Last night Jo Anne Simon, my District Leader and unsuccessful candidate for City Council for the 33rd City Council district, had a party for the sole purpose of thanking those who supported her during her run for City Council.

I have been to victory parties on election day. They are kick ass.

I have been to parties on election day for candidates who lost. They are not so kick ass.

I have never been invited to a thank you party AFTER the fact where a candidate just plain wants to express appreciation of those who helped her out. Jo Anne Simon is a classy person who appreciates it when people help her out.

The race for the 33rd City Council district was a tough race. Several solid progressive reformers were running against one conservative and one corrupt candidate. In the end the corrupt candidate won and Brooklyn's supposedly most reform district has to face up to the fact that they just elected one of the most corrupt candidates around. And the reformers have to deal with the fact that they, quite classically, split the vote a thousand ways, sacrificing the good on the altar of the pure.

Jo Anne Simon, who, in my honest opinion, was one of the best candidates in the race and had a real chance to win (unlike the other good candidates) lost to the corrupt candidate. And a month later, she has a party to thank her supporters.

It was a better attended party than even some of the victory parties I have seen. There were no political speeches, no obligations, simply an appreciation of eachother's efforts. And it was so well attended that I had to ask Jo Anne if she was sure she'd actually lost because I have never seen such a well attended party thrown by a second place candidate.

I should mention that I have see Chris Owens throw a party after losing that drew a similar range of people, but that was a political event thrown to inspire people to keep working for reform with political speeches and hints of future activities. This was not a political event even if it was mostly political folks who had worked for a political goal. Rather this was a great social event with no political agenda.

Which is not to say that no political discussions occurred. NYC politics was indeed discussed. Even California politics was discussed, with an Italian-American and I discussing the impact of Prop 13 on California schools, museums and such. I was lobbied by a couple of people to return to IND to try and return that club to some semblance of sanity (I really don't want to return, but I am surprised at how alive the dissident movement is alive in IND and if they can convince me I can make a difference against the zombie control of the club, I will consider it). Working the other way, my wife (with support from me) lobbied some IND dissidents to join CBID.

But the bulk of our time, even for the most political of animals, was spend eating good food, talking about non-political stuff (like traveling in Italy and raising kids), and discussing how we all knew and appreciated Jo Anne Simon's efforts.

I guess I wound up among Jo Anne's family thanks to my son. Jacob was guided by Jo Anne to her family's table, and they got him actually eating food and having a better time than we could have inspired. So we joined Jacob with Jo Anne's family and joined in some fascinating conversation and eating that had little to do with local politics. But one thing that I came away with was an appreciation for Jo Anne's extended family. An interesting and friendly bunch of folks.

But one thing, with real implications for local politics, was never far from my mind. Jo Anne is among the most accomplished, intelligent, kindest, and compassionate candidates for any office I have met. Yet she was beaten by a candidate known for his connections with corruption and not known for much else. There are times and places where accomplishment, intelligence and compassion would make you a shoe-in for elected office. But Brooklyn is not one of them. What wins in Brooklyn is money, corrupt connections and playing the game. Jo Anne Simon didn't play those games, so she lost. I respect her for that. And the winner...well, he now claims to represent me. He had better prove himself fast because he starts with a bias against him. Can he keep evading his corrupt background? Quite possibly. But quite possibly not. There are plenty of Republican politicians who can tell him how past corruption can catch up with you.

As for Jo Anne Simon, as both an attorney famous nationally for her advocacy for disabled rights and a reform district leader solidly opposed to the corruption of Party Boss Vito Lopez and his lap dog Steve Levin, I suspect she has a future of significance whatever elected office she does or does not win. She has already argued a successful, landmark case before someone who is now a Supreme Court Justice. I think that is why so may people showed to her party. She is so accomplished that, win or lose in the electoral arena, those who know her appreciate her.