New York Attorney General: Eric Schneiderman

New York has recently had top-notch attorneys general in Eliot Spitzer and Andrew Cuomo. The next attorney general must be able to match their stature, their skill in taking on complex issues of national importance, and their ability to extract reform. The next attorney general must also be adept at addressing Albany corruption and protecting consumers.

Of the five candidates seeking to be the state’s top cop, we endorse Eric Schneiderman, a state Senator from the Upper West Side.

As Albany disappointed New Yorkers for decades, Schneiderman has been a prime example of a smart, effective, reform-minded legislator. He has crafted legislation that promotes equal justice under the law and ended discriminatory practices. He led the fight to end the harsh Rockefeller Drug Laws, which disproportionately targeted blacks and Latinos. He introduced the Fraud, Enforcement and Recovery Act, which closed loopholes in the state’s False Claim Act.

Although Gov. David Paterson vetoed Schneiderman’s ethics reform bill for being too weak, the legislation would have brought much-needed change to Albany. The fact that his legislation was introduced and passed by a nearly unanimous vote is a major accomplishment.

Each candidate is talking about cleaning up Albany. But Schneiderman actually did it when given the opportunity. Against the wishes of his chamber’s leadership, Schneiderman convened a bipartisan panel to expel his colleague and fellow Democrat Hiram Monserrate after he was convicted of misdemeanor assault against his girlfriend. These accomplishments occurred after the Democrats took the Senate majority in 2009. He has spent the rest of his 12 years in the State Senate fighting Republican senators that blocked his progressive reform-minded legislation.

We are concerned that Schneiderman lacks an investigatory background, but we are confident he will hire an accomplished staff that can follow his vision for the attorney general’s office, which separates him from his competitors. Schneiderman’s core philosophy of equal justice will ensure that the interests of all New Yorkers are heard. He has a broad agenda that protects consumers, prevents the pollution of the environment and fights discrimination.

The other candidates in the race are well-qualified and have strong ideas for the office. Sean Coffey has an exemplary legal background as a federal prosecutor and lead lawyer in the WorldCom fraud case, in which he won more than $6 billion for burned investors. Coffey fashions himself as an outsider, but can speak on the issues passionately and eloquently with the knowledge of a seasoned elected official. If spending time in Albany is a disqualifier for voters, Coffey is a welcome alternative.

Eric Dinallo, former deputy to Spitzer in the attorney general’s office, has an accomplished government background. He also was head of the state’s Insurance Department. He knows the job and how to wield it for powerful results. But we feel Dinallo’s vision—that the attorney general should focus on kitchen table issues—is too limited.

We extend that feeling to Richard Brodsky, an Assembly member representing parts of Westchester. As attorney general, he said he would focus on unfair or hidden fees New Yorkers pay for energy. But his temperament makes him ill-suited for the attorney general’s office, evidenced by his stance on the Islamic cultural center in downtown Manhattan. He unnecessarily waded into the debate and, despite saying he would defend the center as attorney general, proposed a “compromise” in which the center moves for the sake of appeasing its detractors.

Kathleen Rice, the district attorney for Nassau County, Long Island, has been a superb local prosecutor. She has tackled a drunk driving scourge, sexual predators and fought Medicaid fraud. But many of these—save for Medicaid fraud—are quality-of-life issues. She is under-qualified to be the state’s highest law enforcement official.

We support Eric Schneiderman for attorney general in the Sept. 14. Democratic primary.

State Senate—30th District: Bill Perkins

Although many New Yorkers may be angry about political deadlock in Albany and calling for reform, that doesn’t mean that all incumbents need to be ousted in this election cycle. For example, Bill Perkins has been a positive force for reform in his district, which covers Harlem, Washington Heights and part of the Upper West Side. While Perkins has criticized the way charter schools operate within existing public schools—and suffered some backlash for questioning this fairly new practice—it doesn’t mean he hasn’t been a strong force in the Legislature, addressing constituent concerns and, in fact, supporting a bill that would increase the number of charter schools.

His challenger, Basil Smikle, is an impressive candidate who has worked as a top aide for Hillary Clinton and the Democratic National Convention. Smikle has his own ideas for improving affordable housing and job creation in the district and will undoubtedly continue to be an imaginative and expressive politician who we hope to see continue his drive to better the city for everyday New Yorkers.

We are certain Perkins, however, will continue his progressive work concerning affordable housing issues and public education and therefore endorse him for re-election.

