David Dinkins

Mayor Michael Bloomberg has returned to planet Earth. With a white-cheeked gibbon swinging from branch to branch and a Malayan Tapir drooping its head over a muddy puddle behind him at the Bronx Zoo, on Nov. 24, Mr. Bloomberg explained why, after all the talk over the last couple of years about the stratospheric national offices he could fill, New York needed him for another term.  read more »

The New York Stage and Film Company held their Winter Gala at Capitale on the Bowery on Monday, a day of the week when theaters are traditionally dark. Actors gathered to raise money for its residency program—a "safe space," artistically cozy and warm, where actors and directors could go to develop new plays unmolested by the public eye and the tyranny of the New York Times critics. "It's the only place I know where I can go and work as an artist and not be judged," said actress Julianna Margulies.

How were the attendees—all of whom were employed in theater, television, and film—anticipating the downturn affecting the entertainment industry?

"Obama has other matters to attend to," said board member and Desperate Housewives cast member Dana Delany, wearing her trademark black-rimmed glasses and a cranberry party dress. "That's why we have to fund the arts in the private sector."  read more »

Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, who’s been contemplating a 2009 bid for citywide office, will seek re-election to his current post, according to a person with first-hand knowledge of the campaign.

A formal announcement is expected sometime later today.  read more »

Tuesday morning the pageant of democracy began in earnest.  At 6:15am on West 120th street off Morningside Drive, I stood with my neighbors in the longest polling line I have seen in more than two decades of voting on the Upper West Side. Reading about the death of Barak Obama’s grandmother as I waited in line, I thought of my own grandparents, long gone, and the journey that took all four from Russia and Poland to Ellis Island and the shadow of the Statue of Liberty nearly a century ago.  America is a great country because it is, as John Kennedy once termed it, “a nation of immigrants”.  read more »

Monday evening, at the release party for Q-Tip's new album Renaissance at the Bowery Hotel, the guest of honor brought along his friends Nas and RZA to recreate an old-school freestyle session. "Y'all don't have stare, turn those lights down," the former Tribe Called Quest member said, squinting into the crowd. "Big up to my man Nile Rogers," he said, referring to the influential musician and co-founder of the band Chic. "If you see that legend, salute him!" Mysteriously, a cadre of Secret Service men looked on; they were mum about whom they were guarding.

Q-Tip—famous for his Afrocentric take on boho chic—was sporting a black tux, black shirt, grey bow-tie and fuschia pocket square.  read more »

Charlie Rangel and David Dinkins perched on the back of a white convertible to ride the length of yesterday's African-American Day Parade on Adam Clayton Powell Boulevard in Harlem.

After the parade, when I walked over to Lenox Avenue to catch a ride to City Hall, there they were, still riding on the back of the car in the Sunday afternoon traffic, waving to onlookers and ignoring a scattered honks from other motorists.

I'm not sure about the rules on this kind of ride, but two police officers in an unmarked car between 138th and 139th Streets didn't seem bothered by it.

Yesterday, the city named the entryway outside the tennis campus in Flushing, "The David Dinkins Circle." The entryway is that unremarkable circular promenade that's beyond the 7 train stop in Flushing, a bit beyond the boardwalk, that leads you either to the Open, or the Flushing Meadows Park.

Yesterday, Michael Bloomberg, David Paterson, Betsy Gotbaum and Ed Koch were on hand to honor David Dinkins.

"There was a time, not too long ago, when New York was in very real danger of losing this event," said Mr. Dinkins. "The USTA was looking for a committment from our city to ensure that this jewel of a tournament would have a place to call home for years to come.  read more »

“As an African-American, and I said it to somebody I saw earlier today, I didn’t think I would live to see this moment in my lifetime,” City Comptroller Bill Thompson told me last night. “I hoped that my daughter would. I didn’t think I would.”

Thompson was referring to Barack Obama getting the Democratic Party’s nomination for president. We were standing inside the Sheraton Denver, with a roomful of New York political people floating in and out of two receptions there last night.

“Around the nation, in our history, there have only been, what, three African-American governors, maybe four?” he asked. “David [Paterson].  read more »

David Dinkins has been named campaign chairman for Manhattan Surrogate's Court candidate Milton Tingling. The campaign also announced that Charlie Rangel will serve as honorary chair. Ravi Batra (of Law and Order fame) is serving as the finance chair.

It just adds a bit more name recognition to this competitive, quiet race.

Tingling is running against Nora Anderson and John Reddy.

