Incumbent:
Adam Clayton Powell IV (Dem)
Challengers:
Eddie Baca (Dem)
John Ruiz (Dem)
Over two dozen reporters and cameramen surrounded the steps of City Hall in mid-July for a press conference held by Adam Clayton Powell IV, the member of the New York State Assembly representing East Harlem. "We all know why weĂre here," began Powell, who is running for reelection. "We have yet to pass a budget in Albany. I hope to do so soon. Thank you." He turned as if to leave, eliciting laughter from the reporters. Powell, aware of the real reason his press conference had drawn a crowd, then went on to address the allegations of rape that have placed him in the media spotlight.
The race for Adam Clayton Powell's seat has so far featured little discussion of the issues affecting East Harlem. The candidates in the Democratic primary -- Adam Claytotn Powell, District Leader John Ruiz, and former chair of Community Board 11 Eddie Baca -- agree that the neighborhood needs more affordable housing, improved education, and greater attention to health issues, such as East Harlem's high rate of asthma. Each candidate is running on his record, and attacking the record -- and character -- of his opponents. A fourth candidate, Rubye Wright, declined to be interviewed for this story.
Adam Clayton Powell has had to defend not only his public record, but also allegations regarding his personal life. On July 3, Powell was accused of rape for the second time in less than two months. The first alleged victim, a 19-year-old Albany intern, later changed her story, saying that what took place between herself and Powell was consensual. The second, a 38-year-old acquaintance of Powell's, plans to press charges. Powell maintains his innocence on both counts. Following the second accusation, John Ruiz held a press conference on the steps of Powell's office calling for his resignation. "With all the problems he is having right now, he should take time to address those problems," said Ruiz. Eddie Baca said he would not comment on the charges against Powell until the legal process had run its course.
John Ruiz and Eddie Baca have both focused on what they see as PowellĂs failure to adequately represent the district. Both claim that Adam Clayton Powell is inaccessible, and that his office is not helpful to East Harlem residents.
Eddie Baca says that Adam Clayton Powell "has just not been present. ThereĂs a lack of interest. There has been no initiative, or anything of significance that you can point to as his."
"Being visible here in the street is so important," says John Ruiz. "If people have an issue, they want to know someoneĂs listening. We have had to scream and holler at Powell just to get him to come to cultural events."
Others in the community share similar sentiments. Melissa Mark-Viverito, who ran for City Council in 2003, has endorsed John Ruiz. "We need representatives that will be able to bring resources into the neighborhood," she said. "It's not happening."
Some in East Harlem say that Adam Clayton Powell has won more on the basis of his famous name than because of what he has done for his constituents. Powell is the son of former U.S. representative and famous civil rights activist Adam Clayton Powell Jr. "The unfortunate thing about him is that a lot of our people vote for the name, and he plays that up," said District Leader Keith Lilly. "If people actually looked at the record, they might make a different decision."
Adam Clayton Powell dismisses claims that he neglects the East Harlem community. He said in an interview that, while in the Assembly, he has secured funds for East Harlem senior citizen centers and basketball leagues, and has brought new housing to the neighborhood. He said he is most proud of his Senior Citizens Rent Increase Exemption legislation, which limits rent increases for seniors. He also claims to be "the most visible elected official in East Harlem." "People see me, and they know me," said Powell. Candy Vazquez, a district leader in East Harlem who has endorsed Powell, says she has seen him at several functions and events with seniors.
John Ruiz had originally planned to run for State Senate, but switched to the Assembly race after the second rape allegation against Powell. Eddie Baca said Ruiz only entered the Assembly race because "he was smelling blood." And Geoffrey Eaton, chief of staff for East Harlem city councilmember, Philip Reed, says John Ruiz switched to "save his own face" after a poor start in the Senate race.
John Ruiz, though, says he made the switch in response to requests from the community. "If I was an opportunist, I would have been in the first time Powell was accused," he said. "The first time, we gave him the benefit of the doubt. The second time it happened, you start to think 'there's a pattern here.' I stepped in to provide a choice."
If elected, John Ruiz says he will work for affordable housing and job training in East Harlem, as well as to provide senior care, obtain a living wage for workers and address the neighborhood's health issues. Ruiz points to his record of community service and his nearly 20 years as a New York City firefighter. For over ten years, Ruiz educated children and seniors about fire safety as "The Rappin' Fireman," for which he received several community service awards. Since becoming a district leader, he has worked to make his office accessible to constituents, and says the club will host community meetings once construction on its conference room is complete.
Baca says his top priority if elected will be reforming the foster care system. He plans to "put a spotlight" on the city Administration of ChildrenĂs Services, which, he says, does not put a "serious effort" into keeping families together or providing appropriate care for children. He said he has already dealt with the agency as chair of Community Board 11. He also wants East Harlem's new developments to be built by companies located in the area and to ensure that East Harlem's HIV positive residents and teen parents receive the proper attention.
It is unclear how East Harlem residents view the rape allegations against Adam Clayton Powell. John Ruiz believes that residents are outraged and want Powell out. Candy Vazquez says most of the people she has spoken to "believe the assemblyman has been set up."
Adam Clayton Powell, for one, is confident about his prospects in September. "There is a better chance of us getting a blizzard on primary day than me losing," he said.
Until then, predicts District Leader Bill Moore, "There will be plenty of mudslinging."
Candidate Biographies:
Eddie Baca is director of the Association of Community Architecture and Businesses, an organization that develops low-income housing. He served as chair of Community Board 11 from 1994 to 1997
and was co-chair of Mayor David Dinkins's Task Force on La Marqueta in 1994.
Adam Clayton Powell IV has represented the 68th Assembly district in the New York State Assembly since 2000. From 1992 to 1997, Powell served as a New York City Council member representing East Harlem and parts of the Upper West Side and the South Bronx.
John Ruiz is a Democratic district leader in the 68th Assembly district, a position to which he was elected in 2003. He served as a firefighter for nearly 20 years in East Harlem, Washington Heights, and Lower Manhattan. While a firefighter, Ruiz founded the Rappin' Fireman Safety Program to educate children about fire safety. He also founded Our Firefighter's Children's Foundation, which provides food and gift to low-income people.
10/21/04
Harlem Assemblyman Adam Clayton Powell IV, accused by two women earlier this year of alcohol-related sexual assaults, is holding a "tequila shots" fund-raiser next week with contributors asked, "How many can you
do?" When told of the event, a law-enforcement official familiar with the charges leveled against Powell said, "Are you kidding?" (NY Post)
7/28/04
Manhattan state Assemblyman Adam Clayton Powell IV, dogged by scandal, will not mount a previously expected primary challenge to veteran U.S. Rep. Charles Rangel of Harlem, according to election documents released
yesterday. The Rangel race had been touted more than a year ago as a potential clash between an older Democratic stalwart and Powell, whose preacher father lost the seat three decades ago to Rangel and who had the support of the Rev.
Al Sharpton. (Newsday)
7/15/04
Assemblyman Adam Clayton Powell 4th publicly acknowledged yesterday having sex with the two women accusing him of rape - but said they agreed to it. "The sex was consensual," the 42-year-old Harlem lawmaker declared
at a contentious news conference on the steps of City Hall. (Daily News)
7/14/04
Assembly member Adam Clayton Powell IV - who is accused of raping a Manhattan woman - passed two lie detector tests, the politician's lawyer said yesterday. Powell, who has called the allegation "outrageous," was
given separate examinations last week by Richard Arthur, who once gave a test to Jack Ruby after Ruby killed JFK assassin Lee Harvey Oswald. (New York Post)
7/10/04
Keith Wright, a former chair of the State Legislative Black, Puerto Rican and Hispanic Caucus, has denied allegations that he is actively working behind the scenes to have his colleague Adam Clayton Powell IV ousted.
