I registered to write on this wonderfully relevant site as per the recommendation of my former teacher at C.U.N.Y., Micah Sifry. Among his myriad accomplishments, Micah co-founded the Personal Democracy Forum with Andrew Rasiej; Rasiej is now a candidate for Public Advocate of New York City. Micah is on leave from PDF to manage his campaign.

Rasiej has been in the news several times lately. Here is one Times brief, that got him all wrong. Rasiej does far more than organize conferences. This article, is a little more to the point but it doesn't go far enough.

On the last day of class, Micah requested that if I had any suggestions for the campaign, to send them along.

The suggestions usually come to me when I am in the thick of New York – either on the subway, on line somewhere, or waiting to cross a busy street that seems impassable with trucks lined up through the intersection, preventing walkers from getting across. I scrawl my notes into memo pads and then forget about them. Here are a couple of notes that keep getting re-scrawled and have thus stood the test of time ( about three weeks). I’ll post more here, as they emerge.

1. Supermarkets: No one – that is, no New Yorker who is not otherwise tangled up in politics, or political chat, knows what the Public Advocate is. So if Rasiej wants to get the votes of ordinary New Yorkers, he needs to go where they are – visit the sites where they spend time. These are not web sites, though I applaud Rasiej's goal to create free, public wifi in NYC. But right now, he needs to visit busy, crowded places in the hood. One place where every New Yorker spends time is the supermarket.""

Rasiej should come into the neighborhoods of the Other Four Boroughs, and visit supermarkets on the day the flyers go into effect. Come armed with issues relevant to the office of Public Advocate that people have about grocery shopping. Here are some: Items are not always priced. Prices are not clear. Shelves are mis-labeled. Basic foods cost too much. Despite countless studies and articles detailing the prevalence in poor communities of diabetes and fat-related diseases, affordable sugar and fat-free products are not available at most inner=city supermarkets.

The majority of New Yorkers are not wealthy, though sometimes it seems otherwise. If Rasiej wants the votes of the majority of New Yorkers – he should delve into consumer issues – like the supermarket, food-buying experience, and meet New Yorkers at the neighborhood supermarkets. Tell people what the Public Advocate is – and what the office can do for them. Because right now, I guarantee you, no one on my crowded block in Queens, has any idea. But people vote here.

2. Housing Advocacy: I’m not just talking about affordable housing for low-income New Yorkers, although that is important. The thing is, there are quite a few organizations, including the City Council, advocating for affordable housing. Trouble is, there is little advocacy occuring for middle income New Yorkers, or for those who do not qualify for housing subsidies. The key issue facing these people is - the broker fee.

We moderate or middle income New Yorkers need housing options too, for we are at the mercy of brokers who charge outrageous fees including a month’s rent, an application fee, a credit fee (even if you bring fresh credit reports), and sometimes other fees. It is wrong for them to do this, since, unlike with a purchasing agent, these rental brokers do nothing to help you find a place to live. They are simply the pandarus between renter and landlord.

Something needs to be done so that people do not have to spend money simply to find housing in New York. Otherwise the city becomes simply a place for those people who can afford the fees – and thus it starts to become self-homogenizing. And who wants that? Many times, people end up in Housing Court, because after they’ve paid all these fees, and moved into an apartment where the landlord does not adhere to the Warrant of Habitability, they have to take time off from work to fight for their rights.

So another place for Rasiej to meet many New Yorkers who know nothing about the Public Advocate – is Housing Court. Any day. Morning is best. Bring information – short, clear, multi-lingual – and voter registration forms.

These two issues affect many of the New Yorkers whom you don’t see – at City Council Meetings, at Citarella’s, (never been there myself), at the Chelsea Piers, at bookstore readings. If the candidate for Public Advocate wants to connect to regular New Yorkers, he needs to find these New Yorkers, connect to their issues, and get them to vote.

One final note if you’ve read this far – everyone in the class I took with Micah – hopes he will come back and teach again.