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City Council Race in Brooklyn's 33rd District: Two Party Hacks, Three Reformers, and a Satmar
Recently saw a reasonably good rundown of the race for Brooklyn's 33rd City Council District in City Hall News. Now there is a particular reporter for City Hall News who I plan on never quoting because I have learned from my wife that he is a little weasel who believes it is his job to sneak into private meetings and quote people without permission, and that little weasel will never get a link from me (not that he cares, most likely). But the author of this article is not that little weasel so I am willing to post about it.
The interesting thing about the race for this district, currently Yassky's seat, is just how it pits some real nasty characters against reasonably clean candidates.
Now there are two candidates who I am sure expected to be frontrunners...but they aren't. I am of the impression that Jo Anne Simon is currently the frontrunner in almost every way, though in a 6-way race that may change. I will discuss Jo Anne later. First I want to discuss the two who surely expected frontrunner status but who are just as surely lagging.
Recently a friend asked me for a rundown on both the 33rd and the 39th, and I gave her my rundown, being honest about my biases and yet trying to say something nice about each candidate. She was actually eying a Green candidate, so it might all be moot, but at least she will be informed about the candidates. Except I left out one...and that was because that candidate seems to have no backing. Even his former boss, Yassky himself, has betrayed him. I speak of Evan Thies, former aide to David Yassky who finds himself without even Yassky's backing. Evan must have expected to be the frontrunner with the full backing of the current councilman, but instead he finds himself with minimal backing and I, who live in the district and talk to many insiders in the district, just plain forgot the guy was running. Why did Yassky betray his own aide? Well, I had heard, and the City Hall News article backs this up, that Yassky had been courting corrupt Party Boss Vito Lopez's support, and Lopez has his own candidate in the race, a certain kid named Steve Levin. From City Hall News:
Though Thies spent five years working for Yassky, finishing as chief of staff, Yassky is not backing his former protégé. In fact, Yassky is expected to remain neutral as he seeks Lopez’s blessing for his comptroller run, according to several people familiar with the race.
Yassky declined comment.
That leaves Thies abandoned. But let's not forget that this is Yassky's pattern. He has always been willing to abandon everything and everyone for the hint of a nod of approval from the rich and powerful. That is why Yassky, despite trying to portray himself as the man who wags his finger at developer and Pataki buddy Bruce Ratner, tried to relieve Bruce Rater of the burden of keeping a promise to support a jobs program and try and get the taxpayers to pay for it. And Yassky also was an eager contributor to Steve DiBrienza's fake non-profit in a scandal that has brought down DiBrienza's political career but has not yet hit Yassky full force. I personally think it will eventually hurt Yassky. But to date, even though he STILL eagerly defends his giving to DiBrienza's fake non-profit, this has not yet become a big issue for him.
But my point is not that Yassky is a sleazy little weasel. My point is that poor Evan Thies finds himself abandoned by his former boss because his former boss wants to make a deal with corrupt Party Boss Vito Lopez.
Which brings us to Vito's little boy, Steve Levin. Levin's only claim to fame is that he is Vito's little boy. My one observation of Mr. Levin was at the CBID annual dinner, and what I personally saw from across the room was Mr. Levin behaving like a naughty little boy who was bored and cranky. I was not impressed, to put it mildly. Does he have anything else going for him other than the support of the corrupt Party Boss?
And let's remember that this district is NOT one that likes that corrupt Party Boss. This district has considerable overlap with the 52nd Assembly district which has been one of the strongest in terms of opposition to Vito Lopez year after year. So Levin's cranky kid demeanor at major political events (the CBID dinner was one where Senator Chuck Schumer, three of the four Comptroller candidates...Melinda Katz was the only one who didn't make it out to Brooklyn, as well as Congress Critters Weiner and Velasquez all showed) combined with his ties to a machine that I have found drives people in the district away faster than anything else means Levin also seems to have little going for him. And I hear he may well skip one of the main forums in the district (sponsored by CBID, IND and Park Slope Neighbors) possibly on advice from Party Boss Vito. Maybe he will change his mind, but skipping major local forums doesn't endear you to the district. His absence, if the rumor is true, will help Thies and Simon.