State Senate—31st District: Mark Levine

When State Senator Eric Schneiderman announced his candidacy for attorney general this year, it meant that his seat in the 31st District was wide open. There are four strong Democratic candidates in the primary, and the district—which covers parts of the Upper West Side, Hamilton Heights, Washington Heights, Inwood and Riverdale—calls for someone prepared to tackle the constituent concerns of a wide swath of New Yorkers in an area undergoing profound changes—especially in regards to housing and job creation. For this reason, we support Mark Levine in the Democratic primary.

Levine, a Washington Heights resident, represents the possibility of new leadership for the district and has a broad background of community building and activism. He has the fresh ideas and independent background that voters want when it comes to reform in Albany. He plans to support campaign finance reform as well as assist constituents in navigating state government hurdles in dealing with health, housing and transit issues.

Levine began his career as a bilingual science teacher and later served as executive director of Teach For America-New York. He understands, firsthand, the issues facing our public school system. Levine went on to found Upper Manhattan’s first and only community development credit union, Neighborhood Trust, which has helped many lower-income residents. In 2007, Levine won a Democratic district leader position, campaigned for Barack Obama’s presidential primary and created the Barack Obama Democratic club uptown.

Levine’s strongest competitor in the primary is Assemblyman Adriano Espaillat, also from Washington Heights, who has served 14 years in the state legislature and possesses a stellar background when it comes to constituent concerns, and is a strong candidate.

On immigration reform, tenants rights, urban education and economic development, Espaillat has always been on the right side of progressive legislation and would most likely continue to be a strong advocate for the district’s constituents. Espaillat has strong support from other incumbent politicians, including Senator Schneiderman, but for voters looking for a new perspective at the state level, it’s difficult to make the argument for Espaillat.

A former Democratic district leader and the only Upper West Side resident in the race, Anna Lewis is an attorney with 25 years of experience; she knows the law. Lewis has a legacy of drafting legislation supporting constituent concerns, and she wants to continue her efforts in that direction, especially concerning health care and consumer rights. We also think her idea for housing reform—in particular to start a new housing initiative modeled after the Mitchell-Lama program—is the best we have heard and hope that she continues to advocate for such a program in the future and that others support similar ideas. The fact that there are so few elected women running for state political positions should change, and we hope that Lewis will run for a position in the future.

The other woman in the race, Miosotis Muñoz, has very heartfelt ambitions for the district, and her background in social work and grassroots organizing for various community causes should be applauded. Her compassion, leadership and enthusiasm for neighborhood concerns, however, seem better suited for on-the-ground community efforts, rather than the bureaucracy of state politics.

We endorse Mark Levine for the State Senate in the 31st District for his promise of reform, new ideas and a background that seems exceptionally suited to this vibrant and transforming district.

15th Congressional District: Charlie Rangel

Representative Charles B. Rangel is seeking his 21st term, and we endorse him in that effort. Despite the recent controversy surrounding his office due to the charges of ethics violations, Rangel still deserves the support, and votes, of his constituents after years of dedicated political service.

Although Rangel has relinquished the chairmanship of the House Ways and Means Committee, which he had waited since 1981 to take over and finally did in 2006, he still holds quite a bit of power after 40 years in Congress and letting that pass away at this point would be a mistake for New Yorkers. Although many have called for his retirement, Rangel continues to work with indefatigable strength and dedication for his constituents and the nation as a whole.

Even though Rangel will most likely win re-election to the House, we will still need a new generation of qualified and eager candidates to fill his estimable shoes. One of the more fascinating aspects this year was meeting the group that had the pluck to run against the incumbent. For those seeking a change, they will find an excellent candidate in Vince Morgan. The community banker is new to political campaigning, but we found that he had a winning personality and many ideas for where the district could position itself in the 21st-century. In particular, his involvement as the chairman of the Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone and the chair of the 125th Street Business Improvement District will give him a valuable perspective as he continues his political career in the district.

Adam Clayton Powell IV may have many bona fides, most obviously sharing a name with the man who preceded Rangel as the Congressman for the district and serving as a New York City councilmember and in the State Assembly. But Powell’s record in the Assembly has been spotty, his attendance poor. Overall, we think if there is indeed going to be change in the district, we should be looking to the future, not the past.

The other two candidates, Joyce Johnson and Jonathan Tasini, should both be commended for entering the race. Johnson has dedicated many years to public service in various capacities, as well as being a pioneer for women of color in the corporate sector. We hope that she does continue in her unremitting efforts to create a world that supports the efforts of women and minorities to achieve their dreams on an equal playing field. Tasini’s career as a gadfly when it comes to labor and economic issues is needed in politics. Lending his ideas and energy to the race is much appreciated.

