Simcha Felder

More from intern Glenna Goldis at the Council term-limits hearings:

The second set of testimony on term limits today included Comptroller Bill Thompson, who yesterday said he would run for mayor even if it meant challenging Bloomberg. Several times, the audience began to clap but then stifled itself to avoid censure from the chair.

But there were other testifying officials who received more attention from the Council.

Representative Nydia Velazquez, who testified first, said that times of crisis were exactly when the electoral process needed to be respected. She said that the proposed legislation to allow term-limited incumbents to run for an extra term would hurt minority opportunities for office, which could in turn draw a veto from the federal justice department.

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More from Glenna:

The start of the second day of the hearings on the City Council's term-limits legislation began more quietly than the first, with about 50 attendees filling a smaller hearing room.

The first group to give testimony today was pro-legislation, and among its notable members was Time Warner chairman Richard D. Parsons. Parsons called the circumstances of the economy "frightening, perilous or even dangerous" and argued it could soon make the 1970s crisis "look like a day at the beach."

Peter Vallone Sr., former speaker of the Council, cited times during his tenure that an experienced group of lawmakers could stand up to the mayor in a way that a bunch of freshman are less likely to.

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Intern Glenna Goldis is back at the term-limits hearing at City Hall this morning. She send this dispatch:

Soon after a tame opening to the second day of term-limits hearings here in the Council chambers, two protesters sprang up from their seats and drowned out Peter Vallone, Sr., who was testifying. Holding a banner, they faced Council members and yelled that Bloomberg was hurting democracy. (I couldn't see the banner clearly, but it had the words "Bloomberg" and "no democracy.")

"The people have already spoken in two referendums," they chanted. Police officers hustled them out as they accused billionaires of ruining the city.

"Does anyone else in the room need therapy?" asked committee chair Simcha Felder.

Another dispatch from the term-limits hearing, by intern Glenna Goldis:

Mario Cuomo was the first person to testify at the hearing on the City Council's term-limits legislation.

"The way they did it in my case was perfect," he said, referring to the voters' ouster of him in 1993 by general election.

He added later, "Anything that perpetuates term limits is not a good thing."

Councilman Simcha Felder, who presided over the hearing in the Council chamber, opened the proceedings by allowing the sponsors of an anti-extension bill to speak in alphabetical order. Cuomo testified after those brief statements.

At one point, Councilman Charles Barron challenged Cuomo, arguing that term limits had created the most progressive council in memory and that Bloomberg "robbed the poor to give to the rich.

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Council members Simcha Felder and Peter Vallone Jr. are circulating a letter in support of re-instating the commuter tax.

The letter, sent to other council members, argues that reinstating the commuter tax and closing costly loophole in the state pension law are crucial to the city's budget. "[T]he alternative," the letter says, is "further cuts to city services and a proposed mid-year property tax rate hike."

The letter pits the commuter tax, which Democrats in the State Senate don't want to do, squarely against the property tax increase--which Democrats in the City Council don't want to do.

The letter, which was forwarded to me by an interested reader, is below.  read more »

The city comptroller's race continues to shrink as Assemblyman Jim Brennan just announced he's out of the race. 

Brennan, who's from Brooklyn, dropping off the ticket is a boon to City Councilman David Yassky, also from Brooklyn.

Another Brooklyn candidate, Simcha Felder, dropped out in June. That leaves Yassky competing most intensely for votes in Queens, where City Council members Melinda Katz and David Weprin are from. Another candidate, Adolfo Carrion, is from the Bronx.

Of course, there's still plenty of time for someone else to jump into the race.  Here's Brennan's email:   

State Assembly member Jim Brennan (D.W-F, Bklyn) will not seek the office of the Comptroller of the City of New York in 2009.

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Political consultant Hank Sheinkopf—who's seen many, many primaries—indulged me with a few predictions about the outcome of some of today's competitive races:

Assemblyman Sheldon Silver by 10 points.
State Senate challenger Dan Squadron by 10 points.
Representative Ed Towns by 8 to 10 points.
State Senator Kevin Parker by only 2 points.

Agree? Disagree?

