New York 2010 Democratic Primary Voter Guide
There is a Primary on Tuesday September 14th, and frankly I could understand if you did not want to take the time to figure out who deserves your vote. I hate clichés like, “the lesser of two evils,” but in this state’s politics it is a hard one to avoid. Although, sometimes even calling these folks evil is giving them too much credit. While I am a lefty, I have discovered that in this City, just going with the person who sounds the most liberal can cause you to vote for some real SOBs.
The good news is that there are not a lot of races.
Like most other cartoon characters and puppets, I live in Brooklyn, but I will be focusing on the state-wide races (there are no real local races in Brooklyn-with a few exceptions listed below). Moreover, since extensive market research indicates that only one Republican reads this website, I will only be talking about the Democratic contests. Sorry Mr. Republican, I am not sure if you would want my advice anyway.
Congress
There are two congressional primaries of note outside of Brooklyn. If you live in Upper Manhattan, or anywhere else in the 15th Congressional District, the incumbent, Charlie Rangel, has a large field of primary challengers, the most prominent one being Adam Clayton Powell IV. Rangel has been in Congress for 40 years and gotten himself in some real ethics trouble, as you may know. However, Powell is no prince either. If “Driving While Impaired” is a sub heading on your wikipedia page, you have, no pun intended, taken wrong turn somewhere in your life. The whole thing is a giant mess and I am glad I do not live there. It is simply impossible for me to endorse one of the major candidates.
If you live in the 14th District, which is mostly Manhattan’s East Side, Astoria, parts of Long Island City, etc, I do have an endorsement. This may not seem cool, but vote for incumbent Carolyn Maloney. Now, the woman running against her, Reshma Saujani, is 34 (Maloney is 64) and likes computers or something. I am sure Saujani is really smart and looks like the girl you had a crush on in college (or the girl you either admired or said nasty things about behind her back), but she is Wall Street’s candidate, and being pretty dishonest about Maloney. Maloney has done good work for a long time, and looks ready to keep doing good work. She deserves another term. I do not think Saujani thinks she can win, but is just trying to get a decent vote total to set herself up for something else. She doesn’t deserve your vote.
Summary
Congress (14th District)
Carolyn Maloney
Congress (15th District)
No Endorsement
Governor (Democratic Party)
Andrew Cuomo has it Locked up
Attorney General
Eric Dinallo
District Leader (Brooklyn)
- 52nd district: incumbent (Jo Anne Simon and Jesse Strauss).
- Everywhere else: vote against incumbent or machine choice.
Voter Info
(where to vote, confirm your registration, etc):
Governor
On the Democratic side, there is no primary contest. Andrew Cuomo has it locked up. Cuomo’s done some good work as Attorney General, but has also been involved in more than his share of questionable stuff. Take a look. However, the two Republicans who are trying to run against him are competing to see who can be more disgusting. I think Carl Paladino is definitely in the lead. I dislike Assembly Speaker Silver as much as the next oxygen breathing being, but Hitler’s main problem was not corruption: it was killing millions of people. Lazio, however, is also in the game: and Lazio has his serious ethics issues. It seems he flushed billions in pension money down the toilet and grabbed some nice fees for himself along the way. In summary, while he and Paladino are working hard to out Muslim bate each other on the world’s scariest community center, the Democrats will have no vote on September 14th, so it will be Cuomo v one of the other guys in November. We will come back to that.
Attorney General
This is an actual primary, where you can actually cast a vote, and it actually matters. AG is an important job, and someone who knows how to use it can do a lot of good. There are also five candidates and it is a hot mess. The candidates are:
- Eric R. Dinallo
- Richard L. Brodsky
- Eric T. Schneiderman
- Kathleen M. Rice
- Sean Coffey
I’m voting for Dinallo, but it is more by process of elimination than anything else. First off, Brodsky and Schnierderman are members of the State Legislature. Brodsky is a Westchester Assemblyman. He gets some good press and makes a lot of good liberal noises, but he votes for Sheldon Silver for Assembly Speaker, a man who, despite making his own good liberal noise,s keeps a strangle hold on this state (and he recently came out against the community center downtown). Every time Silver has done one of his hatchet jobs that hurts us all, the supposed Crusader Brodsky hasn’t said a word. Albany is a huge mess, and that matters. Have you noticed how bad subway service is getting (for example)? Silver bears a lot of the responsibility for that and many other things, and Brodsky has done nothing of consequence to fix it. He does not deserve a promotion.
Eric T. Schneiderman is a State Senator from Upper Manhattan. He got the NY Times Endorsement and has done a few good things, as they say. But he has had his hands in the middle of the colossal cluster-fudge-cookie that has been the New York State Senate and has not done much to improve the place. I do not see that he deserves to be given a chance to not be effective in a more important office. Plus, he seems to have been the guilty party in a hit and run. No one was hurt, but as Eric Cantor would say, “Comon!”
Sean Coffey has never run anything like the state AG’s office, and he has his own pension fund ethics problems. Plus, he was endorsed by the New York Post, which is a good enough reason by itself to vote against him.
