Phony flier shenanigans in 30th Council District

Crowley Mail 2
From the Daily News:

A Queens Tribune reporter who lives in Kew Gardens said this eyebrow-raising flyer arrived in the mail last night in an unmarked, stamped envelope.

The flyer, which for some reason I can only upload upside down, urges "fellow black Americans" to vote for Democratic Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley because "she will make sure we get our New York City Services" and features a photo of Crowley next to a photo of Gov. David Paterson, who has been plagued by historically low poll numbers.

There is no "paid for" message, and, as the reporter wrote in his accompanying e-mail: "I do not think this could be from Crowley... pretty ugly, no?"

Pretty ugly, yes indeed. Dirty tricks at best, and clumsily concealed racism at worst. Anyone who knows the 30th Council District is aware of its conservative bent and the fact that it is not, in fact, home to many "fellow black American" voters.

Ognibene's campaign manager, Michael Michel, said he didn't know anything about the flyer and suggested I speak to the candidate himself.

I reached Ognibene on his cell phone, and he demanded that I ask Crowley's campaign about the glossy mailer - unidentified - that repeated many of the same allegations Burak made above and featured a mock-up of him in handcuffs.

"I have never in my life been in handcuffs," an indignant Ognibene declared. "If I have to put up with all the things she's sent out about me - vicious things, almost libelous...These things happen. I don't know anything about it. I get this kind of sh--. Excuse my language, but it makes me so angry when people do this."

Nope. Never in handcuffs. Just caught on wiretaps accepting bribes. It pays to have friends in high places.