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politics
By John Toscano

Mayor Makes Rounds Of Queens’ St. Pat’s Parades

Mayor Michael Bloomberg got a mixed reaction at last Sunday’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Woodside and Sunnyside, something like the results of the most recent poll of his performance taken by Quinnipiac University, whose results were published last week.

The mayor also marched in Saturday’s parade in the Rockaways, and is scheduled for a third St. Pat’s Day appearance in Queens next Thursday, March 13, as guest speaker at the Queens Chamber of Commerce usually well attended St. Patrick’s Day Luncheon. This year the event will be held from noon to 2 p.m. at Terrace on the Park in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park.

The mayor is also ready to march in the main event on Monday, March 17 up Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, although members of the gay community are asking him to boycott it because gays are not allowed to participate.

The mayor had lots of company from Queens councilmembers in the past weekend’s parades. Councilmember Joseph Addabbo Jr. (D–Ozone Park/Rockaways) was at the Rockaway event. On Sunday, Queens Councilmember Helen Sears (Jackson Heights), Eric Gioia (Woodside/Sunnyside) and Hiram Monserrate (Corona) were in the march, as was Council Speaker Gifford Miller, city Comptroller William Thompson Jr. and United States Senator Charles Schumer.

Surely the mayor didn’t seem bothered by occasional booing and some nasty signs at the Woodside event. He said he was "glad everyone can come and march in this parade—I wish all parades were that way," which seemed to be a message to the Manhattan parade organizers.

The Quinnipiac Poll released last Wednesday showed fairly broad approval for the man who was the main force behind the recent 18.5 percent real estate tax increase. The poll said the mayor had the approval of 48 percent of those polled and 60 percent of whites polled.

On the negative side, Bloomberg has lost support in Queens and in Staten Island, the two boroughs he won in his 2001 election victory, and about half the blacks and Hispanics polled disapprove of his performance.

The poll also revealed that if the 2005 election were held now, any Democrat would defeat the mayor by a 48 percent to 27 percent margin.

However, we’re quite sure those percentages would start changing after the billionaire candidate takes the rubber band off his $4.8 billion bankroll.

MAYOR DEFENDS PAY RAISE: Also over the weekend, the mayor defended the $26,000 pay raise he gave to Deputy Mayor Mark Shaw of Bayside. The increase brings the salary of highest ranking individual in the administration to $194,999. The raise drew a lot of flack from the municipal labor unions, whose members have been threatened with layoffs if the unions do not come across with $600 million in give-backs to the city to help close a $3.4 billion budget gap.

BIG BUCKS FUNDRAISER FOR NOLAN: Assemblymember Catherine Nolan (D–Ridgewood) is having a fundraiser next Thursday, March 13, with Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, Queens Democratic chieftain Thomas Manton, and Borough President Helen Marshall as the main sponsors.

Nolan, hoping to fill her campaign treasury reserve, has set the bar for contributions at $500 (benefactor), $250 (sponsor), and $150 (supporter). By the time the 2004 election rolls around, Nolan will have served for 20 years in the Assembly, during which she has become one of the more influential and powerful members of the Democratic majority.

We don’t see any problem for her winning a new term if she runs for it, as is expected. Always a very popular representative, she gained even more popularity with her spirited fight to retain an all-Ridgewood city council seat.

That battle appears lost as of the moment, but Nolan and her supporters haven’t accepted as final the new lines announced by the Districting Commission last week, which moved a portion of Ridgewood, Queens into the council seat which is predominantly made up of Ridgewood, Brooklyn.

PLEDGE TO CONTINUE REDISTRICTING FIGHT: Following the Districting Commission’s announcement, Karl Wilhelm of the Coalition for A United Ridgewood declared his group would continue its effort to keep all of Ridgewood, Queens in that borough’s council seat.

The final step in certifying the new lines came yesterday when the plan was submitted to the city clerk and the Board of Elections. However, it must still be approved by the U.S. Department of Justice, which will decide if the new districts conform to civil rights guidelines. This will be where the Coalition for A United Ridgewood will make its last stand.

CROONER MOANIN’ OVER SCHOOL CUTS: A familiar, voice has joined the chorus against Governor George Pataki’s proposed $478 million cut in aid to New York City schools. Crooner Tony Bennett, a founder of the Frank Sinatra High School for the Arts, to be built in Astoria, joined recently with a group of business leaders in urging the governor not to follow through with the cutback.

In a letter, they recognized that these are difficult times, but said the state’s fiscal crisis should not impede current public school reforms.

WEINER TOPS WITH PARKS GROUP: The National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) says Congressmember Anthony Weiner (D–Queens/Brooklyn) has one of the top voting records regarding protecting precious, historic resources, so they’ve voted him a "Friend of the National Parks" award. Weiner responded, "I am blessed to represent a district that includes Gateway National Park, one of the crown jewels of the national park system. Fighting to preserve our glorious open spaces will continue to be a priority."

SILVER LEANS TO LIEBERMAN: Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, the state’s most powerful Democrat by virtue of his key position in formulating the state budget, has become the first Democratic leader in the state to declare a preference for a presidential candidate, and he has chosen U.S. Senator Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut.

Lieberman, who was Al Gore’s running mate in 2000, was chosen by Silver for his general ability and for his proven record on foreign affairs and domestic affairs. Silver added, "Whether there liberal positions or conservative positions, Joe Lieberman has shown that he’ll call things as he sees them."

Lieberman ranked highest among New York state Democrats in a recent poll, followed by Senator John Kerry (Massachusetts). Trailing were Rev. Al Sharpton and Congressmember Richard Gephardt (Missouri).

Silver noted he has a longtime close relationship with Lieberman, who like Silver is an Orthodox Jew.

FAREWELL TO LIBS: The once powerful New York State Liberal Party called it quits last week, ending an almost 60 year era during which it helped to elect John Kennedy as president, Averill Harriman governor, and John Lindsay and Rudolph Giuliani mayor.

In large part, the crushing blow for the Libs, which had been declining in power over a period of years, came when Andrew Cuomo dropped out of last year’s governor’s race, declining to run on the Liberal line after he dropped out of the Democratic primary.