December 31, 2013 — The Last Day of “That Was the Year That Was” — A year that Craig Eaton and Marty Golden showed everybody in the GOP that “Breaking Up Is Hard to Do”

All sides in Brooklyn GOP to blame for their part in horrible performance in 2013 Muni-elections  --  even me

Will 2014 be more of the same ?  Maybe everybody involved should just go off fishing, instead....

For Kings County Republican Chairman Craig Eaton 2013 was certainly “Annus Horribilis”; on the other hand, Eaton’s most recent main nemesis, State Senator Martin Golden, isn’t running around making any declarations that 2013 was in any way his “Annus Mirabilis”....  It remains to be seen whether either or both of those two are going to be looked upon by the rest of us as “Anus Horribilis” for what they did or didn’t do in 2013.  Clearly, 2014 impends with a lot of its promise apparently broken from the start.

Like King Lear, Eaton would be in character soliloquizing about 2013 that he “...is more sinned against than sinning...” Nonetheless, also like Lear, much of the situation in which the Brooklyn party chairman found himself was of his own making  —   more often resulting from default than mis- or malfeasance (never forget that default does hold fault in its embrace).

For Marty Golden’s part, I’m sure he found himself in the position of Michael Corleone, with Craig’s being so close and so often doing the “Fredo” bit (over and over and over again). Can’t you just picture the Brooklyn GOP State Senator saying something like this to his Brooklyn GOP leader, “[Craig], you're nothing to me now. You're not a brother, you're not a friend. I don't want to know you or what you do. I don't want to see you at [my office or at the Manor], I don't want you near my house....”

Frankly, 2013 was enough of a GOP clusterf- -k that both sides in the kerfuffle should be equally proud. With a handful of exceptions, it was a lot of sound and fury signifying nothing. The “Republicans for Change” (Golden’s guys) started the year with all the good cards and won a couple of tricks early, then it was losing hand after losing hand, with the 2013 General Elections for the municipal offices a complete and utter fiasco. The Brooklyn GOP establishment hung on by the skin of their teeth; with the outside possibility that the NYS Courts could take it all away by the end of January 2014. Only one GOP club in Brooklyn clearly improved their place at the table, the LaGuardia Regular Republican Organization, which moved camp from the 49th AD to the 46th with a very well executed primary campaign against the people from the Seergy Club, that earned two State Committee positions and the Executive Vice Chairmanship of the party. Each and every GOP candidate for public office in Brooklyn in 2013 lost  —  most lost badly. The one who did run the closest, was an RFC candidate for City Council, who should have won the seat and didn’t. For my part, I thought the big play for Hynes' running hard as the GOP-Conservative Party DA candidate was "BRILLIANT !"  —  I also thought the Giants had a good shot to be the hometown team in the Superbowl this year. So much for all that.

As we close the curtain on 2013, in the wings there are plenty of other characters anxious  to jump out onto the stage in the next act, “2014”  —   they’re all dressed and prepped as Hamlet, Iago, Lady Mac Beth, with a few lesser roles for comic relief.  In any case, it sure looks like it’s going to be a super-tragedy to me.

So what’s in store for 2014 ?  Right now, I see this as Eaton’s plan going forward, “Every time I put my line in the water I [say] a Hail Mary, and every time I [say] a Hail Mary I [catch] a fish...”  And Marty would surely be content responding, “Great, Craig, get into the boat  —  one of my guys will row you out....” However, since it’s 2014 and it’s Marty who is running for re-election, I think Craig might get to make this last riposte, “No, no !  Why don’t you go fishing instead ?  Russell, why don’t you row our friend here out to where the fishes are. By the way, I’m completely neutral as to what happens in the boat, guys.”

Has the News about the Flashmob Violence that Hit Brooklyn’s Kings Plaza Mall been suppressed ?

After early media reports that hundreds of youths trashed Kings Plaza  — with video of the event — police say there were no arrests, no robberies and no riot  —  and now it looks like “No news is good news” seems to be the official policy

So why were the NYC Police patrolling  Kings Plaza afterwards ?

Something isn’t adding up here.  The Eleven O’clock news on Thursday night described and showed video of a riot at one of Brooklyn’s biggest and most recognized commercial venues, Kings Plaza Mall (See “Flash Mob Of Teens Causes Disturbance At Brooklyn’s Kings Plaza Mall –  New Policy: Anyone Under 18 Banned, Unless Accompanied By An Adult” by CBS News Reporters, 12/27/13, CBS New York [http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2013/12/27/mob-of-teens-cause-disturbance-at-kings-plaza-mall/]). The next day in the Friday editions, there were lurid reports in the New York Post and the New York Daily News of 300-400 people having been called to the scene of the melee by messages put up on social media (See “Hundreds of teens trash mall in wild flash mob” by Kevin Sheehan, Natasha Velez & Natalie O'Neill, 12/27/13, NY Post
[http://nypost.com/2013/12/27/hundreds-of-teens-trash-mall-in-wild-flash-mob/]; “VIDEO: Facebook post to put Kings Plaza Mall 'on tilt' incites flash mob, fighting at Brooklyn shopping center –  A mob of about 300 kids starting fighting, yelling and running wild in the Mill Basin shopping center Friday, cops said, prompting an increased police presence” by Joey Scarborough, TomTracy, Rocco Parascandola & Corinne Lestch, 12/27/13, NY Daily News
[http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/nyc-crime/video-teens-brawl-kings-plaza-mall-brooklyn-article-1.1559582]).

Since Friday, nothing new to report and there has been a  virtual news blackout and no followup coverage; even though there is a sort of lockdown in place with heavy police presence in and around the mall .

This follows an apparent  pattern of minimizing the event by the NYPD and others that began almost immediately following the events of last Thursday. CBS 2's Tony Aiello reported on Friday that the 63rd Precinct Community Affairs office, denied that there was any riot, and asserted that there were no arrests, injuries, or significant damage. That was reiterated by the official line out of 1 PPL  —   “Despite online evidence of the mall melee, Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said no one filed a complaint about being assaulted or robbed. ***  Deputy Chief Kim Royster said cops were called about 9 p.m. Thursday to disperse the crowd of rascals, who caused more of a ruckus than a crime. *** ‘They weren’t stealing anything,’ said the NYPD spokeswoman. ‘They weren’t assaulting anyone. They were going through the mall, making loud noises. Some were fighting with each other’.”

That’s not what  the initial on the scene reports from the News, Post and CBS News clearly indicated.

