Green Not Blue

Who knows, maybe things are looking up for
Public Advocate Mark Green.

Many local pundits — including this page — said he was the big loser in the Mayor’s decision to quit the Senate race. Now on an even footing with Comptroller Alan Hevesi and Council Speaker Peter Vallone — not to mention other Dem hopefuls like Freddy Ferrer from the Bronx and Sal Albanese from Brooklyn — Green will have to prove on his own that he’s the right man for Gracie, rather than leapfrog into office through arcane succession rules.

But last week, Green got some encouraging news. First, the kinder and gentler Rudy Giuliani proved just what a changed man he is since the marital blow-up and his cancer scare, when he invited his long-time nemesis Green to a bill signing last
week — the first time the Mayor has invited Green to one of these feel-good events since 1995.

The bill the Mayor signed requires almost every
city agency to distribute voter registration forms
(is this how the Mayor is trying to reach out to those left behind?). After the event, witnesses report that Giuliani went over to Green, patted him on the back and the two men left the room
together for a brief private meeting.

Does this mean that the Mayor may show some support for Green, now that Hevesi and Vallone have been even bigger thorns in his side in recent months? After the unpredictable events of the past month, political insiders aren’t ruling anything out.

On the polling front, there’s more good news for Green. The most recent poll of likely Democratic candidates in 2001, conducted by Manhattanville College in January, shows that Green is ahead of the pack with 25%. Al Sharpton pulled 13%, Hevesi 12%, Ferrer 11% and Vallone 11%.

As a Green insider told us late last week, mark his words, Green’s not blue.

McCall's Silver Bullet

According to some insiders, the biggest winner in the Sheldon Silver-Michael Bragman Assembly showdown recently was State Comptroller H. Carl McCall. Although Bragman has been actively supporting the popular Comptroller, Silver has been said to be leaning towards supporting Andrew Cuomo for the Guv nomination in 2002.

Not anymore it seems.

Some well-placed sources say that when Bronx Assemblyman Roberto Ramirez went into the room to negotiate with Silver to save the Speaker’s political hide, Ramirez demanded that the Lower East Side pol switch his allegiance from Cuomo to McCall.

In his desperate attempt to keep his precious political clout in Albany, Silver is said to have assured Ramirez that he would support McCall in 2002.

Fore!

Colorado resident John Baker is planning to see a slice of America — or a drive, or a putt.

On September 1, Baker will place his foot in the Pacific Ocean near San Diego and take the first swing in his quest to hit a golf ball across America.

Baker figures the trip, which should take 10,000 strokes just to get through California, will take about a year. He hopes to follow Interstate 10, and cover 10 miles a day while camping out at night. He plans to take his last shot into the Atlantic Ocean at Jacksonville, Florida.

Baker’s selling CD's of his songs to finance the trip, and he says that he’ll consider a book deal or an offer for a "movie of the week." Until these come through, you can follow his progress on his website, www.patentcritic.com.

Stern's Vote

It worked for George Pataki and Christine Todd Whitman.

So it’s no surprise that Jay Rosnick was elected for student council president of Neshaminy High School in suburban Philadelphia. After all, he was endorsed by radio shock jock Howard Stern.

Three days before his fellow students went to the polls, 17-year-old Rosnick decided that his lackluster campaign needed a boost. So he called Stern’s show, to which he is an avid listener, and managed to get through to the self-proclaimed "King of All Media."

Stern agreed to allow Rosnick to call back just before the candidates would be able to make their final pitches on the school’s public address system, as long as the principal agreed.

Principal Mark Collins was reluctant until he spoke to Stern’s producers, who promised that the usually raunchy radio host would be on his best behavior. He also admired Rosnick’s initiative.

So, when Rosnick took the microphone and held up the phone, Stern told the students of Neshaminy High — and his listeners nationwide — the virtues of Rosnick’s candidacy.

Three days later, Rosnick came from behind to win over three other candidates.

But while Rosnick rode Stern’s endorsement to victory, he decided against using the host’s proposed campaign slogan: "Hey, I’m not a serial killer."

Confidentially New York . . .

E-MAIL your items to: NYConf@NewsCommunications.com

NYConfidential by Michael Schenkler with: Tom Allon, Steve Azzara, Peter Catapano, Ira Cohen, Richard Fasanella, Tamara Hartman, Barbara Jarvie, Mike Nussbaum, Dee Richard.