SHEEPSHEAD BAY'S ONLY INDEPENDENT NEWS BLOG

Source: Blue387 via Wikimedia Commons

The fight to bring back the old lever voting machines has picked up significant momentum since Mayor Michael Bloomberg backed the measure in May. Politicians like Bloomberg and State Senator Marty Golden want to bring back the old machines for the upcoming mayoral race due to fears that the $60 million worth of new digital voting equipment – loathed by most voters, and the source of recount bungling by Board of Election officials – cannot be reprogrammed in time to account for a potential runoff.

The Assembly introduced a bill to reintroduce the old lever voting machines for this year’s elections, but the bill has key difference from the Senate version which has already passed. The New York Daily News is reporting that the Assembly’s bill limits the use of old lever voting machines to this year’s primary and possibly runoff elections, whereas the Senate bill allows the machine to be used for any non-federal election.

The Board of Elections is prepared to employ 5,700 of the 6,000 lever voting machines they have in storage, which they consider enough to cover the event of a potential runoff in the upcoming mayoral election. An automatic runoff happens when no candidate receives the required 40 percent needed to win the primary before the general election.

Still, there are those in the Board of Elections (BOE) that believe that returning to the older machines would be a mistake and that the new machines could be ready in time for the mayor’s race. The Board has come up with a plan to have the new digital voting machines ready for a runoff, but if the state votes for an exemption they can overrule the BOE, forcing them to roll out the older machines.

The Flatbush Jewish Community Coalition (FJCC), an organization comprised of a broad spectrum of community and business leaders dedicated to safeguarding the interests of the greater Flatbush Jewish community, has organized the second mayoral forum to take place locally.

The forum, to be held in Midwood, begins tonight at 8:00 p.m. Unlike last week’s forum, which did touch on topics of Jewish interest but also swung to broader issues for the general public, tonight’s forum will focus largely on frum issues.

According to organizers, Christine Quinn, Bill Thompson, Bill de Blasio, John Liu and Anthony Weiner have all confirmed their participation.

The event takes place at P.S. 193 Gil Hodges School, 2515 Avenue L (corner Bedford Avenue).

For more information, e-mail Flatbushjcc@gmail.com.

Oberman

City Council candidate Igor Oberman is facing some heat for his leadership of the board of the 1,144-unit Trump Village 4, where some residents and former employees allege that he has abused his power and ruled with an iron fist.

A handful of dust-ups with residents and employees is now making its way into the race, with City & State and the New York Post picking up on the controversies.

This morning, City & State reported that Oberman has been the target of lawsuits from tenants and employees. They write:

As president of Trump Village’s co-op board, Igor Oberman has been sued by tenants on the verge of eviction, faces an age discrimination lawsuit from former employees and is accused of firing another longtime worker who represented other unionized employees at the co-op in a union-busting move.

… In January, Trump Village terminated Pierre Wyatt, a longtime porter at the Coney Island housing cooperative who was also the shop steward representing other union employees working there. Wyatt had taken abandoned flooring, according to one account, and wasn’t completely forthcoming about his actions when questioned. The Teamsters Local 804, however, saw Oberman’s move as union-busting, and the matter is now heading to arbitration.

In March, two female Trump Village employees in their early 60s sued Oberman after they lost their jobs, arguing that they were “harassed, verbally abused and intimidated for the purpose of replacing them with a more youthful staff,” according to a press release from their lawyer.

Prior to City & State’s report, the New York Post reported in April that residents complain Oberman has used eviction proceedings to solidify his control over the board.

One case involved Eugene Ovsishcher, a former soldier who returned home from a combat tour in Afghanistan with post-traumatic stress disorder.

Ovsishcher’s wife, a CPA, had previously been asking questions about board finances.

Ovsishcher, 43, was later denied a “service pet” dog to deal with his PTSD and then hit with an eviction order.

He eventually won the legal right to keep his pooch and apartment.

