Page 269 - Demo

Bmy Prim er%u2022 Primary Day Prim erePrim ary Day Prim erePrim ary Day P rim er#P rim ary Day PrirThe 57th A.D. Race:Candidates Search forCommon Chord in Multi-Ethnic D istrictBY PETER HALEYThe fight for the 57th Assembly district%u2019s Democratic nomination betweeen incumbent Assemblyman Harvey Strelzin, Community School Board head Velmanett Montgomery, gay activist Virginia Apuzzo, and taxi union official Alexis Miranda is nearing the end --- with all candidates theoritically benefitting from the surfeit of political contestants.^Incumbent Strelzin seemingly will benefit as Montgomery and Miranda collect their lion%u2019s share respectively of the black and Hispanic vote.^Montgomery supporters claim her situation is better, with Apuzzo and Strelzin splitting the white vote and Miranda picking up Hispanic votes only, leaving her to put together a winning combination of black and liberal white votes.IMiranda ran against Strelzin in 1976 and came close to a victory. With the addition of two candidates he could push ahead this time.^Apuzzo, while not as well known as Strelzin, could possibly pick up enough white, Hispanic and black votes in various measures to win.But with all the candidates and all the theories, only one is going to win. And in this multi-ethnic district each candidate is searching for that common chord among enough Williamsburg, Ft. Greene, and Boerum Hill-Gowanus voters to widen his or her share to victory.Strelzin is campaigning on his legislative role and how he has protected the 57th%u2019s various homeowning communities from %u201cusurious increases%u201d in mortgage rates and supported such bills as the generic drug law. Strelzin also argues that he has been heavily involved in community issues, ranging from the explosive demolition in Vinegar Hill to reducing tensions between Hasidim and Hispanics at Williamsburg%u2019s Gemente Plaza.In her campaign, Montgomery argues that Strelzin%u2019s ties are not with the community, because he %u201cdoesn%u2019t even bother to live in the district, much less represent it%u201d and because he also doesn%u2019t have a community office. Montgomery has been endorsed by the liberal Kings County Democratic Coalition and the district%u2019s own Independent Democratic club. She has listededucation and expansion of day care among her legislative priorities and is using her liberal backing and endorsement byvarious black and minority groups to wage war on Strelzin and beat back her fellow challengers at the same time.Apuzzo has the Liberal Party endorsement and insists she will maintain her active campaignthrough November, building her race in the Democratic primary around the deterioration of the district over the past five terms thatStrelzin has been in office. Like the rest of her fellow challengers, Apuzzo vows to set up a community office and claims that a %u201c fighting%u201d assemblywoman can turn cityowned derelict buildings in the area into affordable housingthrough available CETA and Community Development funds.Miranda came close last time, but in order to win in 1978 he will h'ave to expand his Williamsburg base into the Ft. Greene and Boerum Hill communities. Miranda has been actively involved in the Los Sures housing and tenants group and, not suprisingly, is in favor of publically-financed housing. Like Apuzzo, he is pushing for rehabilitation of existing housing as well as for new construction.With four candidates in the race, the ethnic factors in the 57th District this year loom larger than in most contests. That means that Strelzin will get his Jewish support; Montgomery her black support; Miranda the Hispanics; and Apuzzo the Italians. The candidate who can best parlay his/her ethnic support into a broad base of voters will win the election. By now, Strelzin is an old hand at this and better known. With the past as a guide, Strelzin can undoubtedly be beaten, but with the wholesale splitting of votes, the odds are in his favor to win another term.The four primary candidatesfor this district offerthe voters of a diversedistrict a wide choice.The 51st A.D. Race:Ferris Has A %u2018Real Race%u2019 forRe-election in Slope-Borough Park D istrictBY PETER HALEYIn 1976, Assemblyman Joe Ferris beat local school board president Philip Kaplan in the 51st A.D. by a scant 700 votes with his own Central Brooklyn Independent Democrat Club%u2019s all-out support. Two years later he faces another Democratic primary challenge, this time from Assembly aide Beatrice DeSapio, who has the backing of the Brooklyn regular Democratic organization. With dissention in CBID and a district leader running mate who has lately been publically critical of him, Ferris seems to have a real race on his hands.But, is Ferris worried?