It looks like the NYC version of George Orwell’s Ministry of Truth has decided to “Memory Hole” this story ASAP.  It’s a very bad story to hit during the 11th hour of the Bloomberg Administration and the closing days of the regime of PC Ray Kelly; and it’s also bad for business in Kings Plaza and the surrounding areas of Mill Basin and Marine Park.

Jerry Kassar’s view of “Democracy” — Very similar to Chavez', Ortega’s, Assad’s, and the Castros’

Ump-teenth re-election of his party’s vice chairperson as president of the Dyker Heights Civic Association shows Kassar’s view of  “...Democracy in action.” 

Kassar also preens about “...Colleen and Marty Golden’s Christmas Party...” 

Jerry Kassar’s Christmas Week column in the Home Reporter opened with this: “Congratulations to Fran Vella-Marrone who was re-elected president of the Dyker Heights Civic Association ....  I was the president in 1988 and 1989. In 1992, Fran was elected president and has been ever since....” (See “Common Sense: Democracy in action” by Jerry Kassar, 12/23/13, Home Reporter/Sunset News [http://www.homereporternews.com/news/opinion/common-sense-democracy-in-action/article_2dd4989e-6c34-11e3-a2e9-0019bb2963f4.html]).

Who else thinks that the "president for life" formula is the most perfect form of democracy ? That's right, people like Daniel Ortega, Hugo Chavez, Hafez al-Assad and Bashar al-Assad, Fidel and Raoul Castro, Vladimir Putin, and generations of North Korean leaders with "IL" somewhere in their names. What more needs to be said about Kassar's notions about the democratic ideal ?

Oh, yes  —  on another, though closely related point, Kassar just had to mention the very successful politically-oriented Christmas Party that was thrown by Marty Golden at the home of his family business, The Bay Ridge Manor.

______________________

For the uninitiated: Jerry Kassar is State Senator Martin Golden’s Chief of Staff and is the Chairman of the Kings County Conservative Party; Fran Vella-Marrone is the Vice-chairperson of the Kings County Conservative Party; both the (‘non-partisan”) Dyker Heights Civic Association and the Bay Ridge Manor (a private business) regularly function as subsidiary PR arms of the Marty Golden political machine in Bay Ridge and Dyker Heights.

We’re Number Four — We’re Number Four — We’re Number Four !!!

NY Times reports   —   New York Soon to Trail Florida in Population, and It Might Have Done So Already

Long term trend reflects economic depression upstate  —  NYC  remains an exception

New York, which long ago had ceded its number one position in population to California, will soon fall behind Florida into fourth place, a long-anticipated drop that is rife with symbolism and that is also likely to carry potentially serious economic consequences in coming years (See “New York Soon to Trail Florida in Population” by Jesse McKinley, 12/26/13, New York Times [http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/27/nyregion/new-york-soon-to-trail-florida-in-population.html?ref=nyregion&_r=0]).

Don’t expect New York State to turn any of this around anytime soon —  certainly not with the current leadership team in Albany.

According to the Times article by Jesse McKinley, a large part of Florida’s appeal, especially as compared to New York State has to do with its pro-business, low tax approach, and Florida also has no personal income tax. “While demographers tend to stay neutral on the issue of population growth, they say that bigger is generally better because it tends to reflect an attractive economic climate. *** ‘Once you have a growing economy, you tend to attract a lot of young people,’ said Mark Mather, a demographer with the Population Reference Bureau, a nonprofit research group in Washington.... ***  New York City certainly still attracts young people, Mr. Mather said, ‘but the city is different from the state’.”

Let’s see how New York City fairs after at least four years of Bill De Blasio as mayor.

Russ Gallo and his new blog, "THE GOLDEN WATCHER"

Does Russ Gallo’s new blog show that he, himself, doesn’t want to be the primary candidate against State Senator Golden  ?

How objective and reliable can any candidate’s own muck raking blog against his opponent be ?

Yesterday, I noted that there was what appeared to be a snarky new political blog by the Kings County Republican Party Secretary Russell Gallo, who has been a key player in the GOP blog wars over the last few years; and that the new blog is called "THE GOLDEN WATCHER" [http://thegoldenwatcher.blogspot.com/]  (See Comment: “UPDATE: THE ‘THE MORE - THE MERRIER’ EDITION” by Galewyn Massey, 12/25/13 at 8:48 AM to Friday, December 20, 2013 post “WHAM ! GALLO MAKES ANNOUNCEMENT OF PRIMARY AGAINST GOLDEN” below on this blog).

The question arises  —  does this new venture tip Russ Gallo’s hand that he actually does not intend to pursue a Republican primary against State Senator Martin Golden as a candidate in his own right ?

Without any reference to his own possible candidacy,  I have commented directly to Mr. Gallo that a stand alone vehicle like “The Golden Watcher” blog is an excellent tool to expose, delve into and critique State Senator Martin Golden; and if it’s done well, it could very well become something with real cred among other political bloggers and the press. The idea of a blog like "THE GOLDEN WATCHER" with its announced subject specialty “...what Marty doesn’t want you to see...” is both appropriate and timely on the eve of the 2014 election year for a Republican activist opposed to, or at very least quite critical of, the incumbent Brooklyn GOP state senator.  According to Gallo’s own words, his new blog, “The Golden Watcher,” is intended to publish “... a true account of [Golden’s] record... for both his constituents and possible opponents...”

I suggest to you that such a remark strongly mitigates against any notion that Gallo will be contemporaneously a candidate for the same position as the one instantly held by Golden. Running an internet enterprise properly  —  both as a news source and as propaganda tool  —  requires a detachment that an active candidate for the same office as Golden’s patently would not possess.

What’s more, if Gallo does intend to pursue his own candidacy for the 22nd S.D.,  "THE GOLDEN WATCHER" would put somebody like Gallo more completely into his own media box than he has ever been with his prior blogging and other internet media exploits.. Nonetheless, all that has transpired indicates that being a media hound is a persona with which Gallo has been comfortable, both for launching his attacks and defending his own positions.

The Brooklyn GOP and YRs do their bit at the "Holidays"

Here' a recent release from one of the factions -- Very Nice ! Very Nice !

BROOKLYN YOUNG REPUBLICANS PULL DOUBLE DUTY THIS HOLIDAY SEASON; CONDUCT SUCCESSFUL FOOD & TOY DRIVES!

 This month, the Brooklyn Republican Party and the Brooklyn Young Republicans ran two joint holiday drives – a toy drive to benefit the children of Soldiers in the NY National Guard and a food drive for families in need for the Basilica of Regis Pacis in Brooklyn.  