We look forward to the next primary for the district, which will undoubtedly have an even stronger and diverse pool of candidates, but in the meantime, we endorse Charlie Rangel for Congress.

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Gale Brewer

Melissa Mark-Viverito

Apple is drawing the Council’s 51 members in prom attire in a series called NYC High for the blog ANIMAL New York. So far, ANIMAL New York posted Council members in districts one through eight.

Each drawing is accompanied by a small score card that lists the neighborhoods they represent and several facts about their time on the Council.

“Politics is kind of like high school, with factions and gossip and people always trying to hold on to or increase their popularity,” Apple told ANIMAL.

Apple contributed to a similar project in which artists drew Chicago’s 50 aldermen.

Here is Apple’s drawings of West Side Council members Gale Brewer and Melissa Mark-Viverito, who represents  the Upper West Side north of 96th Street.

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Eliot Spitzer, before his stunning downfall as governor, was the white knight of Wall Street as attorney general. Before him, Robert Abrams put the attorney general office’s focus on consumer rights.

Each attorney general puts their stamp on an office that commands more than 650 lawyers. This September, five candidates are running for the state’s top law job, a position held by Andrew Cuomo, the front-runner to be the state’s next governor.

In interviews with Our Town, each candidate stated that they wanted the next attorney general to be the “People’s Lawyer” and they all want to clean up the ethical morass in Albany. But the candidates have very different visions for the office, strategies to fight corruption and backgrounds that demonstrate their ability to do the job.

Richard Brodsky

Richard Brodsky is a member of the State Assembly, representing parts of Westchester County. But his prominence in the chamber—and his argument for being the next attorney general—comes more from investigation than legislation.

He was at the helm of two powerful committees: Oversight, Analysis and Investigation, and most recently Corporations, Authorities, and Commissions.

Where Albany reform, in this race, means pushing independent redistricting of legislative seats, public financing of campaigns and strong ethics laws, Brodsky believes “Albany’s governing institutions” need attention.

“I come to that as [the] only successful reformer up there,” he said.

Brodsky led the reform of authorities—public bodies created by the state to handle public projects. These authorities build dormitories and schools, provide transportation or produce power. But Brodsky called them “Soviet-style bureaucracies” that make up New York’s shadow government.

“I did it,” he said of his reform measures, “and I did it when people said I couldn’t.”

Brodsky fought the proposed Jets Stadium on the West Side, tussled with Yankees-owner George Steinbrenner over the new publicly-subsidized stadium, and sued when Indian Point, a nuclear power plant in upstate New York, got an exemption from fire safety standards.

But there is a political element to the attorney general’s office that Brodsky believes will bring reform to Albany.

“On the budget, on gridlock, on campaign finance, on reapportionment, you’ve got to have someone with political skills to change Albany.”

Sean Coffey

Sean Coffey, a former assistant U.S. Attorney and lead lawyer on the WorldCom class-action suit, wants to use the attorney general’s office as a bully pulpit to enact reform in a Legislature loath to do so.

With Cuomo making ethics the centerpiece of his gubernatorial campaign, Coffey believes that the attorney general can be “noisy” and the governor’s “wingman.”

“I can pick up the slack,” Coffey said.

When Coffey is not crusading against Albany, he is hammering Wall Street. He boasts of getting burned investors more than $6 billion from WorldCom, a telephone company.

An oft-repeated line on the campaign trail is that he doesn’t have to beat up on Wall Street to prove he can. As attorney general, Coffey’s goal for the financial industry is keeping it “honest” by focusing on audit firms, credit rating agencies—the “gatekeepers,” he says.

“You need somebody who understands this stuff,” Coffey said.

He believes his opponents’ political ambitions could influence temperament. While a joke in political circles dictates that “AG” stands for “Aspiring Governor,” Coffey says he doesn’t want that position. As a former federal prosecutor and litigator, there should be a nonpartisan agenda for the office, he said.

“I know a good case from a bad case,” Coffey said.

Eric Dinallo

But where Coffey was fighting Wall Street from his law office, Eric Dinallo was an assistant attorney general under Spitzer.

He is credited with resurrecting the Martin Act, which allowed the attorney general to investigate financial fraud and made the New York State Attorney General’s office nationally known.

Dinallo wants to use the prominence of the office to deal with problems in everyday New Yorkers’ lives.

“I want to take it and worry less about the markets, which I clearly have comfort and a history of success in,” Dinallo said, “but worry more about consumer financial products: the fees people pay in their everyday lives. The checks they write at the kitchen table every month.”

