I don't comment upon pending or impending matters of litigation in the United States of America or its territories.
This may mean I have to quit talking about New York State politics.
Luckily, there’s always The Blues to talk about, although there’s a top that these days has a one to one correspondence with more than one pol’s existence.
Here now the News:
LIZ BENJAMIN: “The Boylands, I’m told, have a pretty good lock on [Bill “Junior” Boyland’s] district, so might be able to control who runs there, if the assemblyman goes. (Please feel free to weigh in/correct me on this).”
You betcha, Liz.
In the last two contested elections in the area, the Boylands came up short.
In 2009, Former Councilwoman Tracy B, Junior‘s sister, lost an effort to return to her old roost to the present incumbent, Darlene Mealy (who'd previously beat former Assemblyman William “Senior” (AKA “Frank”) Boyland for Council seat.
In 2010, Mealy, running for re-election to the District Leader slot (once held by “Mrs. Junior,“) beat back an unlikely clusterfuck which included the Boyland Family, the Barron Family, the Clarke Family, and the WFP all gang-banging up to go medieval upon her.
So Mealy clearly has a credible alternative power base to the Boylands, and the motivation of term limits to want the Assembly seat.
I suspect that the Boylands, a crowd with more technical expertise and experience than Mealy, control the AD's Democratic County Committee, but in the event the seat open, they would be left without a guiding leader, and they would be left without a leader under circumstances which might dispirit their supporters; with the leadership also up, a deal or a real fight might be possible at county committee, and a real fight possible in the streets.
As far as a vacant District Leadership, that would be controlled by the County Party's Executive Committee, complete with Vito Lopez's 11 phantom votes. Lopez backed Mealy for leader, but so did his purported rival, Ed Towns, so who knows? But with Mealy left the only incumbent leader, and with her holding the Council seat regardless, one can see why County might find supporting her choice the better bet than going with that of the Boylands.Fallout (Updated) www.capitaltonight.com
By contrast, this article is correct that should a Senate vacancy occur in Southern Brooklyn, Councilman Lew Fidler would be a credible candidate (as well as the only pol who even resembles a liberal who could possibly win here — as I pointed out back when same sex marriage lost a Senate floor vote, this conservative district went pretty strongly for McCain and continues to trend even more rightward).
But Igor Oberman as a frontrunner?!?
Is someone smoking crack?
Oberman, an administrative law judge at the Taxi and Limousine Commission, announced an abortive race against Kruger last year, race, but dropped out after the full weight of a Carl Kruger clusterfuck landed upon him. One cannot blame him for getting out while the getting was good.
However, one can blame Oberman for his cowardly statement of retreat: “I believe [Kruger] is someone important to Brooklyn and the Democratic majority,…There was room at the table for another person, but at this point I would say that we need someone like him representing Brooklyn."
Now forgotten, but apparently not gone, Igor Oberman squandered what little credibility he had left, and then, to put the cherry on top of the cake, received his reward: a part time job with Marty Markowitz. Fidler, Olberman Emerge As Top Names for Kruger Seat | The New York Observer www.observer.com
While I won't talk about anyone's pending trial, this is a different matter.
Query: Is it completely incredible that a whole bunch of State Senate Democrats could be stupid enough take a check and deny ever receiving it?
Sadly, the answer is "No." The evidence is overwhelming that the Senate's Democratic Conference is full of members that stupid.
But that doesn't make it likely. NYPIRG Follows The Money: Major Wrinkle In Carl Kruger's Donation Reports? Updated! www.nydailynews.com
A final question to ponder; how, if at all does this impact redistricting?
This is not only a question if the affected legislators remain in office into the next election cycle, but also if they don't.
Even a term-limited City Councilmember might have second thoughts about running in a district which might no longer exist come 2012.