The book, collected from Ms. Dupré’s “Ask Ashley” columns in the newspaper, gives advice on romance–from lust to healthy relationships.
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Arnold Schwarzenegger mugging for the cameras at McNally-Jackson (Photo: Kara Bloomgarden-Smoke)

Former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger held an impromptu book signing at indie bookstore McNally-Jackson in Nolita this afternoon. Mr. Schwarzenegger announced the surprise signing via Twitter and in a note on Facebook leading a crowd of over 100 almost exclusively male fans to rush downtown to shake the Governator’s large hand and have him sign copies of his tome Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story.

Mr. Schwarzenegger's arrival was preceded by a surprisingly mellow soundtrack featuring Bob Dylan, Simon and Garfunkel and Leonard Cohen. Just about five minutes after the scheduled start of the signing, Mr. Schwarzenegger strolled in, wearing a dark suit, cowboy boots with an Americana pattern and a skull ring nearly as large as his finger. The body builder-turned-politician then sat down to autograph his autobiography at a table next to a cardboard cutout of him in his prime (i.e., flexing in a bikini).

“Thank you so much for putting this together so quickly,” whispered a publicist from Simon & Schuster, the book’s publisher.

Although the Governator’s handlers claimed the event was planned last night, bookstore staff told The Observer they were given a head’s up about the signing late last week.

“You working out? You look pumped up,” Mr. Schwarzengger said as he shook hands, signed books and posed for pictures with fans.

“You know anything about watches? This is a Legacy,” Mr. Schwarzenegger told one fan who complimented the timepiece sticking out from the cuff of his suit jacket. Apparently, the Legacy watch is a good choice for those with large forearms, as it dwarfed Mr. Schwarzenegger’s sizeable wrist.

The Governor was not supposed to pose for pictures or sign anything other than books, but he generously did both.

Reporters were allowed in a small roped off area adjacent to Mr. Schwarzenegger's table and informed they would not be permitted to ask questions. One brave soul from Inside Edition attempted to circumvent the ban.

“You were great on GMA,” she yelled before being gently reminded the Governor was not speaking with the press.

Probably due to the crackdown on reporters, the only remote reference to the love child scandal Ms. Schwarzenegger endured last year at the signing was a fan who said to him, “What happened happened...You are doing the right thing.”

“Thanks. Have a nice day,” the Governor mumbled, before posing for yet another cellphone picture.

Outside the event, where the line of Mr. Schwarzenegger's admirers snaked around Prince Street and more media staked out the signing, it was a different story. Another Inside Edition reporter and a cameraman interviewed fans who exited the signing and asked their thoughts on the Governator's past transgressions.

"You can't judge somebody," said one man who identified himself as a member of an online Schwarzenegger fan club.

"Yes you can!" shouted another man who had been standing in the street watching the proceedings.

An earpiece-clad member of Mr. Schwarzenegger's security team kept watch over the line, enforcing a rule that only those who purchased books could have an audience with the Governator and helping several bewildered patrons who showed up to shop at McNally-Jackson with no idea they were walking into an autograph signing. At one point, we overheard him on the phone with a colleague saying, "Find me a cigar store."

Knowing Mr. Schwarzenegger is a big fan of fine, hand-rolled cigars, we piped in and recommended nearby Mulberry Street Cigars in Little Italy. The security staffer dispensed Mr. Schwarzenegger's personal assistant to check out the cigar shop.

Inside, all 162 copies of Mr. Schwarzenegger’s memoir in stock at McNally-Jackson sold out before the line finished. Fans who were unable to buy books asked if they could pre-order with the store or online and still get pictures with the Governator. The security team informed them there wouldn't be enough time, but, in an attempt to alleviate the disappointment, Mr. Schwarzenegger posed with his last remaining admirers.

One of his handlers told him he had to retake the picture because it was too blurry.

“So don’t shake,” Mr. Schwarzenegger said. “Somebody is schvitzing.”

“Don’t worry, he’ll be back,” somebody said, as the Governor and his entourage departed the bookstore.

Outside, Mr. Schwarzenegger entered his car without taking questions from any of the assembled media. Thinking that, perhaps he and his team had taken us up on our cigar store recommendation, we headed down Mulberry Street to see if we might have another shot to speak with the Governator.

When we arrived, we found Mulberry Street Cigars had the lights off and was closed for the day. It seemed both The Observer and the cigar store missed our respective shots at having a moment with Mr. Schwarzenegger.

“I’d like to answer a question that is on the minds of many today, and the answer is no," said Mr. Hendrick. "Not until I see the ring, and it better be a very big rock.”

