Today was the second annual Walkathon for Develop Don't Destroy Brooklyn. My wife, son and I have now walked in both, raising our tiny amount of money for DDDB.

I will cut to the chase, then get to the personal observations. DDDB claims that the Walkathon raised more than $100,000 for their legal fund to challenge Bruce Ratner's corrupt plan for developing the Atlantic Yards and surrounding areas. Not bad!

I also want to, as I have many times, say that DDDB is NOT anti-development. That is a false myth put forward by Ratner supporters, and, I am afraid, perpetuated by many who should know better, including David Yassky. Yassky is now talking tougher about Ratner, which I applaud, but he continues to portray the Ratner opponents falsely as advocating against development on the site.

Okay, now with those two points out of the way, I want to describe what the DDDB Walkathon was like.

The event started at the Prospect Park bandshell, hung out there for awhile as people gathered and talked, marched up Prospect Park West to the Farmers' Market at Grand Army Plaza (which we were jokingly encouraged to "pillage and loot"...meaning buy stuff, of course), then marched down the park's main road back to the band shell, about 1.5 miles, I am told, which matches what my wife and I would guess from when we used to run in the park. We were led by an enthusiastic and fun marching band. Afterwards there was music and speeches, much of which I missed because my son wanted to play in the playground. We had great fun, though I noticed the CBID president distincly NOT playing in the playground! Shame!

Now I am, as anyone who reads my stuff knows, a very active and very proud Democrat. Well, I have to say that today I was depressed at the lack of participation by any major Democrats. I didn't hear all the speeches and people like Velmanette Montgomery (my State Senator!) and Charles Barron were listed as possible speakers. But I noticed that there was a stronger voice from non-Democrats today...and I think this is a problem. Democrats need to reconnect with THE COMMUNITY and if there was one thing that was evident today at the DDDB Walkathon it was COMMUNITY.

The Park Slope Neighbors (the REAL organization, not the group that came together to endorse Yassky), the Prospect Place Block Association, Beacon High School, CBID, DFNYC, Ft. Greene Parents, etc. were all participants. This is a crossection of the affected communities and grassroots Democratic organizations. Democrats need to connect with these...but, not too many Democrats were schmoozing with the community groups. Chris Owens and Bill Batson were present, of course, but not too many other Democratic politicians.

But, I did meet Greens, Republicans (yes...Republicans) and independents. Talked with Gloria Mattera, one of the Greens I find easiest to talk with. She did suggest that perhaps Daily Gotham, among all its criticism of Greens, should better highlight that it was the Greens who worked to remove a New York Republican running on the Green line from the ballot. Since I do want to emphasize that I sympathize with the Greens when they are being strategically intelligent and not merely helping Republicans, I will say that Gloria has struck me as pretty reasonable and representative of Greens I just might be able to work with. Discussed the "Green issue" with the CBID president and we both agreed that we could barely utter the word "Green" after the 2000 fiasco, found that Gloria Mattera was the first Green we could work with after that, and that we were disappointed in the way Greens are still helping Republicans nationally even now. I really would like to see a better relationship between Democrats and Greens. But as long as I see situations where Greens are helping out the absolute worst of Republicans (e.g. Santorum, Bush...) I will be very hesitant to work with them. But, people like Gloria still seem reasonable to me and keep me open minded.

Two candidates for the CD-11 congressional seat were present. Needless to say, Yvette Clarke was not there. The Republican candidate, Dr. Steve Finger, was there (note to New York 1: there IS a Republican running...you claimed otherwise...do your research). I talked to him briefly, identifying myself as the guy who wrote that the Democrats could run a spongecake and still beat the Republicans in this district. Looking into his positions, I find he really is more libertarian than Republican and actually seems like a decent guy. A former Jr. High Math teacher (a job I can only picture as equivalent to purgatory) and taxi driver (also purgatory if not hell), now a physician, his positions are what the Republican Party USED to be back in its sane days. He represents the kind of Republican I pretty strongly disagree with, but respect. I would like to hear his opinions of the modern Republican Party, because it seems to me (and to many Republicans) that the Republican Party today is pretty much anti-Civil Liberties, pro-giant government and largely insane. I suspect Dr. Finger might agree with me on that, but I don't know. Dr. Finger was passing out his literature and claiming he is opposed to Ratner's plan. Again, I didn't get a chance to discuss it with him, but I imagine his stand is similar to that of Tom Suozzi, who I also consider to be an old-style Republican, the kind I can repsect though disagree with, even though he claims to be a Democrat. Suozzi, and I assume Finger, see the process that is handing Ratner anything he wants as contrary to free market capitalism since Ratner got his way not by being the best offer but by being a crony of Pataki's.

