There’s been a bit of a buzz lately about Richard Luthmann & the Federal Case brought against him

At least one old courthouse wag told me that Luthmann “lucked out” getting the Hon. Jack Weinstein, DJ (EDNY) on his case  ---  he has been known to roast  Assistant U. S Attorneys that bring him junk arrests on pseudo-Federal raps  ---  just like this Luthmann case seems to be  

Luthmann and Judge Weinstein are scheduled to have a little get together on 1/4/18  ---  Also, one of my sources following this case closely has let me know that on or before 1/4/18 the US. Attorney for the EDNY is likely to >>> ADD <<< some even more substantial things to the Ruthmann Indictment

Several other bloggers and freelance journalist types do appear to have an interest in the ulterior aspects of the charges brought against Richard Luthmann by the “Feds”  ---  they think that there might be some kind of collusion between the federal prosecutors and local politicos like the McMahons

Local dailies, both tabloid and broadsheet,  and other media also appear to have a more general interest in the case,  so it’s expected that there should at least a few reporters from the establishment media in the courtroom on the 4^th of January

*****  One very odd factor that was brought to my attention by one of my more reliable BSIs was that  >>> BROOKLYN <<<  Conservative Party Chairman Jerry Kassar took a keen, and rather personal or emotional interest in the Luthmann Indictment  ---  purportedly Mr. Kassar sent several gloating E-mails or social media messages about the Reform Party’s needing  “A new General Counsel” and referring to Mr. Luthmann’s legal problems  (it also now seems possible that Kassar made a singular similar comment right here on this blog a while back) *****

As a little backfill, here’s part of how the NY Times has reported on this case:   “….   In the tightknit circles of the Staten Island courts, the lawyer Richard Luthmann has always been a kind of local oddity, styling himself as the borough’s version of a Nixonian dirty trickster. This summer, when Mr. Luthmann was accused of creating phony Facebook pages to undermine his enemies in Staten Island politics, he responded to charges by writing on Facebook: ‘I am a bear with the taste of blood in my mouth.’  A devoted fan of ‘Game of Thrones,’ he once asked a judge to let him settle a lawsuit by dueling with his adversary’s lawyer in what he called his ‘common-law right to Trial by Combat.’…   Volatile, perennially bow-tied and working from an office in a strip mall upstairs from a vape shop, Mr. Luthmann, 38, has a reputation for being somewhat strange, but at least until recently, his colleagues in the Staten Island bar said, he was considered to be harmless. That, however, changed last week when federal prosecutors accused him of a raft of bizarre and violent crimes, saying that he once tried to assassinate a top official in the borough’s Democratic Party and later sought to pay a stripper to claim that she was raped by a candidate running for district attorney….   Over the weekend, the accusations against Mr. Luthmann ricocheted across Staten Island, where lawyers and politicos tried to make sense of the allegations and figure out if the lawyer whom they had merely thought of as eccentric could have employed what the government described as ‘Mafia-style tactics.’…”   (See “Eccentric, Sure. But a Violent Criminal? Staten Island Puzzles Over the Case of Richard Luthmann” by Alan Feuerdec,   12/20/17,  NY Times   [https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/20/nyregion/staten-island-richard-luthmann-lawyer.html]).

Here's how the NY Times went on to describe the charges that the U.S. Attorney brought against Mr. Luthmann:   “….   The broad allegations against Mr. Luthmann were contained in court papers charging him with running an outlandish criminal scheme from his office on Victory Boulevard, a few blocks from the Staten Island Expressway. In an indictment issued on Friday, in Federal District Court in Brooklyn, prosecutors said that Mr. Luthmann joined forces with a blind man and two reputed mobsters to pack shipping containers with ‘cheap filler material’ and fraudulently sell them to a group of local businesses as scrap metal. In the midst of the plot, prosecutors claim, Mr. Luthmann turned on one of his partners and had him held at gunpoint to collect a $7,000 debt….   But according to the government, the scrap-metal operation was only the tip of Mr. Luthmann’s iceberg of misconduct. In a detailed memorandum that describes conduct not charged in the indictment, prosecutors said that for the past several years, Mr. Luthmann has wielded lawsuits, social media attacks and threats of physical violence to wage a series of ‘bullying campaigns’ that furthered his ‘vendettas against his perceived enemies.’…”

***************

That's all for now,  because I still don't have enough Info to go out on a limb for this guy.  However, this case does have the odor of some very old squid sticking to it.  And if national news is any guide,  lately the DOJ and the FBI might well be running a dirty shop like any dirty local DA types and their even dirtier investigators  (look at what his successors have uncovered about Brooklyn DA Hynes and his crew).

Is "Bikelanegate" really going to be the long-awaited, real & true --- "GOLDENGATE" ???

News reports have indicated that Marty Golden's "My Life in the Bike Lane" auto-biographical adventure might have an official-looking component  ---  at least, that's what they say Mayor de Blasio is saying

In any case,  it looks like State Senator Marty G and his band of merry supporters, staffers and camp followers are all having something less than a perfect Christmas in this year of 2017  ---  with a promise that all of it will be carrying-over into the New Year of 2018.....   After all, didn't the Mayor say,  "...  I will certainly get back to you on that...."

The Daily News is reporting that  "...  City Hall is investigating after after a cyclist said state Sen. Marty Golden used a parking placard to impersonate a cop....  'I have to look into that,'   [Mayor] de Blasio said when asked whether [the City of New York] might revoke Golden’s [special] parking privileges. 'I know that when the issue came up, folks in my administration who work on those issues were following up. But I don’t know what’s been learned, so I will certainly get back to you on that' [the  Mayor said]...."  (See  "City Hall looking into cop-impersonating state Sen. Marty Golden"  by Jillian Jorgensen,  12/21/17,  Daily News/ Politics   [http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/city-hall-cop-impersonating-state-sen-marty-golden-article-1.3714734]).

My closest BSI, Jim McCall, asked me a very important question

He says that his name has been recently mentioned by some obviously pro-Golden comment-makers on this blog  ---  and he thinks that is somewhat odd

It certainly seems odd that anybody in Marty Golden's camp would be chiding Jim for staying on the sidelines and only spending his time blogging

Maybe, some keen strategist in the Golden brain trust has figured out that Jim McCall would be an easy guy to take out in a GOP primary for State Senate in the 22nd District

Well, people should watch out what they wish for.....   If there were as much clamor from the anti-Golden folks out there as there as has been coming from the obviously pro-Golden folks,  there might be a possibility that Jim might entertain a run in the coming year.

And what Jim wanted me to tell him is this   ---   Is there sufficient support out there for an insurgent like Jim McCall to make a McCall-Golden primary fight worth while ?????

I hate when Jim McCall asks me questions and I don't know the answer.

