Domenic Recchia | The New York Observer

Angling for Finance Chair: Fidler, Recchia and Felder

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:51:50 -0500

Last week, Crain's put out the names of two people from Brooklyn vying for the Finance Committee Chairmanship: Lew Fidler and Domenic Recchia.

There's apparently another name to add to the mix: Simcha Felder, who I'm told has sent word to the speaker that he's interested in the position.

The current Finance chairman is David Weprin, of Queens, who lost a primary bid for city comptroller. The notion that Queens will be able to hang onto...

Did Rock Center Wreck Ya? Call Recchia!

Tue, 15 Sep 2009 18:14:48 -0400

Domenic Recchia—the colorful councilman who speaks pure South Brooklynese—is headed to court this week to take on Jerry Speyer and his Tishman Speyer, titanic landlord of such trophies as Rockefeller Center and the Chrysler Building.

Sort of.

In addition to his day job representing the people of Gravesend and Bensonhurst, the aptly named Mr. Recchia, chairman of the City Council’s Cultural Affairs Committee and a longtime Coney Island enthusiast, has a gig on the side as...

Details on the Coney Vote! City-Sitt Negotiations Continue; Four New Hotels Possible; $137 M. in Infrastructure

Wed, 29 Jul 2009 18:56:39 -0400

The City Council approved the Bloomberg administration-backed rezoning of Coney Island on Wednesday afternoon in a 44-2-1 vote. While the city is still negotiating with the rezoned area’s main private landlord—Thor Equities’ Joe Sitt—the two long-opposed parties may be close to reaching a final deal.

The rezoning plan would turn vacant lots currently zoned for amusements into a residential area, and would allow some hotels, retail, and indoor amusements into the central amusement area...

City Council Expected to Pass Coney Island Rezoning

Wed, 29 Jul 2009 14:19:04 -0400

City Council members, including local Councilman Domenic Recchia and Speaker Christine Quinn, held a press conference early Wednesday afternoon to say that the Council was expected to pass the Bloomberg administration–backed rezoning of Coney Island.

The rezoning would turn vacant lots now zoned for amusements into residential; and would allow some hotels, retail and indoor amusements in the central amusement area of the historic entertainment hub.

We'll have more soon, after the Council vote, which is...

Bloomberg’s Coney Plan Passes Hurdle

Tue, 21 Jul 2009 15:32:59 -0400

The Bloomberg administration is nearing the finish line in its attempt to push a planned revitalization of Coney Island through the City Council, as a key subcommittee and local Councilman Domenic Recchia voted in favor of the plan Tuesday.

Still, there are a few loose ends that could threaten its passage before the full Council next Wednesday, including deals with major landowner Joe Sitt and building employees’ union 32BJ, which wants wage guarantees.

In Coney Island Fight, Recchia Backs Developer Joe Sitt Over Bloomberg

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 16:21:09 -0400

For years now, the Bloomberg administration has been pushing a plan to redevelop Coney Island, trying to ensure its approval in the City Council amid resistance from the amusement district’s main landowner, Joe Sitt. Now, as the Council approaches a vote on the plan in coming weeks, one major line of resistance is emerging: Domenic Recchia, the area’s councilman, is siding with Mr. Sitt on almost all of the developer's key points, threatening the...

Bloomberg's Coney Island Plan Heads to Council Amid Expensive Questions

Wed, 17 Jun 2009 15:25:52 -0400

The fate of the Bloomberg administration’s proposal to remake Coney Island is now in the hands of the City Council and area Councilman Domenic Recchia, who has been critical of key aspects of the plan.

The ambitious proposal, which was approved by the City Planning Commission on Wednesday, imagines hundreds of millions of dollars in city investment to ultimately revitalize the onetime thriving amusement hub, which has gradually degenerated into a mostly vacant skeleton of...

Latest Coney Troubles: Unions, 'Hundreds of Millions' in Infrastructure

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 08:15:54 -0500

Thus far, between the freaks, the hunger strikes, the attacks via the media between city officials and a Brooklyn developer, the protestors brought in by the busloads to show up to an environmental scoping hearing (many of whom didn’t know where they were going), and the opposition by a civic group, the Bloomberg administration’s attempt to breathe new life into Coney Island has been, to use a cliché, a rollercoaster ride.

The plan has...

Recchia Hopes for More Bloomberg, Coney Island Development

Thu, 02 Oct 2008 09:15:56 -0400

Christine Quinn has adamantly denied speaking to the mayor or her colleagues about whether or not the City Council would approve a change to the term-limits law, and it looks like most members are set to do that.

So who was talking to the Council? Councilman Domenic Recchia, for one.

