[NYtenants-online] TenantNet Election Picks 11/2/04
Tenant
tenant@tenant.net
Tue, 02 Nov 2004 09:03:07 -0500
NYtenants Online/TenantNet Election Special 11/2/04
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Highlights:
1. Kerry for President
2. Say NO to Chuck Schumer
3. Other Local NYC candidates
4. Say NO to the Working Families Party
5. Voting information
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FOR PRESIDENT
We figured that by last weekend, few of our readers had not made up their
minds on the presidential election. In that the last month of the
pre-election circus has created the worst case of angst in recent memory,
we felt there was no reason to add to the cacophony.
But this morning, as your TenantNet Webmaster arrived at his polling place,
accustomed to being the first or second in line, we discovered at least
thirty semi-cheery faces already waiting, and that line grew to at least a
hundred by 6:30 AM. We felt there was more to say.
Kerry.
Are you surprised? Given the Bush agenda to deplete Section 8 housing,
Homeless Assistance, Public Housing, and the general Republican Party
agenda to kill of rent protections in New York State, there are plenty of
reasons to suggest Kerry for President.
As many know, Kerry, his party and their platform are also wanting. Our
pick would have been Ralph Nader who has been solid on the issues for many
years. Nader was the only national candidate to come to New York to speak
against the Mayor's idiotic stadium and West Side plans. No one else did.
Moreover, Nader has a voice that should not be silenced and we hope to
continue working with those who champion the issues consistently raised by
Ralph Nader. This is not Nader's year (not that anyone ever expected him to
win).
While the lever goes to Kerry, the voice should be Nader. Given the need
for not only the electoral vote (where NY is not at play) but also the
legitimacy of the popular vote (where NY does matter), a vote for Kerry
could make a difference, even in New York City.
So should a principled vote on the issues happen only when it doesn't
really make a difference? We remain conflicted over this.
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SAY NO TO CHARLES SCHUMER
Charles Schumer is seeking his second term as a US Senator. Many hoped he
would turn around the office from the back-door deal making of former
Senator Alphonse D'Amato. That didn't happen. Being little more than a
publicity hound, Schumer is wanting to run for Governor in 2006 tired of
being second-fiddle to Hillary. Given his record, we shudder at that thought.
But Schumer has done a lot of damage. Being the quintessential Democratic
party hack, Schumer used money mostly contributed by developers and bankers
and convened his "Group of 35" -- AKA 35 developers -- to create a report
calling for the bulldozing of much of the West Side of Manhattan and parts
of Brooklyn for office towers. As is now coming out in the papers, his
report simply did not tell the truth when it suggested the need for 60
million square feet of new office towers whether or not neighborhoods and
tenants might be in the way.
In a recent debate, Schumer would not answer the question on the West Side
stadium and instead mumbled that the No. 7 subway extension must be built.
This is part of the Hudson Yards plan that would cost New York City
taxpayers over $4 billion.
Instead of Schumer, we suggest Dave McReynolds on the Green ticket. See
more at:
http://www.mcreynoldsforsenate.org/index.html
http://www.gothamgazette.com/feds/McReynolds_102504.php
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OTHER LOCAL NYC CANDIDATES
The remainder of our picks are based on local issues and the character of
those running. All political parties should be equal opportunity targets.
Republicans, in their inherent nature, may too often be bad boys and girls,
but it's the Democrats that ... when not watched ... will try to emulate
their horrific cousins, fool their constituents and become apologists for
landlords and developers.
Democrats ... often hacks masquerading as progressives ... must be held
accountable. While they often get bent out of shape when you point out some
of the horrible things they're doing, they must be reminded that
constituents do not work for them.
For these reasons,
WE DO NOT ENDORSE either Tom Duane for State Senator or Richard Gottfried
for NYS Assembly on the West Side of Manhattan. While their re-election is
a given, a message needs to be sent to candidates that claim to support
tenants and neighborhoods, but who engage in deception. Both Duane and
Gottfried have a record of fighting the good fight, but now they support
much of the Mayor's plan for skyscrapers on the West Side and have deceived
the Chelsea and Clinton communities. Are they protecting their flanks, the
Senate and Assembly leadership, the size of their office staffs or
committee assignments? It might be any or all of these reasons, but they
are not now protecting the communities they were elected to serve.
Maybe to a slightly lesser extent the same is true for State Senators Eric
Schneiderman (31st District-West Side, Washington Hts, Bronx), Liz Kruger
(26th District-East Side, Midtown) and Assemblymember Scott Stringer
(Manhattan, Upper West Side). They have all gone along with the deception
created by Richard Gottfried, Tom Duane and City Councilmember Christine
Quinn (Quinn is not running for re-election this year).
Likewise, US Congressman Jerrold Nadler (Manhattan, West Side) seems to be
protecting his dream for a cross-harbor rail tunnel by offending Mayor
Bloomberg or Dan Doctoroff on the West Side plans.
In other areas, we recommend against politicians that support tenant and
neighborhood-busting bad development, either on the West Side of Manhattan,
in Harlem, in Prospect Heights or Williamsburg (Brooklyn). this is not an
exhaustive list, but:
SAY NO to Roger Green -- the Brooklyn Assemblyman surrendered his seat last
summer after pleading guilty to theft of public money. Within hours of
resigning, he announced he was running again. Of course Brooklyn Democrats
just went along.
