34th District Election Live
With nearly 50% reporting, BushwickBK is calling this race for DIANA REYNA, who at 60% is 25 points ahead of Maritza Davila even after rival Democratic primary candidate Gerry Esposito gave Davila his support.
Bloomberg wins only 4% ahead of Thompson — close call for $100 million. In third party news, the Conservative Party got more than fringe numbers in some of the races, up to nearly 5% in some positions.
It’s election day, voters, so get out there and cast your vote for whoever talks a good talk or even, less likely, walks a good walk. Here in the 34th, it’s Reyna vs. Davila, and the Maritza-mobiles are out in force. Aaron Short is also out in… well he’s out, and covering election shenanigans the district over. Check back for live updates and tonight, we’ll call the election for the winners.
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Tense at Reyna HQ.
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8:26 PM: I slowly make my way through Northside Williamsburg, where there is one big polling site on North 5th and Driggs, a school, MS 577, where Diana Reyna recently celebrated the opening of a new playground. At one corner of the site was Northside activist Phil DePaolo, who supported Gerry Esposito and Tony Avella before switching to Diana Reyna and Bill Thompson. At the other corner was Maria Viera, a Williamsburg resident, an RBSCC organizer, and a Maritza supporter. Maria, like many of the volunteers today, had been awake for fifteen hours. She was cold, tired, and she wanted to go home.
“Whoever wins today is the winner,” said Maria.
We talked a little bit and I mentioned that there had been some chatter that she would have been a good council candidate too and maybe she would run for office someday. She laughed.
“I don’t know where you’re getting your information,” said Maria.
What about community board?
“I’ll think about it.”
Down the street at Diana Reyna headquarters (Bedford and South 1st), a steady stream of volunteers poured into the storefront, getting treated to coffee and bagels for a day’s job well done. Esteban Duran checked a spreadsheet while campaign staffer Antonio Reynoso monitored the white board where everyone’s assignments were placed. It looked like he hadn’t left the office the entire day.
“This is the first time I ever took a Five-Hour Energy Drink,” said Antonio. “That stuff works. The only thing is that I took it five and a half hours ago.”
When polls close at 9 PM, all the volunteers will be moved across the street, leaving only the organizers inside the office as the returns trickle in. On primary night, the volunteers kept banging the glass to hear the latest updates. Time to slip away quietly and go check the returns.
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Cooper Park President Diana Jackson gets the vote out for Reyna.
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6:16 PM: Cooper Park Houses is a decent walk from the Graham L stop, beginning on Kingsland and Skillman. Despite the darkness that now engulfed the borough, Davila and Reyna volunteers gathered around two sides of the B24 bus stop, reminding residents to vote before polls close at 9 PM. I am here to talk with one person: Cooper Park Residents Association President Diana Jackson.
“You’ll hear her before you see her,” said Paulette Breeden who was standing in front of 60 Kingsland, next to the polling site.
Breeden called Jackson to locate her, and I soon heard her on her bullhorn shouting:
“Diana Reyna! Come out! Come out in numbers! We need to support her the way she has supported us the past eight years! You know what they say, if it ain’t broke don’t fix it… Row A all the way!”
Uh oh. She’s got a slogan.
“I am so tired,” she confides to another volunteer. “I was going through these buildings, knocking on these doors. All of a sudden my sugar plummeted.”
Jackson said turnout was high in Cooper Park. At 1 PM, there were 500 votes compared with 290 at the same time in the primaries. She had been working for the past two weeks visiting residents and reminding them to vote on November 3, preferably for Reyna. With thirty years of experience working in politics, Jackson’s endorsement carries a lot of weight here.
“We need to remind people what Diana has done for this community. She deserves another four years. You need to convince people door to door. Handing out flyers doesn’t get you elected,” said Jackson.
“It’s not hard to sell Diana Reyna to these residents,” she continued. “She’s here all the time. The children know her. She’s supported youth leagues and block parties. Give her your vote. That’s all we ask.”
She mentions that Cooper Park was the only housing project that Diana won in the primary and that Bushwick/Hylan Houses supports Maritza for political reasons (the president of the association is Maritza’s cousin). Vito Lopez has typically done well in the housing projects, but Cooper is different. Residents feel like they have not gotten enough funding from the state to maintain the buildings, and they blame Vito.