Kathleen Rice has accomplished a few things as Nassau County District Attorney. But, as the Times also said, the fact she did not vote until she was 37 years old is a problem. A bigger problem, in my opinion, is the fact that she has Vito Lopez (the sleazy Brooklyn Democratic Party boss discussed below) out working for her. Anyone who he is for, I am against. This may be guilt by association, but sometimes the association is so bad you just can't go there. More on Lopez below.
That leaves Eric Dinallo. The Daily News says he was an effective State Insurance Commissioner, he was part of important big victories when he was a Bureau Chief at the AG's office, and was an effective prosecutor of white collar crime in Manhattan DA’s office. This is exactly the kind of work he would need to do in the AG’s office. I’m not promising he will be a good AG, but he is the best choice.
District Leader
I know, I know, what the hell is a district leader? It’s a position that has a hell of a lot more influence than you would imagine in deciding who the judges are, and who candidates are for a lot of other offices. And the fact that no one pays attention to it means that sleazy party people get to run a hell of a lot. This year in Brooklyn a lot of people are challenging the soldiers of the King of Sleaze, Brooklyn Democratic party Boss Vito Lopez. Errol Louis from the Daily News does a good breakdown of the races. If any of these races are on your ballot, vote for the newbie. The one exception is in the 52nd district (which goes roughly from Brooklyn Heights in the North to Park Slope and Gowanus in the South, with other North West Brooklyn communities included as well). There, two young pretty people, Hope Reichbach and Stephen Williamson are running against against the incumbents. Unfortunately, these two nice young pretty people are Vito Lopez Puppets. For Female District Leader, you should vote for Jo Anne Simon. For Male Leader there are two independent (non Vito) choices, Jesse Strauss or Chris Owens. It seems to me that Strauss is the better choice, but it is a close call. They may split the reform vote and let Williamson get in, and that would be too bad. The Atlantic Yards Report is much better informed on this then I am, so check it out if you want to know more. The post talks about a few other district leader races as wel.
Brooklyn Democratic Party Boss Vito Lopez
Vito Lopez has steered millions in tax payer money into a non profit he controls and uses as his political base, political promotion and propaganda arm, and a place to give his girlfriend a cushy job. He also puts himself forward as the champion of affordable housing, yet he is only supportive if his own social service agency or other groups he controls or is allied with can control it (even if that means that less affordable housing built). Tom Robbins from the Village Voice does a good job outlining it all. According to the New York Times, if he does not control the development of affordable housing, he tries to kill it, even if it means hundreds of Brooklynites lose the chance to have a decent place to live. While he finally gave in on the New Domino plan for affordable housing, he tried hard to kill it. You may have heard the New Domino is an evil corporate plot, but the developer, CPC is one of the greatest developers of affordable housing in this City, and other than Lopez and his minions, most of the opposition seemed to have come from:
- Hipsters concerned about the increased demand for beer other than PBR.
- Trust fund kids who's fancy, yet cool places they just spend 2.8 million dollars on were going to have their river views blocked. Their "friends" who used to drop by for visits would once again consider them "tools."
- People concerned that they could not control their anxiety and panic attacks when lines got longer at the local coffee shops.
Correction (9/13/10):
As the super charming gentleman or lady so intelligently pointed out below, I had a few errors in my discussion of the 52nd District Leader Race. I previously endorsed Alan Fleischman based on old articles I had read, even though he had since dropped out (sloppy- sorry about that). And for some reason I called Stephen Williamson Jason. Don't know how that happened. I am rabbit enough to admit when I am wrong. No matter how I am told, I actually do appreciate being told when I get something wrong.
And I now have a better description of the geography of the district. I had previously said "a lot of Park Slope" was in the district, which is true- but I left out other communities, which I hope is clearer now.
So that being said, be sure NOT to vote for STEPHEN Williamson. Don't know where I got Jason from.
Commenting on this Blog entry is closed.
Comments
More On Vito
Two more great articles were published about your friend and mine, Vito Lopez, in the Village Voice and the New York Post. I'm no fan of the Post, but when they and Village Voice are on the same page, it means something.
Eric Schneiderman
First of all, thank you for caring about primary day and sharing such good links (especially the Daily News rundown of district leader chellnges). I think you and I are kindred spirits when it comes to most things having to do with New York State politics. Diana Reyna will always be my hero because she has repeatedly stood up to Vito Lopez and beat the person he ran against her last year. As for Shelly Silver, besides all the awful, awful things he has done and continues to do to this state (blocking congestion pricing being just one of them), he kept a rapist on his staff, knowing what the guy did, and only fired him after he raped a second woman: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/14/nyregion/14silver.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1
I disagree with you about Schneiderman, however. I worked for Eric for three and a half years when he was first elected to the State Senate, and I have folllowed his career and kept in touch with him ever since. If I understand just how bad things are in Albany and just how change can actually happen, it's because I learned it from him. Since the day I started working for Eric, I have always been proud of him, and I believe he'll make an exceptional Attorney General. I have no doubt that Dinallo is a smart guy with lots of integrity (a journalist friend of mine knows him from his days with Spitzer and vouches for that). But I do believe it will take more than good intentions to reform Albany. I think it will take a deep understanding of politics and what motivates people to do what they do. After putting all my faith in Eliot Spitzer, I watched him crash and burn (way before the prostitute scandal) because he thought he could get things done just because he was right.
