Last week, I handed in my resignation to Ms. Darlene Mealy (NYC council member of the 41st District). I assume that most of you are aware that I have been working with her since December -as the part time Communications Director. Hopefully, my last day in this role will be on the 26th of March (as per my resignation letter). .

The main reasons I have chosen to go this route are what necessitate this column. I want to make it clear that this is my choice -and mine only. I was not forced to walk the plant, nor given any subtle shoves out the door. I have given her enough notice (4 weeks) so that she can hire someone to replace me without her small staff being strained, stressed and/or stretched.

As far as I read it, I can stay on with the councilwoman, once I accept the rules and regulations around public blogging that she handed to me from the City Council’s Office of the General Counsel. I have chosen not to do that, despite many friends and relatives telling me to stay on. They all think that I can offer so much more than I have so far.

These are the rules:  read more »

The way mainstream media operates, you will usually find that after the “big” story dies down -and after the flaming headlines have simmered- there is little follow up to the initial newsworthy event. So lately, you will hardly find coverage from the aftermath of the latest cataclysm to affect the Caribbean nation of Haiti. And yet for the millions of Haitians affected by the disastrous earthquake 12thJanuary, 2010, life must go on. And life for most Haitians continue to be challenging -even more so than it was before the earthquake hit. For Caribbean-Americans like me, it is really nice to see that many members of the New York city council are still finding ways to help the Haitian community at large.  read more »

The English Encarta Dictionary (North America) defines a “Don Quixote” type as “an impractical idealist who loves to champion hopeless causes”; I thought of this when I watched Charles Barron last Wednesday, as he tried to make his case for becoming Speaker on the New York City Council. It was the first stated meeting of the newly elected city council. Barron was pleading his case before this semi-august body, which will be 357 years old on February 2nd, 2010.

Late last year, when I first came upon the news item that NYC Councilmember Charles Barron (#42) was challenging Speaker Christine Quinn’s re-election, I thought to myself that this was a tremendous opportunity for Barron to publicly lay out his arguments for reform within this legislative body. I even went to some length to convey this to him in person.  read more »

To some elected officials, a win is a win, is a win, is a win: no matter how close. And then they move on to their next term in office, learning very little from victory and arrogantly paying no heed to the warning signs. Ostensibly, lame duck councilmember Dr. Kendall Stewart (#45), fell victim to this political mentality recently (more on that later).

It appears however, that NYC council member Darlene Mealy is somewhat different. She recently overcame spirited challenges from former councilwoman Tracey Boyland, Tulani Kinard (endorsed by both Al Sharpton and Charles Barron), and activist Anthony Herbert. For the sake of full disclosure, let me also state that Mrs. Kinard was also endorsed here by yours truly. I have known both Tulani and her husband (Stan) for many years now, and have worked with them on many political initiatives. They are both educators and activists (political and cultural) who have paid lots of dues in the continuing struggles of colored folks.  read more »

I hate it when the better candidate works with sleazy people. It really makes it hard to endorse that candidate. In the city council race for the 19th district in Queens, Democrat Kevin Kim has brought onto his staff someone I have come to know all too well, the ultra sleazy, usually loser, Michael Tobman. Now Kevin Kim seems a reasonable candidate, and his Republican opponent is, well, a Republican with all the unfortunate baggage that carries with it since Bush threw the nation down the toilet for the benefit of Saudi Arabia. [UPDATE: Let me say again just to be clear...I do prefer Kim over Hallorn]. But hiring Michael Tobman is such a stupid move that it calls Kevin Kim's judgment into question given Tobman's nastiness and losing record. My own experiences are at the bottom. First, here is a press release from Kim's Republican opponent regarding sleazy tactics and Tobman:

Statement from Steven Stites, Spokesman, Dan Halloran for City Council Regarding Kevin Kim Consultant Michael Tobman

“At what point does Kevin Kim have to answer for the questionable conduct of his staff and the people he has chosen to run his campaign? The unfounded name-calling and sleazy tactics have escalated into destroying Halloran signs on private property, moving from dirty politics to outright criminality are just a part of a pattern that has emerged since Kevin Kim unexpectedly defeated all of the more mainstream centrist Democrats in the primary on September 15.

“We know Kevin Kim hired Michael Nussbaum of Multimedia/The Queens Tribune paying huge sums to do his hit pieces against Dan, including spurious attacks on Dan Halloran's heritage and faith. We know Kim was involved with a ‘bait and switch’ backdoor endorsement with the scandal-plagued Working Families Party, which is under investigation in multiple jurisdictions and is tied to the national scandals with ACORN. Add to that Kim's attempt to hijack the Independence Party's line by an ‘opportunity to ballot’ petition in August, which was fortunately thrown out by the Board of Elections because it was ‘riddled with improprieties in the signatures gathered.’ It’s a never-ending list.

“Now we find out that Kevin Kim's newest advisor is none other than Michael Tobman. Tobman is an infamous lobbyist known for his Karl Rove-style gangster campaigns. He has been called by the Gotham Gazette the ‘Sleaziest Lobbyist in New York,’ and he has admitted to violating a series of ethics and lobbying laws. These are the people being employed to advance the Kim campaign.  read more »