Bay Ridge Community Council Debate called by some a “Romp” for Republican-Conservative Candidates — Others saw it differently

Some say “Old Pro” Marty Golden repeatedly got the upper hand on neophyte Jamie Kammerer  —   Others think that Jamie Kemmerer more than held his own in this, his first debate  —   And that Marty Golden let Kemmerer’s corruption barbs get under his skin

Former DA Hynes’ operatives show up at debate to root for and help out State Senator Golden

Debates also included Assembly Members Nicole Malliotakis (R-C Staten Island/Bay Ridge) and Alec Brook-Krasny (D Bay Ridge/ Brighton Beach) and their opponents Marty Beth Melendez (D) and Stamatis (Steve) Lilikakis (R-C)

Congressman Grimm, like the cheese, stands alone

Last night there was a gathering of pols and wonks that some have referred to as “The Great Bay Ridge Debate,” hosted last night by the Bay Ridge Community Council at Holy Angels Academy (Our Lady of Angels), a Catholic school located at 74th Street and 4th Avenue in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn.

This was a relatively unpublicized and largely unanticipated event, but it was by most estimates well-attended and it should be well-reported upon.

State Senator Marty Golden and Democratic challenger James Kemmerer, a first-time candidate might well have been the most interesting “pairing” at the debate.

During a rapid fire tit for tat, whenever Jamie Kemmerer, the Democrat nominee,  tried to get into the issue of corruption by using newspaper reports of Golden's questionable campaign financial transactions, Golden fended it all off with moral indignation, even implying that Kemmerer and his sources were irresponsible liars. Then Golden turned the tables on the political newcomer by countering the Democrat’s claim that Kemmerer was the state senate candidate that would best represent local working families. Golden scolded Kemmerer for having moved too many times over the past ten years to adequately represent the people of Bay Ridge. All in all Golden looked like the old pro, who had done his homework; and Jamie Kemmerer looked surprised that Golden didn’t wilt at the first mention of corruption, but instead made Kemmerer look bad for bringing it up in the first place.

Most important, Golden was able to keep his main focus on all the supposed funding he had brought home over the years by delivering a rapid-fire list of appropriations he had brought home to the district. Again, Golden looked like the old pro and Kemmerer the tyro.

Even the clearly Democrat-leaning Kip of the blog “Bay Ridge Journal” thought that the night had obviously gone Marty Golden’s way ( See “Republicans Romp at "The Great Bay Ridge Debate" by Kip, 9/24/14, Bay Ridge Journal/ The View from My Block [http://bayridgejournal.blogspot.com/2014/09/republicans-romp-at-great-bay-ridge.html]).

One of Kemmerer’s cornermen saw it quite differently, “Kemmerer was calm and composed while debating, which was especially impressive since Jamie was a first-time candidate and this was his first debate. It takes real balls to sit next to Marty and say what he said....”  The partisan Democrat went on to say that  “... Marty was FURIOUS. He thinks he's beyond reproach. After Jamie rattled off every public allegation under the sun [...] Marty basically scolded Jamie and said he wasn't allowed to do that. Whose rule is that Jerry Kassar’s, or did Marty just make it up last night ?”  One of Kemmerer’s top advisers implied that there will be lots more of the same for the rest of the campaign — “This [stuff] really gets under Marty's skin. So he's either totally innocent or really [something ending in “ing”] guilty because he [Golden] takes it very, very personal[ly]....”

Another supporter of the Democratic Party candidate for State Senate said this: “Kemmerer, I thought was excellent and kept honing in on the Moreland commission and the numerous shady deals Golden has made over the years. The audience seemed oblivious ( ‘the auditorium was packed with all Grimm/Golden supporters...’).”

AND IT LOOKS LIKE A LITTLE MORE OF THE HYNES-GOLDEN CONNECTION WAS ON DISPLAY AT THE DEBATE

Also this was quite a relevant observation by one of my key operatives that was at the debate. It is related to other matters that have been discussed on this blog: “Larry Morrish had two of his questions read (Morrish is a key Marty Golden supporter, who has been mentioned in connection with the Hynes “Asset Forfeiture Scandal”) ....   and another Hynes [campaign person] who hung around the [DA’s Office] during the [2013 General Election campaign for DA] also had her question read....  Golden thanked the Hynes [campaign person] by name from the dais after he answered her question.  [Those two Hynes people were there along with] some faces from the infamous Hynes campaign bus that traveled around Brooklyn [during the 2013 General Election campaign for DA].”