But his psychiatrist, Dr. Zinoviy Benzar, who provided medical testimony on Ovsishcher’s behalf and lives in the complex, was then hit with an eviction order — as were Benzar’s wife and mother-in-law, who own three Trump co-ops between them.

The eviction orders, alleging a failure to pay surcharges for air conditioners, are pending.

But the trio has struck back with a $4.5 million countersuit, charging they were politically targeted for revenge.

Another resident, Yuliya Bezvoleva, 33, an active Army reservist, is fighting an eviction order after she launched an anti-Oberman petition drive.

Co-op boards in New York City are guided by a confusing mess of procedures and formulas called the Business Corporation Law, and there is no oversight agency or independent commission dedicated to co-op compliance – leaving courts as the only resort for residents seeking redress. Abuse allegations have been noted at co-ops here and throughout the city, though the allegations rarely find their way to court due to costly legal expenses.

At Trump Village 4, residents have sought to make their war public in an attempt to cripple Oberman’s campaign, launching a website dedicated to attacking his reign as board president.

Oberman declined to discuss the matter with Sheepshead Bites, instead forwarding us to his campaign spokesperson, who was not available for comment. However, the spokesperson disputed the allegations to City & State:

Chelsea Connor, a campaign spokeswoman, said that Wyatt, the former shop steward, was fired after he was accused of theft, and noted that a complaint filed with the National Labor Relations Board was dismissed. The two employees in their 60s had failed to deposit a $47,000 check, she said. As for the lawsuits regarding the eviction proceedings, Connor said that the building has had a no-pet policy for nearly 50 years and that another tenant had rewired an apartment and that it failed to meet fire code safety regulations.

Oberman will face off against District Leader Ari Kagan, Community Board 15 Chairperson Theresa Scavo and Flatbush Shomrim founder Chaim Deutsch in the Democratic primary. In the general, former State Senator David Storobin is expected to take the Republican line.

And then there were… well, still a lot.

But now it’s one less in the race to replace City Councilman Michael Nelson, who is term-limited out of the 48th Councilmanic District. Contender Michael Treybich has dropped his bid for the seat, and is now backing his former rival, Ari Kagan.

“Ari Kagan has the experience working in government and in our community to step in and do the job on day one,” said Treybich in a press release. “This district is incredibly diverse, and Ari Kagan in the only candidate in this race who has a track record of bringing diverse communities together to tackle community problems. He’s honest and hardworking, and it’s my pleasure to endorse him in this very important race.”

The two made the announcement at a press conference in Trump Village on Tuesday. As a Trump Village resident, Treybich gives Kagan a stronger footing in one of the city’s largest co-op complexes, where he can help Kagan gain ground against opponent Igor Oberman. Oberman is the president of the board of Trump Village 4, allowing Treybich to rally support among Oberman’s disgruntled tenants.

Treybich officially suspended his campaign with the Campaign Finance Board last week.

Kagan will face off against Oberman, Community Board 15 Chairperson Theresa Scavo and Flatbush Shomrim founder Chaim Deutsch in the Democratic primary. In the general, former State Senator David Storobin is expected to take the Republican line.

Video courtesy of Jacob Kornbluh via Yeshiva World News.

Online photos may have tripped up his career, but online video may spur his return.

Former Congressman Anthony Weiner released a video on his website this morning announcing his bid for mayor, bringing months of speculation to a close.

The two-minute video weaves together imagery of his family, his parents and childhood, parts of his former district and some of his accomplishments as congressman, but the shadow of the scandal that forced his resignation hangs over the video’s climax. At the 1:38 mark, when Weiner talks into the camera and asks for voter support, he acknowledges his past.

“Look, I made some big mistakes. And I know I let a lot of people down. But I’ve also learned some tough lessons,” he says. “I’m running for mayor ’cause I’ve been fighting for the middle class and those struggling to make it my entire life. And I hope I get a second chance to work for you.”

The video also acknowledges a slew of middle-class woes that will set his agenda, including unburdening small and medium-sized business, lowering the cost of living and promoting mass transit – ideas that also form the core of his “Keys to the City” policy pamphlet, where he proposes 64 ideas to “Keep New York the Capital of the Middle Class.”