I ask Jackson for her predictions.
“I’m going to go to my room and turn on the TV at 11 PM and I’m going to hear that Diana won,” she said.
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NY1 heard about the drama.
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4:45 PM: Let’s take a step back from the on-the-ground electioneering and look at media coverage of the race so far. The New York Times wrote an editorial endorsing Diana Reyna, that was likely prompted by Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio’s robocalls. The story first went to religion reporter Paul Vitello, who was writing about Archbishop Timothy Dolan’s blogging, and he could have shifted it to Michael Powell, who ultimately wrote the robocall story for the Times. The Times also has a summary of the day’s action.
On the beat today, I saw New York 1 filming voters at PS 19 as they exited the polls, the Greenpoint Gazette’s Juliet Linderman, and a Columbia Journalism School student filing for the school’s website. She also came across the crime scene.
Both sides are confident, though the Reyna people are pointing to the placement of Nydia at PS 50 next to Maritza and the confusion over Line E as tipping the race to Diana. The Maritza people are pointing to high turnout in Lindsay Park and Hasidic voters on the South Side. No sightings of Vito anywhere. I’m heading to Cooper Park in an hour and then a couple of stops on the northside.
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Shooting at Lorimer and Ten Eyck… probably not election-related.
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3:13 PM: I head towards PS 19 when I hear an NYPD chopper circling around the south side above. Geez, what happened at PS 19?
When I get to Lorimer Street and Ten Eyck, at 2:55 PM, police have cordoned off the area with yellow tape. I notice 90th Precinct Deputy Inspector Michael Kemper.
“Someone got shot 15 minutes ago,” said Kemper, as detectives were interviewing witnesses. I assume this is not election-related.
Down the street on South 3rd and Keap Street, Maritza volunteers were hovered next to two Maritza mobiles while Diana volunteers, including several teachers, were standing nearby. Karina Taveras from the Reyna camp explained what all the trouble was.
“They had their people right by the door passing out lit and the rule is you have to stand 100 feet back. I called our lawyer and I called the cops,” said Taveres. “That was at 6 AM. It’s a long day.”
I notice Amy Cleary, a staff member with Assemblymember Joe Lentol’s office who was volunteering with the Board of Elections to keep the peace. Any Vito sightings Amy?
“No, he hasn’t passed by,” she said.
A Hasidic man was standing near the polling site’s entrance and he motioned me over.
“I read your analysis last night but you got one thing wrong,” he said.
“The Hasidic vote?” I asked.
“The Hasidic vote,” he nodded. “Maritza lost by 250 votes. We’re going to have more than 250 voters from the Hasidic neighborhood in three polling sites. I predict Maritza will win by a very close margin.”
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“The priests hate Diana.”
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2:15 PM: I grab a cup of sour coffee from the Thompson office (let’s be fair, it’s been sitting in its Dunkin Donuts container since 5 AM so I’m not expecting much) and make a few stops through Italian Williamsburg.
There are Maritza posters in the Italian-American businesses where there used to be Gerry Esposito signs, but no sign of Gerry Esposito anywhere. I notice Holden McNeeley of the comedy group Murderfist leaving a bodega in a hurry with several rolls of toilet paper. Holden, who are you voting for?
“Uhhhh… Diana.” said Holden. “I gotta go.”
At PS 132 on Conselyea Street there are two Diana volunteers and down the street at the Swinging Sixties Center (211 Ainslie Street) there are two Maritza volunteers. They are Phil Manna, the former Capo of the Our Lady of Mount Carmel’s Feast of the Giglio and Dorothy Barata, a Ridgewood Bushwick staffer. During the primary, Manna was stumping for Gerry Esposito on this corner. Now he’s wearing a white Maritza Davila sweatshirt.
“I’m from Staten Island and this is wildly exciting,” said Barata. “It would be nice if Maritza won. We’d have a friend in the City Council.”
I ask Phil about the robocalls by Brooklyn Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio and the Catholic Church’s role in this race in general.
“The priests hate Diana,” he said.
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Thumbs up at the Thompson office.
