Page 170 - Demo

VE d i t o r i a l ssJust Lite ElectricityNewspapers, just like electricity and subways, are something we take forgranted%u2014until there is a major upheaval or catastrophe that disrupts oursafe, secure routine. Now, some would argue that the blackout of the dailypress in New York is not the equivalent of the Con Edison blackout, but itwill certainly have the same kind of prolonged effect across the economy ofthe city and make a severe long-term impact on myriad groups,organizations and businesses.At The PHOENIX, our reaction to the newspaper vacuum was to provideour own daily chronicle of events in the city, state and nation for ourreaders in Brooklyn. On August 15, the second day of the strike, wepublished a 16-page special %u201c daily%u201d edition jointly with our sisterpublication in Manhattan, The V ILLA G ER . Four more days last week wepublished %u201c daily%u201d editions which went only to newsstands in downtownBrooklyn and lower Manhattan where both newspapers regularly sell. Withour regular staff augmented by a handful of reporters and writers from TheNew York Times and Daily News, each of our five %u201c daily%u201d editionspresented a rounded, if abbreviated, picture of the world.Now, starting this week, we are changing our response. The emergenceof a series of new strike newspapers has obviated the need for our %u201c localdaily.%u201d In its place, we will publish two editions this week which will go bymail to all regular subscribers and be available on the newsstands.W e will continue this semi-weekly schedule as long as we believe thedemand for news and advertising persists.Our approach to covering our community and our city has won us awardsfrom professional groups and the continued loyalty of our readers. Inreturn, we hope this extra effort we have taken and are taking to fill the gapfor news during this daily blackout, shows our continued sense' ofcommitment and loyalty to our readers.O f f t h e R e c o r d B Y J e n C i n e rAt the StretchThe newspaper strike is not helping to clarify the con fu sion su rrou n d in g th e D em ocratic prim ary fo r G ov ern or. If anything, it has given what has always been a confusing situation a good excuse for being confusing. Nothing much had been happening before the strike%u2014 the candidates withheld their public gaffs until there were few around to report them, and voter interest in the race still appears to be negligible.With the primary three weeks away, Governor Hugh Carey, Lieutenant G overnor Mary Ann Krupsak, and State Senator Jeremiah Bloom have yet to step up their campaign. A recent local television interview showed that the race is a race not of issues, but o f personalities. Even with death penalty fever, no one seem s to be paying much attention, either to Carey%u2019s unqualified opposition, Krupsak%u2019 s qualified op p o sitio n (she says she w outa %u201c respect%u201d a death penalty bill by not giving blanket clem ency) and B loom %u2019s avid support o f the death penalty.The race appears to be close%u2014 at least according to a recent poll com m issioned by supporters of Republican nominee Perry Duryea, which shows Carey and Krupsak running neck and neck, but with a large chunk o f undecided votes. But that does not mean that Krupsak%u2019 s campaign is surging forward. It means that there is still strong sentiment against the incumbent.Carey has already spent far more than his opponents%u2014 about $1.1 million. And one can expect perhaps he will try to raise another $500,000 in the last two weeks o f the campaign, most o f it probably directed towards a m edia blitz. He has rolled up moist o f the m ajor endorsem ents, including two o f the state%u2019 s leading politicians%u2014 City Council President Carol Bellamy and Brooklyn Congresswoman Elizabeth Holtzman. He has all o f the County leaders behind him state-wide, and has been rolling up a host o f local town supervisors and state legislators, especially in Erie County, where Krupsak is expected to run strong.But as the incum bent, Carey has to live with the strong sense o f dissatisfaction in the state. The question is whether Krupsak or Bloom can in the next three weekspresent them selves as a worthy alternative for voters, som ething they seem ed to have failed to do so far.Carey also has to line up a major supporter, organized labor. Several labor leaders have endorsed the Governor. But it remains to be seen what will happen at the AFL-CIO convention at Kiamesha Lake August 27. %u201c W e %u2019ve got no sense of whether th ey%u2019ll en dorse,%u201d said one labor official %u201c sentiment seem s to be m ixed.%u201dThe Krupsak cam paign is hurting right now because it needs m oney. Big money.%u201cKrupsak may beable to strike apopulist note as a%u2018people person,*provided her folksyimage is splatteredon enough televisionscreens throughoutthe state.%u201dWithout newspapers in the city, she will have to count on television ads. A week o f radio ads just ran last week, and according to M aggie Peyton, Krupsak%u2019 s downstate coordinator, %u201c w e%u2019 re hoping for som e TV in the last 10 days o f the cam paign.