Bloomberg 2005

Bloomberg for Mayor Opens Borough Park Office, Councilman Simcha Felder Named Campaign Co-Chair

New office will be backbone of intensive outreach to Orthodox Jewish voters

The Bloomberg for Mayor campaign opened its eighth campaign office at 4616 13th Ave in Brooklyn's Borough Park neighborhood. Councilman Simcha Felder endorsed the Mayor at the office opening, and the Mayor named him a Campaign Co-Chair. Hundreds of community residents including New York State Assemblyman Dov Hikind, who previously endorsed the Mayor, attended the event, which was also aired live on the popular Nachum Segal radio show on 620 AM.

"When I say that we want to ask every New Yorker for his or her vote, I mean it, and that's why we're opening this office today. Orthodox Jewish families want the same things every other family in New York City wants - lower crime, good new jobs, better places to live, clean streets and a government that is responsive to their needs. That's exactly what we've delivered over the last three-and-a-half years, and it's why we are asking for their votes," Mayor Bloomberg said.

Mayor Bloomberg's outreach to Orthodox Jewish families will be led by his campaign's newest Co-Chair, New York City Councilman Simcha Felder. Councilman Felder has been a close ally of the Mayor in the Council and has accompanied him on two trips to Israel as well as a recent campaign swing to upstate summer colonies in the Catskills.

"I've been with Mike Bloomberg in City Hall, in our communities, at our vacation homes upstate, and in Israel. He is a strong leader, a skilled manager, and, most important, Mike is a mensch. Mike Bloomberg has served our communities well, and we - like all of New York City - would be well-served with four more years of service from this man. I'm proud that Mayor Bloomberg has asked me to help lead his campaign, and I look forward to working hard to re-elect him this fall," Councilman Felder said.

Campaign workers and volunteers based in the new Bloomberg for Mayor office in Borough Park will concentrate on New York City neighborhoods with significant concentrations of traditionally observant Jews including (but not limited to) Borough Park, Crown Heights, Flatbush, Midwood, and Williamsburg in Brooklyn; the Lower East Side, Upper West Side, and Washington Heights in Manhattan; Far Rockaway, Forest Hills, Kew Gardens Hills, and Rego Park in Queens; Riverdale in the Bronx, and Willowbrook on Staten Island. The Borough Park campaign staff will work in concert with overlapping field and political staff based both at Bloomberg campaign headquarters in midtown and other Bloomberg campaign offices in Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, Riverdale, and Washington Heights / Inwood.

Campaign activities in the traditionally-observant Jewish neighborhoods will include registering new voters, distributing Yiddish, Hebrew, and English campaign literature, putting up multi-lingual campaign signs in Kosher stores and erecting yard signs, and ensuring that students studying in Yeshivas upstate, in other states, or in Israel get absentee ballots.

Bloomberg campaign officials believe that this is the largest campaign office ever opened to target the Orthodox communities for any New York State or local campaign. The 4,000-square-foot office also boasts a 31 foot by 5 foot sign in English and Yiddish hanging outside on 13th Avenue in the heart of Borough Park.

Under Mike Bloomberg, New York City has gained over 62,000 jobs in the last two years and crime is down almost 20 percent, making New York City the safest large city in America according to FBI statistics. Hate crimes went down 45 percent from 2001 to 2004. Mayor Bloomberg gave homeowners two $400 tax rebates with a third to come and eliminated the City's portion on sales tax for clothing and shoes under $110 - which is particularly helpful for larger families.

Mike Bloomberg reopened the "Shabbos Park", a Queens Valley playground, which received a $600,000 renovation. The entire Kew Gardens Hills community benefits from the park, which is popular with families on the Sabbath. And thanks to Mayor Bloomberg, City-owned land was rezoned to allow construction of a state-of-the-art, 15,000 square foot volunteer ambulance Hatzoloh facility. The facility will help Hatzoloh to respond quicker to emergencies and save more lives in Borough Park, Midwood, Flatbush, and the surrounding communities.

The Borough Park office is the Bloomberg campaign's eighth office. Other offices are located in Pelham Parkway / Morris Park in the Bronx, Riverdale in the Bronx, Bayside Queens, Bay Ridge Brooklyn, Grasmere Staten Island, Washington Heights / Inwood in upper Manhattan, and midtown Manhattan.

Meanwhile, Republican Mayor Michael Bloomberg made an evening appearance in Borough Park, where he campaigned for Orthodox Jewish votes and opened a new campaign office on 13th Avenue.

4 Countdown: Days left until primary

New York Daily News
Mike's Indy Party pain, gain
By DAVID SALTONSTALL
DAILY NEWS CITY HALL BUREAU CHIEF
Friday, September 9th, 2005

Mayor Bloomberg called on Independence Party leader Lenora Fulani yesterday to renounce past comments of hers that have been viewed as anti-Semitic - even as the mayor refused to renounce her ballot line.
Fulani said in 1995 that Jews are "mass murderers of people of color" - comments she declined to disavow as recently as Wednesday, when she came to City Hall to tout her party's support of Bloomberg.

"I think ... she should have renounced anti-Semitism yesterday," the mayor told reporters. "She had a great opportunity to do that."

Fulani evaded the issue yesterday and released a statement saying, "With due respect to the mayor, this election is not about Mike Bloomberg or Lenora Fulani. It's about the people of this city."

Bloomberg personally gave Fulani's party $250,000 last year - the party's biggest single donation ever.

In May, the party gave Bloomberg its ballot line - offering Democrats a way to vote for a Republican without pulling the GOP lever. In the 2001 election, for example, Bloomberg won 59,000 votes on the Independence Party line; he beat Mark Green by 41,770 votes.

The timing of the dustup was unfortunate for Bloomberg, whose campaign chose yesterday to open a new office in Borough Park dedicated to wooing the 80,000 or so Orthodox Jews in all five of the city's boroughs.

