By now most of you readers know that I have endorsed the following candidates:
Chris Owens (11th Congressional), Eric Adams (20th Senatorial), and Terry Hinds (58th AD/ Male District Leader); and since today is the infamous “Thursday before the Tuesday”, let me lengthen my endorsement list before it’s too late to make an impact / lmao. I will save the gubernatorial race for last.
Upballot: vote for Sean Patrick Maloney for Attorney General. Even though Mark Green is better suited to this job than Andrew Cuomo (and it’s not even close, so don’t even try debating this), it’s really hard for me to vote for Green. I don’t think that I have to go into the reasons beyond saying: 2001. Cuomo reminds me of the guy who proposed marriage to this fancy uptown chick (gubernatorial run), and after being rejected fell back on the girl next door for solace (AG). Maloney has done surprisingly well (to me) in the debates, and I think it’s time for new blood.
Queens: I hope both Ada Smith and Julia Harrison lose/ nuff said. I will endorse Hiram Monserrate for the 13th Senatorial District; much to his surprise I am sure.
Manhattan, Bronx and Staten Island: no endorsements. I really haven’t had time to sort those races out. I suggest that you guys rely on Gatemouth’s analysis here. Just like a clock that is broken, he is usually correct twice a day (lol).
Brooklyn: First and foremost; I endorse Jesse Hamilton for the 43rd Assembly district. It’s time to make a clean break from the past and to exorcise ghosts of representatives gone. Jesse deserves our support. He and his family have been active in this area for many many years. Plus Jesse served us well during his school board stint. I urge you all to vote for him.
In the 40th AD, the choice is obvious: Kenneth Evans. Mr. Evans who is an expert on health issues will restore some needed decency to a tainted office. In the male leader race (same district), the choice here is Andre Mitchell. The present incumbent (Williams) needs to move on and make way for the young folk. Williams has already had some health issues and this position doesn’t help in that regard. For female leader, Ms. Ortiz will do. Diane Gordon currently holds this position (also), and she is an embarrassment. Vote for Ms. Ortiz as many times as you can/lol.
In the 56th AD, all I have to say to Mr. Richard Taylor is this: doing the same thing, year in year out hasn’t worked. Sometimes you have to re-group. As much as I wish you luck in this year’s race, I still think that your strategy for bringing change to the district isn’t practical anymore. You need to re-think it. Your good-buddy Guillermo Philpott (who tries his best to emulate your pattern), isn’t going to win an ED in the 20th Senatorial. Serious challenges require long-term planning, organization, support, money, etc. Otherwise, it’s all an exercise in futility.
In the 57th AD, let’s finally send Hakeem Jeffries to Albany. We should have done this six years ago. I would hope that Mr. Batson doesn’t just disappear, thus making his run a one-shot deal. There may be other opportunities for him in races down the road. He is a decent candidate.
In the 58th AD, I endorse Gale Reed-Barnett for female district leader. Gale is the present incumbent, so you can’t say that Uncle Rocky never endorses electeds.
In the 25th Senatorial do vote for Mr. Diamondstone. It’s time for a change here.
In the 18th Senatorial: no endorsement. Let them duke it out. Ms. Montgomery hasn’t had a primary challenge since 1996. I am glad that Tracey Boyland ran; if only for one reason: we need more challenges to these incumbents.
I make no other endorsements in Brooklyn races, and that includes the 10th Congressional race. I did make a bet however (bottle of wine) than that Charles Barron wins the 40th AD over Ed Towns and Roger Green. I expect Towns to prevail in the race mainly because I expect the ‘white’ vote to crush Barron.
I was going to make two endorsements in Brooklyn’s judicial races, but I have since decided not to do that. So on to the gubernatorial race.
As much as I believe that Spitzer has earned his way to the mansion, many people I respect in this game seem leery about the snippets he has given, relative to reforming Albany. They cite his endorsements and also his connections to the many people and the many entities wherein “the problems” reside. They believe that Suozzi-on the other hand- will have a hard reform-road ahead if he were to miraculously win the primary, since they feel that he has alienated too many with his slash and burn campaign. They also question his approach to the problem, and the tactics he has employed so far in attempting to find some solutions. To them it’s a catch-22 situation. I take a more pragmatic view of all this.
As much as I have leaned to Suozzi for some time now, he never closed the deal on my vote; as such I am going to vote for Spitzer. At the moment he represents (to me) the best chance we have for reform. I am hopeful but not too optimistic. I do hope also, that Suozzi stays active within the party and mend some fences too. This doesn’t mean that he should give up his reform quest. As I said here on this site many months ago (see my “Letter to Tom Suozzi”), he is a very good candidate running in the wrong year, and upon that: running for the wrong position. That’s unfortunate. I expect that his turn will come one day. I do wish him well.
SIDEBAR: Almost two months ago, I tried to describe the pitfalls of running for office, in a column here (Grapevine#5) that was meant to both entertain and inform. One detractor in the comment section suggested that I was full of “hot air”. After I thought about it for some time, I have decided to enlighten that person and other persistent detractors with some pertinent info.
You see, I have been involved in politics all my life. Very few people can say this. My father ran for office before I was born. He was a founding member of a nationalist political party in Trinidad and Tobago, West Indies. That party (PNM) just celebrated its 50th anniversary, and after all those years it is still viable and functioning as the ruling party in government. He also ran for national office when I was a toddler. He won a council seat in the capital city before my age was in double digits. I have been on so many motorcades, attended so many indoor and outdoor public meetings, political events and/or debates, and have been involved in so many political campaigns etc. that the numbers are mind-boggling. Plus in this country (USA), I attended university and studied Political Science-beyond being a community activist. I don’t write from guess, or from second-hand info. I have been there. Chew on that while you formulate your next moronic dig at me.
Stay tuned-in folks, Uncle Rocky hasn’t left as yet. I still have nine days.