 Throughout December, the Brooklyn Young Republicans have done double duty collecting non-perishable food for families in need and conducting a toy drive at the same time.  “The response to both of our drives has been fantastic,” said Diana Sepulveda, President of the Brooklyn Young Republicans.  “Both drives exceeded my expectations.”

This past week, Diana Sepulveda delivered toys to the children of Soldiers of the NY National Guard 1-258^th Field Artillery Unit as part of the Brooklyn Young Republicans’ joint toy drive with the Brooklyn Republican Party.  This week, Diana Sepulveda will be dropping off the non-perishable food collected at Regina Pacis. 

“Delivering those toys to so many smiling faces was a thrill I will never forget”, said Sepulveda.  “This is the season of giving, and I am glad to be able to bring some joy to those who need a little happiness this time of year.”

Brooklyn Republican Chair Craig Eaton was happy to support these initiatives.  “Diana is a true leader of our younger generation of Republicans, who have genuinely shown that they care about their community.  I am happy to support them in all they do.”

UPDATE: THE “BOY, DID WE CALL THIS ONE RIGHT” EDITION

As predicted here, the NY POST and the Moreland Commission has tied “... cans to the tails of a few politicos very near and dear to [Conservative Party Chairman] Kassar himself....”   —   Both State Senators Martin Golden and Simcha Felder tied to an emerging scandal that was uncovered by Moreland Commission and is being referred to NY State and Federal prosecutors

Not quite two weeks ago, I mentioned the following at the end of a post about Jerry Kassar: “...And now for something completely different....  Instead of bridge tolls that neither he nor his boss can seem to do anything about, Kassar needs to get on top of the growing local scandal involving the Boro Park non-profit group, Relief Resources....  The NY Post has done a pair of reports that the Moreland Commission is looking into that local group and a couple of others that share its address. Before it’s all over, the Moreland Commission will probably tie those cans to the tails of a few politicos very near and dear to Kassar himself....” (See “Jerry Kassar can’t be taken seriously as a commentator — Or can he ?” posted by Galwyn Massey below at 12/11/13 [http://galewynmassey.blogspot.com/2013/12/jerry-kassar-cant-be-taken-seriously-as.html#comment-form]). Two astute comment makers to that post seemed to zero in on things even a bit more: “Anonymous        December 11, 2013 at 6:57 AM  –  Do any of those ‘... politicos very near and dear to Kassar himself’ include the man Jerry Kassar works for, State Senator Golden?” ; and “Anonymous       December 12, 2013 at 6:58 AM  –   #1 on the list Simcha Felder: Democrat State Senator that lines up with Republican Senate Leader Dean Skelos, also endorsed by Kassar's Brooklyn Conservative Party, funded Relief Services while on the City Council.”

Now the NY Post is reporting that both State Senator Martin Golden (R-C-I) and Simcha Felder (D-C-I) do have connections to the Boro Park charity that is being probed by the Moreland Commission for corruption (See “2 probes against ‘charity’” by Carl Campanile, 12/23/13, NY Post/Metro [http://nypost.com/2013/12/23/2-probes-against-charity/]). According to the report in the Post, “A Brooklyn not-for-profit group with ties to powerful New York politicians is now the subject of two separate criminal probes, The Post has learned.. ***  Gov. Cuomo’s commission to combat public corruption referred its investigative findings about Relief Resources Inc. — a Borough Park-based storefront charity that took in nearly $3 million in legislative grants but did not seem to provide many services — to US Eastern District Attorney Loretta Lynch and state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman for potential prosecution, sources close to the commission said.... *** ...Relief Resources, which supposedly provides mental-health services, was co-founded by powerhouse rabbi, lobbyist and charity chieftain Shiya Ostreicher, who has a hand in four other groups, including two with the same storefront address as Relief Resources: 5904 13th Ave. ***  The group has received legislative grants from two heads of the state Senate — $250,000 from ex-GOP Majority Leader Joe Bruno and $300,000 from former Democratic leader Malcolm Smith, as well as backing from Brooklyn lawmakers Martin Golden and Simcha Felder....”

It certainly doesn’t do the Kings County Conservative Chairman Jerry Kassar’s principal NY Senate wards and endorsees in Brooklyn, Golden and Felder, any good to have their names so prominently mentioned in an article that closes with this: “‘The Moreland Commission is aggressively moving forward with its investigations to carry out its mission of rooting out public corruption,’ said Moreland Commission spokeswoman Michelle Duffy.”

One is also struck by the Karma that is so manifest in this emerging “scandal”  —   2013 opened with State Senator Golden’s unfairly trying to tie a scandal involving State Senator Malcolm Smith to GOP County Leader Craig Eaton; and the year 2013 closes with the NY Post tying Golden himself to a completely different scandal possibly involving Malcolm Smith.

WHAM ! GALLO MAKES ANNOUNCEMENT OF PRIMARY AGAINST GOLDEN

Russell Gallo calls for Republican Party Primary against State Senator Martin Golden on Brooklyn GOP [Blog] Radio Program

Gallo says he is strongly considering a race in 2014 and suggests that he expects to run against Golden himself  —  BUT  —  specifically, Gallo mentioned that anybody who thinks they can run a stronger Republican primary race against Golden with their own substantial resources should contact Brooklyn GOP Radio  —  and then Gallo and Company might add their own significant resources to that effort instead

Last night on a Brooklyn GOP Radio program that featured Lt .Col. Steve Russell, the man who led the raid that captured Saddam Hussein; Russell Gallo, a U.S. Army Sergeant who once served along side Colonel Russel’s unit, announced that there would be a GOP primary against State Senator Martin Golden in 2014 ( See “Lt. Col. Steve Russell & The 10th Anniversary That ‘We Got Him!’.”  Brooklyn GOP [Blog] Radio [http://www.blogtalkradio.com/brooklyngopradio/2013/12/20/lt-col-steve-russell-the-10th-anniversary-that-we-got-him]).

Rather than go through Russell Gallo’s oral brief against State Senator Martin Golden ( R-C-I ), something that Gallo promised would be well publicized throughout the 22nd State Senate District in due course, I’ll try to interpret what Mr. Gallo did and didn’t say at the very end of last night’s show.

With less than five minutes left in the program, Gallo pressed co-host Gene Berardelli to get things “back local.”  I expected that there was going to be more chatter about the multiple GOP holiday parties, but instead Russ Gallo launched into an impassioned speech about how important Republican primaries are in keeping GOP candidates really “conservative with a small ‘c’.”  Initially, it almost sounded like Gallo was talking up a Republican primary against Michael Grimm, something that Gallo has mentioned to me many times lately, and maybe Gallo did indicate a little leaning in that direction again last night.  However, Gallo executed a clean pivot and turned his full frontal assault onto the sole Brooklyn-only elected Republican Marty Golden. Gallo clearly stated that he was strongly considering getting into a primary fight against Golden.