LUTHMANN.....

That's enough for now  

          ---     just     >>>  "LUTHMANN....."  <<<

NEWS FLASH: THE "MARTY GOLDEN (AND HIS DRIVER MARKO ???) CAUGHT ON CAMERA" EDITION

RUMOR HAS IT THAT SCOFFLAW GOLDEN  ---  AKA  STATE SENATOR MARTIN GOLDEN  ---  WAS CAUGHT RIDING THE WRONG WAY IN A BIKE LANE  ---  THEN, THAT GOLDEN TRIED TO USE HIS "NON-POLICE PLACARD" TO GORILLA THE WRONG GUY

SOON AFTER THE INITIAL BAD-DRIVING INCIDENT, HIS DRIVER  ---  AND BOY,  IT SURE DOES LOOK LIKE IT MIGHT BE MARKO KEPI BEHIND THE WHEEL OF WHAT SURE LOOKS LIKE SSMG'S CADILLAC SUV ---  VIOLATED MORE TRAFFIC LAWS TRYING TO ESCAPE THE SCENE  AND/OR  AVOID HAVING THE STATE SENATOR PHOTOGRAPHED BY THE POTENTIAL MARTY-GOLDEN-VICTIM-TURNED-MARTY-GOLDEN-PURSUER-AND-PHOTOGRAPHIC-HISTORIAN

I'm sure this one will have legs,  and it will be the 2017 Christmas gift to Marty Golden that keeps on giving all through 2018.....

Get it from the horse's mouth from an eye-witness complainant at the following:    https://twitter.com/search?q=%40bdhowald&src=typd  [or search Twitter >>>  @bdhowald].  

Boy-Oh-Boy !!!!!   The Tweet-thread at Mr. Brian Howald's Twitter site is already lit-up and festooned like the Rocky Center Christmas tree with Marty Golden's driving history.  What a record of bad and arguably unlawful driving !!!!!

"1994"

Hey, folks,  I hate to break it to you  ---  the NYS GOP-Conservative Party swan song was almost twenty-five years ago  ---  I'll do the math for you (hint: look at the title of this post),  it was 1994  ---  and that's pretty close to a quarter century ago; so we ain't talkin' news here, we're talkin' HISTORY !!!!!

Another year is coming to an end here in Brooklyn (and rumor has it  ---  elsewhere in the world,  as well).  And another election cycle has passed without any real competitiveness from the Republicans or their "allies" in the local branch of the NYS Conservative Party.

The numbers we saw from the tops of OUR tickets in 2017, and even from the contested headliner races down-ballot, were appalling. ( BTW, John Quaglione,  if getting close were the same thing as, or even anything like,  WINNING, then NAVY would have the Commander-in-Chief Trophy back in Annapolis today and it wouldn't be headed up the Hudson for at least a one year stay at West Point).

The reason we find ourselves in this fix is that people like George Pataki, Rudy Giuliani and Mike Bloomberg  ---  who all won election or re-election multiple times on the GOP line since 1994  ---  were  quintessential RINOs.  They ran as Republicans and governed as Democrats.  Hey, don't listen to me,  look at the enthusiastic endorsements from DC-37 and Ray Rivera..... 

One thing that these RINOs didn't do was build up a city- or state-wide Republican Party during their multiple stints as governor and mayor  through the late 90s and even on into Millennial times.....  BUT,  neither did anybody else.

Perhaps even worse,  the leaders of the so-called NYS Conservative Party were paid-off handsomely to keep their mouths shut as RINOs Pataki, Giuliani and Bloomberg talked a little bit right,  but governed very much left.  You will recall that both Mike Long and Jerry Kassar vigorously defended Governor Pataki when various other members of the NYS Conservative Party wanted to pull the line from Governor Pataki.

Back in 1994 it was a completely different story.....   

The Clintons had taken Washington by storm and in New York City and State, the Democrats looked pretty much in control (and even though "Rudy" had eked-out a win in 1993, Democrats were already talking about taking out "The Fonse" in a few years).   Nonetheless, a relatively unknown George Pataki was running as a conservative-minded protege of "The Fonse,"  who was still holding court as "Senator Pot-hole";  a very conservative-sounding Herb London was foisted on the GOP to be its NYS Controller candidate by NYS Conservative Party extortion at the GOP convention (BTW, ask Kassar or Mike Long about that one.....); and a little-known Reagan-era U.S. Attorney from western New York,  Dennis Vacco, found himself in a race for NYS AG against a self-proclaimed lesbian.  

The only thing that kept the top of the GOP ticket from having a near-sweep in 1994 (Bernadette Castro having had no real shot against incumbent U.S. Senator Pat Moynihan)  was that the Conservative Party's darling and the "shotgun wedding" Republican nominee for Controller,  Herb London,  inexplicably endorsed the incumbent Democrat Governor Mario Cuomo for re-election very late in the 1994 campaign.  Oddly, Cuomo and London,  who were both ahead in the polls at the time of the London endorsement, each found themselves on the losing end of the stick on election day 1994.

Nothing like the 1994 dynamic exists today.

Almost four-fifths of a million $$$,$$$

That's how many bucks-dollars NYSSMG has funneled back into his family business from his political coffers   >>> and more recently from the PUBLIC TROUGH of the NYCCFB  ---  by tapping into his aide John Quaglione's 2017 campaign funds for his recent city council race <<<

In an article about an issue that finally might have some legs,  Chris Bragg, writing for the Albany Times-Union reports that  ---  "A publicly funded campaign for New York City Council, launched by a longtime staffer for Brooklyn state Sen. Marty Golden, spent $13,000 on a business in which Golden has a substantial financial interest....   The longtime top staffer, John Quaglione, received more than $200,000 in taxpayer dollars from New York City's generous campaign matching funds system. In a campaign for an open southern Brooklyn seat, the Republican lost his race in November to Democrat Justin Brannan....   Golden is the former owner of Bay Ridge Manor, a catering hall in southern Brooklyn. Golden sold the business to his brother after he was elected to the Senate in 2002, but remains the landlord and continues to collect a management fee....  Golden's 2016 financial disclosure form shows that he earned between $145,000 and $270,000 in income connected to Bay Ridge Manor, including at least $100,000 in rental payments...."  (See "Lawmaker's business boosted by aide's public campaign funds"  by Chris Bragg,  12/4/17,   Albany Times-Union/  News
[http://m.timesunion.com/news/article/Sen-Golden-s-interest-helped-by-aide-s-public-12404431.php?utm_campaign=twitter-mobile&utm_source=CMS%20Sharing%20Button&utm_medium=social]).

