I want to give both my endorsements for Tuesday's primary as well as the endorsements from some of the organizations I respect. First my endorsements:

Brooklyn's 1st Civil Court Seat: Devin Cohen

Devin is the clear choice in this case, and not just because he is a friend of mine. Devin Cohen has extensive civil court experience while his opponent has mainly criminal and appellate law experience. Devin is widely known for his fairness and honesty as well as his commitment to the community as a volunteer EMT. My wife has known Devin since high school. And I once called him, long before he was running for judge, the most honest person I know in Brooklyn politics. His opponent is best known politically for his donations to and legal help for both Brooklyn party boss Clarence Norman (currently serving a prison sentence for corruption) and for the Conservative Party. Devin is politically best known for his work on Community Board 6, his dedication to reform politics in Brooklyn, and as former president of the Independent Neighborhood Democrats. Roger Adler has also run an exclusively negative campaign, trying to smear Devin Cohen as if Adler has nothing positive to offer himself. Adler has claimed to be the outsider, an despite having donated to Clarence Norman AND done Norman's legal work despite the fact that the county party bound his petitions. Devin is known to have been a voice for judicial reform so Adler basically lied about their relative political connections. Adler also admitted, in my presence and before an entire room full of people, that he in essence tried to get a judgeship through political donations and political favors. This is what he said publicly, I checked with others who heard him and they agreed. He also expressed admiration for the judicial philosophies of Supreme Court justices Scalia and Thomas, who are about as conservative as you can get.

I will add as a side note my endorsement the Gay City News' rather belated endorsement in this race:

DEVIN COHEN
Civil Court, 1st District, Brooklyn
Typically, Gay City News would not make an endorsement in a judicial race - the requirements for reporting on such a contest are beyond our staffing capabilities.

However, in a contested civil court race in Brooklyn, Devin Cohen - who enjoys significant support among LGBT activists, including the Lambda Independent Democrats, the borough's gay political club - is facing Roger Adler, who not only authored the state Conservative Party's amicus brief filed against the 2006 marriage equality lawsuit before the state's highest court, but is also a financial backer of the party. The Conservative Party has been the political bulwark of opposition to gay rights in New York for more than a generation.

Lambda board member Ken Diamondstone aptly characterizes Adler when warning he is the would-be "Robert Bork of the Brooklyn courts." Devin Cohen deserves the community's votes.

This is the third case where I have heard of someone or some organization saying they normally don't endorse in judicial races but considered this race an exception and endorsed Devin Cohen. What I have been seeing is an increasingly desperate Adler turn more and more to nasty smear tactics and more and more people saying "enough is enough." Devin Cohen is clearly the better choice for judge. He is more honest, fairer and has more civil court experience.

13th Congressional District: Steve Harrison

This is the race to see who will replace the disgraced Vito Fossella. I have known Steve Harrison since 2006. He is a good candidate with a clear message that we have to get out of Iraq now and refocus our efforts where they should have been in the first place: getting al Qaeda, the people who actually attacked America. Steve is politically liberal and personally conservative, which is a good mix for the district he is running to represent. Harrison's opponent in the primary concerns me because he leans far more to the right. He has given very mixed messages on where he stands on withdrawal from Iraq, but seems basically to take the more Republican position that we should withdraw when the Iraqi Army is up to snuff rather than the Democratic position that we should defer to a regional, multinational force to take our place. He has also been hard to pin down when it comes to the possibility of permanent American bases in Iraq. Harrison takes the Democratic view that we should not have permanent bases in Iraq and need to see a regional force take over so we can focus on al Qaeda.

Both candidates have past or present ties to Republicans in the district and to the Conservative Party. Well, I have always pointed out that this is a conservative district so such ties are not unreasonable as long as they don't compromise that candidate's basic values as a Democrat.
McMahon's ties to the Conservative Party are, however, far more recent than Steve Harrison's 2002-2003 connections. Since 2006 and continuing to this very year, McMahon for Staten Island has donated $2,550 to the Conservative Party of New York. I believe both McMahon and Harrison are qualified to be in Congress. But I believe Harrison better represents the interests of New York City and the Democratic Party than McMahon.

64th Assembly District: Paul Newell

Shelly Silver was one of the three men in a room, along with George Pataki and Joe Bruno, who so mismanaged NY State for all too long. I do not believe in change just for the sake of change, but here we have a race where we need to finally flush out the last of Albany inaction. Paul Newell is an intelligent and enthusiastic gentleman who would be a big improvement over the last of the three men in a room. This is a race where change is the key and Newell is the change we need.

Apologies to Luke Henry. DFNYC endorsed Luke and I liked him when I met him. But in a race to unseat a long term incumbent, Paul Newell's NYT endorsement and his greater fundraising puts him ahead of Luke Henry in my book. Henry and Newell are both good folks. But Newell seemed to have the better passion and the better ground game.

25th State Senate Seat: Marty Connor

Here I am opting for experience over change, and it is here that I differ from my fellow DG editor, Michael Bouldin. I did not endorse in this race 2 years ago for a variety of reasons. This year I am endorsing Marty Connor. Why? First off, I have always appreciated Marty Connor's intelligence and understanding of the mechanics of government. And in the past 2 years Connor has been very dedicated to retaking the State Senate. I have never heard him sound so passionate as when he was helping Democratic Assemblyman Darrel Aubertine win a special election upstate for the State Senate this year. I believe that the Connor I saw in 2006 was bitter from so many years of Republican dominance of the State Senate while the Connor of 2008 believes we will retake the State Senate this year and is eager to fight for marriage equality (which he has always been a strong advocate of) and other Democratic issues.

Connor's opponent is Dan Squadron. I will speak more about some of my concerns about this gentleman and perhaps can better explain my reluctance to back him. Suffice it to say that he has had some connections that raise red flags to me. I won't discuss one just yet. When I do, I won't hold back. But for now let me just say that when I heard Squadron speak, I heard someone who seemed proud of his role in aspects of the Bloomberg administration that I did not like, namely mayoral control of schools. In essence I see Squadron as representing a business model of government that I see as all too often ruining our educational and healthcare systems. I based this on Squadron's own words and Bloomberg's own endorsement seems to confirm this.

This is not a clear cut race for me. Connor has his negatives and Squadron his positives. But from everything I have head Connor and Squadron say, I see Connor as the more progressive. Let that suffice for now for my explanation. Later I will discuss a particular connection of Squadron's that even more than his Bloomberg connection concerns me.

Those are my endorsements (note, I also endorse Joan Millman, Velmanette Montgomery and Eric Adams, but they do not have challengers this year). Now I want to post some others which may be of interest to my readers. You will note that not all of these organizations agree with all of my personal endorsements. So be it.

Independent Neighborhood Democrats (of which I am on the board): (reform Democrats)

IND's Endorsed Candidates:
52nd Assembly District: Joan Millman

18th State Senate: Velmanette Montgomery
20th State Senate: Eric Adams
25th State Senate: Martin Connor

10th Congressional District: Ed Towns
11th Congressional District: Yvette Clark
12th Congressional District: Nydia Velazquez

District Leaders:
Jo Anne Simon & Alan Fleishman

Civil Court:
Hon. Alice Fisher Rubin
Hon. Lauren Bailey Schiffman
Ingrid Joseph

1st District: Devin Cohen

Central Brooklyn Independent Democrats: (reform Democrats)

President of the United States Barack Obama
Congress - 8th District Jerrold Nadler
Congress - 10th District Kevin Powell
Congress - 13th District Stephen Harrison90%
State Senate - 18th District Velmanette Montgomery
State Senate - 20th District Eric Adams
State Assembly - 44th District James "Jim" Brennan
State Assembly - 52nd District Joan Millman
State Committee - 44th AD Female Lori Citron Knipel
State Committee - 44th AD Male Jacob "Jake" Gold
State Committee - 52nd AD Female Jo Anne Simon
State Committee - 52nd AD Male Alan Fleishman
State Committee - 57th AD Female Olanike Alabi
State Committee - 57th AD Male William "Bill" Saunders
Civil Court - 1st District Devin Cohen
Civil Court - 4th District Lisa Ottley
Civil Court - Countywide Alice Fisher Rubin
Civil Court - Countywide Loren Baily-Shiffman
Civil Court - Countywide Ingrid Joseph