CHARLESTON, SC -- Last night a bit after 9 p.m., Hillary and Bill Clinton were reunited. This took place in a convention center in North Charleston, and the ballroom was showing plenty of floor. The Clintons brought along all their pals, like Charlie Rangel and David Dinkins and David Patterson and Sheila Jackson-Lee (Texas, 18th District) and former South Carolina state Representative Lucille Whipper, and also a few white friends! She brought them on the stage, President Clinton provided a brief introduction, and then Hillary was given the space, all to herself, for a speech.  read more »

In the midst of increasingly frequent rumors about a presidential bid, Michael Bloomberg held his annual prayer breakfast at the New York Public Library this morning, giving Democratic Mayor David Dinkins a shout-out from the podium.

Afterwards, I asked Dinkins about his feelings about a Bloomberg run.

"I'm a big fan of the mayor, I like him a lot," he told me. But he added, “I stay with my friends. Hillary and Bill Clinton supported me, and I will support them."

I asked him what he would do if she wasn’t the nominee.

"Then, that's a whole other question," he replied.

The jostling for New York's official Democratic convention delegate spots has been quietly playing out in political circles here for some time. And since a Hillary Clinton win in New York is kind of a foregone conclusion, it's really a contest to be named by her campaign.

Officially, delegates have to run and win the spot in party elections, so anyone can still grab a slot. But the campaign has its own list, which is pretty determinative.

Here’s a list of a few of those delegates, this one coming from the 14th congressional district, based on information from two Democratic sources:  read more »

Awards were given out at the Americans for the Arts 2007 National Arts Awards last night, and speeches were made. Sitting down for dinner in Cipriani 42nd Street's massive main hall, guests dressed in black-tie attire-Jeff Koons among them-were surrounded by billboard-sized cloth screens covered with images of Andy Warhol's iconic poppies. Warhol was the official featured artist of the evening.

Honorees included Wallis Annenberg, Ellsworth Kelly, Anna Deavere Smith, and, as a sort-of wrinkle-reducer, the musician John Legend.

Also on hand were Ronald Lauder, Jessye Norman, C. Terry Lewis, Mayor David Dinkins and Jeffrey Sachs. Yoko Ono was jet-lagged, but she made it, too.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg arrived minutes before he was to go on stage, while people were picking at their first course.  read more »

Here is the invitation to an 80th birthday party for David Dinkins at Gracie Mansion, hosted by Michael Bloomberg.

Expect some revelry about the good old days (circa 1990 to 1993), jokes about the political longevity of people who work in City Hall and possibly a humorous anecdote about Rudy Giuliani.

No birthday gifts, though. Tokens of affection (money!) can be donated directly to the Gracie Mansion Conservancy, according to the invite.

 

 

 

 

 

Ben beat me to the punch in noting that Hillary Clinton's campaign announced today an endorsment from former Mayor David Dinkins, wihch was made public back on New York 1 back on May 4.

 

Yes, rolling out all the endorsements is a complicated science. But the timing of this announcement may have something to do with the black journalists who will question the Democratic presidential candidates at tonight's debate at Howard University in Washington.

Speaking of which, Steve Kornacki has a column previewing the debate, focusing on the governor who could be the next big Democratic thing. He'll also be back sometime this evening or early tomorrow with his thoughts, and stay tuned to this space for further analysis and reaction throughout the day.

“I’m sworn to secrecy,” Rupert Murdoch told The Observer as he was leaving the New-York Historical Society’s auditorium last night. But: “We’re making progress,” the News Corp. chief added.  read more »

John Edwards hired Howard Dean's Internet guru Joe Trippi.

Ben sees significance in Hillary Clinton's use of the phrase "partial birth abortion."

New Yorkers for Obama has scheduled a fund-raiser scheduled for June 1.  read more »

Betsy Gotbaum, the soft-spoken Public Advocate who has been part of city government since John Linds  read more »

Ten Creole translators from the citys' Board of Elections were dispatched to the top ten Haitian polling sites in Brooklyn's 40th Council district, where there's a special election today.

Joe Placide, a former David Dinkins staffer running Dr. Matthieu Eugene's campaign, said that there have been issues at some polling sites. "Primarily with Haitian-speaking people, that's where we are seeing," he said.

"We're having a lot of problems."

The campaign also sent three lawyers to three other polling sites, according to Placide.

-- Azi Paybarah

Charles Rangel, giving a little speech this morning at the Association for a Better New York breakfast while a full crowd waited for a tardy Hillary Clinton in the Grand Hyatt ballroom, made a full apology for his recent trashing of Mississippi.

"For all of you from Mississippi, I'd like to extend my deepest apologies," he said. "I promise I'll visit as soon as I find a food taster. My brother David Dinkins isn't available."

-- Choire Sicha

Even as Rudy Giuliani climbs to near-frontrunner status in the Republican presidential primary on the strength of his security credentials, it's worth noting there was a time when he couldn't even make his way past a police barricade.

While Mayor Dinkins was in Japan during the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center, Rudy Giuliani was in the city. But, according to Wayne Barrett's new book on Giuliani and his pre-Sept. 11 record on terrorism:

"Although it was never reported, Rudy Giuliani, who'd narrowly lost to Dinkins in 1989 and was running again, rushed to the site in his campaign car, but was barred by cops from entering."