“There is a lot of negotiating going on,” said Mr. Van Bramer. The councilman and his partner of 12 years are still working out the details of their own ceremony: location, size, and whether to have the ceremony indoors or outside. The couple is hoping to hash out some of the particulars on a vacation to Puerto Rico next week. “We are really excited to be faced with these questions," Mr. Van Bramer said.

As one of two openly gay Council members from Queens -- Council Speaker Christine Quinn has jokingly called Mr. Van Bramer a “Queen from Queens” -- the day had special significance.

“Who ever thought that this day would ever come in our lifetime?” mused Mr. Van Bramer, before introducing two Western Queens couples who had gotten married earlier in the day.

Gregory Levine and Shane Serkiz planned to make history by marrying on the first day that same-sex marriage was legal in New York State, but they didn’t plan on being the first gay couple in Queens to do it. “On the night of the vote, we turned to each other and said, ‘Oh, I guess we are getting married,’” said Mr. Levine. “We thought it would be a really long line...We just happened to be first.”

Autumn and Rose Sol were the first gay or lesbian couple from Sunnyside to get married. Mr. Van Bramer acted as a witness, even though he hadn't met the couple until today. “It was the smoothest bureaucracy I’ve ever been through,” said Autumn Sol.

Comptroller John Liu, clad in a white Havana shirt, came to Sunnyside to give a toast. The city's resident accountant couldn't help but talk about numbers.

“As I have gone around the city today I have met many couples who are demonstrating their love for each other and starting a new life together even though they have been together for 22 years, for 31 years,” said Mr. Liu. "For the record, Jenny Ginny and I have been together for 16 years. We still have to catch up to some of the incredible couples I have met today."

Liu said the economic impact of same-sex marriage would be “unequivocally positive.”

"But of course that is far from the reason why we should and do have marriage equality," he said. "It is basic fairness and equality, but no question the economic impact will be positive."

Mr. Van Bramer, Mr. Hendrick, Mr. Liu, and the two couples of honor cut a cake that read: Congratulations on Your Wedding. “Let’s raise our glass and toast to love and equality and each other,” said Mr. Van Bramer.

Midway through the toasts, a glass of red wine shattered. Luckily, Mr. Liu's white shirt was not within range, although it did splash on Barbara Baruch, a former school teacher who works in the Comptroller’s Office. “My ex-husband gets a third of my pension, so I’m not so romantic about marriage,” stage-whispered Ms. Baruch.

Hans Von Ritten, a tour guide who lives in Queens, wore a t-shirt that read: “marriage is so gay.”

“I saw the shirt at Pride and wanted one,” said Mr. Von Ritten.

Danyal Lawson and Lou Rispoli wore t-shirts with an iron-on that said “31 years,” which they had made especially for the occasion. Although the couple went to the Queens courthouse for a wedding license, they are waiting to get married until their anniversary on August 10.

Mr. Lawson, who teaches piano, said that he has invited his students and their parents to his wedding. “Twenty years ago that wouldn’t have been possible,” he said.

“Now the main issue is the IRS,” said Mr. Rispoli, who called for federal recognition as the next step. “I never thought this would happen," he said. "It seemed more unlikely than the fall of the Berlin Wall."

Ms. Towns, from her campaign website.

The first round of campaign filings for the 54^th Assembly District gives a glimpse into the proxy battle between three of Brooklyn's power brokers.

Deidra Towns, raised $93,915, the most of any candidate, and also had the most corporate donations with $20,650.

Her father, Congressman Ed Towns, gave $1,000 from his personal account and $3,000 from his reelection fund, and appears to have leaned on some friends in the Congressional Black Caucus.

Illinois Congressman Bobby Rush, South Carolina Congressman Jim Clyburn, Missouri Congressman Lacy Clay Jr. and New Jersey Congressman Don Payne each gave $1,000 from their campaign funds.

Chirlane McCray, who is married to Public Advocate Bill de Blasio, gave $250 to Ms. Towns’ campaign. De Blasio won his seat in 2009 with significant help from the Working Families Party, which has backed one of Towns' opponents, Jesus Gonzalez.

Former Democratic District Leader Steve Cohn, whose son Warren worked for Towns, gave $500.

Rafael Espinal, who serves as City Council member Erik Dilan’s chief of staff and is being supported by Democratic chairman Vito Lopez, raised $70,165, with $15,850 in corporate donations.

New York State Senator Mike Gianaris, from Astoria, gave $3,800 from his campaign fund. Angela Battaglia, Lopez’s girlfriend, donated $200. Citizens for Dilan gave $3,800.

