Public Employee Press

ELECTION 2013
Democratic Primary
Green Machine hits the streets
By ALFREDO ALVARADO

From Staten Island to the congested streets of downtown Flushing, DC 37's army of activists hit the five boroughs bright and early to get New Yorkers to the polls for the Democratic Party primary election on Sept. 10.

At the union's Rochdale Village election headquarters in South Jamaica, 300 members of NYC Lifeguards Local 461 and Supervisors Local 508 joined union retirees and hit the streets to leaflet and get out the vote on behalf of union-backed candidates.

"I had to be here to support our candidates," said Barbara Davison, a retiree from Local 1549. Davison spent her morning shift with a team of volunteers leafleting in front of August Martin High School, and she worked the phone banks at union headquarters earlier in the day.

"Our volunteers have really stepped up with our get-out-the-vote campaign," said Political Analyst Khalia Kweli, of the union's Political Action Dept. as she signed in volunteers at the Jamaica headquarters and assigned volunteers to their evening shifts.

The union's rallies and phone banking operations helped two-thirds of the DC 37-endorsed candidates win their elections. But in the most important contest, New York City Comptroller John Liu lost his battle to become the Democratic Party's mayoral candidate in the November general election against Republican candidate Joseph Lhota.

Liu was the only candidate in the field of Democrats who supported giving city workers retroactive pay increases. City workers have been without a raise for four years and some even longer. An aggressive watchdog as comptroller, Liu uncovered the massive overspending in the CityTime project, which led to criminal indictments of contractors and a half-billion-dollar repayment to the city.

Springer supports union

In other races, City Council member Gale A. Brewer, who was endorsed by the union, won her bid to become the Democratic candidate for Manhattan Borough President with 39.7 percent of the vote. Brewer was one of several candidates who participated in get-out-the-vote rallies at the union. "You are the backbone of this city," she told members at a July 26 rally at union headquarters. "You know what it takes to make this city work."

Manhattan Borough President Scott Springer, also backed by the union, won his primary election for comptroller with 52 percent of the vote and will be facing off against Republican John Burnett in November.

"I will watch out for working people," pledged Springer at the July 26 rally. "I remind people every day that labor saved this city from bankruptcy," in the '70s financial crisis.

Brooklyn City Council member Letitia James garnered 35.9 percent of the votes in her race for public advocate. The union-backed candidate will face Daniel Squadron in a runoff on Oct. 1.

New voices in City Council

In City Council races, newcomer Antonio Reynoso defeated Vito Lopez by double digits in Brooklyn's 34th C.D., and Melissa Mark-Viverito, whose East Harlem 8th C.D. was expanded to include a part of the Bronx, also won. Brooklyn Council member Mathieu Eugene won his election in the 40th C.D. and Council member Inez Barron won in the 42nd C.D.

Among the 20 newcomers to the City Council is Robert Cornegy, who won his election to represent the 36th C.D. in Brooklyn. After serving in the New York State Assembly, Rory Lancman will now represent the 24th C.D. in Queens in the Council, Vanessa Gibson moves from the Assembly to the Council, representing the 16th C.D. in the Bronx, and Alan Maisel will now represent the 46th C.D. in Brooklyn.