With Thies and Levin being the lagging wannabes, Jo Anne Simon winds up the frontrunner even if not all of her support is enthusiastic.
Jo Anne Simon is a local district leader, has the backing of Joan Millman, probably the most popular Assembly member in the state, and is the only woman in the race. She has reasonable reform credentials which play well in the district. And she has a long history of advocacy for the disabled, which also plays well in the district. She has a very good, though not guaranteed, shot at all three of the important local reform clubs: IND, CBID and LID. If she gets all three, that, combined with what seems to be respectable fundraising and the support of such a popular Assemblywoman, she probably will win fairly easily.
The remaining three candidates are all very interesting characters in their own right. Isaac Abraham is the Satmar Hasid in the race. He intends to win by solidifying the Hasid vote, but it seems that will not be. First off, Vito Lopez has long had a deal with a segment of the Hasid community that will get Levin some of that voting bloc. Another segment has, as described in the City Hall News article, gone solidly against Lopez:
Followers of...Rabbi Aaron, meanwhile, have begun opposing whomever Lopez backs for political office. This played out for the first time in the 2008 State Senate race between Martin Connor, who was backed by Lopez, and Daniel Squadron, who received much of the Aaron faction vote.
Complicating the situation even further is that for the first time, one of the community’s own, Isaac Abraham, is running for City Council.
Abraham said he is confident the Hasidic vote will back him in the end.“I’ve brought home both the baconand the pastrami in the past,” he said. “I’ve been the unelected City Council member for a long time.” [EDITOR's NOTE: That sounds like quite a dig against Yassky! mole333]
But others say Abraham, who for years has served as the self-appointed spokesperson for the community, has alienated himself and is unlikely to gather enough signatures to make the ballot.
I think Abraham may well make the ballot, but won't win or even come close. I have seen him alienate non-Satmar voters needlessly. To hear he also alienates members of his own community shows me he has no shot at all.
The last two candidates are the most liberal of the lot. And I may actually agree with these two more than the other candidates, but so far they have not shown a tendency to solidfy support in the district. Ken Baer has a shot at a small bloc of votes from the Park Slope Food Co-op (where he is a member) and from environmentalists (as a former president of the NY chapter of the Sierra Club). And Ken Diamondstone has made a name for himself as being the guy who almost deposed Senator Marty Connor before Dan Squadron successfully finished off Connor. In fact, Diamondstone did very well against Connor in the Brooklyn end of that district. But Connor was a sourpuss who alienated voters. Diamondstone's main rivals for voters, Ken Baer and Jo Anne Simon, are not sourpusses. It might be harder for him to draw votes away from them. Diamondstone may well have been among the staunchest opponents of Vito Lopez. But Simon may be better poised to exploit that reform role than Diamondstone.
If Steve Levin, with full machine support, had no one but the reform vote (split among Simon, Diamondstone and Baer) against him, he might well be able to pull off a win for Boss Vito. But Thies and Abraham will be splitting votes with Levin just as Diamondstone and Baer will be splitting votes with Simon. And Boss Vito will be a liability to Levin in the district.
So my money is on Jo Anne Simon. I think she will pull it off.
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[...] City Council Race in Brooklyn's 33rd District: Two Party Hacks … By mole333 Now there is a particular reporter for City Hall News who I plan on never quoting because I have learned from my wife that he is a little weasel who believes it is his job to sneak into private meetings and quote people without permission, and that little weasel will never get a link from … And Yassky also was an eager contributor to Steve DiBrienza's fake non-profit in a scandal that has brought down DiBrienza's political career but has not yet hit Yassky full force. … The Daily Gotham - grassroots… - http://dailygotham.com/ [...]
Re: City Council Race in Brooklyn's 33rd District
I find many points of this article strange and mildly disturbing. For some reason Mole333 constantly refers to Vito Lopez as "corrupt party boss." Apparently a man who has spent his entire career working to provide services and much needed housing for the poor deserves no respect from this author. While politicians today find it easy to forget about the poor and instead focus on the middle class (the discussion in this past election year is proof, with almost no discussion of the poor, instead a focus on the lagging middle class) for political expedient reasons, Assemblyman Lopez spends almost all his efforts trying to reverse decades of disparate treatment and legal inequality. This city is a far better place because the Assemblyman has not forgotten those that government has stopped working for.
As I do not know the author, I will not make assumptions about his character (as the author so clearly does based on what he has heard from his wife, his supposed insider contacts, and brief glimpse of one candidate from across a crowded room), but it is apparent that his opinion is not based on fact or political position (after all it would be hard to get Mr. Levin's views on issues while mocking him from across the room) but some personal bias against Assemblyman Lopez.
I think we have seen in this last election cycle that the time for partisanship and infighting has passed. This country and this city face immense problems. The petty bickering of this author reminds me of those republicans in the senate who, with little understanding of the impact of their positions, opposed much needed fiscal stimulus and instead attacked the character, resolve, and maturity of the democratic leadership. One thing I do know, making comments and innuendo about a young candidate, including referring to him as “Vito’s little boy” and a “naughty little boy”, add nothing to the political dialogue in this race or the broader political arena.
While the author may not be able to envision a future where Brooklyn is not strong and vibrant, the economic reality tells us that we are at a cross roads, and the future of this city and this borough may not be as bright as the past. How many more massive program cuts can Brooklyn sustain before we fall back into the 1980’s in terms of crime, investment, and political direction? We face a time when we are rebuilding the inner workings of our society, attempting to jump start investment projects, building, and green energy while at the same time attempting to not only help the middle class grow again but not forgetting about those that need our help most.
In my opinion, the thing that has made our country great is the ability to raise an entire family’s economic status up in one generation, go from poverty to middle class home ownership in the span of 20 years through hard work and ingenuity. But for far too long the deck has been stacked against those in the middle class, while those living in poverty have all but been forgotten. While I have no doubt that most of these candidates understand that workings of our society much change, I fear once again the poor will be left behind. Will there be a place at the table for the working poor this time or will we once again forget them to feed our own need to consume, even if it is against the good of our neighbor? These are the issues we should be discussing. How we will shape a fairer society, to once again kick start the American dream.
Apparently the author believes the best way to engage in this dialogue is to belittle young candidates as “naughty little boys” and insinuate that they are too young and immature to run, or to personally attack a political leader who still has the guts to stand up for good affordable housing, senior centers, and healthcare for the poor (issues that most politicians will not touch with a 10 foot poll). When I read such commentary I am saddened. With the last election this country did move closer to realizing the dream of the New Deal, but we move in that direction not by measuring who is “most liberal” but by taking positions (regardless of popularity) that will not again leave those that are least fortunate behind. It is not enough to build a building where the poor can live so we can dismiss them from our mind. We must bring them into the fold. A great New York politician once told me “New York City is the greatest social experiment in history, people from all backgrounds and economic realities live together creating an environment that is better for everyone.” I fear this is slipping away as the divide (geographically and economically) between rich and poor grows.
During this local election season I will be discussing these issues with people of all opinions, hoping through dialogue to make New York a better and fairer place. It appears the author will stick to his cute comments, crude jokes, and snap judgments from across the room. If these aren’t the actions of an immature, naughty little boy, I don’t know what is. Clearly, better dialogue is needed.
Re: City Council Race in Brooklyn's 33rd District
Mole, as someone that supports Levin, I think you do him an injustice by simply referring to him as a little kid, and I think this race would best be served by focusing on the issues that are important to people living in the 33rd CD, and not merely what most would consider "inside baseball."
That being said, I think that if you look at Levin's background, you'd realize that he has a rare combination of political and policy level experience that most of the other candidates lack. Both as chief of staff to Assemblyman Lopez, and as the head of programs dealing with foreclosure prevention and the hazards of lead paint poisoning, Levin has developed an understanding of the needs of New York City residents. He won't need any on the job training to figure out which City agency handles such matters as tenant's rights, building safety, how to protect senior citizens or the disabled. As someone that knows Levin, I also now that he cares deeply about making NYC and the 33rd a safe, affordable and habitable place for its residents.
Really, I think you should give him another chance, especially since he very well may not have done what you think he did at the CBID dinner.