It’s been nearly 15 years since an incumbent Democrat lost a reelection bid for Congress in New York City, and barring scandal or death, most U.S. Representatives face little risk of losing their seat over the course of a career. Harlem, for example, has had only had two representatives - Adam Clayton Powell and Charles Rangel - since the Congressional district was first created in 1944.
U.S. Representative Edolphus “Ed” Towns, who has represented the 10th district in Brooklyn since 1982, has not had it so easy.
In 1998, Towns narrowly survived a primary race against attorney Barry Ford. And this year, Towns faces several well-known Democratic challengers, including City Councilmember Charles Barron, Assemblymember Roger Green, and hip-hop writer and activist Kevin Powell.
One reason the 12-term incumbent faces opposition is his voting record, which has upset Democrats in both Washington DC and New York.
Last year, Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi threatened to strip Towns of his committee assignments after he missed a key budget vote that the Democrats lost by just two votes. Towns offered no explanation, other than to say “people miss budget votes all the time.”
A few months later, Towns went against Democratic leaders and voted in favor of the Central American Free Trade Agreement (known as CAFTA), a trade deal that many union leaders and human rights activists opposed.
All three challengers -- Charles Barron, Roger Green, and Kevin Powell -- say they would have voted against the trade agreement because it moves jobs out of the U.S., hurts the environment, and exploits low-wage workers overseas.
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Towns also hasn’t offered a clear answer to why he voted for the trade agreement, but his legislative aide, Rick Blake, defended the vote as “principled” and said the congressman has supported labor issues more than 90 percent of the time.
In the 10th district, which includes East New York, Bedford-Stuyvesant, Fort Greene, and parts of Brooklyn Heights and Cobble Hill, the incumbent and all three candidates agree on the most critical issues: jobs, education, and affordable housing.
Towns, who sits on the Health Subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, said he stands on his record (see his Web site) although in an interview he did not specify exactly what he has accomplished.
The congressman says he is currently working to build connections between local schools and the fire department in order to help encourage students to go into the profession. He also plans to “convene a summit” of educators and corporate leaders focused on improving the preparedness of youth for jobs and college.
City Councilmember Charles Barron -- a former Black Panther who calls Towns “lackadaisical” - is campaigning on his record in the council, including opening a youth center in the area, fighting for funding to renovate parks, and helping the City University of New York establish a long-term capital plan.
“I’ve demonstrated that I can deliver infrastructure,” said Barron.
If elected to Congress, Barron said he would advocate for more federal funding to help the district’s small businesses. He also wants to build a science and technology center as well as a planetarium to provide education and job training for residents. “We need to bring science, technology, and culture to the 10th district,” said Barron.
State Assemblymember Roger Green, who announced his candidacy for the house seat in April, said that there is a “disconnect” between Towns and his constituents. Green cites Towns votes to repeal the estate tax and to tighten bankruptcy regulations, which Green says will hurt the poor and benefit the wealthy.
“[We shouldn’t be voting for] tax credits for Paris Hilton so that she can buy jewel necklaces for her Chihuahua,” said Green.
Green also points to the efforts in the State Legislature to improve education, build affordable housing, and require large developers to employ minority-owned businesses.
Unlike Barron and Green, Kevin Powell, who first gained fame on the MTV television show “The Real World” and later helped found the hip-hop magazine Vibe, has never held elected office.
But Powell points to his record of political activism, such as working to raise money for local charities, fighting for voting rights, most recently, organizing Hurricane Katrina relief efforts. He said he would focus his campaign on reducing the rates of HIV and AIDS, improving education and after-school programs, and reducing crime.
“The problem with Towns is that he is not actively engaged in the community development process,” Powell said.
When it comes to the campaign, Towns has the advantage of an incumbent. He already received endorsements from local politicians like Rep. Charles Rangel and several members of the State Legislature and City Council. Towns has also raised almost $591,000.
Barron, however, has shown he can also raise money in his past City Council campaigns and has gained considerable name-recognition as an outspoken advocate for the poor.
“I have the best chance to retire the incumbent,” claimed Barron.
Green has a 26-year record in the New York State Legislature to build on, but it is not unblemished. In June 2004, Green resigned from the Assembly after he pled guilty to two counts of petty larceny and one count of filing a false instrument for falsifying for travel expenses. Still, Green was re-elected to his seat later in the year.
Powell, who is 40-years-old, has scheduled a series of fundraising events across the country for his bid -- and hopes to draw in voters with his youth and enthusiasm.
“Money, fame, status, personal achievements, and all that means very little to me when pain and suffering are still real on this planet,” his Web site states. “I am interested in the powerless becoming powerful."
Towns dismissed his challengers and said they were “not bona fide candidates.”