Mr. Espinal collected a significant sum from real estate. His largest corporate donation is $4,100 from Green Star Builders LLC.

Jesus Gonzalez raised a total of $78,650 with 405 transactions from individual donors. Congresswoman Nydia Velasquez gave $4,100 from her reelection campaign. District Leader Lincoln Restler donated $250 – and his parents gave $500. City Council member Charles Barron and his wife, Inez, each gave $250. The candidate himself gave the campaign $27.

Courtesy Jesus Gonzalez for Assembly

On a recent Wednesday afternoon, Jesus Gonzalez finished a Newport outside his Bushwick office, then ducked to the back with a comb and some gel. He emerged with his close-cropped hair slicked down, and picked up a stack of campaign literature before setting out to knock on some doors.

“It is one of the oldest community organizing tactics,” said Mr. Gonzalez, in an untucked beige polo shirt, an oversized blazer, baggy jeans and shiny patent leather kicks. “Even Jesus’ disciples did it to spread the word.”

Mr. Gonzalez, who goes by the English pronunciation of his first name, Jesus – though some supporters have quietly tried to push the Spanish pronunciation for the campaign – will need some new converts to win the upcoming special election in New York’s 54^th Assembly District.

The district, which comprises parts of Bed-Stuy, Bushwick, Cypress Hills and East New York, cuts across three of Brooklyn’s warring political clans. Mr. Gonzalez is backed by a coalition of Latino community groups and young reformers in North Brooklyn, led by Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez. Running against Mr. Gonzalez in the three-way race are candidates backed, respectively, by two Brooklyn institutions: the borough’s powerful Democratic chairman, Vito Lopez, and its longest-serving congressman, Ed Towns.

“I represent a new wave in politics. I represent a generation called the Hip Hop Generation,” said Mr. Gonzalez, who, at 26, is campaigning for the first time, after nearly a decade working at Make the Road, an influential community group making its first foray into electoral politics. “It’s the bridge that brings together young and old. It’s a breath of fresh air in the political sphere.”

(His personal Facebook page shows photos of Mr. Gonzalez registering voters at a “Hip Hop for Jesus G” fundraiser earlier this month, along with some photos of him competing in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and a few of him drinking tequila shots at his birthday party.)

His campaign literature proclaims Mr. Gonzalez “The Real Democrat for State Assembly,” a reaction to the fact he won’t actually appear on the Democratic ballot line –which is controlled by the local party chairman, Mr. Lopez – when voters go to the polls on September 13.  Instead, he’ll appear on the ballot line of the labor-backed Working Families Party, which endorsed him last week.

His supporters hope that the W.F.P.’s vaunted field operation and some high-profile endorsements, combined with Mr. Gonzalez’s youthful energy and Make the Road’s new political arm, can deliver him to the Assembly and, in the process, cement a new coalition with enduring power in Brooklyn politics.

“He has charisma, wisdom, dedication, real work in the community,” said T.J. Helmsetter, the Working Families Party communications director. “He is the type of person you actually want in politics. Sometimes in politics you have to ruffle a few feathers when it’s worth it, and this is worth it.”

Mr. Gonzalez is still figuring out exactly how to transition from community organizer to candidate. He practically sprints around the neighborhood as he rings buzzers and approaches prospective voters, mentioning his neighborhood roots at even the slightest opportunity.

On Putnam Avenue, a middle aged woman in Homer Simpson slippers came to the door of a steep-stooped brownstone and, after remarking on Mr. Gonzalez’s youth, asked for reassurance that he won’t be seduced by the office and end up caught in a sex scandal.

“I have a proven track record in the neighborhood,” said Mr. Gonzalez. “I am from here. My father was the Icee man. He now works maintenance at Tompkins Day Care Center in Bed-Stuy. I live just like you and everyone else here.”

Mr. Gonzalez started working at Make the Road when he was 13 – following the example of an older sister who still works for the organization. As one of the founding members of the Youth Power Project, Mr. Gonzalez worked to get other young people from the community involved in campaigning for more neighborhood resources.

In the process, he became a success story for the program. After attending Bushwick Community High School, Mr. Gonzalez received a scholarship to Hofstra University, where he majored in sociology and political science. Mr. Gonzalez returned to Bushwick after college and continued to work at Make the Road.

Last year, Make the Road created a 501(c)4 “action fund,” independent from its core non-profit, that allows the new arm of the organization to raise money for candidates and participate in elections. Turnout for the special election is expected to be particularly low, and the race will be an early measure of whether Make the Road can translate its organizing success into votes.