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1:05 PM: I walk up Graham Avenue to make a stop at Bill Thompson’s Williamsburg headquarters on the corner of Maujer and Lorimer Street. Juan Martinez, Diana Reyna’s Council opponent in 2001 is running the office, which is coordinating about 100 volunteers for Bushwick, Williamsburg, and Greenpoint. Earlier this morning, at 3 AM, fourteen volunteers came in to collect and distribute posters. By 5:30 AM the rest of the crew came in to be sent out to polling stations throughout North Brooklyn.
“We’re making phone calls to Pro-Thompson supporters. We’re calling the favorites. We’re tryig to make sure each Election District in North Brooklyn has 100 votes for Bill Thompson,” said Martinez.
I ask Juan what he thinks about the race in the 34th and he says he thinks Diana should be safe because voters will vote on the Democratic ticket.
“That’s not my race. I’m here to focus on Bill Thompson to make sure he becomes the next mayor,” said Martinez. He pauses. “You should go to PS 19 on South 3rd Street. Police have been called there three times already.”
On my way.
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Marty Needelman: watching the polls.
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12:25 PM: Time for a swing back through PS 250. I heard there was a Vito sighting, but that’s not correct. Instead, State Senator Marty Dilan is holding down the fort mostly by himself. Diana is still here and she greets a van load of fifteen TWU (Transportation Workers Union of America) members who are volunteering for her for the rest of the day. Isn’t it odd that the Senate’s Transportation Chair is supporting Maritza while the TWU is throwing weight behind Diana?
Marty just came back from Buffalo and Syracuse as part of his kickass Transportation Capital Plan tour, also known as Monsters of Transit ‘09.
“It’s not that cold yet up there but the foliage is past its peak,” he said.
There’s a serious dispute inside the polling station. Brooklyn Legal Services attorney Marty Needelman is urging Board of Election workers to remove a Chinese interpreter from the polling site because he is a Maritza supporter. The man is present in a photograph that is displayed outside the polling site which says “Lindsay Park For Maritza Davila.” Steve Levin is hovering trying to convince the BOE to keep the interpreter but he is losing this battle and his temper.
“Marty (Needelman) is trying to get an interpreter shipped out because he’s on the other side,” said Levin.
“That’s correct,” said Needelman.
This issue regarding Chinese interpreters came up earlier during the primary and during the recount, when Needelman challenged several ballots at this ED. Needelman noted that the Board of Elections workers are politically appointed as well as the interpreters.
“They go inside and show them how to vote,” said Needelman.
A Board of Elections staffer who was looking into the dispute said that she would be moving the interpreter to another site just to be on the safe side. Meanwhile, Diana was eating what passed for lunch: a Ziploc bag of mango slices she purchased from The Chicharron Man.
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Congressmember Nydia Velázquez projects her power at the Hylan Houses.
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10:55 AM: Here comes the cavalry, led by Congressmember Nydia Velázquez. Maritza’s jaw drops and she turns around. Nydia puts on her jacket and gets to work shaking hands on the MS 50 side of the street.
“Did you see the editorial in the New York Times?” said Nydia. We did.
I ask Nydia how things are going so far.
“Hot,” said Nydia. But it’s 49 degrees outside! “No, it’s heated. Lots of emotions here.”
Rob Solano, from Churches United for Fair Housing and a Reyna supporter mentions that some Democratic poll workers have been encouraging voters to vote Row E, the Working Families Party line, instead of just assisting them with their ballot. I go inside the polling site at John Hylan houses to find out more and I encounter a Board of Elections worker listening to an Inspector having an animated converstaion with a Reyna campaign official.
“Nobody is telling anybody who to vote for or which line to pick,” says the site’s Inspector.
The BOE official explained to me that the Reyna camp was alleging that interpreters were improperly assisting voters though the lines of what an interpreter could do and not do were blurry.
Outside, a Maritza supporter shouted at the John Hylan tower nearest to the road.
“Everybody come downstairs and vote for Maritza!”
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“A machine is broken.” — Luis Garden Acosta
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10:34 AM: Time to stop by the other big election site in the district, MS 50 (John Hylan School) over on Humboldt and Moore Street, where two polling sites sit. Maritza trounced Diana in these election districts during the primary and she needs to do similarly well here to have a chance at toppling Diana.
