Chin challenger: Showing that he means serious business in his challenge to incumbent Margaret Chin, Christopher Marte this week announced that he has raised $81,245 for his first filing deadline. Of that amount, $22, 313 was raised from private funds, with the rest coming from the city’s matching program. Most of his cash was collected in the past two weeks, with two-thirds of the donations coming from within Lower Manhattan’s Council District 1. “This demonstrates the support the district has already invested in a lifelong neighbor who has been an outspoken advocate for community issues for years,” the young activist said. In his press release, Marte also included two pie charts, showing breakdowns of “donor by occupation” and “raised amount by occupation.” We don’t see any contributions from the real estate industry on them.
Al’s O.K.: Former longtime Villager reporter Albert Amateau — a.k.a. “The Dean of Community Journalism” — had a scare recently while jogging at the McBurney YMCA on W. 14th St. He felt chest pains, so stopped running and decided to finish off his workout with some weightlifting and stretching. But as he was getting dressed afterward, he began to feel worse, and asked for help. E.M.S. responded and took him to the nearest hospital — Beth Israel — where it was found that he had coronary blockage. One stent was put in a couple of days later. A week after that, he went back to B.I. for two more stents. He might possibly need another one down the line. “No cutting, both were done via catheters through the artery in my right wrist,” Al told us last week. “I’m hoping the cardiologist will say it’s O.K. for me to start going to the gym again. No running on the track, though. I’ll do the active older adults classes. I’m fine now. I walk a couple of blocks every day, and last week I made it down to the Village by subway with Moya’s help. I’ll let you know when I’m ready to take assignments. Good luck with the press association awards.”
Acker Awards IV: Clayton Patterson tells us that the fourth annual Acker Awards for avant-garde artists is set for Sun., Feb. 12, at Theatre 80 St. Mark’s, at 80 St. Mark’s Place. Doors open at 6 p.m. and the awards ceremony starts at 7 p.m. Among this year’s honorees will be artist Alex “The Countess” Zapak, whose story is particularly relevant in the current political climate. “She overstayed her visa by 15 days and was banned for five years from entering America,” Patterson said. “After the five years, she is still not being allowed in. I want to drill home the point of what is happening to Alex. It is wrong and un-American.” Posthumous Ackers will also be given to the great Loisaida poet Miguel Pinero and L.E.S. “gardens godmother” Carmen Pabon.
Pining for PAN: Village District Leader Arthur Schwartz recently held the second meeting of the new Lower Manhattan Progressive Action Network, or PAN, the local chapter of a growing movement of linked Bernie Sanders-inspired organizations around the country. Chief on the meeting’s agenda was the goal of bringing back a full-service hospital to the Greenwich Village / Lower West Side area. Participants agreed that Pier 40 is the perfect place for it. Back after Sanders lost the New York primary election to Hillary Clinton, Schwartz told us that the new group’s larger goal is “to take over the Democratic Party from within.” Village activist Gil Horowitz is a big supporter of Schwartz’s PAN push, even though the two were briefly bitter rivals for district leader a couple of years ago. Horowitz said he’s hoping Sanders will make another run for president. “At age 76, he would not be much older than the incumbent, who will also in his mid-70s then,” he said. “One can dream.”
NYC Women’s March: For those who can’t make it down to Washington, D.C., for the big Women’s March on Sat., Jan. 21, there will be a New York City version the same day. The event will run from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Marchers will meet at Dag Hammarskjold Plaza, at E. 47th St. between First and Second Aves., and head down to — where else? — Trump Tower. The organizers want to launch the marchers in waves, in alphabetical order — good luck with that! — and are asking people to register at thehumanfirstsociety.org.
