Playing the game, Two Degrees Of Joe Hynes, is an interesting way to track down some of the current political alignments in Southwest Brooklyn — And it even might be a useful road map for the new U.S. Attorney for Brooklyn

Sometimes people who have their own personal crusades and personal vendettas, can get tangled up in bigger things  –  Other people, while looking for something big or momentous, might miss an obvious, but very localized, link that actually ties several other things together. 

Take for example the issue of a former DA’s community relations offices having been paid out slush funds coming from a sources like the DA’s secretive asset forfeiture fund. – The new U.S. Attorney in Brooklyn, Robert Capers, appears to have taken a sudden increased interest in all of that –  At least two Marty Golden hands were involved in that Hynes community liaison operation

“Almost a dozen investigators from the Brooklyn US Attorney’s Office, the state Attorney General’s Office, and both the city and state comptroller’s offices asked the ex-staffers whether Hynes’ neighborhood community relations offices were being used as de facto campaign outposts in the 2013 race....”    —  NY POST, 10/19/15

The new federal prosecutor might have to look no further than this year’s special election for Assembly in the 46th AD to see the patterns of some interesting and possibly long-standing conspiracies  —  some strange things have happened already in the 46th AD and old patterns of strange bedfellows in Southwest Brooklyn might be re-emerging.

THE REPUBLICAN GAME AND GOLDEN’S GAMESMANSHIP —  INCLUDING GOING TO COURT, AGAIN

All of this is still important to those involved with, or even just interested in, the Brooklyn GOP,  because two of DA Hynes’ community liaison personnel in 2013 and before that were Brooklyn GOP State Senator Marty Golden insiders, Larry Morrish and Jack Malone; and as is well known, Golden is already being looked at on other matters by another U.S. Attorney, Preet Bharara   —   Now,  there is another possible DA community relations person to add to the list of Morrish and Malone,  Pam Harris, the Coney Island “community activist” now running as the Democratic Party candidate for the Assembly in the 46th AD.

Certainly most political activists in Southwest Brooklyn remember how hard Republican State Senator Martin Golden worked to get Brooklyn Democrat DA Charles “Joe” Hynes in 2013 elected on the Republican line – when briefly, it was thought to be a competitive inter-party general election race ?   Many Republicans well recall, that Golden’s  Hynes effort was in between Golden’s trying to get the Brooklyn Supreme Court to throw out the entire Brooklyn GOP leadership team of County Chairman Craig Eaton.

Well, it all seems to be happening again.  Except this time it’s not at all clear whom Marty Golden is trying to “HELP” get elected as “HIS” candidate in the Special Election for the Assembly in the 46th AD; however, Golden is again trying to take out the entire GOP leadership team, this time of Kings County Republican Chairman Arnaldo Ferraro.

Some wags have told me that SSMG is already working against the candidate strongly backed by Republican County Leader Arnaldo Ferraro – Lucretia Regina-Potter. Potter is the Special Election Assembly candidate selected by former Chairman Eaton; she’s also an elected  GOP State Committee person from the 46th AD and the Kings County Republican Party Secretary elected at the 2015 Convention. Also, through well-known surrogates, Senator Golden is trying to undue both Potter’s and Ferraro’s hold on their respective GOP offices in court [It should be noted that the Election case in Brooklyn Supreme Court has been adjourned until 12/4/15, well after the 2015 Special Election in November].

SOME OF GOLDEN'S CONNECTIONS TO THE DEMOCRATS ARE THROUGH THE OLD HYNES OPERATION

The current Democratic Assembly candidate, Pam Harris, is a  Coney Island “community activist” who has had a significant prior relationship with Joe Hynes, who until 2013 was the long-time DA for Brooklyn. Harris is now running as the Democratic candidate for the Assembly in the 46th A.D.

One of my best Baker Street Irregulars, who has maintained many detailed records on former DA Hynes, many actually gathered inside the DA’s office, reports that Pam Harris received non-campaign funds to help conduct a very large event with the former Brooklyn DA in 2012.

DORMANT BROOKLYN DA CASE BEING LOOKED INTO BY NEW U.S. ATTORNEY

According to a report in the New York Post, one of former DA Hynes’ top lieutenants, Dino Ameroso, is running as the Democratic candidate for the position of Town Clerk of Hempstead, on Long Island ( See “Ex-deputy in Brooklyn DA’s ethics scandal running for office” by Carl Campanile, 10/12/15, NY Post [http://nypost.com/2015/10/12/ex-deputy-in-brooklyn-das-ethics-scandal-running-for-office/]). That article mentioned that several investigations of the Brooklyn DA’s Office connection to campaigning in the 2013 DA’s race apparently still did not have all their loose ends tied up.

