Let’s make up: Councilmember Christine Quinn attending Village Reform Democrats’ Annual Dinner? State Senator Tom Duane attending — and Quinn buying a ticket, though unable to attend — Village Independent Democrats’
Annual Dinner? What’s going on? Clearly, Quinn and Duane are both trying to mend fences and make peace with the Village political clubs as both gear up for races next year, Quinn for Council speaker and Duane possibly for Manhattan borough president campaign. We hear Quinn recently reached out to V.I.D.’s Jane Sweeney to try to smooth things over. We also hear whisperings that some in V.I.D. have been mulling the idea of running someone against
Quinn next year — although it’s hard to see anybody beating Quinn, a strong incumbent. Chad Marlow, V.I.D. president, said, “No comment.” Quinn did not return a call for comment.
Koch on convention, campers: As chairperson of the Volunteer Committee and vice-chairperson of the Host Committee for the Republican National Convention, former Mayor Ed Koch said, of course, he’ll be in the audience at the convention at Madison Sq. Garden. But he said no one’s invited him to speak yet. “If they do invite me to say something, I’ll say, ‘I’m sure you’re wondering what a nice Democrat like Ed Koch is doing at the podium. I’m here to convert you,’ ” he quipped to The Villager.
Meanwhile, following the recent news that Koch will be helping the convention, East Village activist John Penley said protesters may hold a campout in front of Koch’s 2 Fifth Ave. apartment building. Penley has already vowed that they will pitch tents for an Aug. 22 sleep-in in front of Mayor Bloomberg’s Upper East Side townhouse over the city’s refusal to issue a two-week camping permit to convention protesters for East River Park.
Apparently in keeping with his new ad slogan telling New Yorkers to “Make Nice” for the convention, Koch responded to the campout threat: “I hope the weather will be comfortable for them.”
L.E.S. endorsements: Somehow, we’re not surprised that The Committee To Defeat Margarita Lopez isn’t endorsing Lopez for Manhattan borough president or Rosie Mendez, Lopez’s protégé, to fill Lopez’s seat in the Council in 2005.
Roberto Caballero, of C.T.D.M.L., said they met with Assemblymember Adriano Espaillat, who represents Washington Heights and Inwood, last week and have endorsed him for Manhattan borough president. They had anticipated endorsing Ninfa Segarra for Council, but, according to Caballero, word has it that Segarra (who is a Democrat, although she was a deputy mayor in Rudy Giuliani’s administration) is in line to become chairperson of the New York City Housing Authority; so instead, the Committee is endorsing Mildred Martinez, former Campos Plaza Tenants Association president. We’re also told former District Leader Norma Ramirez has endorsed Carlos Manzano for borough president. Segarra, however, currently director of the New York City Police
Museum, said it’s “absolutely untrue” that she is replacing Tino Hernandez as NYCHA chief and said Hernandez is doing an “extremely good job.”
Segarra, who grew up on the Lower East Side in the LaGuardia Houses, is leaving the door open to run for Council, which would mean moving out of Battery Park City, where she resides. “If I considered running it would only be in the Lower East Side,” she said. “I wouldn’t want our current councilmember, Alan Gerson, who is excellent, to be concerned. He’s been a great leader for our community.”
Not fit to print: Since when is a 23-story mega-dorm by Tompkins Sq. Park not a story? Well, that’s what Susan Howard of Save CHARAS said a New York
Times reporter told her after finding out New York University wasn’t interested in the project and decided not to write anything…. Also, there’s disagreement on whether Marsha and Ronald Beard from California, who hold the second and third leases on the property, are related to Samuel Beard, chairperson of the National Development Council, the nonprofit that’s been considering whether to develop the dorm. Daniel Marsh, of N.D.C., and Michael Rosen, of Stop the Dorm, both are positive there’s no connection.
Howard, though, says there is and that it represents a conflict of interest.
The CHARAS building’s owner, Gregg Singer, claimed ignorance of any Beards holding any mortgages on the property. Now that the dorm project may be dead, at least in N.D.C.’s view, we hear the Voice is finally getting around to doing its own story on it.
