NYC GOP Mayoral Candidates Seek Third-Party Lines

The ballot for New York City Mayor in November will likely have some unfamiliar parties: Education First, Jobs Jobs Jobs and Common Sense. The Three Republican mayoral hopefuls will kick off efforts this week to create these third-party ballot lines. The move is aimed at attracting crossover Democrats and unaffiliated voters who might be uncomfortable supporting the GOP.

Candidates just have to collect 3,750 signatures, and their name will appear under the line for one election as these types of third-party lines have short life spans. But they can be crucial for Republican candidates looking to make themselves more palatable in heavily Democratic New York City.

Joe Lhota, a former chairman of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, will be collecting petitions under the Education First Party and will also be running on the Conservative Party line.

John Catsimatidis, a billionaire businessman (Gristedes), selected Jobs Jobs Jobs Party line and will also be running on the Liberal Party line.

George McDonald, who founded a homeless services organization (The Doe Fund), plans to create the Common Sense Party.

All three men are vying for the Republican nomination in the September primary.

All three said they plan to continue pursuing the mayoralty in the general election even if they lose the Republican nomination.










NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote!

Michael H. Drucker
Technorati Tag in Del.icio.us

Asian American Federation’s Republican Mayoral Candidates Forum

The Federation funds, serves and advocates on behalf of its 40+ health and human service member agencies in the NY regional area. The Asian American Federation's mission is to advance the civic voice and well-being of Asian Americans. They collaboratively foster philanthropy in the community, undertake research to inform policies, and provide support to community service organizations. They were established in 1989, the Federation is the only pan-Asian, multi-issue non-profit organization representing a network of community service agencies in the Northeast. These agencies work in the fields of health & human services, education, economic development, civic participation, and social justice.


The Asian American Federation’s Republican Mayoral Candidates Forum was held last night, April 2nd at the CUNY Graduate Center, with over 100 in the audience. Adolfo Carrion, Jr. John Catsimatidis, and George McDonald shared two hours of their evening with community leaders. What was exciting about the event, is the fact Adolfo is the Independence Party candidate but was allowed to be in the forum.

The discussion panelists, S. Mitra Kalita from Quarts; Kwang S. Kim from the Korean Community Services of Metropolitan New York, Inc. (KCS); Luna Liu from the World Journal, and Vivian Lee from NY1, asked questions that related to the candidates’ leadership vision, focusing in on the areas of education, health and social services, small business, and community development. The moderator was Ti-Hua Chang at Fox 5 News.

At the end of the evening, audience members were asked to participate in a straw poll, selected the candidate that would get their vote based on the forum. The results are:

• Adolfo Carrion, Jr. – 44%
• John Catsimatidis – 29%
• George McDonald – 27%

With many more months of campaigning left to go, we hope that Adolfo will have many more opportunities to engage the City’s Asian American community.










NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote!

Michael H. Drucker
Technorati Tag in Del.icio.us

NYC 2013 Crowded Republican Primary

New York City’s County Republican leaders conceded Tuesday that a crowded GOP primary for mayor seems unavoidable after they failed to unite behind one candidate or persuade any candidates to drop out during a closed-door meeting Monday night.

Party leaders now will focus on trying to make sure the primary is civil, hoping to not give any more ammunition to the Democrats.

Four Republicans - billionaire John Catsimatidis, former MTA Chairman Joe Lhota, media executive Tom Allon, and homeless-aid advocate George McDonald - are seeking the nomination.

Two non-Republicans - former Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrion Jr. and Queens State Sen. Malcolm Smith - are seeking the leaders’ permission to enter the primary. They will need 3 of the 5 leaders to approve and file a Wilson Pukula.

A Wilson Pakula is an authorization given by a political party to a candidate for public office in the State of New York which allows a candidate not registered with that party to run as a candidate in a given election.

McDonald said he welcomes Carrion to the fray because “our party can’t simply be for sale to the highest bidder”. But Catsimatidis and Lhota said there was no need for the GOP to look outside their ranks.

New Yorker haven't seen a Republican primary for mayor since Mike Bloomberg faced off against Herman Badillo in 2001.

After speaking with Adolfo Sunday, whether he gets the opportunity to be on the GOP ballot, he would accept the Independence Party's line if he is selected later this month, when the party's over 90 member Executive Committee votes.

Jacqueline Salit, President of IndependentVoting.org, discussed keeping New York City Independent and Moving Forward.

Click Here to read the interview!










NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote!

Michael H. Drucker
Technorati Tag in Del.icio.us

NYC Mayoral Candidate Challenges City Limits on Funding Campaigns

New York City mayoral candidate George McDonald, President of the Doe Fund, filed a lawsuit to prevent the New York City's Campaign Finance Board from taking enforcement action against his campaign for taking contributions in excess of city limits but not state limits. The first filing date is January 15, 2013 and he knows he is over city limits and accepted a corporation loan.

The law suit alleges the city does not have the authority to require candidates who are not accepting public matching funds to abide by city laws that set stricter limits on donations and contributions.

The state law allows the maximum individual contribution for mayor and other citywide offices at $19,700 for the major party primaries and $41,100 for the general election. The state also allows corporation loans.