In that regard, inside sources have indicated to me that the current Brooklyn DA, Mr. Kenneth Thompson, was not satisfied with the progress of the investigations by NYS AG Eric Schneiderman and/or by the former Brooklyn U.S. Attorney, who had been promoted to the post of U.S. Attorney General. As a result, there has been some recent movement on the case by the newly-appointed U.S. Attorney for Brooklyn and the rest of Long Island, Robert Capers.

Probably a manifestation of that new interest is reflected in a more recent NY Post feature.  According to that article in the Post  — “Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn interviewed two more people under subpoena last week, in addition to questioning multiple DA staffers and campaign workers in the past month, according to sources....”  (See “Witnesses subpoenaed in Charles Hynes’ shady-spending case” by Josh Saul, 10/19/15, NY Post [http://nypost.com/2015/10/19/witnesses-subpoenaed-in-charles-hynes-shady-spending-case/]).

An important part of Josh Saul’s report reads as follows:  “....  ‘The bottom line is, did anyone who worked on the campaign get paid with city funds or state funds or forfeiture funds? That’s really the issue,’ a source familiar with the probe said....   Investigators are also looking at whether the community relations workers were on the DA’s Office payroll or whether they were consultants paid from another source....  ‘Look, right before an election, maybe the staffers would advocate for the DA,’ a source close to Hynes’ old office said. ‘It wouldn’t surprise me if they said, “Make sure you vote for DA Hynes in the next election.”?’...    Probers asked whether the workers organized political events, sought endorsements or handed out fliers on behalf of the Hynes campaign, sources said....”

CLOSE FRIEND AND MARTY GOLDEN INSIDER QUESTIONED BY INVESTIGATORS

Here’s where it gets interesting. A key man, who engineered the 2013 campaign for DA Hynes on the Republican and Conservative Party lines, is a very close and long-time Marty Golden associate, Dennis Quirk. He functions at a much higher political level than any mere community relations operative. Any large scale P.R./campaign event would be known to him and in many instances involve his direct involvement.

Given the fact that Ms. Harris has herself stepped up into the arena of elective politics, there should be some close scrutiny of her community based events, especially the soap box derby events, one of which is specifically discussed below. Of course any other items showing ongoing relations between Ms. Harris and either Mr. Hynes or Mr. Golden would be of similar or possibly even greater interest.

IN 2012 PAM HARRIS CONDUCTED A VERY LARGE EVENT ON BEHALF OF HER OWN GROUP CALLED “CONEY ISLAND GENERATION GAP (CIGG),”  —   THE PRODUCTION VALUES OF THAT EVENT INDICATED SIGNIFICANT EXPENSE BY THE OVERALL SPONSOR AND EVEN THE RACING TEAM SPONSORS  —   DA HYNES’ NAME WAS VERY PROMINENT AT THE 2012 EVENT AND HE WOULD APPEAR TO HAVE BEEN A MAJOR SPONSOR ALONG WITH SEVERAL OTHER DEMOCRATIC OFFICE HOLDERS

Here’s Hynes’ own write-up for the event: “DA Charles J. Hynes sponsored a soap box derby team for the 4th Annual Coney Island Generation Gap (CIGG) Soap Box Derby Race. Team Charles J. Hynes consisted of kids ages 7-10, who are members of CIGG, non-profit after-school organization based out of Coney Island, run by Executive Director Pamela Harris. They competed in a race against 23 other teams whose sponsors included the NYPD, FDNY, non-profit groups, and other elected officials. All kids received a prize for participating: the sponsored funds went to pay for school supplies and back-packs for each team participant, as well as a team t-shirt. Team Charles J. Hynes received 3rd place for their soap box car design....”
(See “Charles J. Hynes Soap Box Derby Team” by Joe Hynes, 9/12/12, You Tube [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZvLv6iXIU4]).

As has been demonstrated on this blog in several past feature articles, there is a strong nexus between the old DA Hynes community relations operation and operators and insiders still closely associated with Republican State Senator Golden.  The swirl surrounding the Potter-Harris Special Election for the 46th AD seat seams to be stirring up old feelings and old associations; with Golden in 2015 seeming to be following his 2013 play book.