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Volume XXI • Number 21 • May 22 - 28, 2014 •
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On eve of vote, Koppell support slipping Surrounded by neighborhood backers on Friday morning, State Senator Jeff Klein’s reelection campaign surged with new support from key Riverdale elected officials: Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz, Councilman Andrew Cohen, and former Councilwoman June Eisland. Klein also received endorsements from prominent local Democratic Party figures including the 81st Assembly District’s Female District Leader Randi Martos, Male District Leader Bruce Feld and State Committeewoman Helen Morik. “Jeff Klein has done a superb job representing our community as its State Senator and I wholeheartedly endorse him for reelection. We have worked closely together on all of the important issues in our community and on legislation in Albany. He works hard and he gets the job done,” said Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz. “The most important issue in this election is ‘who has the greatest potential to effectively fight for the people in the 34th Senate District?’ I am certain that person is Senator Klein,” Dinowitz added. “Senator Klein has been an outstanding partner in government both here in the Bronx and up in Albany. Whether he is standing with our community against irresponsible development or working to maintain and improve quality of life, Jeff Klein always has the best interests of his constituents in mind. Not only has Senator Klein been a terrific advocate for our community, his effective leadership in Albany has benefited all New Yorkers,” said Councilman Andrew Cohen. “From enacting the toughest gun laws in the country and ensuring funding for universal pre-K to increasing the the minimum wage and successfully fighting for marriage equality, Jeff Klein has been a champion for all New Yorkers. I am proud to endorse him for re-election and and I look forward to working with him in the years to come.” “I’ve known Jeff Klein and interacted with him as an elected official as far back as when he was a Democratic district leader, an assemblyman and now as state senator. Politics is the art of the possible and Jeff Klein makes progressive politics possible. He has certainly proven himself as a leader in our community and richly deserves to be reelected to the 34th state senate district,” said former Councilwoman June Eisland. Political leaders also heaped praise on Klein for his acute ability to get things done. “Jeff Klein has been a strong, effective, and very active leader in our community. He has done a tremendous job for his constituents and I know that he will continue to do an excellent job as our state senator,” said Randi Martos, Female District Leader, 81st Assembly District. “Jeff Klein deserves to be reelected based on his legislative record and service to our community. He’s worked well with our other local elected officials and has been
Key local public and party officials including Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz, City Councilman Andrew Cohen, former Councilwoman June Eisland, and all of the elected party officials affiliated with the Benjamin Frankliln Reform Democratic Club have abandoned their long-time relationship with Oliver Koppell and are backing State Senator Jeff Klein for reelection. active and effective in solving constituent problems” said Bruce Feld, male district leader, 81st Assembly District. “I’m pleased to support Sen Jeff Klein for reelection. Jeff has shown a true understanding of the needs of the community by providing support for much needed programs and services. He deserves reelection,” said Helen Morik, state committeewoman. “I’m proud to partner with such dedicated elected officials and deliver results with them on everything from major Democratic issues to local concerns. Working as a team we have successfully slowed the unreasonable, proposed Montefiore development, thwarted an unwanted mixed use housing complex for seniors and the ‘severely mentally ill,’ and brought a legal fight against LG to protect the beauty of the Palisades from its proposed tower. I look forward to fighting for this community well into the future with my colleagues and I’m honored to have their support,” Klein said. The Senator has clinched endorsements from top Bronx Democrats in every corner of the borough including Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. and former Bronx Borough President Fernando Ferrer; Bronx Democratic County Party Chairman Assemblyman Carl Heastie; State Senator Ruben Diaz; Assembly Members Marcos Crespo, Mark Gjonaj, Luis Sepulveda, Jose Rivera, and Michael Benedetto; and Coun-
cil Members James Vacca, Ritchie Torres, Fernando Cabrera, and Annabel Palma. This has not sat well with Lorraine Coyle Koppell, the former Councilman’s wife, who was critical of Cohen and Dinowitz, in a letter to members of the Ben Franklin Club. “Who would have thought being “grateful forever to Oliver” would last as long as four months? It is almost funny if it were not so sad. We did expect more from Cohen. We did not expect much from Dinowitz. The word “reform” has long since left Jeffrey’s mouth. The good news is that the campaign is going well, volunteers calling everyday and money coming in every day. So let the race continue. What neither Dinowitz nor Cohen realize is they have lost whether Oliver wins or loses. Oliver is running to beat a Republican in Democratic clothing and if he wins great and if loses then he has done the right thing. Do Dinowitz or Cohen ever recover from this? Does anyone ever trust them again? Well let’s see what happens. See you at the petition meeting. We may need bigger space but I will let you know. Both candidates made their pitches to Ben Franklin Club members this week, in letters sent to club membership in advance of Thursday’s endorsement meeting. In his letter, State Senator Klein discussed his disappointment with his fellow
State Senate Democrats when they took hold of that body’s leadership in 2008, noting that the Democratic conference “became known not for its ability to govern but for its corruption,” a major force that led him to form the Independent Democratic Caucus. “By contrast, since 2011, we have had four consecutive on-time budgets, enacted the toughest gun control laws in the nation, passed the historic marriage equality act, provided the path for tens of thousands of toddlers to receive high-quality pre-K, and raised the minimum wage,” wrote State Senator Klein. In his own letter, Oliver Koppell charged that State Senator Klein “betrayed” the voters by forming the IDC, and accused him of failing to deliver on a variety of legislation, such as campaign finance reform and the DREAM Act. He also attempted to explain his 2009 endorsement of Mike Bloomberg for mayor against Democrat Bill Thompson. Many observers have opined that it is hypocritical for Koppell to demand party loyalty today when he himself felt no such loyalty to Democrats in the 2009 mayor’s race. “An issue has been raised of my having endorsed Bloomberg five years ago,” wrote Koppell. “How does that compare with the $150,000 that Klein and his IDC have acceptContinued on Page 2