....September 21, 7:41 PM
 
 
   
Joe Crowley: The New King Of Queens

Newly elected Queens Democratic County Chair, Congressman Joe Crowley with Tribune Publisher Michael Schenkler.
By MICHAEL SCHENKLER

I remember when I first met Joe.

It was Thanksgiving week 1987, he was a 25 year-old kid recently graduated from college and elected to the Assembly just the year before.

Joe was the bandleader who stood behind me as I took the podium as roastmaster in Elechester’s Joint Industry Building ballroom filled with 1,000 people celebrating the 40th birthday of someone who is now Joe’s friend and colleague.

“Happy Thanksgiving; we’re here to roast a turkey!,” I said to open the evening of tribute to Congressman Gary Ackerman -- an evening filled with speakers including Ed Koch, Tom Manton, Claire Shulman, Gary’s mom, ABC talk radio’s Bob Grant and more.

But with the stress of overseeing and emceeing the huge $25 per head hot dog fundraiser, I vividly remember meeting and being impressed by the kid – Joe Crowley.

During the evening, in the spirit of the roast, I thanked Joe Crowley and his band The Tippling Way:

“Joe is the State’s youngest Assemblyman – his family hands down the seat from generation to generation.

Joe is the only Assemblyman on record who went to the Speaker to get a note that he had to miss a final exam at College.

And now that we’ve heard Joe’s music, I have one word for him . . . PRACTICE!

But I assure you his music is a lot more creative than his legislation,

Joe, we appreciate your help here tonight, thank you.”

Interestingly, — at the same roast I had the privilege of introducing the newly elected Queens County Democratic Chairman, Tom Manton. Tom, who passed away earlier this year, was Joe’s mentor as well as his predecessor as both Congressman and County Chair.

It was almost 20 years ago, I introduced then newly elected Dem Chair Tom Manton:

“And now, I’d like to present the Democratic Leader of Queens County. A man who has a hell of a time living up to the standards set by his predecessors – Matty Troy and Donald Manes, Congressman Tom Manton.”

I include the introduction of the then County Chair to point out the obstacles faced by anyone assuming the position. Troy, after his tenure, spent a brief time in jail for tax fraud and was disbarred. Manes committed suicide when his involvement in the Parking Violation Bureau collections kickbacks and other City scandals became the subject of criminal investigations.

But as I reflect back to Joe, standing on stage behind me, almost 20 years ago, I remember one thing. . . He was tall.

Joe was also friendly and through the years we’ve gotten together for breakfast or coffee or an interview and I’ve always enjoyed him. Joe makes me smile.

He is bright, thoughtful, sincere and has a warm personality and a deep compassion for people. He knows right from wrong.

As I sit and type this, all those one liners – “He knows right from wrong, but he chose politics anyway” – come to mind.

The dilemma Joe faced if he were to become County Leader was the subject of several brief discussions he and I had over the course of more than a year. I had difficulty understanding why he would want the position when the opportunities Congress afforded him were so great, challenging and varied. I was focused on the high ethical bar set by the McCain – Feingold legislation severely limiting the fundraising ability of members of Congress.

And I was, and still am, concerned that all too often, we see people in the position of powerful political party leader facing financial temptations which have led to wrongdoing. This is not a question of Joe’s integrity but a concern about the ugliness of the high cost political game being played today.

The County Leader wields incredible power. To keep that power he doles out jobs, names candidates, blesses others, and directs court appointed guardianships and the like. His support of particular law firms can result in the court’s largess pouring millions in their direction. The Queens Democratic County Leader has almost single-handedly named which attorneys would become judges and which judges would move up. Yes, history has shown that even the independent court is greatly influenced by politics.

The system is imperfect, but it is a job which has to be done and having a thoughtful, fair County Leader is a good thing for Queens.

The Dem County Leader is able to choose among candidates, forge alliances, help businesses, get jobs and run an operation able to handcuff or derail many a potential candidate with petition and court challenges.

