, with a limited number of “yellow dog” loyalists among them, so you never can tell where they will go, particularly when voting for the Mayor – of which more next week. The above expression comes from the South of old, when a politician claimed that he’d rather vote for a yellow dog than a Republican.
This Southern attitude took a 180 degree Republican turn in the Civil Rights era, along with the politicization of family values, evangelical Christianity and the Silent Majority, but don’t be surprised that it has taken a shift again. Television evangelist Pat Robertson is backing ex-Mayor Giuliani, as a “proven leader who knows what lies ahead,” notwithstanding Rudy’s views on abortion and gay rights. Wow! The other strong military-minded candidate who has not catered to the fundamentalists in the past, Sen. John McCain of Arizona, has received the backing of the withdrawing evangelical Christian Presidential candidate, Sen. Sam Brownback of Kansas. Further, Bob Jomes III, Chancellor of his fundamentalist family university, is backing the unabashedly Mormon .ex-Gov Mitt Romney. Go figure.
The political season seems to be year-round these days, with serious Presidential candidates starting their campaigns with at least a two-year lead, right after the Congressional elections, or even earlier. Let’s see who likes whom in our much turned-ovcr 74th Assembly District (Steve Sanders to Sylvia Friedman to Brian P. Kavanagh – welcome to T&V, Steve!), which runs from Delancey to 48th Streets, and has four Democratic club Parts.
Part A belongs to CODA (Coalition for a District Alternative) Club, which has chosen not to endorse a Presidential candidate. The club has a rule that if a candidate fetches under 60% of the members’ votes, there’s no endorsement, and their vote was about even between Edwards and “no endorsement.” Clinton was not in play, there is much anti-war feeling in the neighborhood. The club territory is south of 14th Street, Mike Farrin is the State Committeeman , and the District Leaders are Anthony Feliciano and Carmen Perez (since September, replacing Katrina Monzon, who stepped down).
The history of our Alphabet City South of the Border –14th Street – neighbor community is interesting. CODA was founded in 1992, when Antonio Pagan beat Miriam Friedlander in the 2nd City Councilmanic District race. This was after the 1989 New York City Charter Revision that divided 34 City Councilmanic Districts into 51, and this multi-racial and multi cultural neighborhood got some culturally uniform base. Distressed by gentrification and the subsequent displacements of local people who had established roots in this dynamic neighborhood, they decided to step forward, with Pagan, who came from the Lower East Side Coalition Housing Development. Later, in the 1997 election, concerned with Pagan’s development philosophy and connections, CODA members pushed forward a social worker, Margarita Lopez, to become the City Councilperson. She gave up her seat to her Chief of Staff Rosie Mendez in 2005. Note that this is a huge district, 150,00 people 10% of Manhattan, the size of Syracuse. Pagan, who had an unsuccessful run for Borough President, and joined the Giuliani cabinet as Commissioner of Employment. Lopez also lost her BP race in 2005, joining Bloomberg’s Housing Authority.
Part B, the GSID (Gramercy Stuyvesant Independent Democrats) Club, which covers Stuyvesant Town (not PCV), with DLs Tom Nooter and Virginia LePree, has not endorsed as yet. There is a division between the Clinton and Edwards’s people (ex-Assemblyperson Sylvia Friedman is rumored to be running for an Edwards delegate spot), with some members still hoping for a Gore candidacy (a feeling not unique in this 74th AD club). The club has an endorsement meeting scheduled at the Seafarers, 123 East 15th Street on Tue. 11/27, 7:30 pm.
Part C, the Samuel J. Tilden Democratic Club, 14th to 26th Streets, has voted overwhelmingly in their October meeting to endorse Hillary. The DLs are Louise Dankberg and Steven Smollens, and if you want to get involved in the Hillary campaign, call NYState Clinton Campaign chair Robin Chapelle, 212-213-3717. Part D, the Eleanor Roosevelt Democratic Club, covering 23rd to 45th Streets, DLs are Molly Hollister and Charles Buchwald, and they have not announced plans for an endorsement meeting. About non-endorsement: when there is a disagreement within membership, a club can opt for “captain’s choice,” that is any member can support any candidate, using the club as a base. A straight “no endorsement” means the same, except it does not allow using the club as base.
On the Republican side, the uptown County Committee has endorsed Rudy Giuliani. Frank Scala. DL of the Vincent Albano Republican Club, has his hesitations, given that Giuliani is not a true Conservative. He still remembers that when he was running for the State Assembly with Giuliani, assured of an endorsement, he found Giuliani’s campaign literature printed back-to back with Virginia Field’s. New York voters are a non-homogeneous bunch, in general, not willing to be bound by party lines and affiliations, with a limited number of “yellow dog” loyalists among them, so you never can tell where they will go, particularly when voting for the Mayor – of which more next week. The above expression comes from the South of old, when a politician claimed that he’d rather vote for a yellow dog than a Republican.
This Southern attitude took a 180 degree Republican turn in the Civil Rights era, along with the politicization of family values, evangelical Christianity and the Silent Majority, but don’t be surprised that it has taken a shift again. Television evangelist Pat Robertson is backing ex-Mayor Giuliani, as a “proven leader who knows what lies ahead,” notwithstanding Rudy’s views on abortion and gay rights. Wow! The other strong military-minded candidate who has not catered to the fundamentalists in the past, Sen. John McCain of Arizona, has received the backing of the withdrawing evangelical Christian Presidential candidate, Sen. Sam Brownback of Kansas. Further, Bob Jomes III, Chancellor of his fundamentalist family university, is backing the unabashedly Mormon .ex-Gov Mitt Romney. Go figure.
# posted by Wally Dobelis @ 1:59 AM 