In 2004, the New York City Council approved legislation that mandated every candidate for local office follow the city limits of accepting individual contributions of $4,950 for the primary and general elections combined. The city law also prohibits any loans by corporations. These limits do not affect self-funded candidates.

Since the city law was enacted in 2004, no candidate had challenged the law, until now.

Officials of the Campaign Finance Board say they plan to defend the city law. "New York City's campaign finance laws keep corporate money out of our elections and reduce the influence of big-money contributors," said Amy Loprest, the board's Executive Director. "Combined with the public-matching funds program, the common-sense contribution limits protects the voice of all New Yorkers in city elections."










NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote!

Michael H. Drucker
Technorati Tag in Del.icio.us

NYC Mayor's Race for 2013 Begins

The road to City Hall is starting to get crowded.

"My wish for 2013 is that we elect a successor to this administration that is even better than what we've done," Bloomberg said.

The primary is currently scheduled for September but could be pushed up to June.

It now seems certain that Mayor Michael Bloomberg's successor will be chosen in a competitive General Election in November.

The most recent possible candidate is the former Metropolitan Transportation Authority chairman, Republican Joe Lhota, who has not officially declared his intentions. Former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani is poised to be a force in the race. Lhota was a top aid to Giuliani. He appears ready to promote his campaign.

Then again, neither have many of the other likely candidates for City Hall.

City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, a Democrat, is raising money for an expected run. So is Democrat Bill de Blasio, the City's Public Advocate. City Comptroller John Liu, a Democrat, is also expected to make a bid despite a campaign fundraising scandal. Bill Thompson is the only prominent Democrat to go public with his plans. He did so shortly after losing his challenge to Mayor Bloomberg in 2009.

Mayor Bloomberg is close with Quinn, but he is not offering any endorsements just yet.

There are other Republicans who may be running. Newspaper publisher Tom Allon switched parties to run on the GOP line. So did Doe Fund president George McDonald.

John Catsimatidis, the billionaire supermarket owner, is weighing a Republican bid, and former Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrion and State Senator Malcolm Smith are in the mix as well. They would need approval, Wilson Pakula, from the Republican leader's to get on the line. They would also need this approval to run on any of the minor party's line.

A Wilson Pakula is an authorization given by a political party to a candidate for public office in the State of New York which allows a candidate not registered with that party to run as its candidate in a given election.

The name refers to the Wilson Pakula Act of 1947, authored by state senator Irwin Pakula and then-assemblyman (and future governor) Malcolm Wilson, which forbids candidates from receiving the nomination of a political party if they are not registered as a member of that party, unless they receive permission to enter the primary from party officials representing a majority of the vote in the jurisdiction.

It all adds up to a lot of potential candidates who have their eye on City Hall.

Update
New York City mayoral hopeful Adolfo Carrión Jr. is a leading contender for the Independence Party nomination, a ballot line that once helped boost Mayor Michael Bloomberg into City Hall.

"The leadership feels very positive about his candidacy, the fact that he's an independent, his message of nonpartisanship," party strategist Jacqueline Salit said Thursday. "The response to him has been very strong."

Ms. Salit stressed, however, that a formal vote hasn't been taken by the party's executive committee and that Mr. Carrión is still meeting with officials. A vote could come within weeks.

I will be part of the selection process.










NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote!

Michael H. Drucker
Technorati Tag in Del.icio.us

NYC Mayoral Candidate will Challenge Campaign Finance Laws

George McDonald, the founder and president of the Doe Fund, a nonprofit dedicated to fighting homelessness and addiction, said he doesn't plan to accept public matching funds as he builds a war chest for the 2013 mayoral race. McDonald has already switched his voter registration from Democratic to Republican, which would allow him to bypass a crowded Democratic party full of well-known, well-funded hopefuls, as was the case with Bloomberg back in 2001.

Other candidates for local office have also declined to participate in the city's campaign finance system, where small donations are matched with public funds at a rate of $6 to $1. But Mr. McDonald is the first to argue that he doesn't have to abide by the city's stringent contribution limits. Instead, Mr. McDonald maintains, he must abide by more lenient contribution limits set by the state.

The city's caps on contributions are intended to level the playing field and curtail the influence of money in politics. According to the city's Campaign Finance Board, a candidate for citywide office is prohibited from accepting an individual donation in excess of $4,950 for the primary and general elections combined.

But according to the state, the maximum individual contribution for mayor and other citywide offices is $19,700, in the Democratic and Republican primary and $41,100 in the general election.

In 2004, the City Council approved legislation that mandated every candidate for local office, not just those who voluntarily accept public matching funds, follow the city's contribution limits. But John Conklin, a spokesman for the state Board of Elections, said it's the state, not the city, that has the power to set limits for candidates who don't join the matching-fund system.

The state Board of Election's stance opens the door for other 2013 candidates to take their chances and sidestep the city's contribution limits, potentially flooding the campaigns for mayor, comptroller, public advocate, borough president and City Council with significantly higher donations than city law stipulates.

Richard Briffault, a professor of law at Columbia University, said the issue is legally unresolved because nobody has ever challenged the city authority to set its own limits.









NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote!

Michael H. Drucker
Technorati Tag in Del.icio.us