There is a new and expanding scandal in town. And I am realizing it reaches through many aspects of NYC government...and is a further illustration of what is wrong with NYC.

I recently had a dust up here on DG about developer money in City Council elections centering on a candidate named Brad Lander. In resulting discussions both on and off line, I realized how in people's blind focus on developers, either pro- or anti-, what is ignored is the massive conflict of interest that permeates NYC politics where corporate interests (developers and others) donate so much money to politicians that it often determines who wins, and those very same corporate interests get major favors from politicians.  read more »

One of the really nifty things about the social networking site Facebook is a feature that analyzes networks and suggests people you may know as friends, based on intersections between networks.

Well, it turns out I may know Marty Markowitz.

The march of progress is unstoppable.

The calypso king of the world (the Mighty Sparrow/Slinger Francisco), who was born on the island of Grenada -but lived most of his adult life in Trinidad and Tobago- opened up a famous calypso of his, with this line: “Let me tell you something, about Labor Day in Brooklyn”. That’s exactly how I start this column; by telling you something big that happened on Labor Day in Brooklyn.

Since 1967, the West Indian American Day Carnival Association (W.I.A.D.C.A.) has been holding Labor Day parades (millions strong) in New York City. One of their big events lately, is the breakfast ceremony - usually held under a large tent, in a park off Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn. Politicians from every corner come to this event. In the past there have been appearances from Senators Clinton and Schumer; former governors like Pataki and Cuomo; mayors like Bloomberg, Koch and Dinkins; and electeds at all levels of the political ladder. Even wannabee electeds show up for media exposure, networking, advertising purposes, photo-ops and the like. It’s the political place to be on the morning of Labor Day.

I doubt that the current borough president of Brooklyn (Marty Markowitz) has ever missed one of these breakfasts, since he was first elected to office (senate) almost 30 years ago. Marty loves Caribs, and they in turn are reciprocal (for the most part). He loves to tell anyone within earshot, that Caribs elected him to the boro prez position. He even made a light-skinned black Jamaican-born woman his deputy borough president; her name is Yvonne Graham. She is attractive, bright, articulate and qualified. She is also a health-expert. She is a damn good candidate for any office. And I don’t just say this because I am Caribbean-American like she is. As much as I am a Carib, I try to be objective about these things.  read more »

Before I get into this column, let me preface it a bit. At this point in time, I am strongly leaning towards supporting Bill Thompson in next year’s mayoral race. I finally got to that place while I was in Miami for a wedding, about two weeks ago. Some political friends that I respect convinced me to come aboard the Billy Thompson train; so I am heading there. I must also confess that although I still have a weak spot for councilmember Avella, I am realistic enough to recognize when a candidate will not be competitive unless he can raise much more money than Avella has. I have had my share (and fill) of symbolic runs at public office, if I support a candidate now he or she must have a realistic shot at winning. I am getting too old for all that insurgent “protest” shit.

So with all that as a backdrop, why am I writing a column about Marty Markowitz? Only because I hate when political people talk crap, that’s why. I hate when elected officials and political activists (black, white, brown, whatever) with big mouths, try to denigrate my political opinions.

You see over the last couple years, I have had some heated discussions with quite a few people (I wouldn’t name them here) that Marty Markowitz is a viable mayoral candidate. And before you go deep on me, let me say that I know if Marty runs, he will hurt both Billy Thompson’s and Anthony Weiner’s chances a bit; but that’s not the point. Since 1984 I have worked to unseat Markowitz; I stopped in 2001 after he won Brooklyn’s borough presidency. I was never a Marty fan -unlike many of my Caribbean-American brothers and sisters; but again that’s another story. When he ran for Boro Prez in 2001, I supported one of his opponents (Ken Fisher). Marty has a long memory/lol.

In 2004, I was running for district leader when both he and I happened to be on a podium in front of thousands of people. It was an event in Brooklyn’s Pakistani/Asian-American community on Coney Island Avenue. I leaned over to Marty and said; “how about endorsing me for district leader right here and now (at the East-Indian /Pakistani event)”.
He replied: “Hackshaw, did you endorse me when I ran for Boro Prez?”
I said: “No”.

Then with typical Marty scowl he gave a one-word reply: “Well!”
No endorsement for me kids. LMAO.  read more »

It's spring, the weather has been perfect and May (which starts Thursday) is Bike Month. Middle-aged folk like me (and Room 8's Larry Littlefield ) are looking for exercise, cheap transport and global warming solutions. Bike messengers, Critical Mass riders (like my Council Member Rosie Mendez), edgy fixed-gear fanatics and teens are already out there. Join us. (For a full list of Bike Month events, click here (For Jennifer 8 Lee's NYT Bike Month Round-up, including NYC DOT plans, click here ).

It's already too late to sign up for the biggest NYC pleasure ride the Five Boro Bike Tour on Sunday May 4 which filled up at the beginning of April. The 42-mile car-free ride through NYC's streets parks and highways is an odd mob scene with a cast of tens of thousands, lots of snacks, flat tires and sweat. Because the whole ride is done with no cars, you get a little of the feeling about what a car-free-NYC might be like. Pedaling on auto-free highways is a revelation. It is definitely not for those who want to be alone. If you're going, look for me there.

Three still-open May bike rides:

The 6th Annual Brooklyn Greenway Bike Tour on Saturday May 3, 2008  read more »