Lambda Independent Democrats of Brooklyn (focused on gay and lesbian rights)

PRESIDENT
Barack Obama

U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
8th District: Jerrold Nadler
9th District: Anthony Weiner
10th District: No Endorsement
11th District:Yvette Clarke
12th District:Nydia Velazquez
13th District: Steve Harrison

NEW YORK STATE SENATE
18th District: Velmanette Montgomery
20th District: Eric Adams
23rd District: Diane Savino
25th District: Martin Connor

NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY
44th District: James Brennan
51st District: Feliz Ortiz
52nd District: Joan Millman
55th District: William Boyland
57th District: Hakeem Jeffries

DISTRICT LEADERS
44th District: Jacob Gold
44th District: Lori Knipel
52nd District: Alan Fleishman
52nd District: Joanne Simon
57th District: William Saunders
60th District: Ralph Perfetto

CIVIL COURT
Ingrid Joseph
Alice Fisher Rubin
Loren Bailey Schiffman

CIVIL COURT/1st DISTRICT
Devin Cohen

Stonewall Democratic Club Endorsements (focused on gay and lesbian rights)

U.S. PRESIDENT
Barack Obama

U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
5th - Congressmember Gary Ackerman
6th - Congressmember Gregory W. Meeks
7th - Congressmember Joe Crowley
8th - Congressmember Jerrold Nadler
9th - Congressmember Anthony Weiner
10th - Kevin Powell, Brooklyn
11th - Congressmember Yvette D. Clarke
12th - Congressmember Nydia Velazquez
13th - Steve Harrison, Brooklyn
14th - Congressmember Carolyn Maloney
15th - Congressmember Charles Rangel
16th - Congressmember Jose Serrano
17th - Congressmember Eliot Engel

NEW YORK STATE SENATE
11th - Councilmember James Gennaro
12th - Senator George Onorato
13th - Councilmember Hiram Monserrate
14th - Senator Malcolm A. Smith
15th - Councilmember Joseph Addabbo, Jr.
16th - Senator Toby Ann Stavisky
17th - Senator Martin Malave Dilan
18th - Senator Velmanette Montgomery
19th - Senator John Sampson
20th - Senator Eric Adams
21st - Senator Kevin S. Parker
23rd - Senator Diane J. Savino
25th - Senator Martin Connor
26th- Senator Liz Krueger
27th - Senator Carl Kruger
28th - Senator Jose M. Serrano
29th - Senator Thomas Duane
30th - Senator Bill Perkins
31st - Senator Eric Schneiderman
33rd - Senator Efrain Gonzalez
34th - Senator Jeffrey Klein
36th - Senator Ruth Hassell-Thompson

NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY
22nd - Assemblymember Ellen Young
23rd - Assemblymember Audrey Pheffer
24th - Assemblymember Mark Weprin
25th - Assemblymember Rory Lancman
26th - Assemblymember Ann-Margaret Carrozza
27th - Assemblymember Nettie Mayersohn
28th - Assemblymember Andrew Hevesi
29th - Assemblymember William Scarborough
31st - Assemblymember Michele Titus
32nd - Assemblymember Vivian Cook
33rd - Assemblymember Barbara Clark
34th - Assemblymember Ivan Lafayette
35th - Assemblymember Jeffrion Aubry
36th - Assemblymember Michael N. Gianaris
37th - Assemblymember Catherine Nolan
39th - Assemblymember José R. Peralta
42nd - Assemblymember Rhoda Jacobs
43rd - Assemblymember Karim Camara
44th - Assemblymember James F. Brennan
45th - Assemblymember Steven Cymbrowitz
46th - Assemblymember Alec Brook-Krasny
47th - Assemblymember William Colton
50th - Assemblymember Joseph Lentol
51st - Assemblymember Felix Ortiz
52nd - Assemblymember Joan Millman
53rd - Assemblymember Vito Lopez
54th - Assemblymember Darryl Towns
55th - Assemblymember William Boyland, Jr.
57th - Assemblymember Hakeem Jeffries
59th - Assemblymember Alan Maisel
60th - Assemblymember Janele Hyer-Spencer
61st - Assemblymember Matthew Titone
63rd - Assemblymember Michael Cusick
64th - Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver
65th - Assemblymember Micah Kellner
66th - Assemblymember Deborah Glick
67th - Assemblymember Linda Rosenthal
69th - Assemblymember Daniel O'Donnell
70th - Assemblymember Keith Wright
71st - Assemblymember Herman Farrell, Jr.
73rd -Assemblymember Jonathan Bing
74th - Assemblymember Brian Kavanagh
75th - Assemblymember Richard Gottfried
76th - Assemblymember Peter Rivera
78th - Assemblymember Jose Rivera
80th - Assemblymember Naomi Rivera
81st - Assemblymember Jeffrey Dinowitz
82nd - Assemblymember Michael Benedetto
84th - AssemblymemberCarmen E. Arroyo
85th - Assemblymember Ruben Diaz, Jr.
86th - Assemblymember Luis Diaz

SURROGATE COURT JUDGE, Manhattan, Entire Borough
Nora Anderson

CIVIL COURT JUDGE
1st - Frank Nervo

JUDGE (New York County Wide)
Michael Katz

JUDGE (Kings County)
1st - Devin Cohen

504 Democratic Club (focused on disabled rights)

Congressmember, 8th District (Manhattan/Brooklyn) Jerrold Nadler
Congressmember, 10th District (Brooklyn) Kevin Powell
Congressmember, 13th District (Brooklyn/Staten Island) Steve Harrison
Congressmember, 14th District (Manhattan/Queens) Carolyn Maloney
Congressmember, 17th District (Bronx/Westchester/Rockland) Eliot L. Engel
State Senator, 10th District (Nassau)Shirley Huntley
State Senator, 15th District (Queens) Albert Baldeo
State Senator, 21st District (Brooklyn) Simcha Felder
State Senator, 25th District (Manhattan/Brooklyn) Marty Connor
State Senator, 26th District (Manhattan) Liz Krueger
State Senator, 29th District (Manhattan) Tom Duane
State Senator, 31st District (Manhattan/Bronx) Eric T. Schneiderman
State Senator, 33rd District (Bronx) Efrain Gonzalez Jr.
Assemblymember, 22nd District (Queens) Ellen Young
Assemblymember, 23rd District (Queens) Audrey Pheffer
Assemblymember, 40th District (Brooklyn) Inez Barron
Assemblymember, 44th District (Brooklyn) James F. Brennan
Assemblymember, 52nd District (Brooklyn) Joan L. Millman
Assemblymember, 57th District (Brooklyn) Hakeem Jeffries
Assemblymember, 64th District (Manhattan) Sheldon Silver
Assemblymember, 65th District (Manhattan) Micah Kellner
Assemblymember, 67th District (Manhattan) Linda Rosenthal
Assemblymember, 71st District (Manhattan) Herman "Denny" Farrell Jr.
Assemblymember, 73rd District (Manhattan) Jonathan Bing
Assemblymember, 75th District (Manhattan) Richard N. Gottfried
Assemblymember, 81st District (Bronx) Jeffrey Dinowitz
City Councilmember, 30th District (Queens) Elizabeth Crowley
Civil Court Judge Countywide, Kings County (Brooklyn) Alice Fisher Rubin
Civil Court Judge District 1, Brooklyn Devin Cohen
Civil Court Judge District 4, Brooklyn Lisa Ottley
Civil Court Judge Countywide, Manhattan Michael Katz
Civil Court Judge Countywide, Bronx Verena Powell
Surrogate Court Judge Countywide, Manhattan Nora Anderson

Hope this round up helps people decide. Whatever your choices, VOTE SEPT. 9th!!

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