(Photo: Callie Lipkin/Albanese Campaign)

Earlier this month, former City Councilman Sal Albanese kicked off his third campaign for mayor on the Democratic line, where he will go head-to-head with a number of major rivals in a packed primary later this year. Even though he last held office in 1997, Mr. Albanese strongly objects to media descriptions--including our own--that gave him long odds, calling them "totally unfair."

"I think you'll see as the campaign progresses that this is a real, viable effort. Starting late puts us behind the eight-ball. That's why some in the media have questioned my ability, but the election is ten months away," he explained over Sunday brunch in a Bay Ridge diner. "They don't know my record, most of them. Second of all, if you look at the race in '97, we garnered 22 percent of the vote. That's a lot of votes."

Mr. Albanese argued the the city's more robust campaign finance system will enable him to be much more viable than he otherwise would be. Furthermore, to boost his efforts at the start of the electoral endeavor, he claimed he would raise "a couple million" dollars in addition to the $100,000 he already loaned his campaign.

"I wouldn't be in this race but for the public finance system," he said. "I wouldn't even compete. But we have the ability to generate a lot of support and raise the money. The only reason why people question my abilities is that these people can raise the money. But look at their track record versus mine. I'll compare my record against any of these people in terms of commitment to public service, in terms of background....Once we raise the money, then it's a level playing field. I don't need $6 million to win, a couple million will do it."

There was one aspect of his record, however, that Mr. Albanese was not in a hurry to talk about. In 2002, he backed Republican Marty Golden's successful campaign against Democratic State Senator Vinnie Gentile. For his current mayoral campaign, Mr. Albanese hired the campaign manager of the Democrat who challenged Mr. Golden last fall, so we inquired about the possible discrepancy.

"That was many many years ago. Marty's a good guy, I obviously don't agree with many of his positions," he said. "One of the things that Marty Golden did have for him at that time was a huge amount of labor support. People I knew in the labor community were supporting him. I'd rather not rehash that."

Mr. Albanese was much happier to discuss his early support for President Obama in 2008 and a list of progressive positions on the hot-button issues of the day that place him ideologically close to his Democratic competitors. In particular, some have theorized that one of those mayoral rivals, Public Advocate Bill de Blasio, has the most to lose should Mr. Albanese take off, as they are both Brooklyn Italian-Americans who could share some of the same voters. Needless to say, Mr. Albanese strongly objected to that line of thought when we brought it up.

"That's ridiculous!" he exclaimed. "First of all, that's an insult to my record as a progressive who appeals to all groups in the city. The idea that Italian-American voters are going to be peeled away from Bill de Blasio is ridiculous. I plan on appealing to all voters in the city, and I've done that! When I won my race in 1992, I won a huge percentage of the Hispanic community in Sunset Park--that was part of the district in those days. That's ludicrous. I've heard that comment before and, again, I think it's absurd."

Mr. Albanese said he'd be demonstrating his seriousness tomorrow when he joins the other Democratic candidates on stage at a forum hosted by Rev. Al Sharpton. He expressed hope that would result in more coverage of his campaign, especially relative to Republican candidates he feels are far less viable than his own.

"I called the New York Times the other day just to find out why did George McDonald--who I know from my City Hall days and I don't think is a strong candidate--warrants an article in the New York Times and we were ignored," he lamented. “The guy hasn't called me back yet. Talk about viability, here I am, I've seeded the campaign with money. I've run before. I did pretty well when I ran....But I'm not knocking McDonald. I'm just saying the media, sometimes they decide that this is the way it's going to be. They write the script. Oh, Albanese is a 'long shot,' check that box. When he announces, we're not going to cover him....And Joe Lhota, who's never run for anything before, he's been crowned as the next coming of whatever."

We pressed Mr. Albanese if he'd describe his own campaign as an uphill effort at all, to which he pushed back, arguing the main challenge is simply persuading the media to pay attention to him.

"I'm not interested in being Don Quixote. I'm interested in running the City of New York. As I said, I think we have the vehicle to do it. I don't think it's uphill at all. The uphill effort is convincing you guys it's real," he said. "You'll see the campaign pick up momentum. You'll say, 'I was wrong about Albanese. He's not really that long of a shot.' You'll say that."

(Photo: Brooklyn Daily file photo)

Former Councilman Sal Albanese, who said last month he'd be officially kicking off his campaign for mayor by December 18, announced his bid this morning. In a moderately lengthy statement on the development, Mr. Albaneese argued he is "uniquely qualified to lead a New York City that leads the world in prosperity and provides a good quality of life for all of its citizens.”

Mr. Albanese, a Democrat who last held office in 1997, a year he campaigned for mayor as well, will have his work cut out for him, however, especially as the mayoral field already contains four candidates capable of arming themselves with millions of dollars and citywide coalitions. Nevertheless, Mr. Albanaese has hired the former campaign manager Andrew Gounardes, a fellow Bay Ridge resident and unsuccessful State Senate candidate last year, and is plowing forward with the electoral effort.

