By MICHAEL SCHENKLER

Wednesday was a homecoming.

No, not for me — I’ve been here doing this in Queens for 22 years. It was the first time I hung out with Alan Hevesi since he was elected Comptroller of NYC eight years ago.

Alan was a Queens boy — I guess he still is. He and I grew up on the same streets, went to the same schools, only he was much older. He and I would disagree as to the meaning of "much." I was just a freshman when he and my sister Carole were seniors at Queens College — Alan was president of the class. But that’s not what he was known for. Alan was a star basketball player. Now, I’m not sure that a "star" on Queens College is a "star" very many other places. But to us locals, he was a star.

Queens Trib Associate Publisher Mike Nussbaum took an NBA team to China in the early 80’s. A young Assemblyman named Hevesi was the only non-pro player. Alan stills like to spin the yarn that he was "one for one" — the only 100% shooter on the tour. I guess he didn’t get a lot of playing time.

I followed his career in politics. He was bright, energetic and gifted. He was one of a very small group of upcoming politicians from the "hood" — our neighborhood — to stand out. At 6’4" Alan stood out.

He stood out as an analytical thinker. He stood out as a champion of civil rights and he stood out as someone who cared.

Although he and I didn’t spend a lot of time together, we had mutual friends. Mike Nussbaum and he had bonded as only a basketball tour can achieve. And Trib founder Gary Ackerman and Hevesi navigated parallel paths through Queens Democratic politics for three plus decades. If that doesn’t produce friendship, it certainly has a unique odor to it.

The point of all of this is that Alan was my guy — our guy: the fair-haired kid from Queens who excelled in the Assembly and rose to a position of significant leadership; the bright scholar who took his political theories to the classroom and inspired many Queens College students to participate in the process; the Queens kid who turned his focus to the City and surprised the pundits when "Alan Who?" became our Comptroller. I was proud of Alan.

I didn’t always agree with him. But, I always respected him. He invited me to breakfast — I think it was at the Blue Bay Diner — days after being elected Comptroller. I hadn’t supported him in the election. But, he was a gracious winner who extended a hand of friendship. You remember those things . . . at least I do.

I was proud to have Alan Hevesi of Queens as the chief financial officer of our city.

Then he went off and did his job. As far as I can judge, he did it well. The City’s financial health improved on his watch. Audits increased; scandals decreased. Alan used his office to promote humanitarian causes believing it appropriate for public finance officers and public pension fund trustees to monitor efforts to return Holocaust-era funds to rightful owners and heirs and to fight discrimination and mistreatment of Christians in the Sudan. For eight years his office held ceremonies saluting the rainbow of ethnic groups that make our city great.

Alan was a quiet and effective leader — of our City.

But had Alan changed? Had the kid from Queens become just another hard-working Manhattan-centric politician forgetting his Queens roots?

Alan explained, "Who has time for anything else? The job of  Comptroller is 15 hours behind a desk. It’s a very challenging job."

But the two hours we sat and chatted in my office convinced me Alan had not changed. He’s a bit older, a lot grayer and has given up basketball. He was still the idealistic kid from Forest Hills — "We’ve moved five times, all within a mile," he said of his affection for the neighborhood.

Alan was still committed to civil rights, but also committed to truth.

In response to his perceived alienation from African American voters, Alan spoke of his message in the Diallo tragedy. "We are here to commemorate the tragedy . . . and I want the family to know how much we admire the dignity with which they have handled this. It’s time to heal," he explained. While he insisted that an overwhelming majority of the City police officers are heroes, there are some who are racists whose misconduct cannot be tolerated. He cited the $28.3 million the City had to pay to settle claims of police misconduct. "We have to have zero tolerance for thos behavior," he pledged.

He spoke honestly of a strained relationship with Al Sharpton — who he thought was "more responsible" today — indicating clearly that he challenged many of his actions in the past.

He advocated for increased ballot access and suggested that the Queens Democratic organization take a more inclusive view in the use of petition challenges.

He spoke with compassion about the disparity of opportunity in the City: with 508,000 new jobs on the high end, we still have the second highest rate of unemployment. He will develop employment opportunities for immigrants and entry level applicants, he promised.

"The schools have to be open longer and they have to be wired," he insisted. "Every school has to be adopted by a corporation or a business. It costs $40,000 a seat to build a new school," he explained. "It costs $800 a seat to put in air conditioning."

Although he cited and condemned inequality of opportunity that exists, Alan smiled when he defended New York, "It is one of the most tolerant cities in America."

With the exception of his politics of confrontation and failures in education and housing, Rudy has done a good job for our City, explained the Comptroller.

And now, 40 years since I first saw Alan Hevesi the Queens College basketball star, I continue to follow his career in politics. Our Wednesday chat reconfirmed that he is still bright, energetic and gifted.

Alan is the fourth and last of the Democratic Mayoral hopefuls to stop by the Trib and chat with me. I’ve said all along that New York City deserves a star. Well, Alan Hevesi shined pretty brightly.

We sat together and he analyzed the City and responded to my questions. Then I watched an animated Hevesi become more animated as he reverted back to the political junkie of old. He’s run the numbers, done the figuring and drawn the conclusion, "I’ll finish first or second everywhere – every borough," he insisted, as he explained that I was sitting and talking with the next Mayor of New York City.

Well, perhaps so. But to me, I was talking to an old friend.

Good luck, Alan.

This space was filled by some upbeat words about the Queens College Gala.

Then, I awoke Monday morning to be bombarded by an endless stream of the executioner’s circus.

Tim McVeigh was being put to death by the United States government.

And if you listen to or watch the news in the morning — or in the car on the way to work — you couldn’t help but react.

I had consciously decided to avoid the spectacle.

I personally don’t believe in capital punishment and I don’t approve in making death into a public spectacle. Both concern me as to the message we give our children.

"You see, little ones, it is wrong to kill. But it’s okay for the government to kill McVeigh."

But I had hoped to be able to look the other way and not involve myself in the age-old capital punishment debate. It had sort of gone away. When they’re not executing anyone, no one is debating. Only George W. Bush’s Texas seemed committed to the sport. Me, I was hoping to just duck the whole thing.

But now, try as I did, I couldn’t avoid it.

Well, I’m not looking to enter the debate.

You see, we each have the right to our opinions. Capital punishment is a very personal thing. I choose to reject it. Some choose bizarrely to embrace it. And rather than preach or react with my usual passion, I believe this is a moment for serenity.

My editor wants me to yell:

"If it’s a deterrent, why not televise it? Even mandate that people watch?

Or, if it is punishment, why do it humanely? Put him to sleep first, then kill him? Hell, no! Fry him," she insisted.

Ms. Editor was angry and wanted to get me angry.

I’m not angry, I’m sad.

Is it really a deterrent? Statistics don’t support that theory.

So the families will have closure?

Will little Claudia’s family, who suffered a most devastating loss, really feel any better?

Are we killing him because of anger, hate and vengeance?

Is that what a civilized people do?

Are we killing him because we don’t want to support him for the rest of his life?

C’mon, that’s not reason enough.

Why are we killing him?

To make us feel better? To prove a point?

Is the government resorting to the very same approach to life and death that McVeigh did?

Justice or vengeance?

Or doesn’t it matter?

I hope the families who suffered losses in the tragic Oklahoma City bombing find peace.

Not4Publication.com by Dom Nunziato

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Michael Schenkler can be reached at: MSchenkler@QueensTribune.com

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