....July 7, 5:42 AM
 
 
   
Two New Yorkers With Far-reaching Influence

Mike Bloomberg, Floyd Flake
By MICHAEL SCHENKLER

President Mike Bloomberg?

C’mon!

According to Bloomberg insiders and some journalists, it’s not all that far-fetched.

Kevin Sheekey, the Mayor’s political guru, seems to be the one fueling the speculation – therefore, we conclude, it’s with Mike’s blessing. Bloomberg himself has speculated that the race could cost him a half a billion dollars. That’s almost $150 million more than George Bush’s record spending for the office. But Mike has it.

The latest scenario, which Sheekey played out in an interview with The New Republic, has Mike watching the major party primaries run their courses.

Hillary Clinton or another Dem that may be viewed as unelectable could emerge, and according to Sheekey, the Republican Primary process could likely opt for someone to the right of the Mayor’s friend John McCain.

The Presidential square-off that results from the hypothetical process would leave a large disaffected voting block – more than one third of the potential voters.

In could step Bloomberg, self- funded and perfectly positioned — a saleable Ross Perot-type, a business independent.

With a charismatic Democrat Clinton and Republican incumbent Bush, the whiney, non-personable Perot achieved 20 percent of the 1992 vote, demonstrating how large the disaffected voting block really is. Bloomberg would significantly outspend Perot, is a proven vote getter, an accomplished chief executive and a successful politician. He has supporters in both parties.

President Mike, far-fetched?

Sure, but when he stepped forward as a Mayoral candidate in 2001, he was just the name of a financial news radio station with no chance of becoming Mayor of the greatest city in the world.

He has demonstrated an awful lot since then.



REVEREND FLAKE

He never surprises us. Perhaps the most omnipotent force from Queens since Robert Moses set up shop to build world’s fairs, bridges, parks and highways, Floyd Flake exerts power in the most surprising places.

Acron, Ohio’s Beacon Journal reports that the former Queens Congressman, who runs the mighty Allen AME Church in St. Albans, was named co-chair of Ohio Republican Governor candidate J. Kenneth Blackwell’s campaign:

“In his quest to woo black Democrats to his gubernatorial campaign, Republican Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell has netted a big fish. Blackwell’s campaign announced Thursday that it has named the Rev. Floyd H. Flake, president of Wilberforce University and a former U.S. congressman from New York, as a campaign co-chairman.”

In a statement, Blackwell said: “Rev. Flake is an educator, a statesman and a national leader. He is providing our nation’s oldest historically black college with principled, prudent and inspirational leadership. Rev. Flake will bring those same outstanding leadership qualities to my campaign.”

Flake, who has been continually mentioned as a possible New York City Mayoral candidate, has attracted national figures to his Merrick Blvd. Cathedral in order to receive his political blessing. Dems Bill Clinton, and Al Gore were embraced inside the cathedral. But Democrat Flake has crossed party lines regularly. Al D’Amato, Rudy Giuliani, George Pataki and Mike Bloomberg all have received the Reverend’s endorsement.

In addition to being a political force and kingmaker locally (and now perhaps nationally), the Allen AME under Flake’s leadership has taken control and molded the community. Economic Development seems to be a close second to preaching the word of the Lord on Flake’s agenda. His church controls countless corporations and property in Southeast Queens. It has become one of the nation’s foremost Christian churches and nonprofit corporations.

Education is a close third. He has served as President of the Edison Schools and is now president of Wilberforce University, the nation’s oldest black college. He has previously been wooed by CUNY to run York College.

Flake has told “Religion and Ethics Newsletter, “I don’t think God is Republican or Democrat. I think God is apolitical, and so we have to become apolitical enough to be strong and important leaders in the communities we are part of, and when we do that, government then will seek us out and want to partner with us, so that ‘faith-based’ does not become just rhetoric, but becomes a reality.”

We’re going to keep our eye on the Ohio governor’s race.

Michael Schenkler can be reached via this contact form.

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Does Sheldon Silver Use His Power Equitably?

By HENRY STERN

Does He Dominate Assembly Dems

To Assist Unions And Trial Lawyers?