And here’s Maritza. She has been at this location since at least 7:30 AM and she is surrounded by Evelyn Cruz, Congressmember Nydia Velázquez’s top aide (and a former District Leader candidate) and El Puente’s Luis Garden Acosta. Maritza does not look happy and she walks away from me defiantly when I ask her how she is doing.
Cruz says that Velázquez was at the corner from 6 AM to 10 AM and she is back at Reyna headquarters on South 2nd Street.
“A machine is broken,” said Garden Acosta. “Two machines in here and one in there, which isn’t good.”
I go inside MS 50 to investigate. One of the machines malfunctioned and a technician is busy working on it as a steady trickle of voters click the switches inside the voting booths. Just then, a problem occurs with another machine. It looks like two ballots need to be deleted. The poll workers are confused and an argument erupts.
“Listen to me. I am the boss! I am the boss, not her!” said the site’s inspector.
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“If you’re on Section A I’ll vote for you. If you’re on Section E, I won’t vote for you.”
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Levin makes his pitch for Davila.
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10:06 AM: I get a hot tip that Diana Reyna has plopped down in front of MS 250 in Williamsburg, the polling place close to Lindsay Park Houses, one of the highest turnout locations in the District.
Sure enough, there’s Diana right near the entrance, with three volunteers. She’s a little outnumbered. On the corner of Montrose and Manhattan Avenues, there are six Maritza volunteers to every one Diana helper. On the other corner is Steve Levin, the Democratic nominee and likely new councilmember in the 33rd District. Steve is wearing a Maritza Davila t-shirt and probably won’t visit Greenpoint again until he goes home later tonight.
“Turnout is about average,” said Levin, who greeted senior residents on their way to the polls in English and Spanish, reminding them to vote on “Line E.” “The numbers in general will be higher than the primary. The question is how much dropoff will occur (after people vote for the mayoral race).”
Half a block away Diana watched skeptically and assembled her troops.
“You have to be assertive when you walk with me. People do not understand what’s going with the switching of parties,” said Reyna to three female volunteers. “When you have a Democratic leaders asking Democratic voters to switch lines it confuses the voter and it only confuses the voter to stay home.”
A likely voter greets Diana and interrupts the conversation.
“If you’re on Section A I’ll vote for you. If you’re on Section E, I won’t vote for you,” he said.
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Not much excitement at the polls.
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9:15 AM: It is hard to believe that only a year ago, Brooklyn voters went to the polls to participate in the most historic election of our lifetimes. The energy was palpable. This year? Not so much.
Inside the polling station at JS 162 on St. Nicholas Avenue and Willoughby Street, poll workers were busy talking about the Yankee game. They looked a little bored.
“The Yankees. Ugh. They lost last night,” said site coordinator Carol Romenick, making a face.
I went into the booth to vote. It took seven seconds.
A volunteer for the Martiza Davila campaign camped herself outside the school. She said thirty people voted so far.
“Maritza is in Williamsburg,” she said.
Williamsburg! Sounds like a great idea.
The New York Times in their endorsement of Diana Reyna:
“Her willingness to stand up to Assemblyman Vito Lopez — the boss who increasingly runs the Democratic Party in Brooklyn with an iron fist — shows extraordinary political courage.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/03/opinion/03tue4.html?scp=3&sq=diana%20reyna&st=cse
YAY! Love the Aaron Short Election Live updates!
More, please.
I agree with Anna, more please. Aaron what you do is great!
Matt – thanks for posting the NY Times endorsement, IT is quite a true and powerful statement!
Awful long lunch break you’re taking there, Short.
“A machine is broken.”
Quote of the day.
That photo really makes me feel bad for Maritza, like… I almost want to give her a hug and tell her it’s okay. Short, *whose side are you on*, anyway!? :-D
This morning I was asked to fill in a paper ballot because, “the voting machine is broken.” They have 5 machines at that location so I guess they were all broken?
Well I don’t feel bad at all for Maritza. Why is she afraid of saying anything. Maybe she’s not allowed to be quoted saying anything in case she “messes up” – I’m sure Vito has her scared, that’s just how he works…
From the other Matt…thanks for these posts. They remind me to vote when i get home. No third terms! It’s a spit in the dark but I’m gunna spit anyway.
You’re from Staten Island? Why are you meddling here? Get out of my neighborhood.
–“The priests hate Diana,” he said.–
Yeah she probably wouldn’t do what, uh, priests want little girls to do in Church.
