[Note: posted and title chosen by mole333]

WHERE IS “NEW YORK ONE” WHEN YOU NEED THEM?
An article by Rock Hermon Hackshaw, candidate for the New York City Council

Over the past decade or so, the cable television station New York One (NY1) has emerged as a prominent source for local news in this city. They break many stories. They also highlight many pressing issues facing this city; plus they permanently keep their fingers on the pulse of New York’s politics: much more so than all the other news stations here. Political junkies in this city try not to miss Dominic Carter at 7pm on weekdays; it’s a political high most nights. The “Road to City Hall” program is definitely one of the best ways to find out about the citywide races for mayor, comptroller and public advocate. It is also informative as to races for borough president, district attorney and/or city council member.  read more »

Joy and I live in a neighborhood where real estate prices are relatively stable. They go up in good times but don't go down so much in bad times. But the Bush Recession has hit our neighborhood even if not as hard as many neighborhoods. Some people in our building have had to move out because of job insecurity, new children, etc. Yet we have noticed that for the first time since we moved here, sales have been very, very slow. Generally when an apartment hits the market in our building, it goes within a few weeks. But these days they often are on the market for months.

One of the signs I saw of an ailing economy was when open houses in our building went from crowded affairs with flocks of people coming in and out eager to see an apartment, to lonely affairs for the real estate agents, leaving them with time on their hands to chat in between the occasional looker who left without making an offer. Asking any of these real estate agents how it was going, "SLOW!" was always the emphatic response. And they would have a demoralized look on their face as if "SLOW" didn't even begin to convey how bad the market was.  read more »

Working Families Party just sent out an email whose level of egomania seems inflated even for them. They are touting their slate of candidates (or at least some of them) as potentially "The Next Obama."

Now I do not know all the candidates they mention, but I have to say this kind of grossly exaggerated and self-important rhetoric strikes me as particularly egregious when considering the WFP. But here is their list of potentially budding Obamas:

JUMAANE WILLIAMS
SJ JUNG
DEBI ROSE
YDANIS RODRIQUEZ
DANIEL DROMM
BRAD LANDER

I don't know the first four individuals to know whether they deserve to be crowned by WFP as "The Next Obama." Perhaps one of them does. Or perhaps one of them might be the "Next Clinton," or the "Next Tyler" or "Next James K. Polk." Who knows? I know Daniel Dromm by reputation and find him very impressive and endorsed him long before WFP did. However, to declare him potentially the "Next Obama" is beyond the range of even my ego. And I think all bloggers have a fairly large ego, but WFP beats us all.  read more »

Seems Simcha Felder wants to eliminate the office of Public Advocate. Because, you know, the people of NYC don't really need someone like, ADVOCATING for them in light of just how honest and fair all our politicians are.

This response comes from Yetta Kurland's campaign for City Council:

Kurland condemns efforts to eliminate Office of Public Advocate calling on New Yorkers to stop these efforts by voting for new leadership to create local change in City Government in the Democratic Primary on September 15th

New York, NY. July 29, 2009. Yetta Kurland running to unseat Christine Quinn in the 3rd District in the upcoming Democratic Primary with a message of restoring the voice of her community to local government, blasted legislation proposed today to eliminate the position of Public Advocate from New York City Government.  read more »

Yesterday, Councilmember Simcha Felder submitted Intro 1046, a bill to abolish the Public Advocate's office. I personally find it a disgusting, pathetic attack on an office that could do so much good for New York City.

I also find it the natural result of eight years of incompetence and inaction on the part of the current Public Advocate. Four years ago, Betsy Gotbaum actually insisted in a campaign debate that she was doing everything the Public Advocate is supposed to do. The fact is, this was a narrow view of the office. The City Charter provides that the Public Advocate "shall" do things such as receive complaints from individuals and monitor complaints received by agencies around the city, and she has done some of that.  read more »

I had been surprised when the Working Families Party betrayed one of their former allies, Ken Diamondstone, in the race for the 33rd City Council district in favor of Vito Lopez's canidtdate, Steve Levin. Beytraying a friend for a candidate connected to the corrupt local machine seemed rather disappointing for those who have high hopes for WFP.

Seems Ken Diamondstone is not giving up without a fight. This is from Ken's campaign:

"I have successfully empowered members of the Working Families Party to choose their nominee for the City Council in the 33rd District themselves at the ballot box - the democratic way. My campaign has successfully circulated enough 'opportunity to ballot' petitions to necessitate a primary for the Working Families Party. I was saddened when power players in the WFP decided to appoint Steven Levin as their nominee for City Council in a backroom deal. Levin is a classic machine politician and the protégé of Assemblyman and party boss Vito Lopez, whose dictatorial leadership has taken the democracy out of the Brooklyn Democratic Party.  read more »

I have my differences with Lew Fidler, but sometimes he really hits the nail on the head. And this is one of those times. This is from the Daily News: (hat tip to a fellow blogger)

...Mike Bloomberg is the largest contributor to the Republican Party in our city. He bankrolled the State Senate Republicans and has gifted $50,000 a piece to each County Republican organization."

