That's all I know.
The endorsement meeting was last night at Long Island College Hospital. I hear candidate Gary Reilly made a great speech and wish I could have heard it.
So here's the big news: the Independent Neighborhood Democrats (IND), a Democratic club started 30 years ago by anti-Vietnam War activists (and those interested in the revitalization of Carroll Gardens) endorsed John Heyer for City Council in 39th district and Jo Anne Simon in the 33rd.
In the 39th district, the IND choice for City Council candidate came down to Bob Zuckerman, an openly gay candidate who runs the Gowanus Conservancy and John Heyer, an assistant to Borough President Marty Markowitz and a funeral director at Scotto's Funeral Home. A fifth generation Carroll Gardener, Heyer is a local historian with an interest in preserving the character of Brooklyn neighborhoods. A devout Catholic, he is personally against abortion and same sex marriage.
Heyer took the club's endorsement. Individuals in the club, howerver, are obviously free to vote their conscience in the primary. But what's notable here: a local progressive Democratic group endorsed a pro-life, anti-same-sex marriage candidate. In Brownstone Brooklyn no less.
More later.
Maybe you need to move! There are no bars around the perimeter of Carroll Gardens and you are obviously unhappy of where you live. The beauty of this great country of ours is that our choices are infinite. You do not have to pay dues, you do not have to befriend the Scottos and you do not have to live in Carroll Gardens. By the way, if you feel so strongly about this, do not write about it anonymously in a blog, have the courage to say it at a meeting in person.
He got 52% of the Buddy Scotto pack-the-house vote. The real progressives of the club did NOT endorse Heyer. And we’re starting to wonder why we pay dues to IND. Scotto really over-reached this time. Maybe it’s time for a new club in the neighborhood, because Heyer and Buddy Scotto’s IND belong to a past most of us wish we could forget.