David Yassky | The New York Observer

A Liberal Operator Runs Against the Brooklyn Machine

Thu, 16 Jul 2009 12:20:00 -0400

On a recent Friday night in the backyard of Pete’s Candy Store, a neighborhood bar in Williamsburg, City Council candidate Evan Thies ate hamburgers and hot dogs with some supporters from the 33rd District’s ubiquitous kickball league. After a few beers, the crowd of 20- and 30-somethings was hushed, and Thies—looking slightly out of place in black slacks, with a white shirt and an emerald tie—stepped forward to speak. “I’m running against a machine,”...

Cyclists Go After John Liu Over Yassky's Bill

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 11:39:00 -0400

Tensions surfaced this week between members of the city's cycling community and Councilman John Liu over a piece of legislation—the Bicycle Access to Buildings Bill—that has yet to make it out of the City Council Transportation Committee, which Liu chairs. The bill, which was first introduced back in 2003 and has resurfaced in various incarnations since then, would require office buildings to let tenants store bikes in the buildings, hence encouraging more people to...

This Is Vito's Guy?

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 06:00:00 -0400

Stephen Levin knows that to his opponents in the 33rd City Council District, he is “Vito’s Guy,” the machine candidate who has worked since 2006 as chief of staff to Assemblyman and Brooklyn Democratic Party chair Vito Lopez. “I think that’s fine,” Levin said with a shrug. “I can’t control everybody’s perception of it. I would just say that when folks meet me one-on-one, they see that I’m an independent guy and I have my...

An Unexciting Man for an Unexciting Job

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 06:00:00 -0400

Councilman and city comptroller candidate David Weprin claims he wasn’t offended when his younger brother, Assemblyman Mark Weprin, said at a recent press conference that he wasn’t running as “Mr. Personality.” “I think I’m more exciting than he makes me out to be,” the older Weprin said. “I don’t take it seriously. He’s still a strong supporter.” Weprin, with his Inspector Clouseau moustache and awkward manner, was sitting toward the back of his campaign...

David Yassky Is Sad About Dock Street, Optimistic About the 33rd Council Race

Wed, 17 Jun 2009 09:38:00 -0400

City Councilman and comptroller candidate David Yassky seemed to be having a good time at the High Line Park gala at Pier 60 on the evening of June 15, but he turned somewhat solemn when I asked him about Dock Street. “Oh, what a shame,” Yassky said of the 40-9 vote that overruled his home-district opposition to the 17-story development. “There are only a few things in New York that should be treated as sacrosanct...

When Comptroller Candidates Attack

Tue, 16 Jun 2009 19:18:00 -0400

Early on the morning of June 16, Melinda Katz, John Liu, David Weprin and David Yassky, the four Democratic candidates hoping to succeed Bill Thompson as city comptroller, gathered in the CUNY Graduate Center in Midtown and attempted to add zest to talk about municipal finance. The forum was the candidates’ first and last chance to debate each other directly, and they wasted no time in setting themselves apart from their fellow candidates and scuffling...

Bizarro Zoning Fight in Williamsburg: Housing Advocates Want City to Build Taller and Bigger

Wed, 10 Jun 2009 17:57:00 -0400

Opponents of a Brooklyn redevelopment project packed a Community Board One meeting last night in Williamsburg, drowning out a presentation by the city’s Housing Preservation and Development office, in a battle that could influence City Council primaries in the 33rd and 34th districts this September. Roughly 50 protesters, armed with signs and a bullhorn, chanted “Open Process” and “Shut It Down” inside a community room at the Swingin’ 60s Senior Center. After calling for...

Council Approves Dock Street, 40-9

Wed, 10 Jun 2009 16:43:00 -0400

David Yassky was officially overruled. This afternoon the City Council approved the Dock Street apartment building in DUMBO by a vote of 40 to 9, in a rare move that overruled the local Council member, Yassky, on a land use project. The vote came after the project received support from Council Speaker Christine Quinn. In the end, it showed the savvy of developers David and Jed Walentas, who, with lobbyists Yoswein New York and attorney and former...

A Council Candidate Who Knows It's 'Hard to B.S.' Sonia Sotomayor

Tue, 02 Jun 2009 11:09:00 -0400

Jo Anne Simon, City Council candidate from Brooklyn, has a Sonia Sotomayor story. Years ago, in a case that produced what will be one of Sotomayor's more closely scrutinized rulings as she prepares for her Supreme Court confirmation hearings, Simon was the lead counsel for the plaintiff, and, ultimately, the winner. The case centered around Simon's client, Marilyn Bartlett, a severely dyslexic law student. Simon was arguing that Bartlett had a right to additional time on...

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...

In Greenpoint, Seven Candidates Try Not to Agree on Waterfront Development

Wed, 27 May 2009 10:18:00 -0400

All of the candidates in the crowded race for David Yassky's City Council seat came to Greenpoint last night for the second forum in as many weeks. It was hosted by the Greenpoint Gazette, and most of the debate focused on issues affecting the northern tip of the district. With seven candidates on the stage, and most of the responses capped at 60 seconds, there was not a lot of time for the participants to...