The new office boasted kosher cookies, campaign literature in Yiddish and some 5,000 balloons imprinted with the words, "Mike is a Mensch."

Democratic City Councilman Simcha Felder (D-Brooklyn), who will head up Orthodox outreach for the Republican mayor, praised Bloomberg's efforts to heal the city's racial wounds and boost security.

But he also expressed concern about Bloomberg's alliance with Fulani, saying, "I think there are people - including myself - that are not happy about that. ... But the mayor has made it clear that he detests what she has said."

I like Mike - and
Weiner in '09





I'm voting for Anthony Weiner for mayor.
Four years from now.

When Rudy Giuliani ran for reelection I put on dark glasses, held my nose and for the first time in my life voted for a Republican. For here was a guy, for all his glaring faults, who had managed to turn the helm of civilization back on course in a great city spinning murderously out of control.

I voted for Giuliani because he had had the good sense to hire William Bratton as his police commissioner, who, in turn, hired a brilliant Brooklyn transit cop named Jack Maple as his first deputy commissioner.

Maple was the architect of the Compstat system that cut crime by half in two years by actually holding precinct commanders responsible for the crime rates in their precincts, which compelled them to let the cops go out and do their jobs.

Once cops were allowed to work, so did the city.

The city needed a lion tamer, and Rudy Giuliani was the guy with the whip.

For this reason alone, I crossed party lines.

Near the end of the second term - before he was rehabilitated by 9/11, which he has since ghoulishly exploited for financial and political profit - when he got swallowed by his own ego, and strained race relations to the flash point in this city, I regretted my vote.

But that's a different column.

I did not vote for Mike Bloomberg four years ago. I thought his first year was awful, a grab bag of tax increases, CUNY tuition hikes, license fee increases, ticket blitzes, a bullying smoking ban, a double standard for working guys drinking beer at Rockaway and yuppies sipping wine on the lawn of Central Park. Outer-borough people nicknamed him Mayor Taxberg.

I thought he'd be a one-term mayor.

But I soon came to like Mike. In his own flinty, corporate way he brought this city back from 9/11 more rapidly than I thought possible.

He made a true effort to effect change in the public schools. The garbage is collected. And Raymond Kelly, our excellent police commissioner, drove crime down to numbers reflecting the early 1960s.

Unless he does something amazingly awful in the next two months, I'll leave the shades home when I vote for Bloomberg's reelection.

The only other thing that could change my mind is the Democratic candidate.

Today I intend to vote for Anthony Weiner, from Brooklyn, in the Democratic primary. I had my problems with Weiner in the past. I nicknamed him Weiner the Whiner in this space because I thought he was more talk than action. He was such a protégé of Chuck Schumer that people joked he resembled Schumer's bar mitzvah picture.

But as a congressman, Weiner's become his own man. He's been a loud and dogged breadwinner for the city. And I like that he's thisclose to Schumer, who has become a powerful and effective U.S. senator. Working together in D.C., they deliver a tough one-two punch for New York City.

Weiner would make a very good mayor. He's clearly the smartest, most articulate, most visionary and gutsiest candidate in this Democratic field. He also works his buns off.

Everywhere I go I run into this guy. In February I ran into him in Gargiulo's restaurant in Coney Island at a party for the members of the Seagate Beach Club. I ran into him at a dedication of an Order of the Purple Heart monument in Fort Hamilton last month. I ate lunch with him in Il Vesuvio trattoria on Bell Blvd. back at the start of the campaign. He was street-smart, exploding with ideas, and a good listener.

One hesitation of voting for him for mayor is that New York City would lose a loud and effective voice in Washington. The reason this city never gets its fair share of dough from Washington is because our congressional delegation is always looking to bolt to run for mayor back home.

When they do we lose crucial seniority on the powerful committees where the back-room horse trading for pork happens.

Congressmen like Weiner are the earners. Mayors spend the bread.

So, right now Weiner can probably do our city more good in Washington than in City Hall. But if he forces a runoff with Freddy Ferrer and wins the Democratic primary, I'll be torn between Bloomberg and Weiner.

I think four more years of Bloomberg as mayor and Weiner in Congress would serve the city best.

So today I'm voting for Weiner in the Democratic primary because he's hands down the best in the field.

Maybe he'll change the minds of fence-sitters like me in the next two months.

But right now I'm planning to vote for Weiner in the general election for mayor.

In 2009.

Originally published on September 12, 2005

Mench

Why are you taking out only the bad part of the article why don't you read the whole artice?

Building Up, Looking Out in Borough Park

Brooklyn Skyline
April 25, 2005
By Lisa Murphy

Get ready for an El of a lot more housing in Borough Park.

The city is set to start developing a six-block strip of unused land once set aside for the defunct elevated railway known as the ''Culver El,'' according to city officials. Right now, this stretch land along 37th Street in Borough Park is only used for parking and storage.

The project was announced at a recent breakfast meeting in Borough Park, where Mayor Bloomberg told neighborhood leaders about plans to create several hundred new housing units and expand the Hatzolah volunteer ambulance corps.

Also at the breakfast meeting - councilmen Simcha Felder and Bill De Blasio, Housing Commissioner Shaun Donovan, Rabbi Shmuel Lefkowitz, president of the Southern Brooklyn Community Organization (SBCO), and Professor Elliot Roseman of Hatzolah.

In Borough Park, the population grew by 15.6% between 1990 and 2000 but there was only a 4.5% increase in housing. Rezoning the Culver strip - including two city-owned blocks - for residential use will allow the creation of several hundred residential units. The city has initiated an environmental review for the rezoning; the public review will begin this fall.

In addition to the rezoning, the city will sell the two city-owned blocks to the SBCO, a not-for-profit organization that develops affordable housing in Borough Park and Kensington. The SBCO will develop approximately 80 owner-occupied affordable apartments for families earning the area median income or below ($62,800 for a family of four).