ADDITIONAL DETAILS

The Chris Bragg article went on to provide these additional details:   "....   Campaign finance records show that Quaglione spent about $5,700 on a primary event, $4,000 on a volunteer rally and $3,300 on a fundraiser [all at the] Bay Ridge Manor...."  

And this:   "....   A total of $797,000 in campaign dollars — mostly from Golden's own account — have gone to Bay Ridge Manor, according to campaign finance records. That includes about $22,000 from Golden's campaign itself so far this year...."

YOU DO THE MATH

That's a pretty penny.  AND IT'S NICE WORK IF YOU CAN GET IT.

"Democrats" working hard to eliminate (or are they only "talking tough" about eliminating ???) GOP-Conservative "control" over NYS Senate

Another war of sorts is kinduh "declared" on the ersatz leadership coalition running the New York State Senate  ---   but, just remember this (>>>  BTW, don't even think about "As Time Goes By" !!! <<<)  just because it's ersatz and it looks weak,  don't think that the GOP-Conservative-IDC NYS Senate coalition won't continue to survive and prosper as Andy Cuomo's rubber stamp in the Albany.....

According to Julianne Cuba,  in her Boro politics column,  "Party Line,"  for the Courier Life's "Brooklyn Daily":  "....   Four high-ranking party members penned a letter to the state Senate Minority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins (D–Westchester) and the breakaway leader Jeff Klein (D–Bronx) on Nov. 27 pressing them to forge an alliance — and threatening Klein’s faction with primary challengers and Stewart-Cousins with a leadership shake-up if they don’t come to terms...."  (See "Deutsch to scuttle own firm by year’s end"  by Julianne Cuba,  11/30/17,   Courier Life's Brooklyn Daily/  News/ Party Line   [https://www.brooklyndaily.com/stories/2017/48/pl-party-line-2017-12-01-bk.html]).  It remains to be seen whether this will make any difference  ---  this time around,  because

---  Cue Harry James & Helen O'Connell  --- 

"(Da-dump dah dum, dadumpdahdum... Da-dump dah dum, dadumpdahdum)

It seems to me I've heard that song before
It's from an old familiar scoreI know it well, that melodyIt's funny how a theme recalls a favorite dreamA dream that brought you so close to meI know each word because I've heard that song beforeThe lyrics said "Forever more"Forever more's a memoryPlease have them play it againAnd I'll remember just when
I heard that lovely song before...."  HJ & HO'C by Styne & Cahn
(BTW, not a show tune)

Nonetheless,  in the same column as cited above,  Ms. Cuba did go on to quote Simcha Felder (yes, the very same Kings County Conservative Party and NYS GOP Senate Caucus favorite),  who seems to have indicated that he would switch his caucus vote to the Dems if an effort to unite NYS Senate Democratic members were to be successful.

ALL THIS FOR A MAJORITY OF NYS SENATE DEMOCRATS TO HAVE A CHANCE TO DO ANDY CUOMO'S BIDDING  ---  JUST LIKE THE GOP-CONSERVATIVE-IDC COALITION  !!!!!

     

Bob Capano --- The Reform Party --- AND --- The Brooklyn GOP

Depending on what Bob Capano and Curtis Sliwa do with the Reform Party in Brooklyn in the next year or two,  this might be the biggest change in how the GOP has had to do things since the days of  Nelson Rockefeller, Jacob Javits and John Lindsay Jr.  (btw, there's a Rockefeller Center and a Javits Center, but where is the Lindsay Center ???)

Are the NYS Reform Party, in its various aspects, there to be the un-Cola to the NYS "Conservatives"  ?????

Bob can make himself a bigger deal inside the Brooklyn GOP by being outside of it  ---   than he ever was able to be/do inside of it.   Bob Capano and Curtis Sliwa are in a position to turn lots of things wrt the Brooklyn GOP onto their head(s).....   And one of those things is Jerry Kassar  (as in "It was just one of those things one of those crazy flings..."  -- CP). 

Nonetheless,  this whole Reform Party thing is a work in progress.  It remains to be seen how much sophistication and heavy lifting Bob and Curtis can (are willing to) bring to the table vis a vis all the other parties active in Brooklyn and/or statewide.  So, let me give this new dynamic duo some free advice:

First, have very long and serious talks with the likes of Jeffrey Klein, Diane Savino and other key IDC Democrats;

Next, have very long and serious talks with the likes of Andrea Stewart-Cousins, Michael Gianaris and other key members of the Democrat Minority Caucus  (btw, do you see where I'm goin' with this yet ???);

Third (maybe, even a little lower than that), have very long and serious talks with the likes of Ted Ghorra,  Nicole Malliotakis and other key "Brooklyn Republicans"  (Again, do you see where I'm goin' with this yet ???);

Fourth (maybe,  even a little higher than that), have possibly a very short but serious "fuck you and everybody that likes you" talk with the likes of Jerry Kassar,  Fran Vella-Marone and other key Brooklyn "Conservatives"; and

Fifth (and this should definitely be done after the "First" through "Fourth" above have been completed)  have a very long and serious talk with Justin Brannan:  1)  reporting on the results of first four long and serious talks;  and  2)  (and this is both brilliant and appropriate) paying homage and assuring general fealty to Justin Brannan as the one true "Boss of Bay Ridge".....  (>>> NOW <<< do you see where I'm goin' with this  ?????)

--------------------------------

Now, to kick back and enjoy some Sunday football (possible  ---  because the Meadowlands G-men aren't playing today)   !!!!!
BTW,  can I have a Diet 7-Up or a Diet Sprite  ?????
---  No,  not a Diet Coke or Coke Zero,  but a Diet Sierra Mist will do.....

Howard Graubard's excellent analysis

Gatemouth !!!   Howard Graubard ???   Who knew ???

---  I worked with the man for years,  did lunch, did drinks (didn't do the nasty).....  Now, he's completely out of the closet as "Gatemouth"  ---  Who next ???   Superman,  Batman, Zorro, Mickey Suits, John Catsimatidis ?????

HG's  in-depth 2017 NYC election analysis is definitely top notch  ---  all the way down to the 43rd  District City Council race

Let's go right to Mr. Graubard's  >>> local <<<  look at the "greater Bay Ridge" district: 

[As part of an overall Graubard/Gatemeouth rebuttal to a NY Times analysis of the city-wide impact of the Mayor DeBlahblah campaign]

"....  Let’s get real here [first, HG analyzed the Yeger-Hikind race; then he got down to Brannan-Quaglione]

....   As for Brannan, he scratched out a victory of 12,516 (50.51 percent) to 11,621 (46.89 percent) over his Republican opponent, John Quaglione—a close race and a stunning contrast to the race four years before, when Quaglione lost 62.76 percent to 35.50 percent.

And there may be an explanation for Quaglione’s improvement.