Without further ado, view his full statement below:

Sal Albanese Announces Run For Mayor of New York City

(Brooklyn, NY) Former five-term New York City Councilman Sal Albanese has filed official paperwork with the Campaign Finance Board to run for Mayor of New York City. He will campaign as a Democrat, competing in the September 2013 primary. He will seed his campaign with a personal loan and has hired Chris McCreight as campaign manager and Todd Brogan as communications director. Below is a statement from Albanese regarding his decision:

"The world's greatest city - New York City - deserves a government that works for all New Yorkers. That starts with a Mayor who is independent from party bosses and special interests, who isn't afraid to be honest with the people, and who is focused on the issues New Yorkers care about most.

I will campaign the same way I worked as a Councilman and will work as your Mayor. I will let New Yorkers know where I stand on every issue rather than hedge my answers to avoid criticism. I will run a transparent campaign rather than make backroom deals with party bosses or special interest groups. I will listen to voters from every walk of life and every part of the city rather than ignore entire communities for political expediency. As an immigrant raised in Brooklyn, I will never, ever forget where I come from and what makes this city great: the millions who work hard every day for a fair shot at a good life for themselves.

At the end of the day, New Yorkers need a Mayor who understands the problems they face, brings a smart plan and good people to the table, and, more than anything, has the independence, courage, and conviction to do the right thing. Independence is the key to helping New York City thrive. Without it, taxpayers' concerns are ignored while their money is wasted. Without it, unqualified people are put into positions of power to pay back political debts. Without it, our businesses, schools, and communities suffer.

I stood up for LGBT rights in the 1980s. I fought to give our workers a Living Wage in the 1990s. I put more police on our streets to keep the city safe. And I was a key supporter of term limits, which were scuttled for political gain in 2008. I am the only candidate with the vision, foresight, and voting record that Democratic voters yearn for. In due time, the polls and numbers that pundits tout will show just that.

A candidacy built on genuine popular support, not litmus tests and patronage perks, allows for the kind of independence that our city needs to move forward. That's why I'm running for Mayor. With my experience as a public school teacher, a financial services professional, an attorney, and an independent and progressive Councilman, I am uniquely qualified to lead a New York City that leads the world in prosperity and provides a good quality of life for all of its citizens.”

####

Former New York City Councilman Sal F. Albanese was born in Calabria, Italy, in 1949. At eight years old, he moved to Park Slope, Brooklyn, graduating from John Jay High School in 1967. He received his B.A. in Education from CUNY, York College in 1972. He earned an M.A. in Health from New York University in 1976 and a J.D. from Brooklyn Law School in 1990. He is also a member of the New York State Bar and holds Series 7 and 63 financial services licenses.

Sal was a New York public school teacher for eleven years before running for City Council in 1982. He defeated a 21-year incumbent and went on to win re-election in the 43rd District four times before running for Mayor in 1997. During his Council tenure, Sal was renowned as an expert on police and education issues, an early proponent of LGBT rights, a leader in the fight for a Living Wage, and a strong advocate for campaign finance reform and term limits.

For the past fifteen years, he has worked in the private sector in the legal and financial field. For the last nine years, he worked for Mesirow Financial and held the title of Managing Director. Sal lives in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, with his wife of 40 years, Lorraine. They have two daughters.

Councilman Gentile leading the protest against "Brooklyn 11223"

Elected officials and community members rallied against the upcoming reality show "Brooklyn 11223" this afternoon, lambasting the show as demeaning to women and calling on the Oxygen network to take it off the air.

Councilman Vinnie Gentile, who organized the event, told The Politicker the show "hit such a nerve in Bay Ridge and we had such a reaction from the locals that they wanted an avenue, a way, to speak out."

And speak out they did. Carlo Scissura, representing Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, took the largest broadside to the network for hosting the show.

"What amazes me is the hypocrisy of this network. This is a network that brands itself as looking out for the interests of women, and yet they do something that completely disparages women, particularly Italian-American women," he said, before calling for the community to rise up. "If the show's filming in one of the restaurants, stop going there, period. If the show's coming out here and they're wrecking the streets or taking up parking spots, call the police."

State Senator Diane Savino echoed these sentiments. "There seems to be a prevalence among some of the producers in Hollywood to consistently target Italian-American women, and portray us in the most negative light," she told The Politicker before she took the stage. "And what's even more distressing is Italian-American women are participating in this."

"The American public has been almost conditioned to believe Italian-Americans are all either stupid, loveable characters like Joey on 'Friends,' or we're mobsters like we are on 'The Sopranos,' or we're basically young women who have no morals and are willing to degrade ourselves in public," she continued. "It's enough."

And, as many of the rally's attendees pointed out, the show's professed zip code is not even close to the Bay Ridge neighborhood the show claims to represent.

This is not the first reality show controversy in this corner of New York City. Ms. Savino once rallied against the "Jersey Shore" star Snooki making an appearance at the Staten Island Mall, while Assemblyman Alec Brook-Krasny told The Politicker "Brooklyn 11223" was similar to another recent controversial show, "Russian Dolls," centered in another part of his southern Brooklyn district.