Dock Street Turns Council Inside Out

Tue, 26 May 2009 16:07:00 -0400

Letitia James is not generally known as a friend of the development community. Thus far, the Fort Greene lawmaker’s five and a half years in the City Council have been defined by unwavering opposition to the planned Atlantic Yards housing and arena mega-project. But, on May 21, she was leading a rally and a press conference on the steps of City Hall with the sole purpose of calling for a development—a project that has an...

The Competitive, Progressive Race for Yassky's Seat

Mon, 25 May 2009 14:55:00 -0400

One of the most competitive 2009 City Council races so far is for the seat being vacated by David Yassky, who represents Brooklyn Heights, parts of Park Slope, Greenpoint, and the Williamsburg waterfront, among other areas. Of the seven people running, at least five will probably try to claim the progressive vote and at least three have the credentials to court environmentalists. In no particular order, here's a rundown: --Kenneth J. Baer raised $22,032 and spent...

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...

Manhattan Dems Go with Yassky, Duck Public Advocate's Race; Weprin Gets S.I.

Fri, 22 May 2009 11:25:00 -0400

City Comptroller candidate David Yassky won the endorsement of the New York County Democratic Organization last night, while one of his rivals in the race, David Weprin, picked up the endorsement of the Democratic County organization on Staten Island. In Manhattan, Yassky edged out John Liu for the endorsement. The vote was 108 for Yassky, 96 for Liu, 6 for Melinda Katz and 0 for David Weprin, according to Arthur Greig, chairman of the law...

New Campaign Managers: McCall, Fritsch

Thu, 21 May 2009 17:06:00 -0400

Two newly announced campaign managers for City Council races: Assemblyman Mark Weprin, who is running for his brother’s City Council seat in Queens, has hired campaign manager Dirk McCall. McCall is a former president of Stonewall Democrats, and has worked on campaigns for Alan Gerson, Virginia Fields and Karen Bernstein. He’s a fast-talking, always-smiling southerner who has the unenviable commute from his home in Astoria to the Weprin district, which is in Hollis, on the other...

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...

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...

Yassky's Database of Earmarks

Tue, 12 May 2009 13:17:00 -0400

City Councilman David Yassky, who is running for comptroller, just launched a searchable database of how City Council members are spending discretionary funds. It’s part of his new effort to get information about the city budget online, including how each agency is spending money. The site is called ItsyourmoneyNYC.com The “earmark” database is searchable by members, by borough, and by group. Plus, you can leave comments under each earmark. (Should be interesting...

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....

David Yassky on Clean Campaigning

Fri, 24 Apr 2009 14:55:00 -0400

Here’s City Comptroller candidate David Yassky at a candidate forum on Manhattan’s East Side last night being asked about his campaign seeking financial information about one of his opponents, Melinda Katz. Yassky said, “A volunteer who works in our office was told ‘go out and do this.’ You know, that’s what campaigns do. We campaign clean. I always have. I’m very, very proud of my record as a clean...

Broadway Democrats for Yassky

Fri, 24 Apr 2009 09:45:00 -0400

The Broadway Democrats voted last night to endorse David Yassky for City Comptroller. The vote, according to an interested reader, was 22 for Yassky, 12 for John Liu, 6 for Melinda Katz and 1 for David Weprin. In case you’re keeping track of this stuff. UPDATE: Liz has more numbers from the club's vote, including Manhattan DA candidate Richard Aborn getting 84 percent of the vote for his race, and mayoral candidate Billy Thompson getting nearly twice...

Liu Says He'll Run Even If He's Not the Democratic Nominee

Thu, 23 Apr 2009 14:25:00 -0400

I asked City Comptroller candidate John Liu, who was endorsed by the Working Families Party, if he'd run on that party’s line in the general election, even if he loses the four-way Democratic primary. "Yes," was Liu's one-word reply. He was at City Hall just now picking up the endorsement of City Councilman Larry Seabrook of the Bronx. Liu told me that despite some of their differences, like extending term limits (Liu opposed,...

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...

Jose Serrano Backs Liu for Comptroller

Wed, 22 Apr 2009 11:22:00 -0400

City Councilman John Liu, a candidate for city comptroller, announced today that he will be endorsed by Representative Jose Serrano of the Bronx. Serrano, in a public statement, praised Liu for having “distinguished himself as a fiscal watchdog” during “his relatively short tenure in the City Council.” The statement goes on to say Serrano is confident that “John will continue to help provide opportunities for communities that are most in need.” Serrano is Latino, which is...

Yassky Campaign Seeks Financial Info on Melinda Katz

Tue, 21 Apr 2009 14:34:00 -0400

An aide on David Yassky’s city comptroller campaign requested from the city’s Conflict of Interest Board financial information on one of his opponents, City Councilwoman Melinda Katz. When requests like these are made, the person who is the subject of the inquiry is notified. A copy of the notification sent to Katz was forwarded to...

What's the Distance Between a Reformer and Vito Lopez?

Tue, 21 Apr 2009 12:05:00 -0400

Apparently, the the most memorable moment from a forum last night for candidates running for David Yassky's Council seat in Brooklyn was an exchange over "reform" credentials and, in particular, the notion of independence (or lack thereof) from the borough's Democratic leadership. Yassky was, for a while at least, lauded as such a figure by good-government groups for his work on advocating for greater transparency in city government and rules changes to empower rank-and-file Council...