One thing alone is holding Gallo back, that there might be another strong conservative Republican out there who can bring his or her own additional personal resources of funds and /or manpower into the race against Golden. If such a candidate were to come forward, Gallo indicated that he might well join forces and support such a run; and anybody that might be so inclined should contact Gallo through the Brooklyn GOP Radio – Official Blog.

Although last night’s public announcement had not been talked about as recently as the Brooklyn GOP Holiday Party and the YRs’ after-party on Wednesday night, many of the same topics had been brought up by Gallo with various others at those gatherings  – so the content of Gallo’s announcement was no surprise. Only his timing, venue, and his call for all similarly-interested  “candidates” to come forward added a bit of the new and unknown into the mix.

The Brooklyn - Kings County - Republican Party holds its Annual Holiday Party

Wednesday evening Craig Eaton and John Catsimatidis welcomed Brooklyn Republicans to Holiday Festivities at the Brooklyn Bar Ass'n at 123 Remsen Street in Brooklyn Heights  

GOP "Party Secretary" Russell Gallo chats up local columnist about his own prospects in 2014 

About a hundred folks enjoyed dancing to music from a DJ, plentiful hot food, and beverages such as wine and soda in the main meeting room of the Brooklyn Bar Association on Remsen Street not far from Saint Francis College. It was all compliments of Craig Eaton and the Kings County Republican Party, along with another one of those "un-secret Santas" -- John Catsimatidis.

There was plenty of political gossip; and local reporter Will Bredderman was very interested about the comings and goings of the likes of  E. O'brien-Murray and Rob Ryan; and he noted the enthusiastic greetings and applause from the crowd to the introductions of Mr. & Mrs. Catsimatidis and local candidates like Bob Capano and Russell Gallo. Once or twice during the evening, Gallo and Bredderman were deep in conversation with Gallo coyly saying that he was very interested in going all-out for a big race in 2014 and that he would probably be the only one willing to do that going forward.

For those seeking comparisons, there were about three to four times as many guests at the function thrown Monday night at the Bay Ridge Manor.  Nonetheless, the Eaton-Catsimatidis party didn't need to take any backseat to the earlier scheduled function when it came to the fun  being had by its guests. At one point, there were almost fifty people on a conga line dancing around and trying to Shanghai the less Terpsichorean-oriented politicos who were apparently more deeply involved in political gossip on the edges of the dance area. The dance floor seemed to grow as the conga line grew and the non-dancers retreated from the all-assimilating, pulsating python that included such dancing fools as Russell Gallo, Gene Berardelli and Tom McCarthy, and far too many women of all ages and descriptions to mention by name (even if I did know more than a few of them). There were one or two couples that did the older style ballroom steps, bunches of women that tried some line dances and more than a handful of pairs doing Latin style dances that looked and sounded like Salsa and Merengue.  One or two couples even looked like they could have scored high with Carrie-Ann or Bruno -- and possibly even "A 'Ten' from Len !" There were about fifty still in the room and others outside in the hall and around the building when the DJ announced the last dance. Things continued apace for another fifteen or twenty minutes until somebody flashed the lights some time after 9:30 to signal about thirty stalwart revelers that the party was over.

With that, some lifts home were arranged in the hall and out in front of the Bar Association, and about a dozen YRs went off to continue to party a few blocks away at O'Keefe's on Court Street. Others came and went there; and about eight or nine remained at the Court Street bar after 11:15.

Marty Golden’s Holiday Extravaganza showed off Golden on top of his game — Playing the “Un-secret Santa”

Call him “Mr. Holiday Marty” — Doing the Meet and Greet big time, up front and in your face  —  As gregarious as a young Santa Claus might be if he were running an open house at the North Pole; or even more like Bing Crosby doing his Christmas gig at the original “Holiday Inn”

The people were packed in early at the Bay Ridge Manor last night, and they just kept coming. Marty had put out the word – this is a holiday festivity that you don’t want to miss – and most of the key people didn’t. The State Senator with the family in the party business pulled out all the stops (except for the absence of live music – but there really was no room for a band or even a pro DJ) and made it worth while for everybody.  The food was good, varied and plentiful  —  abundanza !  —  with plenty of  adult beverages from a fully-stocked and well-manned bar.

The large crowd was a mix of politicos, business people and just plain folks; with an odd smattering of Biker-veterans in their leathers and many of the “favored” and at least one of the “fired” from the BOE. The crowd even showed some of the ethnic diversity of the State Senator’s district as well as Brooklyn as a whole. Everybody was happy and happy to be there.

Marty Golden was in his element. Make no mistake; candidate for re-election Marty Golden was putting down a 2014 marker with his 2013 holiday party  —  “Go ahead, guys, try and match this.”

The Brooklyn Young Republican Club has Grand Old Party at Downtown Brooklyn Watering Hole for its annual Christmas-Chanukah Party

GOP luminaries Joe Lhota, John Burnett and State Senator Martin Golden lent their flash and dazzle to the BYRC holiday gathering at the Ceol Irish Pub

Earlier today, Glenn Nocera hit an inside the park home run hosting a very festive crowd of young and near-young Republicans at the normal meeting place of the Brooklyn Young Republican Club on Smith Street in Downtown Brooklyn  The right mix of seasonal and political messaging was delivered by Nocera, Joe Lhota and Marty Golden at the opening of festivities. A while later, the Brooklyn BOE Commissioner Simon Shamoun and Frankie Russo of the Brooklyn Tea Party each came in and did their seasonal greetings and exchange of well-wishes. Later still in the waning afternoon, the spirit of fellowship and good cheer overflowed recent intra-party boundaries when a pretty large contingent of the traditionally rival “Official” Brooklyn YRs came by to join in the festivities of their senior or “Original” youngish GOP brethren.

At various times there were knots of Young Republicans of various stripes looking like a joint gathering of the Star Belly and Plain Belly Sneetches at play; with the likes of Jonathan Judge, Russell Gallo, Diane Sepulveda, Gene Berardelli and Glenn Nocera all posing for snapshots by a hand-full of amateur paparazzi. There were even blogsters like myself and Gatemouth on hand to observe the Sadie Hawkins-like celebration of the solstice, where at least for a few moments the roundup of  Republican weird sisters and libertarian odd couples didn’t seem so very odd at all.