The sale will be initiated by the city's Department of Housing Preservation & Development as part of the Bloomberg administration's $3 billion plan to create and preserve more than 65,000 homes and apartments over the next five years.

''Our community is a community of families, a community where parents, children and grandchildren often live within walking distance of one another, a community with the highest proportion of both infants and seniors,'' said Felder. ''Meeting the unique needs of this community takes a willingness to make bold and inspired decisions. Mayor Bloomberg's solution in working towards addressing two major concerns - housing and health care - is indeed both bold and inspired, and he is to be commended.''

''Locating space to build more affordable housing in Borough Park has been near impossible and many large families have been priced out of the market as there is practically no housing stock left,'' said Rabbi Lefkowitz. ''The Culver El has been dormant for over 20 years, and today this mayor is taking action and responding to the needs of the community.''

At the breakfast, the mayor also announced the sale of a 5,000 square foot lot along the Culver El at the northeast corner of 37th Street and 14th Avenue to Hatzolah of Borough Park.

''To complement this effort, we will also be selling an underutilized lot to Hatzolah, which will allow for the growth and expansion of an organization that has been a vital part of the Borough Park community. I thank Councilmembers Simcha Felder and Bill De Blasio for working closely with my office and local leaders of the Borough Park community to move these important initiatives forward,'' the mayor declared.

Hatzolah is the neighborhood's volunteer ambulance corps, with a staff of 140 and five ambulances. The organization will construct a 15,000 square foot building to contain a street-level parking garage for its ambulances, training facilities and offices.

The proposed facility will be Hatzolah of Borough Park's second, allowing the corps to expand training, increase and diversify vehicle dispatch points and improve response times. The project will be funded entirely by private funds raised by Hatzolah of Borough Park. The sale of the lot will be done through the city's Economic Development Corporation.

Founded in 1988, Hatzolah of Borough Park provides critical ambulance service in Borough Park and the surrounding neighborhoods and works closely with the FDNY. The corps has a daytime response time of under four minutes and an eight-minute night-time response time, and operates with no federal, state or city aid.

Coordinating with local precincts and individual hospitals, Hatzolah provides Yiddish-speaking EMT's and paramedics. In 2003, Hatzolah responded to more than 25,000 emergencies within its Brooklyn service area.

MAYOR MICHAEL R. BLOOMBERG ANNOUNCES TWO INITIATIVES TO REDEVELOP UNDERUTILIZED LAND IN THE CULVER EL SECTION OF BOROUGH PARK

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg today announced plans to rezone a six-block area that will allow for the creation of several hundred new units of housing in Borough Park, Brooklyn and expand the Hatzolah of Borough Park, an all-volunteer, not-for-profit emergency medical response organization that serves the community. Councilmembers Simcha Felder and Bill De Blasio, Housing Commissioner Shaun Donovan, Rabbi Shmuel Lefkowitz, President of SBCO, a Division of Agudath Israel of America, and Professor Elliot Roseman of Hatzolah of Borough Park attended the announcement at a breakfast with community leaders in Borough Park.

''Today, the City is committing land, a scarce and valuable resource in Borough Park, towards addressing two critical community needs,'' said Mayor Bloomberg. ''Through the sale of land to SBCO and the rezoning of the Culver El, we will create much-needed housing in a community where opportunities for residential development are restricted, as well as enable the expansion of one of Brooklyn's fastest growing communities. To complement this effort, we will also be selling an underutilized lot to Hatzolah of Borough Park, which will allow for the growth and expansion of an organization that has been a vital part of the Borough Park community. I thank Councilmembers Simcha Felder and Bill De Blasio for working closely with the Administration and the local leaders of the Borough Park community to move these important initiatives forward.''

Borough Park is a community whose population has grown by 15.6% between 1990 and 2000 while there has only been a 4.5% increase in housing stock. The Culver El, a former right-of-way for the discontinued elevated railway, is a strip of largely undeveloped land running along 37th Street in Borough Park that currently used for parking and storage. To increase the opportunities for housing development in Borough Park, the NYC Department of City Planning (DCP) will rezone the six-block area to allow for future residential growth. The rezoning, which includes two City-owned blocks, will allow for the creation of several hundred residential units. The City has initiated an environmental review for the rezoning; the public review will begin this fall.

In addition to the rezoning, the City will sell the two City-owned blocks to the Southern Brooklyn Community Organization (SBCO), a not-for-profit organization that develops and provides affordable housing in the communities of Borough Park and Kensington. On the City sites, SBCO will develop approximately 80 owner-occupied affordable apartments for families earning 100% of the area median income or below ($62,800 for a family of four). The sale will be initiated by the New York City Department of Housing, Preservation & Development (HPD) as part of the Bloomberg Administration's $3 billion plan to create and preserve more than 65,000 homes and apartments over five years.

''Our community is a community of families, a community where parents, children, and grandchildren often live within walking distance of one another, a community with the highest proportion of both infants and seniors,'' said Councilmember Felder. ''Meeting the unique needs of this community takes a willingness to make bold and inspired decisions. Mayor Bloomberg's solution in working towards addressing two major concerns – housing and health care – is indeed both bold and inspired, and he is to be commended.''

''Creating affordable housing and community facilities in this city requires commitment, perseverance, and creativity,'' said Councilmember De Blasio. ''For too long, the City passed up such beneficial development opportunities as this one on the Culver El site. I want to thank and congratulate Mayor Bloomberg and his administration for responding to the needs of this community and working with Councilmember Felder and myself to provide the affordable housing and services we so desperately need. This is a historic step forward for the Borough Park community.''

''Locating space to build more affordable housing in Borough Park has been near impossible and many large families have been priced out of the market as there is practically no housing stock left,'' said Rabbi Shmuel Lefkowitz of SBCO. ''The Culver El has been dormant for over 20 years, and today this Mayor is taking action and responding to the needs of the community. We thank Mayor Bloomberg for addressing the need for affordable housing through the sale of these properties, which will have a lasting positive impact on our community.''

