The Inside Political Scoop
Or Eenie, Meenie, It's John Sabini

REALITY CHECK: We can’t figure him out. Jeff Gottlieb bailed out of last year’s race in the 24th Council District when he claimed Dem County Leader Tom Manton told him that Dan Hevesi wasn’t going to rerun for his State Senate this year and it would be Gottlieb’s, while Barry Grodenchik was Manton’s choice for the Council.

Well, Grodenchik lost to Jim Gennaro who just plain outworked him. That might not have been the case with the driven Gottlieb who at times has difficulty grasping reality, as was the case in buying into the alleged Manton scenario. Hevesi we believe would be rerunning except, as a result of redistricting, no longer has a seat of his own.

Gottlieb presently struggles to keep himself in check as he serves as a staffer for Council Finance Chair David Weprin.

Now, it seems, Gottlieb may need another big reality check. Reports have the political operative who was cast out by the Hevesi organization holding secret meetings to put together an Assembly challenge against the ever-popular Nettie Mayerson (is there really an “h” in her name?).

When asked if he plans to run, Gottlieb offered “no comment.”  

Alan Hevesi, Hiram Monserrate, Archie Spigner, Brian McLaughlin, Joyce Shepard, John Sabini.

Nettie and her Stevenson Dem Club did demonstrate vulnerability in the Grodenchik Council flop but would  Nettie lose in a district with Pomonok and Electchester as its heart? You gotta be kidding. All Gottlieb is accomplishing is increasing his rather large list of enemies.

Nettie is here to stay or until she tries to hand the seat over to her co-leader Grodenchik who, by the way depending on final lines, may have to move back into the newly drawn district if he wants to be eligible for his leadership role or to ever try to replace Nettie in the Assembly. Now that Barry has demonstrated campaign vulnerability, look to Nettie and the Dem organization to try to hand him the seat in a Special Election — probably sometime in the next several years. In a Special, the District Leaders pick the party candidates. While, in a “real election,” there is a Primary where all enrolled party voters would elect the Democratic candidate. Party insiders would be afraid that an “outsider” might come along and take it away from Grodenchik again.

However, that’s down the road a piece and what do I know anyway?

ATTENDANCE COUNTS! And is that why Lois Marbach was removed as a member of the Community Board 11? You bet it is.

To those involved in the whisper campaign suggesting that her left-of-center leaning or handling of non-organization candidates had something to do with it, both Borough Hall and Marbach disagree.

Beep Marshall didn’t reappoint Marbach because of attendance. Lois missed nine out of 10 meetings of the Community Board last year (15 out of the last 20 over two years) and should have had her head cut off because of it. Hey Lois, you should have resigned. Running political campaigns is not an excuse for not showing up. But to Marbach’s credit, when asked about her removal she said she did not want to make an issue out of it and told us, “My attendance was bad, so I was not reappointed. There’s really not much else to say about it.”

Deputy Beep Karen Koslowitz told us, “Lois was absolutely not the only one [removed because of attendance]. There were others, but I don’t know [who] off hand.” Koslowitz promised to get us names. We’re waiting.

So to those suggesting otherwise, lighten up. Borough President Helen Marshall has done the right thing by removing from the Community Board someone who didn’t do the job. Just because Claire Shulman didn’t enforce attendance standards it doesn’t mean they should continue to be ignored. And if you can show us others who are still on Boards but not showing up without legitimate reasons, we’ll print their names and send them to the Beep.

Bravo Helen!

PAYBACK IS A BITCH: In spite of his claims to the contrary, everyone in the know is whispering loudly at the fate of State Senator Dan Hevesi at the hands of the Republican Senate majority redistricting mappers.

Hevesi, to the very end is yelling he could have won the seat from Democratic colleague Toby Stavisky but has decided not to rerun.

The son of the former City Comptroller was originally remapped by the G.O.P. into a district with Democrat  Stavisky. While Toby and company solidified her position, built on coalitions for the potential face off with Hevesi, she and her skilled political consultant son Evan – creative force of the up and coming Parkside Group, insiders say – also tried to woo those folks on the other side of the aisle (Republican Senate Hoohahs).

Hevesi Junior, on the other hand postured he could win the face off, the Republican move was outrageous and he’d prevail in court. The GOP Senate leadership, we are told, was fed up with the “kid’s arrogance” and let him have it. Bang!

From the newly mapped district shared with Stavisky, they removed 11,000 people from Forest Hills who would likely be in the Hevesi camp and replaced them with folks responsive to the Stavisky coalition.

With the pro-Stavisky modification, published reports had Hevesi exploring the possibility of running in the 10th Senate district which is composed of a majority of minority residents but is an all-Queens district drawn for less than gentle Brooklyn Senator Ada Smith.

However, in a year where Dan’s father needs all the friends he can get as he tries to save a political career with a run for State Comptroller, the younger Hevesi, even though he denies it, took the easy way out.

The Senate G.O.P. clearly targeted and got him while Albany insiders tell us he brought it on himself.

