Hiram Monseratte

In the paper this week, I wrote about anunusual, private memo from a lobbyist that details the way to build a racial coalition on the CIty Counil around a single, contentious issue. Richard Lipsky, a lobbyist for the Neighborhood Retail Alliance, is trying to organize a "diverse umbrella coalition" of Council members to support a crackdown on street vendors without appearing anti-immigrant, according to an email he wrote.

Here, from the memo, is a list of the officials that can help him do that, and of what they do -- and don't -- bring to the table :

Dan Garodnick: extremely proactive in support of reclaiming the streets of his district;

Alan Gerson: Active on the lower east side and in Chinatown and looking to put together comprehensive peddler legislation. Gerson will also be able to bring a number of Chinese merchant groups into the expanding coalition;

Hiram Monseratte: A key player for us since his support for our position will go a long way towards reducing the anti-immigrant chants of the street vendor cohort. Monseratte is also looking to actively recruit Hispanic store owners in the Roosevelt Avenue corridor, another helpful contribution towards the creation of a multi-ethnic coalition;

Jessica Lappin: Has shown some interest in the issue but more so out of a concern to placate her East Side community/block associations. It remains to be seen just how active she will be on the entire question;

Joe Addabbo: Solid, pro-business legislator who will help us recruit a multi-ethnic merchant contingent in the Ozone Park community;

David Yassky: Chair of the council's small business committee, he will be an articulate spokesperson for controlling vendor proliferation. His staff will also be helpful at reaching out to the city's small business groups;

Leroy Comrie: Chair of the Consumer Affairs Committee, he is someone who may play a key role in the legislative process. Not necessarily a forceful leader but, if he is given enough cover by his colleagues, can be instrumental in carrying legislation forward;

John Liu: Chair of the Transportation Committee he has staked out some strong positions on street safety. His advocacy on the peddlers/street safety issue, given his constituency, would be very valuable (also has ties to key Chinese business groups);

Vinnie Gentile: Bay Ridge lawmaker who is extremely supportive local business interests;

Jimmy Vacca: District Manger of a local community board for over twenty five years, Vacca is a strong supporter of local businesses and street safety. He has ties to about five or six local merchant groups in the East Bronx;

Miguel Martinez: Important potential ally who has ties to the Bodega Association as well as to the National Supermarket Association (independent Dominican supermarket owners).

The memo, which was passed on to me by email, goes on to say:

This is just a brief overview. It would be my suggestion that we look to create a diverse umbrella coalition that has the financial support of the major real estate organizations. In this way we will be able to generate strong public support for beleaguered (and often minority) shopkeepers while at the same time generating enough resources from larger behind-the-scenes business interests.

In a brief interview, Lipsky confirmed that he wrote it, and explained what he described as the necessity of demonstrating diverse backing for the measure. "There's been a sense from certain elements in the council that if we're to be successful, we have to demonstrate the depth of support we have," he said.

As for how the crackdown on largely immigrant peddlers could possibly be presented as pro-immigrant, he said, "There are 9,000 food vendor licenses. There are only 4,000 food cart licenses, which means in all likelihood, there is a pool of contract labor that is manning the car for people who own the carts."

The whole email is after the jump.  read more »

-- Azi Paybarah