The race to replace Vito Fossella took clearer shape Wednesday with a debate between Steve Harrison and Domenic Recchia at the Staten Island Democratic Association.

Fundraising totals to date were announced for each: $110,000 for Harrison $220,000 for Recchia. While Recchia’s total is greater, both are clearly viable, in my opinion.

Further, reported here for the first time that I know about, Congress Member Jerrold Nadler publicly endorsed -- Council Member Recchia. I had called up to ask about Mr. Nadler’s position and this was the statement I was given. The approved statement, below, differs somewhat from the one I posted previously (which has been deleted).

Congressman Nadler on the race in the 13th Congressional
District .  read more »

The New York Post printed FERRER: AX 'PARK DISS' COMMISH, this morning; giving the impression that Ferrer was somehow calling for a firing squad; but I have here the audiocasts that will paint a better picture of the incident.

Fernando Ferrer's Call for Accountability

Mayoral Candidates Follow-up on Ferrer's Call for Accountability

The podcast, raw and unedited, is a whopping 9+ GIGABYTES.
Daily Gotham's audiocast of Parks1 26 July 2005 Mayoral Forum

Oh, and just in case you wondered, I signed the pledge too

Now, the question you've all been waiting for me to answer : Who came out in front?

And the answer is ...  read more »

Ferrer:

(1) Ensure every dollar of the consession money goes back into the parks.

(2) Minimum staffing and maintenance standards
(3) Compeltely clear & transparent way for people to judge the city in its maintenance of its parks

"Lovely to have wifi but we first need the benches."

Fields
(1) Funding would be a priority .. that's why I signed the 1% pledge

(2) Planning, so that when decisions made about development, parks are on the table

Miller
(1) Reclaim bottom 50 parks

(2) $10 million for maitenance & $25MIL capital

(3) Enforce maintenance & make sure there's security

(4) Create relationships with private funding

Ognibene
(1) The first thing I would do is to rethink my position about community gardens

(2) I went to all the community organizations and the most important thing to do is to find out what they need and what they want and make sure they interact with the new parks commissioner ... there's no reason why every park has people's input

Dave Evans : "I am not an advocate ... but I get indignant every morning I see the benches along Riverside Drive and I see them with no wood:

Ognibene:
All of our benches have wood on them.

We spent $25 million dollar rehabilitating all the parks in my community in Queens.

I made sure money was spent so it wouldn't be an eyesore.

I made sure civic groups would get involved in keeping the parks clean and safe.

Miller:

"Fighting the notion that they are an amenity ... a luxury .. parks are a necessity .. they are at the heart of what makes our city strong, our city safe, our city livable."

He's mentioning the

"problem of vision, problem of commitment" Ad $10 million of operating budget and $25 million in capital budget ... publish crime numbers no matter how small ... encourage private and public investment ... "

Fields :
Funding : Funding has been systematically reduced and cut ... funding is the challenge.

I don't know about that bench ... I am not responsible for that.

Parks are the equalizer ... we have people who cannot afford to go away to their summer homes, who cannot leave for the weekend ... I have to toured the parks to better understand what needs to be done.

Ferrer:

Uneveness in investment ... the efforts to reclaim [ parks in Bronx ] was a multi-million dollar effort ... with capital help ... that requires 3 things :  read more »