“Well, the ideal situation would be that I had no race,” Towns told the Daily News, “But if I’m gonna have one, let all run. God bless.”
New York City politicians rarely get an opportunity to run for Congress with any real chance of winning. And so one can only imagine the hungry looks that greeted Major Owens’ announcement in 2003 that he would retire after the 2006 elections, after 12 terms in Congress. In January 2004, with the election almost three years away, the Capitol Hill newspaper Roll Call reported that Owens’ son Chris, State Senators Carl Andrews and John Sampson, City Councilmembers Tracy Boyland and Yvette Clarke, former City Councilmember Steve DiBrienza and Assemblymember Nick Perry – all Democrats -- had expressed interest in the seat. Tracey Boyland and Yvette Clarke both did not want to wait for 2006, trying, without success, to defeat Major Owens in 2004. Since then, Boyland, along with Steven DiBrienza and John Sampson, have apparently have lost interest in the contest.
Five candidates remain, and more could drop out – or join in – before the September 12 primary.
But Roll Call did not include the candidate in the 11th District who has attracted the most attention, the most money – and the most controversy: City Councilmember David Yassky.
Yassky, who until recently did not live in the 11th district, is the only white candidate in a district once represented by Shirley Chisholm, the first African American woman elected to Congress. He has also raised more money than any other Democratic candidate running for an open seat in the entire country – $857,765 by March 31, according to the latest filings with the Federal Election Commission.
The controversy over David Yassky’s candidacy is emblematic of much of the debate leading up to the September primary. Although the five candidates have some disagreements on issues, the greater differences arise over emphasis and over who could do the best job representing the residents of parts of Bedford-Stuyvesant, Crown Heights, Prospect Heights, Park Slope and Flatbush.
“I think on at least 80 percent of the issues we agree,” Carl Andrews told the Sun.
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The district is diverse, ranging from affluent areas of Park Slope to poorer areas of Crown Heights, with its mixture of Caribbean and Hassidic residents. The Atlantic Yards project falls in the district and only Chris Owens is on record as completely opposing the project, though some of the other candidates have called for changes in it or expressed reservations.
David Yassky, perhaps trying to impress residents with his knowledge of the nitty gritty of a district where, until recently, he has had not lived, says local issues can matter in the race. Commenting on the lack of decent stores in Brownsville, litter on Nostrand Avenue and parking shortages in Midwood, he said, “Voters don’t care whether you’re a congressman or a city councilman. They just want you to deal with their problems. And they have every right to that.”
But for the most part, the candidates focus on the national issues that they see affecting a district, which, even with its increased affluence, still has almost a quarter of its resident living below the poverty line. They cited education, health care and housing as key concerns, along with a need for economic development and more good jobs.
To address unemployment, Carl Andrews said he would try to place a moratorium on trade agreements that he thinks spur the outsourcing of jobs and would work for an increase in the federal minimum wage. Chris Owens wants to eliminate all federal taxes on small business that gross $1 million or less a year to help small businesses generate more jobs. All expressed skepticism about No Child Left Behind and want the federal government to help provide more affordable housing
As the only woman in the race, Yvette Clarke said she sees the race as being partly about “the challenges the women of the congressional district are facing with respect to welfare , with respect to the workforce and with respect to a number of issues from domestic violent to childcare that are not being addressed by the Republican Bush administration.”
The other candidates echo her criticism of the Bush administration, particularly of the war in Iraq. Along with the president’s tax cuts, Chris Owens, said, spending on the war “leaves less spending for the whole domestic agenda.” Chris Owens has called for Bush’s impeachment, and David Yassky advocated censure of the president.
But they have criticism for their own party as well. “The Democrats have not been effective in shaping the debate in a proper matter.” Yvette Clarke said. “We should have been much more definitive in our position around the Iraqi war.”
David Yassky said the Democrats could learn from Republicans. “Newt Gingrich when he was in the minority accomplished more than most Democrats because [the Republicans} had a clear. firm agenda that they fought for,” he said. “The problem with Democrats is they have not had the same level of clear, crisp substantive agenda.”
But the candidates expressed optimism about being able to change things – even if the Republicans remain in the majority. Carl Andrews said his four years as a Democrat in the State Senate has given him experience in being a member of a legislative minority. “One of the things I’ve learned is that you don’t necessarily get your name on a lot of pieces of legislation but you can be involved in the discussion around those pieces of legislation and you can advocate.”