"More importantly, he shares the economic views of George Herbert Walker Bush. While he has been okay with raising the sales tax and real property taxes on working people, the only tax he went against voraciously was raising the income tax on the wealthiest New Yorkers. Why? Because 'they spend the money in restaurants'.

"The last time I checked my thesaurus that was 'trickle down economics'. And if that is not George HW Bush, then I don't know what is."  read more »

According to Bill DeBlasio's campaign, the board of elections has voted to reinstate him onto the ballot. It seems his sloppy campaign's mistake isn't going to cost him his candidacy. Of course I predicted he'd make it back on the ballot, so I am not surprised, nor do I necessarily think his campaign's sloppiness in counting should have kept him off the ballot. Still, I wonder if he had less money and wasn't the establishment candidate if he'd have had such an easy time getting absolution for his minor violation of New York's insanely complicated election laws.

I should note that according to the Daily News, a recent poll shows DeBlasio trailing badly in the Public Advocate's race. Mark Green comes in first, Norman Siegel second, and Bill DeBlasio third. I guess voters are figuring out that Bill is not really an advocate for anyone except himself and developers. I saw that last night in Park Slope where a local neighborhood between 4th and 5th Ave blames Bill DeBlasio for their many developer-caused woes.

Tonight Joy and I (with Jacob in tow) made our way to a protest against a developer who seems to want special treatment in the Park Slope area near 4th Ave. This is not far from where we lived, so, despite not knowing alot about the issue, we went. (Updated to Josh Skaller's public statement on the issue):

Statement from City Council Candidate Josh Skaller
(D-39th District) Regarding the Requested Zoning Variance at 580 Carroll Street

"The entire process of development in our city has fallen apart. New York City has to grow, we all know that - but it has to grow in a way that works for communities. The current process is a rubber stamp for well-connected developers that goes on behind closed doors, with the community on the outside looking in.

"The City's Board of Standards and Appeals - also known as the BSA - should be part of the solution. Instead, it's a big part of the problem. The BSA often takes action on developments that disregard the interests of communities - and behooves the interests of developers. And that's what gets us to where we are today.  read more »

You know, it has reached a point I just can't like Brad Lander. It's sad because I like to like the people who are politically active in my area. But Brad just is not likeable. It isn't even the big things that bug me: his past anti-Israel stands, his ties to people like Dov Hikind or the fact that developers, including Forest City Ratner, seem to love him. These things I disagree with and oppose...but they don't piss me off. It is the pettiness that I have seen coming from Brad and his campaign that gets under my skin.

Today I noticed something while walking through Park Slope, and this observation led to a quick investigation in which I discovered that in the 39th City Council race, Brad Lander is basically once again proving himself to be the rude and obnoxious candidate of the pack. In this case his campaign apparently is well known for going throughout the neighborhood covering opponent's signs with Brad's own where they can. And Brad's campaign seems well known for this behavior. Not sure he is doing this to all his rivals, but I know two campaigns are having this battle with him (and only him), and I have heard from pretty much every campaign negative stories about either Brad and/or his campaign.  read more »

Normally I try a place a couple of times before reviewing, but in this case it came so highly recommended and the lamb was so amazing, I feel safe recommending it without a second try...though I sure intend to try it again. Israeli friends recommended Yemen Cafe in Cobble Hill to me some time back, particularly recommending the lamb. Today, as a side trip from going to Trader Joe's (one block away), we tried it. And it was great! They do lamb about as well as any place I have seen. The prices aren't low, but they are reasonable and the portions are huge.

Yemen Cafe
176 Atlantic Ave
Btwn Clinton & Court St
(718) 834-9533

When we walked in I could tell it was going to be great. Almost everyone there was probably Yemeni or at least an Arabic speaker. Every dish on every table looked tempting and every table was covered with more dishes than it looked like anyone could finish. And everyone was eating away eagerly.  read more »

Just briefly: this video went viral, apparently this week. How?

Through blogs. Enjoy

As users and editors can probably see, probably for the rest of the day, we're having some design problems. I seem to have a permissions issue with my new FTP account.

My apologies to all.
[UPDATE]: Aha! Problem found, database issue. Admin contacted

I was among the first to sign up for Howard Dean's Democracy Bond program. Since July 2005 I have given $20 per month to the DNC. That is four solid years of monthly contributions. Now that isn't by any means the only donations I have made to Democrats, but it felt good to be part of Dean's 50 state strategy that did so well in 2006 and 2008.

