There was no dancing in the streets on November 4th when Deborah Glick and Andrew Cuomo were re-elected to their positions and the Christine Quinn-led, Andrew Cuomo-created Women’s Equality Party squeaked its way onto the ballot for every election for the next four years (albeit on Row G or H.) Last year we experienced excitement when Bill de Blasio and his campaign against inequality were elected to City Hall. White, Black and Hispanic progressive voters joined in celebrating, and there was a sense of a city in flux, with greater tolerance for the “grass roots,” and a City where the leaders would listen to the communities affected by government policies. Corey Johnson’s election to the City Council created some excitement too, as did Gale Brewer’s election as Borough President. Fresh blood, new perspectives, and a proven record of dedication to the “community” base presaged the intelligent wielding of power.
Andrew Cuomo’s win was a thud. Unlike his dad, he has turned out to be a whiney, power-hungry politician, with little regard for the public. He refused to debate Zephyr Teachout in the Democratic Primary and he debated his General Election opponents once – on the radio. In his last year he terminated the Anti-Corruption Commission, which he created with great ballyhoo a year earlier and The New York Times discovered that his staff had clashed with the Commission whenever it started looking into the Governor or his friends.
I found, as a Democratic Party Leader, that his support within the Party was largely built on fear. I was one of two Democratic Party officials in the State who supported Zephyr Teachout in the Democratic Primary – and she and her running mate had the support of close to 40% of the voters. Lots of colleagues whispered to me that I was “brave,” and expressed concern at the consequences to my life and career. In the end, Cuomo got 54% of the vote and actually only 51% of voters marked his name. 2.6% left the Governor box blank. Had Zephyr Teachout run as the Working Families Party candidate and pulled 25% of the vote, Cuomo would have lost to Astorino – unless Zephyr had pulled some of Astorino’s votes. And that was after Cuomo spent $30 million.
Debra Glick’s re-election to the Assembly brought on a similar thud. She too refused to debate her opponent. She got on the ballot with only 600 signatures and was barely visible in the community. There was no energy in her campaign, and it was grounded on the false premise that she had “won” a new school for our community at 75 Morton Street. Had she been challenged in the Primary, she would have lost – she may even have been knocked off the ballot.
Her lack of gravitas is reflected in the community news of the month – the new construction in Hudson River Park at Pier 54-55. The planning went on for three years and Glick signed on to legislation that legalized the concept. But at no time was she kept in the loop. She learned about it from The New York Times like most of us did. Why? Because on most important projects in her district she is seen as a hindrance and not a help. She takes “line in the sand” positions and doesn’t look for solutions. And, as has now become clear, no one fears going around her. She may have won re-election against an underfunded, not ready for primetime opponent, whose name was hard to find on the far right side of the ballot, but her win is not taken by anyone as a sign of staunch public support. In the last year she supported Cuomo vs. Teachout for Governor, Quinn vs. de Blasio for Mayor, and Dan Squadroon vs. Tish James for Public Advocate. Each time our community voted the other way around. New York University marched around her as she marched around Washington Square Park. The Rudins at St. Vincent’s marched around her. We don’t have an effective representative in the Assembly.
Over the next year I will be working with local groups and community leaders to find a strong candidate to run against Debra Glick in 2016 in the Democratic Primary. We need more energy and new vision in our community. Interested? Write to me at aschwartz@afjlaw.com.
Arthur Schwartz is Greenwich Village’s Democratic District Leader.
