The Public Employees Federation (PEF), New York’s second largest state-employee union, representing 9,000 professional, scientific and technical state employees, as well as hundreds of employees in local government agencies, including the Albany County Probation Department and Albany Housing Authority, Thursday announced its endorsement of Corey Ellis in his bid for mayor of Albany.
Ellis, City Councilman from Albany’s Third Ward, has already received the endorsement of the Working Families Party in his quest to unseat four-term incumbent Jerry Jennings. With the PEF support, he can now expect to get a sizeable volunteer army in his get out the vote efforts.
In the Democratic-controlled city, victory in the September primary all but assureds victory in November, but now should Ellis finish just short of a win, he may have sufficient reason, as well as a ballot line, on which to continue the race through to the general election. Today’s endorsement however, makes this race tighter than Jennings expected.
Three thousand miles away, in California’s 10th Congressional District race, the moment of truth comes much sooner for underdog challenger, Anthony Woods. The primary is September 1. However in a crowded field that includes more established, well-known and experienced politicians, Woods picked up an endorsement from the Bay Area Reporter, a gay and lesbian newspaper that has come out in support of this openly gay, African American Iraq War veteran.
…it is more than Woods’s sexual orientation that leads us to recommend him to East Bay voters. Woods would bring a fresh perspective to Congress which has become mired in special interests and hyperbole. One need look no further than the current debate over health care reform; there are not enough progressive Democrats and Republicans are swooping in to kill any effort at real reform.
Finally, New Yorkers who want to vote in the September 15 primary for mayor, public advocate, comptroller, Manhattan DA and a host of city council seats, need to register by Friday, August 21.
Since my return to blogging you may have noticed a particular emphasis on politics. I admit, I’m political observer and activist, basically a political junkie. Right now we are in the midst of a hot campaign season and frankly that interests me more even than the standings of my pathetic New York Mets right now. I am actively involved in or simply paying attention to several races around New York City as well as other parts of the country, so from time to time will post updates.
The race I care most about is the one for New York City Mayor. Democratic challenger Bill Thompson has picked up key endorsements this week, from Congressman Jose Serrano and the city’s largest municipal workers union, District Council 37, who supported incumbent Mayor Michael Bloomberg in the last elecction. While reports of a less than stellar fundraising month may have given some people pause, those in the know understand that building the grassroots support is the most vital strategy right now, which will pay off as the campaign moves closer to November.
The billionaire mayor’s money will always buy him more television ads and direct mail brochures. But Thompson has a growing and energized base of real live human supporters, prepared to do the neighborhood leafleting, fundraising and visibility events, and the get out the vote efforts.
Downtown in City Council District 3, Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood, incumbent Council Speaker Christine Quinn seeks re-election as a result of her deal with Bloomberg to engineer a City Council vote to extend term limits (against the wishes of the citizens of New York). At a candidates forum this week, she faced sharp criticism from her challengers.
Contenders Maria Passannante-Derr and Yetta Kurland ripped Quinn not just for her role in the term limits vote, but in not forcefully opposing a 2005 Bloomberg-backed lawsuit that successfully appealed a state court decision allowing same-sex marriage.
“This election is about an arrogant incumbent that has sold out our community for a right-wing Republican mayor,” Passannante-Derr charged.
Back upstate, in my old stomping grounds of Albany, Democratic Mayoral challengers, City Councilman Corey Ellis and four-term incumbent Jerry Jennings held competing press conferences this week on the same subject, what to do about the city’s growing number of abandoned and vacant properties, and they articulated two distinctly different approaches.
The Huffington Post this week called the Albany mayor’s race one to watch.
While we still wait to hear from the “leader of the Democratic Party in New York State,” New York City Democratic Mayoral candidate and current city Comptroller Bill Thompson has been racking up endorsements from other influential sources this week including a major labor union that will announce their support today.
Saturday, the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1056 officially backed Thompson, then Wednesday, Staten Island State Senator Diane Savino officially gave her endorsement, which may open doors in that traditionally Republican borough.
Now comes word that District Council 37, representing 120,000 city government workers, will come out in support of Thompson. The union, made up of many office-based workers, like secretaries, accountants and social workers, had supported Mayor Bloomberg in the 2005 election, which was a departure for the traditionally Democratic-leaning organization.
Update: Perhaps the “leader of the Democratic Party in New York State” has made an endorsement afterall?
Two interesting political stories out of Albany, the first pertains to this year’s mayoral race in New York’s capital city, the other about next year’s governor’s race.
Columnist Paul Bray, writing in Sunday’s Albany Times Union dismisses the idea that City Councilman Corey Ellis (mentioned on this blog a day ago) is an impossible longshot to unseat four term incumbent Mayor Jerry Jennings. He likens Ellis’ bid to the miraculous path to victory taken by Barack Obama.
“Like Obama, Ellis is a community organizer…He has political experience as political director for Albany County District Attorney David Soares’ campaign and as chair of Albany for Obama, Ellis knows the political “ground game” of being up front and personal with voters. He is betting he and his supporters on the ground will make up for money he does not have.”
Meanwhile, all the money in the world may not be enough to save Governor David Patterson from almost certain defeat next year should he face either a Democratic primary challenge or a general election race against Republican Rudy Giuliani, according to political observers.
Patterson’s approval ratings are in the 20% range, lower than any governor in state history. Democratic insiders (and a lot of average citizens) are quietly hoping he’ll step aside and allow Attorney General Andrew Cuomo (son of former Governor Mario Cuomo) to run. Cuomo has a sizeable war chest already but has been coy about seeking the governor’s seat, although polls show he could beat both Patterson and Giuliani.