EXPLAINING THE SNOW: It’s Tuesday morning (1/25) with 4"of snow on the ground; more expected.

I can explain; it’s sort of my fault.

It was the early ‘90s. Four years in a row I had to brave it in heavy snow from home to the office — a normal half an hour trip. The snow doubled, tripled and occasionally increased the time by incredible multiples. I was once on the road traveling for seven hours to go the 15 miles to my home. Insane!

In ’91 I drove a Q45, which slipped and slid on ice on the slightest of inclines causing me on several occasions to turn around and seek less hilly paths out of my neighborhood. That was the worst.

I’ve driven them all. VW Bugs and Rabbits, a Chevy, a Mazda RX7, a Porsche 924S, the Jaguar was wonderful. Drove ‘em all; loved ‘em all . . . but the snow always caused problems. I made the sensible decision and in the middle ’96, I got myself a Jeep a 4-wheel drive Grand Cherokee workhorse.

It worked! Since owning the Jeep, there has not been a significant snow accumulation in the area. I never had problems in the winter while driving the Jeep. There was just no real snow for the past 3 winters.

The Jeep really worked and I was really happy.

This past weekend, in celebration of my son’s 21st birthday and the fact that he was in college in cold and snowy Keene, New Hampshire, I gave my invincible Jeep to him — Happy Birthday Lee. (Actually his birthday is Feb. 7 and you can email him wishes at QuicLee@AOL.com).

Last night, Monday after the most pleasant automobile purchase experience one can imagine — maybe more on that in a future column (thanx, JoAnn at BMW of Bayside) — I picked up a brand sparkling new BMW X5. Now, like a Jeep, it’s a 4-wheel drive SUV (only BMW insists on SAV — Sports Activity Vehicle instead of Utility). As a matter of fact, it is a dream car (or truck if you want to be more accurate). It can go anywhere — on road; off road; in the snow; on the ice. It’s fast, powerful, super luxurious and handles like a car and has cargo space that appears to be slightly larger than the Jeep. It’s got amenities I’ll never even use. You can have air conditioned air on your face, a heated car and seat, with hot air on your feet while the passenger has a different combination of temperatures on each part of the their body. Cool? It’s hot! And remember, it has 4-wheel drive too.

Who could ask for anything more?

I could.

It seems to lack only one amazing attribute that the Jeep had. It doesn’t stop the snow. Tuesday was the first time since I got the Jeep in ’96 that there was a real snow accumulation in the metro area. Tuesday was the first day I was driving the X5.

Now Lee will be driving it in New Hampshire. I have a feeling that they maybe in for some real bad ski seasons.

Happy Birthday Lee!

2000 POLITICS: Anticipate another humdrum year for local politics. One, maybe two races in the Primary season and little to speak of in a General election where the Senate race will not only out-shadow the local contests, but the Presidential race as well. Hmmmm!

McCAFFREY: A bit of clarity may be coming to the most hotly contested local political race of the year 2000 election cycle. Ever since Tom Manton handed his Congressional seat to Joe Crowley by timing his withdrawal from the race so as to avoid any contest, you’ve been hearing about potential challenges to frosh Crowley. The center of the opposition rests with a threesome of elected officials: Councilmen John Sabini, Walter McCaffrey and Assmeblywoman Kathy Nolan. The troika has agreed to combine forces and back one of them in a primary challenge against Crowley (and Manton’s organization).

We hear the speculation is over. Walter McCaffrey has hired a fundraiser, interviewed media consultants and lined up staff to make a run for Congress.

Sources inside the McCaffrey camp have confirmed the meetings, interviews and plans of the politically astute McCaffrey. Although no announcement is expected at this time, we anticipate an immediate launch of a professional fundraising effort.

In order for McCaffrey to be competiutive against an incumbent Crowley, he’ll need to raise and spend more than a half a million dollars. Our sources tell us the fundraising consultant will begin immediately as McCaffrey for Congress 2000 makes ready to launch.

THOUGHT: If pro is opposite of con, then what is the opposite of progress?

CROWLEY: We breakfasted with the amiable freshman Congressman at our office last week.

The towering Crowley was not eating bread — another victim of a low carb diet. It seems Crowley, his brother, his chief of staff Frank Bols, Tom Manton, and Dem attorney’s Mike Reich, and Gerry Sweeny are all involved in an extended weight loss wager. At a recent event we broke bread with Manton and Sweeny. Only neither of them did; didn’t drink either. As a matter of fact, Manton was as thin as we’ve ever seen him and Sweeny, still wanting to lose weight had wasted away to half the man he used to be — picking up significant money by losing the most and winning. Manton’s secret: soup for lunch.

Back to Crowley. He seemed unfazed as the target of the west Queens threesome and avoided speculation as to who if any he would have to face in a primary. Joe it seems is prepared to fight it out at the voting booth but is put off by the personal and distasteful treatment he has received by one of his potential opponents. Crowley was confident, prepared and acted unbeatable.

In our judgement, his assessment at this time sems to be accurate.

Crowley biggest fight will likely come when he struggles to survive a reapportionment election with new lines and one less downstate seat.

For now, take Crowley over McCaffrey by 8 points (54% to 46%).

MARSHALL: Remember where you read it. Helen Marshall, who is term limited out of the Council in 2001 is about to join the packed field of candidates in a quest for the Queens Borough Presidency.

We remember Helen from the ‘60s when she was PTA President at PS 143 in Corona (my dad was the school principal). The senior Dem District Leader, served in the Assembly and the Council and appears to be the consensus candidate of the African American community. Marshall expects the support of most of the Borough’s black district leaders and southeast Queens powerhouse, former Congressman, Reverend Floyd Flake.

Marshall is a credible candidate whose chances will be greatly bolstered with multiple white candidates in the race. To date the following Dems are mentioned: Carol Gresser, Karen Koslowitz, Sheldon Leffler, Anthony Seminario, Audrey Pfeffer, Melinda Katz.

By any math, in a Democratic Primary with two or three whites candidates, Helen can be considered a favorite.