SAY NO to Assemblyman Clarence Norman, Brooklyn's Democratic county boss,
who faces felony charges yet appears a shoo-in for re-election.
SAY NO to Martin Goldin (State Senate, Brooklyn)
SAY NO to Gregory Meeks (US Congress, Queens)
SAY NO to Brian McLaughlin (Assembly District 25, Queens)
SAY NO to Michael Gianaris (Assembly District 36, Queens)
In Staten Island and a bit of Brooklyn, former assemblyman Frank Barbaro is
challenging Republican Vito Fossella, who is an apologist for Bush and the
Republican party. Barbaro has a strong record of fighting for tenants and
deserves a chance.
Some tenant groups suggest voting for any Democratic candidate running for
the NY State Senate. Notwithstanding our comments above, there is some
sense to this. And there are others:
Diane Savino is seeking election in the 23rd District (Brooklyn/Staten
Island, running for the seat held by retiring Lachman)
Jeff Klein (34th District, Bronx/Westchester, running for the vacant
Velella seat)
Jose Serrano (28th District, East Harlem/Bronx, running against Republican
Olga Mendez)
The future of tenant protections, rent regulations and strong neighborhoods
depends on tenants' and residents' abilities to force out Republican
control of the State Senate. BUT IS ALSO DEPENDS ON HOLDING DEMOCRATS AND
THE WFP CANDIDATES' FEET TO THE FIRE.
Electing Democrats is not good enough. Make them do the right thing once in
office.
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AVOID WORKING FAMILIES PARTY - DO NOT VOTE ON LINE E
If you're going to vote for someone claiming to be liberal or progressive,
we suggest you do it on the Democratic Line.
The Working Families Party (WFP) does not meet the test of a progressive
vote. The idea of third parties in New York State is to pressure the
mainstream parties to adopt candidates and positions more in line with
progressive thinking, but with WFP, the reverse has happened on many issues.
Except for one candidate last year, the WFP is essentially a rubber-stamp
for the worst hacks the Democratic Party can offer. They started this a few
years ago with Peter Vallone. Some question why bring up the one-time
Vallone candidacy. After all, they saw that by supporting Vallone, they
could boot-strap the WFP into the realm of legitimate third parties. They
did that and even knocked-off the so-called Liberal Party. And to be fair,
the WFP did fight for a fair minimum wage bill.
So maybe that made sense at the outset, but then why is the WFP now
supporting Chuck Schumer, Sheldon Silver (who must bear responsibility for
allowing the dismantling of tenant protections), Brian McLaughlin
(promoting neighborhood bull-dozing), Clarence Norman, Jr. (Brooklyn party
boss) and others such as Vito Lopez, Darryl Towns, Keith Wright, Gregory
Meeks ... and yes, Gottfried, Duane, and Nadler? In other years, the WFP
has also supported the likes of Christine Quinn and Virginia Fields.
All of these incumbents are on record as either decimating tenants' rights
or supporting neighborhood-busting re-zoning plans.
The idea of WFP is mostly union-centric (although they bill themselves as
progressives). But these days many unions have become parodies of their
former selves, making many bad deals. A central part of WFP is ACORN,
supposedly tenant advocates and housing developers, but these days acting
more like a poverty pimps than advocates for communities.
ACORN is supporting much of the Mayor's West Side plans and has made a deal
with Bruce Ratner to support his Brooklyn basketball arena that would
displace many residents. In recent years, groups like ACORN seem to be
carrying water for the administration -- supporting bad development in
exchange for getting pork from the developer or the administration. And
recently ACORN has been promoting the idea of "Inclusionary Zoning," a
zoning mechanism that sounds good on its face, but is being used to
undermine opposition to bad development, guarantees neighborhood
destabilization and a net-loss of affordable housing through secondary
displacement.
Some of WFP's constituent groups include the construction trades and UNITE
-- groups that support the Mayor's plans for a West Side stadium, the
Brooklyn arena and other bad zoning.
These days WFP could be called the 'Wrecking-Ball Family Party.' A
progressive third party is a good idea, but the WFP follow-through has been
horrible. We hope they will improve, but they have a long way to go.
Until then, we suggest if you're going to vote Democratic, do so on the
Democratic ticket.
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INFO ON HOW TO VOTE
http://www.gothamgazette.com/article/issueoftheweek/20041101/200/1170
POLLING HOURS AND HELP LINES
The polls in New York are open from 6 AM to 9 PM. If you are registered,
you should have received a yellow card mailing in September. Bring that or
your ID to the polls.
NYC Board of Elections: (866) VOTE-NYC or (212) 868-3692.
The TDD number is (212) 487-5496.
Board of Election on the web at www.vote.nyc.ny.us
The NY Public Interest Research Group and Common Cause/NY Help Line at
(212) 822-0282
Polls in New Jersey will be open from 7 AM to 8 PM. For assistance, call
(877) NJ-VOTER.
Polls in Connecticut will be open from 6 AM to 8 PM. For more information,
call (860) 509-6100.