A reminder to all: today, Tuesday, Sept. 29th is the runoff elections for Comptroller and Public Advocate. Please vote! It is expected to be a VERY low turnout election (predicted 3%...I suspect less!) so your vote will count.

I strongly urge a vote for John Liu for Comptroller. Most of you who I have talked to agree on this and many agree strongly. Please get out and vote for him today. He has the endorsements of many unions, including the Uniformed Firefighters Union and Teamsters. He has the endorsements of Lambda Independent Democrats, Central Brooklyn Independent Democrats, Stonewall Democrats, Out People of Color Political Action Club, Barack Obama Democratic Club of Upper Manhattan, East Harlem United Democrats, West Harlem Independent Democrats, Village Independent Democrats, and Village Reform Democratic Club. He has the endorsements of the Jewish Press, Amsterdam News and Gay City News...among MANY others. And, perhaps most importantly, when I have seen him campaigning and when I talk to people about him, particularly people of color, people respond with an enthusiasm that amazes me. I just talked to one of the people who take care of the glassware for the labs on our floor, an extremely nice Philippino gentleman. He saw my John Liu sticker and got very excited. He says he is very impressed with John Liu and feels he understands "simple people like me." I might argue that this kind Philippino is necessarily "simple" (his tastes in music are quite eclectic, for example), but what he means is that most politicians talk down to people. John Liu talks with people. Does he also listen? From my own personal interactions with him I think he does. But the fact that he can inspire working class people, immigrants and people of color as much as he does means I consider him an important person within the Democratic Party (too often a dull seeming party).

I also urge a vote for Mark Green for Public Advocate. I wish I could say there is the same enthusiasm for Green as there is for Liu, but there isn't. This is a more difficult choice and I know some of my friends and political allies disagree with me on this one. But most progressive and reform Democrats I know who actually have had experience with Bill de Blasio feel they can't support him. Talking with others I have realizes it boils down to this: would you rather an arrogant asshole (Mark Green) as Public Advocate, or a personable developer-controlled sleaze (Bill de Blasio). Bill de Blasio has more union support and often is pro-labor, but he is predominantly pro-developer and pro-de Blasio and has consistently been willing to compromise ideals for naked ambition. Mark Green is...well Mark Green. Few people like him, but most people agree he did a good job as Public Advocate, so I see little problem voting for him for Public Advocate. Another friend put it this way: which do you think would give Bloomberg, assuming he wins a third term, the bigger headache (arguably the job of the Public Advocate). She believes the clear answer is Mark Green, not Bill de Blasio. Mark Green has been endorsed by Bobby Kennedy, Gloria Steinem, the National Organization for Women – New York City Chapter, National Latino Officers Association, Local 2507: Uniformed EMTs, Paramedics, and Fire Inspectors FDNY and
Local 3621: Uniformed EMS Officers Union, 504 Democratic Club (disabled rights group), Barack Obama Democratic Club of East Harlem, East Harlem/El Barrio Democratic Club, Sojourner Truth Democratic Club, and Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club, among others.

Agree or disagree with my picks, please vote!

This is updated from a previous post, adding some endorsements from other bloggers and a few other newspapers and organizations.

I have spent some time tracking down the endorsements of various groups and papers that represent a broad cross section of NYC...or as broad as I could. I generally selected groups I have respect for or contact with for other reasons or that I consider of some importance to New Yorkers in general. This is not comprehensive and I am not sure I even tracked down all the endorsements from some of the groups. I should also note that I am not covering the mayoral primary largely because I am fine with either Thompson or Avella. I am also only covering a sub set of City Council races that I consider most important. It would be impossible for me to cover them all. I include my own endorsements first, though of course you are free to consider my opinion as useless and skip to the real endorsements. I hope this is helpful to all New Yorkers still undecided about who to vote for in Tuesday's primary. Some polling info and predictions can be found at the end.  read more »

I have spent some time tracking down the endorsements of various groups and papers that represent a broad cross section of NYC...or as broad as I could. I generally selected groups I have respect for or contact with for other reasons or that I consider of some importance to New Yorkers in general. This is not comprehensive and I am not sure I even tracked down all the endorsements from some of the groups. And I don't agree with all of these endorsements. I should also note that I am not covering the mayoral primary largely because I am fine with either Thompson or Avella. I am also only covering a sub set of City Council races that I consider most important. It would be impossible for me to cover them all. I include my own endorsements first, though of course you are free to consider my opinion as useless and skip to the real endorsements. I hope this is helpful to all New Yorkers still undecided about who to vote for in Tuesday's primary. Some polling info and predictions can be found at the end.

