From the Daily News:The crowded field of candidates running for Assemblywoman Ann-Margaret Carrozza's soon-to-be-vacant 26th District seat are furious about a flyer being mailed out by Ed Braunstein.
"Albany is an embarrassment. We deserve better," reads the colorful piece of literature, which appeared in mailboxes in northeast Queens last week. "Career politicians are completely out of touch with our values."
Braunstein, a newcomer to the local political scene, has the backing of the powerful Queens Democratic Party. He also works for Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, which makes his claims questionable, according to primary opponents.
"All the candidates are running on our records," said Democratic hopeful Steve Behar. "We have a history in the district of activism. It's indefensible to call himself a reformer."
Behar pointed out that Braunstein's uncle is high-caliber lobbyist Brian Meara.
"We're outraged," said Elio Forcina, a Whitestone Democrat vying for the seat. "He is tied in with lobbyists and lobbyists are running his campaign and he works for Sheldon Silver, and he tells the public he is a reform candidate?"
Former Assemblyman John Duane, another Democratic candidate, said there is a "disconnect" between Braunstein's claim to be an agent of change and his deep connections to the Queens Democratic Party and top elected officials.
"He's running a campaign on status-quo party organization," he said, "These people haven't done anything to change Albany."
In another "Odd Couple"-like twist, Braunstein's camp sent out a press release touting endorsements by Democrats Jerry Iannece and Paul Vallone.
Vallone and Iannece faced off in a bitter Council primary battle last year. They both ended up losing to newcomer Kevin Kim, who was then defeated by Republican Dan Halloran in an even uglier general election.
Just when you thought it couldn't get worse...
From the Times Ledger:
Evan Stavisky, a spokesman for Braunstein’s campaign, pointed out that Cuomo, who is running on a campaign of reforming Albany, had thrown his weight behind Braunstein.
80 comments:
Just like Mimosa or whatever the hell her name is in Astoria whose qualification seems to be 'Mystery Mike' G's neighbor - she is also running as a 'Albany Reformer'.
(snicker)
The only difference is in Astoria that passes without comment.
Very funny that Ed Braunstein is claming to be a reformer and he is using queeen's biggest influence peddler Evan Stavisky as a spokesperson.
The people of north queens are being taken advantage by that crew and the deception is so wrong.
vote for anyone but braunstein
what happened in astoria is an shame
an appointed party puppet is being sold as a reformer
well we can thank the brave and candid insurgents in the 26 ad as well as the republican party for telling the truth about the charade that is ed braunstein's message. dancing jerry of community baord 11 will not stand up and expose the truth,it might mean putting the community before himself.
Ed Braunstein AKA Den Dekker 2.0
John duane just got the Citizens union endorsement. He is somebody to watch in that race.
Too funny - and sad - the lemmings will eat it up.
"Brave and candid insurgents in the 26 ad" HAHA!!
Duane who?
Duane who?
You can feel the panic from Team Braunstein! It's only a matter of time until Evan Stavisky and the Parkside Group start sending out more Nazi mail!
I wonder why Mike G. wants Aravella in Albany so much? It's cold and lonely there in the winter.
Steve Behar's hatred for Evan Stavisky is very amusing. I can see that chubby, red-faced little turd stewing in his campaign office: "Why won't the establishment see the light and finally support ME!?!?!!!"
Stevie the Reformer can't even get Citizen Union's endorsement! Yikes.
Dude, you're a tool. Go get laid.
Citizens Union is a joke.
"CITIZENS UNION ENDORSES MICHAEL BLOOMBERG FOR MAYOR."
Why would Behar be upset at not getting that endorsement?
And FYI, I know who's posting here, and the anti-Stavisky comment aren't coming from Bayside...
It's only a matter of time until Evan Stavisky and the Parkside Group start sending out more Nazi mail!
----------------------------------------------
Paid for by Ackerman's Multi-Media Advertising company? Ask Skenkler and Nussy!
i recall seeing Tom Duane in a photo celebrating with the left-wing first graduating class of the C.U.N.Y. Law School, at Queens College about 1990.
they sang the U.S.S.R.(UNION OF SOVIET SOCIALIST RUSSIA) national anthem, "THE INTERNATIONIALE".