On the political front, most in attendance acknowledged the comradeship and apparent unity seemed to work far better than much of this year’s open hostility. However, a post-party rump debate between several late hangers-on showed that a lot of the 2013 Brooklyn GOP history is still too fresh in everybody’s memory or consciousness to be easily forgotten, but the competing sides in the friendly chin-wag seemed gratified  that the mutual grievances could be aired without serious rancor or animus among the participants.

Governor Andrew Cuomo uses the Marty Golden-supported New York S.A.F.E. Act to make national anti-gun pitch on anniversary of an out-of-state mass killing

State Senator Martin Golden and the New York State Senate Republican Leadership and Caucus were necessary participants in the rush to pass the badly drafted and over-reaching anti-gun law called the NYS  S.A.F.E. Act  —  the ONLY law of its kind passed since the Sandy Hook School tragedy a year ago in Newtown, Connecticut 

It was a “common sense” law, which was so bad that it instantaneously made criminals out of most of the police officers and many of  the lawful gun owners in New York State; and it required IMMEDIATE REMEDIAL LEGISLATION to keep from making most of the police officers in the State of New York lawbreakers. “.... Details... mere details” !

What is Governor Cuomo saying about it now ?   Well, take a look:

“.... Here in New York, we passed the NY SAFE Act, comprised of common sense reforms to keep guns out of the hands of the dangerously mentally ill, ban assault weapons and high capacity magazines, and raise the penalty for killing a first responder on duty. ***  New York is proud to be home to some of the strongest gun laws in the nation. There is no better way to honor the memories of those we lost at Newtown than to make sure they did not die in vain and work together to pass long overdue gun laws to make this whole country safer. ***  As Washington D.C. remains at a standstill on this issue, I urge our representatives in Congress to reach across the aisle and act now because we cannot have another tragedy like Sandy Hook....” (See “Cuomo Touts SAFE Act In Newtown Remembrance” by Liz Benjamin, 12/14/13, YNN State of Politics [http://www.nystateofpolitics.com/2013/12/cuomo-touts-safe-act-in-newtown-remembrance/]).

Don’t you especially love this part ?   >>> “.... There is no better way to honor the memories of those we lost at Newtown than to make sure they did not die in vain and work together to pass long overdue gun laws to make this whole country safer....” <<<  

How is it that NYS Governor Andrew Cuomo feels so comfortable saying things like  “.... those we lost at Newtown...” ?  It was allegedly perpetrated by someone with mental health problems and personal connections to the local school, none of the victims were citizens of Cuomo’s state; and the state government that was actually involved didn’t see fit to “honor their memory” in the same way  —   nor did any other state, not even Colorado  —   nor did the government of the United States. On the other hand, like Obama and revolutionary-style Democrats everywhere, NYS Governor Andrew Cuomo didn’t want to let a “crisis” go to waste, even it if involved a town and a state for which Cuomo had no responsibility and over which Cuomo had no authority. No matter, Cuomo “needed” and “wanted” a NYS S.A.F.E. Act for his national ambitions.

Obviously, people like State Senator Martin Golden (R-C-I) thought that Cuomo’s sentiments and ambitions were reason enough to have created  instantaneously tens of thousands of new criminals in New York State  —  including many police officers, other law enforcement officials and first responders, and veterans and retired law enforcement officers.

In less that a year, Cuomo is using Golden’s vote in favor of the NYS  S.A.F.E. Act early in 2013 to advance his national anti-gun agenda late in 2013 and going forward — to pass a national version of the S.A.F.E. Act.

Join the Brooklyn Young Republican Club for their Annual Christmas/Chanukah Party

Special Guests Expected:  Former New York City Republican Mayoral Candidate Joe Lhota and Former New York City Comptroller Candidate John Burnett 

The Brooklyn Young Republican Club ( BYRC) Party is free to all members and friends of the club. Food (Kosher food upon request only) and Two Drink Tickets for use at the Ceol bar for beer or wine will be provided for all members and new members who join the BYRC at party!

BYRC President Glenn Nocera has also arranged for a special singing guest to entertain at the party.


When:  Sunday, December 15, 2013  ---  2:00 PM to 4:00 PM

Where: Ceol  Irish Pub
            191 Smith Street (back room)
            Brooklyn, NY

How to get there: F or G train to Bergen Street

Please RSVP on the BYRC facebook page  at. https://www.facebook.com/events/466882176765094/?ref=3&ref_newsfeed_story_type=regular

Either State Senator Golden — OR somebody on his staff — announced that the New York State Regional Economic Development Council awarded grants to support some Brooklyn projects

YAWN !!!  STRETCH....  YAWN SOME MORE !!!

NO, THIS IS MOMENTOUS  —  According to a press release fresh off today’s wire, Brooklyn State Senator Martin J. Golden (R-C-I), a member of the New York State Regional Economic Development Council for the City of New York, issued a statement today following the announcement of grants awarded to support key initiatives in Southwest Brooklyn

STRETCH....  YAWN !!!  STRETCH SOME MORE....

Here’s Marty Golden in his own words ( or somebody on his staff trying very hard to sound like him): “As a member of the Regional Economic Development Council for the City of New York, I commend New York State’s investment in Kings County (sic). Today, we are furthering efforts to create a more business and environmentally friendly community for people to live, work and raise a family (yeah, let’s give that a “sic” too)....  Across the board, these grants will go a long way in supporting projects for the arts, education and for our natural resources (yep, sic again). We must continue to develop Brooklyn, and New York City, so to put more people to work and keep our economy growing (just too much sicness in one place). I look forward to further opportunities in 2014 to build upon these accomplishments ( OMG, I think I’m beginning to feel sic)....”

