Riverdale’s ONLY Locally Owned Newspaper!
Volume XX • Number 23 • June 6 - 12, 2013 •
FREE!
Hoffnung exits race, endorses Cohen
By PAULETTE SCHNEIDER He realized at this point that he prefers his very own seat at the family table to a possible seat on the New York City Council, so almost-candidate Ari Hoffnung finally decided not to run in this year’s Council race. Hoffnung, the New York City Deputy Comptroller under John Liu, held a brief press conference at Corner Café on Monday to announce his “enthusiastic” support for Andrew Cohen, the leading candidate vying for the 11th District City Council seat to be vacated by G. Oliver Koppell. “This is a very exciting day for me,” said Hoffnung, flanked by Cohen and Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz at a long, cloth-covered table lined with plates of fancy cookies. Nearby were the Benjamin Franklin Reform Democratic Club’s president Ellen Feld and district leader Bruce Feld. “For several weeks I have been struggling with whether or not to enter the Council race, and it’s a difficult decision because I am so passionate, like Andrew is, about serving the community,” he explained. “But after taking into account family obligations and other items, I’ve decided not to enter the race. And the decision was
made much easier knowing that there’s somebody of Andrew Cohen’s caliber who is ready, willing and able to serve the community and is running for Council. So today, I am proud and excited to endorse my good friend and neighbor Andrew Cohen.” Hoffnung said he shares with Cohen “a lifelong passion for public service” and praised the endorsee’s values, integrity and commitment to “building coalitions with different ethnic and religious groups.” “This election is too important to sit on the sidelines, and I certainly considered all the candidates, like anybody else would, before making an endorsement,” he said. “But Andrew Cohen is head and shoulders above the rest. There is absolutely no question that he is the right person for this job.” He announced that he’d begin immediately to gather his own supporters around Cohen and to help “in any way possible.” Cohen expressed his gratitude for a “meaningful endorsement,” coming from someone who has served in government and knows the needs of the community. “His involvement in our campaign is a game-changer,” Cohen said in a statement.
Dinowitz added that Hoffnung’s support is “very meaningful” because he can offer advice based on his role as a Riverdale community leader and can bring more visibility to the campaign— which “has been fun so far” and will be “even more fun now.” Hoffnung and his wife, Annie, have two children—Violet, who just turned four, and Teddy, who will be two this month. A new member of the family is due in July. Friend and campaign associate Jessica Haller, who said she’s been working with Hoffnung “both in the comptroller’s office and in the community on different issues,” said he took the current decision to heart. He ran for the Council seat in 2005 but was defeated soundly by Koppell. The matching funds component of his leftover treasury will be returned to the city, but the balance will remain in his campaign account, he said. “Should an opportunity arise in the future, I would certainly consider running for public office. But right now, I’m laser-focused on getting Andrew Cohen elected for the City Council and giving all of my efforts to support the great work of the Benjamin Franklin Reform Democratic Club.”
Ari Hoffnung (r) pulls out of the City Council race to replace termlimited Oliver Koppell and endorses Atty. Andrew Cohen (c), as Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz looks on. Hoffnung would not entertain speculation about his immediate future. “When I joined John Liu’s office in February of 2010, I knew it was a four-year term and I continue to be completely focused on my job as deputy comptroller,” he stressed. “After that, we’ll figure things out. But right now, there’s a lot of important work to do in the
Senator Jeff Klein (D-Bronx/Westchester) with Principal Donna Connelly and PS 24 students in front of the Earth Day Mural at PS 24’s Earth Day Celebration earlier this month. The Earth Day Celebration, including materials to paint the mural, were made possible, in part, by funds Senator Klein secured through Project BOOST.
comptroller’s office…. It is important work to make sure that people understand how the city spends their hard-earned tax dollars and to make sure that taxpayer money is spent efficiently and wisely.” When Cohen commented that Mayor Bloomberg is “trying to ram through a lot of bad contracts,” Hoffnung agreed. “You have to be very vigilant at the end of any administration to make sure that things are handled with a great degree of care and caution. And certainly I believe that our office continues to play that role.” “There are many ways to serve the community—both in elected office and in communal roles and I will continue to be involved,” he concluded. “Like many other families, Annie and I juggle two fulltime jobs and our communal responsibilities while at the same time we endeavor to provide our children with the love, care, and attention they deserve,” a statement explained. “Today, I have decided to follow the advice so many of you have generously offered and not pursue this race because it is simply not the right time.” Will he seek public office sometime in the future? Maybe, he said, but “not before we put away our strollers and diapers.” In an unrelated matter, Cohen also picked up the support of the pro-union Working Families Party.