The school was then located in the P.S.130 Q, Bayside building. after the local K to 6 graders were bused out to other C.S.D 26 schools ,in a possible forced integration plan,disguised as underutilization.
The Cold War is over. We won. Get on with the rest of your life.
School children are being bussed all over the place for all kinds of reasons, then and now.
Get over what? the progressive wacos trying to take over North queens
They haven't already?
For a candidate to have turned down a huge sum of money in order to support charter school expansion, which goes against what he believes, Steve Behar is a person of integrity.
If only there were more like him.
Steve Behar is a LIAR. Prove that he actually turned down the money. Until then, continue having movie nights, eat pizza with your 4 volunteers and commiserate about your sorry ass campaign.
I guess the Braunstein supporters must be really worried about me since they keep attributing anonymous statements to me.
They are gutless cowards who don't have the guts use their own name or actually say it to my face.
When I make a post I always do it in my own name.
we all love our district leader evan stavisky in whitestone
after all we are gonna team up with him in 3 years in the democratic primary for city council for michael sais
whitestone knows that any form of nepotism should go back to astoria
Since the Braunstein crew seems to want to attribute other comments to me, I might as well put my beliefs out there for everyone so there will be no more confusion.
Ed Braunstein's candidacy represents everything that is wrong with our political system. Claiming he is an "Independent Reformer" is not only a fraud but it insults the intelligence of the entire district.
Here are the FACTS:
1. The ONLY job Ed Braunstein's ever had was as an Aide to Assembly Speaker Shelly Silver. That's not exactly the place to learn about reform.
2. Ed Braunstein's campaign is being pushed by his uncle Brian Meara. Meara is one of the top influence peddling lobbyists in Albany. Meara and his people have been pushing Braunstein's candidacy, making backroom deals and twisting arms for months. Braunsteins's campaign is being financed by Meara's lobbying clients and other special interests from outside the district. That's not exactly being "Independent" is it?
3. Brian Meara is a major contributor to the campaign of Pedro Espada. That's not who I want my Assemblyman tied to.
4. Ed Braunstein is inexperienced and unqualified to represent our district. He has no "real-life" experience. Elio Forcina, John Duane, Vince Tabone and I have all lived in the "real world" beyond working for Shelly Silver and living with mommy and daddy. We've all had our struggles and our successes. No one has handed us anything. Unlike Braunstein, we don't walk around with a sense of entitlement and we don't believe that this Assembly seat is our birth rite.
Unlike Braunstein, each of the other candidates in this race has at times struggled to pay the rent or the mortgage or struggled to make a payroll. How can you expect to represent the people of the district when you can't relate to the people of the district?
5. Ed Braunstein and Evan Stavisky keep pointing to the fact that Ed Braunstein is one of Ed Koch's "Heroes of Reform." That's great, but so am I. Actually so is Elio Forcina, John Duane and Vince Tabone. Braunstein should stop trying to make people of the district think Ed Koch as endorsed him. As a matter of fact, Braunstein was the last candidate in the race to sign Mayor Koch's pledges. Once again, stop trying to fool the people you want to represent.
5. Ed Braunstein's campaign is actually being run by a lobbyist firm. The Parkside Group is running his campaign. Evan Stavisky, a lobbyist, is his campaign spokesperson. How can you call yourself "Independent" when you're being told what to do by lobbyists?
Finally,
6. In his mail, Braunstein claims he wants to "rein in the special interests." Braunstein is sending the voters mail saying he's going to rein in special interests...AND THAT MAIL IS BEING PAID FOR BY THE SPECIAL INTERESTS! Boy does that take a lot of chutzpah!
So, there it is. Please stop attributing these anonymous comments to me. I've said it all right there on the record.
Behar, are you kidding? You were over heard in the diner you eat at (constantly) talking about your blog name or whatever you call it.
..this may be a first.
Behar, you have incredible ego...
…and once again, you are a liar.