Another kitchen-table topic that Dinallo wants to combat is public corruption in Albany. Dinallo criticizes his opponents for saying they would try to compel the State Legislature in to giving the attorney general more power to investigate public corruption—a tall order in Albany. Dinallo believes he can tackle public corruption using existing law, similar to the way he rediscovered the Martin Act, which was signed into law in 1921.

“I see big, big opportunities through creative, aggressive use of the law in public integrity,” Dinallo said.

Kathleen Rice

Kathleen Rice, the district attorney for Long Island’s Nassau County, has made ethics in Albany the centerpiece of her campaign as well. She says that reform must be brought to the capital before New York can recover economically.

“Confidence in state government is at an all-time low,” she said. “When you have a situation like that, it’s very difficult to have this kind of recovery you need in the state.”

Rice points to how she changed the district attorney’s office after she was elected in 2005. She changed the plea policy on drunk driving and helped write tougher DWI laws.

“I attacked the epidemic of drunk driving in a way no one ever has before,” Rice said. “I know how to address an issue that, for one reason or another, people have failed to address.”

As attorney general, Rice wants to facilitate whistleblowers coming forward by increasing protections.

“Through that, you can get the reform, from an administrative standpoint certainly, of certain agencies if there are practices there that don’t lend themselves to good government,” Rice said. “I believe it’s setting the tone that the public trust something to be held sacrosanct.”

Eric Schneiderman

Eric Schneiderman, a state senator from the Upper West Side, is also focusing on restoring public trust. He points to his legislative achievements in correcting some of the bad business practices in the state. He sponsored a law that prevents insurance providers from canceling an entire class of coverage to avoid paying for expensive medical treatment. He also headed the panel to oust a sitting senator for assaulting his girlfriend—the first time since 1920.

A problem in Albany, he said, is that most of the unethical behavior is legal.

“I’m more interested in making cases against individuals as a part of an effort to achieve structural reforms, change the laws and change people’s attitudes,” Schneiderman said.

As attorney general, Schneiderman proposes to create a working group to examine New York’s securities laws. In government, he wants public integrity officers in each regional office of the attorney general.

“Folks who want to report local corruption can have a place to go other than the local prosecutor who probably has relationships with people you’re trying to report,” Schneiderman said.

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“With a massive fare hike looming after the worst service cuts in a generation, public transit has never been a more important election year issue,” said Paul Steely White, executive director of Transportation Alternatives, a New York City group that advocates for bicycling, walking and public transit.

The debate will be hosted by Transportation Alternatives and WE ACT for Environmental Justice, a community-based organization that involves low-income Manhattanites in the development of environmental health and protection policies.

The debate will be co-moderated by West Side Spirit reporter Dan Rivoli and David King, assistant professor of urban studies at Columbia’s School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation.

Topics of discussion will include sustainable transit funding, traffic safety, bike lanes and transportation equity.

The candidates attending include Assembly Member Adriano Espaillat, Mark Levine, Anna Lewis and Miosotis Muñoz.

The debate will be at the Armory Foundation, 216 Fort Washington Ave., at 7 p.m. Voters are invited to attend.

Debate Flier

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Scott Stringer, Manhattan’s Borough President and Upper West Sider, is backing his neighborhood’s favorite son for attorney general. Stringer endorsed Schneiderman Aug. 26 citing his reform credentials and fighting corruption in the State Senate.

“If I only had one reason behind my decision, it is that there is no better candidate who will restore confidence in the government more effectively, more forcefully and with greater independence than Eric Schneiderman,” Stringer said in a statement.

On the heels of his New York Times endorsement, Schneiderman also received the support of Citizens Union, a good government group.

In the Democratic primary, Schneiderman is facing Westchester Assembly Member Richard Brodsky, attorney Sean Coffey, former Superintendent of the  Insurance Department Eric Dinallo and Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice.

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Candidates running to replace Eric Schneiderman in the State Senate laid out their plans to bring reform to a dysfunctional legislative body and constituent services to a geographically large, diverse district.

Adriano Espaillat, Mark Levine, Anna Lewis and Miosotis Muñoz sat with the West Side Spirit to discuss their agenda and why they are the best candidate to represent a district that spans the Upper West Side, northern Manhattan and parts of the Bronx.

Adriano Espaillat, Miosotis Muñoz, Anna Lewis and Mark Levine.

Espaillat is an Assembly member running in a year where the theme in Albany’s legislative races is “throw the bums out.” But Espaillat embraces the 14 years he has spent in the Assembly.

“I have a strong record, one that I’m very proud of,” Espaillat said.

