Greg Camp

Earlier today the head of the New York State chapter of N.O.W. (the National Organization for Women), Marcia Pappas, sent out a statement describing Ted Kennedy's endorsement of Barack Obama as “the ultimate betrayal." But the head of the New York City chapter of N.O.W. has a completely different take.

“He’s been a friend to N.O.W., a friend to women, and a friend to the women’s movement and has a long record of supporting women’s issues,” N.Y.C. N.O.W. president and Hillary Clinton backer Sonia Ossorio told me just now. “I think Ted Kennedy has been a tremendous friend to women.”  read more »

Some of the final numbers are in for that special election on Manhattan’s East Side, where Democrat Micah Kellner trounced Republican Greg Camp, dispelling the notion that the old Silk Stocking District was still friendly territory for the GOP. Even with a powerful endorsement from the Mayor Michael Bloomberg--a Republican at the time--Camp still lost.

A new report shows that Kellner spent $43,951.68 in the last days of the election and immediately afterward, and more than $90,000 in all in the race. As important as the numbers themselves is the list of people that helped put Kellner into office. Chief among them were Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, who gave $2,000 from his own campaign committee, and LAWPAC of New York, which contributed $3,000.

I can’t compare Kellner’s campaign expenses with Camps’ because his final numbers haven’t been posted yet. And Camps’ first filing said he spent only $18.09.

(Camp people told me at the time said that filing reflected a rushed campaign cycle and that the post-election filing would obviously be more detailed.)

Notable expenses for Kellner include $18,146 for his consultants at The Parkside Group, contributions of $500 for the Lenox Hill Democratic Club and $150 for the Ansonia Independent Democrats.

Democrat Micah Kellner defeated Republican Greg Camp in the special election tonight for the Assembly seat on Manhattan's East Side. Here are the results, according to the city's Board of Elections:

3,988 (64.36 percent)--Kellner

2208 (35.64 percent)--Camp

Michael Bloomberg is doing robo-calls for Republican Assembly candidate Greg Camp, who is running in a special election tomorrow against Democrat Micah Kellner.

Below is a script of the call that voters on the East Side have been receiving all week, according to Camp’s campaign.

“Hi, this is Mayor Mike Bloomberg. There’s an important election in your community this Tuesday, June fifth. And I’m calling to tell you about my choice in the race, Greg Camp. Greg Camp has superb qualifications to represent you in the state Assembly. He’s been a banker, a long-time prosecutor in the Manhattan DA’s office and he was Deputy Director of Criminal Justice for New York State. But most of all, Greg Camp is independent, and that’s what I like best about him. I’m supporting Greg Camp this Tuesday, June 5th and I ask that you do too. Thank you.”

Camp’s endorsement from Bloomberg, like his endorsement from the New York Times, will certainly help him in this district.

Speaking of which, note that there’s no mention of the words “Republican” or “Pataki” anywhere in Bloomberg’s message.

In the June 5 special election for an Assembly seat on Manhattan's Upper East Side, the political action committee of the New York State chapter of the National Organization for Women is backing Democratic candidate Micah Kellner.

In a public statement, president Marcia Pappas of the group’s state PAC said, “We were very happy that Micah Kellner chose to ask for our endorsement and we are proud to give it to him today.”

But neither Kellner nor his opponent, the pro-choice Republican Greg Camp, is being endorsed by the organization's city chapter.

That’s because the president of the group, Sonia Ossario, is Camp's longtime girlfriend.

A spokesman for Camp said they opted not to seek the endorsement of any NOW chapter because of Camp’s relationship with Ossario.

UPDATE: I just got off the phone with Sonia Ossario, who said the
state chapter of NOW should not have made an endorsement in the race.

"They should have stayed out of it for the same reason that we did.
When there is a personal connection between a NOW leader -- they
should stay out of it. I can't speak exactly to what they were
thinking, the people who made this decision don't live in the city;
they don't live in the area.

When asked if Sonia or her chapter will get involved in the race now
that the state chapter did, Ossario said, "That's really a decision
for my board."  read more »

Efforts to schedule a debate between East Side Republican Assembly candidate Greg Camp and Democrat Micah Kellner on the day before their June 5 election have broken down. Which leaves us with the perennial alternative to actual debates: a debate over debates.

The proposed debate was organized at the last minute by the weekly paper Our Town, and was to have included several reporters (including me) on a panel.

Camp agreed to appear. Kellner did not, citing a schedule conflict.

Anyway, below is an open letter from Camp challenging Kellner to debate and highlighting what he presents as a substantive difference between the two on education policy.  read more »

Susan Del Percio, a spokesperson for Republican Assembly candidate Greg Camp called to say that the campaign has, in fact, spent more than the $18.09 listed on their filing.

"Expenditures were approved but we were not billed yet," Del Percio said of the campaign. Camp's pre-election filing was complete enough to show where their contributions were coming from. The filing after the election on June 5 for the seat on Manhattan's East Side should answer questions about how much Camp's literature and consultants are costing him.

But in the meantime, the campaign of Camp's Democratic opponent Micah Kellner is making the most of the delay.

"Clearly, after years of working for George Pataki and witnessing campaign finance shenanigans fist hand, it seems like Greg Camp hasn’t learned that New Yorkers are crying out for campaign finance reform.”said Kellner campaign strategist Evan Stavisky.

Which is one way to look at it.

A Democrat running for an open Assembly seat on Manhattan's East Side has spent more money than his Republican challenger has raised. Which is incredible if you consider how strong the East Side Republican establishment had once been.

Republican Greg Camp raised $42,760 and spent only $18.09 (“food for campaign staff”). $3,000 of Camp’s money came from the Committee for Roy Goodman, the former state Senator and patriarch of that once formidable GOP establishment.

Democrat Micah Kellner raised $78,137 and spent $47,453.32. Kellner’s first expense was a $100 donation to the campaign committee of Councilman Dan Garodnick. Other expenses went to his election lawyer, state Senator Martin Connor, his consultants, and to paying for campaign literature.

Which is an expense Camp should be reporting soon.

UPDATE: More on the financial reporting here.  read more »