The Flacks Report [Feb. 2012]

Necrology

Jerry Koenig died on February 17, 2012. Notes of condolence may be sent to Mary Geissman at:

320 West End Avenue - Apt. #5-B
New York City, N.Y. 10023-8114
or by electronic mail to:

mgeissman@earthlink.net


The father of Eric Schneiderman died on November 16th, 2011. Condolences to:

645 West End Ave. - Apt. #8F
New York, New York 10025


The mother of Richard Gottfried recently passed away. Condolences may be sent to:

91 Central Park West - Apt. #7-E
New York, New York 10023

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Soumas Quits!

C.F.D. District Leader Greg Soumas suddenly announced his resignation as D.L. last month, citing his added duties at the N.Y.C. Board of Elections, where he is the Manhattan Borough Democratic Commissioner.

This is strange because as the Board Secretary, he was slated to move up by standard rotation to be Board President in this important Presidential election year, but he was not chosen by his fellow commissioners. Thus, what extra duties?

Soumas says that he didn't want to be Board President; others say that his fellow commissioners didn't want him because of his clownish, boorish and rude behavior. Instead the half-term Democrat freshman from Staten Island was chosen to be Board President. (More about her at a later time.)

A Divisional County Committee will meet in a fortnight to choose his interim successor. The C.F.D. club is putting forth member Nick Prigo, considered a good egg.

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Vacancies on the Manhattan Bench in 2012

By Alan Flacks (212) 840+1234

There are two County-wide Civil Court vacancies because of Ellen Gesmer's ascension to the Supreme Court and Jane Solomon’s resignation. Also in a County-wide Civil Court seat, Anil Singh completes his ten-year term of office in Civil Court and is running for re-election.

There is a vacancy in the 3rd Civil Court District [W. of 7th Ave.; 14th to 65th Sts.], caused by Diane Lebedeff's resignation. The Party District Leaders of the 3rd District are giving up their prerogative to have their own screening panel and are letting the County Leader choose their candidate for them.

There is a vacancy (Analisa Torres was elected to Supreme Court) and there is an incumbent up for re-election (Arthur Engoron) in the 6th Civil Court District [E. of Lex. Ave.; 59th to 110th Str.]. The District Leaders in the 6th District are using their own panel.

And there are incumbents running for re-election in the 2nd District [Lower East Side; Chinatown to 14th Str.] (Debra Samuels) and the 8th District [El Barrio E. of 5th Ave.; N. of 110th Str.] (Kibbie Payne), where the County panel will do the screening. [District boundaries are approximate.]

There is a vacancy for N.Y. County Surrogate as Kristin B. Glen reaches the mandatory retirement age. Running for Surrogate are Oshrie Zak, former associate counsel to the Bronx P.A., reprise candidate John Reddy, Jr., current counsel to the Bronx P.A., Civil Court judges Barbara Jaffe and Rita Mella, and Kings County A.D.A. Josh Hanshaft. Eve Markewich flirted on and off with the idea of running, and finally decided not to.

On the State trial bench, we have four vacancies on the Supreme Court, First Judicial District [Manhattan]: Helen Freedman, Eileen Bransten, David Saxe, and Charles Ramos, all of whom reach the constitutional mandatory retirement age. In addition to the four vacancies created, these retired judges may serve up to an additional six years if "certificated."


The Keith Wright's Own Royal Secret Civil & Surrogate Court ten-person screening panel votes the night of Monday, 5th March, 2011, to report the following day. It is also screening for Surrogate.

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An Interesting Web Site

Here's an interesting Web site on N.Y.C. issues and local zoning:

http://www.nycissues.org

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Re-apportionment, Re-districting, and Primary Election

Well, since LATFOR ain't a-movin, a three-judge bench which was appointed because of a lawsuit brought in Federal court (E'ern Dist. of N.Y.) will review the suggested re-apportionment and re-districting results of their special master magistrate on March 15th. In Albany, the legislative impasse on combining the June Primary election for Federal offices with the scheduled September Primary for State and local offices might be resolved with an August Primary election.

And thanks to an investigation by the New York Daily News, the N.Y. State Board of Elections has ordered an investigation of the N.Y. City Board of Elections over the gross errors found on the E.S.&S. ballot scanning machines in the Bronx.

[E. & o.e.]

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Now is the winter of our fiscal discontent
Made glorious summer by this sun of Mario;
And all the clouds that lour'd upon our Senate
In the deep bosom of the Catskills buried.