Still, Weiner has an uphill battle to fight against the lead Democratic candidate, Christine Quinn. A new Quinnipiac poll released this morning shows that he immediately pops into the race for the Democratic nod in second place, with 15 percent of the vote (we’ve noted before that pollster Nate Silver has some strong doubts about his viability, despite those numbers). But Quinn is pulling 25 percent, while William Thompson and Bill de Blasio are at 10 percent each, and Comptroller John Liu is trailing with 6 percent. But 27 percent of Democratic voters remain undecided – enough for any of the candidates to steal the show.

Blue387 via Wikimedia Commons

Mayor Michael Bloomberg is joining the effort to junk the new digitized voting machines in favor of bringing back the older and supposedly more reliable lever machines. NY1 reports that Bloomberg said during a press conference that bringing back the old machines might prevent a voting disaster in the upcoming 2014 elections.

We’ve previously reported State Senator Marty Golden and Councilman David Greenfield’s efforts to bring back the old machines, with Golden successfully leading the passage of a bill to bring them back in the senate. The bill then went to the Assembly, which has been lukewarm on it.

“We are not prepared in the Assembly at this point to bring back the lever machines. We think it would be a step backwards,” State Assemblyman Brian Kavanagh told NY1. “We are prepared to work with the city and the city Board Of Elections to change some of the rules that may allow them to run the runoff more quickly and more smoothly.”

Mayor Bloomberg’s voice adds to the growing groundswell of support to the return to the old machines. The decision would be costly as the new digitized voting equipment, mandated by federal law, cost taxpayers $60 million.

The Board of Elections has warned that it is unprepared for the upcoming mayoral elections, citing that votes cast with the new electronic machines cannot be certified fast enough to account for a potential runoff after the primary.

While the new voting equipment wouldn’t be ditched forever, an exception could be made just once for a local election.

Bloomberg urged that returning to the old machines could prevent a voting catastrophe.

“If we don’t do that, we are running a real risk of not knowing who the mayor is for months,” Bloomberg said at the press conference.

Clockwise from top left: Theresa Scavo, Igor Oberman, Chaim Deutsch, Ari Kagan

It’s a crowded race to replace term-limited Councilman Michael Nelson of the 48th District, which, come next year, will represent almost all of Sheepshead Bay.

But, so far, it’s been quiet as the campaigns are just gearing up. But a good indicator of a campaign’s strength and public support is their fundraising, and yesterday the candidates submitted their finance disclosure forms to the Campaign Finance Board, revealing their fundraising success – or struggles – and giving a better idea of who’s in it to win it.

See how the candidates are doing, and our analysis.

Richard Landman and representatives from the Roma community unveiled the new stone honoring Roma and Sinti victims at a May 5 ceremony.

Salgado (Source: Erick Salgado for Mayor)

Long-shot mayoral candidate Erick Salgado is entering the fray over Sheepshead Bay’s Holocaust Memorial Park, blasting the Parks Department for allowing the addition of stones memorializing non-Jewish victims.

A press release issued last week to Russian and Jewish news outlets but obtained by Sheepshead Bites quotes Salgado calling the installation of five new stones for non-Jewish victims “a betrayal of the community and even worse, disrespectful to the memory of those who perished in the Holocaust.”

The stones, which honor groups including the disabled, Roma, homosexuals and Jehovah’s Witnesses, were dedicated during a May 5 ceremony marred by a protest led by City Council candidate and Holocaust Memorial Committee member Ari Kagan. The protesters claimed that the group of activists who successfully pushed the new stones through had pulled an end-run around the committee, by going through the Parks Department.

Richard Landman, the gay son of Holocaust survivors who spearheaded the initiative for the stones, said that those allegations are phony, and that he had attempted to go through the committee and was repeatedly denied – with no explanation – over the course of 15 years. Landman, an attorney, complained to the city that the committee’s decision was “arbitrary and capricious,” and in violation of the state constitution. The Parks Department established an appeals process for the memorial as a result, and created a Blue Ribbon advisory panel to review Landman’s request – ultimately greenlighting it.

