David Greenfield, the City’s new Councilmember hailing from Borough Park, got into it with Administration for Children’s Services commish John Mattingly yesterday during a Council hearing. Greenfield, who led a Brooklyn delegation last week in condemning the elimination of Priority 7 childcare vouchers and the closure of 16 ACS daycare centers, prefaced his remarks by saying “if this was the cartoon, you would see steam literally coming out of my ears.”

By the end of the hearing, we didn’t have to use our imaginations. After complaining that the cuts are “disproportionately impacting racial and religious minorities,” Greenfield went out firing at the commish with raised voice:

Do you have any idea how many kids in my district are going to be displaced? 1,330 children. That’s more than all these children [affected by the other ACS closures] combined. And so for me, it’s an outrage. And I can’t come to the City Council and have a nice, polite conversation when you’re coming into my district and you’re telling 1,330 children, “Tough Luck, The Economy Is Bad.” That’s simply unacceptable. And so I will reiterate, the obligation is on the agency, the obligation is on the Mayor, the obligation is on the City to do what they can to fund these kids because you cannot tell 1,330 kids in my district, which is a larger number than all other childcare centers in New York combined, go to heck.

The money rant starts at the 9:30 mark. More at Yeshiva World and the NY Daily News.

David Greenfield will become the newest member of the City Council after winning the 44th district by a 2,200 vote margin, out of over 12,000 votes cast. From the victory speech:

This sound that [the people of Brooklyn are] hearing is a fight for the good of the community as a whole, instead of fighting for the personal gain of a select few individuals. It’s the sound of people rejecting politics as usual, rejecting the threats, rejecting the intimidation, it’s the sound of taking political leadership from the status quo, and we’re bringing it back to the people, where it belongs.

The NY Times reported this as a surprisingly easy win for such an intense race, with Joe Lazar having the backing of established Hasidic organizations (as has been widely reported elsewhere) and Greenfield having the support of younger Jewish voters (with the lack of reliable polling data, this appears to be reported mainly by Greenfield himself). (Vos Iz Neias, NY Times)

Hmm. 12,225 votes cast, out of a district that should have roughly 150,000 residents. I think speculative reports of a high turnout “for a special election” may have been premature!

It’s basically a race between two machine candidates. The names might say “Joe Lazar” and “David Greenfield,” but it really comes down to “Dov Hikind” versus “Vito Lopez.” Ah, Vito Lopez, the man who makes me embarrased to be a Brooklyn Democrat. (Well – him, and Carl Kruger… who is ALSO supporting Greenfield.)

The fact that I’m considering voting for the Lopez-machine candidate speaks volumes for how little regard I have for Lazar.

I finally figured out what it is I don’t like about him. He’s too damn smug. After hearing all these press accounts about how arrogant David Greenfield is supposed to be, I’ve realized that Greenfield ain’t got nothin’ on Joe Lazar in terms of conceit.

This pretty much sums up Lazar. After telling a debate audience that he thinks that constituents should always be able to get in touch with their Councilman… after telling them that they should vette all statements made by all candidates, including himself, he demonstrates his commitment to openess and availability to the New York Times, the largest (by circulation) daily in the City he wants to represent:

Mr. Lazar declined several interview requests.

Oh, and I don’t mind taking extra steps to reach out to ethnic and religious leaders in the community, but Lazar’s overt ethnic pandering really turned me off as well. If the Grand Rebbe collector cards weren’t enough, there was systematically going out to the Chinese business on 18th Avenue that had posters supporting Jonathan Judge (who was removed from the ballot) with posters printed in Chinese, with a photo of Lazar shaking hands with Comptroller John Liu. Gee, I wonder what his campaign platform is?

And then there’s Greenfield. It never bothered me that his former boss, Dov Hikind, hated his guts. It bothered me a lot more that Michael Bloomberg, Joe Lieberman, Carl Kruger, and Vito Lopez love the guy. That’s the company he wants to keep?

Oh, and Ken Rice (R) is on the ballot as well. When I checked at the time of the debate (which Rice did not attend), it appeared that the entirety of his campaign was a Facebook page. Now, I know he had people handing out brochures last weekend, but it’s a little late to try to get my attention. I’m sorry – but if you’re running for a Council seat, you have to try harder than that.

I’m more inclined to write in Judge – the other Republican in the race – than vote for Rice.

Hell. At this point, I’m inclined to write in myself.