Wright's involvement in the alleged scheme came to light at a press conference held in front of Powell's East Harlem district office to demand his resignation stemming from two back-to-back rape allegations. (Amsterdam News)
7/08/04
Embattled state assembly member Adam Clayton Powell IV won't meet with prosecutors probing rape allegations against him unless he has to, his lawyer said yesterday. (New York Post)
7/07/04
Adam Clayton Powell IV is scheduled to meet with Manhattan prosecutors as soon as today, to respond to allegations that he raped an acquaintance in her Central Park West apartment late last week. (Daily News)
07/04/04
Manhattan assembly member Adam Clayton Powell IV yesterday strongly denied allegations that he raped a woman last week at a West Side apartment. Powell issued a brief written statement a day after law enforcement sources said that police were investigating him in a sexual assault case for the second time in two months. (Daily News)
07/03/04 Manhattan assembly member Adam Clayton Powell IV is being investigated on a rape accusation for the second time in as many months, law enforcement sources said yesterday. A woman told police that after meeting Powell at a party Thursday night, they went to her West Side apartment, where he raped her at about 8:30 p.m., police officials said. After he left, she called 911. (Daily News)
05/12/04
Top state lawmakers yesterday expressed dismay and concern that an East Harlem assembly member from an esteemed political family has been accused of providing alcohol to a 19-year-old intern during an alleged sexual
encounter at a capital-area hotel. Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D- Manhattan) said the allegations against Adam Clayton Powell IV, son of former U.S. Rep. Adam Clayton Powell Jr., were "deeply upsetting and troubling" and vowed
to review a 28-year-old program that brings interns to the Capitol. (Newsday)
03/11/04
Adam Clayton Powell IV, an assembly member from East Harlem with longstanding congressional aspirations, has formed an exploratory committee, conducted several fund-raising events and met with supporters and advisers
throughout Harlem. But he still seems somewhat tentative about whether he will run in this year's Democratic primary against Representative Charles B. Rangel, the dean of New York's congressional delegation. (New York Times)
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Alfred B. Curtis (Rep/Ind/Con)
Diane Savino (Dem/WF)
PRIMARY ELECTION RESULTS: Winner - Diane Savino
Kelvin Alexander (Dem)
Alfred B. Curtis (Rep/Ind/Con)
Cole Ettman (Dem)
Rodney Knight (Dem)
Diane Savino (Dem/WF)
CAMPAIGN FEATURE:
The two ends of State Senate district 23 face very different problems. Forty-five percent of the district's area lies on the North Shore of Staten Island, where residents worry that overdevelopment threatens their quality of life. The remaining 55 percent of the district lies on the other side of the Verrazano Bridge in southwest Brooklyn, where most residents would like to see more development, not less.
But complaints about overcrowded schools and the quality of education unite both boroughs. According to the New York City Department of Education, the public high schools have far more students than they were intended for, with the St. George School operating at 171 percent of capacity. Schools in the southwest Brooklyn do not have it any better. A low graduation rate is another concern.
During his eight years in Albany, retiring four-term Democratic Senator Seymour Lachman often focused on education. He pushed for more money for public schools, promoted bilingual education and started the National Collaborative of Public and Nonpublic Schools, a group of educators from public and private schools who meet to coordinate programs and policies. With Lachman retiring to become a professor at Adelphi University, one Republican and four Democrats are vying to succeed him - and many share his interest in education.
One of the Democrats, Cole Ettman, said that installing air conditioning in classrooms, reducing class size and giving teachers more training and guidance will help improve schools.
Two other Democratic candidates, Kelvin Alexander and Diane Savino, want to improve opportunities for residents who do not go on to college. Alexander proposes an apprentice program to train youths in skilled labor like plumbing and carpentry. Savino wants to protect industrial zones from housing developers to preserve manufacturing jobs.
Republican Alfred Curtis and Democrat Rodney Knight could not be reached for this article.
Three of the candidates - Kelvin Alexander, Diane Savino and Alfred Curtis - live on Staten Island, while Cole Ettman and Rodney Knight reside in Brooklyn. But all the contenders will have to discuss development on Staten Island during the campaign.
Between 1990 and 2000, Staten Island's population rose by 17 percent, the most of any borough. This has caused overcrowding in schools, sent rents soaring and led to traffic gridlock. "It used to take me five minutes to drive down the road," said Kelvin Alexander. "Now I'm lucky if it only takes me a half hour."
This year, the Mayor's Staten Island Growth Management Task Force instituted a number of regulations to control development, such as requiring bigger parking spaces and yards for private residences, more plants and greenery on private roads and a limit on the size of row houses. But Diane Savino thinks more needs to be done. "The mayor's zoning laws prevent huge housing developments, but now we have to enforce those rules," she said. "If someone sees a developer building three houses instead of the two he's supposed to build, they should be able to call someone to report that." Savino proposes that there be a state-funded mechanism for residents to report zoning infractions.
Kelvin Alexander wants to prevent any additional development on the North Shore unless a new public facility, such as a school, hospital or community center, is also built. "I have a more holistic approach," he said. "I don't want any more houses being built when our schools are already overcrowded and our hospitals are closing." If elected, Alexander would also lobby for more money to fix the pothole-ridden roads he drives on every day.
Rather than restrict the development, Cole Ettman would like to ease its effects. "People have a right to build houses, and in the city there are not too many places left to build," he said. "Everyone has the right to move and live where they want to." But he would spend money to improve and maintain streets and sewers while the developers build.
Many Staten Islanders worry that health care has not kept up with the growth in their borough. In fact, one hospital - Bayley Seton - recently announced it would close. Rather than trying to force the Health and Hospitals Corporation to build a hospital on Staten Island, Diane Savino proposes that there be more funding for existing clinics to provide free walk-in programs. Kelvin Alexander wants money to build another hospital on the North Shore.
Increased industrial development on the North Shore has provided more job opportunities. Between 1994 and 2001, the governor's office reported, the number of jobs on the North Shore increased by 1,500.
But things are different in southwest Brooklyn. Overall, the number of manufacturing jobs in the borough dropped by almost 20 percent between 1995 and 2000, with the number of all jobs decreasing by 4.3 percent between 1987 and 2001. While Coney Island has new superstores like Toys "R" Us and Home Depot, the jobs they provide pay lower salaries and offer fewer benefits than manufacturing jobs.
To help the economy, Cole Ettman believes the government should foster "mom and pop" businesses, sheltering them from increased taxes and fines. Diane Savino said she would fight to have Albany allocate more funds to southwest Brooklyn for economic development.
Kelvin Alexander, Diane Savino and Cole Ettman have activist backgrounds. Savino has lobbied for the social service employees union, Local 371, and Alexander has worked for the Reverend Al Sharpton's National Action Network. Ettman has been involved with Council for Unity, an anti-violence program. Alfred Curtis worked for six years as the chief executive for operations of the United Nations Development Corporation.
The retiring Sen. Lachman supports Diane Savino, who has also received endorsements from Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum and District Council 37, the labor group that includes her Local 371 union.
