New York State Focus: I am co-hosting THREE Fundraisers in January

Joy and I are going to be helping fundraise for three New York State candidates who are really good people. And I want to spend some time introducing/re-introducing each of them.

39th City Council District, Brooklyn: Josh Skaller

First, let me introduce a good friend of ours who I have not highlighted before: Josh Skaller. Josh is running for New York City Council (39th district in Brooklyn, replacing Bill deBlasio). Josh is a really good friend and is one of the most honest, upstanding people I have ever met...certainly well above the average for Brooklyn politics. A progressive and a reform minded Democrat, Josh is a real grassroots candidate.

Josh Skaller is President of Central Brooklyn Independent Democrats (CBID), a club my wife is on the board of. He also serves as a board member and Field Director of Democracy for New York City (DFNYC), part of Howard Dean's grassroots legacy. It was through these two organizations that I first got to know Josh, though we have since become buddies apart from politics.

Unlike most City Council candidates, Josh stands outside a political system that rewards predatory developers who buy their way into the hearts of our elected officials. Josh believes that unchecked development threatens the beauty and integrity of our neighborhoods, overtaxes public services from transportation to schools and health care, and places an incalculable burden on our fragile ecology. Josh believes that we must never again be caught off-guard by developers who work in secret to draft grandiose projects that are dropped without warning on an unprepared public. Working with other progressive legislators, he is drafting a comprehensive plan with strict guidelines for developers. The guidelines will explicitly ban such covert tricks as eminent domain abuse and “blight analysis,” and the use of tax-exempt bonds to benefit for-profit companies.

Joy and I will be hosting a fundraiser for Josh Skaller on Thursday, January 10th, 6-9 PM. This will be a chance to meet and talk with Josh in a small group. We would appreciate a $25 contribution to Josh's campaign, but the main thing is to give you a chance to meet Josh. The event will be at our apartment, 195 Garfield Place, bell #11, Park Slope, Brooklyn. You can email me at mole333_at_gmail_dot_com for more info and to RSVP.


New York City Public Advocate: Norm Siegel

Marjorie Gersten, Joy and I will be hosting a fundraiser for former executive director of the New York Civil Liberties Union (195-2000), Norman Siegel, who is running for NYC Public Advocate. I can think of no one better suited to be our Public Advocate than Norm Siegel. Essentially, Norm has already been New York's unelected Public Advocate for years, standing up for the protesters against the Republican Convention and standing up for the rights of all New Yorkers when no one else seems willing. Norm Siegel's credentials go WAY back. He even spearheaded the NY State campaign for to impeach Richard Nixon!

We will host a fundraiser for Norm on Sunday, January 6th, 4:00 to 6:00pm at Marjorie's house, 50 Willow St, in Brooklyn Heights. For those who don't know her, Marjorie is a nationally recognized advocate for verified voting and a long-time grassroots advocate. Suggested Contribution: $25, though again, the main point is to have a chance to meet Norm. Drinks & Refreshments will be served. Please RSVP to Theresa at 212-448-6271 or NYCNormanSiegel@aol.com

You can read more about my impressions of Norm Siegel here and here.


3rd State Senate District (Suffolk County): Jimmy Dahroug

Jimmy came within a hair's breadth of winning this State Senate seat in 2006 with very little money or support from the state party. This time around he is raising money like crazy and his chances of winning are high. In 2006 Jimmy Dahroug's race was one of the two closest State Senate races in the state...which means if we want to win those two seats that keep Joe Bruno able to block real governing of New York Jimmy's race is one of the ones we have to win. The NY-13 Congressional Seat and the SD-3 State Senate seats are likely to be two heavily targeted races in 2008, if all goes well.

The time I met Jimmy Dahroug was at a fundraiser where Jim Dean himself (Howard Dean's brother and head of Democracy for America) introduced Jimmy. You can read about my first meeting with Jim Dean and Jimmy Dahroug here.

I have agreed to join the host committee for a fundraiser for Jimmy Dahroug on Wed. Jan 9th (yes, one day before Josh Skaller's fundraiser on the 10th!) at the home of Bonnie Maslin in Manhattan. More info will be forthcoming, but if you are interested in coming, you can email me at mole333_at_gmail_dot_com or contact the Dahroug campaign at 631-434-5623. Tell them Mole333 sent you!

I hope to see you all at one or more of these events!