%u201d Krupsak has only raised $70,000 to date. But wom en candidates, including Krupsak herself four years ago, seem to be gaining the trust o f voters in recent years. And Krupsak, w hose whole campaign seem s oriented towards presenting her as a %u201c people p erson ,%u201d may be able to strike a populist note among voters. That is, provided her ingratiating, folksy im age is splattered on enough television screens throughout the state.Bloom, the underdog, is reportedly doing a lot o f cam paigning upstate%u2014 and even was the projected winner by a Watertown newspaper, according to one o fhis aides. But when we called this week, the Brooklyn state senator was doing the Bath Beach boardwalk bit, where there is a healthy dose o f Jewish voters. Bloom also expects to go the television route and expects another $150,000 to add to his $130,000. He had several radio slots as early as last June, and claim s to have his own organization, as a result o f gathering 47,000 signatures to get on the primary ballot.All th re e ca n d id a tes w ill con tin u e stumping, while they prepare for the election day \pulling%u201d operation. Hard campaigning always helps. But the real factors outstanding are how much the two insurgents can articulate an alternative to the Governor%u2014 and, short o f that, how much anti-Carey sentiment will eat into the bulwark o f his political support. Given Bloom %u2019 s and Krupsak%u2019 s resources, the G overnor%u2019s support right now appears to be a mighty fortress.CBID UpdateTo update the com plicated situation in Park Slope, Peter M cNeill, the president o f the Central Brooklyn Independent D em ocrats, has been selected to replace John Carroll as CBID%u2019s candidate for District Leader. At the same tim e, CBID has succeeded in getting a form er CBID president knocked o ff the ballot for male D istrict L ead er. J oh n W o cjik had petitioned separately from his club-m ates with the hope o f getting the CBID nod after Carroll stepped down. But he only got 672 signatures and, since he is not exactly on the best o f terms with the current club leadership, the com m ittee on vacancies for Carroll%u2019 s petitions selected M cNeill. The com m ittee included Paul Asofsky, Henry Singer and McNeill.The fem ale District Leader candidate, Alberta Friscia, a close ally o f W ocjik%u2019s, has in turn taken a shot at Assemblyman Joseph Ferris, who sits on top o f the whole CBID slate. Friscia %u201c objected strongly%u201d to Ferris%u2019 letter mailed last week to his constituents which was entitled in typical incum bent-ese, %u201c Taxes Down, Jobs Up, Future B right.%u201d%u201c I cannot believe that you and I are living in the same w orld ,%u201d Friscia wrote in an %u201c open letter%u201d to Ferris. Then in capitalletters she says %u201c I WILL NEVER SEND A LETTER TO THE PEOPLE OF THE 51 A .D . TELLING TH EM THAT A GOOD JOB IS BEING DONE FOR THEM WHEN, IN FACT, A GOOD JOB IS BEING DONE ON T H E M .%u201d Then she listed all the ills that the district is suffering from.O f course, Ferris and his supporters in the club, who carried all o f CBID%u2019 s petitions, are outraged at Friscia because she did not get any signatures for her petitions.Som ething%u2019s got to give. CBID m em bers can%u2019t understand how on e can refer to their club as %u201c em battled,%u201d %u201c strife-ridden%u201d or whatever. %u201c There%u2019 s no conflict in the club itself,%u201d said one CBIDer. %u201c It%u2019s just maybe ten people that are working against u s.%u201dBut when you try to knock one past club president o ff the ballot and when your district leader candidate goes after the head o f your slate, som ething%u2019s amiss.Courtside SweepstakesIn the post-Suprem e Court election law sweepstakes, Leanore Waller, who was challenging State Senator Martin Connor in South Brooklyn/Low er Manhattan, was thrown o ff the ballot even though she brought in over 5,000 signatures. Supreme Court Justice Gerard Held ruled W aller off the ballot on the basis of \fraud.%u201d Held, incidently, is a Republican.And Irving Gross, one o f the %u201c other%u201d candidates seeking to upset 14th C.D. Congressm an Fred Richmond, succeeded in ousting Owen Augustine, another o f the %u201c other%u201d candidates in that race. Augustine claims that the statement by the Board o f Elections which was.used in Justice G eorge Adler%u2019s ruling was unsigned%u2014 and that another statement show ed to have more than en ou g h sig n a tu res. %u201c I %u2019 m filin g objections to the state Board o f Elections, the Federal Election Commission and possibly the U.S. Attorney G eneral.%u201dBut o f course the big news in Brooklyn, and perhaps New York Stae is the Stanley Steingut-Helene W einstein 41st Assem bly race, where a Suprem e Court Justice ruled W einstein o ff the ballot on the basis o f an affidavit she signed to her %u201c Character Com m ittee%u201d when she was entering the N.Y. State Bar that said she lived in Manhattan. W einstein will appeal today in the Appellate Division.Inklings B y B e n e S u c h m aRage 10, T H E PHQENJX, August 1978