1)You have evidently lied about only posting under your real name
2)You certainly lied about the turning down the fictitious $200K (no proof otherwise)
3)You lied about having a $150,000 war chest for the campaign.
Behar, you might try this site…it may help…
http://www.truthaboutdeception.com
Behar, you have laid out everything you think is wrong with Braunstein. What about the other Democratic candidates? What about Tabone?
Since you “line itemed” your post, how about a point by point manifesto on the other guys and then more importantly, a line by line fact sheet of why you are better?...a point-counter-point. Your Website is useless (and wrong as of today)
You entire message is ALWAYS negative and mostly directed at Braunstein.
Since it seems you have no chance against anyone else either, isn’t it time you concisely laid out why you are the best choice to beat Tabone?
Enough with your whining. Put up or shut up and drop out…but at least update the website this time!
Other then the loot that braunsteins family can raise he is by the worst candidate to face tebone. vince tebone will eat him up. the darth vader of the republican party with all his little troopers will cause havoc on baby shelly.
If by some miracle Behar is able to win the primary (which we all know if unlikely and he will finish third) I will personally start Dems for Tabone.
Why do you think Tabone is getting involved? Obviously he would rather go up against anyone OTHER than Braunsein.
I wish Braunstein, Duane and Forcina lots of luck. Behars negative remarks are just too out of control and he has made himself just look bad to all the voters.
during the war between the Sandonistas (marxists/socialists) and the Contras(cia supported) in Nicaragua,1979(aprox.) many American university students chose to support the marxists.
did not John Duane take part in Queens College marxist rallies and pictured in Queens weekly articles?
funniest comment in this thread is the poster assuming mike g would want to go anywhere near a vagina.
ps rock hudson was married too.
Proving what?
Enough is enough:Part 2:
And of course you believe Braunstein’s family support is a negative.
Having members of a middle class family be successful in their careers and support another family member dedicate his career to community service is also bad thing, right Steve?
Behar, you are also correct that you have more experience in this area than Braunstein does. He as of yet hasn’t lost an election bid…you have.
And of course you are right Steve…only you understand real-life struggles. Braunstein doesn’t have to pay his rent, utility bills and college/Law school loans because he, apparently, has special dispensation.
Finally,
You are right, Steve because Braunstein garnered substantial contributions from a number of sources…this was evident by all the big mucky-mucks that attended his campaign fund raisers…the firemen, police, janitors, lawyers, advertising executives, editors and those extremely wealthy home-makers. Guess all those little checks added up…and they all have their own personal “special interests.”
I know this is a lot to take in and could give you a headache. You might want to put your head down on your desk for a minute.
Enough is Enough:Part 1A: (Sorry for the order of this post…Blogspot was funky…Steve, have a pal deleting my comments?...but you can keep up Steve, right?)
Behar has some nerve talking about Braunstein’s “one job” or any other candidate’s past employment history.
Guess a guy who has what can be called “questionable employment issues” with his various positions would comment on someone with such a “limited” resume. Imagine the nerve of this Braunstein… a guy with loyalty based on a true interest in learning how Albany works and close enough to understand what needs to be reformed.
Enough is Enough:Part 1B:
How about some “FACTS” about your past employment, Steve?
Your website (beharbertron.com) mentions Milbank Tweed Hadley & McCloy LLP and Toys R Us, Inc.
Oddly, there is nothing on the pages indicating clients; just a “Coming Soon” note…Is this just because it is as badly maintained as your campaign website or does the lack of a client list lead to the fact you simply have a lot of time on your hands?
Didn’t you forget another firm you worked for? I wonder why that isn’t on your resume. But we know better, don’t we?
Stun us with your prestigious success stories as a successful attorney at your various firms.
Perhaps some endearing tale of a lawsuit you may have been involved in?...just one that is near and dear to your heart?...something that affected you personally…that demonstrates your deep understanding of people and your ability to work as a team with your colleagues for the benefit of your clients?
The Parkside smear machine was in full swing....and I had the audacity to answer back.
Wow, this blog is active today...
Not sure what the " Parkside smear machine" is but how can Behar accuse anyone of "smearing" when his own post is nothing but negative comments (sometimes referred to as smears) about this guy Braunstein?