The stones were installed in June 2012, and dedicated on May 5, 2013.

But Salgado, a conservative reverend from Staten Island, who is seeking the Democratic nomination for mayor, sided with Kagan and the committee, claiming that the Parks Department should have ceded the decision on the stones to the local committee, in accordance with their Memorandum of Understanding.

“It is of great concern that a bureaucracy such as the Parks Department would take action that is counter to the community’s wishes, especially when it involves the memory of the six million who perished in the Holocaust and the thousands of Holocaust survivors and their families who visit the memorial each year,” Salgado said. “Was the proper decision pushed to the side by political concerns?”

Here’s the press release in full:

May 8, 2013

Mayoral Candidate Erick Salgado Blasts Parks Department’s Action

Controversial Memorial Stones Installed in Holocaust Memorial Park Without Community’s Approval

Mayoral Candidate Erick Salgado has termed the New York City Parks Department’s move to install five controversial memorial stones in Sheepshead Bay’s Holocaust Memorial Park, “a betrayal of the community and even worse, disrespectful to the memory of those who perished in the Holocaust.”

Salgado was referring to the Parks Department’s installation of large stones with inscriptions memorializing such groups as asocial elements (alcoholics and lesbians), political prisoners, Jehovah’s Witnesses and homosexuals. The inclusion of these stones was contrary to the wishes of the Board of the Holocaust Memorial Committee, which under a Memorandum of Understanding with the Parks Department has been administering the memorial since its dedication in 1997.

The five stones were installed unceremoniously last July, but an unveiling ceremony was held Sunday by several organizations from outside the community.

“It is of great concern that a bureaucracy such as the Parks Department would take action that is counter to the community’s wishes, especially when it involves the memory of the six million who perished in the Holocaust and the thousands of Holocaust survivors and their families who visit the memorial each year. Was the proper decision pushed to the side by political concerns?” Salgado asked.

Source: Blue387 via wikimedia commons

Marty Golden is following through on his promise to bring back the old voting machines by leading the New York State Senate in approving legislation that would allow the machines to be used in upcoming elections, according to a press release.

The legislation, which was sponsored by Golden, allows New York City to use lever machines for all non-federal elections, including the upcoming mayoral primaries, run-offs and general election. Golden praised the passage of the bill as a victory for making voting simpler.

“The lever voting machines had been successfully used in New York for over 100 years. They have proven to be reliable and easy for voters to use. In addition,  using lever voting machines will expedite the canvass of votes cast in the primary election and reduce the number of paper ballots that would need to be hand-counted,” Golden said in the release.

State Senator Simcha Felder believes that the machines will help seniors.

“The new voting machines are confusing to people and very hard to read, especially for seniors,” Felder said.

There have been concerns that the new voting machines, which rely on paper ballots and digital readers, were causing more problems than solving them. Voters, especially seniors, complained about difficult to read and confusing paper ballot instructions, and the Board of Elections has proven unequal to the task of tallying the votes on the new machine in a timely manner.

The bill will now go to the Assembly for a vote.

A group of activists unveiled five new stones memorializing non-Jewish victims of the Holocaust at Sheepshead Bay’s Holocaust Memorial Park this weekend, capping off nearly two decades of fighting for the right against a local committee opposed to the installation.

The stones, dispersed throughout the public park, remember the persecution of homosexual victims, Jehovah’s Witnesses, the disabled, Roma and Sinti, and “asocials.” The unveiling ended nearly 20 years of struggle for broader recognition within the park. Members of the Holocaust Memorial Committee, charged with reviewing and approving the placement of new names and markers, held a protest led by City Council candidate Ari Kagan, who complained that the group of “outsiders” went over the committee’s head in getting approval to place the stone, and represented a threat to the memory of Jewish victims.

Keep reading, and view photos of the event and the new stones.