Bill De Blasio | The New York Observer

Unofficial Results: Liu and de Blasio Get More Votes Than Bloomberg

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:55:55 -0500

The person who got the most votes in yesterday’s election?

No, not Michael Bloomberg. It’s Comptroller-elect John Liu.

According to unofficial results, Liu got 696,330 votes, with 652,511 on the Democratic line, and 43,819 on the WFP line.

The second-highest total belonged to Bill de Blasio, in the public advocate’s race. He got 672,383 votes. 627,390 came on the Democratic line and 44,993 from the WFP line.

Michael Bloomberg got 557,059 votes in total. 414,242 came from the...

One Giuliani Critic Remains Silent

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 12:23:31 -0400

Errol Louis is out with a column this morning sharply criticizing Rudy Giuliani for comments he made over the weekend in Borough Park, where he warned that crime could rise to their pre-1993 levels if Michael Bloomberg wasn’t elected.

Louis also criticized Bloomberg for defending the comment by drawing a comparison to Detroit.

“New Yorkers, all too familiar with gutter politics, reacted instantly,” Louis wrote, before quoting a bunch of unhappy observers, like Bill de Blasio,...

Rudy Looks Back, Frighteningly, in Borough Park

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 10:00:26 -0400

Here are some highlights from the breakfast at Borough Park, Brooklyn yesterday, where Bloomberg supporters stressed the notion that crime could escalate if he wasn't re-elected. The speakers, Simcha Felder and Rudy Giuliani, both referenced the crime era just before 1993, when David Dinkins was replaced by Giuliani in City Hall, in no small part because of high crime and racial tensions.

Critics like Bill de Blasio (who served in the Dinkins administration under Bill...

De Blasio Gets Custodians

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 12:15:00 -0400

The union representing school custodians has endorsed public-advocate candidate Bill de Blasio, his campaign will announce this afternoon. The president of the union, International Union of Operating Engineers Local 891, Robert Troeller, said, “Bill is unquestionably the candidate who represents the voice of the people and will make sure our government listens to everyone.” A campaign aide said the union has 930 members. The endorsement is part of long line of union...

At Endorsement of Katz and de Blasio, Carpenters Official Says Bloomberg Looking 'Better Every Day'

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 12:35:00 -0400

The New York City District Council of Carpenters endorsed Melinda Katz for City Council Comptroller and Bill de Blasio for public advocate today at an event outside City Hall. Organizing the event was Michael Forde, executive secretary treasurer of the union. As he walked away, I asked him what they're doing in the mayor's race. “We haven’t endorsed the mayor as of yet,” said Forde. “Right now we’re in the process of negotiating labor agreements with all...

'Is There a Mayor's Race In This City?' 'Excellent Question.'

Wed, 17 Jun 2009 15:27:00 -0400

Bill de Blasio, a City Councilman from Brooklyn running for public advocate, fielded a question this morning that may make the Bill Thompson folks cringe a little. A woman attending a Citizens Union event at the Puck Building featuring de Blasio said, “I understand and I see there is a public advocate’s race in the city. I see you and the others everywhere. But do you feel there’s a mayor’s race in the city?” De Blasio...

Norman Siegel Has an Economic Adviser Named Michael Bloomberg

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 11:56:00 -0400

Michael Bloomberg is getting friendly with one of the public advocate candidates. The candidate is Normal Siegel. According to Siegel, an anti-authoritarian civil-liberties attorney who sued the mayor over term limits, the mayor has engaged him in an ongoing dialogue about economic issues, and even arranged to send him reading materials on the topic. “And I did read it, learned some stuff,” said Siegel, who is current making his third run for the office of public...

Dean's Two Guys in Brooklyn

Tue, 09 Jun 2009 16:00:00 -0400

Here’s a video of Howard Dean explaining how he came to basically endorse two candidates—Josh Skaller and Brad Lander—in the City Council race for Bill de Blasio's seat. “Democracy for America is endorsing Josh and Josh only,” Dean told a group of supporters this morning. “However, my situation is different.” Dean said he ran into Lander at a party for Jerry Nadler and “promised him I would stay out of the race, before I...