He touts his legislative record in the Assembly and the constituent work he does in his district, which covers Washington Heights, Inwood and Marble Hill.

In Albany, he supported congestion pricing and co-sponsored pro-tenant housing legislation. In his district, he takes credit for boosting enrollment in CUNY and assisting constituents with landlord problems.

In the State Senate, he wants to help West Siders with similar housing issues, ensure marriage equality is passed in New York and help designate West End Avenue as a landmark district.

For this State Senate race, Espaillat has tapped support from Upper West Side elected officials. Schneiderman endorsed him as his successor in the State Senate. Rosenthal and Borough President Scott Stringer, an Upper West Side resident, also support Espaillat. He also has labor endorsements, including most recently the teachers union endorsement.

Even though the support of incumbent politicians might turn off voters sick of Albany, Espaillat boasts of his reform credentials by co-sponsoring Schneiderman’s ethics legislation, supporting independent redistricting of legislative seats and an independent commission to police the Legislature.

He pushed back against claims from his opponents—chiefly Mark Levine—that he will not deliver on reforming the State Senate.

“If anybody sits here and tells you, ‘I’m Don Quixote, I will kill the windmill, and I will reform Albany single-handedly,’ they’re lying to you,” Espaillat said. “It’s going to take some consensus building and someone that really knows the institution and won’t walk around for two years looking for the bathroom.”

But Levine believes voters want a new perspective from their state senator, even if it means looking for the bathroom.

“I see this seat—the Schneiderman seat—as actually a part of a statewide strategy for bringing change,” Levine said. “This seat has to stay in the hands of someone who is independent, aggressive, progressive and reform minded.”

To Levine, there needs to be campaign finance reform before progressive legislation can pass. For example, without public financing of campaigns, state lawmakers are influenced by contributions from industry groups, which killed initiatives like the soda tax or gun control.

As for Espaillat’s support of reform measures as an Assembly member, Levine called them “fig leafs.”

“Very, very weak proposals for reform have won some traction in Assembly and people are running on them as proof of their credentials as reformers,” Levine said. “But they’re pretty easy to see through.”

He also criticized Espaillat after the New York Post reported that a nonprofit the Assembly member funds hired his political allies.

Levine, a Washington Heights resident, won a Democratic district leader position in 2007. In that unpaid party position, he supported and organized for Barack Obama’s presidential primary campaign against New York’s favorite daughter, Hillary Clinton. He turned that network of supporters into the Barack Obama Democratic Club uptown.

His campaign is backed by Democratic clubs and fellow district leaders in the Upper West Side. His campaign was also endorsed by Ronnie Eldridge, a former West Side Council member, and Ruth Messinger, also a former West Side Council member, borough president and 1997 Democratic nominee for mayor.

Outside of politics, Levine, a former educator, was the executive director of Teach For America and a nonprofit that trained staff for after-school programs. He also started a community credit union that gave loans to small businesses.

In the district, he wants to help constituents navigate a difficult state government, which has authority over health, housing and transit issues.

“The legislative battle in Albany, day to day, is incredibly important,” Levine said. “But it doesn’t always touch people’s lives in the way solving a landlord dispute or getting them resources they need from the state would.”

Anna Lewis, an attorney, is the only Upper West Side resident in the race. She is running on her state government experience but says she doesn’t have the baggage of being an incumbent legislator in Albany.

As former counsel to the Assembly’s oversight and investigation committee, she helped draft legislation and reports on abuses from trade schools and contractors that underpaid union workers.

Being a prosecutor in the state’s Health Department, Lewis wants to pass laws that inform consumers of their rights. She wants to make it mandatory for doctor’s offices to have a sign that tells patients they can file a claim online.

“Most people don’t know that exists,” she said. “Being an attorney means I know about the law. I’ve done regulatory law. I know how to read the law, draft the law and that’s a big part of being a legislator.”

Lewis is the only attorney in the race and believes she can be as effective a state senator as Schneiderman, who was a public interest lawyer before entering politics.

Lewis, a former Democratic district leader, said she has community organizing experience like Levine and a legislative background like Espaillat.

“I bring both those things together,” Lewis said. “And I include my experience as a lawyer for the past 25 years.”

Miosotis Muñoz, a former aide to Rep. Charles Rangel and former borough presidents C. Virginia Fields and Messinger, says that, as a parent, she wants to tackle identity theft and Internet predators.

She plans to improve transportation options for seniors and educate them on the rent increase exemption.

“I’d like to give an extra legislative push making sure that there’s enough senior housing,” she said.

