....October 21, 2:14 PM
 
 
   
Last Week: Politics, Mets, Parks & Planes

According to MajorityWatch.com, challenger Democrat Dave Mejias is within 2 percent of incumbent Republican Peter King in neighboring Nassau County.
By MICHAEL SCHENKLER

There’s no fun for the political junkie this year.

The statewide election contests are basically academic exercises. While some may cling to the belief that the Attorney General’s race may still be an election worth watching despite the help Andrew Cuomo has received from the actions of Jeanine Pirro and her husband, no one but extreme politically junkies are staying up November 7th for late night vote returns.

For that matter, the winners in the statewide races will all be declared before normal bedtimes – if not right now. The upcoming big Dem sweep robs political columnists from much of their mojo.

The local races offer no magic of their own. Ten-year political redistricting, vacuous NYS campaign finance laws, the advantage (and abuses) of incumbency continue to make it near impossible to hold competitive elections when a State Legislative seat is occupied. Overwhelming Democratic registration and the advantage of incumbency -- especially fundraising -- makes Congressional races non-contests on Election Day. We’ll have no surprises on November 7.

LET’S GO METS
Thank goodness the Mets have a post-season. The excitement and distraction it causes helps to fill the void of the lack of a real competitive political game.

Play ball!

Enter my very longtime friend, Jerry Kaniuk and tickets to the Thursday night game against the Cards. We had incredible seats for the second game, which rain the night before turned into the National League Championship opener. And so I share with you the thoughts of going to the Mets game with my friend who masquerades as a right-wing Republican and the politics that surrounded it.

Jerry, who is involved with fundraising on behalf of a lot of strange candidates – at least from my perspective — never asks or expects me to participate in those efforts. Firstly, I rarely support candidates with checks, and secondly, Jerry and I rarely support the same candidates – except for our mutual college chum, Gary Ackerman.

We’re on opposite sides of the Long Island race for NY’s 3rd Congressional District, where incumbent Republican Peter King is being challenged by my friend, Democratic County legislator Dave Mejias. While Jerry is a long-time supporter of King, I suspect that my personal belief in Dave plus King’s continued support for Bush’s prosecution of the war in Iraq, have convinced Jerry to sit on the sidelines in that race. It is the one race where I have chosen to become involved in fundraising.

As of this writing (Oct 15) Dave Mejias is the closet race to our home where the Dems may win one of those pivotal Congressional seats and regain control of the House. If he doesn’t, it’ll likely be the big King money advantage. You can find out more about Dave and help by contributing online at DaveforAmerica.com. In my judgment, he represents exactly what our country needs in a new class of Congressmen to help turn this nation around. Polls show him down only 2 percent and if you want to help the Dems take back Congress, conider a contribution to Dave Mejias’ campaign.

Jerry has for weeks been talking about his son’s fundraising for Joe Lieberman’s fight to retain his Connecticut Senate seat against Ned LaMonte. Now clearly, I support LaMonte’s stance on Bush’s war and oppose Lieberman’s troubling position. But I have met Joe; I supported him for Vice President; I’ve admired much of what he stands for – although for me, he’s a bit conservative at times. However, on control of the Senate, Bush’s potentially extreme appointments and most everything, important, but the war, there is no difference in how they will vote. Somehow, in a moment of weakness, Jerry got me to make a small contribution to Lieberman. I told him, if I had a Connecticut newspaper, I would endorse LaMonte but in the privacy of the voting booth, probably go for Joe.
Although I feel very strongly about the war, I guess I’m not a one-issue voter and emotions matter.

Politics is not always black and white. I’ve played the game for years and constantly face dilemmas.

Another dilemma was sort of related to that Mets post season game. Let me explain.

I took the Long Island Railroad to Shea last Thursday night – it was my first time; I usually drive. The 30 minutes door-to-door trip there was quick and simple.

 
 

The airplane warning light on top of the towers of the NYS Pavillion from the ‘64 World’s Fair has been out for months while the Park’s Dept . did nothing. photo courtesy: www.theparkwatchdog.org

METS, PARKS & POLITICS
And after that wonderful game, I wanted to take it home again. The design of the present Shea and the transportation hub – the overpass to the LIRR and Tennis Stadium — force you to walk past the No. 7 train entrance to access the ramp to the LIRR. Oooops!

The back-up to walk past the No. 7 entrance extended down the three staircases to the stadium and into calm but mob-like groups wanting to go home. Everyone had to wait for No. 7s to arrive, even those of us who wanted to walk past the turnstiles and go to the LIRR, a quarter of a mile further. It took me close to an hour to ascend the stairs and get by the citybound train crowd to get to the LIRR line where my train was waiting. I was then in the house in a half an hour.

Coincidently, the next morning I had a scheduled meeting at my office with the NYC Queens Parks folks. Queens Commish Dottie Lewandowski, Flushing Meadows Corona Park Administrator Estelle Cooper, Parks Citywide Press Chief Warner Johnston and Abby Lootens Queens Pressperson joined Trib editor Brian Rafferty, reporter Theresa Juva and me in my office to discuss a better working relationship and whatever. We had run several stories presenting Parks in a less than positive light – the neglect that had caused about 40 acres around Flushing Meadows Corona Park’s Willow Lake to be closed and open homosexual sex in Forest Park. They requested a meeting. We were pleased.

We discussed those stories and other matters. I am certain that elsewhere in the paper, Theresa has reported on newsworthy parts of the discussion.

The morning of the meeting, as a follow-up to previous contacts, former Trib editor David Oats, who has been crusading against the neglect of Flushing Meadows, emailed me the following:

“I am sending over by messenger a packet of material that we prepared related to the ongoing dangerous and destructive parking situation in Flushing Meadows.

And more urgently, a copy of our letter to the Mayor, the Parks Commissioner and the FAA concerning the fact that the crucial air safety light atop the N.Y. State Pavilion has been out for months. In light of this week’s airline disaster in Manhattan, this lack of a basic maintenance and safety issue clearly demonstrates - as with the parking problem - that some publicly paid administrators are clueless or worse, contemptuous of the care and safety of this park.”

The packet and photos of many of David’s complaints he wanted us to discuss with the Parks Admin arrived during the meeting and didn’t get reviewed until after the Parks group had gone. David’s issues can be seen online at www.theparkwatchdog.org.

However, I did raise the key question of the safety light atop the NYS Pavillion Towers, and Park Administrator Cooper immediately acknowledged knowing about it for two months, but explained it was difficult to replace. When I asked the assembled group if the Mayor or NYC Parks Commissioner Adrien Benepe were made aware of the dangerous situation, Warner Johnston said he would inform Benepe immediately.

I was impressed with Dottie Lewandowski’s commitment to Queens Parks. I’ve known Estelle Cooper for a gazzilion years. Cooper acknowledged knowing the light was out for two months. Lewandowski did not comment.

Just like I am not a one-issue voter with Lieberman, I hate to judge people by a single instance. My dilemma is that David Oats is calling for heads to roll at Queens Parks, and he might be right.

I don’t have all the information yet but I have enough to know that at least one high-level Park Adminstrator – Estelle Cooper – knew that a light to warn planes of the high towers was out for at least two months. I know that the Willow Lake area has been closed for seven years. I know that other problems including abusive car parking on the grass abound.

Is the inaction over the airplane safety light enough to call for heads? Is the entire picture?

Read Theresa’s story – she’s followed it since our meeting last week – and you be the judge.

Not4Publication.com by Dom Nunziato
Michael Schenkler can be reached via this contact form.