Important new reform club in Brooklyn:

Prospect Heights Democrats for Reform

For a non-partisan presentation and discussion on the New York City Charter Revisio Commission’s ballot questions

Presentations led by:
Common Cause, Campaign Finance Board & Citizen’s Union

Sunday, October 17th
4:00-6:00pm
PS 9
80 Underhill Ave. (between St. Marks & Bergen)

This event is free and open to the public.

Please contact
PHDR718@gmail.com
to RSVP or for more info

Over the years I have cataloged the decline and then recovery of corrupt Party Boss Vito Lopez. His big ticket judicial candidates (e.g. both Surrogate Judge positions) lost to candidates backed by the reform movement that seeks to be Vito's nemesis, though probably is usually more of a nuisance to Vito because it serves as its own nemesis. Vito's prominent judicial race losses seemed to signify a decline in his fortunes. That decline seemed halted last year when self-nemesising reformers basically handed Vito one of their city council seats right in the heart of reform territory. Vito's boy Steve Levin seemed to lead a Vito comeback. Of course behind the smiles at Levin's win for the corrupt side was Vito's big loss when he tried to take out former ally turned independent-minded woman Diana Reyna. He lost that one and I bet it still rankles. His hatred for his former ally was so great he even endorsed the WFP candidate over the Democratic candidate (Reyna) even though he is SUPPOSED to be the Democratic Party leader. His hatred for Reyna was even so great he began to threaten other allies who didn't follow his lead against Reyna (like Lew Fidler) with challenges.  read more »

Brooklyn has the embarrassing distinction of having one of the most corrupt local Democratic Party machines in the country. Our former party boss, Clarence Norman, is already in jail. Our current party boss, Vito Lopez, deserves the same fate. The fact that the national party tolerates this is an embarrassment to those of us who crusade against the much more prevalent Republican corruption. Someone in the national party really should take note of the crap that goes on in Brooklyn lest it gives the Republicans ammunition against us.  read more »

New Kings Democrats is still a relatively new player in Brooklyn politics and has been expanding the reform movement against the corrupt Vito Lopez machine. This has been greatly needed as a formerly reform club, IND, has sunk into its own bizarre world that focused on preventing effective clean up of the Gowanus canal before development but now seems oddly aimless and centered only on maintaining the club itself as a private domain of a particular family. Of course I saw something similar almost happen to CBID, but CBID managed to avoid that fate. IND has not.

Which means New Kings Democrats (NKD) is a much needed shot of new blood into the reform movement in Brooklyn. And they have been doing their best to give the Vito Lopez machine some headaches by running reform candidates for District Leader in areas dominated by Lopez. This is a nice balance to the fact that Vito Lopez is running his candidates (e.g. Vito's "Loyal Lackeys" Hope Reichbach and Steve Williamson running in the 52nd Assembly District) in traditionally reform districts. From NKD's latest Press Release:  read more »

Not too long ago I took City Council candidate Doug Biviano to task for lying about the record of one of his rivals, suggesting that his inaccurate depiction of her record perhaps stems from the fact that he wasn't even around during the fights he was talking about. Biviano is a brand, spanking newcomer to the fights for reform in Brooklyn and against Bruce Ratner's Atlantic Yards proposal. Yet he comes out accusing Jo Anne Simon, who has been part of these fights for years and who is endorsed by the strongest reformers and anti-Ratner organizations around, of not standing up on these issues. Biviano basically lied, plain and simple. But, rather than say he was a liar, I suggested his not even being a part of these fights until he suddenly got it in his head to run (I met him when that idea was incubating) was the reason for his inaccuracies.  read more »