This sign was spotted by a reader in Borough Park and again in a predominantly Jewish enclave at the edge of Kensington (around 50th Street and 10th Avenue) in Brooklyn.

The tag line, in Hebrew and English--If Simcha loses, We All Lose--is a pretty direct appeal for votes along identity lines.

Felder is running for State Senate against incumbent Kevin Parker and fellow City Councilman Kendall Stewart, whose volunteers gave me more than a fair share of fliers at the subway station this morning.

Interestingly, Stewart's palm card asks voters not only to elect him, but to "re-elect" Congresswoman Yvette Clarke (and Congressman Ed Towns).  read more »

A raucous debate infused with racial tension took place last night in Brooklyn between Democratic State Senator Kevin Parker and his two primary opponents, term-limited City Council members Kendall Stewart and Simcha Felder.

Each candidate is representative of one of three major demographic voting blocs in the district--Felder is an Orthodox Jew, Stewart is a Caribbean immigrant and Parker is African-American--that sometimes clash over issues like immigration.

During the part of the debate when the candidates questioned each other, Stewart began by welcoming Felder to “this side” of the district--ostensibly a note about geography, but also a reference to his Council district, which is demographically much different.  read more »

Michael Bloomberg just formally endorsed Democratic State Senate candidate Simcha Felder, who is in a three-way Democratic primary and trying to unseat Democratic incumbent Kevin Parker. The other candidate in the race is Kendall Stewart, who, like Felder, will be term-limited out of the City Council next year.

In a public statement released by Felder’s campaign, Bloomberg said:

"Simcha Felder is an independent thinker who makes decisions the same way I do - by simply doing what he thinks is right for the people he represents. I rely on Simcha's advice on issues big and small because he is honest, fair, and speaks his mind openly.  read more »

The state’s fiscal crisis is being cited as one reason the United Federation of Teacher is endorsing Democratic State Senator Kevin Parker of Brooklyn, who is facing a three-way Democratic primary.

“Now, more than ever, we need leaders like Senator Parker,” Randi Weingarten, president of the union, said in a public statement. “With an economic crisis looming, it’s good to know that we have such a firm believer in public education representing us in Albany.”

In dealing with the state’s fiscal crisis, Governor David Paterson is urging spending reductions across the board, and has said no option is off the table. That means a reduction in education spending is possible and it's probably among the topics unions are discussing with lawmakers who seek an endorsement.

Parker is running against term-limited City Council members Simcha Felder and Kendall Stewart.

A reader emailed this photo of a bus near Atlantic Avenue that bears an ad for City Councilman Kendall Stewart. Stewart is running for State Senate against incumbent Kevin Parker and another challenger, City Councilman Simcha Felder.

The slogan is, "Improving the Future of the Community."

Up until recently, Stewart was calling himself the "Million $ Man," a reference to how much money he brings into the district. Even then, it was a slightly off-key message, since two of his staffers has just been charged with pocketing money meant for the nonprofit they were supposedly running.

A legislative breakfast for a Brooklyn-based educational group, Shema Kolainu, on August 5 will be something of a who’s who of New York politicians.

Amusingly, attendees will hear both “remarks” from State Senator Kevin Parker, and “greetings” from one of the Democrats looking to unseat him, Simcha Felder.

The chairman of the event is possible mayoral candidate John Catsimatidis, whose company, Gristedes, is the sponsor.

(Honorary chair status is given to Chuck Schumer and Hillary Clinton, which may help sell a few more tickets.)

The event is paying tribute to, among others, Comptroller Tom DiNapoli, the State Senate minority leader, Malcolm Smith, comptroller candidate and City Councilman David Weprin, and City Councilman Bill de Blasio, who is also a candidate for Brooklyn borough president.

From superintern Bharat Ayyar:

Police Commissioner Ray Kelly was a guest on last night's Nachum Segal Show, which was hosted by Zalman "ZK" Koppel and Councilman Simcha Felder, who is also running for State Senate. When Felder brought up the recent Quinnipiac poll that showed Kelly was the most popular candidate for mayor (that is, aside from term-limited Michael Bloomberg), Kelly called the result "flattering," but said he was too focused on his job to think about a run for office.

