This year I am endorsing quite a mixed bag for the general election. It is an unusual list for me, mixing Greens, WFP and Democrats. I have some serious beefs with both the Greens and WFP, but sometimes they do hit on a superior candidate. But I am so not about Party line this year (somewhat uncharacteristically).

Mayor: Bill Thompson (Democratic Party)  read more »

A reminder to all: today, Tuesday, Sept. 29th is the runoff elections for Comptroller and Public Advocate. Please vote! It is expected to be a VERY low turnout election (predicted 3%...I suspect less!) so your vote will count.

I strongly urge a vote for John Liu for Comptroller. Most of you who I have talked to agree on this and many agree strongly. Please get out and vote for him today. He has the endorsements of many unions, including the Uniformed Firefighters Union and Teamsters. He has the endorsements of Lambda Independent Democrats, Central Brooklyn Independent Democrats, Stonewall Democrats, Out People of Color Political Action Club, Barack Obama Democratic Club of Upper Manhattan, East Harlem United Democrats, West Harlem Independent Democrats, Village Independent Democrats, and Village Reform Democratic Club. He has the endorsements of the Jewish Press, Amsterdam News and Gay City News...among MANY others. And, perhaps most importantly, when I have seen him campaigning and when I talk to people about him, particularly people of color, people respond with an enthusiasm that amazes me. I just talked to one of the people who take care of the glassware for the labs on our floor, an extremely nice Philippino gentleman. He saw my John Liu sticker and got very excited. He says he is very impressed with John Liu and feels he understands "simple people like me." I might argue that this kind Philippino is necessarily "simple" (his tastes in music are quite eclectic, for example), but what he means is that most politicians talk down to people. John Liu talks with people. Does he also listen? From my own personal interactions with him I think he does. But the fact that he can inspire working class people, immigrants and people of color as much as he does means I consider him an important person within the Democratic Party (too often a dull seeming party).

I also urge a vote for Mark Green for Public Advocate. I wish I could say there is the same enthusiasm for Green as there is for Liu, but there isn't. This is a more difficult choice and I know some of my friends and political allies disagree with me on this one. But most progressive and reform Democrats I know who actually have had experience with Bill de Blasio feel they can't support him. Talking with others I have realizes it boils down to this: would you rather an arrogant asshole (Mark Green) as Public Advocate, or a personable developer-controlled sleaze (Bill de Blasio). Bill de Blasio has more union support and often is pro-labor, but he is predominantly pro-developer and pro-de Blasio and has consistently been willing to compromise ideals for naked ambition. Mark Green is...well Mark Green. Few people like him, but most people agree he did a good job as Public Advocate, so I see little problem voting for him for Public Advocate. Another friend put it this way: which do you think would give Bloomberg, assuming he wins a third term, the bigger headache (arguably the job of the Public Advocate). She believes the clear answer is Mark Green, not Bill de Blasio. Mark Green has been endorsed by Bobby Kennedy, Gloria Steinem, the National Organization for Women – New York City Chapter, National Latino Officers Association, Local 2507: Uniformed EMTs, Paramedics, and Fire Inspectors FDNY and
Local 3621: Uniformed EMS Officers Union, 504 Democratic Club (disabled rights group), Barack Obama Democratic Club of East Harlem, East Harlem/El Barrio Democratic Club, Sojourner Truth Democratic Club, and Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club, among others.

Agree or disagree with my picks, please vote!

I posted a shorter version of this earlier, but let me add an updated version.

The September 29th runoff for NYC Comptroller pits John Liu, with a degree in mathematical physics and extensive financial experience, against David Yassky, a lawyer and career politician with no financial experience, whose financial abilities are so challenged that in 2006 he threw $15,000 of taxpayer money to a fake non-profit that did nothing but pay salaries to a former City Councilman's family...after that former City Councilman endorsed Yassky, of course. Yassky also made the same kind of corrupt deal with a Ratner front organization, exchanging an endorsement for taxpayer funding. And, of course, there is the fact that Yassky endorsed Sampson for Brooklyn DA four years ago even though Sampson's primary reason for running was to get machine boss Clarence Norman off the hook (Clarenace Norman is now in prison, of course, despite Sampson and Yassky's efforts). And remember that Yassky also voted to overturn term limits that the voters had approved TWICE, while John Liu voted to support the will of the voters.