Is there any source that states what Behar is all about without his childish rants?
Boy Braunstein's people must be real nervous to give Behar this much attention.
Do you think so, Steve?
Oh, that's right, you only post under your real name...
...you are a pethetic...as the previous posts indicate, you really are a liar.
You guys at Parkside sound pretty desperate to go after Behar this way. What are you afraid of?
FACT: The same County and Parkside that Behar bashes are the same County and Parkside that he sought the support of before they told him, "No, thanks."
For the record: I NEVER SOUGHT TO HIRE PARKSIDE AND I NEVER ASKED FOR THEIR SUPPORT. I did meet with Evan Stavisky, as District Leader, to discuss my candidacy.
Sometimes there's a little confusion between seeking the support of our District Leader and seeking to hire Parkside as a political consultant....I'm very surprised that my friends from Parkside even want to go there!
Wow are the parkside operatives saying that meeting with a district leader and hiring an lobbyist firm are one in the same.
Wow this is getting too crazy lets change the subject and talk about john duanes communist connections
Wow talk about irrelevant crap. Keep on living in the past.
I was going to vote for braunstein in the primary,but now that I know Evan stavisky of the Darkside Group is managing his campaign I will vote for someone else.
The Staviskys' are corrupt thugs,I hope him and his mom moby get indicted.
I just dont understand why Toby stavisky and her "son" evan always go after other candidates with such bellicosity.
Why do they get so defensive when people mention the parkside group?What are they hiding?It's beneath the office she holds.I cannot wait for her to lose on the 14th.
To answer the above post answer the staviskys get very defensive about the Darkside Group because they have broken the law so many times it would make James Traficant blush.
They know Toby stavisky is going to lose because in last years council races MOST of the candidates repped by the Darkside Group LOST.
I reckon the only candidates who will win this year that are repped by Darkside have no opponent(s)
The Staviskys' lost my support when Leanord died.He was good.I heard that when he died, at his wake toby stavisky approached county leadership and demanded to be the replacement.She couldn't even even wait until after the funeral!
So sad,I hope she loses her seat and that her corpulent,corrupt,and conniving son evan gets indicted.
I agree with anonymous, I am just a regular voter with no affiliation with any candidate.
I recently posted my opinion about a particular senate race on another lesser blog and I was promptly attacked by people working for the Parkside Group/Stavisky.Even though I think Behar is an idiot, I am telling people to vote for him just because he has no affiliation with the Parkside Group.
silence by the parkside i guess evan is sitting with chucky meara eds uncle and chief of staff for the city council leader christine quinn lobbying for some special interest that gave evan six figures well if you cant help me maybe your brother brian can talk to shelly i sold my disrict leader position to get your baby nephew the nomination and all i get is grief from that reformist hero steve behar who is honestly fighting for bayside better pass this law or i will have to give back that retainer you gottA help we ruined avellas chances and put the democratic control of the state senate in danger so my company the parkside can make $$$$$$$$$
I just wanted to check back in to see if Behar offered any response to my request for more information regarding a line by line fact sheet of why he was a better choice for my district.
I am hoping his lack of response means he is busy putting the finishing touches on some updates on his well crafted, objective positioning document for all to read and understand.
I will check back tomorrow to see if there is a response or at least a link to a source (but please, not his uninformative website)for this information.
I will have to assume if no information is available that there is no such document and therefore no position...just a negative anti-opponent message.
...then his campaign is simply a waste of time for all involved, especially the Democratic voter.
Sorry I am not as "informed" as some of the other posters on this Blog...I am assuming Braunstein's consultants are from a company called "Parkside"...based on what I am reading about Behar, his consultants must be run by the characters from the TV show, "South Park".
Hope to read more tomorrow.
Say what you will above poster.Bottom line is Braunstein is going down real fast and will LOSE the primary.
Behar is also an incompetent candidate just like braunstein,but atleast he is not affiliated with soon to be indicted and closet homosexual evan stavisky.
p.s. Toby stavisky is a fat pig.Fuck You.
RE: comment 15 on this thread. please delete ,a typo error was made. sorry.