''These sites present a unique opportunity for affordable housing development in a community where the demand is great,'' said Housing Commissioner Donovan. ''HPD is pleased to work with the local elected officials and our partner agencies to meet the changing needs of neighborhoods through the adaptive reuse of sites like the Culver El.''

At the breakfast, the Mayor also announced the sale of a 5,000 square foot lot along the Culver El at the northeast corner of 37th Street and 14th Avenue to Hatzolah of Borough Park, an all-volunteer, not-for-profit emergency medical responder with 140 volunteers and five ambulances. The organization will construct a 15,000 square foot building to contain a street-level parking garage for its ambulances, emergency training facilities, and administrative offices. The proposed facility will be Hatzolah of Borough Park's second, allowing the organization to expand training, increase and diversify vehicle dispatch points and improve response times. The project will be funded entirely by private funds raised by Hatzolah of Borough Park. The sale of the lot will be done through the New York City Economic Development Corporation (EDC).

''This is a great day for Borough Park Hatzolah,'' said Professor Elliot Roseman, Coordinator of Hatzolah of Borough Park. ''Purchasing this land will allow us to expand our capacity to serve Borough Park and the surrounding communities. We thank Mayor Bloomberg for giving us the opportunity and we can assure him that his commitment will benefit our communities for years to come.''

Founded in 1988, Hatzolah of Borough Park provides critical services, free-of-charge, in Borough Park and the surrounding neighborhoods, working closely with the New York City Fire Department. The organization has a daytime response time of under 4 minutes and a nighttime response time of 7-8 minutes, and operates with no Federal, State, or City government aid. Coordinating with local precincts and individual hospitals, Hatzolah of Borough Park fills an important niche by providing EMT staff and paramedics that speak Yiddish. In 2003, Hatzolah of Borough Park responded to more than 25,000 emergencies within its Brooklyn service area. The organization is an unaffiliated offshoot of the Chevra Hatzolah of New York, which is the largest volunteer ambulance service in the United States, with almost 1,000 New York State-certified emergency medical technicians and paramedics.

Just received this in my email:

Subject: Bloomberg Campaign Office
Date: Wed, 14 Sep 2005 18:55:09 -0400
From: tabraham@bloomberg2005.com

The Bloomberg campaign is up and running in Borough Park, Brooklyn! Our office is located at 4616 13th Avenue (2nd Floor) right near the Avenue Plaza Hotel. This new office will be the backbone of intensive outreach to Orthodox Jewish voters.

We will be concentrating on New York City neighborhoods with significant numbers of traditionally observant Jews in ALL five boroughs. We will be working with other campaign satellite offices throughout NYC.

We have many exciting events in the works, but we need your help in getting out the Jewish vote. Opportunities for getting involved include registering new voters, canvassing, manning phone banks, and planning community events.

No matter what part of the city you hail from, we could use your help. If you would like to volunteer please call 718-633-5333 or email tabraham@bloomberg2005.com.

New York Sun Endorses Mike

From the September 15, 2005 edition of the New York Sun:
The decision of the Democrats in New York to forgo a runoff and nominate Fernando Ferrer as their candidate in November removes any reason to wait on an endorsement. The New York Sun endorses Mayor Bloomberg for a second term. We have no personal quarrel with Mr. Ferrer, with whom we've had several meals in the past year or so. He's a wonderful person, smart and earnest. But we differ with Mr. Ferrer on the issues and, for all our quarrels with Mr. Bloomberg on taxes and borrowing and the regulation of smoking, he has more than earned a second term, particularly when the Democrats are running a tax-raiser against him.

Mr. Bloomberg took office in a city hit hard by the attacks of September 11, 2001, and the recession that followed, and he has led our city to a resurgence that can make us all proud. He won a big political victory in Albany and took on a big risk by taking control of the public schools. He has taken a hard line with the teachers union, and his passionately committed schools chancellor, Joel Klein, has been an advocate for expanding the number of charter schools. He has chosen, in Raymond Kelly, the finest police commissioner since Theodore Roosevelt and has brought the crime rates down to levels that make us all feel safer. His 311 telephone hotline has made city government more accessible.

One of the things we've discovered about Mayor Bloomberg is that he actually has an extraordinarily likable and gracious personality. This wasn't apparent to us at the start. But we began to see it when his popularity plummeted and he was defeated in his campaign for nonpartisan elections. He has emerged as an amiable and enthusiastic cheerleader for New York as a city of immigrants and artists and great cultural institutions and parks. He was a warm host to the Republican National Convention. He's kept the welfare rolls declining and begun to enforce stricter rules in the city's homeless shelters.

We haven't always agreed with Mr. Bloomberg. He was too quick to raise taxes and too quick to offer special tax breaks to powerful developers or businesses instead of offering across the board tax cuts to all taxpayers in an overtaxed city. And if the Democrats had put Rep. Anthony Weiner into a runoff, we'd have delayed this endorsement, nursing the admittedly slim hope that Mr. Weiner would emerge as a genuine tax-cutter to challenge the mayor, though there is little in Mr. Weiner's record as a congressman to support that. But the Democrats instead have handed their nomination to a candidate who has campaigned calling for $2 billion in tax increases.

Mr. Ferrer wants to increase taxes on property and on the transfer of stock, while Mr. Bloomberg, for his part, has begun to steer a course as a tax cutter by implementing a property tax rebate. There will be more to say about this campaign in the weeks ahead. Our hope is that eventually the Republican Party in New York will take a more free-market-oriented, tax-cutting, pro-growth course than even the one taken by Mr. Bloomberg. It needs leaders who can articulate the ideas that have lofted the Republicans to the robust leadership of all branches of the federal government. But for now the candidates have been chosen, and there is no question at all in our minds that our city would be better off in the next four years with Mayor Bloomberg than with a Mayor Ferrer.