Felder also brought some of his staff, who he said had all acquired a taste for Jewish music, along to the show.  read more »

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The Stonewall Democratic Club, one of the city's largest gay political clubs, held an endorsement meeting last night.

According to a club member, here is who the club is endorsing in a few key races:

-Challenger Kevin Powell over incumbent Representative Ed Towns

-Incumbent State Senator Marty Connor over insurgent Dan Squadron

-Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver over his two challengers, Paul Newell and Luke Henry

-Incumbent State Senator Kevin Parker over challengers Kendall Stewart and Simcha Felder

-Manhattan Surrogate's Court candidate Nora Anderson

Kevin Parker, the state senator from Brooklyn facing two well-established primary challengers, just got the endorsement of the United Food and Commercial Workers, Local 1500.

According to a statement from campaign spokesperson Ronnie Sykes, the union's decision wasn't a close one: “The union endorsed Senator Parker without conducting an interview. The decision was made based on the Senator’s strong history of support for working families.”

Running against Parker are term-limited City Council members Kendall Stewart and Simcha Felder, who has been on the wrong end of a preemptively exclusive screening process before.

Michael Bloomberg defended Barack Obama in a speech to Jewish voters in Florida this morning.

According to the Palm Beach Post, Bloomberg told an audience at an event organized by the Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County not to believe the "online whisper campaign" against Obama.

Bloomberg's day in Florida -- he will be making three separate appearances -- has all the markings of a Kevin Sheekey project.

It's two days after a poll indicated Barack Obama is doing better than expected in that all-important battleground state, and, not insignificantly, as Bloomberg has been mentioned (for what that's worth) as a long-shot potential running mate for both major-party nominees.  read more »

Here’s someone from the Simcha Felder campaign at Bedford and Nostrand, collecting signatures to put him on the ballot in the 21st State Senate district.

The State Senate contest that Simcha Felder just decided to jump into bears some resemblance, at least on the surface, to the 2006 primary in Brooklyn's 11th congressional district in which Councilman David Yassky, who is Jewish, jumped into a field that included multiple black candidates.  read more »

Councilman Simcha Felder is not getting into the city comptroller race, but he will run for the Brooklyn State Senate seat currently held by fellow Democrat Kevin Parker, according to a source.  read more »

Simcha Felder, one of Michael Bloomberg’s closest allies in the City Council and a supporter of congestion pricing, said yesterday, "I clearly think I made a mistake on that vote." Felder made the remark during an interview on The Perez Notes, an online radio show based out of La Guardia Community College.

Here's my partial transcription:

SIMCHA FELDER: Let me just say, the plan that I was in favor of would not have charged people who got on the F.D.R. and did not get off on the zones. Which meant it would have discouraged people from coming into the zone when it was busy. At the end of the day the plan that we voted on was actually going to tax people whether they got off or on, no matter what, which think was a mistake on my part. So, if, Roberto, you’re asking me to tell your listeners what did they lose, I would say that my vote initially had good intentions but at the end of the day I think I made a mistake. I clearly think I made a mistake on that vote.  read more »

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Technically, Michael Bloomberg’s $59.1 billion budget increases spending -- albeit by one tenth of one percent -- but the loudest critcism it's facing so far is from officials and interest groups that want him to spend more.  read more »

Assemblyman Jim Brennan of Brooklyn, who is also running for city comptroller, introduced his own congestion pricing bill today. A spokesman, when asked, did not say whether he will support the plan as it is currently presented to lawmakers.

Brennan's new bill would ensure the program comes up for renewal in three years, and wouldn't allow the state to issue bonds against the program's future earning. Critics say allowing the bonds means the current congestion pricing plan wouldn't be temporary enough because it would last for the life of the bonds.
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Last night two city comptroller candidates -- Melinda Katz and David Weprin -- voted against congestion pricing, while three of their likely opponents in the race -- David Yassky, Simcha Felder and John Liu -- voted for it.
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Here’s a shot from the breakfast hosted Sunday morning by the Council of Orthodox Jewish Organizations on the West Side, which, as Grace Rauh noted, attracted nearly every 2009 candidate for citywide office.  read more »

During an interview on The Perez Notes last night, Democratic consultant Hank Sheinkopf delivered a hypothetical negative ad against Councilwoman Melinda Katz, one of the leading candidates for comptroller in 2009.