Muñoz wants to help immigrants get on a path to citizenship.

For gay rights, she supports same sex marriage but believes there is a lack of attention on hate crimes and bias attacks.

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Eric Schneiderman, the attorney general candidate from the Upper West Side, is out with his first television ad of the campaign.

Titled “Schneiderman Interrupted,” the spot shows the state senator trying to introduce himself to voters but keeps being interrupted by people thanking him for his work.

A woman pushing a stroller thanks Schneiderman for getting drug dealers out of her building–a reference to being counsel to the West Side Crime Prevention Program.

A cop thanks him for keeping illegal guns off the street. A professionally dressed man thanks him for the drug treatment program that kept him out of jail and gave him a “second chance,” a reference to Schneiderman’s work to end the onerous Rockefeller Drug Laws.

Ending the drug laws helped earn him the endorsement of the Amsterdam News, New York’s oldest Black-owned newspapers.

Schneiderman joins attorney Sean Coffey and Kathleen Rice, the Nassau County district attorney, in putting up an ad.

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Attorney General

Richard Brodsky
RichardBrodsky.com
Recent Position: State Assembly member, 1982 to 2010

Assembleyman Richard Brodsky was elected to represent the 92nd Assembly District in 1982 and has served as Chairman of the Committee on Oversight, Analysis and Investigation, as well as Chairman on the Committee on Environmental Conservation. In 2002, Brodsky was appointed Chairman of the Committee on Corporations, Authorities and Commissions. As an investigator, he looked into the use of public funds to build the new Yankee Stadium as well as MTA financing. He also authored the state’s Environmental Protection Fund and the Clean Air Compliance Act. He was first elected to public office in 1975 as a County Legislator from Westchester and spent four terms focused on health care, transportation and tax fairness issues. Brodsky would continue his environmental advocacy in the office of Attorney General as well as “use his vast experience as a reformer to crack down on unfair practices by government agencies.”

Sean Coffey
Coffey2010.com
Recent Position: Partner, Bernstein Litowitz Berger & Grossmann LLP, 1998 to 2009

At Bernstein Litowitz, Sean Coffey was the lead attorney on the infamous WorldCom case, in which he secured more than $6 billion for investors burned by the long-distance telephone company. Now, in his race to be “the people’s attorney,” he says that the victory shows he can take on Wall Street corruption. Coffey was born in the Bronx and entered the Naval Academy at 17. After graduating from Georgetown University Law Center in 1987, he returned to New York and became a litigation associate. In 1991, he was sworn in as an assistant U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, which includes Manhattan. Coffey said he would use his position as attorney general to get nonpartisan redistricting of legislative seats, public financing of campaigns and an independent ethics panel. As attorney general, Coffey said he would file amicus briefs to advance progressive ideals.

Eric Dinallo
EricDinallo.com
Recent Position: State Superintendent of Insurance

As an assistant attorney general under Eliot Spitzer, Eric Dinallo is credited with resurrecting the Martin Act to investigate financial fraud. He led the Investor Protection Bureau and prosecuted abuse on Wall Street. According to him, his deep knowledge of the office’s powers makes him more qualified to enact reform and public integ rity. Dinallo started his career as an assistant district attorney in Manhattan under Robert Morgenthau. Later, as managing director of Global Regulatory Affairs at Morgan Stanley, he led internal reviews and audits to certify that firms complied with regulations to protect customers. Despite handling complex cases, Dinallo wants to use the attorney general’s office to focus on consumer financial issues. He also wants to have a presence in each county to handle New Yorker’s complaints.

Kathleen Rice
KathleenRice.com
Recent position: Nassau County District Attorney, 2005 to present

Kathleen Rice says she can change Albany because she has done it as Nassau County’s district attorney. Elected in 2005 after beating a long-time incumbent, she focused on the drunk-driving “epidemic” in Long Island, which she said led to statewide changes in the DWI law. She also got Wal-Mart and other retailers to change their policy in the wake of the fatal stampede at the Long Island store. Despite prosecuting quality-of-life crimes, she started an economic crime unit to combat predatory lending, mortgage and insurance fraud and tried million-dollar Ponzi schemes. Rice started as an assistant district attorney in Manhattan. She handled domestic violence and gang activity cases. After that she served as a homicide prosecutor in Brooklyn. As attorney general, Rice wants to focus “revenue raising” bureaus, such as the one that detects Medicaid fraud.