Barrett's source is "a campaign aide who requested that he not be identified described the Giuliani trip toward the Trade Center in February 1993."  read more »

-- Azi Paybarah

Mayor Michael Bloomberg didn’t waste time on the normal pleasantries when he placed an early-morni  read more »

Apparently, today was the day to drop big names in the AG's race.

This morning, Mark Green pulled out the triple endorsement of David Dinkins, Judith Hope and Marty Markowitz. [In an earlier version, I tied these endorsements to the McCall/Cuomo race in 2002. Many of you were kind enough to let me know that I was wrong to do so. Firstly, Dinkins endorsed Mark for mayor over Freddy and Mark had worked for the Dinkins administration, so they go way back. Secondly, Hope wasn't the state chairman during that primary, as I first wrote. It was, and still is, Herman Denny Farrell. Lastly, it was 4 years ago and some people have moved on.]

Not to be outdone, Andrew not only unveiled his website, but announced veteran media men David Axelrod and Jef Pollock are joining his team (something this site anticipated earlier).

--Azi Paybarah

Eliot Spitzer's choice of a Harlem favorite son as his candidate for Lieutenant Governor might have been expected to put the Harlem establishment firmly in his camp.

Instead, they're furious.

A displeased Charlie Rangel told a group of women -- at an event for Lieutenant Governor candidate Leecia Eve this morning -- that Paterson had told him he wouldn't run against Eve, and that David had never discussed it with him, Percy Sutton, or David Dinkins.

"I'm hurt," Hazel Dukes, head of the New York State NAACP -- a representative (but on record) voice, who was also at the breakfast, told The Politicker. "He has every right [to run], but he knows that Leecia Eve has been to the community for the last five months talking to people, getting commitments to support her."  read more »

Sources around Eliot insist it's a done deal, but Harlemites still aren't sure David won't be talked out of it. They also note that when he ran for Public Advocate, he did so without support from Rangel -- or his father.

GOP chaos seems to be extending down to the undercard gubernatorial scrap between John Faso and Randy Daniels. An email went out Friday from an anonymous "Randy Watch" account under the heading "Let's set the record straight" to various Republican leaders, responding to what it describes as allegations that "were infantile in nature and describe the depths the opposition will go to knock John Faso out of the front-runners (sic) perch as we move together as a party towards December 12."

Faso spokeswoman Susan Del Percio says the campaign has nothing to do with the typo-filled email, which plugs Faso's Republican bona fides and adds, "Randy Daniels is running a slash-and-burn campaign led by an ethically-challenged political team who have run lose and fast with law enforcement officials for the past several years."

The email also takes some whacks at Daniels' old ally, David Dinkins.

"As Mayor of New York City, David Dinkins accomplished the following:

"- Appointed a Schools Chancellor, Joseph Fernandez, whom instituted the Rainbow Curriculum. This curriculum used the books Daddy's Roommate, and Heather has two mommies

"- Forced City Hall and the NYPD to sit on their hands during a wave of violence against Jews in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, and opposed a crackdown on the squeegee men, who terrorized commuters and visitors to New York City."  read more »

Here we go.

UPDATE: The plot thickens. Nobody on either side of this one seems to think the piece actually came from Faso, and even one Daniels supporter suggests that the piece is actually an attempt to undermine Faso on Weld's behalf. Go figure.

Ferrer aides have argued lately that he's getting unfair treatment from the media. Luis Miranda put it most clearly the other day, telling Newsday:

"We have learned to live with the fact that unfairness has characterized the coverage of this campaign," Miranda said. "The double standard is there."

I talked to Bill Lynch about this the other day, thinking that David Dinkins' old campaign manager would have a long view of the subject. He emphatically seconded Luis:

"I don't think it's been balanced," he said. "You would think Freddy was the frontrunner the way they've gone after Freddy and not gone after Bloomberg."

"In '89 I thought it was a lot more balanced. I think Dinkins even got better coverage in '93 than freddy is now," he continued. "I don't understand it - I really don't. I'm not saying give Freddy a free ride, I'm saying, why hasn't there been scrutiny of Bloomberg."

Lynch was particularly upset that Voice stories on Mike having unsavory friends on Staten Island and in the Bronx hadn't been followed, and that the increase in test scores was generally taken at face value.

He also said he was shocked that this remark from John McCain the other night wasn't a story:

"This is truly a distinguished audience. You have the haves and have mores, and the have mores than that, and finally my good friend Mike Bloomberg. But Mike, I think we're all relieved that the organizers decided not to hold this dinner at the Apollo Theater."  read more »

So are we being unfair to Freddy? More to come.

