There seems to be a growing debate about a "debate" at Xaverian HS by the 2017 Council Candidates for Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights and Bath Beach

The Brooklyn Reporter debate at Xaverian H.S. is scheduled for August 15th  ---  THAT'S A SIGNIFICANT HOLY DAY IN THE CATHOLIC CHURCH

So far, some City Council candidates, at least one Catholic clergyman and some other interested folks seem to have weighed in on this, one way or the other

First, there were the arguments back and forth on Facebook ---  and then came some recriminations. [However, I've been able only to track down  a fraction of the stuff that was described to me as comprising the whole debate on this issue; so I can't fully report on all that's been said by all of the participants.....]

Nonetheless, based on what I have seen, our position here on this blog is simple  ---  this is a screw up  AND the date must be changed.

It's that simple.

Who is behind this anti-Liam message ? ? ?

I received the following missive by E-mail from an anonymous source.

Does anybody out there know its provenance ???

It starts like this:

______________

"From: Rtaffy2 <rtaffy2@gmail.com>

To:  .....
Sent: Wed, Jul 19, 2017 5:19 pm
Subject: Brooklyn GOP reorg fireworks 

http://brooklynreporter.com/story/on-junkies-a-two-part-op-ed/

http://www.silive.com/news/index.ssf/2012/02/brooklyn_staffer_staten_island.html

observer.com/2014/12/michael-grimm-aide-curses-out-bill-de-blasio

Liam McCabe candidate for GOP primary in 43rd had rage fueled temper tantrum during Bklyn GOP reorg petition processing.

McCabe instructed his team to steal signed petitions from the petitioning room. He held them in an attempt to extort control of several county committee positions in the upcoming reorg. Those present were stunned by this outrageous stunt.

This is Chairman Ghorra's first reorg since officially becoming chair in Nov 2016.

Unnamed sources who were present are willing to speak to you.

McCabe is CEO of political consulting firm, Steeplechase Strategies.
Many have said McCabe is not ready to run.   He is referred to as unstable and undependable.

On July 12th he instructed his Steeplechase associates to steal signed petitions from the Bklyn Gop processing room.  Christine Sisto, President of the Brooklyn South Conservative Club and McCabe's girlfriend and Alexandra Sherer, a Manhattan GOP Leader ran like bats out of hell from the Bay Ridge Manor and into a car that sped away.  These petitions were signed by hundreds of voters and were for several candidates in addition to McCabe.  Once these petitions were signed they became a legal document.  It was a crime to remove them and hold them to extort control over several County Committee seats during the Brooklyn Reorg.

When McCabe returned to the Manor with the petitions he entered and stood in a menacing and threatening way.  He insisted he was justified in stealing the petitions.  Such childish behavior can not be tolerated.

McCabe in a fit of rage, threw a temper tantrum,  screaming and yelling for several minutes.  His team, including Manhattan Political Director and Steeplechase business partne, Robert Morgan,  just watched as their candidate had a melt down.  No one attempted to get him under control.  

Chairman Ghorra was present for this tantrum.  

A woman stepped in front of McCabe when he stepped towards a young male operative.  She stopped him from hitting the younger man.

With his history of arrest and reckless use of social media.  Those present believe this is news worthy.  

If you are interested in speaking with those in attendance, please give me a phone number to call." 

__________________

I think that the source of this E-mail is a bigger story than its contents.  Please, let's unravel this together.

Series of surprises in GOP Council filings for the 43rd Council District

Liam McCabe leads the pack filing a very strong number of signatures at or near Two Thousand (2000)*;

A little off the pace was the early 2017 favorite Bob Capano, with about Thirteen Hundred (1300)* signatures;

In the running as the biggest surprise at this stage of campaigning for the City Council in the 43rd District is Lucretia Regina-Potter,  whose Nine Hundred to a Thousand signatures (900-1000)* showed tremendous strength inside the hallmark districts of the Fiorello LaGuardia Republican Club,  the 46th A.D. and the 49th A.D., which form the core of the 43rd Council District;  and

Definitely,  taking the cake as the biggest surprise among the various campaigns' efforts to garner signatures was the Quaglione Campaign,  which came in last among the GOP Councilmatic signature gathering operations,  with a paltry Eight Hundred Fifty (850)*  signatures.....