In the same area where Brannan barely won, the mayor managed only 9,330 votes (36.56 percent) to Malliotakis’ 14,302 (56.05 percent). Sal Albanese, who represented almost all of that area on the council from 1982 to 1997, got 1,119 (4.39 percent) on the Reform line.

How badly was the mayor repudiated here? Well, in the same area, the incumbent councilman, Vincent Gentile—who’d recently run fifth in the countywide district attorney primary while still winning that area—managed to get 48 percent of that district’s votes on the Reform line, without campaigning.

In other words, the mayor ran 14 percent behind a political zombie.

But if one believes The Times, the mayor lent Brannan coattails by getting nearly 3,000 fewer votes and running behind him by almost 14 percent.

Those were not coattails; they were nearly a noose [for Brannan]...." 
(See "Election Analysis Reveals Another Tale of Two Cities" by Howard Graubard,  11/15/17,  New York Jewish Life  [https://nyjlife.com/2017/11/election-analysis-reveals-another-tale-two-cities/]).
______________________________

NOTE:  THIS IS THE GRAUBARD/GATEMOUTH ANALYSIS;   AND IT DOESN'T CONSIDER THE OCD CONSPIRACY THEORIES THAT WE LOVE HERE AT  "BROOKLYN ...  FOUNTAINHEAD"

Cracks appearing in the Brooklyn GOP edifice complex

“REPUBLICAN PARTY STRUCTURE… ???   WE DON’T NEED NO STINKIN’ REPUBLICAN PARTY STRUCTURE... !!!" 

---  OR ---  WHO’S IN CHARGE HERE;  AND WHO’S YOUR DADDY  ?????

AND BTW,  HOW DOES ANYBODY EXPLAIN THE APPARENT >>> MAJOR DISCONNECT <<<  IN POSSIBLY THE KEY EDs IN THE 2017 CITY COUNCIL RACE ?????

A few things here in Brooklyn have been brought to my attention that to some might be very interesting.  ---  First,  how did John Q. do in those parts of the 43^rd Council District that overlapped Nicole’s Assembly District ?   Second,  can anybody come up with a good GOP reason why Craig Eaton is on the Justin Brannan transition team. 

 

The “Kings County Politics” blog sure as hell didn’t bury their lead on this story,  since their headline blasts out  ---  “Brannan Transition Team Includes Golden GOP Adversary” and puts it under a banner entitled “Pure Politics”…..  (See “Brannan Transition Team Includes Golden GOP Adversary”  by Kadia Goba,  11/17/17,  Kings County Politics/  Pure Politics   [https://www.kingscountypolitics.com/brannan-transition-team-includes-golden-gop-adversary/]).

Sing out, brothers and sisters, and clap those hands really loud:    “[Clap--clap--clap]  Oh my ---  my !!!   Oh my, my….  mmmmn !!!   Oh my ---  my !!!   Oh my, my….”

The Eaton-Brannan (or is it Brannan-Eaton ???) thing surely looks like an “In your face, Marty…”  kind of move.  At least that’s how it looks to yours truly;   but, hey,  what do I know or care about any of it;  I’m on the verge of becoming a full-time Floridian, drinkin’ mimosas and Irish coffee at the Beach Bucket every day with my Sweetie Pie,  and listening to Ronstadt do “Blue Bayou,”  Don McLean doin’ all his own stuff and other much older oldies by various artists,  far too numerous to mention (but, so far, no Jerry Vale).

THE BIG DISCONNECT

Now, this is something that’s needs some real deep drilling by somebody more in the know than I.  ---  Do the results for Nicole Malliotakis and John Quaglione in the Bay Ridge EDs of the 64th  AD add-up,  match-up, link-up  or any-other-up you can think of,  other than the obvious  >>> f**k-up <<<   ?????

Isn’t there something really wrong there ?????    Can Jerry Kassar explain this  >>> anomalous <<<  result ?????

Jes  Askin’

John Quaglione comes clean and admits --- “I know nothing !!!”

The “Kings County Politics” website reports that Candidate “Q” has denied any knowledge whatsoever about a last minute mailer on his behalf  ---  possibly illegally paid for by large scale real estate developers obviously expecting something in return

 

This is the same "crew" that got people like State Senator Martin Golden in hot water with a U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara investigation a couple of years ago

So much for all the BS about Marty Golden staffer John Quaglione’s having any media savvy whatsoever…..   When cornered about the financing surrounding a potentially embarrassing piece of lit being delivered by mail late in his campaign for City Council,  John Quaglione pleaded complete ignorance about the contents of the mailing itself and/or who it was that foot the bill.  

According to the KCP report by Kadia Goba,   “A super Political Action Committee (PAC) of realtors backed candidate John Quaglione (R) in Brooklyn’s 43rd council one week before the general election….   The super PAC, Progress Now New York Inc., includes the powerful Real Estate Board of New York PAC (REBNY) and names Quaglione as the favored Independence Party candidate in a mailing sent to voters in the district….   Quaglione, who has worked for State Sen. Marty Golden (R-Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights, Marine Park, Gerritsen Beach) for nearly two decades, denied knowing about the flyer as well as its origins….”  (See “PAC Money Aids Qugalione In Last Minute Mailer”  by Kadia Gobia,  11/3/17,  Kings County Politics/  43^rd District City Council Race  

[https://www.kingscountypolitics.com/pac-money-aids-qugalione-last-minute-mailer/]).

QUAGLIONE JUST MADE IT WORSE BY SUGGESTING SOME KIND OF ILLEGALITY MIGHT HAVE BEEN INVOLVED

This quote by GOP-Conservative-Independence Party candidate Quaglione not only made “Q” look completely out of it as a candidate,  it also poured gasoline on the already red-hot story.  “….  ‘I have no idea and no knowledge of any groups doing any such activities,’ said Quaglione when asked about the flyers distributed by the super PAC. ‘To do so would break the law.’…”   It should be noted that Quags might be right about that  ---  according to the campaign finance laws in play,  super PACs like  Progress New York are prohibited from donating directly to candidates or parties, because they can only express their support by expenditures completely independent of campaign activites.

BRANNAN QUICK TO SEIZE THE ADVANTAGE WITH A STRONG BOOST BY KCP

Also in Gobia’s article for”Kings County Politics,”  are the following well-quoted remarks by one of Mr. Quaglione’s opponents  ---  Justin Brannan:  “….   These mailers truly show what’s at stake in this election.…   Wealthy special interests and big developers have made it clear they’re supporting a Trump Republican who has tried to decimate rent control and will support overdevelopment of our neighborhood.’…   ‘This Super PAC is funded by corporations and individuals who want to see towers and skyscrapers built in Bay Ridge, destroying our quality of life and completely changing the landscape of our neighborhoods,” said City Councilmember Vincent Gentile (D-Bay Ridge, Bensonhurst, Dyker Heights, Bath Beach), who employed Brannan in his office for a number of years.’…”  

To help make the import of Mr.  Brannan’s quoted remarks  even clearer,  the KCP article added this:  “…  The bedroom community  [Bay Ridge] has long resisted large developers seeking to build high rises in the area. As early as last year, Community Board 10 which represents residents in  Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights and Ft. Hamilton, fought to reverse a zoning law that allowed residents to expand on their one- and two-family homes.

