You can't endorse all the candidates. Even former presidential contender Howard Dean looked a tad silly when he made his double endorsement of Josh Skaller and Brad Lander in the 39th district.

Wouldn't it be great if you could mix them all together and make a bionic City Councilman, who would combine the very best qualities of each of these exceptional candidates? 

We could call him: JoJohBoBradary

JoJohBoBradary would have:

–Josh Skaller's forthright progressive views, commitment to community based development and fierce opposition to Bruce Ratner's Atlantic Yards project;

–Bob Zuckerman's integrity and willingness to think creatively;

–Brad Lander's statesman-like demeanor and expertise as a city planner and affordable housing advocate;

–Gary Reilly's idealism, transportation wonkiness and small town honesty;

–John Heyer's personality and ability to connect with the voters;

I know, I know: you can't create a bionic City Councilmember. So here's another idea: 

Wouldn't it great if we could send all of them to the City Council? For that matter, let's send David Pechefsky, too, the Green Party candidate who has thought deeply about reform in a City Council much in need of reform.

The six candiates could share the job. Then we'd have six smart politicians working the district that covers Carroll Gardens, the Gowanus, Park Slope, Windsor Terrace, Kensignton and Borough Park.

Actually, this sounds like one of Bob Zuckerman's famous "out-of-the-box" ideas. He's the guy who came up with the  Zuckmoblile, a mobile City Council office and proposed a shuttle bus that goes from one end of the district to the other.

I loved his willingness throughout the race to think creatively.

Any one of these men would make a great City Council member. Even the conservative John Heyer—whose deplorable views on abortion and same sex marriage I passionately disagree with— wouldn't be terrible in the seat (but he won't get my vote. Sorry John).

But a choice must be made. When I walk into the voting booth on Tuesday I have to pick one candidate,  I can't push every tab. That would probably break the voting machine.

And it would be irresponsible. Every vote counts in this race, a race which may well be won by less than 200 votes.

As I see it and this is anecdotal and not scientific: Brad Lander and Josh Skaller are neck in neck with John Heyer or Bob Zuckerman close behind. Gary Reilly is clearly in last place but must be applauded for building a strong base of support in his first ever political campaign. He's smart, likable and ethical and we'll almost certainly be hearing from him again maybe as head of the Department of Transportation one day (Gary, what do you think?).

For me it is a choice between Brad Lander and Josh Skaller much as I respect and admire Bob Zuckerman and Gary Reilly.

So it's time to go with my gut. And my gut hurts trying to make this final decision. But as I said: a choice must be made.

Until a week ago I was pretty much set on Brad Lander. But I must say the Der Blatt brouhaha threw me a bit. It's hard to imagine that Lander didn't know that one of his campaign associates placed an ad with a homophobic message in a Yiddish newspaper popular with voters in Borough Park. It was obviously a mistake and a low point of the campaign.

That said, I am willing to give Brad Lander the benefit of the doubt and hope that he has learned from this mistake.

From early in the race, I have admired Brad's intelligence, his enthusiasm, his ability to speak articulately about community development, affordable housing, education, transportation, quality of life and other issues of concern to the voters.

I think Brad has a statesmen-like quality and great leadership skills that inspire respect and optimism. I think he's a team player and a consensus builder. I know that he loves this district and has devoted practically his entire life to issues of urban planning and affordable housing.

While I admire Skaller's willingness to be forthright and intuitive about issues like Atlantic Yards and Superfund combined with his background in community activism, I think this is Lander's moment to lead. That is why I am endorsing Brad Lander in the 39th.

I wish Lander luck, learning, integrity and a willingness to speak truth to power as he embarks on what will almost certainly be a stellar career in the City Council.

And to the other candidates: you were an incredible group and I thank you for making this such a hard choice.