But let's turn to a more pleasant subject: John Liu. Although, like Yassky, Liu is an ambitious politician and hence not always known for perfectly upfront speaking, my personal discussions with him and Yassky have shown that Liu is much more upfront and honest than Yassky. And I think this comes through in the endorsement competition since Liu is overwhelmingly getting the top endorsements (NY Times aside). Here is a sampling of people and organizations who have endorsed John Liu for Comptroller, with quotes where available. I should note I may have been the first person in the city to endorse Liu for Comptroller! Since then he has gathered a broad coalition of people supporting him, from firefighters to teachers to most of the LGBT organizations in the city to the UAW and Teansters, etc. etc. etc. He is also largely uniting the Asian, Hispanic and black votes. Here's just a sampling of endorsements:

Queens City Councilman David Weprin:

“I have decided to put my support behind John Liu’s candidacy, because we are similar in many ways. We both fought to protect the rights of New York City voters during the fight to extend term limits without a referendum; we felt that any change to term limits had to be done via referendum, as it had been the case in two prior referendums. More importantly, John and I both have comprehensive finance experience. We are in tough economic times, and this City needs someone managing and auditing the City’s finances with an understanding of both public and private sector finance. We need a Comptroller who is ready to hit the ground running – there is no room for a learning curve,” Councilman Weprin said.

Noting that John Liu has had a distinguished career in the City Council, Councilman Weprin continued that Liu’s “finance experience and innovative ideas combined will pave the road to a prosperous City as we move on to economic recovery.”

(Note: David Weprin was the only other Comptroller candidate other than John Liu who had financial experiencea)

Uniformed Firefighters Association

Steve Cassidy, UFA President said, “John Liu has demonstrated his leadership as a member of the City Council, supporting firefighter and public safety issues and has a background in finance as an actuary. He fought to halt the efforts in 2003 and 2009 to close our community firehouses and reduce fire company staffing to unsafe levels. John Liu fully understands that while budgetary priorities must be made in the city, public safety must be at the forefront.”

“We are here today because we believe that John Liu is the candidate that fills the duties of Comptroller of the City of New York and can be an advocate for all New Yorkers,” concluded Mr. Cassidy.

Gay City News

We are impressed by the commitment of one candidate to go further. “I don’t see the comptroller as a bureaucratic position,” Liu said in a recent Gay City News interview. “It absolutely can be and should be an office as agent of change." That posture is what leads us to endorse John Liu, who has amply demonstrated his follow-through in his eight years on the City Council. Last year, as the Council acquiesced to Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s request to extend term limits, Liu took a principled stand in opposition. In a body where bucking the powerful office of speaker carries political risks, he bit the bullet, and says, “I haven’t felt any changes in my role in the budget process.”

“It would be fair to say that my background is one of being excluded, whether blatantly or de facto,” he said of his childhood in Flushing as an immigrant from Taiwan. The first Asian American elected to any legislative position in New York City, Liu has been a stalwart friend and highly visible ally of the LGBT community. That record lends substantial credibility to his pledge to “shatter all the records” in using New York City’s substantial pension investments as a tool to nudge corporate America toward fair workplace and marketplace practices for the LGBT community.  read more »

In the hurried runoff between John Liu and David Yassky for Comptroller, the Teamsters have joined the already long list of Liu endorsements.

“It is my pleasure to announce on behalf of the more than 120,000 working men and women in the Teamsters Joint Council 16, our endorsement of Councilman John Liu for New York City Comptroller," said Teamsters President George Miranda. “Over the past eight years, as a Councilman and Chair of the Transportation Committee, he has consistently backed the interests of working people. John’s financial experience will make him a fine Comptroller, but his passion for public service will make him the people’s watchdog in an era of economic uncertainty. We look forward to doing all we can to make sure that John becomes New York’s next Comptroller."

The Teamsters join an already formidable coalition of supporters including most of the LGBT organizations in the city (including Lambda Independent Democrats, Stonewall Democrats and Gay City News), labor unions including the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, Uniformed Firefighters Association and Unite Auto Workers), the Amsterdam News, most of the Democratic Clubs in Queens (of course), and Manhattan (including Village Reform Democratic Club, Village Independent Democrats, West Harlem Independent Democrats, East Harlem United Democrats, El Nuevo Caribe Democratic Club of El Barrio/East Harlem, Barack Obama Democratic Club of Upper Manhattan, and Gramercy Stuyvesant Independent Democrats), Staten Island (including Staten Island Democratic Association and Democratic Organization of Richmond County) and even some in Brooklyn (including Central Brooklyn Independent Democrats and the American Heritage Democratic Club) among many others.

The September 29th runoff for NYC Comptroller pits John Liu (with a degree in mathematical physics and extensive financial experience) against David Yassky (a lawyer and career politician with no financial experience, whose financial abilities are so challeneged he threw $15,000 of taxpayer money to a fake non-profit that did nothing but pay salaries to a former City Councilman's family). Here is a sampling of people and organizations who have endorsed John Liu for Comptroller, with quotes where available. I should note I may have been the first person in the city to endorse Liu for Comptroller! Since then he has a broad coalition of people supporting him, from firefighters to teachers to most of the LGBT organizations in the city to the UAW, etc. etc. etc. Here's just a sampling:

Uniformed Firefighters Association  read more »