You are who your friends are

Let's recap who supports John Liu, and in turn supports everything dubious:

Reps. Joe Crowley, Grace Meng and Gregory Meeks

Former Congress Member Gary Ackerman

The NY Times, The Daily Kos & Queens Politics

New York Communities for Change, CWA Local 1180, UCFW Local 1500, the New York City Coalition of Operating Engineers, the Council of School Supervisors and Administrators, and the Working Families Party

The Queens Times, Queens Gazette and Queens Tribune

State Senator Liz Krueger and Manhattan BP Gale Brewer

Queens Borough President Melinda Katz; and practically every Democratic assemblymember and senator in Albany, and in the City Council in New York.

Civic leaders

Holy macaroni, there are a lot of dumb, brainwashed bunnies in politics! (And I didn't even include them all.) You'll also note the way he tries to make it seem like Cuomo endorsed him, when he didn't:

Crowley/Ackerman/DeBlasio donor in big trouble

From the NY Observer:

Hotel magnate Sant Singh Chatwal, who has lavished campaign cash on everyone from Hillary Clinton to Mayor Bill de Blasio, pleaded guilty today in Brooklyn federal court to campaign finance fraud and witness tampering, U.S. Attorney Loretta Lynch announced.

Mr. Chatwal, 70, who runs a chain of luxury hotels and other companies, allegedly broke federal law by using straw donors–whom he called “conduits”–to make more than $180,000 in illegal campaign contributions to three candidates in an effort to gain access and influence federal regulations, according to a federal complaint.

Prosecutors alleged that, from 2007 to 2011, Mr. Chatwal “used his employees, business associates, and contractors who performed work on his hotels … to solicit campaign contributions on Chatwal’s behalf in support of various candidates for federal office and PACs, collect these contributions, and pay reimbursements for these contributions, in violation of the Election Act.”

A source close to the investigation told the Observer the campaigns belonged to Ms. Clinton, former Connecticut Senator Chris Dodd, and then-Florida Congressman Kendrick Meek, who ran an unsuccessful U.S. Senate campaign in 2010. The source originally identified Majority Leader Harry Reid’s campaign, which has received Chatwal contributions, as one of the related cases, but later reached out to say that was incorrect.

Federal finance records show that a Mr. Chatwal contributed to Ms. Clinton’s 2008 presidential campaign. Multiple individuals with the same last name and hotel employer also gave to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and a Democratic National Committee account, the records show.

Mr. Chatwal additionally appears to be a financial supporter of two federal lawmakers in Queens: Congressman Joe Crowley, the head of the DCCC, and Congressman Gary Ackerman, who recently retired. He also gave extensively to Mr. de Blasio’s mayoral campaign.

There is no allegation, however, that the candidates participated in, or were aware of, Mr. Chatwal’s scheme.

But what about the whore ads?

Friends, please read this which went out as an official press release today. - Michael Schenkler

"Historic Newspapers Change Hands"
As the ball dropped in Times Square heralding the end of 2012 and the beginning of 2013, ownership of one of the Metropolitan area’s most storied publishing companies also changed.

The Queens Tribune, started by Gary Ackerman in 1970, and the Long-Islander, started by America’s poet Walt Whitman in 1838, along with their sister papers, were acquired by PFH Media Group NY, LLC from Tribco, LLC.

Michael Schenkler, President of Tribco, LLC, who has guided the Tribune since 1978 and acquired and became publisher of the Long-Islander in 2006, made the announcement on Jan. 2 and shall remain with Phoenix Media as a consultant.

As the staff returned to work in the New Year, Schenkler introduced Mr. Brandy Williams, Chairman of Phoenix Financial Holdings, the Washington D.C. holding company that now controls the publications.

Phoenix Financial Holdings makes significant investments in profitable small and mid-sized companies in partnership with existing management teams and seeks to generate superior financial returns through the pursuit of growth opportunities and a focus on operational excellence.

Brandy Williams said, “I believe that exciting days are ahead for our new publications, and we look forward to building on their historic, journalistic foundations and growing them in the vital communities which they serve.”

The present staff of both the Queens and Long Island operations is being retained by Phoenix, which shall supplement the present efforts with its business expertise and publishing experience, to take the company’s publications to a new level.

In addition to the Queens Tribune and the Long Islander, the acquisition includes: The Record (of Northport, L.I.), the Half Hollow Hills Newspaper and the Press of Southeast Queens; several legal publications; Multi-Media, (an advertising, promotion and printing company) and DineHuntington, (operators of Huntington Restaurant Week).

