life in the sonic age

First the disclaimer: Devin Cohen is a friend of mine. However, everything I am writing is factual. Thankfully, I don’t have to embelish anything.

Several months ago I had lunch with Roger Adler and two other people. Roger wanted to have lunch with us because of our roles in IND (Independent Neighborhood Democrats). I am the Chairman of the Executive Board of IND, however, what I am writing here is my personal opinion. Roger told us he wanted to run for a judgeship. His plan was to run against an incumbent. That’s an uphill battle in any election, but against a sitting democratic judge, it’s almost unheard of and almost impossible to win. His pitch was simple, support me or I’ll run against Devin Cohen for Civil Court (he actually said it that way). He also said he was prepared to put several hundred thousand dollars of his savings into this race and he would outspend Cohen. We explained to Roger that the way IND works is that everyone gets to vote. We don’t tell people who to vote for. It’s a democratic process.

Several weeks later Roger announced that he was running for the same seat as Devin. He has no experience with Civil Court so it’s a poor fit. But it’s also what Roger has done in the past as a lawyer that makes me uncomfortable. For example:

Adler worked pro bono for the Conservative Party on its legal brief against same sex marriage in New York. He also made financial contributions to the Conservative Party (remember, he’s is a member of the Democratic Party).

Adler represented (jailed) former Democratic Party boss Clarence Norman during his various corruption trials, something he neglects to mention on his flyers.

He has put over $200,000 of his own money into this race! To be blunt, he is trying to buy a judgeship!

Here’s my last point:

You walk into a court room. You are suing the city because you were walking across the street one night and there was a large pothole in the way. You didn’t see it because the street light was out. You fell and broke your ankle. You are suing the city asking them to pay your medical bills. Sitting behind the bench is either Roger Adler (top left) or Devin Cohen (pictured below). You know Adler’s record (see above), and you’ve been told that Devin Cohen is a volunteer EMT, who has been working in the

community for years and is a past chair of the Environmental Protection Committee of Community Board 6.

Who do you want deciding your case?

It’s that simple!

Turnout will be very light - so you’re vote really counts. And you’re vote will make a difference in the lives of a lot of people. So what are you going to do?

Citizens Union is sponsoring a debate between Marty Connor and Dan Squadron, Wednesday, September 3 at Francis College
180 Remsen Street (between Court and Clinton Streets)
Brooklyn Heights
7:00 -9:00 PM

get there early, stay late!

I have to admit, I don’t mind when an incumbent is challenged. To me, a strong democracy means that office holders, every now and then, get challenged. However, I also believe the races should be clean, honest and that one candidate should not try and “buy” the office.

That brings me to one local race: State Senate, Connor and Squadron. But first let’s travel back two years. In 2006 Connor faced Ken Diamondstone. I’ve known Ken for years. What I didn’t know and didn’t expect was a nasty race from Ken from day one. When I ran for office many years ago, against an incumbent, I ran a positive race about ideas. I talked about what I was going to do. Ken veered off that road to a great extent. And that brings me to Dan Squadron. His campaign, thankfully, isn’t too nasty - yet. But the truth has taken a back seat. Squadron has said “For years, Senator Connor has failed to muster the funds and political will to get Brooklyn Bridge Park built. He has had ample opportunity to display leadership that delivers results and has not done so”

That is simply not true. You can disagree with where Marty Connor stands on an issue, but to say something that is just false is not cool (or words to that effect).

In 2002 when the park was announced (again) Marty Connor said this “Today is the real beginning of the realization of a dream pursued by Brooklyn’s waterfront neighborhoods. This dream coalesced from the cooperative work of community residents and their elected officials. The result will be a magnificent world-class park that will be enjoyed by generations.”

In 2000 the Port Authority wrote this “BBPDC’s 15-member Board of Directors is comprised of representatives from various neighborhood organizations in communities along the waterfront, as well as the area’s elected officials - Borough President Howard Golden, Representatives Ed Towns and Nydia Velazquez, State Senator Martin Connor, State Assemblywoman Joan Millman, and City Councilman Ken Fisher.” Marty wasn’t a no show, he worked for the park and I happen to know (because he told me and a lot of the people) that it’s important to him. He once told me that he really looked forward to going down to the park after he retired and fishing there. I know that sounds corny, but he meant it. He also told me that at a meeting several years ago one of his sons showed up. He wasn’t expecting to see him there and asked him why he had come. His son said that they were removing something in the park that he and his friends wanted and he was there (with his friends) to fight for getting it back.