%u201c We%u2019re doing what we%u2019ve always done. We%u2019re continuing the day to day constituent work and our campaign is unfolding,%u201d said the Park Slope - Borough Park Assemblyman. %u201c If someone wants to go off on a tangent, we can%u2019t react to that.%u201dFerris was referring to his %u201crunning mate%u201d , Alberta Friscia, candidate for female district leader and a member of CBID. Friscia terms her criticism of Ferris as %u2018%u2018outlining positions,%u201d but to someone higher up on the ticket %u2014 like Ferris --- it smacks of treachery.According to Friscia, the problem is that reformer Ferris, wno neat conserative Vince Kiccio on a progressive platform, has changed and is %u201c very defensive%u201d of the Carey administration. \problem is that Ferris sent a newsletter from Albany saying taxes were down, jobs were up and the future was bright, when he should have taken a position on these things,%u201d says Frisicia. A public school administrator, she says that the recent tax cut was mainly for business and that Ferrissome CBID members, she just reflects the sentiments of the other side, of the split reform club. %u201c Ferris has demonstrated that he is not interested in what we stand for,%u201d said one anti-Ferris CBID member who campaigned door-todoor in 1976, but is idle now. Many former workers have taken thisMcNeil against fellow club member John Wojick, who was knocked off the ballot by McNeil. This fratricidal move came after McNeil defeated John McGettrick for club president earlier this year. REGULARS LAUGHINGThis kind of infighting has the regular camp chuckling to themJ%u2018Ferris says he%u2019s continuing hisday to day constituent work.%u2019%u2018DeSapio%u2019s basic issue is that Ferris hasnot done enough in the community.%u2019should have taken a stronger position on unemployment, senior citizen problems and restoring free tuition to the city university system. She is quick to point out that Ferris may have his faults, but ne is a better candidate than opponent Bea DeSapio.Friscia is not a renegade, saypassive stance on Assembly this year, while still actually backing the Assemblyman.The attitude toward Ferris reflects a deep split in the H uh *hai has produced wounds that may be too deep to heal. The district leadership race for male district leader pitted pro-Ferris Peterselves because, according to district leader Anthony Caracciolo, DeSapio has more \appeal and will give Ferris a suprise. According to Caracciolo,HiccoficfoMirttn %u2014 %u00bb%u00bb um*U a v %u00bb k %u00ab>j v v m v k Jfrom both sides because the Assemblyman is %u201c inactive.%u201d Ferris always points out that he is a full-time assemblyman, buthe%u2019s only passed two bills in four years,%u201d says Caracciolo.DeSapio is using a pro-death penalty position in her campaign, but her basic issue is that Ferris has not done enough in the community and that she, along with Caracciolo and female district %u00bbleader Louise Finney will %u201c get things done%u201d in the district.Ferris includes among his community-oriented efforts a legislative fight to save $4 million worth of funding at Lutheran, Methodist and Maimoniaes hospitals; his positions against Con Edison rate increases; his support for elected, not selected, members of the Public Service Commission; and his opposition to checking accounts for savings banks and a proposed legal 18 per cent second mortgage rate.DeSapio, with the regular party support, will be greatly aided by a low voter turnout. The newspaper strike and a low-key campaign could well help this. But most quarreling members of CBID think that even with their battles, they aren%u2019t going to let it spill over into the election day operation.John McGettrick, who lost the CBID presidency thanks to Ferris and McNeil, still thinks that DeSapio couldn%u2019t and shouldn%u2019t beat Ferris. %u201c Joe has been highlyVtQlW#%u00bb anrl that Htill LaIm LI%u2014 tt t_ _ ------ %u2014 %u2014 %u2014 * ---* %u2022%u2022 %u201c %u2022 m u i |said .%u2018%u2018At the club there are differences and there will continue to be, but I know I prefer Ferris over DeSapio.%u201d\\