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The Race ...

City Council
District 43

Bath Beach, Bay Ridge, Bensonhurst and Dyker Heights

Know something we should know? Let us know at campaign05@gothamgazette.com

Election Results ...

General Election Results

Vincent Gentile

Primary Results

No Primary

Candidates...

The Incumbent:
Vincent Gentile

General Election Challenger(s):
Pat Russo

Primary Election Challenger(s):

(Candidate Biographies below)

Campaign Finance Board General Election Voter Guide for District 43

Campaign Finance Board Voter Guide for District 43

Feature Articles ...

District 43: Another Close Contest in Southwest Brooklyn

October 23, 2005

Probably no neighborhood of the city has seen more political squeakers in recent years than this part of Brooklyn, and most of them involve incumbent Democratic council member, Vincent Gentile. It began in 2002 when Gentile, then a state senator, narrowly lost his seat to Republican Martin Golden. Gentile then ran for the council seat that Golden had vacated and attracted city-wide attention when his campaign flyer featured a picture of Mayor Bloomberg's townhouse, thereby enraging mayoral aides jittery about security. Gentile won by a mere 31 votes. In November 2003, he held on to his seat by capturing 55 percent of the vote against Republican Pat Russo. That is a big margin by Gentile's standards, but it's relatively close compared to other incumbent New York City Council members.

This year, Pat Russo has a rematch against Vincent Gentile, who is also on the Working Families Party line.

Although Democrats outnumber Republicans by about two to one in this largely white district with a growing Asian population, they do not automatically pull the Democratic lever. And in this election, Russo thinks being a Democrat may be a liability because of Republican Mayor Michael Bloomberg's popularity in the district. Noting that two other Democratic councilmembers in the area, Simcha Felder and Dominic Recchia, have endorsed Bloomberg, Russo faults Gentile for not doing the same.

But Gentile said he will stick with Democratic nominee Fernando Ferrer because of his stand on issues that "affect everyday New Yorkers," such as opposition to the mayor's idea of giving frozen meals (instead of fresh ones) to homebound seniors.

The two men paint a different picture of services in the district today. "In the two and a half years I've been in council, I've made things much better for people who live in the district," Vincent Gentile said. He said he has brought money into the district for libraries, schools, parks.

But Pat Russo said the district has gotten far less money from the city since Martin Golden left for Albany. "We need to make sure that we get a fair share of services back from the city," he said. Russo thinks that, as a Republican he will be able to do that. "At the federal, state and local level, I have partners I can work with to get things done," he said.

Both men see overdevelopment as a key concern in an area, where as Vincent Gentile said, eight- and 12-unit condominiums are replacing single-family homes. They fear that as Bay Ridge and other neighborhoods restrict rampant construction, Bensonhurst will become the prime target for development. Gentile said he would like to see "downzoning" extended throughout the area. "So far, it's been our most effective tool, " he said, though he added, "I'm not sure it's the whole issue." On development, Pat Russo said, he and Gentile "are moving in the same direction. I just want to move there now."

Both men, who have raised about equal amounts of money, see themselves winning what promises to be another close contest again this year. Vincent Gentile said he is well known in the district after his more than eight years in office and that people appreciate what he has done for the community.

A former aide to Vincent Gentile accused the councilmember of sexual harassment earlier this year. But as he campaigns, Gentile said, voters do not mention the charges. (He has not been found guilty of anything). "It's just not an issue," he said.

Pat Russo said he thinks he will reverse the results of the 2003 contest. He cites the signs bearing his name he sees on lawns in the area and his endorsement from New Era Democrats, as well as from the Republican, Conservative and Independence parties. He said he has mounted a vigorous campaign, quitting his job to run.

Ironically, he does see one potential problem -– the Republican mayor's popularity. "I just hope that people don't take it for granted he's the winner," he said. "There's plenty of reason for people to come out and vote."

Candidate Bios ...

The Incumbent:

Vincent Gentile | Dem | WFP |
Vincent Gentile was elected to the City Council in February 2003. He served three terms as a State Senator and ten years as a procecutor. He is a former president of the Bay Ridge Community Council and a member of the Neighborhood Improvement Association of St. Rosalia-Regina Pacis.

Challenger(s):

Pat Russo | Rep | IND | Con |
Pat Russo is a lawyer and former procecutor. He has served on the board of directors of the Bay Ridge Lawyers Association since 2000. Since 1997, he has been serving as a Council to the Office of the New Yrok State Welfare Inspector General. He is a former delegate to the Bay Ridge Community Council and recently served as a member of its Board of Directors.

Campaign Trail ...

Below are the latest Campaign Trail items for the District 43 race. For the full Campaign Trail archive, go here

Democrats Win Council Races

November 9, 2005
Republican candidates for City Council seats had hoped that the popularity of the Republican mayor, Michael R. Bloomberg, would bring them votes in yesterday's election. But the mayor's coattails did not extend to local races, as several Republicans he endorsed went down to defeat. (New York Times)

Brooklyn Councilman Faces Tough Rematch

November 4, 2005
This year, Vincent Gentile, who represents Bay Ridge, is facing Pat Russo, 37, the man who he beat in the November 2003 race. And Mr. Russo, who is running with the endorsement of Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, promises to give Mr. Gentile yet another competitive race in this south Brooklyn district, which leans moderate to conservative.

(New York Times)

Republican Council Candidates Look For Bloomberg Coat Tails

October 13, 2005
Mayor Bloomberg hasn't given them money, and his endorsements have been low-key. But that doesn't seem to matter to Republican City Council hopefuls Phil Foglia, Pat Russo, Patrick Murphy and Joel Zinberg. The would-be GOP Council members all believe Bloomberg is headed for a big win Nov. 8 that could have a coattail effect for their uphill candidacies. (Daily News)

Pat Russo To Run For City Council

March 29, 2005
Pat Russo, prosecutor and former city council candidate, said he will announce his candidacy for the 43rd City Council District this morning. The Brooklyn resident will be running for a second time against incumbent Democrat Vinny Gentile along Republican, Conservative, and Independence lines.

During their 2003 race, just eight months after Mr. Gentile won a special election to finish current State Senator Martin Golden's term, Mr. Russo won 46% of the vote but was not strong enough to defeat Mr. Gentile, who is a former state senator.

The Republican Party is hoping that a sexual harassment complaint filed by his former chief of staff will weaken the previously unbeatable Mr. Gentile. The 43rd district encompasses the fairly conservative Brooklyn neighborhoods of Bay Ridge, Bensonhurst, Dyker Heights, and Bath Beach.

Mr. Gentile, who ran under the Democratic and Working Families party lines in 2003, will most likely be this year's Democratic candidate. While Mr. Russo was the only candidate to receive financial backing from the mayor during the 2003 citywide council elections, this year's opposition field is still open, and at least two or three other candidates are expected to run in the primary.

Mr. Golden, who ousted Mr. Gentile from the state senate in 2002, will be speaking at Mr. Russo's candidacy announcement today at Bay Ridge Manor. Assemblyman Matthew Mirones will also speak at the event.
(New York Sun)

Full District 43 Campaign Trail Archive

District 43 Campaign Trail in RSS format.