Eric Schneiderman
EricSchneiderman.com
Recent position: State Senator, Manhattan/Bronx, 1998 to 2010

One of State Sen. Eric Schneiderman’s greatest achievements in Albany was taking control of the upper chamber from the Republicans, who had stymied progressive legislation for decades. Since taking the majority, Schneiderman, who was first elected in 1998, headed the Codes Committee, which deals with sentencing and justice issues. In that position, he shepherded through the repeal of the onerous Rockefeller Drug Laws.

Schneiderman led the bipartisan panel to expel State Sen. Hiram Monserrate after he was found guilty of assaulting his girlfriend. Legislatively, he introduced gun-control measures and an ethics bill. Schneiderman’s guiding philosophy for the office is equal justice. Schneiderman started his career as a public interest lawyer, and served for more than 10 years as counsel to the West Side Crime Prevention Program. He also acted as lead attorney for the NYPIRG Straphangers Campaign in a series of lawsuits against the MTA.

15th Congressional District

Joyce Johnson
JoyceJohnsonForCongress2010.com
Recent Position: CEO of the Black Equity Alliance

Joyce Johnson says that a life steeped in public service makes her the perfect fit to replace Rep. Charlie Rangel. She has served in a number of capacities, including as the NYS Petition Coordinator and Field Director for the Obama NYC 2008 Presidential Primary Campaign and has worked for Charlie King, Geraldine Ferraro and C. Virginia Field. She spent 17 years working for the beverage giant Seagram’s as national director of equal opportunity. She said that two former runs for office—an Assembly seat in 2002 and City Council in 2005—makes her seasoned and ready to take on the Charlie Rangel “machine.” If elected to Congress, Johnson said she would focus on legislation that makes it easier for women and minorities to start small businesses. Her other focus would be bringing new infrastructure, schools and affordable housing to her district.

Vince Morgan
Morgan4Congress.com
Recent Position: Community Banker, TD Bank

As a community banker who finances affordable housing for city residents and helps banks find areas to invest in communities, Vince Morgan says that he is the best choice to fuel development in the district. He was also a former aide to Charlie Rangel, and Morgan says he jumped into the race for Rangel’s seat because he believes the old guard is at the end of its run. “It may not happen this time around, but keep your eyes on what’s happening in the district,” he said. He also wants to focus on issues surrounding education in the district. Currently Morgan serves as chair of the 125th Street Business Improvement District and on the advisory board of Harlem Biennale, among other organizations. He was also chairman of the Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone.

Adam Clayton Powell IV
PowellForCongress.com
Recent Position: Assemblyman, 68th District

Son of Adam Clayton Powell Jr., who served as congressman in the 15th District from 1945 to 1971 before Charlie Rangel took over the office, Powell IV cut his political teeth serving as a New York City council member from 1992 to 1997. Since 2000, he has represented the 68th Assembly District, which includes parts of the Upper West Side, Harlem and East Harlem. While in the Assembly, he is best known for helping pass the SCRIE (Senior Citizens Rent Increase Exemption) law as well as suing Mayor Bloomberg over a waste transfer station that was supposed to be built next to Asphalt Green on 92nd Street and York Avenue. Powell says that, if elected, his focus would be on the high unemployment rate in his district, to advocate to bring the troops home and to work on sustaining affordable housing in the area.

Charlie Rangel
CharlieRangel.org
Recent Position: Congressman, 15th District

A lion in the House of Representatives, Charlie Rangel has served his district for 40 years, or 19 terms, as the representative from the 15th Congressional District, and has a laundry list of achievements, including being the former chairman on the Ways and Means committee and the author of the Federal Empowerment Zone project to revitalize urban neighborhoods in America as well as the author of the Low Income Housing Tax Credit. Rangel argues that his experience and seniority make him the best to serve the district and has beat back calls for him to step out of the current race while being investigated on 13 fraud charges. Rangel claims that missteps were the result of “sloppy” bookkeeping and has challenged his opponent to prove that he did anything criminally negligible.

Jonathan Tasini
JonathanTasini.com
Recent Position: President of the National Writers Union

Author and former head of the National Writers Union, Jonathan Tasini has made a career out of writing about labor and economic issues and was the lead plaintiff in the electronics rights case against the New York Times concerning how freelancers’ work was used on the Internet. In 2006, he ran an unsuccessful Senate campaign against Hillary Clinton, focusing on her vote regarding the Iraq War. Tasini says that, if elected, he wouldn’t vote for a single dime to fund the Afghanistan War; he would push to vote for the Employee Free Choice Act to strengthen unions; and he would vote against extending the Bush tax cuts.

