Count McCain out: New School president Bob Kerrey tells us there’s no way his pal Senator John McCain is running for vice president with John Kerry. “I think the chances are slim to zero,” Kerrey told The Villager. He said beyond ideological differences, McCain, “for some reason,” just doesn’t want to run. Kerrey said he himself is not and won’t be a candidate for vice president, adding he’s renegotiating a new contract with New School right now. (A Kerry-Kerrey slate could sound a bit confusing, too.) Kerrey said “the Democratic bench of candidates is strong” for vice president and that if Kerry runs on a platform of uniting the country, he’ll beat Bush. Asked what the reported “New School project” that he had to talk about funding for with Senator Pete Domenici that forced Kerrey to leave the 9/11 Commission’s interview a few weeks ago with the president and vice president, Kerrey said he’s not a public figure anymore and doesn’t have to answer the question.
Freed love: Municipal Court Judge Kathryn Freed last week arraigned raunchy rocker Courtney Love on assault charges for Love’s having banged a microphone onto a fan’s head at Plaid on Fourth Ave. Love refrained from flashing her breasts — “Not my type,” noted Freed — but did come two hours late and later sat down on the floor in the women’s bathroom and held a press conference. “I will say, I’ve never seen so many spectators in my courtroom,” said Freed, a former Downtown councilmember, who seemed happy to have her name in the newspapers again. “I can’t get away from it!” she gushed.
Board blood sport: Some member of Community Board 2 are waiting with baited breath for the Manhattan borough president to release the final list of new board appointees and reappointments. They’re praying that a veteran board member they have it in for will be axed. The appointments are an annual event each April — though usually are delayed, this year due to the local councilmembers having yet to finalize their appointments.
Paid detail: We hear from Councilmember David Yassky’s office that Yassky is currently working with the Bloomberg administration and Police Department on his bill to allow off-duty police officers to be employed by and posted outside bars. Said Evan Thies, a Yassky staffer, “It’s rare that the Council and city actually negotiate a bill. We didn’t want to just override the mayor’s veto.” Thies said the revised bill will be ready within a week and should be approved by the end of the month. Also, now that Consumer Affairs Commissioner Gretchen Dykstra’s plan to replace cabaret licenses with nightlife licenses is dead, Councilmember Alan Gerson — an early proponent of reforming the city’s cabaret laws — said he’s crafting his own package of nightlife bills.
The Wood memorial: A memorial service for Jane Wood, founder of the Chelsea Coalition on Housing who died March 17 at the age of 96, has been rescheduled and will be held 4-7 p.m. Sun., June 6 in the auditorium of St. Columba’s Church, 343 W. 25th St. Donations may be made in her memory to the Chelsea Coalition on Housing, P.O. Box 1164, Old Chelsea Sta., New York, N.Y., 10113.
Dog day afternoon: The Village Alliance BID will present Furry Paws on Parade, a day of canine pampering from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sat. May 22 at Furry Paws, 9 E. Eighth St. The event will include free gift bags of doggie treats for the first 200 pets, nail grooming, a beauty spa raffle prize and discounts on purchases. For information, phone the Alliance at 212-777-2173 or visit www.villagealliance.org
Addicted to Scoopy: We got an e-mail recently from Joyce Hartwell, former director of the All-Craft Center on St. Mark’s Pl., alerting us Scoopy’s Notebook wasn’t posted on The Villager Web site. Last we heard, Hartwell, whose All-Craft Center focused on helping substance abusers kick their addictions, was headed for Albany. Like they say, once a Scoopy reader, always a Scoopy reader.
Save the Far West Village: The Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation will hold a press conference and rally on the steps of City Hall on Sun., May 23 at 2 p.m. as part of the effort to save the Far West Village from overdevelopment.