A Club on Mark Green's Turf Goes for de Blasio (and Thompson and Yassky and Snyder)

Fri, 29 May 2009 09:25:00 -0400

The Lenox Hill Democratic Club on Manhattan's East Side voted last night to endorse city candidates. The club’s president, Caroline Mello, said the club endorsed Bill Thompson for mayor, Leslie Crocker Snyder for Manhattan district attorney, Bill de Blasio for public advocate and David Yassky for comptroller. Here are the vote totals: Snyder got 18 votes, Richard Aborn 10, and Cy Vance 2. De Blasio got 21, and...

How a Liberal Democrat Club Endorsed an Anti-Gay-Marriage Pro-Lifer

Fri, 22 May 2009 14:51:00 -0400

The usually ultra-liberal Brooklyn political club, Independent Neighborhood Democrats, endorsed a 27-year-old candidate who doesn't support same-sex marriage and who opposes abortion rights. The club voted last night to endorse John Heyer over one of its own members, Bob Zuckerman, who is gay and fairly progressive. They’re both running for the seat being vacated by Bill de Blasio, who is running for public advocate. Gatemouth warned-predicted that this might happen and even the club’s president, Kenn...

Brooklyn for Thompson, de Blasio, Yassky

Wed, 20 May 2009 21:58:00 -0400

The Brooklyn Democratic organization voted unanimously to endorse Bill Thompson for mayor, ignoring a request from prospective candidate Anthony Weiner to delay the vote by two weeks, according to Democratic district leader who attended the event. The organization also voted to endorse an all-Brooklyn slate for citywide offices, going with Bill de Blasio for public advocate and David Yassky for comptroller. According to this attendee, de Blasio got 36 votes,...

Lew Fidler's Slate

Wed, 20 May 2009 14:02:00 -0400

In case you're wondering who Lew Fidler is endorsing, he emailed reporters to say: Not that even my already inflated ego believes that you need to write about this and that it is newsworthy, but i wanted to let you all know that today I am endorsing the following candidates in this years election and will be voting for them tonight at the Democratic Executive Committee meeting in Kings county. Mayor...

Donating to the Public Advocate Candidates: A Kennedy, Two Ferrers, Three Liberal Writers and a Mogul

Wed, 20 May 2009 14:02:00 -0400

For Eric Gioia, there are signs of major institutional support coming from one Kennedy family member, a Schumer aide, and the new city clerk (who landed the job in no small part because of the Queens County Democratic Organization.) Bill de Blasio got money from Fernando Ferrer and City Councilman Domenic Recchia, who supported extending term limits as de Blasio fought against it. Mark Green picked up money from contributors to the Huffington Post, the Daily...

Tilden Club Backs Thompson, Liu, de Blasio, Aborn; Lambda Split on Comptrollers

Tue, 19 May 2009 09:00:00 -0400

After two rounds of voting, the Samuel J. Tilden Democratic Club in Manhattan voted to endorse Bill de Blasio for Public Advocate, according to an attendee there. The results after the second round of voting was 16 for de Blasio and 9 for the second-place finisher, Norman Siegel. In the comptroller’s race, the club voted to endorse John Liu. He got 20 votes, David Yassky got 13, Melinda Katz got 2 and David Weprin got 1. The...

Bronx Democrats Endorse Katz, de Blasio and Thompson, Defend the Choice on Facebook

Mon, 18 May 2009 13:59:00 -0400

The Bronx Democratic County organization waded into two of the city’s most contested primary races this weekend, announcing their backing of Melinda Katz for comptroller and Bill de Blasio for public advocate. They also announced they’re endorsing Bill Thompson for mayor. For the Bronx Democratic county leader, Carl Heastie, this is his first foray into the 2009 races. On Facebook, Heastie has been fending off some criticism of the endorsements—the comments are coming, somewhat randomly,...

Rangel's Slate: Thompson, Liu, de Blasio

Fri, 15 May 2009 14:07:00 -0400

At a big breakfast event tomorrow morning, Charlie Rangel will endorse Bill Thompson for mayor, John Liu for city comptroller and Bill de Blasio for public advocate. Above is a flier for the event, which starts at 7:45 a.m. (on a Saturday!?). A number of other elected officials from Harlem, like Assemblyman Keith Wright and City Councilwoman Inez Dickens, will also endorse this group at the event. UPDATE: A spokesman...