How angry are the Braunstein, Parkside and Stavisky haters???
They are literally the bane of Behar's sorry existence!
Rumor is Behar told Vince Tabone he was going to win in a landslide!!!LOL!!!!!!
Can I also say how funny I find it that Steve and his supporters dedicate their time to Queens Crap.
Here's a tip in Campaigning 101, pal: Queens Crap is read by insiders. Your campaign is dead broke and not exactly churning out volunteers. Get off the blogs and do some actual work.
"Queens Crap is read by insiders."
No kidding!
dont listen to tabone
he may the one taking down all the braunstein and forcina lawn signs
he wants both factions to go at each others throats
hoping if brauntsein wins
forcina's group will flip and help the republicans
if the underdog forcina wins he hopes braunsteins group will be so angry that they wont help him and sit out
tabone has machievelli's handbook under his matress
Both county organizations will sell their mothers for the seat
I don't know what these stavisky supporters are saying.I know there aren't that many but c'mon!Even staviskys' own campaign website hates her.
I visited staviskyforsenate.com and it was nothing but negative things about her.It was urging visitors to vote for her opponent,sasson!Stavisky should start firing those employees from the Darkside Group,they seem to hate her more than us regular voters.
She should start with her soon to be indicted bloated no-neck son evan,and then the rest of the criminals.Ah but alas It think the D.A's office in manhattan will take care of it verryyy soon.After november perhaps?hmmmmmmmm.....
www.staviskyforsenate.com
HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!
Final check and nothing from Behar. I won't be back. What a shame. He had the time to rant but not the time to answer a serious request for information on what he stands for.
I will not be voting for him. I am sure I am not alone.
Steve, thanks for not caring.
Bye
And do the Stavisky haters prefer John Messer? As in, known CRIMINAL and RACIST, John Messer??? Says a lot about the Behar/Messer team to know they prefer a man who was responsible for bankrupting families and defrauding people as opposed to an upstanding State Senator who is well on her way to reelection.
Don't even get me started on Sasson. We'll just let that buffoon be.
Lots of anti-behar sentiment on the comments. I can see the 3 guys at county hq have earned their paycheck today; furiously bashing those keyboards. How about you get some prepared statements ready for those depositions boys? You know the ones you are going to be forced to answer concerning your ties to the lobbying group known as parkside? Or would you rather just let Evan and the boys go off to jail? (here's a pro tip: in jail he could be himself; no rope for the soap if you know what i mean.)
Queens county hacks make me ashamed to contribute money to the Democratic party.
Behar's current campaign is a mess he has had like 3 staffing changes and oddly, discusses them all like they were good news. Its also a shame he hasn't seconded more of his position papers from his old web site onto his new one. The guy has some good ideas he just gets miopic on the negatives. Still better than Braunstein.
YOU'LL NEVER CATCH ME COPPERS!!!
very funny the parkside braunstein operative ask behar to write a whole position on a blog i am not supporting behar or braunstein
but i feel bad for braunstein .HE had to pay to play and now he is getting shaken down by the parkside
and what do they give him
that silly kid who lost it last year for jerry ianaecce
evan gets thousands of dollars whacks it up with whoever and they stick austin the college frat boy and give him 3OO A WEEK.
HA HA THANKS EVAN HA HA
HA HA HA POOR EDDY
HE GETS SHAKEN DOWN BY PARKSIDE AND THEY SEND THAT POMPOUS LITTLE KID AUSTIN
Re: Bayside Boy:
Thanks for the positive comments.
As for the campaign, we're actually in good shape. I did have a Campaign Manager leave about a month ago. She just didn't work out and I think the main reason was that she was commuting from New Jersey. I probably should of seen that one coming. After that, I asked my friend Glenn Lewis to come down from Albany to run the last month of the campaign. I know Glenn since the 2004 Howard Dean Presidential campaign and he has experience running Congressional races upstate. We had a good group of staff and volunteers over the Summer. We had a bunch leave to go back to college recently. That said, we still have our core of 8-10 staff/volunteers who are here everyday and we've had some new volunteers come in since.