( Oh dear, oh dear !  Where to begin, where to begin !  No, wait, let’s go on and show what Golden or the Golden staff member actually is talking about. )

These are the projects in Southwest Brooklyn which were highlighted by Golden or some member of his staff as having been included in the Round Three funding of the Regional Economic Development Council Program ( See “Golden: New York State Regional Economic Development Council Awards Grants to Support Brooklyn Projects” posted by Martin J. Golden, 12/12/13,  New York State Senator Martin Golden’s webpage  [http://www.nysenate.gov/press-release/golden-new-york-state-regional-economic-development-council-awards-grants-support-broo]; oddly, the identical material was attributed to John Quaglione www.nysenate.gov on the blog, Open States [http://openstates.org/ny/legislators/NYL000019/]):

*Brooklyn Arts Council, $100,000
Creative Coalitions Initiative to create an arts infrastructure and economic development
*Lutheran Family Health Centers, $179,618
The Sunset Park/AmeriCorps Program to provide job-readiness and adult education
*SUNY Downstate Technology Center, $125,000
Brooklyn Biotech Certified Business Incubator to assist start-up businesses
*Marine Park Golf Course, $502,900
Rainwater harvesting and reuse system to reduce storm water runoff into Jamaica Bay
*NYU Polytechnic, $125,000
New York State Certified Incubator Proposal to assist start-up businesses

Seriously, unless my math is wrong, that’s just over a million bucks....  That would hardly seem to be enough to rate this shout out from our Brooklyn Republican State Senator or some member of his staff: “Across the board, these grants will go a long way in supporting projects for the arts, education and for our natural resources.”  Seriously  —  “... a long way in supporting projects for the arts, education and for our natural resources...” !

What’s more important  —  SHOW OF HANDS  —  Does anybody know somebody in Golden’s district directly benefiting from any of these grants ?

Once again —   SHOW OF HANDS  —   Who thinks this is real Democrat-style boondoggling and that it all really rates the title  >>>   “A GOLDEN FLEECE ” ?

Jerry Kassar can’t be taken seriously as a commentator — Or can he ?

For years, Jerry Kassar has posed as a serious "conservative" commentator for a local paper in the Bay Ridge corner of Brooklyn  — How does he get away with that ?

Kassar’s December 10th column “Common Sense: Let’s be fare” is completely dishonest and basically unfair

When Jerry Kassar is lost in the woods with nothing really good to say about his boss State Senator Martin Golden or his pet party, the NYS Conservative Party, he often resorts to a roundup of the routine suspects or lashes out with some heavy corporal beating on some widely recognized whipping boy. In this instance, the Port Authority emerged as both a routine suspect and the widely recognized whipping boy (See “Common Sense: Let’s be fare” by Jerry Kassar, 12/10/13, Home Reporter/ Spectator [http://www.homereporternews.com/news/opinion/common-sense-let-s-be-fare/article_dd78b62c-61e4-11e3-bb79-0019bb2963f4.html]).

Instead of insightful commentary, Kassar seems more like a coyote baying at the moon when he complains, “The recent toll increase on the Port  Authority Bridges  -- locally the Goethals, Outerbridge and Bayonne – is an absolute disgrace. ***  These pre-programmed increases, which will continue at a regular pace for years to come, are no better than tax increases. They long ago surpassed the point of affecting business and residents who need to take the additional cost into account before deciding where to shop, or even locate....”

Buried in the text of Kassar’s column is this completely indefensible bit of puffery: “Locally State Senator Golden, whom I serve as chief of staff, Assemblymember Malliotakis and Congressmember Grimm, as well as most legislators  have been very vocal in opposing these increases. ***  They have spoken out, written, rallied and at least in the case of Malliotakis, sued the agencies....” Even if some part of that were true, it would be a testament to the complete and pathetic  ineffectiveness of the named officials to exercise any political might or will on the issue of the objectionable tolls.  Kassar then resorts to complete dissembling when he continues, “...They [Golden, Grimm and Malliotakis] probably deserve a share of credit for things not being even worse...”

How could things be worse ?  As things stand the tolls are astronomical and are scheduled to go even higher. Everybody knows that toll increases like the ones Kassar is harping about are damaging our local economy, as a whole, and hurting lots of real people in Brooklyn and Staten Island, with plenty of spillover into parts of New Jersey.  Clearly, hurting the real people and economy of Brooklyn and Staten Island is something for which Kassar doesn’t want Grimm, Golden and Malliotakis to be held responsible; unfortunately, they are just as responsible as the governors of New York and New Jersey.

Kassar also made some vacuous remarks about the upcoming race for governor in 2014. What he didn’t talk about is how the activities of his NYS Conservative Party have made it almost impossible for the Republican Party to put forward a competitive candidate for that office for quite some time.

And now for something completely different....  Instead of bridge tolls that neither he nor his boss can seem to do anything about, Kassar needs to get on top of the growing local scandal involving the Boro Park non-profit group, Relief Resources....  The NY Post has done a pair of reports that the Moreland Commission is looking into that local group and a couple of others that share its address. Before it’s all over, the Moreland Commission will probably tie those cans to the tails of a few politicos very near and dear to Kassar himself.

Homeland — The Opening Sequence

There are three prominent Black Americans in the opening sequence of Showtime’s “Homeland” Series: One is the first Black President of the United States – Barack Hussein Obama; another could have been the first Black President of the United States – Secretary of State Colin Powell; the third is Louis “Louie” Armstrong

It is the presence of Louie Armstrong in the opening sequence of Homeland that is the most problematic; yet, it might well be a key to unlocking the meaning of the series.

Obama and Powell belong in the opening because they are part of the presidential sequence, with Powell doing a partial stand-in for George W. Bush. That hardly explains Armstrong’s presence... He is neither presidential nor a personal clip of the characters in the show. Inasmuch as Louis Armstrong died in 1971, he’s not in any way contemporary with Homeland or most of its characters. The only direct hook from the story line is that Cariie likes to listen to jazz to calm herself down, when she is just a little stressed... there’s also a picture of a young Carrie playing the trumpet among the opening shots....

The brief clip of Mr. Armstrong is probably from the same clip as “Louis Armstrong in Copenhagen (1933)-HD” on You Tube [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZvqvNYJmC4] whose accompanying graphic oddly indicates that it was from a trip to Copenhagen that Armstrong made in “1934.”

The three songs on the nine-and-a-half minute clip are each descriptive of Homeland’s main character Carrie in three distinct ways: “I Cover the Waterfront” (whose intro is the clip in Homeland’s opening) demonstrates her smouldering and always expectant love for Brody; “Dinah (Is there anyone finer?)” refers to Carrie as the female superstar that enraptures not only Brody, Quinn and Sol, but also several of the main antagonists; and last, needless to say to those familiar with my stuff, my favorite “The Tiger Rag” or as Louie says it, “The Tiger Rag – THE Tiger Rag,” which symbolizes both the difficulty in keeping on the track of the tiger and the impossibility of controlling or holding the tiger once it has been tracked down. That certainly does beg the question, who or what is the "tiger" that Carrie, Sol,and/or any of the rest, seek or seek to hold.

Of course there could be some psychobabble about Armstrong’s jazz as a whole representing the manic improvisation of the bipolar Carrie. That’s where most of the analysts and critics of Homeland’s opening have gone with the Armstrong snippet, but just because everybody says it doesn’t make it so, does it ?