Bizarre….
Dresden voted. Dresden did his civic duty. Then Dresden wondered why he bothers.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmGpwl0wtAg
WELL FOR ALL THE HATERS (VITO, MARITZA, HARRINGTON AND DIMARZIO), WE WON AND WE WON BIG! HOW DO YOU LIKE THEM APPLES?
3 Elections in a row Vito…..the past 8 years and 4 more to go…12 years to remind you that your a LOSER!!! Especially you Palin…I mean Davila….now you have time to take care of your bastard perp kids.
its ok reyna will only be in office until they realize that she was using disgraced CM miguel martinez’ funneled money to go on vacation to Punta Cana, DR. and that her youngest son is really HIS son. and that she doesn’t even live in the district.
c’mon people. you all just wasted your vote.
Oh come on, even if this were true what’s the alternative? Some ho with 3 delinquent kids who never had a job? At least Diana is corrupt in style. That said, where’s the evidence? Who are you to know such things? All you people posting here have all this inside info but none of it is credible because you cite no publicly available documents and do not use your names. I mean, you could at least post Diana’s alleged Maspeth address you keep talking about. Until then, I will assume she lives in Bushwick.
Now run along.
Professional Alternative….My Mother is not a ”ho” ….and I am not nearly as much a delinquent as you are a coward. As the son of our 34th district female leader…It is so hurtful to read the distgusting things you people say about my mother. You say that ”At least Diana was corrupt in Style”?? As if your the kind of individual that could point out a person with some level of class. You should change your name, as your comments were far from professional.
Realbushwick…I think you need an enema, cause you are backed up and the feces that’s coming out of your mouth is making you delirious, stop watching Ricky Lake and Telemundo novelas for a awhile and come back to reality……LOSER!!!
I guess I shouldn’t be so amazed, but I AM disappointed at what I perceived as an extraordinarily low voter turnout. My local polling site was close to empty at 6:15. Hats off to Aaron!! Great job, thank you!
To the staff of “bushwickbk”:
Why are you letting “realbuskwick” post such outlandish and retarded comments? Why? You moderate some comments, but not others. It just does not make any sense. Are you stirring the crap pot?
To “realbushwick”, some advice:
GET A LIFE.
Reyna’s address appears to be 76-18 69th place in glendale. It’s actually pretty easy to find. Go to the city’s website and then go to the department of finance website. Use the program called ACRIS. Type in Diana Reyna and her deed for a Glendale condo comes up. Her signature is actually on the deed itself. If you go to the city council website and type in that address you’ll see that elizabeth crowley is the cm there.
C’mon people do a little research before spewing invective.
Henrys Ln, Peconic, NY
real bushwick: if you knew Diana’s youngest son, idiot, you would know that he is identical to his paternal uncle. She has class…what Maritza lacks! Get it straight…Maritza sleeps around, not Diana. If she was funneling money from martinez, all that shit is traced, so Diana would’ve been paying the price. Do you have pics of Punta Cana to make such assumptions? Share them!
So Pitolito seems to be suggesting that Ms. Reyna does in fact have a deed for a condo in Glendale but that this condo in Glendale serves a second home, like a summer home. Maybe that’s true. But, ask yourself, why would a Councilmember in Williamsburg and Bushwick have a $434,000 condo in Glendale as a summer home? To get away from the hustle and bustle of city life by vacationing in quiet solitude of Glendale, Queens? That doesn’t make any sense.
My point in posting that information is that, above all the rhetoric in the blogs (most of it nasty with speculation and innuendo), this information is right there on the City’s registry-pretty easy to find for an intrepid journalist. But, generally, journalists have treated Ms. Reyna with kid gloves and avoid asking her any hard questions. There seems to be a double standard at play here. I would think constituents might want to know if their Councilmember owns a condo right outside the district. By the way, that’s the only address that comes up when you type in Ms. Reyna or her husband’s name, so it’s not like she owns another condo somewhere within her district boundaries.
Maybe some intrepid journalist should ask her about it.
You people are so disgusting to call Maritza a ho and such. And i never said that the story about Diana was true, I said that thats the word around City Hall.