In the last few years, Assembly speaker Sheldon Silver has emerged as the dominant political figure in New York State. With Governor Pataki an increasingly lame duck, and the majority leader, Joseph Bruno, struggling to preserve the Republicans’ slim State Senate majority, the Speaker, who leads a 105-member Democratic conference in a 150-seat Assembly, is now the strongest of the “three men in a room,” the dissonant triumvirs who have presided over our dysfunctional state government for a dozen years.

First the positives: Mr. Silver works hard, takes heat for his Assembly followers, protects his Lower East Side district, and has picked some good judges. Despite minor ethical squalls, he has never been indicted or accused of a crime. He is good on Israel and concerned about poverty and social services. He can be persuaded to do the right thing, sometimes for the wrong reason. Historically, he is not the worst of speakers, but neither is he first-rate.

This year, Mr. Silver received enhanced attention on several controversial issues:

1. By the last-minute maneuver of appointing three new members to the Judiciary Committee, Mr. Silver prevented a bill, which would have prohibited double-dipping by public employees, from being considered by the Assembly. Currently, an injured city employee can receive upwards of $1 million in a tax-free disability pension and are also permitted to sue the city and receive millions in jury awards.

2. A bill to extend the state’s DNA data base to all convicted felons was held up for seven years by the Assembly, until a compromise was reached in the last days of the 2006 session. The criminal defense bar vigorously opposes measures that would lead to the conviction of their crime-committing clients.

3. A bill to abolish the five-year statute of limitations for rape is important because even where DNA evidence is available, it may not be tied to a suspect for many years. This bill was passed by the Senate 60-1. Mr. Silver would not allow the bill to be considered unless the statute of limitations for civil actions was extended. Trial lawyers have an economic interest in finding more opportunities to file lawsuits, and rape victims were held hostage to their rapacity. Fortunately, a compromise was reached and the bill allowed to pass.

4. A bill supported by the governor, mayor, and schools chancellor to raise the cap on charter schools in the State was not allowed to come to a vote in the Assembly. It was opposed by the omnipotent UFT.

Incidents from prior years are also illuminating:

1. “Vicarious liability” is a legal theory under which one person or company is held responsible for the wrongdoing of another. It was applied in NYS so that in an accident, one could sue both the driver of a rented or leased car and the renting company as well. The opposite rule was followed in 49 of the 50 states, and vicarious liability was often rejected by the State Senate. The Assembly under Mr. Silver stood alone in the nation -- never allowing a vote. The practice was finally ended by the U.S. Congress.

2. On May 17, 1999, Mr. Silver pushed through the Assembly the repeal of the New York City commuter tax, a decision that has cost the city about $3 billion over the last six years. He did this because he thought it might help the Democrats win a State Senate seat in a special election in Rockland County. The ploy failed, the Democrat lost, but even if he had won the Republicans had a substantial Senate majority. Others attributed the tax repeal to Mr. Silver’s distaste for Mayor Giuliani, which was reciprocated.

3. In 2005, Mr. Silver and Mr. Bruno put a constitutional amendment on the ballot that would have enhanced their power and emasculated the governor’s role in determining the state budget. Mr. Silver helped fund the television campaign. The proposed constitutional amendment lost at the polls, 64 percent to 36 percent, with the state’s newspapers in overwhelming opposition to the power grab.

Sheldon Silver is a talented politician whose prolonged domination of the Assembly compares with Lyndon Johnson’s mastery of the Senate. Unfortunately, his deference to public employee unions, his lucrative law firm connection, and his manifest devotion to personal injury and criminal defense lawyers impair his ability to render distinguished and disinterested public service. Although both houses of the Legislature are financially reckless and wasteful, Mr. Silver has a large enough majority to act responsibly.

New Yorkers will wait to see how he interacts with Eliot Spitzer, should he be elected. Will the two men get along? Hopefully. However, as the ancient political maxim states: “Follow the money.” The speaker brings 30 years of Albany guile to the table. Will Eliot turn out to be Sir Galahad, Don Quixote, or Spider-Man?

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Starquest@NYCivic.org

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