Whooooo ! Whoooooooooh !!! Brooklyn Multiple Murder Railroad of “... Duffel Bag” Salvatore Perrone Coming Through — But it’s going very very slowly

You might have missed what’s been going on in the “Joe Duffel Bag” - “Son of Sal” Serial Killing Case  —  Because it’s been chugging along on a local track in the Brooklyn Courts

Salvatore Perrone representing himself doesn’t understand why he isn’t getting the evidence he needs to prove his innocence 

It’s been almost a year since, Salvatore Perrone, pleaded not guilty to three murders of a clothing store owner in Bay Ridge, a Bensonhurst and a clothes merchant in the Lefferts Gardens section of Flatbush. As we reported on this blog, most of that time was used up by some nasty sparring between the Acting Supreme Court Justice Alan Marrus, who is sitting on this case, and the accused. Some of that involved Salvatore Perrone’s dissatisfaction with his “appointed counsel” –  a former disgraced Judge and disbarred attorney from the Bronx with a history connected to the Judge on the case; and the rest involving Perrone’s repeatedly frustrated attempts to get cellphone maps and other records, and MTA video surveillance tapes, all to prove his alibi. Ultimately, Marrus gave-in to Perrone by letting him represent himself, but not appointing substitute counsel, instead designating a legal “advisor.”

Almost from the outset, the judicial handling of this case has been neither efficient, nor fair or just. Clearly, Acting Justice Marrus’ obvious and often-expressed animus against Salvatore Perrone during the conduct of the early stages of the proceedings has put the Court’s handling of the case into serious question.

If you followed the early intense reporting on this case, especially from Thanksgiving through Christmas and the New Year last year, you’d probably remember that the press first referred to Sal Perrone as “Joe Duffel Bag,” because what looked like his image carrying a duffel bag had appeared on video surveillance tapes in the area of one of the killings; then later on as “Son of Sal,” because, Perrone was viewed by his neighbors as a sort of strange 64 year old semi-reclusive character who lived in the incompletely or bizarrely “renovated” house across the street from Clove Lake Park in Staten Island. After a very problematic couple of days in police custody, and a very odd pattern of evidence gathering, Perrone allegedly made incriminating statements and/or admitted to having killed and/or being involved in the killing of the three merchants while working for the CIA and/or the “Italian CIA.”  According to some reports, on the night of the last cold-blooded killing, Mr. Perrone supposedly went dancing with friends at the Hughes Council Knights of Columbus in Dyker Heights  –  now, that really is cold, if Perrone actually did the evil deed with which he has been charged earlier that evening !

Many political people are apparently heavily invested in a “GUILTY” Salvatore Perrone, including politicos as diverse as: Police Commissioner Ray Kelly, Brooklyn DA Charles Hynes, State Senators Martin Golden and Eric Adams (now Borough President Elect) and City Councilman Jumaane Williams; and that Perone did it all during a “spree” from August through November in 2012. Interestingly, even a second line local political personality was quoted in a recent hit piece on Sal Perrone, the Brooklyn Conservative Party Vice Chairperson, who is also the President of the Dyker Heights Civic Association, >>> Fran Vella-Marone <<<  (See “John Doe Duffel Bag: A Killer in Bay Ridge” by Stephen Henderson, 10/29/13, The BrooklynInk
[http://thebrooklynink.com/2013/10/29/52912-john-doe-duffel-bag-a-killer-in-bay-ridge/]). In the BrooklynInk article by Stephen Henderson, Ms. Vella-Marone was identified only as the “chair of District 10’s Police and Public Safety Committee....”

Remember, Sal Perrone looks nothing like the suspect sought for the earliest killing in Bay Ridge in the summer of 2012. The police sketch posted all over that neighborhood and later in Bensonhurst definitely looks more like  any clean-shaven younger African-American male than it does the mustached later middle-aged Italian-American Sal Perrone. Even after the last killing in Flatbush, there were at least two others in whom the police had greater interest for several days. The entire “Joe Duffel Bag” scenario and the “Son of Sal” buzz was generated after Perrone was in custody; and several days after the Flatbush killing, a duffel bag containing virtually all the physical evidence was recovered at the apartment of  a Russian "girlfriend" of Perrone's  in Flatbush apparently without a warrant.

Will Timothy Cochrane be making a political comeback anytime soon ? — Maybe, you might be surprised at the answer that you see HERE

Next to State Senator Martin Golden, Timothy Cochrane is the Brooklyn Republican affiliated with “Republicans for Change” most talked about by KCRP insiders

In the event that the suit against the Brooklyn GOP by a few individual Republican County Committee members fails, is there really any future for Tim Cochrane in Brooklyn Republican politics ?  Of course there is....

As the readers of this blog should know, Timothy Cochrane was put forward by State Senator Martin Golden as the Republicans for Change candidate for Republican County Chairman at the 2013 County Convention. Prior to that, Mr. Cochrane had distributed a letter on his own behalf in support of his candidacy for GOP Chairman (but the postage was done in the name of the RFC). The mere mention of that letter continues to ruffle feathers among many mainstream Republicans to this very day. It is a matter of official record that Golden’s and Cochrane’s GOP County leadership balloon crashed and burned soon after its launch at the post-primary convention; and a currently-pending litigation to set aside the results of the 2013 Kings County Convention shows little likelihood of success. Where does all of that leave Cochrane in the Brooklyn GOP ?

Some lined up behind Kings County Republican Chairman Craig Eaton would simply wish and hope Cochrane into political nonexistence; others are preparing for his likely re-emergence. Be it on Brooklyn GOP Radio webcasts, or before and/or after KCRP executive meetings, Timothy Cochrane’s name is the one uttered more than any other possible “Republican for Change” candidate in 2014, save for State Senator Martin Golden himself.

There are lots of possibilities for Cochrane in 2014, but a run for the assembly in the 46th AD makes the most sense, both for Cochrane and his patrons Marty Golden and Jerry Kassar  —  especially if a threatened primary against Golden comes to pass. If he ran in the 46th, Tim Cochrane would be following in the footsteps of Tom McCarthy, who in 2012 ran with strong Golden support and cruised to a mammoth victory over the current GOP State Committeewoman in the 46th AD.