“I haven’t written it yet," said Sheinkopf. "I’m going to write it write now. Somebody can steal this and do what they want with it:

"‘Melinda Katz wants to be comptroller of the city of New York. Her credentials? Well, she was the Land Use Chair of the City Council. Here are some facts. During her Land Use [Committee] chairmanship, New Yorkers lost more affordable housing than in any other time in history. Rents skyrocketed. She’s taken millions from land lords. Some of those landlords'--lets do it this way--

"'She’s taken hundreds of thousands from landlords, slumlords, the worst kind of people. Those who want to jack up our rents and throw us on the street. So there you have it. Melinda Katz, for the landlords. Think she ought to be comptroller? Ha. Absolutely not.'

Response from Katz's office after the jump.  read more »

Adolfo Carrion just announced two more co-chairs for his city comptroller campaign: former city comptroller Elizabeth Holtzman and Merryl H. Tisch, chairperson of the Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty.

Last month, Carrion rolled out two others: former state comptroller Carl McCall and business executive Leo Hindrey Jr.

Locking up the support of two former comptrollers gives Carrion, at least, a distinction among a field that also includes Melinda Katz, David Yassky, David Weprin, Simcha Felder and James Brennan.

The official statement is after the jump.  read more »

Lew Fidler is somewhat skeptical about Assemblyman Dov Hikind’s notion that Jewish voters would flock to John McCain if Barack Obama won the Democratic nomination, a claim Hikind made in the New York Post today.  read more »

St. Patrick’s Day is coming up, and so is the big parade, meaning it's once again for local politicians to make a statement one way or another on the organizers' decision not to allow gays to participate under their own banner.

I asked a few possible citywide candidates about their parade plans, and here’s what I heard back so far.

Mayoral candidates:

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Inspired by the ado over Barack Obama's use of Deval Patrick's phrasing, and similar use by Hillary Clinton of at least one Obama phrase, I emailed a few quotable people in New York for them to give them the opportunity to put a catchphrase of their own on the record.

Here they are:

Simcha Felder:
“Do not place unsolicited advertising materials on this property."

Brian Ziff-Levine:
“It’s the undecideds, stupid.”

Joe Mercurio:
“Silence is an incredibly stupid communications strategy. No wait I actually stole that from Frank Luntz.”

Doug Muzzio:
"'If a frog had wings he wouldn't be bumping his ass on the ground' (cribbed from my father-in-law, Darrell Saunders)."

Phil Anderson:
"No reform, no raise."

Charles Barron:
“The renter's rebate. Rock Hackshaw gave me that idea when I was running for mayor in 2005. The next thing I know, Gifford Miller is talking about it, and now, Christine Quinn is."

More after the jump.  read more »

In a bit of role reversal, Simcha Felder interviews this City Hall reporter, with his fellow Council member Vinny Ignizio as the cameraman.

The co-chairs for Adolfo Carrion’s comptroller campaign will be former state comptroller H. Carl McCall and business executive Leo Hindrey Jr. of InterMedia Partners, the campaign announced this morning.

Hindrey, the former C.E.O. of the YES Network (which broadcasts Yankees games) also helped raise money for another Bronx politician seeking citywide office: Fernando Ferrer, who ran for mayor in 2005.  read more »

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Here’s Simcha Felder, an Orthodox Jewish City Councilman from Brooklyn, explaining his decision to vote for Barack Obama over Hillary Clinton “in protest” over how the Clinton campaign handled the issue of race during the South Carolina primary.

Felder is the first, as far as I know, elected official in New York City bolting from Clinton for this reason.

Felder goes on to say he ultimately might be voting for Michael Bloomberg in November.

Liz has more on Felders's decision here.

* Pictured above is Councilman James Gennaro with Josh Tickell, the producer and star of “Field of Fuel,” a documentary about foreign oil dependence that has been selected for the Sundance Film Festival. As Gennaro’s press release puts it, “The film also features a variety of people, including Woody Harrelson, Julia Roberts and Councilman James F. Gennaro, Chair of the Council’s Committee on Environmental Protection.”