NONETHELESS ---  IT’S TOUGH TO GAUGE THE IMPACT OF KCP’S REPORT  SO LATE IN THE CYCLE 

This report by KCP comes very late in the game for this year’s City Council race(s).  It remains to be seen if there will/ might be any significant effect on Election Day,  with only three days left until the polls finally open for business this year.

Will the 2017 City Council Campaign involve issues of the beginning of life, the end of life --- and/or --- the beginning and the end of a life

Will there be a last second push to reopen a couple of very old “murder” cases involving a then-prominent Saint Anselm’s family that some people  >>> SAY AND SAY AND SAY <<<  involved undue influence by John Quaglione, Marty Golden,  Attorney Arthur Aidala and former DA Charlie-Joe Hynes ---  and, Oh Yes !!! Some "Church" guys too.....

Somebody has thrown a brick through my window and it was wrapped in the old local urban legend about the very young woman who gave birth at home and put the baby in the trash with the assistance of (a) sibling(s)  ---  and,  yes, the baby died…..

After some brouhaha,  the case(s) against the girl(s)s was (were)  buried in some elephants’ graveyard,  probably with a lot of connivance by “…  the usual subjects…” in this sort of thing,  including some of the local Catholic Church leadership [YES, I still have that bug up my ass  /1/].

My blogging on another site several years ago raked-over this muck pretty well, so I’m not going to get into any of the gory, sordid and corrupt details >>> AGAIN. 

My own recent life experiences have taught me that most personal tragedies  ---  involve lots of guilt and recrimination  ---  and that forgiveness and love is the one salve that almost always helps to heal many of the open psychological and spiritual wounds that are part of the fallout.

But this is politics   ---  AND THIS IS NOT A KUMBAYA OR  “COME TO JESUS” MOMENT  ---  so, folks,  stand by for a ram…..  Probably, the same person that put a little suggestive mention about this case in a comment on this blog a few weeks ago is the same person that has sent a detailed letter to several of the principals involved in the Quaglione, Brannan and Capano races….

===============================

/1/  BTW,  the current featured documentary “Keepers” on Netflix is a very powerful telling of several stories  about the murder of a Notre Dame nun (yes, that’s a another hook to Saint Anselm’s too)  ---   Sister “Cathy”  ---   almost fifty (50) years ago and the sex abuse ring active at a Baltimore girls Catholic high school around the same time.

Does it show ANY common sense at all for Jerry Kassar to go off on Bob Capano at this stage of the 2017 race for City Council--- like Kassar did in his most recent “Common Sense” column

Wearing his other hat,  Kings County Conservative Party Chairman Gerard Kassar says that  ---  “…  Bob [Capano], who spent tens of thousands of dollars to come in a distant third with only 579 votes [in the Republican Primary], will have no effect on the November results…” 

For your reading pleasure and to amuse yourself using both hands,   I have included the segment of JK’s latest opinion piece in and for the  >>> Brooklyn Reporter <<< it specifically talked about Bob Capano' 

Well, here goes:   “….   Bob Capano was a Republican, and as a Republican candidate for City Council he made the claim that he was the only candidate who had always been a Republican. He also indicated that he would support the winner of the Republican Party primary. He even showed up at John Quaglione’s victory party where he spoke, pledging his support for John….   That was then….   Bob, who spent tens of thousands of dollars to come in a distant third with only 579 votes, will have no effect on the November results. But that is not the point I wish to make….   Bob has since enrolled in the Reform Party. So much for his impeccable Republican credentials. As far as him supporting the winner of  the Republican primary, and his appearance and statements at the Bay Ridge Manor in support of John primary night, well, those went out the window too….   The failure of candidates for public office to keep their word is what I find troubling. I have known Bob for a long time. During that time, all he ever wanted to do was run for office. This was his third chance, having been supported by the Brooklyn Republican and Conservative Parties twice and losing in landslides both times….   Then he moved to Staten Island and remained there for five years, emerging at an address in Brooklyn a few months ago. Once again, the voters saw through him and the results are what I have indicated….   Bob has every right to run as a Reform Party candidate. He does not have the right to change his story around to suit his ambitions whenever he feels like it….   This is one of the things I dislike most about a business I have worked within my entire life —  candidates that are all about themselves, candidates that care little for the community and even less for those who might have bested them and are going forward carrying the banner that they wished to carry….   Sore loser is the common term. But I think it is quite a bit worse. It really goes to the core of what the person is about.”   (See  “Common Sense: Trump says ‘no deal’ ”  by Jerry Kassar,  10/20/17,   Brooklyn Daily/ Opinion   [http://brooklynreporter.com/story/common-sense-trump-says-no-deal/]).

 As one of my favorite frenemies was wont to post on his blog at the time  --- “THE QUESTION BEGS…”  ---  in this instance,  what motivated Jerry Kassar to highlight Bob Capano’s run on the Reform Party line ???  ---  what does Kassar expect that this part of his column to accomplish ???  [I know, that’s two separate questions begging]. 

BTW, an interesting all alone drinking game for those of you out there who think that tippling all alone is perfectly OK  ---  pour a jigger-full of Irish Whiskey down your gullet every time you find a grammatical error in Jerry Kassar’s  “Common Sense” column.

Is Capano trying to play Scrooge to "Q" --- Is his "...Bah, humbug !!!" pitch at John Quaglione the real deal --- Or is it something that rates a "...Bah, humbug !!!" back at Bob ???

Capano's jibe went something like this:   "John Boy,  don't you think you owe all the taxpayers Christmas cards ???   You've been getting paid by them your whole adult life...."

Even better,  try this one:   "How can candidates like Quaglione and Brannan,  who can't solve people's real-life problems while working for elected officials,  like Golden  and Gentile,  be expected to do any better as elected officials themselves ???"

John Quaglione seems to have gotten slimed pretty good by Bob Capano at the most recent debate held at Xaverian High School.   As of the time of my writing this post,  nobody has mentioned to me how Mr. Quaglione responded to Capano's provocation,  if at all.

BUT,  IF THE SHOE FITS.....

Basically, when it comes to work experience,  John Quaglione's begins and ends with Marty Golden..... 

Does Quaglione really believe that's enough of a qualification to get elected  ---  does anybody ???

