New York Ballot Shuffle; Money Incoming, Money Outgoing

NEW YORK

• In Recent Elections, WFP and Greens Leave Their Mark (By Azi Paybarah, NY Observer/Politicker) After the 2010 governor's race, which determines permanent ballot positions for political parties in New York, the WFP moved up from Row E to Row D (after they grudgingly endorsed Cuomo). But the Green Party, who went with the surprisingly compelling Howie Hawkins, got more than the 50,000 votes needed to establish a permeant ballot line, landing them on Row F.
• Reshuffling the ballot in NY: WFP and Conservatives moves up, Indys drop (By Azi Paybarah, WNYC/The Empire)
• David Koch and Wife Gave Gov. Andrew Cuomo $87K (Chris Good, The Atlantic)
• David Koch Continues NY GOP Support (Capital Tonight on YNN) Koch has spread his campaign cash around in New York. He and his wife, Julia, contributed $87,000 to Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo as he ramped up his 2010 gubernatorial bid.
• Koch scolds Senate GOP leader on redistricting (Posted by: Cara Matthews, Politics on the Hudson) New York Uprising, a reform group founded by former New York City Mayor Ed Koch, is taking Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos, R-Nassau County, to task over comments he made on NY1 last night. Skelos told NY1 that redistricting reform is a dead issue and would not be taken up by the GOP-controlled Senate now that a budget agreement has been reached.
• Dadey: Don’t Fund LAFTOR In State Budget (Posted by: Nick Reisman, Politics on the Hudson) Citizens Union Executive Director Dick Dadey is disappointed that the 2011-12 tentative budget includes funding for the Legislative Task Force on Demographic Research and Reapportionment, also known as LAFTOR, which is the traditional mechanism for redrawing legislative districts.

NYC Charter Revision Will Vote on Ballot Proposition Wednesday 8/11/10

Check out NY1 Grace Rauh's coverge of today's press conference by Lenora Fulani and NYC Independence Party:

Supporters of nonpartisan elections say they aren't giving up their fight.

"It just wasn't in the cards this year. We didn't see a clear path to winning this. We see a clear path down the road to winning this, just not this year," said Dick Dadey of Citizens Union.

"As more and more young people sign up and become registered to vote, they are not joining parties. They are not going to join parties and as that gap widens, so does the pressure," said Lenora Fulani of the New York City Independence Party.

Nonpartisan Elections in New York City: The Media, the Mayor and the Message

NY1 ran an "exclusive" (that's media talk for high market value spin) today saying that sources say that Mayor Bloomberg's people say that the Mayor won't push the Charter Revision Commission to put nonpartisan elections on the ballot. Some sources told the NY Daily News something similar (they got the same spin but got it an hour later.)

The Mayor has not been quoted directly or made a public statement in the past 24 hours, but he is on record as supporting nonpartisan elections for New York City municipal elections since at least 2001.

Nonpartisan elections and open primaries has been gaining steady support over the past 2 years, ever since independents sent Barack Obama to the White House. (And of course it was independents who put Mike Bloomberg in office twice, uh, make that three times...)

Chris Bragg asked Fred Newman (the NYC-based "controversial psychotherapist, philosopher, playwright and political activist,") about this last week in City Hall News, and it went like this:

"CH: Do you wish the mayor would weigh in a little more in support of non-partisan elections? 

FN: His promise, his statement was to assure that he would do what he could do to make sure that it was considered. He created the commission, so he fulfilled that commitment. He didn’t make a commitment to work for it or be outspoken for it, although he has been before on the record. If you asked me subjectively today, would I have wanted him to do more, I suppose it would have been helpful. But I don’t think he has violated any promises...."

Speaking as an independent, frankly we've never depended on the kindness of politicians.

The recommendation last month to the NYC Charter Revision Commission by the 105 year old penultimate good government group Citizens Union, now headed up by executive director Dick Dadey, to put nonpartisans on the ballot in November turned the 10-year fight for democracy and inclusiveness in the electoral arena in New York City on its head.

The Hankster will cover the press conference tomorrow being held by Lenora Fulani and the NYC Independence Party and hope to bring you video at 11.

Ladies and gentlemen, the fight continues!

For video of citizen and expert testimony in favor of nonpartisan elections at the NYC Charter Revision Commission hearings, see Hankstertube.

Citizens Union Dick Dadey on NYC Nonpartisan Top-Two Primary Elections: A Matter of Democracy

Citizens Union executive director Dick Dadey responds to questioning by NYC Charter Revision Commission Chairman Matthew Goldstein and others at Monday night August 2, 2010 public hearing at PS 58 in Staten Island about whether to put nonpartisan top-two primary on the ballot. Dadey: "Yes, it is a high stakes game. 1.4 million voters are disenfranchised. There is a big difference between 2003 and today. In 2003 many voters felt that there was a forced outcome from the Charter Revision Commission, that is not the case now. This is a very informed discussion. We can't take a principle of democracy and run it up against a game of chance. The risk of failure should not cause us to not act on principles in the interest of the democratic process and enfranchising voters who are currently excluded."

Citizens Union Board Backs Nonpartisan Top Two 48 to 2

Dick Dadey explains Citizens Union change of mind decision on nonpartisan elections between 2003 and today. Voters are looking to change the system that has produced paralytic partisan gridlock. In a nonpartisan system, the city of Los Angeles elected its first Latino mayor in an election where the Democratic Party backed "the white guy".

Citizens Union Dick Dadey to NYC Charter Revision Commission: Yes to Nonpartisan Top Two

Dick Dadey, executive director of Citizens Union, NYC's premiere government watchdog, testifies before Charter Revision Commission at PS 58 - Space Shuttle Columbia School in Staten Island, Monday, August 8, 2010. Average voter turnout in NYC special elections, which are nonpartisan, over past 10 years have been 57% greater than the average assembly race. When voters are given a choice rather than a foregone conclusion, they turn out. Urge the Commission to reach a little higher, aim further.

NYC Charter Revision Hearing on Nonpartisan Elections 8.2.10

I am uploading video so check back Tuesday morning for the results.

In the meantime, let me say that a lively debate ensued. Sarah Lyons, Chair of the Staten Island County Committee of the Independence Party of New York testified, as did Dick Dadey of Citizens Union. The Commission was quite engaged and had a number of questions for Dadey.

Check here for NY1 report by Grace Rauh.

"We need to do something now to reinvigorate the voters, to give them the choices they demand. The reason they don't participate now is because they know their votes don't matter," said Dick Dadey of Citizens Union.

Citizens Union Urges NYC Charter Revision Commission to Put Top-Two Nonpartisan Primary Election Referendum on November Ballot

NYC Citizens Union Executive Director Dick Dadey testifies before the Charter Revision Commission Monday, July 19, 2010, at Brooklyn College. Citizens Union presented 50 recommendations for charter reform that would increase voter participation, including a "top-two" primary election (a form of nonpartisan election that would enable all voters regardless of party affiliation or nonaffiliation to vote in the critical first round of voting.

"I don't think we can afford to ignore this issue. Voter participation is on the decline. If not top-two, what is your solution? Turn-out in special elections in NYC is double that for state legislative elections where there is no contest and the Democratic Party wins and the people don't turn out because they know their vote doesn't matter."