UPDATE: Posted 10/13/04
The General Election race for State Senate district 23 has been narrowed down to two candidates: Democrat Diane Savino and Republican Al Curtis.
Curtis, who ran for the seat in 2002, said he is focusing more of his campaign efforts in Brooklyn than in his previous campaign. Curtis, who lives in Staten Island, has opened an office in Brooklyn and has spent time campaigning in Coney Island, Sunset Park, and Bensonhurst. He said he is also focusing on issues he thinks will unite voters in both boroughs.
"Affordable housing for seniors and affordable drugs - these are similar needs in Staten Island and Brooklyn," said Curtis.
Curtis also said he supports the Campaign for Fiscal Equity lawsuit that hopes to increase funding for New York City schools. If elected, he said he would reduce class size, replace outdated books, and provide adequate teacher training.
Curtis also has the support of Republicans like State Senator John Marchi and Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno and believes he can get more done in the Republican-controlled State Senate than Savino.
"Unlike my opponent, I can issue more than just proclamation and citation," said Curtis.
However, Savino has made reform of the State Legislature a major part of her campaign and does not believe a Republican can push the senate in the right direction.
"People have come to understand and develop the feeling that the government in Albany is in a shambles," Savino told the New York Times. "And they understand that this dysfunctionality has hurt New York City in terms of school funding, health care and affordable housing."
Kelvin Alexander is a retired police sergeant, producer of his own cable television show, and national field director for Reverend Sharpton's National Action Network.
Alfred B. Curtis was commissioner for New York City Department of Youth Services under Mayor Rudolph Giuliani. He has served as the president and chief executive officer of the United Nations Development Corporation. A former president of the Staten Island Branch of the NAACP, Curtis also served on the Board Trustees of the City University of New York.
Cole Ettman was deputy chief of staff for former City Councilmember Howard Lasher. He has also served as public affairs director for Council for Unity, a violence prevention program for youths located at John Dewey High School.
Rodney Knight is a community aide for Brooklyn City Councilman Domenic Recchia. He grew up in Coney Island.
Diane Savino is vice president for political action and legislative affairs for Local 371 Social Services Employee Union. She is also the executive committee member of the Richmond County Democratic Committee and recent appointee to the Queens College Advisory Board.
10/18/04
Diane Savino, a former official of District Council 37, the largest municipal union in the city, can expect to win the bulk of the labor movement in her candidacy save one vital group. The most conspicuous defection from the labor ranks is that of Dennis Rivera and his hospital workers union, Local 1199, who have supported Republican Al Curtis. The race between between Curtis and Savino could thus hinge on the mobilization and voter turnout of this key group. So far, Rivera has donated more than $50,000 to New York Forward, a political arm of state Senator Joseph Bruno, the Republican majority leader who is backing Republican candidates throughout the state. Savino, however, insisted to Newsday that "Change begins incrementally. Even the 'three men in a room' [the governor, the assembly speaker and senate majority leader] are realizing they can't continue doing business as usual." (Newsday)
10/08/04
Republican candidate for state Senate Al Curtis attacked his opponent Democrat Diane Savino yesterday for being a political opportunist and for not being involved in the community. Curtis contends that Savino moved to the area in order to run for office. He told the Staten Island advance "Three years is just not enough," he said. "You need a few more years under your belt. She just does not know the community." (Staten Island Advance)
10/05/04
Staten Island Borough President James Molinaro announced his support for Republican candidate Alfred Curtis for a North Shore state Senate seat. This endorsement comes two years after Molinaro and his Conservative party backed Curtis' previous opponent, Democratic state Senator Seymour Lachman, for the same office. (Staten Island Advance)
10/04/04
Last week, prominent Republicans gathered to endorse Alfred Curtis, the Republican candidate for a State Senate seat that straddles a section of Staten Island and a part of Brooklyn. In an effort to win the seat back from a Democratic stronghold, the Republican party and members such as Joseph L. Bruno, the majority leader of the State Senate, and State Senator John J. Marchi, have shown significant support. The party has provided large amounts of sums along with advisors in order to ensure a victory in a district with a traditional Democratic advantage. Mr. Curtis contends that voters should vote for a senator in the Republican majority who could get bills passed once in office. (NY Times)
09/30/04
Democratic candidate for State Senate Diane Savino, a Fort Wadsworth labor leader, seeks to shake things up in Albany. On Monday, she endorsed a plan by the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law school. The plan seeks to reform the New York State Legislature, which the center describes as dysfunctional. Trying to reducing government exclusivity, the plan calls for more input from rank-and-file lawmakers and a more open forum when passing bills in special committees. ( Staten Island Advance)
09/30/04
Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno expressed his support for Republican candidate Al Curtis once again last night. Curtis attacked his opponent, Democrat Diane Savino, by comparing her to Senator Hilary Clinton, who moved to New York state to run for office. Savino, however, contends that she has lived in the district three times longer than Curtis, who moved only last year to the district. She also attacked the endorsement Curtis received from Bruno. If Curtis wins he will be the Senate GOP majority's first black lawmaker and the first African-American elected to public office from Staten Island. (Staten Island Advance)
09/06/04
State Senator John Marchi endorsed fellow Republican Al Curtis for state Senate. Marchi continues his run as the longest serving state lawmaker in U.S. history by running unopposed this year. Marchi claims he and Curtis would be a powerful team. "Having the two of us in the majority gives New York a lot of clout, a lot of strength," said Curtis. (Staten Island Advance)
08/13/04
Former State Comptroller H. Carl McCall backed Diane Savino yesterday in the latest of a string of endorsements. McCall calls Savino young and dynamic, stating that is exactly what Albany needs right now. An African-American, McCall also claims that this campaign has nothing to do with race while being chastised by Kelvin Alexander, also African-American, for not “feeling the sense of history” he felt when McCall ran for governor. (Staten Island Advance)
07/30/04
Diane Savino gets a vote of confidence from lady lawmakers Senators Ada Smith (D-Queens), Liz Kruger (D-Manhattan) and Toby Ann (D-Queens). Gathering on the steps of City Hall, the three senators publically endorsed Savino, citing that if more women were elected to the Senate, perhaps dysfunction and gridlock would subside. Women make up only 18 percent of the Senate, however total 52 percent of New York State’s population, said the senators. ( Staten Island Advance)
07/30/04
Diane Savino's state Senate campaign received a boost yesterday from three current female state senators, who said an influx of women legislators could help reverse the dysfunction and gridlock that plague male-dominated Albany. Sens. Ada Smith (D-Queens), Liz Kruger (D-Manhattan) and Toby Ann Stavisky (D-Queens) gathered on the steps of City Hall yesterday to publicly endorse the candidacy of Ms. Savino, who is running for the 23rd Senate District seat being vacated by state Sen. Seymour Lachman (D-North Shore/Brooklyn).(Staten Island Advance)
07/25/04
A Democratic Party member has objected to state Senate candidate Al Curtis' nomination on the Conservative line, charging that Curtis will not have lived in the district for the requisite 12 months by this Election Day. Board of Elections records indicate that Curtis, the Republican Party candidate for the 23rd state Senate seat, was living at an address in Willowbrook when he voted in the general election on Nov. 4, 2003. The home is located in the 24th Senate District, which is represented by state Sen. John Marchi (R-Staten Island). (Staten Island Advance)
07/01/04