Furthermore, Reyna has repeatedly shown that she is a fraud. For example, she doesn’t even live in her district, and is so stupid, that she actually signed her name on the deed where she has her primary residence in Glendale. Don’t believe me? Just follow this link:
http://a836-acris.nyc.gov/Scripts/DocSearch.dll/ViewImage?Doc_ID=2005112101040001
real bushwick… just give it UP!!! Goodness, just face it Maritza LOST – which probably means you won’t be promoted and will have to remain in your crappy bushwick funded housing dev living for free a little longer than you would have liked. Maritza lives where she lives because it was given to her, for free and she can’t afford otherwise. And please don’t be so jealous, it truly shows with every word you write. Grow up! Do you even know where Vito lives, fyi – it’s not South 5th between Union and Hewes Street either.
if you look at the records vito lives in bushwick dumb***. and i dont live in public housing nor do i live in RB housing. I live in ridgewood you dumb***–in the 34th Council district. Unlike Diana reyna who claims to live in 54 Garden street, which is where her sister really lives, Vito does live in the district he lives in. Plus this isn’t even about Vito, MARITZA DAVILA lives in the DISTRICT!!!! I dare diana run for anything else, she will get the race of her life from ME!
PS NYDIA VELASQUEZ be careful because Diana’s campaign volunteers were talking about Diana running against you. Diana has no sense of loyalty or friendship, she’s in this for her self-interest.
Real bushwick: what was said from diana’s camp was that Vito should watch his back, not Nydia, in his next election. Get it straight!
Real bushwick: AND this is all about Vito…do you think Maritza would have run without his endorsement and support? She couldn’t even comment after her loss. “I am not a talker, I am a worker.” That’s right you are not a leader you are a follower! That’s the difference between you and Diana.
I agree with Willy B Girl…It’s all about Vito..By the way..Vito lives on Long Island, Peconic, NY in Suffolk County. That’s why Maritza couldn’t talk…cause his arm couldn’t reach that far to manipulate his puppet.
only time will tell where this all leads. if the people are tired of vito lopez they will vote him out. if diana has the audacity to run, she will (and get romped). and i am sure the same way reyna used and abused Lopez she will use and abuse Nydia. watch ur back ms. velasquez. jus remember reyna there is atleast 6000 voters previously in ur base, that are now behind Davila. and that will go a long way in 2 years, in 4 years, or in 5 years whenever u decide to run against lopez or velasquez
Do you really think that Lopez commutes from the North Fork of Long Island? That’s his vacation house you idiot!
I went to the NYC Dept. of Finance web site, used their ACRIS search engine, typed in Diana Reyna, and found that her and her husband bought a condo in Glendale. Aaaron, just look for yourself:
http://a836-acris.nyc.gov/Scripts/DocSearch.dll/PName
The website for the Glendale Condos where she lives shows that it is a good half a mile outside the district:
http://theglendalecondominiums.com/location.html#attractions
My question is, while I understand that a person can own multiple residences, and that the laws relating to one’s primary residence can be tricky, why do the mortgage documents found on the NYC Dept of Finance Website state that this is Diana Reyna’s primary residence?
Also, since Reyna’s husband is an NYPD officer, Aaron, couldn’t you FOIL where his police issued gun is registered?
Aside from that, the Village Voice ran a piece on Thompson last week that questioned how he received a low interest loan for his brownstone, so, who originated the loan for this condo? Did the developer have business with the city council? Is Reyna receiving special tax breaks or abatements that go only to one’s primary residence for this condo?
Katie – who cares? Given the opportunity through political connections, who would say no to a low interest rate? And wo what where Reyna lives? The question is – is she good (better than the alternative) for Bushwick?
If you dig deep enough, we’re all dirty.
I’ve just dug deep into myself, and, well, yes I’m dirty too =[[
And, I’m not just talking about that little fib about being the assistant manager at KFC 20 years ago when I was really in the back frying chicken instead.
dresden just because you are dirty and low doesn’t mean we all are… and just because you believe that we all have some inefficiencies, that isn’t enough grounds to make it LEGAL… DIANA REYNA deserves to be in JAIL!! AND SHE DESERVES TO BE REMOVED FROM HER SEAT!!!