Chris Owens said he would begin his tenure by introducing his small business tax cut “since I’ve never met a Republican who didn’t like a tax cut.” And David Yassky said he would focus on being substantive. As an example he cited his record in the City Council where he worked to include affordable housing in the rezoning for Williamsburg and Greenpoint
Each candidate thinks that he or she brings something special to the race – something that some or all of the opponents lack. Carl Andrews stresses his record, including work for Eliot Spitzer and time in the State Senate. Yvette Clarke cites her independence and, along with David Yassky, her record in the City Council. Chris Owens, whose only elected post was as a member of a community school board, notes his stands as an “aggressive progressive,” with a longtime commitment to such issues as same sex marriage, and his experience in the private sector. As a member of the state legislature for 14 years, Nick Perry said he is also the only candidate who served in the armed forces. “The district needs someone who is honest,” he said, “who comes with no cloud over them, someone who can make the district proud.”
Although Nick Perry declined to be specific, this is generally taken as a dig at Carl Andrews, who has ties to Clarence Norman, the longtime Brooklyn Democratic leader who was convicted for campaign violations earlier this year. Clarence Norman “is an issue people are trying to make,” Carl Andrews conceded. But he added,” When voters go to the polls, they’re not looking at Clarence Norman, they’re looking at Carl Andrews.”
Chris Owens’ opponents fault him a relative lack of electoral experience and for being the son of the long-time incumbent, although any criticim of Major Owens is muted. Chris Owens said he would not be a copy of his father. “Ideologically my father and I are very similar,” Chris Owens added. But he added he would be more savvy about fundraising and technology than the incumbent. And, tacitly acknowledging that Major Owens has been criticized for a lack of constituent service, his son said “I will definitely deliver the best customer service to the constituents of the district.
But no one else comes in for the kind of criticism that David Yassky does. Some observers think that as the only white facing a field of four blacks candidates in a district with a substantial white minority, David Yassky could win. At least in the blogosphere, David Yassky raised more alarms – and some ridicule – when he sent out a leaflet showing a matzoh and a ceremonial Passover goblet with the headline: “Ask the Fifth Question this Pesach: Are you ready for a congressman who actually gets thing done?” To add to the furor, it apparently went to more black residents of Crown Heights than Hasidic ones.
“He’s doing the smart opportunistic thing to do in politics. That doesn’t make it morally right,” Chris Owens said of David Yassky. If he hadn’t raised all that money “it wouldn’t be as objectional,” Chris Owens continued. “It’s the combination of class and race.”
“I don’t think his candidacy is reflective of the dreams and aspirations of the majority of the electorate in the 11th congressional,” Yvette Clarke said. “It’s clearly an opportunistic move.”
Nick Perry, though, thinks David Yassky may be hurting himself. “He was seen as a bright star with a future in Democratic politics in the city,” the assembly member said. But now he’s demonstrated an ambition that is “callous and selfish.”
David Yassky though has said that this whole controversy is of more concern to politicos than to voters, who want the best representation they can get. “This is such an opportunity for the people of Brooklyn to say that we’re all in this together and to talk and vote as Brooklynites and not as members of one group or another,” he told the Times. And, on a pod-cast, he likened the Pesach flyer to running an ad on a Spanish language radio station — something he said he would do as well.
He certainly has the money to. Carl Andrews, in second place in the money race, lags far behind with about $323,000, but said he has enough money to get his message out. Chris Owens falls a bit shy of $200,000 but said the pace has picked up lately, and Yvette Clarke with about $165,000 said her fundraising was delayed by her council campaign last year. Nick Perry is in last place with $109,0000 – but offers an explanation that should earn him the empathy of many. “I love my work full-time,” he said, “so it’s been hard to spend the time needed for fundraising.”
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Every two weeks the New York City Council meets for its Stated Meeting to introduce and pass legislation. As a regular feature, Searchlight covers these meetings and posts a summary of the bills passed.
QUOTE OF THE DAY:
"Personally, I’ve heard enough about the Yankees and stadiums for a while. I'm about ready to start rooting for the Red Sox." – Councilmember Helen Foster.
MEETING SUMMARY:
BASEBALL STADIUMS
The New York City Council approved $2 billion in tax-free financing and subsidies to help both the New York Yankees and the New York Mets build new ballparks.
While the teams will pay the majority of the cost for the new stadiums, the city will provide tax-exempt bonds to finance the construction costs, saving the teams hundreds of millions of dollars in coming years.
The Yankees will receive $866 million in tax-exempt bonds to help finance the construction of their new $930 million stadium.
The Mets will receive $567 million in tax-exempt bonds to finance their $632 million stadium.
Under the plan, each team will repay the city for construction bonds and interest on debt through "payments in lieu of taxes" - also known as PILOTS. PILOTs are money from developers who build properties on city-owned land, but do not pay property taxes on it. Instead, they pay money into a specific fund.
The Independent Budget Office estimates that the tax-exempt bonds will save the Yankees $144 million and save the Mets $72 million over the next 40 years.
