CWA 1180 - Political Action

2005 primary election endorsements
August 2005

The Local 1180 executive board has so far endorsed the following candidates for the New York City primary elections on Tuesday, September 13. Polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.—please vote early.

Citywide Races
Comptroller: William Thompson
Public Advocate: Norman Siegel

Manhattan Races
Manhattan Borough President: Bill Perkins
New York County Surrogate’s Court: Kristin Booth
City Council District 1: Alan Gerson
City Council District 2: Brian Kavanagh
City Council District 3: Christine Quinn
City Council District 4: Dan Garodnick
City Council District 5: Jessica Lappin
City Council District 6: Gale Brewer
City Council District 7: Robert Jackson
City Council District 9: Inez Dickens

Bronx Races
Bronx Borough President: Adolfo Carrion
City Council District 11: Oliver Koppell
City Council District 12: Larry Seabrook
City Council District 13: James Vacca
City Council District 14: Maria Baez
City Council District 15: Joel Rivera
City Council District 16: Helen Foster
City Council District 18: Annabel Palma

Brooklyn Races
Kings County Civil Court: Sylvia G. Ash
City Council District 33: David Yassky
City Council District 34: Diana Reyna
City Council District 35: Letitia James
City Council District 36: Al Vann
City Council District 38: Sara Gonzalez
City Council District 39: Bill De Blasio
City Council District 40: Yvette Clark
City Council District 41: Darlene Mealy
City Council District 42: Charles Barron
City Council District 43: Vincent Gentile
City Council District 46: Lew Fidler
City Council District 47: Domenic Recchia

Queens Races
Queens Borough President: Helen Marshall
City Council District 19: Tony Avella
City Council District 20: John Liu
City Council District 21: Hiram Monserrate
City Council District 23: David Weprin
City Council District 24: James Gennaro (D/WFP)
City Council District 25: Helen Sears (D)
City Council District 26: Eric Gioia (D/WFP)
City Council District 27: Leroy Comrie (D/WFP)
City Council District 29: Melinda Katz (D/WFP)
City Council District 31: James Sanders (D)
City Council District 32: Joseph Addabbo (D/WFP)

Staten Island Races
No endorsements

Some endorsement highlights:

Normal Siegel
(Public Advocate)
Norman Siegel is a proud product of the New York City public school system. He became a civil rights activist in the 1960s, and went on in the 1970s to run a voter registration drive targeting youth participation and spearhead the New York campaign to impeach President Richard Nixon. As executive director of the New York Civil Liberties Union for 15 years, he gained a reputation as an outspoken advocate and fierce fighter for civil rights in New York City, including the creation of an independent Civilian Complaint Review Board to reign in police brutality and defending the right of citizens to protest on the steps of City Hall during the Giuliani years. His long track record of commitment to progressive advocacy makes him a natural for the post of Public Advocate, a post he plans to turn into a vehicle for citizen oversight over city government, with town hall meetings, offices in every borough, and a network of active volunteers.

Bill Perkins
(Manhattan Borough President)
Bill Perkins began his political career as a community activist, and he’s acted like one on the City Council. He’s fought successfully to restore millions of dollars to keep senior centers, libraries, parks, and playgrounds open. He stood up to the powerful real estate lobby by winning passage of the Childhood Lead Paint Poisoning Prevention Act to protect children from the deadly effects of lead in their homes. Last summer, when peaceful protesters rallied during the Republican National Convention were wrongly arrested and denied their rights, Perkins was the first to hold hearings and expose the abuses. He also introduced the Patriot Act Resolution, which requires that anti-terrorism policies implemented in New York do not infringe on our fundamental rights and freedoms. He is a strong friend to labor, and led the fight for the Living Wage Bill in the council. As the progressive Rev. Earl Kooperkamp, of St. Mary’s Church in Harlem, said in endorsing Perkins, “He doesn’t hesitate to speak truth to power and takes on the tough fights that others shy away from.”

Darlene Mealy
(City Council – Brooklyn, District 41)
For nearly thirty years, a member of the Boyland family has represented Central Brooklyn in political office—Thomas Boyland, William F. Boyland Sr., William F. Boyland Jr., and most recently Tracy Boyland, who was just term-limited out of office. In an effort to keep the open seat in the family, the elderly William F. Boyland Sr. has decided to come out of retirement. But there’s a chance to end the dynasty: Darlene Mealy, a motivated community organizer, is running, with the goal of establishing a program in which experienced teachers mentor younger teachers, like one that has been successfully launched in the Bronx. A longtime employee of New York City Transit, she is a union member backed by the Working Families Party, and she serves on the executive board of the Neighborhood Housing Service, which provides homeowners with low-interest loans for home improvement.

Before you vote, please check back to this web page for final, last-minute endorsements. If you’d like to help with get-out-the-vote operations for the general election in November, call Political Action Committee chair Jerry Brown at 212-331-0950 to volunteer.

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