HALASA SWOOPS IN: City Councilmember Corey Johnson might have thought he was running unopposed for re-election to a second term this year. It sounds, though, like he might be facing a challenger who will “float like a butterfly” — and possibly sting like a bee (umm, assuming she has a bee costume hanging around somewhere). We’re talking about colorful protester Marni Halasa, who happens to be a resident of Council District 3 (Chelsea / Clinton). Halasa, who is also a lawyer and self-described “NYC parade personality,” plans to run as an independent on the Eco Justice Party line, which is inspired by the Green Party. In her opinion, running for elected office is “the ultimate protest.” Her platform is simple: Ordinary citizens need to get involved in politics to shape social and economic policy; “universal basic income” and a federal jobs guarantee are key to eradicating poverty; and the widespread gentrification of our neighborhoods that is displacing residents and small businesses must be stopped. Halasa believes her ability to “decipher and illustrate issues with humor and spectacle” has made her “a media darling, plus one of the most-sought-after teachers at Sky Rink.” “People love a show, and you do that first to capture their attention,” the wannabe candidate explained. “But after that, you have to show them who you are. And if you’re sincere, make sense and truly want to improve people’s lives, people will come running to assist your campaign. Looking great in a mermaid costume is helpful,” but so is a clear stance on the issues. “I’m fortunate,” she said, “in my case, I can do both.” As an independent, she also plans to collect around 4,000 ballot petition signatures to ensure that she gets the required 2,700 valid ones — which is more than major-party candidates need to gather. For more on Halasa, see a Q&A with her on p. 23 of this week’s issue.
Shelly-run rumination: So now that Sheldon Silver’s corruption conviction has been tossed out, could he actually be thinking the unthinkable — namely, of running for his old seat again? Of course, Yuh-Line Niou has held the Assembly seat since winning a heavily contested Democratic primary election last year. Hank Sheinkopf, the veteran political consultant, said that to call it unlikely would be an understatement. “Don’t count on Sheldon Silver resuming his political career,” he told us. “The feds may re-indict, retry him and he will have to again mount a defense. He had a great political career. All things come to an end. Unquestionably, that sort of thing takes a lot out of a person,” he noted of all that Silver, 73, has gone through recently as former U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara brought the power broker’s world crashing down. Since we had Sheinkopf on the line, we asked him a few other questions, such as do Bob Gangi or Sal Albanese have a chance of beating Mayor Bill de Blasio in the September primary? “Is it likely that Mars will collide with Venus?” the consultant scoffed. How about “frenemies” Comptroller Scott Stringer and de Blasio endorsing each other for re-election? “Scott Stringer looked down the road four years,” Sheinkopf offered. “If strategic waiting is a good tactic, then Scott Stringer has mastered it.”
New top cop: Captain Robert O’Hare has replaced Inspector Joseph Simonetti as the new commanding officer of Greenwich Village’s Sixth Precinct. Simonetti is now the new C.O. of Staten Island’s 120th Precinct. O’Hare previously led Patrol Borough Manhattan South’s Times Square Unit, where he was in charge of enforcing the new “designated activity zones” for all the Elmos and other costumed characters, the Naked Cowboy, the desnudas and all the rest. Detective Jimmy Alberici, a Sixth Precinct community affairs officer, said the passing of the police baton at the Village precinct is just the typical turnover.
