Keeping The New City Council
Focused On The Job Of Rebuilding

I am a big fan of the new City Council.

By “new,” I mean that because of term limits about three quarters of the members were elected this past November. Although, I’ve been referring to the number as 36 new members of the total 51, in a phone conversation last week Speaker Giff Miller corrected me and said 38. I’m not sure if my number was wrong or Giff added two members elected in Specials Elections prior to November. It doesn’t matter. This is a brand new Council.

The naysayers who opposed term limits because they wanted to preserve their own jobs cried the City sky would fall if the Mayor, Comptroller, Public Advocate and three quarters of the Council members were all newly elected. Well the naysayers were wrong . . . dead wrong.

Although this writer could spend considerable ink applauding the first three months of the Bloomberg rule, that is not the purpose of this column. This column is about the new Council  – it is alive, well and vibrant. 

I know all the Queens guys and gals . . . some better than others. Some — maybe most — I consider friends. I chat online with Pete Vallone, Jr. regularly. I lunch with David Weprin; have a good relationship with Melinda Katz, speak with Leroy Comrie. Tony Avella has stopped by the office to chat. I’m in touch with Eric Gioia. I’ve known Helen Sears forever and Joe Addabbo, Jr. for more years than I can remember; and likewise, John Liu since he’s been on the scene. I’ve got a relationship with Dennis Gallagher, spent some time with Hiram Monserrate at the Trib holiday party and have chatted with him since. They’re friends — all of them.  I’ve known Jim Gennaro for the past couple of years and although we’ve had our differences, I’d like to consider him a friend, too. Likewise, James Sanders — who I’ve met only once but our staff, have been in touch – and through them, we’ve exchanged messages that lead me to believe he, too, is a friend. Councilman Alan Jennings doesn’t want me as a friend. That’s okay, too.

Now, I use the word “friend” not in the social sense but in the business, political sense. We have common concerns about our borough, our children, and the process of government. We are there to help each other help the borough and its people. We are friends.

I chat occasionally with Giff Miller. We too, share common concerns and goals.

Lew Fidler, one of the new council members from Brooklyn, has been a friend for 20-plus years.

Friend or no friend, I write a column of political commentary judging people on performance, not friendship.

So far, the new council members   are doing one hell of a job. Bravo!

Now I had friends in the previous Council whose performance could never measure up to the new council. Many of the old members were tired, jaded and fat. In spite of the new Council’s learning curve, their work ethic, concern, commitment, vision and unwillingness to accept business as usual, elevates their potential to a level rarely seen in public service.

They appear, for the most part, to be unblemished and unjaded by the usual political celebrity status. Folks like John Liu will have to be careful not to allow his newfound stardom to go to his head. I have lots of individual advice, but not now.

Sadly, their Council received it’s first real blemish when, last week, one of the senior members — Angel Rodriguez — was indicted on charges that he extorted a bribe from a developer, in exchange for his vote and support. The Feds say they have Angel on tape. I’d expect him to be out of the Council shortly.

The lure of money — big money — along with the intoxication of power is the biggest obstacle in the way of the new class of Council members achieving their full potential.  Elected officials are offered perks, gifts, freebies and honors that are unavailable to us mere mortals. And although the group of people is top notch, I’ve seen top-notch people elected to office be so taken with the power and celebrity that they forget their roots and the little people. They’ve been blinded by the limelight.

That’s bad; the money is worse. They start to live big and spend big. They fundraise big. They become beholden to the big contributors, the big spenders and the big lobbyists who buy the big tickets, big gifts and provide lavish dinners. You get the idea.

I hope, I believe — at least I want to believe — that this group, my friends, will for the most part withstand the lure of money and celebrity. They will keep their eyes on the prize — public service. Serving our City and its people is their goal. Advancement and future elective office comes when they work hard, remember the task and do their job well.

I expect them — hopefully all of them — to survive the lure of the fat cats and the fast life. When they do, they will succeed as elective officials. However, to achieve as an elective body, they must do so as a group. That is even more difficult.

Divisiveness, special interests, political, ethnic or special agendas seem to divide legislative bodies causing them to lose focus. This Council already seems to be distracted by issues unimportant to the task at hand.

Before the Bibles on which they were sworn in were back on the shelves, Brooklyn’s Charles Barron called for the portrait of slave owner Thomas Jefferson hanging in City Hall to be replaced by one of Malcolm X — an interesting intellectual debate upon which I choose not to comment at this time, since the overwhelming task of the Council is not really dependent upon the Barron stunt.

Then came the resolutions that furthered the interest of one ethnic or special interest group but had no real relevance on governing our City. This list is by no means all-inclusive, but our Council members spend time, staff time and money on considering the following (My brief comments are italicized.):

Res. No. 6 Condemn Giuliani

Resolution condemning former Mayor Giuliani for his surreptitious negotiation with the City’s baseball teams, granting them huge financial concessions and the promise of $1.6 billion in new ballparks, leaving our City’s taxpayers with crushing obligations to wealthy enterprises.

Sure, this will go far and accomplish a lot. I’m no Rudy fan but he is no longer an issue. Grow up!

