Dems celebrate rousing win in Midtown

By CYRIL JOSH BARKER, Amsterdam News Staff

Celebration and jubilation filled the Sheraton Hotel and Towers in Midtown Manhattan as the Democratic Party managed to win several key races on Tuesday night. Supporters and power players filled the ballroom, hobnobbing while preparing for the next four years of strategy to get New York State in order.

Shortly after polls closed, Andrew Cuomo was named the projected winner of the governor’s race. Cuomo pounced his GOP and Tea Party darling opponent Carl Paladino, who set up shop with his own election night party across the street at the Hilton. In the end, Cuomo took 60 percent of the votes.

Tuesday night’s victory party also brought out several winners from the Democratic Party, including Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand and Chuck Schumer, who retained their seats, while Eric Schneiderman was elected state attorney general.

Rangel assailed, but unfazed

Rep. Charles Rangel and former Mayor David Dinkins after the debate in the sanctuary of Convent Baptist Church with its senior pastor, the Rev. Dr. Jesse Williams, and members of the Gang of Six, which sponsored the political debate. (Herb Boyd photo)

By HERB BOYD: Special to the AmNews

There were rumors that Congressman Charles Rangel was not going to participate in the debate with candidates seeking to unseat him, but like so much hearsay surrounding the embattled representative, this was false. Not only did he appear at Convent Baptist Church Monday evening, he sat to the very end, often enduring withering attacks from his opponents.

“We need a new perspective,” said Joyce Johnson, 62, who organized for Obama’s campaign, “there is a sense of urgency” in Harlem she asserted. “They say a woman’s place is in the house—the House of Representatives.”

When moderator Les Payne asked her if Rangel should be sent back to Congress, she said: “I’m sending Joyce Johnson.”

Nonpartisan elections are a no-no for Black, Latino and Asian leaders…and for Bloomberg

By STEPHON JOHNSON: Amsterdam News Staff

Under pressure from Democrats and leaders in communities of color, Mayor Michael Bloomberg has decided to end his push for nonpartisan elections in New York City.

Bloomberg’s administration was unsuccessful in their quest to convince the Charter Revision Commission to put the issue on the ballot during this year’s elections.

With a fear of wealthy candidates dominating future elections, a group of Black, Latino and Asian leaders, as well as unions, came together at City Hall last week to protest the plan to hold a referendum this fall on nonpartisan elections.

The Coalition for Fair and Free Elections, which consists of elected officials and unions like 32BJ and 1199, gathered on the steps of City Hall to air out their grievances over a potential switch to nonpartisan elections, which could put local communities of color at a disadvantage.

Surveying New York’s political landscape: The Race for Governor

By CYRIL JOSH BARKER and STEPHON JOHNSON: Amsterdam News Staff

While most political pundits have been focusing on the federal elections and whether or not the Democrats can retain both the House and the Senate, New York State politics are also heating up.

Statewide, there are battles for the governor’s mansion, attorney general and state comptroller. And the Democrats would like to increase their slim, two-seat majority in the State Senate, and the Republicans want to take back the body they controlled for more than 40 years.

The stakes are high.

Election Day 2010 may shape the next decade-plus of city and state politics for better or worse. The AmNews highlighted some of the more important races and what they mean to our communities in New York City and throughout the state.

THE RACE FOR GOVERNOR
The gloves have been thrown in the gubernatorial election between the Democratic and Independent Party candidate, state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, and the Republican candidate, former Long Island Congressman Rick Lazio. Cuomo chose Rochester Mayor and former Police Chief Robert Duffy as his running mate for lieutenant governor, while Lazio has chosen Greg Edwards.

With hopes to follow his father, former Gov. Anthony Cuomo, polls indicate that Cuomo is beating all Republican challengers interested in running for the seat. Waiting until late May to make his announcement to run, Cuomo previously served as secretary of housing and urban development under former President Bill Clinton’s administration. He ran unsuccessfully in 2002 against former State Comptroller Carl McCall.

New York City Councilman Charles Barron also plans to be on the governor’s ballot for the fall under the Freedom Party banner.

New York County Leader Assemblyman Keith Wright said that Democrats are still cleaning up problems in the state after 12 years of Pataki rule and more than 40 years of Republican control of the Senate.

While jobs are at the top of the list for issues, affordable housing is also a top concern for Democrats living in New York County, according to Wright.

“People are not leaving the Democratic Party,” he said. “People are angry at the BP oil spill, no jobs, education and college tuition. When people take out their frustration, they take it out on the people who are in charge.”

As Gov. David Paterson leaves office and ends his tenure as New York State’s first Black governor, Black voters are concerned about their issues being heard in Albany. Quietly, some Black elected officials are voicing their concern about whether a Cuomo administration will in fact be diverse if he is elected.

For many longtime political watchers, despite his rhetoric, Cuomo’s father’s administration was a disappointment to many African-Americans. And there is the issue of the lack of Blacks running for statewide office in the Democratic Party in this year’s election. Wright blames the lack of color on the failure of Blacks to step forward and run, rather than a lack of recruitment by Democratic Party officials. He said, “In order to be a part of something, it’s like the lottery. You have to be in it to win it.”

But Wright believes that Cuomo will do the right thing and make sure that he has a diverse and demographically representative government if he wins. “Andrew Cuomo is bright and has a history and current sense of public service. I have no doubt that his administration will be diverse,” he said.