NYC Mayoral Candidates Meet With
Orthodox Jewish Activists

Bloomberg and Ferrer Address Gathering at Agudath Israel of America National Headquarters
NEW YORK - Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Democratic hopeful Fernando Ferrer presented themselves and their visions to more than 100 Orthodox Jewish activists who gathered last night at the Rabbi Moshe Sherer National Headquarters of Agudath Israel of America in lower Manhattan.

The Mayor and Mr. Ferrer were each introduced by Agudath Israel's executive vice president for government and public affairs, David Zwiebel.

Mayor Bloomberg and Mr. Ferrer, the former Bronx borough president, each recounted his record on an assortment of issues of general concern, as well as matters of special interest to the Jewish community and especially the Orthodox community. Much attention was paid, both by the candidates in their formal remarks and by questioners in the audience, to the subject of governmental aid to nonpublic schools -"an issue of vital importance to our community," said Mr. Zwiebel, "especially in New York City, where we have approximately 80,000 students enrolled in more
than 200 yeshivos." While both candidates expressed reservations about private school vouchers, each heartily endorsed other, indirect, means of assisting yeshivos.

In the course of his remarks, Mr. Bloomberg announced the appointment of Deputy Mayor Dennis Walcott to the new position of liaison to New York City yeshivos. The creation of the new position was characterized "as
nothing short of historic," by Agudath Israel vice president for community affairs Rabbi Shmuel Lefkowitz.

Other issues that were discussed included the physical security of Jewish communities and institutions in an era threatened by terrorism,
and the special housing and social service needs of the Orthodox community.

Said Mr. Zwiebel: "This was an extremely valuable interaction. We had an opportunity both to see and to be seen - to get a sense of each of the candidates' vision for the future of New York City, and also to convey to them some of the priority concerns on our community's agenda."

הטקסט שלך כאן

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 8, 2005

FORMER COUNCIL SPEAKER PETER VALLONE SR. AND COUNCILMEMBER PETER VALLONE JR. ENDORSE MIKE BLOOMBERG FOR REELECTION

Mayor Mike Bloomberg was endorsed for reelection today by former City Council Speaker Peter Vallone, Sr. and Councilmember Peter Vallone, Jr. The father and son, who between them have nearly four decades of experience in public office in New York City, endorsed the Mayor at Mike's Diner in Astoria, Queens.

''Mike Bloomberg has proven to me and to New York City that he can govern,'' said former Speaker Peter Vallone. ''After September 11th, New York City was at a critical juncture. New York's nerve was shaken and our economy and quality of life were threatened. Mike Bloomberg made the tough decisions that got our City back on its feet and moving again. I served in City Hall for nearly 30 years and Mike Bloomberg's understanding and grasp of government never ceases to impress me. He is a capable and responsible leader that does the right thing for New York. I support Mike Bloomberg because this is no time to walk away from experience and tested leadership.''

''It has been an honor to serve with Mike Bloomberg,'' said Councilmember Peter Vallone, Jr. ''As chair of the Public Safety Committee, my priority is keeping New York safe. Over the last four years I have worked with Mike Bloomberg and his administration to ensure that we are doing everything we can to protect our City and to keep crime down. Mike Bloomberg has a real record we can trust on public safety and I know he can keep New York safe.''

''Peter Vallone served our City with honor and distinction for nearly 30 years,'' said Mayor Bloomberg. ''His endorsement, and that of his son, is truly gratifying.

The Vallones not only understand the intricacies of New York City's politics and government, but they have always been firmly grounded in Astoria and have been champions of the people of this diverse and dynamic neighborhood for generations. I am proud they are joining our team.''

Over the last four years, crime is down close to 20% Citywide; murder has been driven to a 40-year low; auto-theft is down 37%; felonious assault is down 26% and burglary is down 27%. Subway crime is down 14% and crime in public housing is down 14%.

The City's overall economy is growing faster than the Nation's for the first time since 2001 and the Administration's aggressive rezoning and economic development in all five boroughs has driven the unemployment rate down to 5.1%, the lowest level since 1988. The $3.5 billion redevelopment of the Atlantic Yards, will create 12,000 construction jobs, 8,500 permanent jobs, and more than 4,500 units of affordable housing; the $394 million Gateway Center at Bronx Terminal Market will generate 5,000 permanent and construction jobs; the $66 million redevelopment of Staten Island's Homeport will include a new waterfront park, 350 residential units, a community sports complex, restaurants and retail and commercial spaces; the $500 million revitalization of Downtown Flushing will create more than 4,000 jobs.

Mayor Bloomberg has been endorsed by many prominent Democrats including Former Mayor Ed Koch, Former Congressman Reverend Floyd Flake, Councilmember Simcha Felder, Assemblyman Dov Hikind, Councilmember Madeline Provenzano, Assemblywoman Adele Cohen, Councilmember Dominic Recchia, former-Democratic candidate and Grammy Award Recording Artist Willie Colón, former Queens Borough President Claire Shulman, business leader Steven Rattner, Roger Altman, Alan Patricof, Jane Rosenthal, Felix Rohatyn, Harvey Weinstein, former New York Governor Hugh Carey and Earl Graves, Sr.

Thu Oct 06

"Freddy Ferrer's performance tonight had something for everyone: Freddy was wrong on his resume again; he flip-flopped on the death penalty again; and hypocritically called himself a reformer. Yet again Freddy showed he doesn't have a record to promote or a vision he would fulfill as Mayor." - Stu Loeser, Bloomberg campaign spokesperson


WRONG ON HIS RESUME AGAIN.

Freddy Ferrer claimed tonight that he was never fired from a job. That's not true. In 1975, Freddy Ferrer was fired from the New York City Human Rights Commission's ''government employment unit.'' Luckily for Freddy, within two or three weeks he was hired by the New York State Legislature. (Ferrer Interview with Professor Lloyld Ultan, March 12, 1987)


MISLEADINGLY CALLED HIMSELF A REFORMER.