http://a836-acris.nyc.gov/Scripts/DocSearch.dll/ViewImage?Doc_ID=2005112101040001
Theres a saying and it goes like this….”If its an eye for an eye, We all go blind. Theres no sence into getting that deep into either of the candidates alleged personal history. Ignorance is bliss. There is a whole generation of young voters out there looking to read in and about the candidates and the districts issues. Only to read into the Maritza Davila/Diana Reyna Roast. It makes for a good side show if your someone who doesn’t reside within the district, but a painful reality of how much work that still needs to be done here. Respectfully speaking, Diana Reyna has not accomplished anything substancial enough to consider her for an extra 4 years at council. Except take credit for the accomplishments and efforts of Kings County Democratic Chairman Vito Lopez. As I feel this election was not about him ”to me” at least being a constitual voter of the 34th district, and the Proud son of the real democratic and working family’s party candidate Maritza Davila. Over coming adversity is what life is all about, Diana Reyna could never say she has more often then Maritza Davila.
Ms. Nice whatever” -You condecendingly write that my mother apparently has had quite a few noticable mishaps along the way” ????,
Well who hasn’t along the way ???….Diana Reyna ?? I don’t think so. To make the assumption that because Diana has children from the same man that she’s the better candidate is ridiculous. How does that help Diana address any of the issues any better then Maritza ??..It doesn’t. Id vote for Maritza, Cause she could actually vote for herself. As she still resides and always has in the district she respresents. That is something that Diana Reyna could never say from Glendale, Unless that is she was voting for herself to extend term limits and increase her salary. A race that the constituants of district she allegedly represents never had a chance to vote in. Im sorry, Im a democrat,not a communist. I was insulted that I could not have a say in the issue. Why didn’t Diana run for a Higher seat after serving her 8 years at council ?…. If she were as gutsy and honorable as the new york times made her out to be ??? Take John Lui for example. He served his 8 years and voted against extending term limits, decided to run for comptroller, and won. Thats gutsy, but whats done is done- Its sad but true in saying that it is the mis-informed voters within the district who will lose the most from this race. They fed into the good cop / bad cop storyline of our political leaders within the area, It was the Voters that came out to vote for the higher seats such as Major that won this election for Diana Reyna. It was the voters that didn’t have the slightest clue as to who she was, all they knew was that she was on the Democratic line. For many reasons Im not suprised that so many voters had no Idea who she was, and that is embarressing as an 8 year incumbnant. In closing, Id like to say Thank you too any and all of you that came out to vote for your candidate of choice. Time will show us truth, and either validate our voice’s or enlighten them. In any event-what everyone will always remember about this race is How much Maritza Davila Lost.’BETTER’.Then Diana Reyna won. This is only the begining for her
The raise in salary was due to mayor Blooomberg wanting to give a raise to his commissioners. Therefore, if you give them a raise you have to give the council a raise as well. You can address that to our beloved mayor: machael bloomberg!
She lost better than Diana won…give me a break JJ…she still lost. She lost because Diana was/is the better choice…did you see her in the Brooklyn 12 News debate, sorry dude…your mother was horrible at that debate. She didn’t have command of the issues and she didn’t say or emphasize why she would be a better choice than Diana. Also, if she doesn’t even recognize that the South Side is apart of Williamsburg, why should have I voted for her. She was totally unprepared for it and you could tell by the deer in the head lights look every time they asked her a question…why would I want somebody like that representing me in the city council. In any case getting back to your point, Diana did not have the backing of the Democratic machine. She ran that campaign by herself with volunteers who believe in her, not paid cronies who are looking for handouts from Vito. Considering the odds against her she won, no matter the numbers. Also Katie…who cares where she lives…she working for us and I know that’s Vito vacation home on LI, on second thought why don’t you ask Angela (not Vito’s wife) where Vito lives. I’m sure the NY Times, NY Post and everyone else would like to know too. Ciao and have a lovely day ;)
Southside bandit, I was at that debate, Thanks for the recap coming from someone who doesn’t know what there talking about. She knew exactly where the Southside was, she was comparing the difference’s in the personalities and ethnicity’s that divided the district, and vocalizing how uniting them was imperative for the future of the district. I bet you didn’t even give her the chance to finish her sentence before you came to that swift conclusion that she didn’t know about the ”appropriate” title’s of the community she grew up in. Diana Reyna would have never been councilwomen if it weren’t for the backing of what you call the ”democratic machine, and if she doesn’t live in the district, she can’t attack the issues as well as someone who does. Can the next person that comments in the form of these post pleaseeee know what there Talking abouutt ??????? pleaseee !!
