Volume 74, Number 43 | March 02 – 08, 2005
Scoopy’s Notebook
String of supporters: State Senator Tom Duane’s early endorsement of Assemblymember Scott Stringer last week in the Manhattan borough president primary, is being hailed as huge by Stringer. “Scott has been a leader in the Legislature, whether for legislative reform or as one of the original sponsors of marriage-equality legislation,” Duane said. “I think Duane is critical because he’s a true progressive and a true icon of the L.G.B.T. [lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender] community,” Stringer said. Stringer’s camp said Duane’s endorsement is a blow to two other B.P. candidates, Margarita Lopez and Brian Ellner, who are both gay. Stringer’s other West Side endorsements include Representative Jerrold Nadler, State Senator Eric Schneiderman and openly gay Assemblymember Danny O’Donnell. We hear another out-gay West Side pol, Assemblymember Deborah Glick, however, is endorsing Lopez, though hasn’t come out publicly about it yet. Meanwhile, Councilmember Eva Moskowitz is hoping to snag the endorsement of East Side Congressmember Carolyn Maloney. But a source in Moskowitz’s campaign said Maloney isn’t expected to endorse for a while.
Sanders movin’ up? The Stringer camp is putting out some, well, let’s say, interesting spin on the factors Assemblymember Steve Sanders must be considering in deciding who to endorse for B.P. Mainly, according to a source, while Sanders might want to endorse fellow East Sider Lopez, he’s also got to think about the three Assembly candidates in the race — Stringer, Keith Wright and Adriano Espaillat — since Sanders wants to be the next Assembly speaker. However, Sanders said, not so fast. “One speaker at a time,” he said. “Shelly Silver is the speaker and I fully support him. I don’t know if he’ll be speaker for two more years or 12 more years. That is a decision he’ll make.” But assuming Silver someday is not a candidate for speaker — currently, the most powerful Democratic post in state government — Sanders said, “Sure, it’s crossed my mind.”
Heavy on the Schwartz: We hear from a source that the whole conversation at Village Independent Democrats’ executive committee meeting last week concerned whether or not District Leader Arthur Schwartz should be let back into the club. Some of the older women members were dead set against it, we hear, while newer members who barely know Schwartz didn’t have strong feelings either way. But it’s all moot: According to V.I.D.’s constitution, club membership is open to all, meaning Schwartz can rejoin if he likes. The real question is — would the club endorse him for reelection this year?
CBGB/B.R.C.: Curbed Web site reports that the “evil developer/slumlord” allegedly jacking CBGB’s rent through the roof is in fact Bowery Residents Committee, which has a long-term net lease on 315 Bowery, and which runs a homeless shelter upstairs from the famed punk venue. A B.R.C. administrator, who withheld her name, confirmed CBGB is their subtenant, but told The Villager that club owner Hilly Kristal’s claim that the rent will rise to $40,000 is inaccurate. “They’re not paying a high rent — I don’t know where those numbers come from,” she said.
Move over Barbie: A Japanese company is reportedly in discussion with the Federation of East Village Artists — the organization that puts on the annual HOWL! festival — about developing an “Allen Ginsberg action figure.” Phil Hartman, FEVA’s executive director, reportedly says techno rocker Moby’s company may be interested in the project. We’re not sure exactly what kind of action an action figure of the Beat guru would do — read poetry, play a zither, smoke pot, have sex? Who knows, if the Ginsberg doll flies, maybe Kerouac and Cassidy will be next.
Lopez on track: Margarita Lopez is vehemently denying rumors that Mayor Bloomberg has offered her the commissioner post at the city’s Human Resources Administration, replacing current commissioner Verna Eggleston. “That’s ridiculous,” Lopez said. “I’m running for borough president — with or without the rumors of anybody who is trying to derail my campaign…. For God’s sake,” Lopez said of Eggleston, “that is my dear, dear friend. I would not take that away from her.” As for Lopez’s B.P. campaign, some are saying the fact that Carlos Manzano is running will hurt her, claiming it could split the Hispanic vote. Lopez fired back that she has name recognition and a record, both of which Manzano lacks. “It’s not enough to be Latino to compete against me without having a record to stand on,” she declared.
More N.Y.U. housing: Saying he plans to do more for graduate students, N.Y.U. President John Sexton was recently quoted in the Washington Sq. News, the university’s student newspaper, saying, “During my presidency, we will be building more graduate school housing.” Where is anybody’s guess.
Cool videos: Word has it Kim’s Video is moving into the former space of The Loft at 89 Christopher St. Great, hopefully now we’ll have another place besides Kim’s Underground on Bleecker St. to get our videos of Charles Bukowski readings.