We know Dan was as unhappy working with the Republican majority as they were with him. Perhaps it’s all for the best.

We wish him well.

OUTSIDE THE INNER CIRCLE? Speaking about Hevesi, one astute longtime Hevesi backer recently sat with us and poured over the program of the Inner Circle political spoof fundraiser put on by the City press corps. Carefully reading which reporter played which character, the Hevesi backer for some four decades shook his head and said, “They have Green, Vallone, Ferrer, but no Hevesi. The press doesn’t think he’s important enough to have fun with, and the guy is supposed to be the frontrunner for Comptroller. He’s doing it again. He’s listening to the same people who guided him wrong last time. He spends his time raising money while Bill Mulrow is out there eating his lunch.”

Last year, Alan Hevesi moved from perceived frontrunner to last place in the four-way Mayoral race. He entered the State Comptroller race with pundits saying it was his to lose. Well, Westchester’s Bill Mulrow is doing his best to help Alan achieve that.

Last week, Forest Hills first lady Gerry Ferraro, former friend of Hevesi and original co-anchor of Alan’s home political club, endorsed Mulrow who seems to be picking off more folks than you’d expect in Alan’s backyard.

Friends of the elder Hevesi are worried that his present campaign seems sadly bogged down with the same “all you gotta do is raise money,” attitude that saw him drop in last year’s Mayoral poll.

By the way, this office regularly is contacted by the Mulrow campaign while we haven’t heard from our old friend Alan since the Mayoral campaign.

Is it déjà vu all over again for Hevesi?

IS IT SHEER MADNESS? Talk about crazy; hold on to your hats!

Is it just another wolf in sheep’s clothing? Erratic community activist Joyce Shepard is trying to build a bigger mosquito swatter.

Word has it that the former Catskills performer, former council candidate, social working, malathion-fighting, wrong-righting, on- (or maybe over-) the-edge community radical is laying the groundwork for a new publication called “Queens Alternative.” We’re told she’s exploring a northeast Queens and Great Neck vehicle to spread her word. Not only that, we hear that the aspiring newspaperwoman is also toying with a Russian paper in Forest Hills. 

One journalist contacted by Shepard told us that she apparently came into some money and this is how she plans to spend it. Rather than taking Shepard up on an offer to join her new venture, he decided to get the flock out of here.

Since writng this item, a published report has confirmed much of our speculation. It also informs us that Shepard’s paper will be salmon in color.

Nothing fishy about that? Hmmm!

Good luck, Joyce.

ARCHIE IS NO JUGHEAD: We said we’d tell you where they landed if we heard of the big money firms attracting those who were term limited out of office. Here’s one.

Archie Spigner who has already landed a part-time “advisory and consulting” gig with Carlysle Towery’s Greater Jamaica Development Corp. has joined the law firm of Sheldon Lobel. Archie is not an attorney.

Lobel is a big time zoning and variance lawyer who represents many of the wealthy developers in getting their projects approved by the City. He is said to be one of the guys to hire when you have a touchy development project that is opposed by the Community Board but want City Planning Commission approval. Shelly Lobel is a top-notch land use lobbyist-attorney.

Archie, former deputy majority leader of the City Council as well as its former chair of the Committee of Housing and Buildings, is in a perfect position to add to Lobel’s influence. He’s going to be doing what many former elected officials do: using connections and years of experience gained while serving the public to make money on the other side, influencing the process.

There’s nothing wrong with it here in the City; it’s all legal.

POWER STRUGGLE? Is there a backroom deal brewing between Queens Council Latino dynamo Hiram Monserrate and Queens Assemblyman and Labor powerbroker Brian McLaughlin?

Monserrate has handpicked Julissa Ferreras, his 20-something female campaign manager, to stake her claim on the new Assembly seat drawn as a Jackson Heights-Latino seat. Jose Peralta, the man who heads up Central Labor Council’s immigration desk, has the blessing of McLaughlin.

With a newly-drawn Senate seat and four district leaderships also up for grabs in the area, can Hiram and Brian come to an accommodation to avoid a head-on collision?

Insiders tell us they are talking about it.

EENIE MEENIE, IT’S JOHN SABINI! While Hiram and Brian may be negotiating away the newly-drawn 13th Senatorial district — supposedly drawn for a Latino — who will really wind up being the voters’ choice?

John Sabini who was term limited out of his Jackson Heights Council seat, is staking his claim as frontrunner. The likeable, long-time political pro has methodically and quietly claimed the seat building on his years first as a political operative — I remember him with Congressman Jim Scheuer — then as a party and elected official.

Gee, when you write “long-time” and make Sabini sound old, what are you saying about yourself? I remember John Sabini back in the days . . .

Well, it looks like the young multi-cultural old-timer might be headed for Albany claiming the newly drawn Latino Senate seat.

Stay tuned.

Column contributor: Angela Montefinise

Not4Publication.com by Dom Nunziato

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