After internal politics threatened to derail the process, union official Diane Savino of Rosebank has received the endorsement of her home union, District Council 37, in her campaign for the state Senate. Ms. Savino is the political director for Local 371 of the Social Service Employees Union, which falls under the DC 37 umbrella. Backed by the Staten Island and Brooklyn Democratic Party organizations, Ms. Savino is running for the seat being vacated by state Sen. Seymour Lachman (D-North Shore/Brooklyn). (Staten Island Advance)
06/13/04
This year, the “incumbency protection program” that keeps New York legislators in office is being tested as a number of competitive races, particularly for the state Senate where the Republicans are a long-standing majority. Some of the races to look for will be the 23rd district, considered a “safe” Democratic seat, with Savino the likely candidate for the Democrats; the 28th district, also an overwhelmingly Democratic district, with Democrat-turned-Republican Olga Mendez challenged by Democrat Jose M. Serrano; 34th District with an open seat left by Guy Velella after he resigned and pleaded guilty to bribery. (Times Union)
06/15/04
Yesterday, New York State Senator Seymour P. Lachman officially endorsed the union leader Diane Savino to succeed him in the assembly. The senator also announced that upon retirement in December he will switch professional gears to become a professor at Adelphi University in Nassau County. Lachman praised Savino by saying, "she has the energy, she has the intelligence, she has the integrity and she has the experience to be state senator." Savino faces Kelvin Alexander, a retired NYPD detective, for the Democratic endorsement. Alfred Curtis, who ran and lost in 2002 against Lachman, is the presumptive candidate for the Republican party in the upcoming election. (Staten Island Advance)
06/09/04
The Al Curtis campaign for state Senate got a boost from another Curtis last night. Guardian Angels founder and talk radio host Curtis Silwa said Curtis had been a "voice of calm and reason" during racially charged times on Staten Island. (Staten Island Advance)
06/09/04
Alfred Curtis, who is running for District 23 seat in the New York State Senate, was decreed with an honoree degree from the Medgar Evers College system for his accomplishments, community service and aid to the CUNY system. At the end of the ceremony, Curtis awarded the school with a check from the Richmond County Savings Bank Foundation, of which he is a board member, to be used for student scholarships. (Staten Island Advance)
05/21/04
After a decade in the state legislature, State Senator Seymour Lachman is returning to his academic roots. This month the Borough Park Democrat, whose 23rd District covers parts of southwest Brooklyn and the North Shore of Staten Island, informed party officials on both sides of his bridge decision to retire. (Daily News)
05/11/04
State Senator Seymour P. Lachman (D), said yesterday that he would not run for re-election this year, citing "a variety of personal and family reasons" for leaving his seat. Kelvin Alexander, a former police officer who has a cable television program on Staten Island, has already announced plans to run for Lachman's seat. Diane Savino, the political director for the Social Service Employees Union Local 371 and a political ally of the Staten Island Democratic Chairman Assemblyman John W. Lavelle, is also planning to run as a democrat for the seat. Meanwhile, the executive committee of the Republican Party in Staten Island has pledged support to Alfred B. Curtis Jr., the former commissioner of youth services under Mayor Rudolph Giuliani. Mr. Curtis ran against Lachman two years ago for the seat and received 36 percent of the vote. (NY Times)
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• Albany's Dysfunction
• Blame Albany
• How Albany Controls New York City
• Will Albany Scandals Lead to Reform?
• Albany Rules?
• Upstate Downstate Debate
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Â
The New York State Legislature has been called the most dysfunctional legislative body in the country. A look at why the system is broken, how it hurts New York, and why it won't be fixed anytime soon.
Raymond Capone (Con/Rep)
Michael Benedetto (Dem)
Michael Benedetto (Dem)
Jeannette Graves (Dem)
Rodney Saunders (Dem)
CAMPAIGN FEATURE:
The indictment of long-time State Senator Guy Velella, who is serving one year in prison for bribery, has upended the status quo in Bronx politics this year - not only in his district, but in two other districts as well.
Two incumbent State Assembly members have even given up their seats to run for Velella’s spot. One of them is Assembly Democrat Stephen Kaufman, who has represented the neighborhoods of the northwest Bronx since 1998.
Five candidates – including a teacher, a long time education advocate, and a current City Council member – are now running to take Kaufman’s place. And all are campaigning on two main issues: education and the future of Co-op City.
Democrat Michael Benedetto, a special education teacher and founder of the Bronx Times Reporter newspaper, has received Kaufman’s endorsement.
Benedetto said 30 years of teaching at P.S. 160 has made him increasingly frustrated with legislators in Albany who have been unable to adequately fund Bronx schools. Last year, P.S. 160 faced budget cuts and the principal is still unsure how many teachers can be hired for the fall.
“As a teacher, you want the security of knowing what will happen when the school year opens,” said Benedetto. “ There is an uncertainty in not knowing if you have enough personnel or enough teachers.”
Another candidate Democrat Rodney Saunders also has an extensive education background. He is a long-time school district leader and is also on the board of the Campaign for Fiscal Equity, the group that successfully sued the state charging that the formula for funding New York City schools is unconstitutional.
Saunders said that money from the lawsuit – which legislators are required to address by July 30 - must be used to repair school buildings, expand classrooms and purchase computers.
“In the new millennium, we should have classrooms of the future,” said Saunders.
City Councilmember Larry Seabrook, who served in the State Assembly, State Senate, and was elected to the New York City Council in 2001, is also running on his education record.
"I've been able to accommodate all the schools within the district that have made requests to me for computer labs, for intercom systems, for gym floors to be fixed," Seabrook said last year.
Another critical issue is Co-Op City, the giant housing complex that houses 50,000 residents. It is also a key political battleground for candidates running for office.
In recent years, Co-Op City has fallen into disrepair and racked up $220 million in debt. The buildings are crumbling, windows are broken, and last year its parking garages were shut down for fear that they might collapse.
In January, the State Legislature came to the aid of Co-Op City, promising a $475 million bailout, but the plan has hit difficulties in recent months. Banks, who were supposed to be part of the plan, are reluctant to loan money to the troubled housing complex, which means repairs are being delayed.
“The financing plan didn’t work out,” said Benedetto, who said returning the housing complex to fiscal stability must be a top priority for the new elected official. Saunders hopes to ensure that rents and maintenance fees remain low at Co-Op City, the state’s largest Mitchell-Lama housing complex. But with all of the needed repairs, costs are expected to rise.
While Conservative Party candidate Raymond Capone does not have specific ideas for dealing with the immediate crisis at Co-Op City, he said it must remain affordable in order to keep young middle-class people from leaving the city.
“More and more middle class families are leaving New York State,” said Capone, “and unfortunately the Bronx is a dying and forgotten borough.” Capone, who ran three years ago, said he would focus on lowering taxes and attracting new businesses to the area if elected.
Both Seabrook and Saunders live in Co-Op City and their past political rivalry will play out in the area.
Raymond Saunders’ wife Shirley Saunders faced off against Seabrook in the last two City Council elections. She narrowly lost in 2001 by just over 100 votes. Past campaigns have been hard fought, with Saunders accusing Seabrook of being absent from many community meetings and not doing enough to address the needs of the area.
Seabrook dismisses the charges. “I have the political experience to run a tough race, win and serve this community in the Assembly the way it should be served,” Seabrook told The Bronx Times.
While Seabrook has a long track record and name recognition, Benedetto, who is also chair of community board 10, is gaining support from other area politicians including Bronx City Council member Madeline Provenzano. Benedetto lost previous bids for office, but is hopeful this time.
