By Arthur Z. Schwartz
As everyone knows, for about six months earlier this year, I undertook to unseat Assembly Member Deborah Glick, who had not faced an opponent for 26 years.
A health scare (now resolved) drove me out of the race. But, in the name of democracy, I literally gave my place on the ballot to Jim Fouratt. Jim, after raising only about $6,500, and having a campaign focused around WestView, got 21% of the vote.
Deborah Glick is a remnant of the past. She was Chief Lieutenant to Sheldon Silver, the corrupt former Speaker, when he was at his worst. She supported hushing up women who complained about sexual harassment. Even at the height of her influence, she brought little money to Hudson River Park and was a quiet spectator to the closure of St. Vincent’s Hospital. As Higher Education Chair, she allowed per-student funding of CUNY and SUNY to hit all-time lows and did nothing to address student debt.
New voices are arising in our District. Last year, in Soho/Tribeca, Terri Cude and Dennis Gault were elected as District Leaders over Glick’s opposition. In this round of voting, a young activist named Ben Yee beat a Glick-supported candidate for State Democratic Committee. These voices—and others—will be nipping at Ms. Glick’s heels even if I am not. In the near future, Assembly Member Glick will join her friend “Shelly” in retirement—maybe not in jail, but far from our neighborhood, living in the country house she inhabits most of the year.
Arthur Z. Schwartz is the Male Democratic District Leader in Greenwich Village.