Not sure if you live in the 44th District? Check out this hyper-detailed district map. Better yet, you can enter your information using a search form provided by the state Board of Elections (Council Districts are the same thing as “wards” on the voter information page). You can also use the state web site to find your polling place.

I will chime in with my final thoughts on this race tomorrow at 6am – when polls open 2pm. See you then!

Contrary to popular misconception, Orthodox Jews are not the only voting bloc in Council District 44. This one seems to be breaking toward for the Republican.

I guess they weren’t won over by the Joe Lazar Jingle (mp3).

This did not stop State Supreme Court from tossing Judge’s name of the ballot for the March 23 special election. As reported by YourNabe.com, the Board of Elections had ruled 786 of Judge’s 1,221 petitioning signatures to be valid – just above the 765 threshold for a spot on the ballot. But the David Greenfield campaign took the matter to court, which threw out another 36 signatures. Judge is the second candidate thrown from the ballot, following the removal of Avraham Shlomo Tischler.

BK Southie awaits word from the Judge team regarding the next steps for the campaign.

Photo: Brian Hedden

(From left: David Greenfield, Jonathan Judge, Joe Lazar, Avraham Shlomo Tischler. Photo credit: Brian Hedden)

The Jewish Press organized a debate last week with the participation of four of the candidates running for the empty 44th City Council seat (click here for their coverage). The Orthodox news site Vos Iz Neias had video produced of the entire two-hour function (their analysis is here). All 12 video clips are reposted below.

And of course, I was there as both a resident of the 44th, and as the South Brooklyn blogger!

One of the participating candidates – Avraham Shlomo Tischler – has already been dropped from the ballot, following successful challenges to the meager number of signatures on Tischler’s petitions.

The Daily News portrayed the 18-year-old Touro College student as the truth-to-power candidate, as some sort of modern-day David striking fear into the Goliath campaigns of David Greenfield and Joe Lazar. It’s stories like this that make it hard for me to take the Daily News seriously.

Tischler’s performance at the debate was beyond dismal – he definitively demonstrated that he was not, in any way, even remotely qualified for the job of City Councilman. He even said at one point, “I will have a well-trained staff that I know will guide me through each and every step of the way… I will learn becoming a Councilman the right and proper way” (video clip 4 below the fold, 6:05). Actually, he said that a lot. As if voters were somehow looking for an intern to fill the vacancy in the 44th.

As for the grown-ups in the room…

The core of Joe Lazar’s campaign has been to emphasize his experience in government (budget director at the DOB, regional director of the state’s mental health agency). During the debate, he specifically cited the experience and ability to delve into agency budgets, identify waste, and reappropriate the spending for worthwhile projects as his leading differentiator from the other candidates (video 3, 6:25).

What Lazar didn’t do was directly attack anyone else’s experience. In prior published reports, Lazar has basically said Greenfield lacks any relevant experience whatsoever. Last Wednesday, he settled for a call to the audience to vette out the statements of accomplishment made by himself and the others (video 4, 2:58).

Greenfield made sure to play up his most recent experience – founder of the education advocacy organization TeachNYS – and highlighted the accomplishments of that organization in winning funding in Albany for yeshivas and computers, and winning refundable tax credits for parents.

Jonathan Judge wants you to know he is a conservative Republican, and “the first and foremost priority of your next City Councilman has to be to make the cost of living in this city lower” (video 3, 4:05). He certainly got in the best zinger of the evening. When Greenfield railed against the high-profile endorsements for Lazar while failing to mention his own high-profile endorsements, Judge owned him in the response. “Both of the two colleagues sitting next to me have been endorsed by the very establishment people that left us with the massive corruption that we are dealing with right now… The people who are messimg up the system are trying to get more of the same people in it to join in the fun” (video 8, 7:45).

While Judge and Lazar emphasized identifying waste in the City budget, Greenfield made it clear his role would be one of community advocacy. “The role of the Councilman is not the role of the Mayor. We don’t manage the budget, we don’t write the budget, we don’t root out waste and fraud. There is one job that I have, and that is to demand more for this community, to bring the resources back and deliver to you” (video 4, 7:50). Lazar later replied that you have to work within existing funding streams during the economic downturn, and anyone who tells you they’re going to get you new programs “is out and out lying to you.”

And now, roll the tape…

P.S. Video 6 has a conversation about parking tickets that is far more interesting than you would ordinarily think.