“Every other time I ran, I was running against incumbents,” Benedetto said. “This time, it’s an election where I am known throughout the community.”
(Posted 09/07/04)
City Councilmember Larry Seabrook, who was running as a Democrat in district 82, withdrew from the race and placed his director of constituent services, Jeannette Graves on the ballot in his place. Under city election law, candidates who exit a race after they file valid petitions may hand-select their replacement if they do so within three days of filing.
Another candidate Felicia Sementilli was knocked off the ballot because she became a Democrat only a month before filing her petitions for the Democratic Party primary. To run in a party’s primary, a candidate must be registered with that party at least one year before the general election.
Michael Benedetto is the founder the Bronx Times Reporter, an online community newspaper. He has taught special education at P.S. 160 for 27 years. He has been a Democratic district leader for 16 years. He is the head of the Chippewa Democratic Club.
Raymond Capone serves on the executive board of the Conservative Party.
Jeanette Graves is the director of consitutent services for Bronx City Councilmember Larry Seabrook.
Rodney Saunders is a former president of Community School Board 11 in the Bronx. Saunders is currently on the Board of Directors for the Campaign for Fiscal Equity.
CAMPAIGN TRAIL
9/16/04
Michael Benedetto won the Democratic nomination for the 82nd Assembly District seat. With an extensive resume of community and education activism, the former Co-op City teacher beat two Co-op City residents, Jeannette Graves and Rodney Saunders. Benedetto will face off against Raymond Capone on Election Day. (The Bronx Times)
08/12/04
Political newcomer Felicia Sementilli will not be able to run for the 82nd Assembly District seat, because she only became a Democrat a month before filing her petitions for the Democratic Party primary, City Board of Elections officials said last week. Sementilli became the second candidate in this race to make a replacement, following City Councilman Larry Seabrook, who dropped out three weeks ago and named his director of constituent services, Jeanette Graves, to replace him. (Bronx Times Reporter)
7/15/04
Assemblyman Stephen B. Kaufman officially endorsed the candidacy of current Democratic District Leader Michael Benedetto for the 82nd Assembly District. ( Bronx Times)
6/10/04
With Assemblyman Stephen Kaufman, who currently represents the 82nd Assembly District, and Assemblyman Jeff Klein, who currently represents the 80th Assembly District, considered the two main contenders for the Senate Seat vacated last month by Guy Velella, the coming weeks and months should prove quite interesting in terms of who is or isn’t running for office in the Bronx Times Reporter. (Bronx Times)
6/3/04
Michael Benedetto, who has taught at P.S. 160 for 25 years and has served as, Democratic district leader for the past decade and a half, announced his Candidacy for Stephen Kaufman’s Assembly seat on Tuesday, June 1. Bronx Times Reporter. (Bronx Times)
Learn More:
• Albany's Dysfunction
• Blame Albany
• How Albany Controls New York City
• Will Albany Scandals Lead to Reform?
• Albany Rules?
• Upstate Downstate Debate
Although the presidential candidates are spending much of their time and money campaigning in the rural and suburban areas in "swing states" this year, the Democrats and Republicans will hold their annual conventions in the urban settings of Boston and New York City. And while the candidates and political parties will be eager to win over city residents, it is not always clear where they stand on the issues facing the city.
As a guide for voters, Gotham Gazette presents an issue-by-issue breakdown of the candidates
Then post your thoughts on our urban issues message board.
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In January 2004, Bush outlined a new policy that would give a temporary 3-year work visa to immigrants who are willing to take a job that no American is willing to take. The proposal would require employers to sponsor a worker and the visa would have to be renewed. Bush's policy comes after several years of more stringent immigration regulations, including requiring visitors from certain countries to register with the Immigration and Naturalization Service. Some immigrant advocates in New York criticized Bush's new plan, saying it would give too much power to employers and could potentially deport people after being employed for several years. (Learn more)
Kerry supports reform of current immigration policy, including efforts to restore benefits to legal immigrants and legislation to provide immigration relief to young undocumented immigrants who have grown up and graduated from high school in the U.S. He believes the naturalization process for legal permanent residents serving in the Armed Forces should be expedited. Kerry supports a proposal that will allow undocumented immigrants to legalize their status if they have been in the United States for a certain amount of time, have been working, and can pass a background check. He also calls for increased funding for border enforcement to ensure that only legal immigrants can enter the country. (Learn more)
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GOTHAM GAZETTE’S RELATED ARTICLES
• Urban Agenda: Immigration
• Bush's Temporary Worker Program
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New York City Council Stated Meeting Report
Every two weeks the New York City Council meets for its Stated Meeting to introduce and pass legislation. As a regular feature, Searchlight covers these meetings and posts a summary of the bills passed.
STATED MEETING - July 21, 2004
Quote of the Day:
"Growing up as a kid in Bushwick, I never came so close to seeing a murder as I did that day in City Hall. James stays with me a lot in my thoughts." - Councilmember Eric Dilan, speaking on the one-year anniversary of the shooting of Councilmember James E. Davis.
Meeting Summary:
This week marks the one-year anniversary of the assassination of Brooklyn City Councilmember James E. Davis, who was shot and killed by a political rival in City Hall on July 23, 2003. (Read more about the shooting.)
To honor their slain colleague, New York City Council members eulogized Davis and dedicated a lounge in City Hall in his honor. The Davis family, including his mother Thelma, and brother Geoffrey, who unsuccessfully ran for his brother's seat last fall, attended the meeting. In Brooklyn, a post office and library were also renamed for Davis.
Davis, who was elected to Brooklyn's 35th district council seat in 2001, was a former police officer and founder of Stop the Violence, a non-profit organization that worked to end youth violence and police brutality. He was also known for his sense of humor, his love of the spotlight, and at times, his independence in voting against the party and council leadership.
"James fought the good fight, and we will continue to fight the good fight on his behalf," said Bronx Councilmember Joel Rivera.
Many council members spoke about Davis's passion for issues like affordable housing, raising the minimum wage, and ending predatory lending. Others told stories about trips they had taken with him to places like Israel, Zimbabwe, and Trinidad and Tobago and his ambition for higher office. Harlem Councilmember Bill Perkins said that Davis even left his mark on city elections by using huge photographs of himself as campaign posters.
"Now everyone running for office in New York City has to have a five-foot tall picture of themselves," said Perkins. (For more remembrances of Davis, see message board.)
The City Council also passed three bills at the meeting.
One measure (Intro 81-A) aims to reduce car alarm noise in the city.
In 1993, the city made it illegal to own a car alarm that is set off by vibrations or sounds for longer than three minutes. However, a loophole in the law allows both types of car alarms to be sold and installed in New York. The bill now makes it illegal to sell or install the car alarms and carries a penalty of $500 to $1,000 for a first time offense.
"This legislation will silence one of the most consistently irritating sources of noise pollution," said Councilmember James Gennaro, chair of the environmental protection committee.
The bill passed by a vote of 46 to 2, with Eric Dilan and Tony Avella voting "no." Dilan said he was against the measure because the bill is too difficult to enforce and the fines are too high. Avella said he voted against the measure because his district has some of the highest rates of car theft in the city.
"Until we address the car theft issue, I can't tell residents to not do whatever they can to protect their cars," said Avella.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg is expected to veto the legislation, arguing that it would effectively ban most alarms installed on cars after they leave the manufacturer. The City Council can override the mayor's veto with a two-thirds majority of votes.