Mr. Gonzalez’s campaign is largely staffed by people from the organization, many of whom have watched him grow up. Oona Chatterjee, who is currently on leave from her position as co-executive director of Make the Road to run the campaign, met the candidate when he first started with the non-profit as a teenager.

“When he was younger, he was much more of an ‘I don’t trust politicians’ kind of person, and it’s really nice to see his development, because I feel like we were all hoping for that,” said Ms. Chatterjee.

Mr. Gonzalez is still wary of some parts of the process. Before going out to greet voters, he cautioned The Politicker about how his local image might play in the broader press.

“I just want to be careful on how I’m quoted, because we have neighborhood people,” he said. “For example, ‘What’s good, baby?’ To quote that, political insiders aren’t going to understand.”

But the local politicians seem to grasp his appeal.

“I remember Jesus being so young, to see this young person grow up and become the person he has is transformative,” said Ms. Velazquez.  “It’s the hope to find a young person who wants to throw themself into politics.”

“I’m a great campaigner, especially when I know there is a great candidate,” she said. “I’m behind Jesus 100 percent.”

Ms. Velazquez’s congressional district covers about two-thirds of the Assembly district, but Mr. Gonzalez will have competition for the Latino vote. Mr. Lopez’s candidate, Rafael Espinal, is also Latino, and splitting the ethnic vote could help the third candidate -- Mr. Towns’ daughter, Deidra -- who is the lone African-American candidate in the race. (African-Americans make up 33 percent of the district’s voters, and Mr. Towns’ congressional district covers about a third of the Assembly district.)

But Mr. Gonzalez stands to benefit – with both groups – from the long histories of Mr. Lopez and Mr. Towns in Brooklyn’s bare-knuckle politics.

“Jesus is independent, un-bossed and un-bought,” said City Councilman Charles Barron, who ran a primary against Mr. Towns in 2006. “We can’t have people getting elected just because of their last name.”

Mr. Barron is one of the Council’s more outspoken voices advocating for African-American causes, but has shunned Ms. Towns in favor of Mr. Gonzalez.

“I have never even seen Deidra in East New York,” he said. “And Vito, please. I would never support anyone Vito has control over.”

(Mr. Gonzalez recently met with the Reverend Al Sharpton, though a spokesman for the reverend said she was unaware if an endorsement was pending.)

The support from the anti-Lopez camp extends even beyond the district’s borders.

On a recent Wednesday night, Mr. Gonzalez hosted a fundraiser at Bar Celona, a South Williamsburg lounge. His cousin, Jose Lopez, who also works for Make the Road, had hastily arranged what he called an “After Work Celebration!” by Facebook invitation. There were no speeches by the candidate and no elected officials.

About a dozen people milled around, including two Hasidic men from South Williamsburg. “We will be Jews for Jesus,” they said.

A labor lawyer, who has worked with Mr. Gonzalez in the past, handed over a crumpled twenty-dollar bill to the campaign manager, and she looked around for an envelope to put it in.

Earlier this month, local District Leader Lincoln Restler hosted a slightly more lucrative fundraiser at his parents’ Pierrepont Street apartment in Brooklyn Heights, and Mr. Gonzalez’s campaign said on Tuesday that it would report more than $75,000 in contributions, a healthy start for an Assembly campaign.

He also has the support of the New Kings Democrats, an organization of young reformers – including Mr. Restler -- dedicated to chipping away at the entrenched power of Mr. Lopez.

But, for Mr. Gonzalez, it all comes back to the community.

In Bushwick, as he stepped over the open hydrants to reach people sitting on their stoops, a middle-aged man with a clipboard stopped to question him about the bullet points on his flyers.

“Police who respect us,” he read from the literature. “How are you gonna get that from them?”

“I know what it is to get a gun pulled in my face,” said Mr. Gonzalez. “But I also know what it is to get harassed. So just looking for the balance on having safety in the neighborhood but having police who respect us.”

The man nodded approvingly and asked about job creation.

“You go to my opponents, they say, ‘Build Walmart because Walmart brings jobs.’ But they bring shitty jobs,” Mr. Gonzalez said. “So I say let’s bring some good jobs to the neighborhood. What I am saying is this, man, we need an advocate that is from the community.”

“I agree,” the man replied, “for the people, by the people,”.

“I know I represent that,” said Mr. Gonzalez. “Sometimes you plan and it doesn’t work out the way you plan. But, you do know that I won’t compromise those values.”