I hope you vote for Eric Scheiderman. But in any case, I appreciate your caring enough to post about the race.
So Misinformed
First of all 'chick', let's get a few things straight. Before you start providing political advice, maybe you should be slightly more informed. First of all, Alan Fleischman is not even running for re-election. He dropped out months ago, fyi. Next, the 52nd district is not just "mostly park slope." The 52 district encompasses Gowanus, Boerum Hill, Brooklyn Heights, Caroll Gardens, Cobble Hill, DUMBO, and Park Slope. LASTLY, Hope's running mate, yeah his name is Stephen Williamson. CLEARLY, you are unfit to provide anyone with any kind of political advice.
You're an Idiot
The fact that you, as a blogger, quote another blogger, to suggest Reshma Saujani is dishonest is the epitome of why stupid bloggers are destroying America. While we wallow in our stupidity and line up for the abatoire like docile lambs, career politicans like Maloney continue to screw the American people. And what was that about Reshma liking computers? I bet you don't even know that you're an idiot.
In Complete Disbelief.
Democrat Sean Coffey for Attorney General
Hi Wanda - this is Tammy Sun, with Sean Coffey's campaign. I read your blog post and just wanted to give you some info about Sean that perhaps you don't already know - and I hope will help you re-evaluate your voting decision. But first, thanks for encouraging people to vote. It's a very important race and you are right to encourage as many people will go to the polls as possible.
Sean Coffey is a political outsider and this is his first political campaign. Nevertheless, he has a lifetime of service and an record of results that makes him uniquely qualified to serve as your next AG. As you rightly point out, it's time to turn the page on the old political establishment - the Albany legislators in the race have decades of political experience between them, and this is DA Rice's third political race in less than five years. Mr. Dinallo was a political appointee under Spitzer and while he did some good work in the AG's office, Sean is more qualified - with the expertise, experience and leadership - to do the job you need in your next AG.
As one of the nation's top investor advocates, Sean recovered over $10 billion for defrauded investors - mostly teachers, retirees, firefighters, police officers, etc. He took on some of the giants of Wall Street - companies that thought they were above the law - and held them accountable. In a groundbreaking case, Sean forced key wrongdoers in the WorldCom case to pay tens of millions of dollars personally out of their own pockets because he believes that personal accountability matters. When companies do bad things, it's really people doing bad things. And if people are held personally responsible, then it will deter future bad behavior.
With regards to your question about pension funds, Sean was chosen in every instance because - and only because - he was the best lawyer out there when defrauded investors were looking for help. To give you some context, Sean has been a big supporter of Democrats across the country - at every level (federal, state and local). He supported over a dozen Senators who recently voted to extend unemployment benefits, without a vote to spare - and he was also a major support of the President, who signed the bill. However, he understands that elected officials need to take an extra step to ensure public trust. That's why he was the first candidate to come out in support of public financing for all statewide offices, with a priority emphasis on the AG and Comptroller.
As AG, Sean will bring the same kind of accountability to Albany as he did to Wall Street - and across the state. Sean was the first candidate in this race to present a bold and comprehensive Reform Agenda that aims to clean up corruption in Albany by, for example, forcing legislators to disclose all of their outside income and clients to crack down on conflicts of interest. Right now, there is a veil of secrecy around how much our legislators are getting paid by other people - in addition to their salaries as legislators. Sean is the only truly independent voice in this race - he has no Albany allegiances, no special interest ties. And in one remarkable difference with Eric Dinallo, has taken almost no money from Wall Street.
Policing Wall Street is about protecting Main Street - and it will continue to be a vitally important part of the next AG's job. Sean has been policing some of the biggest and baddest actors on Wall Street for over a decade. He'll be able to land on his feet and do the job right - on Day 1.
Sean has also released various policy agendas such as a Housing Agenda (a blueprint of what he would do to address the growing housing crisis in NY) as well as a Member Item Accountability Task Force within the Public Integrity Unit of the OAG. He has also committed his entire first year's salary as AG to a special fund - called Justice Corps, which aims to help bring diversity to the OAG's office by offering law students from diverse backgrounds the opportunity to work in the Attorney General's office while getting help with paying off student loans.
Sean is the son of Irish immigrants whose father was at times out of work and their family lived on unemployment. He went to college at the U.S Naval Academy and then served for thirty years (active and reserve) in the military as a naval officer. He has managed a major private law firm, learning how to allocate resources to areas that need them, which is an essential component of the AG's job.
I hope this has been a bit helpful. The website has additional information. www.coffey2010.com.
Thanks for blogging. Take care.