The City Council also approved two tax rebates that were part of the city budget passed at the end of June. By law, the council had to pass its portion of the tax measures by July 30, even though the State Legislature has not passed a budget and Albany still has to approve them as well.
The council voted in support of the $400 tax rebate (Intro 412) for owners of homes, co-ops, and condos. And the council passed a new city version of the Earned Income Tax Credit (Intro 402). Under the plan aimed at helping low-income New Yorkers, a family of four making $28,200 will receive $68 from back from the city.
Both measures passed unanimously and tax rebates will be issued once legislators in Albany also agree to them.
The next Stated Meeting is scheduled for August 12, 2004.
For an archive of past meetings and council votes, visit Gotham Gazette's Searchlight.
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This summer State Assemblyman Roger Green resigned from his seat in order to avoid official censure after admitting to stealing from the state and submitting fake travel vouchers. But just a few hours later, the Brooklyn politician announced that he would seek reelection -- an election he is all but certain to win.
How can he act so brazenly? One reason may be that he has lots of company.
Bronx State Senator Guy Velella pled guilty to bribery and is serving a year in jail. (Read articles about the campaign for Velella’s and Green’s open seats.)Bronx Assemblywoman Gloria Davis resigned from her seat after admitting to taking money in return for votes. Another legislator, Adam Clayton Powell IV, has been the subject of criminal investigation after two women accused him of separate incidents of rape. Even Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver has been subpoenaed as part of an investigation into the Caesars Entertainment casino company, which, according to the New York Times, "is trying to break into the gambling market in New York," and which gave Silver and his wife a luxury suite in a Las Vegas hotel at a steep discount.
Although the state has missed its budget deadline for the 20th year in a row, major legislation has stalled, and there is no plan to fund city schools adequately, nevertheless most of the 212 legislators who are running for reelection this fall have no reason to worry about losing their jobs.
No matter what the New York State Legislature does, or what it does not do, there are no consequences for the body as a whole or for individual lawmakers.
"The problems with New York's State Legislature are so entrenched, so embedded in the structure and tradition of Albany," the New York Times wrote, "that most New Yorkers believe nothing can ever change."
This spring, a group of politicians from the African country of Ghana visited Albany hoping to see democracy in action. Instead they were baffled: no budget had been approved, lobbyists ruled the capitol building, no one seemed to know exactly how money was being spent, and individual legislators had little influence over real decisions.
"We find this a little bit strange," Moses Asaga, a member of the Ghana parliament told the New York Times. "We expected more debate, more opinions.''
But Albany’s dysfunction is not just a quirky embarrassment; it affects the lives of every New Yorker.
Because the state was late in passing its budget for the 20th year in a row
The state legislature has also failed to come up with a plan to fund a basic education for New York City students, even though a state Court of Appeals required them to do so.
And, as in past years, major legislation stalled.
Lawmakers failed to come up with a plan for upgrading its century old voting machines and so has missed out on $150 million in federal funding to pay for it.
For five years in a row, there has been no vote on whether to increase the minimum wage from $5.15 an hour.
And although most legislators in Albany agree that the Rockefeller drug laws - some of the harshest laws in the nation – need to be reformed, they cannot agree to a deal. More than 30 years after the Rockefeller drug laws were passed, nothing has changed.
Although there are 212 legislators in Albany, three men - Governor George Pataki, Republican State Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno, and Democrat Speaker of the Assembly Sheldon Silver - hold all of the power.
They set the legislative budget. They hire all of the staff, including those who draft most bills. The leaders also dole out committee chair and membership assignments, assign offices and run all the services the members rely on, from publications to payroll.
If a member writes a bill, the leader then decides which committee it goes to, whether it gets passed out of the committee, and whether it moves on the house’s calendar. The leader in each house can stop a bill at nearly any point in the process.
That only a few men dominate the legislative body is no accident: the members have been happy to have it this way.
The most important goal for a legislator is to get re-elected; the second most important goal is to maintain the majority in each house. A strong leader can keep individuals and the party in line and on message, and by wielding his power, help the other legislators remain in power.
The average state legislator can expect to stay in office for the rest of their lives if they go along with the system.
The trade-off is that once such power is bestowed, no single legislator or group of legislators can buck it. If someone fights the system, they can run the risk of being punished or ousted.
It works for those in office. It’s just not how democracy was envisioned.
Over the years, the methods of operating in Albany have become counterproductive.
The leadership in each house prefers to kill the other side’s bill rather than move its own. Each house seems to believe that if the other majority wants a bill, even if it has good aspects, the bill should not be adopted unless that house is willing to give something in return that it does not want to give.
A frequently cited example is the bill the State Legislature long considered that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation - often called the gay civil rights bill. It was passed by the Assembly and even had the support of Governor Pataki. But it did not pass the Senate until 30 years after it was first introduced.
One reason for the gridlock is the division of power.
Republicans have controlled the Senate since 1966; Democrats have controlled the Assembly since 1975. Much of the time, the parties would rather point a finger at their rivals than cooperate.
Another factor is the upstate-downstate divide in the Legislature, with the Democratic Assembly more focused on New York City issues and the Republican Senate favoring suburban and rural interests. Currently, the Republican majority does not need the vote of a single New York City senator to pass legislation in its house.
Exacerbating the situation is that Pataki, Silver, and Bruno do not get along personally. When an entire institution depends on whether three men can put aside their differences and compromise, the doable becomes impossible. Pataki, Bruno, and Silver often become more interested in inflicting political punishment on one another than getting things done.
The Senate Majority Leader and Assembly Speaker also control the money, which helps maintain the status quo.
Each leader uses his majority party’s campaign war chest as he sees fit, often shoring up the most vulnerable members, but doling out funds to maintain power and enforce loyalty.
After Republican Bronx State Senator Guy Velella was indicted for bribery, State Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno and 19 other Republicans donated $150,000 from their campaign funds to help pay his legal bills. A spokesman for Bruno called the act "an individual outpouring of support."
Should someone have the temerity to challenge an incumbent, the challenger is almost always at an enormous economic disadvantage. New York’s campaign financing contribution limits are far more lax than the limits imposed in presidential campaigns, and there are enough loopholes to drive a fortune through.
Those who challenge the leadership better be able to pull off the coup, or suffer the consequences.
Four years ago, Assemblymember Michael Bragman tried to unseat Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver from his position, arguing that Silver had a stranglehold on the legislative body and change was needed. The speaker quickly stripped Bragman of his position as majority leader and demoted two of his allies. Other members of the legislature were reportedly threatened with challengers in the next election if they did not support their leader.
Silver eventually won reelection to the post with only Bragman voting against the speaker. The other 94 Assembly members stayed loyal to their leader.
Bragman went from being one of the most powerful people in Albany to an insignificant outcast. He resigned from the State Legislature in December 2001.
Legislators also draw huge advantages simply from being incumbents.
In their daily routines, they make themselves visible in their districts, have the opportunity to perform constituent service through their government-funded legislative offices, and receive free, unchallenged public relations.
While these are appropriate activities for legislators, they provide great name recognition in elections, and name recognition is what counts.
It is no wonder that polls consistently show New Yorkers are dissatisfied with the Legislature but pleased with their representative (though few New Yorkers can name their Senator or Assembly Member). The voters do not seem concerned with this apparent disconnect, and repeatedly re-elect the same crew.
That is why Brooklyn Assemblymember Roger Green is running again and, with no strong opponent, is expected to win.