It's incredible that Freddy Ferrer tried to cast himself as a reformer tonight by – of all things - claiming he made his Bronx Borough President employees give up their political machine District Leader jobs. Freddy Ferrer himself was a machine District Leader when he became a councilman, and he fought and won over the years to keep both his political machine office and his public office. At best, this is do-as-I-say- not-as-I-do hypocrisy. At worst, Freddy's amnesia about his own resume may go back a lot longer than we thought.

Sources: ''Mr. Ferrer said in a telephone interview that he would not resign his district leadership, despite Mayor Koch's objections to holding party and public offices at the same time. Mr. Ferrer said there was no prohibition against the practice and that, in any event, a district leadership was not a major party office.'' (Newsday 4-12-87) ''Bronx Democrats are already talking about candidates for Bronx borough president and even about an early favorite, City Councilman Fernando Ferrer, who is also a Democratic district leader. Mr. Simon was a councilman and district leader when he was elected interim borough president by his fellow City Council members in early 1979.'' (NYT 2-12-87) In his five years as a Bronx City Councilman, Fernando Ferrer was known for competence as a legislator and loyalty to the borough's powerful Democratic machine… The Bronx City Council delegation last week elected Mr. Ferrer to replace Stanley Simon, who was indicted in the Wedtech scandal. The new Borough President promptly resigned as a Democratic district leader, a move designed to show that the political machine would no longer run the government.'' (NYT 4-24-87)


FLIP-FLOPPED ON THE DEATH PENALTY – AGAIN:

Prior to March 1996 – OPPOSES DEATH PENALTY. In the late summer of 1995, Ferrer sent a letter to Attorney General Janet Reno, stating, ''I am outraged by the scheduled execution of Mumia Abu-Jamal and the denial of justice in his case. The national and international outcry for Abu-Jamal underscores the world's opposition to the injustice inherent in the death penalty.'' (Source: Amsterdam News, August 12, 1995) And on January 16, 1995, Borough President Ferrer addressed a Harlem Martin Luther King Day celebration focused on opposing the death penalty that had not yet gone into effect in New York State. (Sources: New York/Harlem Voice, January 25, 1995; Amsterdam News, January 21, 1995)

March 16, 1996. SUPPORTS DEATH PENALTY. Ferrer joined Mayor Giuliani and Gov. Pataki in urging Bronx District Attorney Robert Johnson to bring a death penalty case against the ex-cons charged in the slaying of slain Police Officer Kevin Gillespie. "As a Roman Catholic, I have enormous difficulty with this," Ferrer said, "but there comes a time in this society when the line must be drawn. That time is now." (Daily News 3-17-96)

March 18, 1996. LIMITS SUPPORT OF DEATH PENALTY TO POLICE OFFICERS ONLY. After Mayor Giuliani ripped Ferrer's change of heart on the death penalty, suggesting the potential 1997 mayoral candidate may have switched with an eye to politics, Ferrer changed his mind again: ''Ferrer said he would limit his new support of capital punishment to cases involving suspects accused of cop killings.'' Giuliani had said, 'I think if you flip-flop on the death penalty it shows something different,' Giuliani said. '"This isn't some kind of arcane application of the death penalty statute,' the mayor added. 'So if you have moral qualms about the death penalty, then this is the kind of case you're going to have it in, and if you don't then you don't.' (Daily News 3-19-96)

February 2001 to October 6, 2005 – SUPPORTS DEATH PENALTY MORATORIUM. As Illinois Governor Ryan calls for a death penalty moratorium Borough President Ferrer took his fifth position on the death penalty (supporting a New York moratorium) at mayoral candidate forums across the city. During the September 9, 2001 NBC-4 debate, Ferrer talked about how new DNA technology changed his opinion on the death penalty to support a moratorium. In fact, the New York Times reported Ferrer first took this position on March 11, 2001, admitting even then that ''I acknowledge it's an absolutely imperfect solution to all of this. Absolutely imperfect.'' (NYT 3-12-2001)

October 6, 2005 – DEATH PENALTY IS SOMETIMES JUSTIFIED. Ferrer tells Dominick Carter that ''yes,'' the death penalty is sometimes justified (NY1 Debate, October 6, 2005)

MAYOR MIKE BLOOMBERG ENDORSED BY THE FAR ROCKAWAY JEWISH ALLIANCE

Mayor Mike Bloomberg was endorsed for re-election today by the Far Rockaway Jewish Alliance, a coalition of over 50 Jewish community leaders representing Far Rockaway and Bayswater. Joining the Mayor was Richard Altabe, President of the Far Rockaway Jewish Alliance and Rabbi Tzvi Flaum who is Chairman of the Rabbinical Council of Far Rockaway. The Mayor also received the endorsement of the West Lawrence Civic Association, and community Rabbis from the Rockaway's including Rabbi Hiller, who is Dean of the Bnos Bais Yaakov girls school, Rabbi Weitman of the Torah Academy for Girls, Rabbi Bender of the Rosh Yeshiva, Darchei Torah, Rabbi Flaum of the Congregation Knesseth Israel and Rabbi Brafman who is Dean of the Yeshiva of Far Rockaway. The coalition praised the Mayor for his record of building affordable housing, creating jobs and reducing crime.

''Mayor Bloomberg has been good to Queens, and he has been good to Far Rockaway,'' said Richard Altabe, President of the Far Rockaway Jewish Alliance. ''All over the city jobs are being creating, housing is being built and most importantly our families feel safe here in Far Rockaway. We appreciate the Mayor's work on behalf and in support of the Jewish Community. He has earned our respect so now we will work for him to ensure he can continue leading the City for another four years.''

''All New Yorkers want the same thing,'' said Mayor Bloomberg. ''Lower crime, good jobs, affordable housing, clean streets and a government that is responsive to their needs. I'm proud that for the last four years we have moved the City in the right direction and it is gratifying to see such a strong show of support here in the Rockaways.''