For their part, NBC Universal, which owns the Oxygen network, reached out to The Politicker in order to announce potential viewers can watch the show on March 26th (hint, hint) and make up their own minds.

"Viewers can decide for themselves on March 26 when the story of 'Brooklyn 11223' begins to unfold and we meet this authentic group of friends set against the vibrant backdrop of the great and diverse Borough of Brooklyn," they wrote in a statement.

Watch the rally below:

(Photo: Oxygen)

Bay Ridge Councilman Vinnie Gentile is calling for the Oxygen network to take off the air a new program called, "Brooklyn 11223," a show that has been called “as trashy as "Jersey Shore."

Oxygen's announcement of "Brooklyn 11223" said the series will offer "a voyeuristic look into the lives of a group of twentysomething friends whose once rock-solid friendships have been torn apart by betrayal."

The exact nature of the betrayal isn't completely clear, but Oxygen teases that it will involve "one friend [who] may have betrayed another by seducing a boyfriend."

But this voyeuristic journey through friendship and betrayal is too much for Mr. Gentile, who views it as demeaning to women and his community. Thus he's holding an anti-"Brooklyn 11223" rally with "female leaders of Bay Ridge" this Friday.

"We all need to take responsibility – parents, TV studios, advertisers, journalists, policymakers and even teenagers – for what is being watched by the younger generations," Mr. Gentile's spokesman told The Politicker this evening. "There is no redeeming social value or positive takeaway from the perpetuation of these trashy and classless stereotypes that serve only to degrade, denigrate and objectify women and Italian-Americans."

"This is not what Bay Ridge is about and this not what Bay Ridge wants or needs. We refuse to stand by and let 'Hollywood' portray the smart, hardworking, proud, cultured, creative and compassionate residents of Bay Ridge in this light."

The show's trailer can be viewed here.

Updated: 5:15pm

Andrew Gounardes (Photo: Facebook)

Yesterday, Governor Andrew Cuomo gave his formal State of the State speech, laying out a legislative agenda for the next year.  In response to that, Republican State Senator Marty Golden stated his disappointment with Governor Cuomo's for not developing a full plan to address public safety and fraud. Now, his Democratic opponent, Andrew Gounardes, is criticizing Senator Golden's criticism.

"Unfortunately, Marty Golden strangely chose to criticize our Governor for being weak on public safety, despite the fact that the Governor proposed expanding the DNA database to cover all crimes," Mr. Gounardes said in a statement this morning, apparently undaunted about challenging Senator Golden, a former police officer, on public safety issues.

Mr. Gounardes then digs up the past and calls Senator Golden's criticism "hypocritical and disingenuous," due to a 2010 vote on legislation to require ammunition to have traceable microstamping. Senator Golden had missed the vote, but said he would have opposed the bill anyway.

"Marty Golden’s criticism reeks of Casablanca," the 26-year-old Democrat summed up, referencing the 1942 film famous for a scene containing fake outrage.

Due to his connections to Senator Mike Gianaris, who heads the Senate Democrats' campaign efforts, and his increasingly visible support from the Brooklyn Democratic organization, Gounardes looks to have the inside track to the Democratic nomination. However, depending on the final district lines, he'll probably have an uphill battle to unseat the popular incumbent with strong fundraising chops.

Governor Hugh Carey pictured with one of the new Hino buses in New York City, kicking the bus for emphasis. A number of buses were bought in 1981 to ease the strain on New York City's public transit. (via NYS archives. photographer not identified)

Before saving New York State, Hugh Carey served 14 years in congress representing part of Brooklyn.

The Democrat and Chronicle yesterday wrote that "Senator Charles E. Schumer was elected to Carey’s Congressional seat after Carey."

Not exactly.

Carey gave up his seat in 1974, when he got elected governor. The person who replaced him was a man named Leo Zeferetti, a conservative Democrat from the Bay Ridge / Bensonhurst area. Schumer, in 1974, was elected to the State Assembly.

In 1980, Congresswoman Liz Holtzman left her seat to run for Senate. Schumer took that seat. Then came the 1982 redistricting. Zeferetti's district was destroyed and he was, basically, thrown into a district with Republican Guy Molinari. Molinari's district was originally all of Staten Island and a small part of Manhattan. It now included some Italian neighborhoods in southern Brooklyn.

Zeferetti, who is also Italian, took his chances against a more established congressional veteran -- Molinari -- and not against the less experienced, younger, Schumer.

Zeferetti got beat by Molinari and Schumer went on to lay the groundwork for his takeover of Washington.

Democratic consultant and all-round political encyclopedia Jerry Skurnik -- who helped reconstruct this history for me -- explained rather bluntly why Zeferretti took his chances running against Molinari, rather than Schumer.

"This district, as we now know, is heavily Jewish. Schumer would have killed him in a primary," said Skurnik.

[h/t Gatemouth]