Biking for Votes in Brooklyn

Fri, 08 May 2009 10:51:00 -0400

Here's a fun image I couldn't pass up on such a nice, spring day. It's of Green Party Council candidate David Pechefsky, who seems less image-conscious than some other of this year's contenders for office. Pechefsky is a former staffer in the City Council's Finance Division. He's also billing himself as an unusually reliable narrator, which should put him in a position to lock down the Rashomon-fan...

De Blasio Also Outraged About Kindergarten

Thu, 07 May 2009 12:24:00 -0400

City Councilman Bill de Blasio, a candidate for public advocate, is seizing on parental outrage about long waiting lists for city kindergartens, and has dedicated a page of his campaign web site to it. From the page, parents (or anyone, really) can download a letter to mail to Michael Bloomberg and Schools Chancellor Joel Klein, or send an email. “When it comes to the education of our children, we cannot leave families in...

De Blasio's Manhattan Supporters

Mon, 04 May 2009 13:49:00 -0400

Here’s Bill de Blasio on Saturday with a bunch of lawmakers from Manhattan endorsing him on the steps of City Hall. The endorsers include Representative Jerry Nadler, Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, State Senator Eric Schneiderman and Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal. Nadler said, “He’s known when to get along, and known when to stand and...

Hikind Endorses Weprin for Comptroller, de Blasio for Public Advocate

Mon, 04 May 2009 11:56:00 -0400

Assemblyman Dov Hikind of Brooklyn is not endorsing the only comptroller candidate from his borough, David Yassky, and instead backing David Weprin of Queens. Hikind made the announcement on his weekly radio show Saturday night. In a brief telephone interview this morning, Hikind elaborated. “I know he’s qualified based on his experience, going back to before he was an elected official,” Hikind said, referring to Weprin’s days working in the state's Banking Department under Mario Cuomo....

Gioia Gives Bill Lynch Another Crack at Mark Green

Wed, 29 Apr 2009 14:10:00 -0400

In signing up with Eric Gioia’s campaign, Bill Lynch said the choice was obvious. “I cannot think of a major issue in the City in the last decade that Eric hasn’t been deeply involved in,” Lynch said in a public statement released by the campaign. “And he has spent more time in more different communities getting to know the diverse people of our town than anyone.” Certainly, there's something of a convergence of interests here on...

Liu Gets the Working Families Party

Wed, 22 Apr 2009 22:10:00 -0400

The Working Families Party has endorsed City Comptroller candidate John Liu, citing the "coalition" he's put together and his advocacy for "living wages jobs, affordable housing, and responsible contracting." It's a major coup for Liu, who came into the race months after his opponents, Melinda Katz, David Yassky and David Weprin. According to a source familiar with the party's vote tonight, Liu got 65 votes, Katz got 18, Yassky got 2 and Weprin got none. Liu, it...

Comptroller Candidates Meet the W.F.P. Tonight

Wed, 22 Apr 2009 15:43:00 -0400

The city comptroller candidates are meeting tonight with the members of the Working Families Party, whose endorsement is one of the most sought-after in Democratic politics. It’s unclear when exactly the W.F.P. will take an endorsement vote. The conventional wisdom is that John Liu has the edge here. He’s making a strong effort to put together a diverse coalition, has been outspoken on transportation issues, and voted against the extension of term limits. Those match up...

De Blasio Not Likely to Endorse a Successor

Thu, 26 Mar 2009 13:06:00 -0400

Public advocate candidate Bill de Blasio said last night that he's 99 percent sure he won't endorse any of the (many) people running for the Brooklyn City Council seat he's vacating. Among those candidates is Bob Zuckerman, a former president of the Stonewall Democrats, where de Blasio and other public advocate candidates spoke last night. Also running for that seat is former Councilman Steve DiBrienza, who has drawn some controversy; Josh Skaller,...

Who Will Destroy Mark Green?

Thu, 19 Mar 2009 15:45:00 -0400

If Bill de Blasio, Eric Gioia or Norman Siegel is going to win the Democratic primary for public advocate, one or more of them will have to damage Mark Green, probably by bringing up some of the less appealing political chapters in his past. They know this. The catch: They're all waiting for someone else to do it. “Whether I bring them up or de Blasio or Gioia will" is unclear, said Siegel. “But somebody will...

