Political Clubs:
Fading Lifeblood Of An Ugly System

By MICHAEL SCHENKLER

Last Thursday evening, I had fun. I was the guest speaker at the John F. Kennedy Regular Democratic Club. The topic: Politics.

Jeff Gottlieb, the club’s omnipresent political operative, had invited me to be the evening’s speaker and although I don’t often do such gigs, the club’s longtime leader – Morty Povman – has been a friend for years. So, what the hey!

I knew the club long before Morty came to power. After a bit of research, I confirmed that somewhere around the very late fifties and early sixties, the State Committeeman from the JFK Club (before it was called the JFK Club) was Max Schenkler – my father. My uncle, Murray Bergtraum, was the campaign manager of the then-club-leader Assemblyman Moe Weinstein. My roots in Queens politics are deep.

My ties to the club went deeper. Way back when I managed neophyte Gary Ackerman’s political campaigns and Nettie Mayerson’s first (and successful) insurgent run against the candidate of her co-leader Donald Manes, JFK club co-leader Charlotte Scheman and club president Herb Ryan as well as several others in the audience including old friend Marsha Livson were in the mix.

I came to the meeting without script. With the help of a politically savvy staff, I had clipped or downloaded articles or items from the previous week’s news outlets.

My agenda was to share an item, comment briefly and take questions or comments. It was cool. The audience was involved, provocative and fun. The follow-up calls and emails accused me of the same.

So I share with you some of the items and comments from the JFK Dem club meeting. View the rants as my lighthearted attempt to get politically involved people to think and react about government today.

Politics: I like the game, but it’s not pretty. The system, although full of flaws — many of which I hoped to point out — is still better than any other I know. The rest below, without quotes, is my free-flow editing of the evening’s material. I hope the questions leave you thinking.

International Politics: Rest easy. You’ll be glad to know that the President cannot yet send troops to Iraq. Last Tuesday, the New York City Council failed to report out of Committee and vote on, the two bills approving and the other opposing the war in Iraq.

We (the City) have billions in deficits, school kids that can’t read and our august Council debates the war in Iraq. These guys and gals — our fine (and I mean that) Council – offer positions on lots of stuff they can’t impact. C’mon!

Should the Council take positions on whatever, until they can assure us the streets are safe, the garbage is picked up, the budget is balanced, the snow is removed and little Johnny can read on level?

Inside info: Queens kid, NY1 anchorman Gary Anthony Ramsay was scheduled to be shipping out around March 3 for Kuwait. The trip, part of AOL/Time Warner/CNN news operation, on which Ramsay will report on the local angle for the company’s eight or so local news outlets — NY1 being the largest. This media giant is not sending our PRESS of Southeast Queens columnist Ramsay, a producer, a photographer, plus perhaps a hundred or more CNN network news crew members based on a guess. The well-connected media mammoth knows when there is a new moon, has as direct a line to the Pentagon as any we know, and wants its people in place when the bombs start falling. They also don’t waste money.

If Ramsay and company ship out this week, we should look to the skies over Baghdad.

Anonymity and politics: I received an anonymous flyer signed “Committee To Keep Jewish Legislative Districts Intact” stating, “Councilman Jim Gennaro sells-out Jewish community in order to hang on to his Council Seat. . .”

Gennaro, a non-Jew, faces a likely challenge from two Jews – one from the JFK club – in September’s primary election. The flyer was ugly, divisive and inaccurate. As the recipient of occasional anonymous hate mail of my own, I reacted with anger. People have a right to speak their minds, but should have the courage to sign their name. The flyer calls upon the worst in people. As a Jew, I find it offensive. As a student of politics, I find it offensive.

How should we react to these vile ugly anonymous acts of hate?

Ethnic voting: Queens, the most ethnically diverse place on earth, has a changing population. The future majorities were yesterday’s minorities. Are they adequately represented? Does the system encourage it?

Former Bronx Dem leader Roberto Ramirez is preparing to launch a Spanish-language political talk show.  Could Ramirez’s new gig be part of a Democratic plan to hold onto Latino voters? 

Should voters vote ethnicity and religion? Should we promote one who is good for the community? Would Jim Gennaro have a serious primary if he were Jewish?

Would John Liu (Queens’ first Asian elected official) be a Councilman if he were black?

Will Al Sharpton’s vote be colorblind? Is it good? Healthy?

Role models are good; ethnic pride, especially for children, is a positive. Ignoring competence however, is terrible.

How heavily should we weigh skin color, religion, ethnicity when we vote?

Money and politic: An AP story reported, “State lawmakers, back from vacation, shake the money tree.” Upon returning to Albany from a 10-day vacation, there were nine campaign fundraisers last Monday.

Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver had a $1,000-per-person event Monday evening at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in downtown Albany. In the same hotel — convenient for lobbyists who wanted to contribute to all nine — his Republican counterpart, Assembly Minority Leader Charles Nesbitt, was holding a $500-per-person reception. There were seven others nearby, ranging from $250 to $400.

There’s no budget movement in Albany — it’s been late for 18 years. George Pataki has it at an $11 billion shortfall. There’s been no meaningful legislative program this year. Only three guys matter in Albany. They go on vacation and return to do nothing but host nine funders in one night.

We can be proud to watch the 50th best legislature in the nation.

(I must add here — because I had to add last Thursday night — that there can be and are, good elected officials who are victims of the pathetic system. Indeed, it was pointed out that Nettie Mayerson and others participated in the failed Assembly coup to unseat Sheldon Silver in order to open up the process.)

The legislature fails and we keep sending the incumbents back. The playing field isn’t level. Incumbency offers mail, money, staff and name recognition yielding assured victory.

What can be done to fix the worst legislature in the country?

Term Limits: A decision is expected soon in the lawsuit challenging the City Council’s amendment (tweak) of the term-limits law last year. Seven council veterans — including Speaker Gifford Miller — won’t be able to run again if the suit succeeds. In an intriguing footnote, Ravi Batra, co-counsel to plaintiff’s lawyer (former Giuliani First Deputy Mayor Randy Mastro) is law partner to Brooklyn Democratic Leader Clarence Norman. Hmmm!

In spite of my reputation as one of the City’s leading advocates of term limits, I have never supported them (at least, perhaps not until now). I have opposed and still oppose any legislative body changing the rules by which they can run for office. The people had spoken by referendum and the Council had no (moral) right to make any changes.

Giff Miller, the bright young Council Speaker was masterful in navigating the tweak (as he called it) through the Council and City without anyone but me shouting. He (or his masterful election law attorney Eric Lane) even snuck in a hidden provision that prevented previous Council members from challenging present members in this year’s election. We even saw Southeast Queens Councilman Allan Jennings go on NY1 one day challenging Miller’s tweak, and then doing a 180-degree about face the next day and adding his name as a co-sponsor after he was told it would prevent his predecessor, former Councilman Tom White, from challenging him.

Term limits seem to be the only method by which new talent can make a difference in government.

Should term limits be considered for our State legislature? Could it really be any worse?

Democrat For Mayor: The evening drew to a close before I could cover all my topics, as this column is running out of space before I could report much of the dynamics of the evening. But apparently my response to one question of the audience caused considerable surprise.

I was asked, cognizant of the very low and falling poll ratings of Mayor Mike Bloomberg, which Democrat would be the likely challenger in 2005.

Bloomberg’s poor polling numbers, I explained, are a result of the property tax increase and the ominous budget deficit. The financial situation that this City and Mike Bloomberg are in are not the Mayor’s fault. Rudy Giuliani had eight years of prosperity but circumstances – 9-11 and a national economic slowdown – left the City in its worst economic condition in decades. A woefully inept Albany budget process, has placed the State in an even worse position — there will be little money help there. The Mayor and the Council must pay the bills and it is the Mayor’s leadership which will steer us through these troubled waters. He is the least political of any Mayor in my lifetime and makes decisions as a bright, prudent businessman. In the end, regardless of party, he will be recognized for his skillful leadership.

He has demonstrated, by gaining control of the education system, that he has the foresight as well as the skills to handle the governmental morass and tackle the biggest problems and prevail. Although, only time will be the judge of his effectiveness in education, his ability is apparent.

I would expect that by the time the election rolls around, he will have made a positive impact on the City’s economy.

So, hopefully, we won’t hear Mark Green is running. Manhattan Beep C. Virginia Fields will be; Giff Miller (unless he tries to “tweak” term limits again) will be a candidate for Mayor or Manhattan Beep; Freddy Ferrer is a possibility. But smart guys like Bill Thompson will sit and wait for Mike Bloomberg to serve another term and then be term limited.

In the end, expect the Dems to recognize that multi-million dollar Bloomberg will have done a good job, can’t be beaten, and look for a sacrificial lamb. Will that be Fields? Or bring back Ruth Messenger?

Will Mike Bloomberg prevail?

Trib editor, Tamara Hartman and I left the room filled with excitement to the warmth and warm wishes of dozens. The excitement was apparently so intense that after we left, a boxing match broke out.

No kidding, Herb Ryan, club president, called to thank me for the fun and enlightening time and informed me that he and Jeff Gottlieb began to square off over who said what to whom about David Reich’s faltering campaign against Jim Gennaro.

It really is not important, but just another example that Queens Democrats still eat their young.

Play on.