By Colin Campbell 4/01 12:33pm

A Bipartisan Ship

(Photo: Getty)

John Catsimatidis Hires a Democratic Firm

John Catsimatidis may be campaigning for mayor on the Republican line, but the billionaire businessman is willing to cross the party aisle for his consultants. Accordingly, Mr. Catsimatidis hired Millennial Strategies LLC, a political shop stacked with mostly Democratic operatives.

Brad Gerstman, a partner at the firm, told Politicker that Mr. Catsimatidis is their only Republican client, but given New York City’s Democratic tilt, the move makes plenty of sense for the GOP Gracie Mansion hopeful. Read More

By Colin Campbell 2:26pm

Shaolin

(Photo: Mirocznik campaign)

Ordained Rabbi Aims to Capture Staten Island Council Seat

For local races, New York City overwhelmingly tilts towards the Democratic Party and there are only a handful of Council campaigns with the potential to be competitive in this November. The race for outgoing GOP Councilman Jimmy Oddo’s seat is likely to be one of them. And, according to a source active in local politics, the Democratic establishment is backing Mendy Mirocznik, a non-practing rabbi and lawyer, for the Staten Island district.

“We’re seeing fewer education dollars, less transportation options, deteriorating roads and there seems to be no relief in sight,” Mr. Mirocznik said in a statement announcing his candidacy yesterday. “Meanwhile, our small-businesses, the economic engine, of our community are struggling to survive – that is not a recipe for recovery. We need an advocate who will reverse this trend and bring real results for Mid-Islanders, and I believe I can do that.” Read More

By Colin Campbell 3/15 12:36pm

Endorsements

Ken Thompson (Photo: Facebook)

Rival Roasts Joe Hynes for ‘Apalling’ Conservative Party Endorsement

Last night, the Kings County Conservative Party backed their borough’s district attorney, Joe Hynes, for re-election and, citing his safety record, they formally offered him their ballot line come November. Although Mr. Hynes has been endorsed by the Conservatives for years, at least one of his Democratic primary rivals, Ken Thompson, was outraged by the bipartisan embrace and released a statement detailing his disgust.

“It is appalling that DA Hynes would accept the endorsement of a fringe right-wing group which opposes a woman’s right to choose, gun control and a minimum wage increase, supports the racial profiling of suspects, and sought to remove President Obama from office,” Mr. Thompson said this morning. Read More

By Colin Campbell 7:27am

up with criticism

(photo: msnbc.com)

Chris Hayes Declares War on Governor Cuomo

In case you missed it from early Saturday morning, MSNBC host Chris Hayes is really not a fan of “New York’s supposedly Democratic governor,” Andrew Cuomo, and in a monologue lasting several minutes, he urged his viewers to reject Mr. Cuomo’s hypothetical presidential campaign in four years.

“So what do we know that we didn’t know last week? We now know that Democrats cannot count on New York’s supposedly Democratic governor as an ally and every Democratic primary voter in the country should know that too,” he opened up his segment, clearly on a roll. “We already knew that in the run up to the election, Andrew Cuomo, whose aspirations for national office are well-known, did essentially nothing to aid the Democratic Party in its quest to take back the the State Senate from Republicans.” Read More

By Colin Campbell 11/13/12 3:09pm

the elephant not in the room

(Photo: Wikimedia)

Wanted: GOP Mayoral Hopeful With Vague Conservative Impulses, Massive Personal Wealth a Plus

On a brisk mid-October day, Tom Allon announced he was dropping out of the highly competitive Democratic mayoral primary and would instead be a contender in the far sparser Republican field. “Theodore Roosevelt cleaned up New York by telling truth to power and truth to the public,” he declared, standing before the equestrian statue of Theodore Roosevelt on the Upper West Side. “I plan to run a campaign that will talk about the hard truths facing our city, and ideas I have to fix our growing problems.”

The event’s august backdrop may have oversold its symbolic importance. It’s impossible to find a neutral party who thinks Mr. Allon, a local newspaper publisher whose weeklies include Our Town and The West Side Spirit, is anything but a long-shot to replace term-limited Mayor Michael Bloomberg in 2013. But as no fewer than five heavyweight Democrats are already in contention for the office, each of whom has raised over a million dollars, Mr. Allon’s move highlights the fact that Republicans, so far at least, are still on the hunt for a formidable standard-bearer.

Sensing the vacuum, former Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrión Jr. announced Monday night that he has also left the Democratic Party in hopes of securing the Republican line for mayor. Read More

By Colin Campbell 8/24/12 3:47pm

vanquishing vito

lopez

Calls for Lopez to Step Down Mount; Vito Vows to Hold On [Update]

Congressman Jerry Nadler and others are joining District Leader Lincoln Restler in demanding Assemblyman Vito Lopez end his tenure as the Chair of the Kings County Democratic Party following the explosive sexual harassment allegations that included forcing himself on at least one staff member as she struggled to push him off.

“I applaud the work of both the bi-partisan Assembly Ethics Committee and Speaker Silver for the swift and judicious action in removing Assemblyman Vito Lopez from the Chairmanship of the Assembly Housing Committee and in taking other punitive steps as a result of the findings that Assemblyman Lopez was guilty of multiple acts of sexual harassment and abuse,” Mr. Nadler said in a statement this afternoon. “In light of the reprehensible conduct revealed by the Ethics Committee, I call upon Assembly Lopez to do the only honorable thing by immediately resigning his positions as a Member of the Assembly and as the County Chair of the Brooklyn Democratic Party.” Read More