Start the Revolution Without Us This Time

Everyone is familiar with the New Yorker cartoon of the map of the U.S. with only New York and a bunch of cactus desert filling in the rest of the country.  Well if one was to do a map of political change this year, Manhattan would be the cactus and the rest of the country would be colorful, green and jumping with high buildings.  The inability to change or reform coupled with a successful effort to extend term limits will all but shut down local Democracy in New York.  The Obama and Palin movements have bypassed New York.

The Incumbent Society, working with spin doctors who function as both campaign consultants and lobbyist and a very accepting press, have shut down political movements, competitive elections and public debate with few exceptions on an island that for the past half century functioned as the incubator of change.  First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt started the modern reform movement when she convinced Mayor Robert Wagner to run against De Sapio’s Tammany Hall machine for reelection to a third term.  The anti-war and women’s rights movements of the early 70’s and later on the gay rights movement brought a whole new generation into Manhattan elected offices pledging and caused change.  The Westside gang of four which included Congressman Nadler, Dick Morris and Assemblyman Gottfried got their start in politics by protesting the Vietnam War. 

Manhattan has Become a Political Desert

There are only two challenges in Manhattan’s assembly districts this year.  One of the two contests (Miguel Martinez vs. Adriano Espaillat in Washington Heights 72^nd AD) is being fueled by term limits, which if the mayor and the council have their way will be changed.  The Incumbent Society could care less about the public voting twice in support of term limits, all they think about is doing a dance in the press to avoid taking any blame for doing a backroom deal for another term.  City office holders have strong support from the state’s elected officials, who do not want term limited elected officials running against them. 

Only one of Manhattan’s State Senators faces a primary and that is a district that is only partly in the borough (Martin Connor vs. Daniel Squadron 25^th SD).  None of Manhattan congressional members face primaries.  Not even in a 2007 special election to fill Grannis’ seat was their any real opposition.  Micah Kellner got the 65^thDemocrat County Committee endorsement after an opponent was talked out of the race.   

Only about 25,000 people are expected to vote this Tuesday in Manhattan Democratic Primary. There are just fewer than 1,000,000 registered voters on the island.  That means that 2.5% of Manhattan voters will be able to vote for change.  New York’s closed system make almost impossible for the public to use it vote for candidates pledged to change.  Manhattan’s voters want change in state government, over 90% voted for Spitzer “Everything changes from day 1,” campaign.     

In the one district that voters will be able to choose, the 64^th AD the vote is expect to be ten times higher than any other district in the borough.  That proves that voters when given a chance to have a voice for or against the policies of Assemblyman Silver want to participate.  One of the last of the old Tammany leaders still around James McManus said that the public is best served when one candidate’s gets 51% and the other 49%.  He said competitive elections force elected officials to listen to and act on the will and needs of their district.  For change to happen the public needs two ingredients, competitive elections and an informed public.  We have neither. 

It is not just a Manhattan problem.  Completive elections throughout the city are the exception.  There are 32 legislative seats open in this week’s Primary in Queens (6 Congressional, 7 Senate, 18 Assembly and 1 Council). But there are only three Primaries – the rest are uncontested — due largely to the Queens Democratic Organization’s legal firm and political power. If they can’t talk you out of running, they can challenge your petitions from the Board of Elections through the Court system, exhausting you and your campaign war chest. Their candidates need not spend a cent or a moment, while Democratic challengers are tied up in court going through tens of thousands of dollars in legal fees.  Two incumbents and one challenger in Queens were talk out of running to avoid competitive elections in Queens, State Senator Sabini, Assemblyman Lafayette, and Albert Baldeo who got 49% of the vote against a republican incumbent without the help of his own democratic party.

Insiders Control Tightens

This conspiracy by insiders to shut down New York’s election system is creating a new type of England’s Hanover dynasties, where only family members or extended family members (chief of staff, campaign workers) replace incumbent elected officials.  This insider cast system now works more for the special interests than for the people who make up the neighborhoods of this city.  How else can you explain why the City Council votes for tax breaks for developers who are doing more harm to New York’s neighborhoods that Robert Moses ever dreamed? 

In this swamp of a political system, a new class of Robber Barons has hatched,   campaign consultants who also work as lobbyist for the special interests.  Forming alliances with elected officials, they have become a government “Star Chamber” that is unchecked, not accountable to voters.  The elected officials get contributions and campaign help from their lobbyist friends in return legislators help the same lobbyist obtain member items and other government’s help for their clients.

The Parkside Group as campaign consultants helped elected Gifford Miller to Council Speaker and several Queens City Council members in 2001.  Between 2002 - 2005 they made over 7 million in fees, mostly in non profits who needed their help to lobby Miller and the Queens councilmember’s for member item funding from the city budget for their groups.  With all the scandals coming out in the past year it surprising why the system that elected the speaker of the council has not been examined more closely by the media. 

Reporters and good government groups should look at how consultants/lobbyists work together cutting up the city into territories, ethnic and racial groups.  How they give each other a piece of the action, by making other lobbyists sub contractors of their clients.   What has happen is a 50’s Apalachin agreement of the city’s government and budget.  It is a highjack of our democracy, the citizen’s right to vote and choose the elected government of their choice.

The press would easily call a group conspiring to rig the street lighting bidding contract process organized crime.  But accept campaign consultants planted stories for their campaign clients and never question their role as lobbyists. 

Where are the good government groups on this extortion racket that has damaged our democracy?  Where is there proposal to require candidates to list not only consultants, but their sub contracting consultants, mailing houses and printers on all their financial filing forms?   We don’t allow campaign contributors who do business with the city, how do we allow campaign consultants who get paid by non profits who get funded by the city and developers who get tax breaks form the city? 

While the only Tammany Hall system of government was corrupt and kept much of the money they took from the City’s budget, they were forced to give some of it to the poor, working class, who votes they needed at election time.  The new lobbyists/ consultants are answerable to nobody; they keep all their money for themselves and for their summer homes in the Hamptons.  Can you imagine George Artz giving anyone turkeys at Christmas?