JJ,
Are you the same son that stood outside of Hope Gardens poll site on election day ? If so, did you look at the numbers from Hope Gardens? Did you know that poll site you spent 16 hours was won by Diana Reyna. Voters saw you, connected with you and still voted for Diana Reyna, why? That was your turf, your friends , family members, long time supporters and still you lost that poll site for your mom on your own block. On another note, Can you explain why Martiza who is not catholic went to Spanish Mass every week at Transfiguration for two months, and then didn’t go last week, of course the election is over why pretend to be Catholic, is that about right…even further if you read Aaron blog post he look into the condo issue and determined it to be a investment home and that Diana still lives in the District. You lost by over 4,000 votes you had steve levin, Martin Dilan , Vito Lopez, and still loss…people could have voted for every citywide candidate that won in the WFP line. Mayor bloomberg wasn’t on either line so he didn’t effect this race.
Very well said, Bobby!!
Also, if people really care then they will agree to move forward and continue making a difference within the aspects that need to be addressed in our community no matter what. So JJ continue the fight with your mother and let us continue seeing the work. If she really cares she will want to reach out to Diana and learn a thing or two from her so she has better understanding of what being a council member involves. I’m saying it very positively here, being realistic. Had your mother not been backed by Vito she would have never run any campaign on her own or gotten half the votes she got. And i’m not even undermining her work or anything like that. She may be working everyday and doing good stuff, but the Southside is a HUGE section and MANY people had never heard of her or ever seen her, really. I’m sensing a lot of bitterness here and that is exactly what holds us back, great neighborhoods and communities like ours bickering and missing the important bigger picture. This is a perfect example of what Vito wants people to focus on so we leave him working behind the scenes on his own ideas for his own people of interest. Vito has done good deeds, but for sure he does them thinking of how now he’s got your vote for the next time. But fortunately it’s beginning to backfire for Vito, people are getting informed and looking beyond what one person tells them. In the end JJ people knowing that Vito Lopez would be the one telling your mother what to do is probably what made her lose even more votes, what you think is one thing, what people out there know and think is what gets the votes. Those that do like Vito HIGHLY aren’t really aware of the major issues and his corrupt ways, are brainwashed or are just like him..
Thats B.S. Bobby, no matter who it was….whether it was Maritza, or Diana, who ever won the primary , was going to win the election. I wonder how many people would have voted for Diana if she was running on the WFP line, Try zero, she couldn’t even get the endorsement. Who ever was running on the Democratic line was going to win. The people who voted for Diana voted for her because she was the listed democratic candidate. As for Hope Gadens, We Beat her worse ther on primary day then she beat us at the general election, actually by double, on Primary day Maritza won by 140 votes, at the general election the final numbers were 272 to 315 for Diana, So it wasn’t at all the beating you claim it too be. I stood outside for 16 hours informing voters on what was actually taking place, and it was one of the proudest days of my life. I campaigned first hand with my mother for a year before that, and What she was able to accomplish during this election couldn’t possibly be ignored, BUT YOUR RITE ABOUT 1 THING, nothing changes but the size of the pay check she recieve’s as he plans to return to her respected role as Female District leader Stronger and as calculated as ever.
Southside Bandit,
should we forget that the reason you have a job was because Reyna asked her then boss (Vito) to help you out cuz you weren’t good enough to find your own damn job?
The purpose of an elected official is to help the members of it’s community. Some members need more help than others, and these are the people that Vito has endlessly helped, he has worked to end this ‘culture of silence’ that Paulo Friere spoke about.
And of course, some of these people became ungrateful, some, mostly reyna’s, used and abused Vito and Ridgewood Bushwick and are now bad-mouthing an elected official and an organization that has tirelessly and in a fair process helped out the Reyna’s.
At the end of the day, the people shall know what is truly going on in our community, and begin to be informed about the democratic process and how to better their situation, and how to ensure that they aren’t supportive of elected officials and policies that are forcing them out of their neighborhoods.
And I will ensure that this begins.
Realbushwick,
Put the bottle and the pipe down. You don’t know what your talking about.