It is fair to describe and analyze all of this as follows:

Liam McCabe and his campaign over-performed again;   this is about the sixth or seventh very well done activity by a campaign that was at the beginning made up from scratch;

In a race where one has to be  "...  in it to WIN IT..." it sure looks like Lucretia Regina-Potter --- is on the ballot all the way through until the GOP September primary;

Bob Capano did what he needed to do by filing a nominating petition that has enough heft that he almost tripled the signature requirement required under the Election  Law;  however

When it comes to a colossal underperformance in the very significant campaign metric  ---  signature gathering  ---  John Quaglione's  team  showed that they are all smoke and mirrors.  What happened to all of the much-heralded Marty Golden signature gatherers ???

________________________

All of the above numbers are approximations of what the four (4) GOP candidates filed as their petitions with the New York City Board of Elections  ---  the source of those "approximations" is a very senior GOP operative that said they conversed with analysts who did real counts.....  The report was as to >>> quantity <<< only.   There was specifically NOT ANY OPINION as to the >>> quality <<< of most of the signatures,  either as submitted or as analyzed.

Kathleen Fox McCall --- R.I.P.

We always got along with Kathy  ---  for a very long time  ---  and now she's gone

Galewyn always "GOT" Kathy,  and Kathy never "GOT" Galewyn, even a little bit  ---  More often than not, she forgot Galewyn Massey's name completely

Kathy always thought Marty Golden was tops, Kathy was never a Baker Street Irregular,  and sometimes she'd even ask,  "What are you doing on that computer now ?"  Nonetheless, she more than most made it all possible.....

Lots of people will miss Kathy Fox McCall,  but none as much as we at "The Brooklyn Independent GOP Fountainhead" will  ---  AND THAT'S A FACT.....

 

Bob Capano and his campaign packed a big Sunday Punch along with their very nice Summer Lunch

 
Earlier today,  crusading Bob Capano did one of his almost copyrighted releases slamming the now-National Face of  American Jihad,  the veiled Bay Ridge Beaut  ---  Linda Sarsour  ---  in the same piece,  Bob Capano called out a fellow City Council candidate,  the Palestinian cleric, the Reverend Khader El-Yateem to denounce Sarsour and her hateful use of “religious” language in a naked attempt to foment  “JIHAD” here in America

Later on this afternoon,  it wasn’t as packed as his launch event that was held at the same venue,  but Bob Capano and his campaign had a nice crowd  ---  quite a nice crowd  ---  at his Summer Party fund raiser at the Bean Post

CAPANO’S RELEASE ALL BUT ACCUSED DEMOCRAT CITY COUNCIL CANDIDATE KHADER EL-YATEEM OF BEING ALLIED WITH ISLAMIST RADICAL’S CALL FOR “JIHAD” IN AMERICA  ---  AND HE DEMANDS THAT EL-YATEEM >>>DENOUNCE<<< LINDA SARSOUR’S HATE FILLED STATEMENTS INVOKING THE ISLAMIC FAITH AND THE WORDS OF THE KORAN OR EXPLAIN WHY NOT

According to Mr. Capano’s mid-Sunday “News Release”:

"The words uttered by radical Muslim activist Linda Sarsour are truly shocking and repugnant and have no place in a secular society. Today, I call on Khader El-Yateem to denounce her words as hate speech, because that's what it is….   Khader El- Yateem has never hidden the fact that he is a cleric. If he is a man of god, he needs to speak out against Linda Sarsour hate-filled rant. If he won't denounce Sarsour, then he should explain to the voters why not. He already has refused to disavow the endorsement of the radical New York City Demoractic Socialist of America who oppose 'an economy organized for private profit' in a city that was built on capitalism….   There is absolutely no excuse for a speech like that to be delivered in the first place. Linda Sarsour has used words that have inspired terror attacks around the world; that is shocking and wrong. I await Khader El Yateem's response to my question."   (From:  BOB CAPANO FOR CITY COUNCIL rryan92@nyc.rr.com).

