I took some heat for posting about Democratic City Council Candidate Kevin Kim hiring Michael Tobman as a consultant given Tobman's past record of Karl Rove style tactics and recent record of being part of losing campaigns. I suppose the reason I got heat was because I quoted a Republican source in my article, though my info regarding Tobman's poor record on both ethical and efficacy grounds was based largely on my own experiences.  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 »

After the 2000 fiasco and the refusal of many Green Party members to recognize their abysmal mistake that year, most liberal Democrats I knew turned against the Green Party. I for one couldn't vote Green for years.

Well, once the Greens refused to follow Nader, the architect of the 2000 fiasco whose ego only grew even more giganormous after that fiasco, into further oblivion, some of us started to watch the Greens with some renewed interest. Even many former Greens I know won't vote Green in any race where there is a close race between a Republican and a Democrat. Eight years of Bush is a high price to pay for a protest vote.

But there are some cases where voting Green starts to make sense, particularly in NYC where lousy, corrupt or right-wing Democrats coast to victory because they have machine backing and the Republican Party in NYC is about as pathetic as you can find.  read more »

Brooklyn-Queens NOW PAC has released its endorsements for the September 15th Primary election. Here they are:

Council District 23: (Hollis Hills, Queens Village, Little Neck, Douglaston, Bayside, Bellerose, Floral Park, Glen Oaks, New Hyde Park, Hollis, Hollis Park Gardens, Holliswood, Fresh Meadows). MARK WEPRIN currently serves as a NYS Assemblymember. His votes in the Assembly speak volumes. Contact information for Mark Weprin: www.markweprin.com; Office: 73-20 Bell Boulevard Oakland Gardens, phone: 718-468-4208.

Council District 29: (Forest Hills, Rego Park, Kew Gardens; parts of Maspeth, Richmond, Elmhurst) - Michael Cohen, Karen Koslowitz, and Heidi Harrison Chain. All were excellent on our issues. We voted to endorse KAREN KOSLOWITZ, a proven fighter and previous Council Member. Contact information for Karen Koslowitz: www.karenforcouncil09.com. Address: 72-50 Austin Street, 2nd Floor, Room B, Forest Hills NY 11375. Phone: 347-722-6923. Fax: 718-268-7363.

Council District 33: (Brooklyn Heights, Greenpoint; parts of Williamsburg, Park Slope, Boerum Hill) - Ken Diamondstone and Jo Anne Simon. Both were excellent on our issues. We voted to endorse JO ANNE SIMON, a longtime advocate for disability rights and civil rights. Contact information for Jo Anne Simon: www.joanneforcouncil.com. Address: 75-B Hoyt Street Brooklyn, NY 11201. Phone: 718-852-8183.

Council District 39: (Park Slope, Carroll Gardens, Prospect Park). Candidate JOSH SKALLER is running for the seat vacated by Bill DiBlasio. Unlike his opponents, Skaller accepts no money from developers and is upfront about his support for our issues. Contact information for Josh Skaller: http://skaller09.com; phone:(718) 568-9699; email: community@skaller09.com.

Council District 49: (North Shore Staten Island). DEBI ROSE is running against Kenneth Mitchell. Mitchell, in his short stint (since February) in the council, has already disappointed on healthcare, voting against a bill to protect women from being harassed during visits to reproductive health clinics. Contact information for Debi Rose: www.votedebirose2009.com. Address: 552 Richmond Rd, Staten Island, NY 10304. Phone: 347-855-2968. Email: info@votedebirose2009.com.

Council District 51: (South Shore, Staten Island). JANINE MATERNA has only Republican incumbent, Vincent Ignizio to face. His allegiances are not to our issues. Materna is excellent on repro rights, education and domestic violence. In her district, it's not easy to be outspoken on women's rights, but she is. Contact information for Janine Materna: www.janinematernaforcitycouncil.com. Address: PO Box 90673 Staten Island, NY 10309. Phone: 718 408-1420. Email: janine.maternal@gmail.com.

All our endorsed candidates support NOW issues and have, in their interviews and statements, demonstrated a comprehensive knowledge of repro rights, civil rights, economic impact, marital and healthcare issues. We encourage you to get involved in their campaigns. Canvassing, phonebanking, hosting fundraisers, and contributions are most needed. Primary Day is September 15th. ***VOTE! ***VOTE!*** VOTE!***

According to their website:

The Brooklyn-Queens Chapter has its own Political Action Committee (PAC) which allows us to endorse candidates for local offices.

We examine their positions carefully and interview them to make sure that they actively promote legislation which furthers the goals of women's equality.

Last week Joy, Jacob and I joined my lab for a beach trip at Rockaway Beach (Ramone's song pops into my head). While there, my boss and son (with a little help from a colleague and myself) built a sand city, which my boss eventually realized bears quite a resemblance to Manhattan: