Sanders People Fail Out Opening NY Primaries in Court
CM Gentilie Falls With Handicapped Lawsuit
Cruel councilman mocked and tormented Asperger’s aide: suit( NYP) A Brooklyn city councilman and his underlings tormented an aide who suffers from Asperger’s syndrome — cruelly comparing him to a tragic, autistic teen and leaving decapitated teddy bears on his desk, the man claims in a new lawsuit. Vincent Gentile was slapped with the $10 million suit Tuesday by Michael Bistreich, who claims the Bay Ridge councilman found it funny when another staffer mockingly suggested that Bistreich “test the doors” during a press conference regarding “Avonte’s Law,” which was enacted in 2014 after autistic student Avonte Oquendo slipped out a door of his Queens school and drowned in the East River. The law requires alarms on many school doors. “Gentile responded by laughing and clapping his hands, which caused significant distress to Bistreich,” court papers state. The Manhattan Supreme Court filing also says Gentile complained that Bistreich’s shaking hands and twitching head, both symptoms of Asperger’s, were “unnerving,” and repeatedly asked him to increase his medication — even though the tics can’t be treated.
The Schumer "You Call This A Campaign" Gets Almost Real for One Debate
During a Sunday debate, U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, a Democrat, and his GOP challenger, Wendy Long, often appeared to be waging a proxy war for each party’s presidential nominee and their records, The New York Times reports. * Schumer is so confident he’ll be re-elected that he has steered $8 million from his campaign coffers to shore up other Democrats, a tactic that may help him become the next Senate majority leader, the Post reports.
Sanders People Fail Out Opening NY Primaries in Court
Petition for open primary system shot down by court (NYP) A Manhattan judge Tuesday tossed a lawsuit challenging the state’s closed primary system, disappointing a crowd of around 50 mostly Bernie Sanders supporters who’d gathered to hear legal arguments. “This isn’t going to make me very popular in this room but the petition is hereby denied,” Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron ruled from the bench. Trial attorney Mark Moody had sued the state and city Board of Elections shortly after April’s primary elections, saying that million of New Yorkers– including President-elect Donald Trump’s own kids– were barred from voting in the presidential primary because they didn’t change their party affiliation before the October 2015 deadline. Sanders performed better in states with open primaries. Moody argued in court Tuesday that the system is unconstitutional because in disenfranchises voters who are not registered with a major party. State attorney Roderick Arz countered, “this is not disenfranchisement, this is a decision to apply a broadly applicable deadline.” Judge Engoron agreed that political parties have a right to regulate their primaries “as long as they don’t run afoul of constitutional dictates” like gender or racial discrimination. Moody said he’s likely to appeal..
CM Gentilie Falls With Handicapped Lawsuit
Cruel councilman mocked and tormented Asperger’s aide: suit( NYP) A Brooklyn city councilman and his underlings tormented an aide who suffers from Asperger’s syndrome — cruelly comparing him to a tragic, autistic teen and leaving decapitated teddy bears on his desk, the man claims in a new lawsuit. Vincent Gentile was slapped with the $10 million suit Tuesday by Michael Bistreich, who claims the Bay Ridge councilman found it funny when another staffer mockingly suggested that Bistreich “test the doors” during a press conference regarding “Avonte’s Law,” which was enacted in 2014 after autistic student Avonte Oquendo slipped out a door of his Queens school and drowned in the East River. The law requires alarms on many school doors. “Gentile responded by laughing and clapping his hands, which caused significant distress to Bistreich,” court papers state. The Manhattan Supreme Court filing also says Gentile complained that Bistreich’s shaking hands and twitching head, both symptoms of Asperger’s, were “unnerving,” and repeatedly asked him to increase his medication — even though the tics can’t be treated.
The Schumer "You Call This A Campaign" Gets Almost Real for One Debate
During a Sunday debate, U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, a Democrat, and his GOP challenger, Wendy Long, often appeared to be waging a proxy war for each party’s presidential nominee and their records, The New York Times reports. * Schumer is so confident he’ll be re-elected that he has steered $8 million from his campaign coffers to shore up other Democrats, a tactic that may help him become the next Senate majority leader, the Post reports.
Espaillat's Chosen Successor Gets Backing That Reopens Old Political (DNAINFO)
WoundsFernando Ferrer backed Espaillat's chosen candidate after a personal history with opponent Micah Lasher.
Sander Faces Machine Meeks Payback forAborted Run for Congress
Incumbent Sanders Faces Primary Challenger Who Has Backing of Queens County Democratic Organization (NY1)
Silver Lower East Side Falls to the Asians
Yuh-Line Niou Defeats Sheldon Silver Ally in Primary for His Old Assembly Seat (NYT) In one of several closely watched contests in New York, Ms. Niou won a six-way Democratic race, defeating Alice Cancel, whom Mr. Silver, the disgraced former speaker, had supported.* Disgraced ex-Speaker Sheldon Silver's chosen successor loses primary race to Yuh-Line Niou (NYDN) *
Dominican Take Over of Harlem Continues With Senate Win
Espaillat's Win Another Blow to Harlem's Black PoliticalPower: Experts(DNAINFO) "The truth is this is the official end of the Charlie Rangel era and the beginning of the Dominican explosion," said one political operative with clients in Harlem who asked not be named to protect working relationships. Marisol Alcantara, the handpicked successor of state Sen. Adriano Espaillat, who won the primary for Rangel's old seat, won a tight race where she got 693 more votes than (Robert) Jackson, who was in third place, and 572 more votes than second-place Micah Lasher, chief of staff to Attorney General Eric Schneiderman. Robert Jackson was backed by Rangel
The New Dominican Machine
Mr. Espaillat, a Democrat who is favored to win a congressional seat in November, is trying to help two fellow Dominicans win state primaries.
An Amego Makes A Comeback
Disgraced former state senator Hiram Monserrate is looking to return to politics.*
Newspaper Endorsements
For the future of New York’s kids: Post endorsements in legislative primaries(NYP)
STATE SENATE SD-25 (Bed-Stuy/Crown Heights/Red Hook): Michael Cox is challenging (too-) long-term incumbent Velmanette Montgomery. A Crown Heights native who served in the Obama administration, Cox became a devoted fan of choice, charters and education reform while teaching in East New York. SD-31 (Washington Heights/Inwood/West Side): In a four-way race to succeed Sen. Adriano Espaillat, the best choice is Marisol Alcantara, who’s backed by Espaillat and by the pro-good-schools Independent Democratic Conference. SD-33 (West Bronx): City Councilman Fernando Cabrera poses a real threat to incumbent Gustavo Rivera. That’s why the Fund for Great Public Schools, a union front, funded mailers smearing the challenger. In fact, this firm advocate of the EITC and charter schools has built a strong record of delivering solutions for his constituents.
ASSEMBLYAD-6 (Bay Shore/Brentwood/Central Islip): In his challenge to incumbent Philip Ramos, Giovanni Mata has also been the target of dirty-tricks mailers claiming he’s the pawn of “immigrant-bashing Republicans.” Yet it’s Ramos who is standing in the way of hope for black and brown kids in this Long Island district — and Mata who demands that all children have access to good schools.] AD-33 (Queens Village/Cambria Heights/Hollis): In a crowded field looking to replace the late Barbara Clark, Roy Paul stands out. He made history at 19 as the youngest African-American ever elected to public office in the state. Now 30, he’s been solid on charters and school reform ever since winning that school-board race. AD-46 (Bay Ridge/Coney Island): Pamela Harris, the incumbent, faces questions about her shaky personal finances and a nonprofit headquartered at her home. We strongly urge a vote for challenger Kate Cucco, who rightly calls the education tax credit a “win-win piece of legislation.” Daily News Newell for Assembly(NYDN) Newell is highly informed, fully in touch with a district that is 43% Asian, 33% white, 16% Hispanic and 5% black, and promises unusual independence in Albany. A native of Taiwan, Yuh-Line Niou grew up in Washington state, where she served as a legislative aide, focusing on health care, and worked as an advocate against predatory lending. Niou has lived in the district for three years, is chief of staff to Flushing Assemblyman Ron Kim and is backed by the Queens Democratic machine. She says that she was motivated to run in part as Chinatown residents were seeking constituent services in Kim’s Queens office. Newell has the edge over Niou in knowledge both of the district and of the issues. He is in touch with grass-roots concerns about traffic, schools, affordable housing and sustainable neighborhoods. Seeking to represent an area flooded by traffic from the Brooklyn, Manhattan and Williamsburg bridges, Newell backs congestion pricing to toll the spans and pour money into mass transit. * Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who has largely stayed out of New York politics since leaving City Hall, is re-entering the scene with a Monday night fundraiser for former aide Micah Lasher’s Democratic state Senate bid, The Wall Street Journal reports. * Micah Lasher for state Senate (NYDN) * A senator for the Bronx: Pamela Hamilton-Johnson is thechoice (NYT)
