Former Brooklyn Republican State Senator David Storobin continues to be the Brooklyn GOP’s Candidate most likely to take a City Council seat in 2013

48th Council District Republican-Conservative Candidate garners support of the Citizens Union and continues to pressure his main opponent Democrat Chaim Deutsch

Orthodox Jewish Blogs roll out opposition to Rabbis who endorsed Chaim Deutsch along with with DA Candidate Hynes

Little has changed in a month for David Storobin, who is running on three lines, Republican, Conservative and Independence; and who should have enough funds to carry out his plans in the final days of his campaign for City Council. About a month ago, because he had been endorsed by former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who remains popular in the district, and because Storobin had strength in various communities in his district, council candidate Storobin was seen as a favorite to win the vacant City Council spot in the 48th Councilmatic District (See “CD48 – David Storobin Touts Overwhelming Fundraising Strength” by the YWN Newsdesk, 9/23/13, Yeshiva World News [http://www.theyeshivaworld.com/article.php?p=188495]).

Recently, Storobin has continued to campaign with fellow Republican-Conservative Joe Lhota; but he has maintained a hands-off position on the Republican-Conservative candidate for DA Charles “Joe” Hynes, who is a Democrat. However, there may be several pamphlets and palm cards distributed around the district where Storobin’s name would appear along with those of both Lhota and Hynes.

According to the Yeshiva World News, the Citizens Union recently announced its endorsements of David Storobin for City Council in the 48th Council District. In supporting of Mr. Storobin’s  candidacy, Citizen Union continued in its tradition of backing candidates who demonstrated a strong grasp of reform issues that is complimented by their experience and policy knowledge (See “Citizens Union Endorsed David Storobin For City Council” by the YWN NYC Newsdesk, 10/27/13, Yeshiva World News [http://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/General+News/195451/Citizens-Union-Endorsed-David-Storobin-For-City-Council.html]). In announcing his organization’s support for Mr. Storobin, the Executive Director of Citizens Union Dick Dadey made the following remarks: “New York City faces a watershed election year and Citizens Union believes our endorsed candidates can best serve the City as we enter a new era of governance....  Our evaluation process sought candidates committed to honest, effective and accountable government and capable of serving their constituents as well as the needs of the city as a whole. We feel these qualities are well represented in each of our endorsed candidates.”

That item in the Yeshiva World News closely followed after this barb at Chaim Deutsch, which was earlier published by that blog: “... ‘David Storobin had accepted the gracious offer by Yeshiva World News to host a debate over a week ago. He accepted the invitation almost immediately upon receiving the invitation. As this has now been a week, and we have not heard back, we can only ask why the Deutsch campaign has not agreed to debate as well? When we accepted the offer, we let it be known that any night was ok to debate. Why would a person asking for the vote of a community not want to go before them and explain their position on the pertinent issues of the community?’ ***  The Deutsch campaign has not yet responded to a request for a comment” ( See “Statement By David Storobin On Deutsch’s Refusal To Debate” by the YWN NYC Newsdesk, 10/24/13, Yeshiva World News [http://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/General+News/195274/Statement-By-David-Storobin-On-Deutsch%27s-Refusal-To-Debate.html]).

Even though a majority of the 48th Council District covers neighborhoods with  Russian-American households, that tend to be secular observers of Judaism or voters who are professedly religiously non-observant, a very important factor in the race remains the inability of Democrat Chaim Deutsch to lock up the Orthodox Jewish vote, even though he is known to be a “Frum Yid.”

In an odd juxtaposition, part of Democrat Chaim Deutch’s  problem arises from the fact that Deutsch has been endorsed by a faction of Rabbis led by Yisroel Belsky that also endorsed the Republican-Conservative Candidate for DA, Charles Hynes. Belsky and the others are viewed as morally compromised in their endorsement of Hynes. This is all tied up in the scandalous prosecution/non-prosecution of certain cases of pedophilia in the Orthodox Community, where the DA and some of his supporting Rabbis are now viewed as not protecting the children, but protecting the alleged pedophiles. The details of these problematic endorsements are laid out in the following posts on blogs aimed at Brooklyn’s Orthodox voters: “Pedophile Protector Belsky Endorses Pedophile Protector Hynes!” by Unorthodox Yidden, 10/24/13 [http://unorthodoxyidden.blogspot.com/2013/10/pedophile-protector-belsky-endorses.html]; “Leading Enabler Of Pedophiles Rabbi Yisroel Belsky Endorses Charles J. Hynes For D.A.” 10/24/13 [http://failedmessiah.typepad.com/failed_messiahcom/2013/10/enabler-of-pedophiles-rabbi-yisroel-belsky-endorses-charles-j-hynes-567.html]; “ ‘Malkiel - rerun" in Flatbush –  Something is NOT Kosher here...” by Rabbi Nuchem Rosenberg, 10/25/13, Rabbi Nuchem Rosenberg’s Hotline [http://nochemrosenberg.blogspot.com/2013/10/malkiel-rerun-in-flatbush.html]).

An Orthodox observer familiar with Rabbi Belsky noted that, just a couple of years ago, Rabbi Belsky could influence many Orthodox voters in his part of Brooklyn, but now his endorsement could have just the opposite effect.