Mayor Mike Bloomberg launched the most expansive affordable housing program in twenty years. The $3 billion New Housing Marketplace plan will create or preserve 68,000 units of affordable housing for more than 200,000 New Yorkers. In 2004, Mayor Bloomberg opened Arverne by the Sea in the Rockaways. The Arverne Urban Renewal Plan, once completed, will include 2,300 residential units in a mix of one- and two-family homes, mid-rise rental-apartment buildings and condominiums, over 250,000 square feet of retail space, a YMCA, school, transportation center, and ten acres of parkland. Under the Bloomberg Administration, the Rockaways have been rezoned to curb overdevelopment and to preserve the character of the neighborhood.

Over the past four years, Mayor Bloomberg has introduced a number of crime fighting strategies and quality of life initiatives to effectively continue decreasing crime. Operation Impact floods high-crime areas with police offices. Operation Clean Sweep targets quality of life violations reported to precincts and the NYPD's quality of life hotline, aggressively combating low-level offenders. Operation Spotlight, a multi-agency initiative, increases jail sentences for chronic misdemeanor offenders. Mayor Bloomberg also created the Counter Terrorism Bureau with 1,000 full-time police officers and created Hercules Teams to guard critical infrastructure. Over the past 4 years, crime in Far Rockaway's 101st Precinct has decreased by 49% with burglary and felony assault plummeting 64% and 59% respectively. Robbery has decreased 45% and car theft is down 43%.

The Far Rockaway Jewish Alliance, the West Lawrence Civic Association, and community Rabbis from the Rockaway's join the growing list of groups working to re-elect Mayor Bloomberg. The Mayor has also received the support of other Jewish leaders including the a coalition of Sephardic leaders, Vaad Harabbonim of Flatbush, a rabbinical board of over ninety Rabbis from the Flatbush area of Brooklyn, Assemblyman Dov Hikind and City Councilman Simcha Felder.

THE JEWISH PRESS ENDORSES MIKE BLOOMBERG FOR MAYOR

The Jewish Press, America's largest independent Jewish weekly newspaper, endorsed Mayor Mike Bloomberg for re-election today. Stating the choice "for the future of the City is clear," the Jewish Press writes their endorsement was based on the Mayor's record of progress in his first term. "It is undeniable that in the key areas such as financial stability, education, crime, affordable housing, delivery of municipal and social services, and the environment, Mr. Bloomberg has delivered."

In addition to today's endorsements by the Jewish Press and Crain's New York Business, Mike Bloomberg has already won re-election endorsements from The New York Times, Newsday, New York Sun, the Chinese-language daily Sing Tao; three Spanish-language weeklies: Ecuador News, EcuaTimes, the Latin Post; The Immigrant Times, Education Update; The Queens Courier; and the Forum Courier.

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Bloomberg for Mayor
10/24/2005
By Editorial Board


The Jewish Press heartily endorses Michael Bloomberg for reelection as mayor of the City of New York. We have long believed that the challenges presented by the mammoth enterprise that is New York City, specifically the governmental colossus it has spawned, can best be met by someone expert in the world of business with its reverence for a feasible vision for the future, a realistic marshalling of resources and above all, a rigorous fealty to a definable financial and social service bottom line along with the marginalization of the inevitable political interest considerations that largely drive the operations of great municipalities.

This notion became all the more clear in the aftermath of 9/11 when New York City came close to teetering on the brink of governmental and financial collapse. We now sincerely believe it was providential that someone with the background and talent of Michael Bloomberg came on the scene. Though his administration has not been without blemish, Mr. Bloomberg has made the overall case for his reelection. His challenger, Fernando Ferrer, certainly has not made the case to replace him.

It is undeniable that in the key areas such as financial stability, education, crime, affordable housing, delivery of municipal and social services, and the environment, Mr. Bloomberg has delivered. To criticize the mayor for the continuing problems in these areas is perhaps understandable behavior for someone seeking to replace him. But is, at the same time, entirely misleading. For example, the profound effects of decades of neglect of the public schools and the even more profound consequences of the home life of many minority public school students cannot conceivably be reversed in a mere four years. Indeed, when one focuses on the progress that has been made in that time, one cannot but be very impressed.

In truth, early on in the Bloomberg Administration we were concerned with the substantial increase in various taxes he pushed through. Over time, however, these measures, we believe, became explainable as prudent measures to accumulate strategic reserves to better deal with widely expected financial difficulties. Hopefully, in a second administration, Mr. Bloomberg will adjust his tax program accordingly.

On the other hand, Mr. Ferrer speaks of "two cities" and "our time has come," which — even if we accept his explanation that he is referring to an economic and not a racial divide, and one which he will remedy — he is at all events suggesting an impending reallocation of the resources of New Yorkers. At any time, this is hardly something that could be expected to endear him to New Yorkers who are taxed to the limit. To New Yorkers in the throes of a post-9/11 economic recovery, the Ferrer financial plan, with its prospects for economic upheaval, is downright frightening. Indeed, it is inconceivable to us how anyone could suggest that anything other than a focus on economic recovery can help most New Yorkers in the long run.

When all is said and done, Mr. Ferrer has been a very positive force in the governance of New York. As a member of the City Council and as Bronx borough president, he was often creative and always accessible. For the Jewish community, he was always a friend. But Mr. Bloomberg has turned this city around and promises to do more of the same, while Mr. Ferrer speaks the language of a time long past, when the central focus of municipal government was not on the survival of the city itself, but on the interests of some of its more unfortunate citizens — a luxury not feasible given current financial realities.

As we have editorialized in the past, we are not happy with the way the Bloomberg administration initially dealt with a recent controversy with Hatzolah, one of the crown jewels of the Jewish community, and its refusal to apologize, even when it became clear that it was on the right side of the issue. Nor are we sanguine about Mr. Bloomberg's effort to fundamentally change the rules of primary elections through a referendum scheduled for an off-year election when very few voters can be expected to turn out.