(NOTE: I got the gender wrong for Ollie McClean...the person I heard talking and saw passing out fliers was a man and I assumed he was the candidate. Ollie McClean is a woman) There was also a woman named Ollie McClean who was there opposing Ratner. She apparently is running as an independent in the CD-11 race. Her fliers pretty much say nothing except to compare herself with Marcus Garvey, Martin Luther King, jr., Jackie Robinson, Shirley Chisholm and Rosa Parks. A bit presumptuous, I think. I overheard one of her campaign workers talking to people and he said McClean initially ran under the assumption that David Yassky would win the Democratic primary and was running to oppose Yassky. That doesn't really answer why she is still running since Clarke won, but if she is opposed to Atlantic Yards that may be the reason.

There was some discussing (among Demcocrats, I would add) whether they would vote for Yvette given her pro-Ratner stand and her ties to the emerging conservative Dem Murtha-Weiner alliance. Many expressed an unwillingness to vote for her, though many publically congratulated her when she won. I will say personally I am willing to give her a chance. David Yassky has expressed to me his dismay at her unquestioning pro-Ratner stand, and I agree with him here. And I am increasingly uncomfortable with the Murtha-Weiner semi-Republican style Democrat that I think Clarke will be. But, she won the primary, she won fairly and she one largely supported by the community she represented in the City Council and by unions. That kind of support is respectable to me, even if part of the equation was what I see as support for a corrupt process surrounding Ratner. So, I am willing to give her the benefit of the doubt...for now.

Other discussions revolved around the future of Chris Owens. Chris seems to have two plans: strengthening/building an infrastructure for the progressive grassroots apart from any candidate, and a potential bid for either Brooklyn Borough Pres or for Public Advocate.

I will say that my admiration for Chris, having gotten to know him well and having discussed many issues with him, is quite high. In the nastiness of the CD-11 primary many denegrated him and I always felt that they were idiots. Chris is extremely intelligent and extremely dedicated. I think no one can honestly deny those two things. Beyond that, I personally think he is one of the really great ones in our party and I would support him in practically anything he aims for, barring another rival candidate I like better. But, in my mind, he's better than Borough Pres. Maybe my view of the position has been excessively colored by Marty Markowitz, but I see the position as a glorified cheerleader and, in many ways, clown for the Borough. Chris should be in a position to actually make policy in my mind. So I think he is aiming low if he aims for BP...but maybe he has a plan for making it a position to really benefit Brooklynites rather than the relatively trivial cheerleading of Marty. For the record, I used to like Marty. But he has become petty and mean as his ambitions have grown.

As for Public Advocate, I still picture Norm Siegel in that role since he has always seemed the perfect public advocate even without an official title. Second to him, I would choose Paul Wooten, a man of somewhat humble words who I found extremely impressive. However, if I push aside my dream of seeing Norm Siegel as our Public Advocate, I do think Chris would be excellent in that position. Of course no one could be less effective than the what's-her-name we have now who has done almost no advocacy for anyone at all. Chris most certainly would advocate for the people, something he is very qualified to do. Of the many politicians I personally know, Chris is third after Siegel and Wooten as qualified for Public Advocate...and what's-her-name is close to bottom of the list.

In the end, the DDDB event is like so many DDDB events...fun. That is what most people who only hear their policy statemets don't realize. DDDB is a community rooted group that has a real sense of fun and pride in the community. And that comes out in their Walkathons.

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