"We're supporting Roger Green 1,000 percent and he will get re-elected, period," Assemblyman Clarence Norman, the chairman of the Brooklyn Democratic Party has said. "I've been talking with civic leaders and union leaders around Brooklyn and he will be back in Albany come January. No question about it."
New York’s legislative districts are drawn to favor the majority party and to assure that each majority incumbent gets reelected. The New York Public Interest Research Group has made fun of the bizarre shapes that can result, creating awards for districts that it has given names like "Oops I Spilled My Coffee on the Map," "Bug Squashed on a Windshield," and "Abe Lincoln Riding a Vacuum Cleaner."
The reason is that after every census, the Legislature has the authority to draw new district lines. And while the districts must be equal in population, the Supreme Court has said repeatedly that there is no prohibition against drawing districts solely for political benefit.
The legislature’s redistricting task force is armed with detailed data on population and voting characteristics that allows them to tailor a district to an incumbent’s needs with block-by-block precision.
If voters don’t like what the legislature is doing, the reasoning goes, voters can throw them out. But given how difficult it is to beat an incumbent in New York, the public is left with few other options.
There is no way of placing legislative proposals or constitutional amendments on the ballot without legislative approval, nor can voters petition to recall a legislator for poor performance or criminal activity. Legal challenges to legislative actions invariably fail, as courts have consistently ruled that the Legislature, as a separate branch of government, is entitled to great deference.
In addition, there are no term limits in state government, nor are there limits on the length of time a legislator can serve as leader.
While many observers would argue that these so-called "cures" are worse than the disease, pointing to the use of ballot initiatives in California as a prime example, the fact remains that an entrenched legislature, facing no risk to either its actions or its members, has become a prescription for inertia in New York.
The only chance to make systemic change comes every 20 years, as the New York constitution requires that the voters be asked whether they want a constitutional convention.
If the voters approve a constitutional convention, the voters would then elect delegates who can reform the state constitution, establish term limits, or overhaul the redistricting process.
In 1997, the voters decisively voted against holding a convention. The next opportunity is not until 2017.
Learn More:
Blame Albany
How Albany Controls New York City
Will Albany Scandals Lead to Reform?
Albany Rules?
Upstate Downstate Debate
Eye on Albany Campaign 2004
Roger Green (Democrat)
Susan Metz (Green)
Ric Ocasio (Republican)
CAMPAIGN FEATURE:
American politicians have won election while serving time in jail, facing criminal charges or even after dying. But Roger Green may be the first who ever won an election after a probation officer's report described him as "having limited mental capacity or ...being dishonest."
Green, a member of the New York State Assembly from Brooklyn, resigned his post in June after pleading guilty to three counts arising from charges that he took free rides from a state contractor and then got reimbursed by the state for the supposed cost of the trips. Green received three years probation and had to pay $5,000. The probation officer's report was intended to guide sentencing in the case.
But Green faces little competition in his bid to recapture the seat from Fort Greene and Prospect Heights that he held for 21 years. As the deadline passed for filing for the Democratic primary, Green had challenges from two little known Democrats: Tammy Meadows of Prospect Heights and Guillermo Filpotts. A Republican, Ric Ocasio, and a member of the Green Party, Susan Metz, had also declared their candidacy.
The arena for the Brooklyn Nets at Flatbush and Atlantic avenues and the accompanying development appear to be the most heated issues in the area. Meadows is backed by an organization called Community Leadership for Accountable Politics that supports the development plan, according to Erik Engquist, who writes the Brooklyn Politics column for Courier-Life newspapers. Green also supports the arena but has taken a low profile on it and, said City Councilmember Letitia James, backs some conditions on the development plan.
Metz's platform opposes the Forest City Ratner plan for the arena and surrounding area. She also is against other development plans, including housing towers or box stores and objects to taxpayer funding for private developers. But like Green, she supports funding for education and other social programs.
Another issue could have been Green's record and the recent charges against him. Along with the court action, the Assembly ethics committee investigated Green. It concluded that the Brooklyn Democrat had to resign or face what committee chair Mark Weprin has called "serious" sanctions. And so Green resigned - for a little while.
But many prominent politicians in the area chose to sit the race out
Green's hiatus from the state house seems barely noticed. Although the Assembly web site mentions that he resigned in June, recorded phone messages at both his Albany and Brooklyn office advise callers they have reached the office of Assemblyman Roger Green. (Green could not be contacted for an interview.)
And Green's absence has not cost him the backing of influential supporters, including Brooklyn Democratic Party chief Clarence Norman, who is also a member of the state Assembly and under indictment. "We're supporting Roger Green 1,000 percent and he will get re-elected, period," Norman told the New York Times.
The major rivals whose names popped up in political columns in the past months have faded away. Those not running in the 57th include lawyer Hakeem Jeffries, who had mounted spirited challenges to Green in the past; Eric Adams of 100 Blacks in Law Enforcement Who Care; and Robin Brown, president of the United Parents Association of New York City.
Daniel McCalla, who had considered a run to challenge Green's support of the Nets arena, said he was not able to get enough signatures in time for the July 15 filing deadline for the Democratic primary -- particularly since, he said, he figured the Democratic organization would challenge any signatures he did get. McCalla says he hopes to work for the election of Green Party candidate Metz in November.
The Working Families Party decided not to back Green's election, but also will not back any opponents to him, choosing to stay out of the 57th District race entirely.
In past elections, Green won support from a number of organizations, including Citizens Union, which praised his efforts to improve housing and education in his district. He has been active in the campaign to increase funding for New York City schools.
City Councilmember Letitia James, who used to work for Green, listed a number of things he has done for his district. He played a key role in the opening of Benjamin Banneker High School, has brought in money for efforts to combat AIDS, and won funding for programs to help high school students attend college and to promote youth entrepreneurship. He was instrumental in the founding of Medgar Evers College, she said, and is currently working to launch four new small high schools.
"When you read his biography, it's really impressive," she said. "All the good things outweigh that lapse of judgment" with the travel reimbursements.
That could explain the lack of heavyweight opposition to Green. But others offer a different explanation.
"It's a testimony to how effective Green and other long-term incumbents have been in discouraging young people from getting into politics," said Errol Louis , a Daily News columnist who has written frequently about the district. "They have planned to stay for their entire lives as if it were a tenured position. . . . This is the best example of that."
Rachel Leon, executive director of New York Common Cause, said it ultimately is "up to the voters if they want to elect him."
But she noted that the state legislature has refused to release the ethics committee report on Green, keeping from voters information they need. "If it's all on the up and up, people need that information to make an informed decision," she said.
When Green resigned, he avoided the sanctions reportedly recommended in the report, and the report remained sealed.
Journalists and good government groups have called for release of the report without success. And is it unclear whether its release could be required under the state Freedom of Information Act, according to Robert J. Freeman, executive director of the New York State Committee on Open Government.
Green concedes that, in 2001 and 2002, he took rides on a van owned by Correctional Services Corp., a private company that operated halfway houses for the state. Green then submitted mileage vouchers for the trips, many of them from Albany back home to his district, even though the rides had not cost him anything. The maneuver cost the state about $100 a week, according to an estimate by the Albany Times-Union.
Another state legislator, Gloria Davis of the Bronx, earlier was convicted of accepting bribes from Correctional Services, sentenced to three months in jail and gave up her seat. The state fined the company a record $300,000 for not accurately reporting to the state Lobbying Commission on gifts and services it gave legislators. According to Newsday, the company had more than $22 million worth of state businesses in the 1990s but no longer does business with New York.
