The City Board of Elections denied Independence Party candidate to replace the late John Lavelle representing Staten Island’s North Shore in the March 27 Special Election Kelvin Alexander’s bid to place his made up Family First line (Not to be confused with Working Families which supports Democratic opponent Matt Titone ) as an additional line on the ballot. The board ruled that 611 of the petition’s 1616 signatures were invalid, leaving him short of the 1100 he needed for that additional line.

Alexander, a Staten Island Democratic County Committee member, is running on the Independence line and potentially turning a potential easy Democratic win into an opportunity for Republican Rose Margarella because the party chose Titone over him. He is undecided if he’ll fight the ruling with the state Supreme Court.

Alexander has accused any challenge of his fabricated party petition as marginalizing minority voters. I find that a stretch since he’s already on the ballot as a better known party’s candidate.

I also need to clarify that I am supporting Titone in this race. I have donated money to Titone, campaigned with Matt and have a Titone sign on my front lawn. There are some comments on the Link TextStaten Island Advance’s SIlive political forum that take out of context my initial backing of Alexander in the Daily Gotham. Although I would have voted for Alexander in the first round of voting at the County Convention had I been allowed to participate, I would have switched to Titone in subsequent rounds. Also for the SIlivers who read my blog, I was not one of the January Committee additions thought loyal to Olivari. I was told I was added in June 2006 and still haven’t been named to the Committee and thus still can not vote in County matters.

Kelvin, who is part of the Democratic machine as a Committee member, should not risk an automatic Democratic win with his third party candidacy. Kelvin has accused anyone criticizing his Independence Party and made up Family First efforts as wanting to disenfranchise blacks. That’s nonsensical. Alexander would be criticized for running as a third party candidate regardless of ethnicity as long as he threatened to pull votes away from Titone and make the race if the stars are aligned properly, winnable by the Republicans.

Azi in the Link TextPolitiker has discussed Alexander’s camp’s accusations that the local party is racist for not nominating a black candidate. Alexander lost a state Senate primary against eventual 2004 winner Diane Savino and Debi Rose lost to McMahon in for City Council, so black candidates have had an opportunity to win the nomination with voters.

That said, the local party does do a poor job at getting out the black vote. There are many local political animals who only reach out to other North Shore white Democrats like themselves, ignoring minorities and non-North Shore Whites (who they assume are Republican). Consulting firms who get paid a pretty penny (For disclosure purposes I would like some of that money) have also mistakenly advised Staten Island Democrats to ignore the black vote.

The bottom line is that Island Democrats seeking a County wide office need to get out the vote among poorly targeted affinity groups such as blacks, Hispanics and youth or be stuck with a low 40 percent support level.

There were 80,000 youth 18-24 of all ethnicities and black and Hispanic adults over 25 that didn’t vote in the 13th Congressional district 2004 election (Many more didn’t vote in 2006). Steve Harrison lost to Vito Fossella by around 13,000 votes. If Kelvin had decided to make the Congressional race a priority, he perhaps could have delivered the 13,000 new votes among those 80,000 potential affinity voters needed to unseat Fossella. Alexander’s lack of effort getting out the black vote for other candidates does disenfranchise blacks on the other hand.

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