State Senate–30th District

Bill Perkins
BillPerkins.org
Recent position: State Senator, 30th District, 2006 to present

Elected to the Senate in 2006 after a stint in the City Council, Bill Perkins now chairs the Corporations, Authorities and Commissions Committee. He held hearings throughout the city on eminent domain and charter schools. In running for his third term, Perkins attracted an opponent after criticizing the way charter schools operate. He has since supported a bill that raised the number of charter schools allowed in the state. Perkins is standing behind his constituent work in his re-election campaign and cites support from parents of school children, tenants groups and elected officials throughout the district.

Basil Smikle
SmikleAssociates.com
Recent position: Political consultant, founder Basil Smikle Associates

Basil Smikle is the founder of Basil Smikle Associates, a political strategy firm. Before starting his own company, he worked as a top aide for Hillary Clinton and with the Democratic National Committee. Smikle decided to challenge Senator Bill Perkins over his views on charter schools, and Smikle feels Perkins is out of touch with his constituents. His other focus in the race is on jobs for the unemployed in his district and preserving affordable housing.

State Senate–31st District

Adriano Espaillat
AdrianoForStateSenate.com
Recent Position: State Assemblyman–72nd District, 1996 to 2010

During his 14 years in the Assembly, Adriano Espaillat has supported progressive bills such as marriage equality, congestion pricing and pro-tenant laws, including the repeal of vacancy decontrol. When elected in 1996, Espaillat was the first Dominican-American elected to a State House in the United States. The 31st District stretches along the West Side of Manhattan from the Upper West Side, through Washington Heights and up to Riverdale in the Bronx, and Espaillat has the support of West Side elected officials such as Assembly Member Linda Rosenthal and Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer. Espaillat has worked for his constituency in the district, pushing for landmarks protection and tenants’ rights.

Mark Levine
Levine2010.com
Recent Position: Founder, Neighborhood Trust Federal Credit Union

Mark Levine was elected in 2007 to serve as the Democratic District Leader in Northern Manhattan. In the 2008 presidential election, he ran on Barack Obama’s slate of delegate candidates and the following year founded the Barack Obama Democratic Club of Upper Manhattan. Mark began his career as a bilingual science teacher at JHS 149 in the South Bronx, and he later served as executive director of Teach For America-New York.

He believes that his background as a public school teacher and founder of Neighborhood Trust, a credit union that helps low-income residents obtain loans, makes him the candidate with a finger on the pulse of the district. He said that if elected he would focus on affordable housing, education and strengthening mass transit, as well as non-partisan redistricting, campaign finance reform and creating a more transparent budget process. Levine has been endorsed by Ruth Messinger and Ronnie Eldridge, two former Upper West Side elected officials.

Anna Lewis
AnnaIn2010.com
Recent Position: Attorney, New York State’s Health Department

From 1989 to 1992, Upper West Side resident Anna Lewis served as counsel to the New York State Assembly’s Committee on Oversight, Analysis and Investigation, where she reviewed the implementation of state laws and investigated agencies for fraud. A few years later, she became the first woman to be appointed as assistant chief judge at the NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission. After working for the firm of Ginsberg and Broome, she became a court attorney in the State Supreme and Matrimonial Courts. She currently serves as an attorney with New York State’s Health Department, where she works in medical malpractice cases. Lewis says she wants to tackle several issues, including establishing a more active oversight committee, pushing for marriage equality, affordable housing and healthcare vans, where people would be screened for diabetes to save money for the state.

Miosotis Muñoz
MunozForSenate.com
Recent Position: Founder, M. Muñoz & Associates

Miosotis Muñoz is a community organizer and former staff member for Charlie Rangel and Manhattan Borough presidents C. Virginia Fields and Ruth Messinger. While she was at Alianza Dominicana, a community service organization in Washington Heights, she founded a teen-parenting program that helped adolescent parents return to school by providing them training. Muñoz has a degree in sociology, has focused in social work and has organized several health missions along with the association of local physicians in Upper Manhattan. If elected, she wants to focus on education, healthcare access and affordable housing, strengthen programs that provide tenants representation and improve transportation access for seniors.

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The Wall Street Journal reported comments Rep. Jerrold Nadler made at Rep. Charles Rangel’s 80th birthday bash. The Harlem Congressman is fighting 13 counts of ethics violations.

Rep. Jerrold Nadler, another Manhattan Democrat, said he had read the ethics committee’s charges against his colleague, and “if this were a court of law, most of this would be thrown out, it wouldn’t stand up.”

Read the West Side Spirit’s story on Upper West Democrats’ opinion of Rangel, who faces four opponents in the Sept. 14 primary.

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