Res. No. 7 PLO Terrorist

Resolution urging George W. Bush and the U.S. government to declare the Palestinian Authority and the Palestinian Liberation Organization to be terrorist organizations and close the offices of the Palestinian Authority in the City of New York 

Sure, Bush will say to Powell, “Oh, let’s get the PLO, the NY City Council thinks we should.” Maybe he’ll give us more money for recovery because of this.

Res. No. 12 Death Penalty

Resolution calling upon the Congress to pass bills that call for a temporary moratorium on the imposition of the death penalty while the Federal government and the State consider the various issues affecting its fair implementation.

They’ll certainly jump because the Council, which has a hell of a job rebuilding New York, is spending its time telling Congress what to do.

Res. No. 41 Reparations

 Resolution urging the establishment of a Commission on Queen Mother Moore Reparations for Descendants of Africans in New York City. 

 Let’s see if we can find as many divisive issues as possible to debate instead of focusing on keeping the libraries open longer.

Res. No. 42 Giuliani Great

Resolution praising Rudolph Giuliani, “America’s Mayor,” as one of the greatest mayors in the history of the City of New York.

Well that side wanted to condemn him. We want to praise him. We’re all grown up here, determined to fix what is broken in New York.

 Res. No. 72 Daniel Pearl

Resolution in support of President George W. Bush’s pledge to utilize the full resources of the United States government to apprehend and bring to justice those responsible for the kidnapping and murder of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl.

Daniel Pearl’s kidnapping and murder in Pakistan will go unpunished unless the Council acts. And what about the City budget?

Res. No. 73 Fight Terrorism

Resolution calling upon the U.S. Congress to halt the flow of all consumer products in the United States from nations deemed by the State Department as supporting terrorism.

Thank goodness for this one. Congress needs the Council to direct the war on terrorism. What does the Elks Lodge think?

Res. No. 92 Reparations Day

Declaring March 21, 2002 as “Reparation Awareness Day” and to recognize the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade and Slavery as crimes against humanity. 

Without one white member sponsoring, you can be sure no one was looking to stir up dissent.

Res. No. 100 Airbus Safety

Resolution calling upon the U.S. House of Representatives to hold hearings on the safety of the Airbus A-300-600, other aircraft and the adequacy of pilot training programs.

They can’t fix the schools, but they can run the airlines.

Now, I’m not against many of the above concepts. And I’m an old grandstander from way back. However, this new, wonderful Council class must work together to rebuild and unify our city.

I beseech them, please, don’t waste your time on irrelevant items.

Please avoid non-important issues that divide.

After you fix the City and our kids are all reading on or above level, we will look to you to fix our country and lead the intellectual debates of the day.

Keep your eyes on the prize. Hold on.

Baby Boomer Quiz Answers

1. “Kookie; Kookie; lend me your comb.”

2. The hippies 60’s battle cry was “Turn on; tune in; drop out.”

3. The Lone Ranger left behind a silver bullet. 

4. “You’re the reason I’m traveling on; Don’t think twice, it’s all right.”

5. The group of protesters arrested at the 1968 Chicago Dem convention was known as the Chicago Seven. 

6. When the Beatles first came to the U.S. in early 1964, we all watched them on the Ed Sullivan Show.

7. Some who protested the Vietnam war did so by burning their draft cards.
8. Dick and Jane’s dog was Spot. “See Spot run.” Rumor has it they’ve been replaced in some school systems by Heather and her two mommies.

9. It was the VW Beetle, or more affectiona

tely, the Bug.

10. West Side Story gave us the gang names the Sharks and the Jets.
11. In the early ‘60s, the drop-out, non-conformists were known as beatniks.

12. At the end of “The Life of Riley,” Chester would exclaim, “What a revolting development this is.”

13. “Get your kicks on Route 66.”
14 “The names have been changed to protect the innocent.” (Dragnet).

15. The real James Bond liked his martinis shaken, not stirred.

16. “In the jungle, the mighty jungle, the lion sleeps tonight.”

17. That “adult” book by Henry Miller was called Tropic of Cancer. Today, it would get a PG-13 rating.

18. Back in the sixties, members of the math club used a slide rule.

19. “The Day the Music Died” (American Pie) was a tribute to Buddy Holly.

20. The matching slogan was “Let Hertz put you in the driver’s seat.”

21. After the twist, the mashed potato, and the watusi, the dance under a stick was called the Limbo.

22. “N-E-S-T-L-E-S; Nestles makes the very best....chooo-c’late.”

23. In the late sixties, the “full figure” style gave way to the “trim” look first exemplified by British model Twiggy.

24. The great jazz trumpet player was Queens’ Louis Armstrong.

25. Joe’s regular visitor at the bar was Crazy Googenhiem.

26. The Russians put the first satellite into orbit; it was called Sputnik.

27. A Timex watch takes a licking and keeps on ticking.

28. The large plastic ring that we twirled around our waist was called the hula-hoop.

29. The “Age of Aquarius” was brought into the mainstream in the Broadway musical “Hair.”

30. Red Skelton’s hobo character was Freddie the Freeloader. (Clem Kaddiddlehopper was the “hay seed.”) Red ended his television show by saying, “Good night, and may God bless.”  

Not4Publication.com by Dom Nunziato

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Michael Schenkler can be reached at: MSchenkler@queenspress.com