Squardon has come out and stated clearly that he is against apartments in Brooklyn Bridge Park. That’s good news. But it makes me wonder why people like Anthony Weiner and Mike Bloomberg have endorsed him. They are on the record as having no problem with apartments in the park. And then there’s the Atlantic Yards project. I don’t know where Dan Squadron stands on the Atlantic Yards Project (I’ve heard through the grapevine that he is against the project). But when I searched I couldn’t find anything on his web site. We know where his supporters stand. Weiner, Bloomberg and Schumer are for it. So what are we to think? Do they know something we don’t know? And then there’s the NY Times Endorsement for Squadron. They’re also pro Atlantic Yards and also don’t seem to have a problem with apartments in a public park. Then again, they endorsed Ken Diamondstone two years ago. So maybe they aren’t so much for Squadron as they are against Connor.

For the record, Marty Connor has managed to get $87 million allocated for Brooklyn Bridge Park. You can argue that it’s not enough, but you can’t say he didn’t do it.

Sqaudron’s latest mailing is another cheap shot. It’s a recycled mailing from Ken Diamondstone about cigarette money. The last time Connor took money from tobacco was 7 years ago. Squadron says Connor took $11,375. It was actually one check for $600. Connor says he asked that it be returned and it wasn’t. I don’t know if that part is true or not, but it doesn’t matter at this point. What does matter is that Squadron knows that (and if he doesn’t he should), but obviously he doesn’t care if he misleads the voters. He also goes on to say (write actually) that Connor voted on the side of big tobacco. But Connor said on the Senate floor that the reason he was voting against the tobacco bill was because he wanted a total ban on tobacco sales in New York.

A few weeks ago I ran into Dan Squardon outside my apartment. He was out campaigning. We chatted for a few minutes and the last thing he said to me was “Thankfully it hasn’t gotten ugly yet”. Little did I know that he would be the one to make it ugly in his next few mailings. Those mailings are dishonest and misleading. Others can disagree, but that’s not the guy I want representing me in Albany. If you can’t run a clean and honest campaign, find something else to do for a living.

In Sunday’s NY Times there is an article about a couple who have purchased a condo at 1 Brooklyn Bridge Park. I don’t know what they were told or promised, but they are going to be a little disappointed and maybe upset after reading this.

Their condo faces Brooklyn not the waterfront. That means it also faces the BQE. So here’s some bad news. In about 6-8 years you’re going to be facing a massive construction site. I guess no one told you that the cantelevers are going to have to be worked on. Actually, the plan right now is to kind of replace them. A big job that will take many years. And sorry, but that will be your view for a while. The way things happen in NYC, you could get lucky. It could be 10 years from now and by them you will have moved on. While that’s tough news, there’s more. The last sentence in the article reads:

“In a perfect world we would have outdoor space,” Mr. Pillartz said, “but within a year we should have a whole park outside our backyard. I call that close enough.”

Ooops. Mr. Pillartz, I have some more bad news. You are about 5 years away from seeing that park. And as someone who supports one version of the park, and is looking forward to the park as much as you, it’s just not going to happen as soon as we want.

But there is good news: Brooklyn Heights is a great place to live. Welcome - seriously.

The Brooklyn Papers has written about the shameful way Roger Adler is trying to lie-buy-win a Civil Court Jusgeship.

Mike McLaughlain writes:
Civil Court candidate Roger Adler was once a lawyer for disgraced former party boss Clarence Norman. He claims that he is a political outsider.

This week, Adler blanketed voters in Brooklyn Heights, Cobble Hill, Carroll Gardens and other Brownstone Brooklyn barrios that make up the Civil Court’s first district with an attack ad that painted Cohen as (cue the horror movie music) “president [of] a Democratic Political Club.”

“Will political clubs control the judicial election process or can a nonpolitically experienced lawyer with deep bar association experience succeed?” Adler told The Brooklyn Paper. “I come out of a nonpolitical milieu.”

Adler might not have been affiliated with a club like Cohen’s reform-oriented Independent Neighborhood Democrats, but he was the lawyer for jailed former Democratic county boss Clarence Norman, who has been convicted of embezzling campaign funds and accused of extorting kickbacks from judicial candidates.

Adler’s legal advice came in handy when Norman and an ally were charged in 2004 with demanding $100,000 from two incumbent judges to retain the Democratic party’s support of their campaigns.

Those candidates didn’t pay — and they weren’t re-elected. But Adler maintained that the entire case against Norman boiled down to “a bunch of sore losers who wanted to blame someone,” he told the New York Post back then.