Both stadiums will also cost taxpayers.
The council estimates that the city will spend $91 million and the state will spend $74 million to pay for infrastructure, parking garages, and new parkland around Yankee stadium. The city will spend $164 million and the state will spend $74 million for the new Mets stadium.
Council members said that stadiums were worth the public investment, and that they will bring jobs and income into the local economy.
"Job creation and economic development is our job," said Councilmember Leroy Comrie. "And we have done both with these projects."
Council members from the Bronx and Queens, who have negotiated with the teams in recent weeks, also said they were able to win important commitments for their neighborhoods, including promises to hire local workers and to give 25 percent of contracts to minority and women-owned businesses. The teams will also invest in little league teams and donate tickets to children in the area.
"This is a grand slam for all of Queens," said Councilmember Hiram Monserrate.
An overwhelming majority of the members agreed. The Yankees financing passed by a vote of 46 to 3. The Mets project passed by a vote of 48 to 1. (Letitia James abstained from both votes.)
Councilmember Charles Barron, the only person to vote "no" on both ballparks, said that city should be using its resources to help low-income people, not subsidizing new stadiums for rich baseball team owners.
"This is a bunt single for the community and a grand slam for the Mets and the Yankees," said Councilmember Charles Barron.
Councilmembers James Sanders and Helen Foster voted against the Yankee plan, but in favor of the Mets stadium.
"Personally, I’ve heard enough about the Yankees and stadiums for a while," said Foster. "I'm about ready to start rooting for the Red Sox."
The Internal Revenue Service still must approve the financing, which has been called into question by Comptroller William Thompson and the Independent Budget Office. In 1986, Congress banned the use of tax-exempt bonds to build sports facilities unless 90 percent of the bonds are paid off using funds that would normally go to the city in the form of taxes.
The Bloomberg administration has asked the Internal Revenue Service to review the plan, and the council said it believes the agency will approve it.
AUTO INSURANCE FRAUD
New Yorkers pay four times the national average for car insurance, and Brooklyn has some of the highest auto insurance rates in the nation.
Part of the reason is that New York State has a no-fault automobile insurance system, which allows for people injured in accidents to have their medical bills paid quickly regardless of who is to blame for the crash. Another reason for the high rates is that many people try to take advantage of the no-fault system and cheat insurance companies.
In an effort to reduce insurance fraud the council passed a bill (Intro 243-A) to crack down on the medical clinics that are involved in schemes.
Under the bill, if a medical service company earns more than half of its revenues from no-fault insurance claims, then they will now be subject to audits and regulation by the Department of Consumer Affairs.
"We know how the scams work," said Councilmember David Yassky, who authored the bill. "Now we need laws in place to catch the scammers."
The measure passed by a vote of 50 to 0.
FIELDSTON HISTORIC DISTRICT
The council approved the creation of a new historic district (L.U. 91 and Res 283) in the Fieldston section of Riverdale in the Bronx.
In the early 1900s, the owners of the land comprising Fieldston decided to develop the area as a "private park devoted exclusively to country homes," according to the New York City Landmarks Commission. Frederick Olmstead, who also designed Central Park, contributed to the plan.
The historic district will include 257 houses, many of them large mansions with historic columns, porticoes, and intricately designed roofs.
The designation means that if owners want to do renovations of their homes, they must submit the plans to the Landmarks Commission and use authentic historical materials, which can often add to the cost of repairs.
Councilmember Oliver Koppell has a special interest in the designation – he owns one of the homes, which was recently valued at $2.7 million.
"It's a beautiful area," said Koppell. "It deserves to be protected."
"I'd like to congratulate Councilmember Koppell on the land marking of his home," joked Councilmember Miguel Martinez. "But I haven't been invited yet."
The measure passed by a vote of 50 to 0.
PUTTING AWAY TRASH CANS
After a sanitation worker empties a garbage can into a truck, New Yorkers are required to remove the trash can from the sidewalk "immediately" - or they can be fined, according to city law.
Responding to complaints from residents, the council passed a measure (Intro 28-A) that deletes the word "immediately" from the regulations.
Now, New Yorkers must put the trash can away by 9 p.m. on the day of collection. If the sanitation department does not come until after 4 p.m., then residents have until 9 a.m. the next morning.
VETERANS ADVISORY BOARD
The council passed a bill (Intro 233-A) aimed at strengthening the role of the Veterans' Advisory Board, which is supposed to help set city policy to aid former members of the U.S military. Some council members have criticized the board as ineffective.
Under the bill, the board must meet at least four times a year, submit an annual report of activities to the mayor and the council, and members can be removed for cause if they are not doing their duties.
The next Stated Meeting is scheduled for May 10, 2006.
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