It should be noted that  ---  Linda Sarsour recently called for an American “JIHAD" against President Donald Trump while she was speaking to the Islamic Society of North America's convention in Chicago.   It’s also noteworthy that Ms. Sarsour is a long-time friend and supporter of Rev. Yhader El-Yateem [now a Democrat candidate for the NYC Council]; and the two have served together as officers of the Muslim Democratic Club of New York.

ON A LIGHTER NOTE:  CAPANO’S SUMMER FUN FUND RAISER WITH CURTIS SLIWA AT A BAY RIDGE LOCAL WAS AN OBVIOUS SUCCESS  ---  SLIWA’S AND CAPANO’S WORDS SAY IT ALL ABOUT HIS CAMPAIGN GOING FORWARD

A great crowd gathered at the Bean Post for a Summer Party & fund raiser for Bob Capano;  and it was great to hear Curtis Sliwa talk about the values that Bob Capano wants to bring back to the New York City Council.

Here are some of the key points made by media celebrity and NYC activist Curtis Sliwa: 

* "Bob Capano will speak out and defend America, New York and District 43 in the City Council !"

* "I never ever forget my roots. Bob is unique because he knows where he came from; like me"

* “Elect the real deal Bob Capano & let's bring patriotic pride back into NYC city council.” 

* "Bob Capano has had more exposure than any other candidate because he worked hard to get his name to the people!" 

And here is what Bob had to say for himself:

* “Thank you to everyone who came out today to show their support! We are another step closer to winning this election!”

* "I am the only life long republican in this race. The rest of my opponents never stood by who they are!"

Why is Marty Golden’s face always in the picture ??? It depends on who you ask…..

Are John Quaglione and Marty Golden Siamese twins  ---  a lot of recent photos of the two of them together would possibly make you think so  ---  If so, why weren’t they separated at birth???

A recent photo posted on the social media for both John Quaglione and Brooklyn GOP Boro President candidate Vito Bruno graphically demonstrates the problem of the Golden-Quaglione connection thingy

Both the social media for JQ and newby GOP candidate for Borough President Vito Bruno present the same photo  ---  Quaglione and Bruno together in some kind of bagel or sandwich shop  ---  the text says that Vito Bruno endorses John Quaglione for the City Council   (See  “Thank you to @BklynNYgop Borough President candidate Vito Bruno…” [https://twitter.com/JQuaglione/status/883466240848736257];  see also  “Vito Bruno for Brooklyn with John Quaglione for City Council 2017 and 2 others…”  [https://www.facebook.com/brunoforbrooklyn/photos/a.632466606959779.1073741829.628717010668072/642929909246782/?type=3&theater]).   That’s all very nice, but who is Vito Bruno ???  

But there is a rub, and here it is  ---  there are two other mugs in the frame; one looks like a potato salad kind of guy and the other is the ubiquitous New York State Senator Marty Golden,  Quaglione’s boss for the whole of JQ’s adult life. 

There are so many instances lately where Marty has appeared with his down the totem pole staffer John Quaglione;  and that has to mean something…..  My guess and it’s shared by a couple of long time Brooklyn GOP activist-consultant types is that Marty’s boy John Q. is in trouble, and that Golden and the Golden team pros know it.

MARTY TO THE RESCUE  ---  BUT WHAT HAPPENS TO MARTY IF QUAGS LOSES  ---  OR EVEN WORSE WHAT IF JQ COMES IN THIRD

Marty G. seems to be banking on his belief that he is “popular” inside the Brooklyn GOP;  and that his political popularity is transferrable to his boy Quagsy.  So he is hoping to cast a giant shadow that will cover up all of the manifest shortcomings of the John Quaglione campaign.

I think that State Senator Golden has made a very bad bet by going “all-in” on John Quaglione.   Even if JQ  were to squeak out a win in the 2017 GOP primary,  how does that help Marty going forward ???   

Even if John Quaglione were to become the GOP nominee for City Council from the 43^rd District,  he most likely would lose in November by an even wider margin than he did in 2013, even with the seat being “open” without an incumbent running.   However, the way things look now, even with Marty always at his elbow,  John Quaglione is likely to lose in the September 2017 primary.   There is even a chance that JQ comes in third in the three-way race with Bob Capano and Liam McCabe.