"Yes I did, OK? Did I talk to them about it? Yes I did," he said, referring to other members. Recchia, in a...

A Third Term for Bloomberg? Really?

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 16:36:50 -0400

Yesterday, with a report in the New York Post, the idea that Michael Bloomberg will try to seek a third term as mayor returned with force.

Much like the rumors that he would run for president, or was being considered as a running mate for either of the two presidential candidates, the whisper hasn't died despite pro forma denials by aides and vocal support for term limits by Bloomberg.

Is any of it real?

A...

Member Items Still About Who You Know

Sat, 28 Jun 2008 20:27:06 -0400

Even in these days of increased transparency when it comes to the City Council's appropriation of member items, the process remains, unavoidably, one that rewards people who know people.

For example, the Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty, a non-profit group whose executive director, William Rapfogel, is married to the Assembly Speaker's chief of staff, Judy Rapfogel, got $556,250 in member items this year.

The Ridgewood Bushwick Senior Center, a group founded...

Coney Reacts: RPA Likes Revised Plan; ACORN Wants More Affordability

Tue, 24 Jun 2008 15:45:00 -0400

Leading up to tonight’s scoping meeting of the Coney Island revamp, various advocacy groups and others are staking out positions on the city’s plan, a few of which have ended up in our inbox. The comments are on the latest iteration of the plan, which was altered after it met opposition from Councilman Domenic Recchia, who sided with landowners including major property owner Joseph Sitt.

The hearing, which starts at six in Coney ...

Recchia Drops Congressional Bid

Tue, 03 Jun 2008 13:37:33 -0400

Democratic City Councilman Domenic Recchia of Brooklyn just announced he is dropping out of the race for Vito Fossella's congressional seat.

Staten Island Democrats recently endorsed another candidate, City Councilman Mike McMahon. Although the district lies partly in Brooklyn, Staten Island residents are a majority.

In the release, Recchia says he thinks Democrats should be "united as a party" to win the seat, currently held by a Republican.

Attorney Steve Harrison, who...

Fidler Standing Behind Recchia

Thu, 29 May 2008 12:06:47 -0400

City Councilman Mike McMahon, who is running for the congressional seat Vito Fossella is vacating, was endorsed last night by the Staten Island Democratic Party.

Since most of the district is in Staten Island, county support makes McMahon the leading Democrat in the race. But two others--City Councilman Domenic Recchia and Steve Harrison, both of Brooklyn--were running Democratic primary campaigns before Fossella's arrest.

There's been some speculation that Recchia, who is the best-funded candidate in...

Jeers Drown Out Cheers at Coney Island Beach Party

Thu, 22 May 2008 13:10:24 -0400

"How about making some noise for opening the beach?" Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe said from the podium, as brightly dressed protesters standing behind a police line chanted, "Thor no more! Thor no more!"

So began another politically charged season at Coney Island under appropriately gloomy skies on Thursday morning.

"I was so glad to see the folks from Save Coney Island come out to support me," joked local Councilman Domenic Recchia, an ally of much-maligned...

Who Wants Fossella's Seat?

Tue, 20 May 2008 12:37:40 -0400

Here's what I've heard so far about who might run for Vito Fossella's seat now that the congressman has said he is staying in office but not seeking re-election.

A spokesman for Democratic City Councilman Domenic Recchia of Brooklyn, the best-funded challenger, said he’s still in the race, despite some rumblings that he might drop out. Democratic attorney Steve Harrison is also still running.

On the Republican side, the names of...

Fossella's Arrest and Recchia's Plans

Fri, 16 May 2008 11:22:57 -0400

Here's something counterintuitive. Amid all the jockeying for Vito Fossella's seat, City Hall News reports that the best-funded candidate in the race, City Councilman Domenic Recchia of Brooklyn, who was challenging Fossella long before the congressman was arrested, called "at least one elected official" and discussed dropping out.

From CHN:

The morning that news broke of Rep. Vito Fossella's (R-Staten Island/Brooklyn) DWI arrest in Arlington, Va., two weeks ago, Council Member Domenic Recchia (D-Brooklyn) called at...

Brooklyn's Claim to the Fossella Seat

Wed, 14 May 2008 14:34:26 -0400

The jockeying to run for Republican Vito Fossella’s suddenly winnable congressional seat has opened a bit of a rift between Brooklyn and Staten Island Democrats.

The seat is mostly in Staten Island, but for years, Democratic elected officials there have taken a pass at challenging Fossella since that would have meant giving up their own safe re-elections in order to run (and probably lose). The result was a string of unmemorable...