In sum, while we will not say that Mr. Ferrer brings nothing to the table, the choice for mayor on November 8 and for the future of New York is clear: Michael Bloomberg.

''EXCEPTIONAL'' AND ''EXTRAORDINARY'' MAYOR MIKE BLOOMBERG ENDORSED FOR RE-ELECTION BY THE DAILY NEWS

Joining The New York Times, Hoy, the New York Post, Newsday, the New York Sun, and the Staten Island Advance, The Daily News today became the 24th New York newspaper to endorse Mike Bloomberg for a second term, calling him ''exceptional'' and ''extraordinary'' because he ''(o)ften… reached goals that eluded previous mayors'' and ''reached out aggressively to black and Hispanic New Yorkers and governed without dividing.''

''He has been an extraordinary mayor, and there's every reason to believe he'll apply the same vision and leadership to keeping the city safe, improving the education and welfare of the children and promoting the prosperity of New Yorkers who are trying to climb the ladder,'' the Daily News editors wrote.

Citing Bloomberg's record delivering historic school reforms, increasing security, reducing homelessness, bettering public health, and awarding municipal unions substantial raises in return for productivity savings, the editors concluded that ''(a) reincarnation of Franklin Roosevelt himself would be hard-pressed to sell New York on dumping the incumbent.''

In addition to today's endorsement by the Daily News, Mike Bloomberg has been endorsed by The New York Times, Hoy, the New York Post, Newsday, the New York Sun, the Staten Island Advance, the New York Observer, Crain's New York Business, The Jewish Press, the Chinese-language daily Sing Tao, three Spanish-language weeklies: Ecuador News, EcuaTimes, the Latin Post, the Immigrant Times, Education Update, the Villager, Downtown Express, the Queens Chronicle, the Riverdale Review, the Bronx Press Review, Brooklyn's Our News, the Queens Courier, and the Forum Courier.


MIKE BLOOMBERG FOR MAYOR - AGAIN

New York City and Michael Bloomberg have come a remarkable distance since he became mayor Jan. 1, 2002, in that dark time when the wound of 9/11 was raw. Lacking both an electoral mandate and the common touch, the billionaire businessman asked New Yorkers to judge him by results. Four years later, his accomplishments have been exceptional.

The mayor's list of achievements begins with increased security and historic school reforms and extends to improving a wide range of city services. Whether the issue was reducing homelessness or bettering public health, Bloomberg put government on the move and gave New Yorkers the citizen-friendly 311 line, to boot. His record far surpassed the expectations we held four years ago when the Daily News was the only major newspaper to endorse Bloomberg.

Most important, he seeks reelection as a mayor whose NYPD has prevailed against crime while earning a global reputation for combating the threat of terror. Propelling a 20% drop in crime, the department under Bloomberg and top general Raymond Kelly has more than met the test of protecting New Yorkers.

Bloomberg faces voters also having fulfilled his top pledge, the commitment to be an "education mayor." First, he persuaded Albany to give the mayor responsibility for running a system long mired in failure. Then, with Chancellor Joel Klein, he banished inertia.

The school system adopted new reading and math programs; social promotion was abolished; struggling children got Saturday and summer instruction; 150 small high schools replaced larger, long-troubled institutions; 22 charter schools opened under city sponsorship. And this intense focus on learning appears to be paying off: New York kids last year scored record gains on standardized exams.

Often, Bloomberg reached goals that eluded previous mayors. He awarded the municipal unions substantial raises - but only in return for productivity savings. He held firm for a landmark teachers contract that gives greater authority to principals and extra instruction to children who need it. He reached agreement with the Yankees and Mets on economically sound plans for new stadiums.

From the start, Bloomberg thought big - rezoning Manhattan's West Side and the Brooklyn waterfront to spur development, and trying to bring the Jets and Olympics to New York. He took hard stands - banning smoking in public places and hiking property taxes 18.5% to salvage the budget after 9/11. And, while immersing himself thoroughly in the details, he recruited and retained highly competent aides - Kelly, Klein, Deputy Mayor Dan Doctoroff, Planning Commission Chairwoman Amanda Burden, Commissioners Nicholas Scoppetta, Linda Gibbs, Thomas Frieden and others.

Throughout, Bloomberg reached out aggressively to black and Hispanic New Yorkers and governed without dividing. And, finally, he rode a fortunate tide as U.S. economic growth helped boost property values, create jobs and reduce unemployment. All that, plus Bloomberg's wealth, helps explain why Democrat Fernando Ferrer trails in polls. A reincarnation of Franklin Roosevelt himself would be hard-pressed to sell New York on dumping the incumbent.

Ferrer is a fine man who is dedicated to serving the city. His roots are in the working-class Bronx, and his campaign was a clarion call that there is more to be done for average New Yorkers and the poor. Focused on the high cost of living, he has promised that creating affordable housing would be a top priority, and he calls for cutting property taxes by extending a surcharge on high-income earners.

While we disagree with some of the methods by which Ferrer would achieve his goals, his aim is on target. And, as a symbol of Hispanic empowerment, he appeals to New Yorkers based not on their backgrounds, but on the merits of his ideas. In the end, though, he has failed to make a case for turning out a mayor on a roll.

One voter appears to have gotten Ferrer's message: Bloomberg. The mayor has said he will redouble attention to affordable housing and expand preschool programs. Such a widening of mayoral focus will be welcome if Bloomberg wins reelection. He has promised to create jobs. We're going to hold him to it.

In 2001, we predicted he would "bring to City Hall the kind of fresh ideas and perspective that this moment of devastating crisis demands." Now, with wholehearted enthusiasm, we endorse Michael Bloomberg again. He has been an extraordinary mayor, and there's every reason to believe he'll apply the same vision and leadership to keeping the city safe, improving the education and welfare of the children and promoting the prosperity of New Yorkers who are trying to climb the ladder.