Crown Heights PAC Endorses

By Zaki Tamir

For the past few weeks, Crown Heights residents have seen a stream of candidates through the neighborhood looking for votes from Crown Heights residents. With the election only a day away, I want to address the importance that every eligible voter should go out and vote on Tuesday.

There has not been an election of this importance for the community for several years and the results will impact our community in a real way. Before I got involved in the community organizations, I, like many, was amused at the constant barrage of pictures of various candidates and elected officials meeting with community activists. However, most people don’t realize that these visits translate into real benefit to the community.

When a Yeshiva needs help from a City official or when a community member can’t get anyone in a government office to listen to him or her, the personal connections that have been formed during these visits can help cut through red tape and bureaucracy. Our community organizations also benefit from increased attention and funding that results in direct assistance to hundreds of families every year.

In this context I want to compliment Chanina Sperlin. It is impossible to overstate the high regard in which he is held at every level of government, from the White House, to the US Congress, to the Governor’s Mansion in Albany, to City Hall. It is not his eloquence or polish that people respect, it is the fact that he uses his connections to help people and to get things done. Chanina never allows himself to be charmed by high-level visitors. He will always tell them what they can do for the community and make sure they follow through. And he can always get them on the phone when someone in the community needs help.

THE ENDORSEMENTS

Tomorrow is Primary Election Day. Our Political Action Committee has met with most of the candidates and made some recommendations. For the first time also, many of the young working professionals in the community have gotten involved and have begun to understand the political process. This is a good sign for the future of the community and we have tried to coordinate our support with theirs. Tomorrow our vote can actually help elect candidates in many of the races, because they are so close. If we all vote for the candidates endorsed by the PAC, it will make our community much more important to the officials once they get into power.

MAYOR


We are supporting Bill Thompson for Mayor. Bill is a true friend of the community and will be more accessible than any of the other candidates when we call. He is also the only one who has recognized that, in spite of the excesses of the past couple of years (including the meddling with regard to Bris Mila), this City has prospered under Michael Bloomberg and has been well run. Many of us are too young to remember the chaos and crime that existed in this City in the early 1990s. Thompson has resisted the temptation to pander to different groups just to get elected. Crown Heights has come a long way over the past twenty years and Thompson will not send us back to where we were – especially with regard to crime.

CITY COUNCIL
The City Council race for the 35th District, that covers most of Crown Heights, has been a difficult one to call. All the candidates are intelligent, decent people and all have promised to work for Crown Heights if elected.



Nevertheless, Laurie Cumbo has gone the extra mile to understand the issues we face and she has the alliances at all levels of Government to follow through on her commitments. We are asking everyone who lives between Empire Blvd and Sterling Place to vote for Laurie Cumbo.





The new District lines have left residents East of Utica and all the blocks south of Empire and east of Kingston in the 41st District. There, our chosen candidate is incumbent, Darlene Mealy. Darlene has worked hard for community residents both as co-chair of the Brooklyn Delegation and through her District Office led by Arna Lipkind.



PEARL GABEL FOR NEW YORK NEWS

South of Empire and West of Kingston is the 40th District which now includes Sterling St residents. Mathieu Eugene has been an excellent representative of this district and we ask you to vote for him.

COMPTROLLER




MARC A. HERMANN FOR NEW YORK DAILY NEWS


The Comptroller manages the City’s money. Scott Stringer has shown himself to be the level headed hard worker that you need in such a crucial position. Though he got a late start in the campaign, he has surged in the last week or two and he has received the endorsement of most of the frum community. We agree with Rabbi Shea Hecht who announced his support for Stringer and we urge you to vote for him.

BROOKLYN DISTRICT ATTORNEY



Ruth Fremson/The New York Times

This was a difficult race for me because of my close personal ties to the incumbent Charles Hynes. On the other hand there is a large segment of the community that is upset at his handling of certain high-profile cases in the community. In deference to the strong feelings of certain PAC members, we are not making an official endorsement in this race – not Hynes or Ken Thompson.

Disclaimer
Please be advised that the above endorsements come as a result of discussions and decisions made in my capacity as a member of the Political Action Committee of Crown Heights (aka PAC) an organization dedicated to the support of politicians expected to be responsive to our community. My membership in the PAC is completely independent of my position on the board of The CHJCC. Be advised that the CHJCC is a legal not-for-profit organization pursuant to sect. 501 (c)(3), and as such makes absolutely no endorsements whatsoever.