Just askin'.....

Suddenly some real questions for candidate Mike Grimm --- Like --- How did he manage to toss-off his legal bill so easily ?????

Boy, former Congressman and recently declared congressional candidate MICHAEL GRIMM seems to have a lot of EXTRA MONEY  >>>  apparently just lying around

NY Law Journal article suggests some of the $$$$$ Grimm has put out there since his conviction and sentencing looks like it might not be properly accounted for

For now:   “GRIMM’S MONEY STUFF IS LOOKING STRANGE”  

AND I HAVE TO ASK  ---   ISN'T IT LIKELY THAT THESE HITS WILL JUST KEEP ON COMING ?????

 

An article appearing in the print edition of today’s New York Law Journal opens with this,  “Michael Grimm, who once threatened to throw a reporter off a Capitol Hill balcony, somehow managed to shed a six-figure debt to Squire Patton Boggs….”  (See  “This Ex-Congressman Wiped Out Six-Figure Big Law Debt”  by Miriam Rozen,  10/16/17,  New York Law Journal/ On-line  [http://www.newyorklawjournal.com/id=1202800552759/This-ExCongressman-Wiped-Out-SixFigure-Big-Law-Debt?mcode=1202617075062&curindex=1&slreturn=20170917105513]).  So it does have the look and sound of a hit piece.

Nonetheless,  this NYLJ piece does shine the light on some things that Mike Grimm needs to address right up front in any attempt to get back into the political arena.   Let’s start with these big questions:   a) How is it that Grimm's $421,000 legal bill has been erased,   but supposedly Grimm has raised less than $5,000  ---  which would require a formal filling;   also where did the money paid into the court as as Grimm’s mandatory “Restitution” come from ?????

As the wag that brought this article to my attention put it,   “Grimm’s money stuff is looking strange…..”

Did Julianne Cuba Blow Up Jerry Kassar, the Conservative Party in Brooklyn, the Independence Party in Brooklyn and the Dirty Deal that benefited Republican City Council Candidate John Quaglione ?????

COURIER-LIFE’S  10/12/17 “BROOKLYN DAILY” POLITICAL COLUMN “PARTY LINE”  SAYS THAT  “EVERYBODY LIES”  ---  MEANING CONSERVATIVE PARTY KINGS COUNTY CHAIRMAN JERRY KASSAR AND VICE CHAIRPERSON FRAN VELLA-MARRONE ARE LYING   ---  AND EVEN THAT NYS CONSERVATIVE CHAIRMAN MIKE LONG IS MOST LIKELY DISSEMBLING ABOUT THE SKULDUGGERY THAT RESULTED IN JOHN QUAGLIONE’S BEING SUBSTITUTED ONTO THE CONSERVATIVE AND INDEPENDENCE PARTY LINES

According to Julianne Cuba,  Conservative Party Chairman Mike Long says that “…. Brooklyn Conservative Party chairman Gerry Kassar — who didn’t return a request for comment and still denies ever being a part of the scheme — was fully in the know [about the scheme to circumvent the NYS Election Law by substituting John Quaglione as the City Council Candidate for both the Conservative and Independence Parties]….   ‘Gerry was aware of it, he’s naturally aware of it because it was his county that ultimately had to make the switch — I had nothing to do with that part of it, I’m not a delegate,’  [Mike Long] said….   And Capano is now charging that the same party leaders who initiated the deal to swap out Conservative and Independence placeholder candidate John Bruno — which insiders said stank of back-room politics — are trying to silence his campaign by asking him to ‘play dead’ and ‘step aside’ so he won’t take votes away from Quaglione. He pointed to being left out of the Dyker Heights Civic Association forum on Oct. 10….”  (See “Reform Party blows up deal to combine conservative lines” by Julianne Cuba  10/12/17,  Courier-Life/ Brooklyn Daily/ Party Line   [https://www.brooklyndaily.com/stories/2017/41/pl-party-line-2017-10-13-bk.html]).

Worthy of Note: Bob Capano is barred from the Dyker Heights Civic Association Debate

A Statement from City Council Candidate Bob Capano on His Exclusion From The Dyker Heights Civic Association Debate: 

  

"Although I have been invited to attend every other community City Council debate, including ones sponsored by the Bay Ridge Council on Aging, the Bay Ridge Community Council, the Arab-American Association of New York, and the Bay Ridge Center, I was not asked to participate in the Dyker Heights Civic Association forum.
   
This organization is run by the leaders of the Brooklyn Conservative Party and undoubtedly, they view any public attention that I get as potentially taking away votes from John Quaglione, who recently replaced Mr. Bruno on their ballot line. The Reform Party and I believe the people deserve more choices, not less. It is sad when a community organization puts party politics ahead of allowing their members to hear from all candidates on the ballot on election day."

OMG !!! Names like Grimm, Fossella and Kassar show up nationally.....

Newsmax picked up the Grimm ball and ran with it  ---  its homepage article even quoted Jerry Kassar about Grimm's emergence as a possible candidate against popular Dan Donovan  --- ---  ---

And  WTF  !!!    Did they really also float Vito's name out there, too  ???

Even though it was largely warmed over material that has been mulled over a lot locally, and even on this blog, the fact that a national Republican media outlet like Newsmax has decided to broadcast the Grimm message far and wide with a homepage featured article is a big deal  (See "Grimm Seeks NY House Seat with Breitbart Support" by John Gizzi,  10/8/17,  Newsmax/  Home  [https://www.newsmax.com/johngizzi/former-n-y-rep-michael-grimm-steve-bannon/2017/10/08/id/818430/]).

WILL THIS BE A RACE BETWEEN THE "POPULIST" VERSUS THE "POPULAR"  ---  OR  ---  WILL VITO FOSSELLA MAKE IT A THREE-WAY CLUSTER...

Kassar was quoted by Newsmax' regular White House columnist John Gizzi as follows:   "....   'Grimm is a populist-type candidate and as such he has a chance,'  Gerard Kassar, Conservative Party chairman of Brooklyn, told Newsmax. 'But he has a long way to go before he will be able to convince the rank-and-file Republican primary voters they should move from Dan to him.'..."

Meanwhile,  Newsmax and Gizzi seemed to heap high praise on somebody that they thought might be another possible, and even better, candidate against Donovan,  Vito Fossella.   But according to Newsmax,  former Congressman Vito Fossella seems to be sticking with Donovan because of his popularity and support in the district  ---  "....  Former Rep. Fossella told Newsmax he has no interest in entering the race and is supporting Donovan.....   'Dan Donovan has the reputation of being a well-liked and effective congressman who reflects the priorities of Staten Island and Brooklyn,'  [Fossella] said...."