Independence Party Interviewing Candidates for Fossella's Seat

Tue, 13 May 2008 16:32:37 -0400

The Staten Island chapter of the Independence Party, which supported recently arrested Republican Congressman Vito Fossella in 2006, is interviewing “all prospective candidates” who want to seek their endorsement this year.

Interviews will take place on May 25, according to Frank Morano, an executive committee member of the New York State Independence Party.

Morano said Fossella “would have a shot at the nomination,” but also said that it would not be “a...

Club Divided Between Fossella's Challengers Endorses Neither

Mon, 12 May 2008 10:17:02 -0400

Last week I reported that an endorsement vote at a Democratic Club in Bay Ridge was split evenly between Vito Fossella's two official Democratic challengers, Domenic Recchia and Steve Harrison.

The president of Brooklyn Democrats for Change, Peter Carroll, emailed me over the weekend to say that because of the 25-25 tie, the club will not support either candidate. Carroll added, “Unless something major happens (like [F]ossella resigning) we will not be...

For Democrats, a Downside to the End of Fossella

Fri, 09 May 2008 17:02:05 -0400

At first glance, the potential (likely?) demise of Vito Fossella's political career makes for a timely boost for Democrats, who are now in prime position to claim the 13th District congressional seat he has held since 1997.

But it may be more trouble than it's worth.

The district certainly is winnable for Democrats, especially if Fossella opts to seek re-election despite the scandals exploding around him. But even if he doesn't – and there is word...

Bay Ridge Club Split Between Fossella's Democrat Challengers

Fri, 09 May 2008 10:19:17 -0400

The Brooklyn Democrats for Change, a reform club in Bay Ridge, held their endorsement meeting last night to decide which Democrat to endorse against Republican Vito Fossella.

The club’s decision was an even split.

According to a political operative who attended the meeting but is not actively working for either campaign, there were 25 votes for each of the two declared Democratic candidates, attorney Steve Harrison and City Councilman Domenic Recchia.

Harrison Not Campaigning on Fossella's Problems

Thu, 08 May 2008 17:21:36 -0400

One of Vito Fossella’s Democratic challengers, Steve Harrison, just released a public statement saying that if Fossella runs for reelection, “The people will decide in November if his recent behavior and revelations should disqualify him from continuing in office.”

It's a slightly different approach than Harrison took yesterday, when he told me Fossella's D.U.I. arrest spoke to the congressman's "character" and decision-making ability.

Here’s the statement:

It is unfortunate that Congressman Fossella’s indiscretions...

Fossella's Future

Wed, 07 May 2008 12:58:13 -0400

Vito Fossella’s spokespeople won’t say whether he’ll run for reelection, according to an item in Crain’s today.

“Politics is not what he’s focused on now,” Susan Del Percio--Fossella’s political consultant--is quoted as saying. “He’s focused on doing his job.”

The Republican congressman’s D.U.I. arrest in Virginia last week has led to greater scrutiny of his personal life and some speculation that he fathered a child with a woman in the D.C. area....

Harrison on Fossella's Arrest

Tue, 06 May 2008 16:14:27 -0400

Unlike Councilman Domenic Recchia, Democrat Stephen Harrison isn't hesitating to talk about the arrest of Republican Congressman Vito Fossella..

“I would like to have this race decided by the issues, like the war, health care, the economy, jobs, things of that nature--all of which are important. But now we’re involved in this very personal distraction,” said Harrison, who is competing with Recchia for the Democratic nomination to challenge Fossella.

Harrison seemed to indicate he may make...

Recchia Quiet on Fossella's Arrest

Tue, 06 May 2008 14:21:17 -0400

Congressman Vito Fossella’s recent arrest for driving drunk has Democrats thinking they might get a better chance at taking the only congressional seat in the city held by a Republican. (The district includes Staten Island and part of Brooklyn).

But the better-funded of his prospective Democratic opponents, Councilman Domenic Recchia, isn't (so far) using it against him.

“This has nothing to do [with the campaign],” he said about Fossella’s arrest. “My focus is on getting...

Recchia Has Global Strategy Group for Fossella Race

Tue, 06 May 2008 10:30:43 -0400

Councilman Domenic Recchia has kept a low profile since the congressman he is trying to unseat, Vito Fossella, got arrested for driving drunk.

But when political consultant Jefrey Pollock prefaced remarks about Fossella on NY1 last night by saying he’s working for Recchia’s campaign, that was news.

Pollock is president of Global Strategy Group, a company with clients that have included John Edwards, Freddy Ferrer, Eliot Spitzer and Cory Booker.

Recchia...