* Councilman Simcha Felder will hold the second of two kick-off fundraisers for his bid for comptroller in Queens this Thursday. The suggested donation is $18, perhaps an effort to draw a contrast with rival David Yassky, who asked supporters for $500 at his kick-off. Felder’s first event was in Brooklyn on Monday night.  read more »

Christine Quinn's office just released a statement which manages to oppose the M.T.A.'s proposed budget, but which (not coincidentally, I'm guessing) doesn't mention the governor. (Spitzer first articulated the plan and he praised the M.T.A.'s budget this morning.)

Quinn isn’t the only one carrying out this balancing act. Council membersEric Gioia and Simcha Felder similarly avoided attacking Spitzer in their statements opposing the M.T.A. budget, while Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz’s statement mentions the governor several times, but stops short of criticizing him.

Christine Quinn’s statement:  read more »

Simcha Felder sent over this unfunny statement about the M.T.A.’s proposed budget:

“I'm not surprised that the MTA has found a new way to rip us off by holding the base fare favored by tourists at $2, while raising every other fare, including the fares of the weekly and monthly unlimited passes. Hard working New Yorkers, who have to deal with crowded trains, delayed and intermittent service, and dirty subway stations every day should be the ones shielded most from fare hikes. This is a slap in the face to everyday New Yorkers."

More after the jump.  read more »

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This evening, David Yassky kicks off his City Comptroller campaign with a fund-raiser at the Harvard Club.

He's part of a fairly crowded field in which some of the candidates have already started to raise money and endorsements: Melinda Katz, David Weprin, Jim Brennan and (all-but-declared) Simcha Felder.

The next Campaign Finance Board disclosure filing deadline is January 15. Any predictions as to what the candidates will show?

UPDATE: Also tonight is a birthday party/fund-raiser for Assemblyman Micah Kellner of Manhattan at XES Lounge, 157 West 24th Street, starting at 6:30 p.m.

Over the weekend, the Rudy Giuliani billing scandal that has been dubbed both the "Shag Fund" and Judygate played on, with both national and local press seizing on angles to further the story.

The New York Post reported that, in addition to the mayor himself, one of Giuliani's top aides also spent at least one summer night in the Hamptons on the city's dime, while the Daily News added that, in addition to chauffeuring Judith Nathan around, the N.Y.P.D. apparently took her to visit her parents in Pennsylvania, and occasionally even walked her dog. According to CBS, her family got to ride around with the N.Y.P.D. as well.

ABC News reported that Ray Kelly doesn't think Giuliani's story adds up and Michael Bloomberg's girlfriend says she has never had her own security detail. David Seifman calculated that the breakup of Rudy's marriage to Donna Hanover also cost the city a whole bunch of money.

In commentary, Michael Goodwin wrote that Giuliani's personal life is his last hurdle to the presidency, Josh Marshall explained why, contrary to intuition, Giuliani isn't guilty like Alan Hevesi, and Gail Collins just thinks, "Rudy is one of those people who doesn’t handle power well."

More after the jump.  read more »

You may have noticed that City Council member Simcha Felder is on a mission to do something about the city’s pigeons. Specifically, to starve them, but also, to discipline them by installing a pigeon “czar” into the city bureaucracy.

His zealousness has elicited some inspiring quotes from other council members, some bad press from the Daily News today and this news clip, which provides the rare spectacle of a public official saying "poop" on TV.

UPDATE: Felder's office sent over an email which reads in part:

"I did want to clarify that our pigeon feeding ban would not starve the pigeons. Both PETA and the ASPCA have said things in support of our proposal."

The email goes on the mention PiCAS (Pigeon Control Advisory Service) International, which supports controlling pigeon populations through reducing food supply.

The other day, I asked City Council member Simcha Felder of Brooklyn what's happening with a modest bill he has proposed that would ban unwanted flyers from being delivered to people's homes.

Here's his explanation of how it has fallen victim to the James Bond-like atmosphere in Albany, which (I think) is a reference to the ongoing fight between Eliot Spitzer and Joe Bruno fight.