OTBKB Tidbits: City Council Candidates

In the 39th Council district:

Bob Zuckerman: On Wednesday Bob Zuckerman, candidate for City Council in the 39th district announced his strong support for the nomination of the Gowanus Canal for the National Priorities List, otherwise known as Superfund. Zuckerman, the former Executive Director of the Gowanus Canal Community Development Corporation (GCCDC) and Gowanus Canal Conservancy (GCC) finally decided to back Superfund designation after long deliberation.

In the 33rd Council district:

Jo Anne SImon: One of the cases that Republicans in Congress have used in the past
to hold up Judge Sotomayor's previous nominations and promotions, Bartlet vs NY Board of Law Examiners
was argued by Jo Anne Simon, who is running for City Council in the 33rd district. Below is an excerpt from an editorial/essay that Ms
Simon wrote in support of the Sotomayor nomination:

We need strong, insightful and smart people on the U.S. Supreme Court. 
We need justices that aren’t afraid to look evidence squarely in the
eye, to see through subterfuge and rhetoric, and to see that what is
being sold as “fair” many actually be unfair. 

Judge Sotomayor could have resorted to the New York State’s
simplistic interpretation, but she didn’t.  She worked hard.  She
played fair.  She listened to all the evidence and asked tough
questions.  She did her homework. She showed respect and sensitivity to
everyone in the courtroom.  She had the courage to say to both sides,
“if you’re right, explain how.” 

As attorney for David in this fight against Goliath, I knew we
faced an uphill battle. But I also knew from the moment of our first
appearance in court, that Judge Sotomayor cared about the person behind
the caption.  She cared that her courtroom was a level playing field, a
place where people seeking justice would find it.

That’s what America is all about–fair play.  There is nothing
particularly “liberal” about insisting that a government bureaucracy
not hide behind heartless rules and biased procedures.  In
fact, changing the way bureaucracies operate is part of the change
people voted for in November. 

In these dangerous times, we need justices on our Supreme Court who
are not just the brightest, but the best.  We need Justices who
understand justice.  We need Sonia Sotomayor on the Supreme Court.