Wayne Barrett Meets a Fan at City Hall

Wed, 18 Mar 2009 14:21:00 -0400

The Village Voice's Wayne Barrett, who's on a streak of writing critically about Michael Bloomberg and campaign manager Bradley Tusk, arrived at City Hall this afternoon and was greeted warmly by fan and City Councilman Bill de Blasio, who praised Barrett's work with some very colorful language. De Blasio is running for public advocate, in part, he says, to act as a check on the mayor’s...

Public Advocate Money: Green's Expenses, de Blasio's Workers

Tue, 17 Mar 2009 11:27:00 -0400

A few interesting bits from the campaign finance filings of some of the public advocate candidates: In this latest filing period, from January 12 to March 11, Mark Green raised $143,285, but has only paid two bills so far, totaling $17,621. Those bills were for a campaign office and for a $16,006 poll by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner. Green spokesman Paul Rivera said other expenses – including his own invoice – will be paid later and will...

The W.F.P., Bill de Blasio and the Public Advocate's Race

Mon, 16 Mar 2009 14:46:00 -0400

Bill de Blasio, one of many candidates for public advocate, recently scored a crucial, and unusually early endorsement from the labor-backed Working Families Party. The endorsement will provide de Blasio a significant boost of campaign support with months still to go before the September Democratic primary. But the race is a heavy lift. Already, de Blasio is running against candidates who are better-funded (Eric Gioia), or more widely known (Mark Green and Norman Siegel). In a brief...

BerlinRosen Wins the Blake Zeff Primary

Mon, 16 Mar 2009 13:31:00 -0400

Blake Zeff, who worked under Howard Wolfson on Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign and, before that, at the New York State Democratic Party, has been hired by the consulting firm BerlinRosen. The hiring was announced in an email to clients that was also forwarded to a few reporters. Zeff is a talented guy and since the end of the presidential campaign, I - and many others - have been quietly wondering where he would land. BerlinRosen's clients include...

The Pitch: Gioia, De Blasio, Green and Siegel

Thu, 12 Mar 2009 14:50:00 -0400

The first forum featuring the four Democratic candidates for public advocate ended last night at Fordham Law School with the candidates distinguishing themselves from one another, but subtly. The candidates arrived one at a time and each spoke for about 25 minutes with the students. (My photos from the event are here. Fernanda Santos has a story on it here.) City Councilman Eric Gioia of Queens spoke first and said he has “such a majestic view...

Emailing for Pre-Deadline Dollars

Wed, 11 Mar 2009 10:56:00 -0400

Candidates for city offices have been sending out a flurry of emails to supporters seeking last-minute donations in the run-up to the March 16 filing deadline. Samples: Public advocate candidate Mark Green emailed supporters asking them to help him break $100,000, because "the next 30 hours are as important as the past 30 days -- for the question will be whether we can raise the money to run a professional campaign to tell voters about my...

Raising Money Off 'Slushgate'

Tue, 10 Mar 2009 10:33:00 -0400

A number of readers have forwarded me this harshly worded email from the campaign manager of a City Council candidate who is seeking contributions under the headline, “Help Skaller Stop ‘Slushgate 2.’" The candidate is Josh Skaller of Brooklyn. He’s running for the seat being vacated by Bill de Blasio which was, before that, held by Steve DiBrienza, who is running for that seat again. The email was sent by Skaller’s campaign manager, Chris Owens,...

De Blasio Wants Some Local Sunlight, Too

Fri, 27 Feb 2009 14:30:00 -0500

City Councilman Bill de Blasio wants to create a web site to track how New York City will spend the billions of dollars in stimulus funding coming here from Washington. "The future of our city depends on making sure this federal aid is spent wisely and fairly. SunlightNYC will allow the public to see exactly how their money is being used, providing much needed accountability and transparency to the process," de Blasio said in a...

Clerk Vote Exposes Quinn's Rift With Brooklyn

Thu, 26 Feb 2009 17:57:00 -0500

The City Council voted 32 to 16 in favor of making Michael McSweeney the city’s new clerk, exposing a deep rift in the Council between Christine Quinn and many City Council members from Brooklyn. Almost everyone from Brooklyn, except Diana Reyna, voted against McSweeney’s nomination. Reyna is openly feuding with Brooklyn Democratic chair Vito Lopez on unrelated issues. Two candidates for citywide office were among the no votes: Bill de Blasio, who...