Fossella Speaks About Arrest

Fri, 02 May 2008 13:47:00 -0400

In his first appearance since being arrested in Virginia for drunk driving, Republican Congressman Vito Fossella said he’s not resigning and he hopes the residents of his Staten Island-Brooklyn district forgive him for what he said was a one-time mistake.

“It was a big mistake and I made it and I’m here to apologize to the people I represent,” he said, speaking at the Hilton hotel on Staten Island. “I was brought...

Coney Island Mayor on Latest Bloomberg Plan: It 'Sucks'

Thu, 01 May 2008 10:43:50 -0400

The Bloomberg administration is getting squeezed from all sides with its Coney Island plan, as its most recent proposal is taking fire from both advocates of the historic amusement hub and the area’s major landholder, Joseph Sitt.

Key advocates who once rallied behind the Bloomberg administration are now coming out strongly against the city’s proposal, expressing dismay that it would further shrink down the amusement district, putting retail and some hotels...

Domenic Recchia Takes City For a Ride at Coney

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 18:50:15 -0400

The debate over the future of Coney Island has become enmeshed in politics; standing at center stage is Councilman Domenic Recchia.

“I tell you one thing, we’re going to get a new boardwalk,” the Brooklyn Democrat said, stomping his foot last week on the decaying wooden planks of Coney Island’s signature walkway.

In early November, the city unveiled its grand plans to remake Coney Island, imagining a bustling 15-acre base...

Harrison: Look Out Canada

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 09:39:19 -0400

Here's Steve Harrison, the less-funded of the two Democrats looking to unseat Representative Vito Fossella, speaking to a bunch of Democratic clubs last night at a bar in Manhattan.

He had some particularly spirited remarks about the war in Iraq: After the oil is gone from the Middle East, he says, "We start looking around and we say ‘You know, Venezuela looks pretty good.’ And when Venezuela is gone, we look...

Democratic Clubs Stage Anti-Fossella Convention

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 10:31:55 -0400

A number of local Democratic clubs, including the Howard Dean-spawned DFNYC, are meeting tonight to decide which Democrat they will support in the race to unseat the only Republican Congressman in the city, Vito Fossella.

They are choosing between term-limited City Councilman Domenic Recchia and Steve Harrison, who lost to Fossella in 2006.

Fossella, a 10-year incumbent who represents Staten Island and parts of Brooklyn, is a frequent target of left-of-center groups in the...

Quinn Staffer Running for Council

Mon, 14 Apr 2008 15:06:50 -0400

Here’s the invitation to the kick-off fund-raiser for City Council candidate John Lisyanskiy, who is among the candidates running to replace term-limited Brooklyn Councilman Domenic Recchia.

Lisyanskiy currently works in the City Council as an executive assistant to Christine Quinn. While experience in the Council and first-hand knowledge of how City Hall works is usually an unalloyed benefit on the local campaign trail, Quinn's recent issues may, in the short term, make it...

New Press Guy Likes Staten Island More Than Albany

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 09:44:29 -0400

Here's Rob Hart, new to the communications staff for City Councilman Domenic Recchia, who is likely to challenge Congressman Vito Fossella--often referred to as the last remaining Republican representative in the city--in the election this fall. Hart used to be an Albany reporter for the Staten Island Advance, and it seems like he's happy to be back in the boroughs....

City Hall on Assembly 'Cop-Out,' and Other Reactions

Mon, 07 Apr 2008 17:17:43 -0400

Michael Bloomberg’s spokesman John Gallagher is releasing, upon request, a statement blasting the legislative process that killed his boss’ plans for congestion pricing.

“What we are witnessing today is one of the biggest cop-outs in New York’s history. After insisting on the formation of a commission to make recommendations for a bill, and then for the City Council to vote to endorse that bill, the Assembly needs to stand up and be counted. ...

New York City Council Votes for Congestion Pricing

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 19:35:48 -0400

A congestion pricing measure before the Council just passed, 30 to 20.

Domenic Recchia, who is planning to run for Congress, took a pass on voting the first time around, but eventually voted yes. Eric Gioia, who had told the New York Times on March 8 that he was voting no, also voted for it. Comptroller candidate Melinda Katz voted no, but her likely rival David Yassky voted yes. The two candidates for Brooklyn...

For Troubled Coney Plan, City May Need to Backpedal

Thu, 20 Mar 2008 11:44:43 -0400

The Bloomberg administration’s plans to revitalize and reinvent Coney Island have been through a noticeable evolution. A year ago, the city wanted to partner with the private landowners in the amusement district at Coney to give the historic hub a makeover, establishing the neighborhood as a regional destination.

