One thing I like about NYC politics that differs from my experience in California politics is that the politicians get in there and meet the people. Doesn't matter how small the group, candidates for every local office are out there if you want to meet them. Last night I had the pleasure of meeting two of the absolute best candidates I have ever met. Both are challenging incumbents, so are long shots. But I will do what I can to help them.

The two men are Norman Siegel (former head of the NY Civil Liberties Union and current candidate for NYC Public Advocate) and Paul Wooten (civil rights attorney running for Brooklyn District Attorney). Norm Siegel was introducing Paul Wooten (the lesser known candidate) in front of a small audience at a friend's house.

First of all both were simply good people. Amiable, funny and warm. Both are superb, hot shot lawyers with strong backgrounds in civil liberties cases. Siegel is clearly the more aggressive campaigner of the two, while Wooten is more soft spoken and humble. What struck me about both of them (as opposed to the incumbents they are running against) is their sheer passion for their work, their vision, and their detailed knowlege of the nuts and bolts working of the offices they are running for. So often politicians come off as someone you might vote for because they're better than the next guy, but you don't really like them. These two guys I really liked and so did everyone else who heard them.

Some details about the candidates and their races:

Public Advocate: this office is, as far as I am aware, unique to NYC. In a city where the mayor has so much power, the Public Advocate is the counterbalance to the mayor--the person who stands up to the mayor on behalf of the people. Our current PA is Betsy Gautbaum. I voted for her. For the life of me I have no idea what she has done for the past 4 years. When Bloomberg refused to give people permits to protest the invasion of Iraq, Betsy wasn't there for us. When Bloomberg arrested and illegally held hundreds of protestors during the Republican Convention, Betsy wasn't there. When Bloomberg wanted to use eminent domain to take private property to give it to developers, Betsy wasn't there. When Bloomberg started routinely arresting the Critical Mass bicyclists, Betsy wasn't there. I haven't actually heard of ANYTHING that she has done in the last 4 years.

You know who WAS there at each of those violations of civil rights that Bloomberg was responsible for? Norm Siegel. He was out there defending protestors when Betsy was no where to be seen. Norm Siegel has ALREADY BEEN the public advocate for New Yorkers even though he didn't hold that office. He was Executive Director of the NYCLU from 1985-2000 and even afterwards has been standing up for the civil rights of New Yorkers routinely. SIegel has actually been working with the ACLU and Southern Justice and Voter Law Project since 1968, so his civil rights credentials go all the way back. He spearheaded the New York campaigns for the impeachment of Nixon. He has stood up for communities in Brooklyn and Harlem to defend them against developers and the mayor's misuse of eminent domain. I cannot think of a better advocate for the people of NYC. Norm Siegel has been endorsed by New Democratic Majority, Democracy for America and Democracy for NYC.

Brooklyn DA: Brooklyn is a tough town. Crime in general, hate crimes, predatory lending, and political corruption...all are a problem in a place that is perhaps as ethnically diverse as any place on earth. Our current Brooklyn DA, Hynes, has been pretty good at the crime end, though currently he approaches the job of DA as a part time job as he teaches classes and writes a book. Hynes keeps the DAs office understaffed because he hires a few high priced lawyers at the expense of the basic legal staff that handle the actual cases. So the Brooklyn DAs office now does not handle predatory lending or hate crime cases because they do not keep enough staff for it. The current DA's office is rated as the least efficient in the city.

Paul Wooten strikes me as knowing his stuff in a solid, no nonsense way better than almost any politician I have met. He has worked under the jurisdiction of the DA's office for 27 years. He has been a prosecutor, defense attorney and public policy counsel. He was assistant DA for 3 years. He wrote legislation standardizing care of juviniles and alternative sentancing for young people. He has written legislation safegarding parental and juvenile rights that were praised by the Supreme Court. He has two connections with Norm Siegel--he acted as Norm Siegel's lawyer when Siegel first ran for office in 2001, and Paul Wooten was one of the people who actually wrote the law that CREATED the Public Advocate's position. Wooten is ackowleged even by his opponants as having integrity and dedication. One thing I have observed about Wooten is that even when grilled with very tough questions, he always just calmly answers them in detail and without arrogance. I met the incumbant, Hynes, and found him amiable but also condescending, vague and evasive when asked a tough question. Wooten was clear, detailed and honest.

Why am I writing this diary? Two reasons. First off, of course I hope to get a few people out there who are in NY thinking about voting for these folks, or maybe even working for them. But secondly because I want people to know that there ARE honest, nice, competant polticians out there. Sometimes you have to find them. But when you do, remember that often they are facing tough races, sometimes corrupt party machines. If you find a candidate that is as good as these guys, try to help them out because you can't rely on the political party to back the best person. A candidate needs some momentum or connections before the party will back him or her. Where does a good, solid candidate who isn't well known get that momentum? From us. From the grassroots. Find your good local candidates and nurture them. They may not win the first time they run. But with your help they may build a base that gets them in in the long run.

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