On the State and National level, he can deliver the weight of one of the nation’s most powerful political organization and reap the rewards of backing a winner. County Leaders can be king makers and Joe, it seemed to me, would be uncomfortable fitting into a crown.

Joe and the Queens Democratic Executive Committee took a major step in addressing the potential ethical dilemma Joe would face upon assuming the County Chair. They voted to accept only those funds eligible on a Federal level.

The creative and well-thought move came as a surprise to me and most others. It demonstrates that Joe and his advisors -- presumably former law partners of Tom Manton and party operatives Gerry Sweeney, Mike Reich and Frank Bolz along with the folks in Congress who monitor Congressional ethics — know what they’re doing.

Joe and I had chatted informally about problems raised by the dual County Leader/Congressional role. Monday, we’ll get to digest it for breakfast.

We reached out to Joe Friday after his unanimous election as Queens Democratic County Chair and wanted to personally congratulate him and do what we do – ask questions. Joe as gracious as ever, agreed to breakfast on Monday.

So, I sit here and write my column as I almost always do on the weekend and allow our exchange-to-come, Monday morning, to be reported by the Trib staff. Please take the time and read the interview on page 15 and feel free to get back to me with comment. My email address is at the end of this column.

I’m not making a list of questions; I know what to ask. I’m not looking for any magic in Monday’s interview. All I want to do is extend my very best wishes to my old friend Joe and bring up the oft-forgotten point that politics is rooted in the people.

I know if anyone can figure out how to move the people to the top of the political party priority list, while still serving the party itself, he will achieved more than one can likely achieve in Congress.

Joe is young; he has plenty of time; we wish him well.

Good luck!

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MSchenkler@QueensTribune.com

 
 
The Primaries Dissected

By HENRY STERN

For politicians, Election Day is Rosh Hashanah, the end of the old year and the start of a new year. Both primaries and elections also contain elements of Yom Kippur, the day politicians are compelled to atone for their sins, when their destiny is sealed by the voting public. The analogy is imperfect, but so are we all, particularly at this time of year.

As we all knew it would, the race for governor turned out to be a runaway, with Spitzer routing Suozzi, 81-19 percent. Suozzi did better, however, than John Tasini, who lost to Hillary Clinton, 83-17 percent. And Tasini had a real issue, the war, while Suozzi’s case was basically that he could clean up Albany better than Spitzer. Since the popular Attorney General had spent eight years cleaning up Wall Street, it would be fascinating to see him turning his talents to Albany. A major task will be cleaning up the State Legislature, an intractable array of self-serving lifers (except your own representatives, of course). We may also learn what Andrew Cuomo will try to clean up next year in order to serve the people and burnish his reputation. We surmise that some day he will seek higher office; he already has. But so has his opponent, Ms. Pirro.

The Attorney General race was less satisfying. Most people felt there were two good candidates for governor. Suozzi was generally favorably received, except by the few people he attacked. It was just not his race or his year. Some said Suozzi should have run for AG, but ethnicity being what it is, that could have lead to the nomination of Mark Green, who might not have done as well against Ms. Pirro

For AG, many voters had reservations about all the candidates, if they knew anything much about them. Without going into the muck, the determining factor was battle fatigue. The voters were anti-incumbent, and Mark Green, able and intelligent, had run in too many elections (even though he lost most of them) to be considered anything but an incumbent. Not to mention the Post cartoon circulated, which backfired just before the 2001 Mayoral primary.

Green had made too many accusations over the years to be taken that seriously. Whatever Andrew’s shortcomings may be, he does not condone poisoning little children, and anyone who accuses him of that offense loses credibility.

So it was that when an issue of serious misconduct and conflict of interest was raised by Wayne Barrett in the Village Voice just six days before the election, Green was in no position to take advantage of it. Like the boy who cried wolf, Green was not heeded when the wolf in fact arrived, and so he was eaten. Of course, he believes that he has always been surrounded by wolves. And perhaps he has, but he is no sheep.

Starquest@NYCivic.org

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