ENDORSEMENTS FOR SEPTEMBER 15 PRIMARY ELECTION (Covering Public Advocate, Comptroller and selected City Council races only.)  read more »

Rachel Robinson, widow of baseball legend Jackie Robinson, has released this video endorsing Norman Siegel for Public Advocate:

Jackie Robinson's debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers marked the end of 60 years of segregation in major league baseball. He also helped found the Freedom National Bank, and the Jackie Robinson Foundation.

Norman Siegel, born in Brooklyn and currently living in Manhattan, has been a champion of civil liberties since 1968 when he worked with the American Civil Liberties Union’s Southern Justice & Voting Law Project. Norman Siegel was Executive Director of the New York Civil Liberties Union from 1985-2000. He has also advocated and represented 9/11 Families, the Skyscraper Safety Campaign and Firefighters Families, the Transit Workers Union and the United Federation of Teachers in first amendment lawsuits, African American and Latino Police Officers in a racial discrimination lawsuit against NYC, New Yorkers against the extension of term limits and many other groups and individuals. Norman Siegel has been endorsed by Americans for Democratic Action, Democracy for NYC, the Central Brooklyn Independent Democrats, Park River Independent Democrats (Upper West Side), the Village Reform Democratic Club, the Grand Council of Guardians (an organization of African-American law enforcement officials), the New York Metro Area Postal Union (APWU, AFL-CIO), Audubon Reform Democratic Club (Hamilton Heights and Washington Heights), and Brooklyn Democrats for Change (Bay Ridge, Bensonhurst, Dyker Heights, Fort Hamilton, Bath Beach and Gravesend), and the New York Community Council.

In looking over what I have written about the Public Advocate's race, it strikes me that what I originally wrote about Public Advocate candidate Norman Siegel back in 2005 still applies now and is worth reviewing why I think there is only one candidate in the race worth considering. Since 2005 I have watched Norman defend the rights of bloggers, firefighters and so many othres and to stand up during each and every major civil liberties battle in the city that to me it is inconceivable that anyone else should be our Public Advocate. But my best piece on him was back in 2005 and best expresses why I still think he is the ideal Public Advocate for NYC. So I want to update a piece I wrote back in 2005 when my son first went out campaignig with me:

Public Advocate: this office is, as far as I am aware, unique to NYC. In a city where the mayor has so much (almost dictatorial) power, the Public Advocate is the counterbalance to the mayor--the person who stands up to the mayor on behalf of the people. At least that is the ideal. Our current PA is Betsy Gautbaum. I voted for her when she first ran. For the life of me I have no idea what she has done for the past 8 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. Many New Yorkers have felt helpless as financial scandals eat away at our pension funds, slush fund scandals run rampant, the school admissions process becomes increasingly insane and divorced from the actual needs of children (as opposed to the needs of companies Bloomberg outsources the process to), ground zero remains an empty hole in the ground, the subway system gets cut back more and more while fees climb...all under the watchful eyes of Michael Bloomberg, Betsy Gotbaum and Christine Quinn.

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 nowhere to be seen. Norm Siegel has helped communities fight to keep firehouses open from Williamsburg to Staten Island. Norm Siegel has helped communities from Prospect Heights to Harlem try to stop the government from using eminent domain to take their homes for the enrichment of private developers. Norm Siegel has helped firefighters seeking the implementation of a skyscraper safety program and provisions for our firefighters to guarantee they have proper working communication equipment. Norm Siegel has helped families who lost a loved one on September 11th, 2001, as they seek the public release of materials from that day, including 911 emergency tapes and transcripts. And, here in 2009, Norm Siegel stood up against Michael Bloomberg's putch to arbitrarily extend term-limits against the explicit vote of the people. Norman has been there for protesters, bloggers, bicyclists, firefighters, 9/11 families, homeowners, renters and just about every single New Yorker at one time or another.

Back in 2005 when I met Norman Siegel, I also met another man, Paul Wooten. Paul Wooten was one of the people who wrote the law that created the Public Advocate's position, or so he told us. He said that when they wrote the law, they envisioned someone just like Norman Siegel in the position. Now, I had the impression that he also thought Mark Green had been a reasonable Public Advocate, so I can't speak to how the writers of the law creating the Public Advocate's position would choose between Green and Siegel. But Wooten specifically mentioned Norman Siegel as the perfect Public Advocate as the job was originally written.  read more »