Vito Lopez, the former assemblyman and Brooklyn Democratic boss who was forced from office after being accused of sexually harassing his staffers, filed petitions to run again for his position as a district leader and state committeeman, according to Board of Elections documents. And Assemblyman Micah Kellner, the Upper East Side pol who chose not to seek re-election after his own sexual harassment scandal, also moved forward with his state committee bid after the Observer first reported his intentions in May.
Despite his fall from the Assembly, Mr. Lopez is still a district leader and state committeeman in his old Williamsburg and Bushwick-based district. The unpaid posts have relatively little power–they play a role in nominating judges and, in the case of district leader, voting for the chair of the local party. In Brooklyn, unlike other boroughs, district leaders also serve simultaneously as state committeemen.
For Mr. Lopez, remaining a district leader is a way for him to still stay relevant in local politics after his precipitous fall last year, sources say. Mr. Lopez currently has no opponent and candidates have until Thursday night to file petitions.
Like Mr. Lopez, Mr. Kellner’s political career was derailed by sexual harassment allegations that emerged last year. A front-runner for a City Council seat, Mr. Kellner fell to now-Councilman Ben Kallos and announced this year he wouldn’t run for re-election in the Assembly.
Mr. Kellner has denied all wrongdoing but Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver shuttered Mr. Kellner’s district offices and slashed all of his staff budget in June. Mr. Silver also said that Mr. Kellner hired an intern for his Manhattan office after being told he could no longer do that.
Still, sources say Mr. Kellner does not want to completely leave the Upper East Side political scene despite becoming a persona non grata there. He filed petitions to run as a state committeeman and a judicial delegate. (He is also a sitting district leader and will be up for re-election for that post next year.)
Well that explains the revitalization of Vito's club.
2 comments:
One wonders what the new affluent residents of his district feel about having a perverted groper representing them.
these are the same folks who are willing to pay exorbitant rents so welcome back vito.this time keep your greasy hands to yourself,and remember to have your palms waxed every two weeks.
Of course they keep trying to run. They are career politicians who can't do any other job in the real world. This is all they have.
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