I guarantee that I have knocked on more doors in the district than any other candidate and our campaign has knocked on more doors than any other candidate. We will continue our "grass-roots" "on the ground" campaign.
The responses on doors has been incredible...nothing like last year when many folks were just getting to know me.
As for the position papers on the website, I got a lot of comments last year that my position papers were too long and technical. I tried to address that this year but apparently went to far the other way. I appreciate the criticism and I will spend some
time over the next couple of days addressing that.
That being said, if anyone ever wants discuss an issue or issues more in-depth, they can always come to our office at 213-02 42nd Ave in Bayside. I will pour them a cup of coffee and will talk about any issue they want. Anyone who knows me can tell you I tend to be very detail-oriented when it comes to issues and enjoy discussing them.
Once again, thanks and vote Sept 14th!
Thanx Steve for the honesty
I think most people will respect an honest grass roots campaign instead of a candidate being pushed the corrupt system
GO STEVE BEHAR
Quick question Steve. Is there a reason why Wollmuth Maher & Deutsch is not listed as a past employer on your website?
Good job Steve.
I appreciate your honesty and candor.
You'll get mine and my entire family's vote in Sept.
I am running a grass-roots campaign. I am running because I believe I can make my community better. I am running because I am really tired of the failed leadership in Albany that cares more about themselves than the people. I am running to try to take control of my government back from lobbyists and influence peddlers like the Parkside Group and Braunstein's uncle Brian Meara. I haven't raised anywhere near the amount of money Braunstein has, but I haven't sold my soul to the devil either.
I've raised my money from my friends, my family, people who believe in my ideals and people in our community who want a voice in Albany. If you want to help me fight this type of smear politics and help me fight the special interests that have destroyed our state government, you can vote for me, you can come by and volunteer and you can contribute to our campaign at:
https://secure.actblue.com/entity/fundraisers/24220
Thanks
DONT FORGET JOHN DAUNE
HE IS 30 YEARS AHEAD OF BRAUNSTEIN
and has the integrity and honor not to seek the corrupt county nomination a true reformer
while braunstein and the parkside figure out ways to help lobbyists
john duane will be there for the people
WOW all of Astoria behind this guy who sends out literature and Newspaper ads with grammatical errors and misspellings.
Vallone and Iannece also had the Astoria vote, the clowns just split it.
Once again two Italian _ Americans damage each others chances and both Baccala's are left at the gate.
Now they join forces to back someone? did they learn that united is the only way to win?
Doubt it.
Honesty and candor? Steve Behar still claims he rejected $200k from lobbyists, but everyone knows that's a lie. He also won't address why he excludes certain law firms from his resume. So much for honesty and candor
uhm last anon. he just did address it. I dunno what more you want from the guy, maybe a couple thousand for some of your lobbying clients? I mean not that you're a parkside worker, but the anonymous title is somewhat pointless when your identity is clear.
Look Steve, just have some clear positions, people want substance not negativity.
This kid has none, he's a cardboard cutout of a candidate, but stop beng so pissed off about that and tell people how you're gonna improve their lives.
Steven, Steven, Steven, we both know I don’t work for Parkside.
Still, odd you wouldn’t have mentioned the firm. After all, you were a partner for all of 6 months or so.
One thing, I can’t remember, who won the Yankee game that day? Oh that’s right, you were in the hospital.
Do you really think people can’t find details of this lawsuit?
i would like to invite evan stavisky and eddy braunstein to beechurst to a candidates night
with video cameras we will secretly set our people up and ask questions about
lobbying, powebroker ass kissing, party hackism it will be fun ha ha we wont get demonic like some polticos and ask about personal religious views on abortion but we will have fun and ask about about the lobbying industry and how to make a buck from government in this economomy
Paul vallone is finished in whitestone. Not only does the Iannece group hate him now his old supporters that are with forcina are fed up with his selfish antics. ha ha what is he gonna do in 2013 when the staviskys and the county turn on him
Ed Braunstein's candidacy represents everything that is wrong with our political system. Claiming he is an "Independent Reformer" is not only a fraud but it insults the intelligence of the entire district.
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