A Golden-Cochrane ticket in the parts of the 46th AD common to both candidates would be very strong in 2014. Furthermore, following such a run in 2014,  Tim Cochrane would be in an excellent position to take our the current GOP State Committeeman Marcus A. Nussbaum in a 2015 GOP primary; and that would be a major take-away for the RFC. Many cracks in the Eaton-Ferrarro-Potter alliance in the 46th AD have appeared during the last few weeks; and the RFC Golden-Cochrane team need to exploit those fissures with the maximum and continuous pressure of Timothy Cochrane as the team’s local leader in the 46th AD, especially in the Bay Ridge and Dyker EDs.

If the Eaton crowd and its allies continue to threaten State Senator Golden with internal party fights in 2014, Timothy Cochrane’s future in the GOP would seem to be guaranteed.

Kassar's "Common Sense: 'Tis the season" column about Christmas 2013 shows some of what State Senator Martin Golden is up against when he has to run in 2014

"The lights and sounds of what has made Bay Ridge and Dyker Heights such special communities each Christmas season are once again upon us."  --  Kassar's words not mine

Here's the rub -- Kassar then goes on to describe just a few blocks in Dyker Heights

Jerry Kassar opened his Common Sense column this week with a shout out to the local spontaneous volunteer holiday home decorators that annually make a cottage industry of decorating their cottages in Bay Ridge and Dyker Heights for Christmas.  But for some reason, Jerry Kasar (sic -- as his name appeared in this week's Home Reporter online editon) did his attempted Saturnalian uplift very much on the downlow ( See ""Common Sense: 'Tis the season"  by Jerry Kas[s]ar,  12/2/13, Home Reporter/ Spectator [http://www.homereporternews.com/opinion/common-sense-tis-the-season/article_bd330dc6-5b91-11e3-b21e-001a4bcf887a.html]).  The only real praise from Kassar was showered on a few blocks in Dyker Heights not far from Jerry's own home.

I think I get it.  For various ulterior motivations, Mr. Kassar wants us to focus on how good things still are and not upon how very much things have mostly gone down hill.  If we were to look at the real tinsel and glitter around Bay Ridge and Dyker Heights, and include the lower blocks of Bensonhurst and Bath Beach, the bitter-sweet nostalgia for a happier and brighter "Christmas Past" will be immediate.  For every block that has the old time sparkle of " ... 'Tis the season..." there are many tens of blocks that have lost their luster completely.  This is especially notable on each and every business avenue and strip in the areas mentioned above.

Interestingly, Kassar quickly tacked away from his opening theme about bright lights and decorations, and quickly switched to a message of supporting your local businessmen. That's an interesting turnabout, because it would seem that the biggest drop in holiday lumens and wattage throughout the neighborhood is  mostly attributable to cutbacks by many of the merchants being touted by Kassar.  It cannot be accidental that the only business mentioned by Jerry Kassar was  >>> CENTURY <<<  the biggest merchant and the biggest commercial strip landowner in the Bay Ridge-Dyker Heights area.  It is also the anchor store for the biggest B.I.D. in State Senator Martin Golden's district.

I want to say only two more things about  >>>CENTURY<<<:  1) their "holiday" decoration is minimalist and their holiday lighting virtually invisible compared to their own very bright red signs; and 2) they are significant contributors to Jerry Kassar's boss, State Senator Martin Golden ( something not mentioned in the infomercial part of Kassar's column).

Who is Russell Gallo, Republican ? -- What is it that he wants to do ? -- And what is it that he is up against ?

Russell Gallo is the Secretary of the Kings County Republican Party and a long-time member of its Executive Committee

Gallo is a crusading Republican activist, who believes that one of the biggest things holding back the Republican Party from success in New York State and large swaths of Brooklyn is other Republicans who want to block the way forward 

Russell Gallo is an independent, energetic and enthusiastic Republican. His well-decorated active duty service with the U.S. Army and ready status in the Army National Guard demonstrates his loyalty to the United States and his profound commitment to maintaining its preeminent position in the world. In addition, Mr. Gallo has been a long time civil servant in the City of New York where his duties and advancement have shown that he is an effective professional in a sphere of public service that combines homeland security, law enforcement and several other public safety functions. Clearly, he takes his citizenship and civic duty to the nation, the State of New York and his own local community quite seriously.

For Russell Gallo, his personal conservative Republicanism is no less as serious an undertaking as those parts of him that were mentioned above. Almost immediately upon his initial return from from the Iraqi front in the global counter-attack on the terrorists in their home territories, he has tirelessly worked inside the Brooklyn GOP to institute the kinds of reforms needed to make the Republican Party in Brooklyn an effective engine to help propel  the NYC and NYS GOP -- first into competitiveness -- and then into the dominance that it last enjoyed in the 1970s.  He now knows quite well, how long, hard and frustrating the pursuit of that special vocation can be; and yet, he remains dedicated to it.

Since becoming active in the Republican Party in Brooklyn, Russell Gallo has been elected as a GOP State Committee member and helped weld the GOP organization in the 47th AD in the Bensonhurst and Gravesend sections of Brooklyn into one of the most effective organizations in all of Brooklyn. Since the first election of Craig Eaton as Republican County Leader,  Russell Gallo has worked as an effective and strong right arm in the body politic of the Brooklyn GOP. At the same time, he has pushed to have a more effective and streamlined party apparatus, that both encouraged independent initiatives and promoted worthwhile effort, while avoiding parochial agendas and petty selfishness by local party officials and other operators.

Gallo is no stranger to long and hard campaigns, having run for office a few times, because his party and democracy itself needed him to fill the line. So he selflessly stepped out over the years to fill in this breach or plug that hole in the ticket. He also volunteered his efforts for many campaigns on behalf of other candidates -- sometimes, when asked, even as manager. Several of those efforts were worthy and valient losses  --  two were signal successes by Republican candidates running in Brooklyn, the special election wins of Congressman Bob Turner and State Senator David Storobin. As a party loyalist, Gallo also helped out on the campaigns of every GOP office holder in Brooklyn.

Recently, Gallo and several of his allies were essential in fighting off a challenge to the leadership of GOP County Chairman Craig Eaton. That attack was deceitfully launched by narrow and selfish elements inside the Brooklyn GOP;  and  Mr. Gallo sees it as his duty to step up and help to isolate those particular elements ASAP.

Since one doesn't kill a snake by severing its tail, Gallo is determined to eliminate the threat by a direct decapitation. If you're a reader of this blog, both the postings and the comments, you should know what Russell Gallo is now up to regarding the primary and election of 2014.

If you think Russell is the right man for the job, let him know. If you think you can help, even better, still let him know, ASAP.

btw, Russell Gallo didn't assist in this post; he didn't even know that it might be in the works.  Thus, it is completely unauthorized; and any biographical or historical errors are strictly my own.