Read the entire article here.

Is it just me or is it strange that a candidate who calls himself a progressive would advertise being endorsed by people who are not at all progressive.

Schumer: middle of the road Democrat. For the Atlantic Yards project, against marriage for GLBT community.

Bloomberg: Billioniare Mayor who runs the city like a billionaire. Tried to get the olympics (never had a chance, blew millions of dollars on a pipe dream), loves the Atlantic Yards, no problem with apartments in Brooklyn Bridge Park.

Scott Stringer: no comment.

I have long been a supporter of wind farms and solar energy. The combination of these two clean energy systems can cut our dependance on oil by a massive amount. But putting a windmill on top of a bridge or a building? Really? You need many windmills to generate enough energy to make it worthwhile. You need to put them where there is a lot if wind, a lot of the time. You need to make sure that the spinning turbine will not affect the integrity of the building. You need to make sure that nothing will go wrong with the turbine (you know, falling over and stuff). The planners of Brooklyn Bridge Park had an idea to put a small wind farm in the East River. I thought is was a great idea and encouraged them to do it. But after they did the research, they discovered that there isn’t enough wind to make it work there. If the Mayor is really serious, which is often hard to tell, he should insist that all new buildings that have ample sunlight have solar panels. But he hasn’t done that. Nearing the end of his term he’s looking for something, anything that will make him look better than history will judge him.

I just received the latest mailer for Roger Adler, who wants to be a Civil Court Judge. Actually, he wants to be in criminal court, he’s hoping they’ll put him if he wins. Hopefully that won’t happen.

Adler has the audacity to write that his opponent, Devin Cohen has been endorsed by so many people that he is “their candidate”. While the truth is that no one thinks Adler would be good for this job so they endorsed the person they felt was best qualified and more importantly, best suited for the job.

Just take a look at the flyer (if you received it). Look at his picture. Imagine walking into a courtroom and he’s sitting behind bench #1. Then look at Devin Cohen (http://devincohen.com). Imagine he’s sitting behind bench #2. Who do you want to hear your case? The young guy who’s been working with the community for his entire adult life, or the guy (Adler) who donated $9,000 to the NY State Conservative Campaign Committee, and $2,220 to the Conservative Party of NY State. Somehow he fails to mention that in his flyer.

And his flyer is not truthful about quite a few things. He writes that Devin Cohen “does not live in our community”. Really? Then how is Cohen Chair of the CB6 Public Safety Committee, Why did he fight to save FDNY Engine 204’s firehouse from being sold by the City. Why would he volunteer as an Emergency Medical Technician with the Park Slope Volunteer Ambulance Corps.

Bottom line, Adler’s flyer is not honest. That (IMHO) disqualifies him from sitting on the bench. And that’s why no one has endorsed him.

EDIT: My mistake - Vito Lopez, who took over for former (and jailed) Democratic County Leader Clarence Norman, has endorsed Adler. Adler had represented Norman when he was in trouble. Adler also donated money to Clarence Norman. The Lopez endorsement is strangely absent from his latest flyer.

Dan Squadron is trying to unseat Marty Connor. For the purposes of this post, I am asking a simple question: Does an endorsement from Chuck Schumer help?

Let’s take a look at why Schumer endorsed Squadron. The Daily News wrote “Sen. Chuck Schumer, who likes to say he doesn’t choose sides in Democratic primaries, is poised to break that rule yet again in a contentious state Senate race. According to Connor, Schumer, speaking in “a cold voice,” informed the former state Senate minority leader: “You weren’t there when I needed you; I owe you nothing.” At issue was Connor’s 1998 endorsement of then-Rep. Schumer’s U.S. Senate primary opponent, Geraldine Ferraro. Schumer went on to win the primary that year and oust Republican Sen. Alfonse D’Amato in the general election.

Schumer informed Connor his decision was also due to “loyalty” to former aides.
But the senator has opted against endorsing ex-staffers at least twice, staying neutral when Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-Brooklyn, Queens) ran for mayor in 2005, and again in 2006 when Brooklyn Councilman David Yassky ran for Congress.”

Do you consider Chuck Schumer to be a progressive? I don’t. Squadron co-wrote his middle of the road book “Positively American”. Which is far from progressive. Sqaudron has never held office, has not been involved with the community where he is running, and we really don’t know what kind of State Senator he’ll be. We do know that once you’re in office, you’re there for a long, long time. So in the words of Clint Eastwood, “Do you feel lucky?”