I cancelled that monthly contribution today because I cannot believe that the Democrats I have been supporting for so long now want to go on vacation rather than actually enact precisely what America needs to begin fixing our very broken healthcare system. In essence, I will not contribute to people who think their vacation is more valuable than our health.  read more »

The upcoming primaries won't turn out to have quite the contenders we expected, I guess.

All by email, thanks to the senders:

Darrel Aubertine will not run for the House expected to be vacated when John McHugh, which should make the Senate Democrats rather happy; I'm pretty sure the Democrats would have lost a special election, after that fiasco in the Senate that shall not be mentioned.

This is Aubertine's full statement, again via email:

“There has been a lot of speculation as to whether I would run in a special election for the 23rd Congressional District.

“I support the process that the Democratic Party has put in place to come up with a candidate to run for the expected vacancy in the 23rd Congressional District. I’m certain the 11 county chairs involved in the process will continue to move toward finding a qualified candidate who understands the issues here and will embark on an honest campaign that puts people before politics.”

Winner: the Senate Democrats

And in the upcoming municipal election, source: Liz Benjamin, Bill de Blasio got kicked off the ballot for the Public Advocates race

New York's infamously archaic and exacting petition rules have claimed another victim - this time in the form of would-be public advocate, Councilman Bill de Blasio.

De Blasio's campaign attorney Henry Berger confirmed that his client had run afoul of the requirement regarding the "curing" of petition cover sheets, which gives candidates one shot - and one shot only - at fixing initial errors.

One false move - a misplaced numeral or missing period - and you're dead, which is why campaigns spend so much money on election attorneys. [...]

Winner, unclear, probably rival Mark Green, who leads in the polls.  read more »

The upcoming primaries won't turn out to have quite the contenders we expected, I guess.

All by email, thanks to the senders:

Darrel Aubertine will not run for the House expected to be vacated when John McHugh, which should make the Senate Democrats rather happy; I'm pretty sure the Democrats would have lost a special election, after that fiasco in the Senate that shall not be mentioned.

This is Aubertine's full statement, again via email:

“There has been a lot of speculation as to whether I would run in a special election for the 23rd Congressional District.

“I support the process that the Democratic Party has put in place to come up with a candidate to run for the expected vacancy in the 23rd Congressional District. I’m certain the 11 county chairs involved in the process will continue to move toward finding a qualified candidate who understands the issues here and will embark on an honest campaign that puts people before politics.”

Winner: the Senate Democrats

And in the upcoming municipal election, source: Liz Benjamin, Bill de Blasio got kicked off the ballot for the Public Advocates race

New York's infamously archaic and exacting petition rules have claimed another victim - this time in the form of would-be public advocate, Councilman Bill de Blasio.

De Blasio's campaign attorney Henry Berger confirmed that his client had run afoul of the requirement regarding the "curing" of petition cover sheets, which gives candidates one shot - and one shot only - at fixing initial errors.

One false move - a misplaced numeral or missing period - and you're dead, which is why campaigns spend so much money on election attorneys. [...]

Winner, unclear, probably rival Mark Green, who leads in the polls.  read more »

The Thune Amendment, a gun de-control measure attached to another bill, was defeated in the Senate today. Washington Post:

Supporters included all but two Republicans and 20 Democrats, but the vote of 58 to 39 in favor fell two short of the 60 needed to defeat a filibuster.

Despite its defeat, the amendment, sponsored by Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), demonstrated the continuing power of the National Rifle Association and the gun rights issue in Congress. Rather than a setback, those backing the effort consider the vote a sign of strength for the Second Amendment and are planning more gun-related amendments to other legislation throughout the year. Afterward, Thune said he hopes the Senate will "reconsider this important issue" later this year. [...]Big-city mayors, such as New York's Michael R. Bloomberg (I), also voiced opposition, as did gun victims groups, such as families of students killed in the 2007 Virginia Tech shootings. "This bill is an anti-police, pro-gun-trafficker bill," Bloomberg said on the eve of the vote. "It is a bill that will make the police's job much more difficult and much more dangerous, and it will make the streets of our country -- not just big cities, it's small towns as well -- it will make them much more dangerous than they have to be."

Both New York Senators voted against the amendment, and it's worth pointing out that mayor Bloomberg vocally opposed the amendment as well.  read more »

Wish I'd read this kind of headline about Brooklyn's corrupt machine, run by Vito Lopez and his aide Steve Levin. Seems some political corruption in Newark, NJ has just gotten some people busted. From CNN:

(CNN) -- About 30 people...were arrested Thursday in a federal investigation of public corruption, the U.S. attorney's office in Newark, New Jersey, said...

Among those arrested in the public corruption portion of the investigation are Hoboken Mayor Peter Cammarano III, Secaucus Mayor Dennis Elwell, New Jersey Assemblyman Daniel Van Pelt and Leona Beldini, a Jersey City deputy mayor.

