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By Felicia Persaud |
Yet, historic it was as Helen Marshall, the Guyanese-born immigrant and city council member became the first black to be elected to the seat of Queens Borough President. Marshall trounced her Democratic challenger, former board of head president Carol Gresser in the delayed September Primary on the 25th, and on November 4th, easily defeated Republican Councilman Al Stabile by winning an unofficial 70 percent of the votes. Marshall is a veteran politician who served in the assembly for eight years before winning her City Hall seat in 1991.
In Brooklyn, State Senator Marty Markowitz, the lone Jewish candidate in the September Primary for the post of Brooklyn Borough President, clinched the victory again in the Nov. general election. The 56-year-old longtime senator, who says the beep's job was his life-long dream, will replace Howard Golden. Markowitz is famous for his summer concerts at Wingate Field and Brighton Beach.
Former Board of Education President William Thompson also became the first black to take a city-wide post as city comptroller, replacing former mayoral-hopeful Alan Hevesi with 85 percent of the unofficial vote count released. Thompson is also a protégé of Democratic organization and son of a judge.
Taiwanese-born immigrant John Liu was the winner in his race. Liu, will be the first Asian American elected to a New York City office. A financial consultant and community activist, Liu told his supporters: "We made history tonight. We are in a new era where all the people in New York City will have equal representation." In the Hispanic-populated 21st, Hispanic Hiram Monserrate is the new city-councilmember elect.
And for the first time in years, the City Council, come January 2002, will see many children of former council members replacing their parents in the city's legislative body. Among them are of course Yvette Clarke, the daughter of Jamaican-born Councilwoman Una Clarke, who like several colleagues, lost her seat to term limits. The junior Clarke, secured a whopping 89 percent of the tentative votes tallied, to take the 40th District. She has stressed the need for "unity" and said that her only "agenda" is to serve the community.
"In these trying times we all need to come together for the good of the community," Clarke said immediately following the September 25th Primary victory. "In this climate, we need strong, courageous leadership at City Hall. I intend to provide that kind of leadership."
Peter Vallone, Jr., will also be replacing his father in the council, though not as speaker. The junior Vallone, however, secured a mere 58 percent of the tallied votes.
Come 2002, the council, will also, for the first time, see an increase in the number of local representatives with Caribbean and immigrant ancestry. Clarke has Jamaican ancestry and so does Leroy Comrie, who was handpicked by Deputy Majority Speaker Archie Spigner to replace him in the 27th District in Southeast Queens. Comrie garnered 75 percent of the votes.
Vincentian-born podiatrist Kendall Stewart will also be joining the ranks of "rookie" councilmember. He secured 90 percent of the votes in the 45th District of Brooklyn. Stewart has said he will lobby for increased funding for senior care, day care centers and youth programs for dropouts. As for his podiatry practice, he says, it will be now run by another qualified podiatrist.
It was also an election that saw the coming out of many other immigrant candidates. Though unsuccessful, political pundits say their presence in the election confirmed the growing political power of these "new Americans." Among them were African immigrant Sadique Wai, who waged a failed bid for the 35th District seat against former cop James Davis. Davis secured an overwhelming 80 percent of the votes.
The 28th District in Southeast Queens also saw a competitive race by several immigrants for the seat. Though Guyanese-born Trevor Rupnaraine and Anthony Andrews, who claims Jamaican ancestry, lost in the Democratic Primary to Alan Jennings, another Guyanese, Raj Jodha, decided to run on the Republican line against Jennings. But Jennings still clinched the victory with 66 percent of the votes. The upset was especially shocking since Andrews was the handpicked replacement for the soon to be vacated seat of Councilman Tom White.
Other failed bids were made by Indian immigrant Jairam Thakral in the 23rd District and Latino migrant and famed broadcaster Felipe Luciano in Harlem.
But perhaps the biggest upset of the election was the victory of former lame duck, Republican Mike Bloomberg, over Democrat Mark Green. The billionaire businessman can thank Democratic candidates, Green and Fernando Ferrer. His campaign got a major boost from the rift in the party that subsequently swayed many Democratic minority votes to the Bloomy camp and ushered in the city's first single billionaire mayor-elect.
Bloomberg, whose bid for the hizzoner post in early September seemed like wishful thinking, got a major push after September 25th as flyers began circulating showing Freddy Ferrer kissing the posterior of an overweight Sharpton. Although Green denied any knowledge of the flyers, investigations by a daily publication later found that a few members of his campaign had met with a Jewish group in Brooklyn to plot the strategy.
Ferrer lost the primary, but the reports created a rift in the Democratic Party. Despite top party bosses quick intervention to heal the rift and although Ferrer did offer his half-hearted support to Green, the damage was done.
Last minute campaigning by big wigs such as former President Bill Clinton and Senator Ted Kennedy did little to help the public advocate. Green is now forced to swallow the bitter bile of defeat and look to the future. Gossip columnists say he's looking to form a humanitarian organization. But whatever Green does in the future, he will ever be able to erase the claims of race baiting that resulted from this election and which ultimately resulted in his loss. And whether Ferrer, Roberto Ramirez and Sharpton will ever kiss and make up with Green and top Democrats is still left to be seen.
For now, Ferrer seems content to be smoozing with the former Democrat, Bloomberg. The two had breakfast at a Bronx diner the day after the Republican mayor-elect's victory and have been photographed together since, on November 18th. Bloomberg even reached out and shook hands with Sharpton at the 100 Black Men gala, another first for a Republican mayor. Hizzoner-elect also has selected Ray Kelley, who served under the David Dinkins administration, to be his top cop and has stated he will not be living at Gracie Mansion but will remain at his $5 million townhouse.
So as the curtain comes down on the election and voters and residents city-wide begin looking to 2002 to see what the new leadership will bring in this post-WTC era, historians and the media are left keeping notes on an election that was indeed one of many firsts.