The Three Candidates for State Senate Scenario Upstages the Three Candidates for City Council Scenario

Suddenly, there are three credible candidates for the STATE SENATOR slot now held by the aging Bay Ridge caterer,  MARTIN GOLDEN  ---  AND ---  that is stepping on the news that there are three Republican candidates, named Quaglione, Capano and McCabe  ---  all still active in campaigns for the City Council 

The details and evidence for this stuff is still a little muddled  ---  but for once, there is actually MORE HERE THAN MEETS THE EYE.

For more news,  WATCH THIS SPACE.....

The day that the Brooklyn GOP music died

There was a reason that Golden and Quags sat out the Ghorra-fest  ---  If you're not sure whether the service to which you are invited is going to be a wedding or a funeral,  then it's better for you to find a reason not to be there  ---  it avoids the possibility of lots of different kinds of present and/or future embarrassment(s).  (Ahem !!!  Can some among my brothers and sisters give me a loud "AMEN" ???)


Besides, Marty Golden and John Quaglione would not have found a "safe place" in which they'd be comfortable at the Ghorra-McCabe reception


The 2017 Republican Kings County Convention was  held earlier today.   The event took place virtually in secret (and almost as surely on improper and short notice) at the Brooklyn Bar Association on Remsen Street. Twenty-six people were in duh house... but only twenty-three of them were elected members of the Brooklyn Republican County Committee.

I won't talk about the preliminaries,  other than to say that good order and the proper formalities were not followed..... The need for roll-calls and the obvious absence thereof or any motion(s) to dispense with roll-calls would seem to be high on the list of inadequate formalities and/or the lack of good order.

The vote for "Chairman" was a rather simple and straight forward affair.  Three names were put forward for nomination:  Ted Ghorra,  Steve Maresca and Clorinda Annarummo.  However,  only Ted Ghorra's name was put up for a vote on the floor.  That vote appears to have been one-sided,  but Ghorra's total was far from unanimous,  since about 84 of the tallied votes did not vote for Ghorra.

The reason that Marty Golden and John Quaglione would not have felt all that welcome at today's Remsem Street gathering, would be that their presence would only have disrupted the Liam McCabe-Ted Ghorra exchange of verbal bouquets.  Liam put Ted Ghorra's name in nomination;  and for his part,  Ted Ghorra said that he was playing the "long game" and that he thought Liam McCabe would be a big part of that "long game" as the Brooklyn GOP's Vice Chairman for Youth Outreach.  Several of Liam's people were also given Vice Chairman spots  ---  although there seemed to have been a problem with a "Raymond Caneletta" that almost sent Liam into one of his legendary spirals.

Query --- What's going on with an obviously anti-Nicole Malliotakis tweet appearing under name and style of "New York City Republicans" --- probably from one of Brooklyn's GOP State Senator Marty Golden's office hacks

Is Marty Golden's house mouse & puppet  >>> Staten Islander Marko Kepi <<<  the man behind the curtain for this hit piece:  https://www.facebook.com/notes/new-york-city-republicans/dumping-trump-a-bad-move-for-malliotakis-si-advance-commentary/1860599433956405/

A couple of days ago, somebody,  who was once one of Marty Golden's strongest supporters, called me with a few leads.

The material mentioned in the headlines above was just one of those things.....   One of those crazy flings.....   [Yeah, that does have the old familiar ring of a showtune doesn't it .....]

The Tweet [From Albanian Marko Kepi ???] includes an article by the SI Advance's political guy,  Tom Wrobleski that is a blatant journalistic hit piece aimed at Nicole Malliotakis.

Now, let's close our eyes and say:  "MARKO !!!"   [answer:  "KEPI !!!"].....  [Yeah, that does have the old familiar ring of a GEICO TV ad doesn't it ???]

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT ALL OF THAT & THIS  ?????

BTW,  the material above does seem to flesh out a tweet that appeared on Marko Kepi's personal Twitter space  ---  "So many fake Republicans out there using our party as a steppingstone  for their political careers.  Flip flopping as they go.... "   (See ---  https://www.facebook.com/marko.kepi.3/posts/10154756868752056?pnref=story0> ).

Not only are lots of NFL players [Sons of Bitches] --- so are bunches of NFL owners --- AND --- ROGER GOODELL IS THE BIGGEST SON OF A BITCH OF THEM ALL

Roger Goodell says that he is "PROUD" of the NFL players' response to President Trump 

It's time for all good Americans to boycott all the NFL >> Sons of Bitches <<<  ---  and anybody & everything giving aid, comfort and support to any and all of the NFL >>> Sons of Bitches <<<  whatever their business relationship to the other Sons of Bitches might be   

JOIN WITH THE TRUMP-SUPPORTING NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION >>>   #TakeAStandNotAKnee <<<  AND  "TURN OFF THE NFL"

Let's be clear  ---  any of the players, coaches owners, league and/or team front office personnel,  and any networks, announcers, reporters, commentators or media types of any sort that support the players' participating in the so-called National Anthem demonstration(s) from Colin Kaepernick  through this Sunday's larger scale demonstrations are  >>> Sons of Bitches <<<  and their main product, NFL Football, and any related products or media work products, need to be boycotted by the good people in America.

Also join in the social media push back such as #Takeastandnotaknee  .....  

Is Bob Capano going "... to be or not to be... nobler... to take arms against... "

Perhaps some have counselled Bobby C, using the well-said words of Dylan Thomas,  "Do Not go gentle into that Good Night"  ---  but instead  ---  "... rage against the dying of the light..."

Many people think that his great Primary Day victory was like a "New Day" for John Quaglione  ---  and you can't count me among those folks.

But  ---  there is a flip side to that, and it is this:  John Quaglione's great Primary Day victory is just as much a "New Day" for John's Primary Day opponents,  Lucretia Regina-Potter,  Liam McCabe, and of course Bob Capano, whom I mentioned above in my headlines.  However,  perhaps, any talk of a "New Day" is premature,  because somebody thinks that the "dying of the light" of the day gone by needs to be played out in a different manner and to the beat of a different drum.

MAYBE, HERE'S THE DEAL ABOUT CAPANO'S TAKE ON A "NEW DAY"  IN THE 2017 RACE FOR NY CITY COUNCIL

I seem to remember that Bob had put it out there during his campaign in the GOP Primary >>>  he was the ONLY Republican candidate running in the 43rd City Council District already on a party ballot line in November.  Now, I don't know if that was 100% accurate at the time;  however,  it is a fact that BOBBY C IS STILL ON THE BALLOT IN NOVEMBER, as the candidate of the Reform Party.

Early this AM,  somebody wadded-up a spitball message to me indicating that Bobby C might be planning on doing some kind of campaigning as the Reform Party's candidate in the 43rd District. Well,  as sure as night comes before day,  maybe JQ's "New Day" hasn't quite started yet  ---  because at least for somebody in the mix, there is still some raging to be done.....