Several rabbis in New York and New Jersey also were arrested in connection with the money-laundering portion of the investigation.

More details from BBC News:  read more »

It has been awhile since I was able to look beyond my local city council races, or even my own personal life, to some of the other city council races in NYC. I am trying to play catchup a bit, and I am starting with Marq Claxton, running for the 31st City Council district in Queens. While I have been busy with scientific research and conferences, visiting family and friends, negotiating a laundry room contract for my building, and various other distractions, Marq Claxton has picked up three important endorsements: DC 37, the city’s largest municipal employee union, the Social Service Employment Union-LOCAL 371, and the New York Community Council.  read more »

Via the New York Times:

The Senate on Wednesday turned aside the latest attempt by gun advocates to expand the rights of gun owners, narrowly voting down a provision that would have allowed gun owners with valid permits from one state to carry concealed weapons in other states.

The Amendment passed by 58 to 42, just two votes shy of a filibuster. Both New York Senators voted against the amendment, which aligns them with the Bloomberg administration; the mayor has been, frankly a fierce critic of the Amendment, leading a bipartisan group of mayors to in the now-successful defeat of the amendment in the Senate.

To quote the mayor via Ben Smith,

Saying that you will bring down crime by giving more people guns is just absurd, that’s the nicest way to put it. And, you know, only somebody who doesn’t- who plays- foot loose and fancy free with the facts and has an agenda would have the nerve to say something like that.

Hunter College looms large in my family's life. Hunter is where my wife got her undergrad degree and my step-daughter is attending Hunter High School. So I take notice when I hear "Hunter."

This comes from Norman Siegel's campaign:

The opening of the Children’s Learning Center at Hunter College was a true innovation, providing campus-based childcare to students with children. For almost three decades, the CLC has been an important resource for the student-parents of Hunter College, offering quality, accredited, affordable childcare for both preschoolers and school aged children. This program has made the pursuit of a college degree an attainable reality for many New Yorkers.  read more »

This comes from the Steve Behar campaign, though I thought much the same when I saw Bloomberg had endorsed Vallone:

Bloomberg Endorsement of Lobbyist Paul Vallone ‘Not Surprising’

In what appears to be another backroom political deal, registered lobbyist Paul Vallone’s father has cornered another one of his political cronies into endorsing his son for the district 19 council race, according to rival democratic candidate Steve Behar.

As with Vallone’s other endorsements, the only reason cited in Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s endorsement of the democratic candidate last week is Vallone’s last name. The Vallone family endorsed Bloomberg for mayor in 2005, and this latest act is further evidence of the influence of private wealth and nepotism in New York politics.

Behar, who has been endorsed by incumbent councilmember Tony Avella (D-District 19), is also concerned that Paul Vallone’s candidacy adds the influence of special interests into an already damaged political arena.  read more »

Very cool; I can't find a link on their site - sent by email, and the URL is personalized - but here's something you should go to if you'd like to lobby against changes in the Clean Air Act. Here's a message from the event host:

Message from your host, Jim R.: Coal industry lobbyists are trying to slip a provision into Obama's clean energy plan that would repeal a key part of the Clean Air Act. This would bring about a whole new generation of dirty coal power and make New York's pollution problems even worse. But not if Senator Kirsten Gillibrand has anyt...(more)hing to say about it. She's one of the very first senators to speak out publicly against rolling back the Clean Air Act. We're gathering to show Senator Gillibrand that we applaud her leadership, and that we stand with her -- for a clean energy future, and against a weakened Clean Air Act and 100 new coal plants.

To learn more, go here. The event takes place on Thursday - as of this writing, that's tomorrow.

Manhattan - 49th St. and 3rd Ave, 780 3rd Ave. (Map)
New York, NY 10017
Thursday, July 23th, 12:00 PM  read more »

Yesterday, Walter Cronkite, iconic host of the CBS Evening News for almost 20 years, passed in New York.

Here's the broadcast Cronkite did the day Dr. Martin Luther King was assassinated. It's chilling, maybe especially for those of us, cough, who weren't even alive back then.

The Times, as usual, has the go-to piece here.

The American media universe has shattered since Cronkite's departure from CBS. We're not going see his like again: one man shaping the entire national conversation.

Our condolences and best wishes to the Cronkite family.

Brief update on the 33rd Council Race: a note about Evan Thies, the guy I too often forget is running (not his fault!) followed by Jo Anne Simon's latest numbers.

I ran into Evan Thies, former Yassky staffer and current candidate for the 33rd City Council district, on the last day of petitioning. I never actually met him before, though I had heard him speak. At first I held his Yassky ties against him, but when I realized Yassky was throwing him under the bus and not endorsing Evan, it made me far more sympathetic to him. And the one time I heard him speak he came off well.  read more »