Anything less than an outright primary win by John Q. Republican will show just how weak his boss SSMG’s hold is on the Brooklyn GOP and its prime voters.

Did somebody tell John Quaglione to get lost ? -- OR -- Is he trying to get the rest of us lost, or at least off of his trail/ tail ???

Is this JQ's idea of a good idea ?  ---  Having an anti-Citibike demonstration at the corner of Clinton & Congress Streets, in deep Downtown Brooklyn

For those unfamiliar with Brooklyn,  that is >>> MILES & MILES & MILES <<< outside of his boss's State Senate District and also the City Council District in which he is running  ---  So what's up with the far away venue for this demo ???

More important than that, Johnny Cakes doesn't even seem to comprehend the whole problem of Mayor de Blasio's pro-bike,  anti-auto policies, and what they are doing to traffic in and around Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights and surrounding neighborhoods

The best place to start our discussion of Quaglione's approach to the new New York City bikerism is to look at his own very recent words on the subject.  Here's a copy of the Quaglione "Media Advisory" about Friday's far off demonstration:
________________

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MEDIA ADVISORY

July 6, 2017

Contact: Alina Agusti (631) 525-8486; (212) 725-2378

 John Quaglione, Candidate for New York City Council, Calls for Community Approval of CitiBike Expansion

“We believe CitiBike is great for our community, as long as it doesn't take away our parking spaces,” says John Quaglione, Candidate for City Council’s 43rd District

What: John Quaglione will stand with local residents and members of Community Board 10, June Johnson, to offer practical solutions for CitiBike expansion, while keeping premium parking areas in the 43rd district and involving the community in the decision making process.

When: Friday, July 7^th at 11 AM

Where: The intersection of Clinton Street & Congress Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201

Who: John Quaglione, Candidate for City Council District 43 and June Johnson , member of Community Board 10.

____________________

As my headlines above clearly wonder,  what the heck is Mr. Q.  ---  the media master ---  up to now.  Why hold this media event in the middle of some other Brooklyn neighborhood instead of here at home in Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights, lower B-hurst or Bath Beach ???

CITIBIKE IS ONLY A SMALL PART OF THE CITY'S RECENT EXPANSION OF PRO-BIKE POLICIES

The "Citibike" issue is only one small part of the TRAFFIC  PROBLEM created by Mayor de Blasio's new New York City bikerism  ---  the bigger problem is the traffic snarl already created by bike lanes on major commercial avenues,  which cause delivery trucks to double park out to the center line on many thoroughfares, while attempting to avoid tickets for blocking bike lanes.  

A smaller scale, but still annoying  problem is the effect of the bike lanes on side streets around our neighborhood during alternate side parking days.

Maybe John Q. Republican will address all of this in his appearance downtown tomorrow  ---  but I sure won't be there to watch and listen,  who wants to risk falling asleep that far away from home.....

Among the GOP candidates in Bay Ridge and other places nearby, there are parties and rumors of parties

For Liam it was a much bally-hooed gathering with the lovely Nicole M. at what some people call the "Gingerbread House"  ---  and others call the "Stone House"  ---  and still others call the "Gorilla House".....  [ Can somebody verify for me that the "Gingerbread -- Stone House" was also the "Gorilla House" where Jumbo lived.  I was repeatedly told that by a friend that has since passed,  but a I fear that she might have had this one wrong]

For Bobby C. it's going back to an earlier venue and maybe better times  ---  with a July 9th bash at >>> The Bean Post <<<  for a "Summer Party"  with Curtis Sliwa,  the Reform Party and a cast of assorted Capano Republican Party backers

And for Johnny Cakes it's.....   Hey, will somebody wake-up John Q.  ! ! !

To me it looks like everybody running in the GOP primary for City Council in the 43rd Council District is trying to make it look like there is some there -- there in their campaigns.  Petitioning gets into its final stages after the July 4th celebrations,  and that stuff saps most small campaigns,  especially if they aren't well organized.   What to do ???   What to do !!!

OK,  throw a party  ---  small scale stuff in the mid-summer  doldrums.....

What a "TO DO" about almost nothing.....

___________________________

Sorry, that's the best I got since that's the best they got.....