Sabini: Party Man or Maverick?
August 31st, 2006
In the 13th State Senate district, challenger Hiram Monserrate lobbed a series of attacks on incumbent John Sabini’s insider status in Queens politics during a debate earlier this month.
But Sabini’s relationship with the county organization over the years has been idiosyncratic.
The Times lauded him for his short lived tenure as Queens boss in 1986 - which he achieved after a scandal forced out his predecessor - as a “welcome loose cannon.” Among the actions they applauded was his move to set up a screening panel for selecting judges to protect the system from cronyism. (Manton, his succesor, later reversed the reform.) He also backed a candidate for borough president against a party insider.
In 2001, he unsuccessfully challenged incumbent State Senator George Onorato - who was nominated by the Queens Democratic Party in a special election in 1983. The Queens Tribune dubbed Sabin’s bid part of a party “insurgency”. That year, he also suppported a challenger to Congressman Joe Crowley, who was handpicked by late party boss Thomas Manton after his resignation from the seat, which was timed to avoid a primary. Crowley is now considered likely to succeed Manton as boss.
But Sabini currently has the support of the party, and he isn’t afraid to use it.
According to documents from the NYC Board of Elections, he has received the free assistance of the party’s lawyer in an attempt to knock Monserrate off the ballot for State Senate. And the party is backing a challenger to Monserrate’s position as district leader in what party insiders are calling retribution for Monserrate’s opposition to the party’s choice, the Daily News reports.
Sabini has also enlisted the consulting services of the Parkside Group, a lobbying/political consulting firm born of Queen politics (one of its partners is Manton’s former chief of staff in congress). All eight campaigns citywide the group works on this year are for party-backed candidates.
By Mike Muller on August 31, 2006, 8:13 amIn category: Eye on Albany
Recommend this entry via: stumble upon | digg | del.icio.us | No Comments »