And here's what I say to that  (now folks, please note, this is NOT a show tune):

“Do not go gentle into that good night,
[All ages] should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

o not go gentle into that good night.

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

And you, my [brother], there on the sad height,
Curse, bless me now with [burning] fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.”

                                                                DT

Was it an "April Fool's Day Edition" of the New York Post on September 16th ???

Is all of the Grimm talk lately,  including the article in yesterday's New York Post,  somebody's idea of a practical joke ???

In case you were so busy partying after John Quaglione's unlikely huge blowout of his GOP rivals on Primary Day,  some people are again talking about a Michael Grimm 2018 race against incumbent Republican Congressman Dan Donovan for the GOP nomination

According to yesterday's article in the NY Post  ---  "Disgraced Republican ex-Rep. Michael Grimm is set to announce a bid to win back his old Staten Island-Brooklyn seat next year, according to a report — a move opposed by state and local GOP officials....  Grimm was released from federal prison 16 months ago after serving seven months in the slammer on charges that he falsified tax returns for the Manhattan restaurant he ran before taking office....   He was convicted in 2014....  The Republican is looking to oust GOP Rep. Dan Donovan, Staten Island’s former district attorney, who won a special election after Grimm went to jail in 2015....   Grimm will announce his candidacy at an Oct. 1 rally in New Dorp, NY1 reported Saturday, citing anonymous sources...."  (See "Disgraced ex-congressman set to announce run for office' by Mary Kay Linge, 9/16/17,  NY Post/ Metro  [http://nypost.com/2017/09/16/disgraced-ex-congressman-set-to-announce-run-for-office/]).

"April Fools' Day" is celebrated every year on April 1 by playing practical jokes and spreading hoaxes;  and by the lights of the common definers of such things, the jokers and their victims are referred to as "April fools";   so, in which camp of fools are you counting yourself in this strange week in September 2017  ???

  

We could have gone with Sinatra's "My Way".....

But instead let's be in their faces with this one from Queen:

....   I've paid my dues
Time after time
I've done my sentence
But committed no crime
And bad mistakes
I've made a few
I've had my share of sand kicked in my face
But I've come through

(And I need to go on and on, and on, and on)

We are the champions, my friends
And we'll keep on fighting 'til the end
We are the champions
We are the champions
No time for losers
'Cause we are the champions of the world

I've taken my bows
And my curtain calls
You brought me fame and fortune and everything that goes with it
I thank you all

But it's been no bed of roses
No pleasure cruise
I consider it a challenge before the whole human race
And I ain't gonna lose

(And I need just go on and on, and on, and on)

We are the champions, my friends
And we'll keep on fighting 'til the end
We are the champions
We are the champions
No time for losers
'Cause we are the champions of the world

[One more time, with feeling  !!!]    We are the champions, my friends
And we'll keep on fighting 'til the end
We are the champions
We are the champions
No time for losers
'Cause we are the champions of the world

MY PREDICTIONS FOR THE CITY COUNCIL PRIMARY

I have a cold and I was trying to get some rest before going out to dinner with some family members tonight  ---  that was before I got three different John Quaglione robocalls  along with one or two for the other guys  running  ---  And then, I got  a marathon filibuster of a call from one of my regular followers (yes, maybe that should be my ONE regular follower) asking, pleading, begging, exhorting (and on and on without any offer of reward or compensation to me of any kind) that I do a feature post about the City Council primaries in Bay Ridge

Since there is only so much torture that a man of my age and in my condition can take,  I will succumb  ---  reluctantly.....

FOR THE REPUBLICANS
The envelope,  please !!!

Oh,  I guess everybody knew this before I did  ---  the winner will be  >>>  LIAM MC CABE <<<  in a squeeker over both John Quaglione and Bob Capano,  who will be still fighting it out at the wire for second and third, even after the polls have closed.  As for Lucretia Regina-Potter,  although she will not be that close to the front-runners,  she will get enough of a vote in her pockets of strength to show whomever comes in second and/or third that making an early deal with Lucretia and Arnaldo would have been a wiser strategy than trying to shut them out and, more important, shut them down.

Why Liam will come in for the win at the finish ???   Whenever the new kid in the race shows that he can be a credible candidate  ---  that is a very big advantage.  Plus,  his argument that all the others have run before and failed miserably is quite compelling.

Why not Quaglione,  he's so much better than he was ???   John ran a very good campaign;  if both he and Liam were newcomers,  I'd even give the edge to John.  However,  first impressions are lasting,   and JQ's bad performance running for the same office in 2013 won't be overlooked by most of the folks this time around.

Doesn't the same argument apply for Bob Capano ???   To a certain extent it does,  but 2009 is a very long time ago,  and  who even remembers that Bob also ran unsuccessfully for the NYS Assembly ???   Bob raised less cash than two of his intra-party opponents, and most of the Democrats as well. That's not great for somebody who lists John Catsimatidis,  Curtis Sliwa and Craig Eaton among his strongest supporters.....  On the other hand,  Bob and his team have waged a long uphill fight largely based on great media presentation and an appeal to the Donald Trump base inside the Brooklyn GOP in Southwest Brooklyn.  It's possible that Bob & Co, might have found the winning formula for the 2017  race for CIty Council  ---   however, I do believe that is unlikely.

Lastly,  let's look at Lucretia.....   I think it was a strategic blunder for her to have appeared in three (not just two) different places on the GOP Primary ballot  throughout the center portion of the 43rd Council District.  In those overlapping areas in the 43rd Council District,  Lucretia Regina-Potter is running to become Republican State Committee Person (again),  Judicial Delegate (again) and Republican candidate for the NY City Council.  Her latest robocall invites certain voters to "fill in the circle" next to her name up to three times wherever it might appear on the Republican Primary Ballot. I think that message is too much of a heavy lift for most voters.  Nonetheless, I do predict that Lucretia will receive a significant vote on the line for City Council  ---  possibly even enough to exceed the winners "margin" of victory over the number two vote-getter,  possibly even number two and number three.....

AND FOR THE DEMOCRATS

(Yawn !!!)

I said before that I think that Justin Brannan has the edge in this race to succeed his boss,  Vinny Gentile  ---  and that should be enough to enable Justin to hold on and win against all comers, foreign and domestic.

Even though "The Reverend" Khader Al-Yateem has definitely won this year's contest for gargantuan picture posters displayed between Senator and 73rd Streets on Fifth Avenue,  remember that the adage "posters don't vote" applies equally to gargantuan sized posters of Palestinian-born clerics running throughout Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights,  Bath Beach and lower Bensonhurst.