Video 1 – Opening statements by David Greenfield and Jonathan Judge begin at 4:35.

Video 2 – Opening statements by Joe Lazar and Avraham Shlomo Tischler.

Video 3 – As a member of the city council you will be an integral part of the city’s budgetary process with both the Mayor and the Comptroller. You would have to find the proper balance of higher taxes and reduced spending, and find ways to help get our city through these difficult economic times. What makes you more qualified for this task than your opponents?

Video 4 – The City Council has 51 members and is often described as a body that functions by virtue of alliances among the members. What better suits you than your opponents for such coalitions? Additionally, you would be 51 out of 51 in seniority. How would you overcome this obstacle?

(Starting at 8:40) You all have talked about cutting expenses. Do you plan to push for any new programs on the City Council? If yes, how do you propose to pay for them? Please include in your answer the issue of increasing aid to yeshivas and other private schools.

Video 5 – (Starting at 6:30) – Audience question – …curious what your stance is on congestion pricing.

Video 6 – (Starting at 1:40) – Aside from writing a letter to the Commissionor, what other actions will you take to curb the problem of parking tickets?

Video 7 – What is your position on the lack of available housing in the district, and what specific steps would you take to address this problem? In your answer, please address the issue of affordable housing. Also, if you like, include the problem of the low number of public parks in the district.

Video 8 – Regarding issues such as gay rights, parochial schools, to the extent that they come before the City Council, should a Councilmember vote in accordance with his personal views, or the views of their constituents?

(Starting at 4:20) – Audience question – Many people think the system needs revamping. Many of you tout your experience in the system as the reason to vote for you. Don’t we really need people from outside the system to affect real change?

Video 9 – (Starting at 2:45) – A Jewish Press reader identifying himself as an Italian-American asked whether you would be able to represent all of the constituents in your district, and not just those from your own ethnic group?

Video 10 – Many of our Borough Park readers have expressed grievances concerning the lack of timely services in the community. Among their specifics have been poorly timed sanitation pickup, inadequate job of cleaning up the snow, especially this winter, and a litany of problems with the Access-A-Ride program. How would you fix any of these problems?

Video 11 – Closing comments – Avraham Shlomo Tischler, Joe Lazar, and Jonathan Judge

Video 12 – Closing comments – David Greenfield

Candidates previously considered to have an interest in running are Ezra Friedlander, Moishe Oiring, Pinny Ringel, and Brooklyn Civil Court judge Noach Dear.

Greenfield and Judge were both spotted pressing the flesh at the 18th Avenue N-train station in the past eight days.

Felder’s resignation is to be made official on January 31, at which time Mayor Bloomberg will set a date for the special election.

UPDATE [Jan-21-2010]: Add Seymour Lachman, author of the Albany exposee Three Men In A Room, as a potential candidate for this seat.

The Daily News says: “Thanks for forcing a $350,000 special election.” (Not.)

That special election – for the 44th District representing Borough Park, Midwood, and Bensonhurst – was initially seen by The Jewish Week as a potential three way race between David Greenfield (founder of NYS Teach and the current Director of the Sephardic Community Federation), Joseph Lazar (former regional director the the NYS Office of Mental Health), and Noach Dear (18-year veteran of the pre-term limits Council, and a current judge on the Brooklyn Civil Court). Greenfield and Lazar were already gearing up for a run in 2009 before the term limits law was changed – neither opted to take on Felder, who won his short-lived third term uncontested.

But wait – Vos Iz Neias reports that Dov Hikind, a member of the Assembly and a power broker in the Borough Park Jewish community, has been clear in his opposition to Greenfield (his former chief of staff), and wishes to dissuade either Lazar or Dear from running against him.

Greenfield has already declared that he will run for Felder’s seat, and is seen as the strongest candidate in Council district’s neighborhoods outside of Boro Park. If multiple Boro Park candidates run against Greenfield, this would give Greenfield a leg up in the special election, Hikind said.

Greenfield served as Hikind’s chief of staff from 2001-2004. But political insiders say Greenfield is more independent of the Boro Park political establishment than other potential candidates in the race and represents a threat to Hikind’s influence.

“Dov has a tremendous disdain for the fact that Greenfield does and says whatever he wants,” said one political insider in the neighborhood, who is not affiliated with any campaign.

Neither of the three candidates currently live in the district – they will need to move there before the election date, which is to be set by Mayor Bloomberg.