“I feel great,” Lander told the Brooklyn Paper at Johnny Mack's after the results came in. He won 70% of the vote for the City Council seat in the 39th and was celebrating at the Park Slope bar on 8th Avenue and 13th Street. “I’m thrilled and honored. And can’t wait to get to work.”
One of his opponents, David Pechefsky, told the Brooklyn Paper that he was proud to have “talked about real
issues,” such as the Council’s corrupt member-item slush fund.
And his Republican challenger, Joe Nardiello? He's still giggling about his fake parking ticket/flyer's criticizing Lander's support of residential parking permit, which many locals found very annoying.
I haven't heard from Steve Levin yet. He did, however, leave a note of gratitude on his website. And first and foremost: he thanked his old boss Assemblyman Vito Lopez
“Giggling”?… you must be kidding.
Clearly, whomever wrote this doesn’t understand the intensity and sincerity of the effort.
Most of the volunteers of the Joe Nardiello campaign were staunch Democrats — who were impressed at the level of dedication and no-holes barred work ethic of the campaign. Obama Democrats. NO ONE WORKED HARDER THAN JOE NARDIELLO FOR THIS COUNCIL RACE from June to November with a true grassroots, breathrough effort that created the 1st GOP primary in history, and by running as a Republican set off many Democrats to either think progressively, or be faced with the same old way of party machine politics that will deliver exactly what was accomplished across the last 8 years.
Ask yourself, as you move along whether you will accept the “excuse” that the economy was too tough to get anything done… or that Bloomberg wasn’t working with them, etc. etc. — fact are, we just don’t elect real leaders. We like our politicians to be packaged, machine Democrats. And we not only get what we pay for…
This year, we PAY FOR what we get.
The ‘laughing’ reported was GOOD NATURED fun among the volunteers (again, most Democrats), specifically about the level of audacity (remember that word?) that was shown, being the Message was taken directly to drivers (although partisans sought to decry the delivery vs. the clear message it relayed). Maybe because of the “republican” label blinding our local editors — our newspapers all but IGNORED the backroom game of our local elected ‘leaders’ in their designs to tax us during YEAR 3 of the GREAT RECESSION without a second thought. Therefore, you get a another significant new tax, that harms business — go ahead and talk about what can be done, etc. etc. to help businesses, as there’s no local elected official with an ounce of understanding of profit/loss, management, marketing or economics… to float two NEW taxes above and beyond all the increasing costs that families/residents now content with (housing, energy, food, transportation, etc.).
In October, under cover of darkness… the MTA was allowed, by law to TAX many 10,000s of citywide small businesses to fund our INEPT MTA management, and countless fatcat bureaucrats that live outside of NYC, and don’t even bother to ride the system.. go ahead and talk to the many locals that paid $70 to $170 for an unexplained new annual tax to fund the MTA.
Now…
When there’s a tax coming for owners of cars that will have a frustrating effect. It’s a result of backroom deals and endorsements. And the media kept a blind eye to it. All except the one candidate that would NOT accept that. Flippant reporting from the Gothamist and NY Daily News focused on the method of delivery (the faux ticket) — instead of either the message (absurd new tax) or the messenger, who would fight on any level to defend our residents and turn on the light vs. what most everyone loathes about politicians that take salary from, but forget whom they are serving.
In fact, most of the VOTERS of Joe Nardiello for Council were Democrats and Independents, as only 18-20% of registered GOPers actually came out to vote (displeased with Bloomberg & Thompson) and therefore, Joe Nardiello received 2,000+ votes from registered voters that understood party lines need to be crossed for good government, vs. backroom dealing and the replication of what promises far more than it delivers, term after term.
Not bad from a candidate that took $0 from the $6-to-$1 public tax revenue, purposefully to demonstrate an honest effort can come from the heart of the community to improve what the office can deliver (public funds, that most other candidates now simply can pocket without any questions asked).
Giggling? Quite the opposite.
How about readying the noose for each of the elected officials that try to finesse their way through this new tax.