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SCHNEIDERMAN PICKS UP EAST SIDE ENDORSEMENT

admin — Wed, 12 May 2010 13:40:42 +0000

East Side Assembly Member Micah Kellner endorsed his fellow legislator from across the park, State Sen. Eric Schneiderman, for attorney general.

Kellner bucked his East Side colleagues in the Assembly by choosing Schneiderman over Richard Brodsky, a fellow member of the Assembly who represents Westchester. East Side Assembly members Jonathan Bing and Brian Kavanagh endorsed Brodsky May 4.

But Kellner called Schneiderman, whose Upper West Side district covers northern Manhattan and parts of the Bronx, a “true progressive” in the race.

“From ethics reform to environmental protection to marriage equality, Attorney General Eric Schneiderman will be a champion for all New Yorkers,” Kellner said in his endorsement statement.

The two legislators worked together on a bill tackling government corruption that would strengthen local law enforcement’s ability to prosecute these cases, reform bribery laws and increase transparency of disclosure reports.

Schneideman also unveiled support from powerhouse union 32BJ, which represents building workers, May 7. It was the union’s first endorsement in the 2010 statewide elections.

East Side Council Member Jessica Lappin has also given her support to Schneiderman.

Other candidates looking to succeed Attorney General Andrew Cuomo include class action lawyer Sean Coffey, former state insurance superintendent Eric Dinallo and Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice.

Schneiderman Picks Up East Side Endorsement

admin — Fri, 07 May 2010 17:39:33 +0000

East Side Assembly Member Micah Kellner endorsed his fellow legislator from across the park, State Sen. Eric Schneiderman, for attorney general.

State Sen. Eric Schneiderman is running for attorney general.

But Kellner called Schneiderman, whose Upper West Side district covers northern Manhattan and parts of the Bronx, a “true progressive” in the race.

“From ethics reform to environmental protection to marriage equality, Attorney General Eric Schneiderman will be a champion for all New Yorkers,” Kellner said in his endorsement statement.

Schneideman also unveiled support from powerhouse union 32BJ, which represents building workers, May 7. It was the union’s first endorsement in the 2010 statewide elections.

East Side Council Member Jessica Lappin has also given her support to Schneiderman.

FOCUS ON ART EDUCATION

admin — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 16:16:51 +0000

The Department of Education created a new committee to advise department officials on art instruction.

The new 12-member Arts Advisory Committee will also issue an annual report on how well the city provides arts education. The committee, which includes teachers, principals, higher education professionals and arts community leaders, will meet twice a week. Diane Volk, who taught an orchestral, vocal and concert band program at Louis D. Brandeis High School, was named a member.

The committee will present its first set of recommendations, to be included in the annual “Arts in Schools Report,” at the June meeting of the Panel for Education Policy.

“This type of diverse civic engagement is just what our schools need to improve the academic achievement of our children through the arts,” said East Side State Sen. Jose Serrano.

Serrano, chair of the State Senate’s cultural affairs committee, was pushing to create a similar arts committee through the Legislature. His bill, co-sponsored by East Side Assembly Member Jonathan Bing, passed the State Senate but had yet to advance in the Assembly.

Support for Aborn

admin — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 13:24:07 +0000

To the Editor:
This fall, we have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to strengthen our criminal justice system. That’s why I am supporting Richard Aborn for Manhattan district attorney on Sept. 15 (Primary Profiles, July 30).
No one will be tougher than Richard Aborn in fighting violent crime. With decades of experience as a prosecutor, defense attorney, advocate and policy expert, Richard understands the full scope of the criminal justice system. Richard will prevent crime from happening by getting guns off our streets and enforcing the laws fairly and efficiently, sending a message that no one is above the law. Richard enjoys wide-ranging support from the Lexington Democratic Club to former Police Commissioner William Bratton. In addition, Richard has earned support from 17 of the 22 elected officials to endorse in the race because of his outstanding record on the issues. Having lead the fight against the NRA to win passage of the Brady Bill, Richard is outspoken about innovative ways to prevent crime, like Preventstat, a program he devised that uses the latest mapping and data technology to measure the success of crime prevention initiatives. Similarly, the NYPD’s CompStat, which uses the same data collection methods, was substantially related to the reduction in crime in New York during the 1990s.
Richard has proven his depth of conviction as a crime fighter and is the best candidate to ensure the safety of the citizens of Manhattan. Sept. 15 is the Democratic Primary.

Jonathan Bing
Assembly Member

Letters have been edited for clarity, style and brevity

WHEN CAMPAIGNING IS AN EXERCISE IN ALTRUISM

admin — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 23:14:47 +0000

On a chilly October Monday, Assembly candidate David Casavis was handling out homemade leaflets on the corner of East 86th Street and Lexington Avenue, reminding voters that they can find him on the ballot this Nov. 4.
“When you get to the bottom, think of me,” Casavis said of his ballot line.
Casavis, a Republican, is running an admittedly quixotic campaign for Assembly against incumbent Jonathan Bing. Casavis even shies away from using the word “campaign,” as he decided to put his name on the ballot when others deferred. Unlike other placeholders on the ballot, he did open a campaign committee with the New York State Board of Elections and loaned himself $500.
“The candidacy was thrust upon me. Nobody is interested,” Casavis said, referring to other would-be Republican office holders. “I’m the only Silk Stocking member who will put up a fight.”
The Silk Stocking district to which he referred is now an anachronistic term that once described the Upper East Side, the Republican Party’s only stronghold in Manhattan. That ended in 2002, when Bing and State Sen. Liz Krueger flipped the last two GOP seats in the borough.
Today, Republicans rarely make a concerted effort in this area with a large concentration of Manhattan GOP voters. Bing’s district has the largest number of registered Republicans out of any Democratic seat in the city, though Democrats outnumber GOP voters two to one.
Casavis’ main goal, he said, is to have a respectable showing at the polls.
“I’ll at least restore a little dignity,” Casavis said. “What I’d like to do is break 30 percent. Gosh if I could break 40 percent, that’d be a dream.”
Casavis has been a campaign manager for several Republicans in the past decade. While never able to claim victory, he said he was able to “pull campaigns out of the brink,” earning him the nickname “David Can-Save-Us.”
Unlike Casavis, many of the Republican candidates who voters will find on the ballot next month are essentially just that: names on a ballot. They did not file with the state Board of Elections or create a campaign website. The ones who do run tend to be party stalwarts who want to have a presence on the ballot to offer the voters a choice.
Jason Weingartner, executive director of the Manhattan GOP, said that recruiting people to put in a modicum of effort is difficult when there are few willing and able bodies.
“It’s about rebuilding,” Weingartner said. “These are the guys that are passionate and committed about running for office.”
Across town, there is an even slimmer chance for a Republican upset, as the neighborhood has a long history of being a reform-minded Democratic stronghold. Saul Farber, 22, is running against veteran legislator Assembly Member Richard Gottfried, who has been in Albany for 38 years.
“I’m very ambitious and very excited when it comes to politics,” said Farber, a native of Miami, Fla.
Farber has to overcome a Democratic enrollment advantage of almost five-to-one in the district, which covers much of Chelsea, Clinton, Midtown, parts of the Upper West Side and Murray Hill.
“If they just put aside the stigma of what the GOP means to the country or the state in this era,” Farber said, “they’ll get to know what I want to do.”