I have become pretty active in Brooklyn politics and have started to get to know some of our politicians and candidates. Now, anyone who knows Brooklyn knows that there is a corrupt Dem machine here. That is a problem that we need to deal with. But, having said that, I am noticing that many of NYC's candidates are very good. In fact, in some cases it is a shame that two good people are running against eachother.

First there is the mayor's race. At first I thought none of the Dem candidates is good. But as I have gotten to know them I find I like all of them for different reasons. All of them are better than Bloomberg and I find myself having a hard time choosing which I will vote for. I think I would be happy with any of them.

The race that makes me most congnizant of the surfeit of good candidates is a 2006 Congressional race. I have liked and supported Chris Owens in his bid for Congress. Now I learn that David Yassky (my City Councilman) is also running for that seat. Both are excellent people and both would make excellent congresscritters. I still lean towards Chris, but what I really wish is I could support BOTH of them. Too bad they are running for the same office in 2006 (Note: Yassky is running for reelection to City Council this year and for Congress next year). In many other parts of the nation it would be hard to find ONE candidate as good as these guys.

Brooklyn DA: the incumbent, Hynes, isn't bad. He has done great things on crime and has indicted the head of the corrupt Brooklyn Dem party. The main complaint against him is that he seems to have passed his prime some time ago (he has been Brooklyn DA for some 14+ years). Mark Peters is favored by some reform minded Brooklynites, though so far he has rubbed me the wrong way. Still, he probably is a good candidate. Better than these two, in my opinion, is Paul Wooten who has greatly impressed me as, in essence, the ideal DA. He knows the mechanics right and left, is reform minded without even realizing it and is VERY focused on civil rights and consumer rights, something Hynes has been a bit weak on. The only bad candidate for DA that I know if is Sampson who is endorsed by the corrupt Dem machine. So although I will work for Paul Wooten, I still have to realize that there are several good candidates.

I also want to express how impressed I am that NYC has as candidate for Public Advocate a man, Norm Seigel, who used to be head of the NY Civil Liberties Union. Who better to be Public Advocate???? Some of the other candidates are good folks, I will add, and I like them. But this is a case where one candidate just seems perfect.

I come from California originally. I often liked my politicians in California (I voted for Barbara Boxer when she was first elected!). But I want to congratulate NYC for having, overall, a good slate of candidates this year and, seemingly, in 2006. I just wish these good candidates wouldn't run against eachother so often.

Bookmark/Search this post with:

| | | | | | | |