“You know what’s up,” the man told Mr. Gonzalez.

For now, Mr. Gonzalez’s plan is try to outhustle his opponents.

Around 7 p.m., after two hours of campaigning, he told the staffer walking with him that she could go home. He wanted to pick up the pace.

"I literally jog,” he said. “It's my workout plan."

The front of the silver medal -- which is not technically a coin, since it's not legal tender -- bears the image of lady liberty and the inscription ‘Always Remember,’ and was minted on Congressional mandate as part of an effort to fund the World Trade Center Memorial and Museum.

“It’s important as a commemoration,” said Nadler, who represents the World Trade Center site.  “You have to honor the dead and honor everything that happened. And this is one of those rare events that deserves it. And second, the potentially $20 million of proceeds of the sale of these medals will go to supporting the museum.”

Each medal costs $56.95 --  with $10 going to the memorial and museum-- and the mint is authorized to print up to 2 million, depending on demand.

According to United States Treasurer Rosie Rios, who joined Nadler at the ceremony, about12,000 medals were sold in their first 90 minutes on the market, which amounts to $120,000 for the memorial.

"This medal's design is intended to exalt the memory of those who sacrificed their lives or were injured and the families who continue to show dignity and strength in the face of terrible loss,” Rios said.

Nadler and Senator Chuck Schumer, who did not attend, jointly introduced the bill authorizing the medal, which passed last August. According to Mr. Nadler, “the rules [in Congress] disfavor commemorations, and only the strongest and most heartfelt ones have a chance.”

(Earlier this year, the two legislators fought off an impostor 9/11 coin that was being sold by a Pennsylvania company.)

Joe Daniels, the president of the 9/11 memorial, told The Observer that the partnership with the Mint is crucial in developing broader national support for the memorial, which is estimated to cost $50 million per year.

"We will never ask visitors who wish to pay their respects to the nearly 3,000 victims of 9/11 to pay an admissions charge," Daniels said.  "The evidence of this revitalization shines a spotlight on the failure of Osama bin Laden's murderous attack on this city. It shows that New York's future is bright and its best days are still to come.”

The medal is being advertised in coin collecting trade magazines and is available through the mint’s website.

Keys to the club were stuck on a broken down L train with New Kings’ member and district leader Lincoln Restler, who eventually showed up in a cab, and let the crowd in.

The group was meeting to decide its endorsement in the upcoming special election for the 54^th Assembly District, which was recently vacated by Darryl Towns, who left to join the Cuomo administration—setting off the latest proxy battle over political power in Brooklyn.

On hand was Towns’ sister, Deidra—a candidate for the seat--and their father, longtime Congressman Ed Towns, who Restler acknowledged from the podium.

"I'm here with Deidra Towns, who happens to be my daughter,” the elder Towns told the crowd, before praising Restler.

The race has become something of a referendum on the power of the Towns’ family, with Deidra running against Rafael Espinal, the chief of staff to City Councilman Erik Dilan, who is closely tied to the Brooklyn Democratic chair, Vito Lopez. Last month, Ed Towns lost his own campaign for district leader to Dilan.

"I used to not like politics because my father was never home,” said Deidra, who is running her first campaign. But she also put some distance between her father and her own campaign, saying she still had to knock on doors since “nobody can give me a slot in the Assembly.” She mentioned that she disagreed with her father about Atlantic Yards.

The New Kings have long been hostile to Lopez’s power, and Espinal declined to attend on the grounds that the group’s questionnaire was “prejudicial.”

Jesus Gonzalez, a third—and so far unofficial--candidate, also attended.  Gonzalez has worked as a community organizer at Make the Road for 13 years, a group closely associated with New Kings and Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez. Make the Road recently registered a 501 (c)(4) Action Fund that will allow it to engage more directly in politics, separate from its non-profit organization.

Gonzalez has thrown something of a wrench into the proxy battle Lopez and Towns, and there is some concern among Espinal supporters that he could siphon Latino votes. According to his questionnaire, Gonzalez has raised $26,000, to Deidra Towns’ $50,000.

“I know people might be saying, ‘It looks like he is wearing his father’s suit, looks like he just learned how to put it on yesterday” said Gonzalez, who is 26, and emphasized that his appeal was “fresh blood.”

(The mosquitos buzzing around the un-air conditioned room seemed to agree.)

Amongst Gonzalez’s qualifications, he listed that his father was the local Icee man when he was growing up in Bushwick.

Espinal is expected to be chosen by the county committee for the Democratic line, with Gonzalez pursuing the Working Family Party line, and Deidra Towns running on another line.