In many interviews, Green leaves little doubt that he thinks he has been pursued by the legal system at least partly because he is black. In an interview with the Challenge Group of newspapers with a largely African-American readership Green said, that, in the current climate of "celebrity prosecutions," black are easier to go after than white because "we start off all already criminalized. This case is a prime example. The media criminalized me with a picture in handcuffs. They said that I should be thrown in jail."
And Green has reportedly said, that white politicians have committed similar infractions and gotten away with them.
While conceding he made "a mistake," Green has also sought to minimize his offenses. As he pleaded guilty, Green reportedly told the court, "This was done by me because of a longstanding unwritten policy that members who live at a distance receive travel reimbursement whether expenses were actually incurred or not."
In his attacks on the culture of state government Green may have an unlikely ally in Albany County District Attorney Paul Clyne. "My reaction is that they (the legislature) should stop assuming their membership is honest," he was quoted as saying.
7/16/04
CAMPAIGN UPDATE:
Roger Green appears ever closer to regaining the Assembly seat he resigned from in June. He now faces no opposition in the Democratic primary. And the Board of Elections removed Green Party candidate Susan Metz from the general election ballot on the grounds that she had not filed a required form with the Board of Elections by the deadline. Metz unsuccessfully challenged challenged the decision, saying that she filed several hundred more signatures than the 1,200 needed. In a statement on her web site, she said she plans to continue to fight. For now, though, she is off the ballot, leaving only Republican Ric Ocasio to face Green in the overwhelmingly Democratic district.
And Green got additional help from his past and probably future colleagues in the Assembly who continue to refuse to release a copy of an ethics committee report on the filing of false travel expenses that led him to step down. The Assembly denied a Freedom of Information request from the New York Times to make the report public.
CANDIDATE BIOGRAPHIES:
Roger Green (Democrat): A former teacher and the founder of Vanguard Urban Improvement, Roger Green won election to the Assembly in 1981. He served as chair of the Black and Hispanic Caucus and of the assembly Committee on Children and Families. Green resigned in June after pleading guilty to petty larceny charges.
Susan Metz (Green): A community activist and former teacher, she is running on a platform opposing construction of a basketball arena for the Nets in downtown Brooklyn.
Ric Ocasio (Republican): He ran against Green in 2002, winning 4 percent of the vote.
09/22/04
A teacher from Brooklyn is mounting a write-in campaign for the Assembly against Roger Green, a veteran of the Legislature who is seeking re-election after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor and resigning earlier this year. The challenger,
Susan Metz of Prospect Heights, submitted petitions to run as a Green Party candidate, but earlier this month the Board of Elections denied her a place on the ballot for technical reasons. Ms. Metz is due to announce today that she will run as a write-in
candidate rather than drop out of the race. The only other candidate on the ballot is a Republican, Ricardo Ocasio, who lost to Mr. Green in 2002 by a vote of 700 to 18,023. Write-in candidates rarely win elections, but Ms. Metz wants to give voters
of the 57th Assembly District another choice on November 2. (NY Sun)
09/07/04Roger Green’s resignation from the State Assembly appears to have had little effect on him. He has no opponents in the Democratic [primary, could make as much as $92,000 when – as it now appears likely – her returns to the state legislature in January and he even managed to collect state pay this summer. To some, the Green story seems to epitomize much that is wrong in Albany. “We have lost our ability to blush,” Republican Assemblymember Thomas Kirwan of Orange County said. "As (former U.S. Sen.) Phil Gramm said, as long as you don't get caught in bed with a dead woman or a live boy, you'll get re-elected. I guess we could test the limits of that, too." (Associated Press)
08/30/04Opponents of the proposed Nets arena are now seemingly without a candidate to oppose arena supporter Roger Green for the State Assembly. Opponents had rallied around Green Party candidate Susan Metz and collected thousands of signatures for her. But Metz reportedly left town without filing her candidate's statement of acceptance form with the Board of Elections and so did not make the ballot. Tammy Meadows reportedly withdrew her candidacy and Guillermo Filpotts failed to make the ballot as well. (Courier-Life Newspapers, reprinted by Lambda Independent Democrats)
8/22/04 With sunshine peeking through the clouds onto a crowded street festival at a Baptist church in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn, Roger L. Green worked the crowd in typical campaign mode. He shook hands, slapped backs and spoke with nearly everyone along the way. But none of the voters questioned him about an issue that would normally draw intense scrutiny for a candidate seeking re-election: his resignation from the Assembly two months ago and his earlier guilty plea to charges that he billed the state for false travel expenses. In fact, his conviction will be little impediment to his returning to office, since he is running unopposed. As a New York State lawmaker running for office under a cloud of legal troubles, Mr. Green is hardly alone. (New York Times)
The State Assembly has refused to release an ethics committee report on Roger Green’s filing of false travel expenses. The Assembly rejected a Freedom of Information request from the New York Times, citing Green’s privacy and saying, in essence, it would not release the report because it did not have it. (New York Times)
7/12/04
Not Running -- Robin Brown, who had been mentioned as a possible successor to Roger Green, was appointed to the Commission to Plan for New School Funding Dollars by Council Speaker Gifford Miller and will not run for office this year.
(Courier-Life Newspapers)
6/28/04
Daniel McCalla, a 29-year-old resident of Fort Greene and music director at a Bedford-Stuyvesant church, is preparing to challenge resigned Assemblymember Roger Green in the Democratic primary. McCalla, who has virtually no money
for the campaign, will try to make the election a referendum on redevelopment plans, including the Nets arena. (Courier-Life Newspapers)
6/14/04
Roger Green told members of Lambda Independent Democrats that he would rather have not resigned, but he did so in a deal with Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver to prevent (or at least forestall) the release of the Assembly Ethics Committee's
report on his misconduct. Green, who is black, also said that at least two white politicians - Governor George Pataki and Borough President Marty Markowitz - had also committed similar ethics violation and not been forced from office. (Courier-Life Newspapers)
6/9/04
In an extensive interview, Roger Green says he was hounded from office by Republicans and resigned as an act of "public contrition." (Challenge Group Newspapers)
6/1/04
Green Resigns Roger Green, a member of the State Assembly from Brooklyn, resigned his seat. Green has pleaded guilty to taking free rides from a contractor then billing the state, resigned Tuesday. The Brooklyn Democrat's resignation
came after the chamber's Ethics and Guidance Committee reviewed the case. (Newsday/Associated Press)
5/24/04
Eric Adams, founders of 100 Blacks in Law Enforcement Who Care, said he would not run for the Assembly seat in the 57th district because he is afraid he would not meet the residency requirements. (Courier-Life Newspapers)
4/12/04
A number of possible candidates are trying to decide whether to run for the Assembly seat from the 57th District held by Roger Green. (Courier-Life Newspapers)
2/16/04
Roger Green's guilty plea to petty larceny charges ends his legal aspects of the case but raises a number of political questions. The guilty plea seems likely to derail any plans Green might have had to run for Congress and could
affect his chance of being re-elected to the Assembly seat he has held since 1981. (Courier-Life Newspapers)
Learn More:
• Albany's Dysfunction
• Blame Albany
• How Albany Controls New York City
• Will Albany Scandals Lead to Reform?
• Albany Rules?
• Upstate Downstate Debate
Eye on Albany Campaign 2004 home