Then the city determined that the private landowners—one in particular, Joe Sitt of Thor Equities—were not the perfect partners they had imagined. In November,...

Congressional Challenger Recchia Fined for Council Campaign

Thu, 29 Nov 2007 14:21:10 -0500

The campaign committee for City Councilman Domenic Recchia just got fined $375 for receiving “over-the-limit contributions” during the 2005 election cycle, according to a public statement by the city’s Campaign Finance Board.

It's not all that much money, but Recchia is now hoping to unseat Congressman Vito Fossella, and his challenger for the Democratic nomination, lawyer Steve Harrison, will likely bring it up as the campaign gets going.

...

Weprin's C.O.S. Departs, May Run for His Seat

Thu, 29 Nov 2007 11:41:39 -0500

Last night at David Weprin’s fund-raiser for his city comptroller campaign, I learned that the City Councilman’s long-time chief of staff, Jack Rubin Friedman, is leaving in January to become the head of the Queens Chamber of Commerce. One attendee told me that Rubin might run for Weprin’s seat in 2009. (Rubin was standing nearby and interjected that it’s only a possibility at this point.)

The event at the Woolworth Kitchen and Towers...

Congressional Candidate Raises Money to Unseat "Last City Conservative"

Mon, 26 Nov 2007 14:21:57 -0500

Supporters of congressional candidate Steve Harrison are having a fund-raiser this Thursday, and are banking on the anti-conservative message to bring in the checks.

From the email, being circulated by supporters Hilda B. Classon and Betsy Malcolm:

It's true, within all five boroughs, Vito Fossella is the last conservative Republican in our city. Mr. Fossella enjoys an 81% positive rating from the Christian Coalition and 78% from The...

City Council Self-Promotion

Mon, 15 Oct 2007 09:14:57 -0400

Citizens Union has posted online its study on how City Council members spend taxpayer dollars to raise their profiles.

I’m not sure what benefit top spenders like Michael Nelson and Helen Sears got for their expenditures, but others at the top of the list are widely known to be eyeing races for other offices: Domenic Recchia is running for congress. James Gennaro is likely taking a shot at state...

Recchia's Fund-Raiser

Thu, 11 Oct 2007 13:02:35 -0400

A reader (thank you!) passed on this invitation to City Councilman Domenic Recchia’s first major congressional fund-raiser, taking place on October 24 at Gargiulo’s Restaurant in Brooklyn.

The invite also includes quotes from newspaper paper stories from the New York Post, Crain’s and elsewhere. They’re a little fuzzy, but I’m sure it’s positive stuff.

Recchia has shown some interest in taking on Representative Vito Fossella, the city's only Republican congressman. The turnout here should...

Recchia Denies Helping G.O.P., Says He Can Beat Fossella

Tue, 09 Oct 2007 16:00:33 -0400

I just asked Democratic City Councilman Domenic Recchia about the story that he leaked information about a Democrat challenging Republican congressman Vito Fossella.

The first reaction of Recchia, who is now is the planning stages of his own run against Fossella, was a long, hearty laugh.

“I was not involved with the Barbaro campaign,” he said, referring to Frank Barbaro, the Democrat who...

Harrison Prepares for Fossella and Maybe a Primary

Mon, 08 Oct 2007 16:29:49 -0400

There may be something of a fight to see which Democrat takes on Representative Vito Fossella, the city’s only Republican congressman, in next year’s elections.

Steve Harrison, a local lawyer who got no support from the Democratic establishment during his unsuccessful bid against Fossella in 2006, just announced that he raised $45,000 in two weeks. The breakdown, according to Harrison’s people, is as follows: about $35,000 raised, with “approximately $6000...

Some 2009 Numbers

Mon, 16 Jul 2007 15:42:40 -0400

The city Campaign Finance Board is putting out some numbers today filed by some familiar candidates for citywide office.

The first total after each name below represents net contributions over a six-month period that ended last week, and the second is net contributions for the entire cycle.

Bill Thompson: $745,573 [$3,169,394]

Christine Quinn: $1,073,614 [$1,383,935]

Tony Avella: $31,425 [$103,465]

Norman Siegel: $26,959 [$26,959]

James Brennan:...

Mr. Asterisk

Tue, 18 Jul 2006 11:34:56 -0400

James Brennan Newsday has a helpful summary today about citywide candidates who have filed to raise funds for 2009. The list is led by City Comptroller William Thompson Jr., who has so far raised $519,000 as an undeclared candidate. Others who have raised money but have not declared the office they're seeking are Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz (about $83,800) and City Councilmen John Liu ($350,000), Peter Vallone Jr. ($232,000), Domenic Recchia Jr....