The day Fernando Ferrer became his party’s nominee for Mayor, Michael Bloomberg accepted a nom  read more »

The day Fernando Ferrer became his party’s nominee for Mayor, Michael Bloomberg accepted a nominat  read more »

Of all the strange little tricks played on election day this year, the most widespread -- and ineffective -- seem to have been the game-playing with endorsements on palm cards and leaflets handed out around Brooklyn polling stations. (Al Sharpton and David Dinkins, somehow, endorsed every one of the Brooklyn organization's candidates.)

Anyway, a reader faxes over another sample: Council Member Lew Fidler's palm card. Fidler played a key role in Joe Hynes's reelection campaign and backed Freddy for Mayor. But his palm features the organization candidates, Miller and Sampson.  read more »

Why? Who knows.

A reader passes on this flyer, picked up in around the Atlantic Avenue subway station in Brooklyn.

Beneath the images of the Rev. and Mayor David Dinkins are the candidates they actually back in the local races -- City Council Member Letitia James, District Attorney candidate John Sampson -- and, beneath them, a few more names, including "Gifford Miller for Mayor of New York City."  read more »

There's a thin black line that seems meant to allow them to claim that they're keeping Miller and the others apart from the Sharpton endorsement, but the message is clear.

"A typical Brooklyn Democratic organization trick," says the reader.

Bill Lynch, the former advisor to David Dinkins and current informal advisor to Freddy Ferrer, has a new contract with the United Federation of Teachers.

The Politicker isn't sure what to make of this. On one hand, Lynch is a guy who runs campaigns, and it's conceivable that the teachers will join the campaign to unseat Bloomberg. But people familiar with the negotiations say it's more likely that the teachers will reach a contract agreeement before the election. They say the contract is more about healing the UFT's historically fraught relations with the black community.  read more »

In any case, it puts one of Freddy's key supporters on what could well be the other side in November.

It's hard to miss the symbolism on this one:

The Politicker has learned that the two living former Democratic Mayors, Ed Koch and David Dinkins, will introduce Bill Thompson on the steps of City Hall tomorrow, where he's announcing his campaign for --  read more »

Oh right, it's just a campaign for an easy re-election as comptroller.

But you get the idea.

American politics thrives on mythmaking.  read more »

We stopped by Kenneth Clark's funeral at St. Philip's Episcopal Church in Harlem this morning.

The funeral, which was packed with civil rights types, was clearly a Big Deal in New York, and in black New York particularly, if not in the overtly political world. Still, pols from David Dinkins to Al Vann were there, as well as -- and perhaps more importantly -- much of the older civic elite. The eulogies came from a federal judge, academics, a former head of the ACLU.  read more »

Anyway, Mike was there, and we saw Virginia walk in as well.

The other candidates had other things to do.

On April 13, former Comptroller H.  read more »

The "surprising" endorsements are starting to roll out in earnest in the Mayor's race, and today we hear that Bill de Blasio is set to announce his support for Freddy.

The move is kind of a no-brainer for the Brooklyn Councilman, who makes no secret of his ambition to be the next City Council Speaker and who can use all the goodwill he can get from the Bronx.  read more »

But that doesn't mean it's not interesting. We're probably not the only ones who see this endorsement as important in that it reflects the considered judgement of a guy with very good political instincts. De Blasio, a former political operative, worked for David Dinkins and for Hillary. While serving in the Council, he ran John Edwards's local campaign. Now he's betting on Freddy, or at least betting Freddy can help him.

We're told Bill broke the bad news to Gifford this morning.

There is scant reason to look for good news when a 19-year-old is killed in a tragic accident.  read more »

As the city careens towards its second fiscal crisis since the fiscal crisis a quarter-century(!) ag  read more »

I didn't think Michael Bloomberg would be our Mayor in a million years, much less this year, and I s  read more »

Rudy Giuliani campaigned against David Dinkins for Mayor in 1993 by calling for "one standard, one c  read more »

Public Advocate Mark Green sauntered along a boardwalk inBrighton Beach, Brooklyn, on Sept.  read more »

Never have we who write about New York politics more richlydeserved to be called "the chattering cla  read more »

Michael Bloomberg, surrounded by sharply dressed advisers, strode into a small restaurant on Third A  read more »

When several of the city's top black and Latino power brokers gathered in downtown Manhattan for a p  read more »

It was only recently that Bill De Blasio would spend his Saturdays in the Map Room of the White Hous  read more »

Managing a Mayoral campaign in New York City has to be one of the most stressful jobs in the world a  read more »

Is there still a cult of nostalgia for the 1970's?  read more »

In a city that has come to expect victories in the war oncrime, Mark Green finds himself battling an  read more »

In his biography of Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, author Wayne Barrett executes a feat of virtuoso revisio  read more »

No doubt you know that the mayor of the greatest city in the world-the veritable capital of the worl  read more »