From the Norm Siegel Campaign:

New Yorkers for Norman Siegel will be holding a birthday bash for civil rights attorney Norman Siegel as we rev up the campaign to elect him NYC Public Advocate in 2009. The celebration will take place at Azza Restaurant & Lounge on 137 East 55th Street (between Lexington and Third Ave) from 6:00-8:30 PM on Monday, December 1st.

The program for the evening features guest speakers State Senator Eric Adams, former ACLU Director Ira Glasser, Vanessa Ramos, Deputy Director for Policy at the Committee for Hispanic Children and Families, and Connie Steensma, Chair Emerita of the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. There will also be a performance by the New York Granny Chicks of the Granny Peace Brigade. The event has already attracted a wide array of hosts and sponsors from all five boroughs, reflecting the diverse, grassroots, citywide campaign that New Yorkers for Norman Siegel is ready to wage.

In addition to campaigning for Public Advocate, Norman has lately been very active in a number of lawsuits, including one against the City Council’s legislative extension of term limits. Tom Robbins of the Village Voice cited this in naming Norman to his Thanksgiving Honor Roll, “When Bloomberg's term-limits bill passed the council, a clutch of lawyers loudly vowed to sue. But by the time the papers were ready, only two were left standing. Norman Siegel is always there. A veteran anti-poverty and civil rights lawyer, Siegel has long been the city's steadiest defender of civil liberties and an innovative advocate for the powerless.”

Norman welcomes New Yorkers to come to the party and join his campaign, saying, “I strongly believe that the office of Public Advocate can make a real difference in the lives of all New Yorkers. That’s why I want to be the next Public Advocate. Working in concert, we do not have to accept the status quo. We can bring together all those New Yorkers who still dare to dream of how it should be, not merely how it is.”

Personally, I have considered Norm Siegel our unofficial Public Advocate for years now. When Bloomberg illegally detained the Democratic protesters against the Republican Convention in 2004, it was Norm Siegel who defended them. When Bloomberg decided to start a vendetta against Critical Mass, Norm Siegel defended them. When 9/11 widows needed help, they got help from Norman Siegel. When New Yorkers wanted to challenge Bloomberg's dictatorial reversal of term limits, Norm Siegel joined in to file the lawsuit. The list goes on. So he has my support!