She followed in Donald's footsteps

Wondering what the tie was between all the tweeders and the recently deceased Cecilia Chang, who was on trial for embezzling at St. John's University?

This Queens Tribune article from 2003 is a great reminder:

I write this on Saturday, and three non-related events of the past two days brought into focus the part of Mike [Nussbaum]’s life that is somewhat separate from our business and his family. Although Mike integrates all that he does – his family members have become my friends and mine his – and his outside ventures often become my causes, there is another Mike.

Event 1, Thursday night: Lil and I attended the Queens Jewish Community Council’s 35th Anniversary Terrace-on-the Park Gala in honor of Claire Shulman and Mike Nussbaum.

Event 2, Friday afternoon: We cleared our Tribune office floors to make room for new carpet and in looking into Mike’s office, I noticed various mementos of a peace trip to North and South Korea that Mike had arranged when Congressman Gary Ackerman became the first person since Douglas McArthur to cross the 39th parallel which divides the two nations.

Event 3, Saturday morning: Mike took Senator Chuck Shumer to welcome Taiwan President Chen Shui-Bian to New York and announce Shumer was joining the newly formed Senate Taiwan Caucus to further ties between our two nations.

Yes, Mike brings us Asian clients and friends — but that’s the smallest part. His network includes the very top government officials and business giants in the Far East as well as their counterparts here in our country.

At the Thursday night affair, I met Mike’s old friend Dr. Cecelia Chang, vice president of St. John’s and Dean of the Asian Studies program. In 1980, as president of his own company, Mike helped Cecelia put together the first government and business delegation to visit Taiwan. Queens Chamber Prez, Citibank’s Peg Sweezy, Queens Beep Donald Manes, Congressman Jim Scheuer, Councilmembers Archie Spigner and Ed Sadowsky were a few who went with them. It was that trip which established Queens County and Taipai, the capital of Taiwan, as sister cities.

It also established Mike as a player in the Far East.

From the Daily Mail:

The New York Daily News also reports that detectives investigated Ms Chang in the murder of her husband. From his death bed, Mr Tsai reportedly wrote 'My wife did this!' when questioned by detectives.

He was shot four times in the back while leaving his business in Brooklyn, New York, in 1990. He died later and no one has every been charged in his death.

Tsai's note also suggested that Dr Chang had an affair with Queens Borough President Donald Manes, a neighbor who killed himself in 1986 after being caught in a scandal.

Ackerman against post office closure

From the Times Ledger:

U.S. Rep. Gary Ackerman says he is now in discussions with the United States Postal Service to prevent the closure of Bell Boulevard’s branch.

USPS is considering a plan to shutter the facility, which is located at 212-35 42nd Ave. in Bayside, and move it to an annex at 41-29 216th St.

State Sen. Tony Avella, D-Bayside, and a group of community leaders held a protest in front of the post office on July 27 during which they said the closure of the site could detract from the character of the community.

Local leaders have said the annex is located in an isolated area with no parking or adequate sidewalks.

But Ackerman said he is “hopeful” that USPS will listen to the community’s calls to keep the Bell Boulevard branch open.

Little Bay Park crapper bids due

From Bayside Patch:

The city's Department of Parks and Recreation has begun the bidding process for the construction of a comfort station at Little Bay Park for which Bayside leaders have been calling for seven years, state Sen. Tony Avella, D-Bayside, said.

The agency will pick and vet the winning bidder and construction is expected to begin by the end of the year, the senator said.

The senator secured $1 million for the project four years ago when he was a member of the City Council. U.S. Rep. Gary Ackerman, D-Bayside, also brought in funding for the project, which also involved expanding a parking lot at the park.

The Bay Terrace Community Alliance and Avella held a press conference last year during which they called on the city to get the project underway.

Bayside post office closing

From the Times Ledger:

Rumors that the United States Postal Service was considering closing Bayside’s post office proved to be true Friday, according to U.S. Rep. Gary Ackerman (D-Bayside).

The plan, Ackerman said, includes shutting down the post office at 212-35 42nd Ave. near the Bayside Long Island Rail Road train station and moving all operations to the annex building by the Lawrence Cemetery at 41-29 216 St.

“If this is what they are considering, and we have received no official communication to so indicate as much, then this clearly would be a consolidation of facilities, and requires public notice, consultation and input,” Ackerman said. “That has not happened. We must insist that proper procedure is followed.”

The congressman criticized the Postal Service, adding that a potential increase in traffic and lack of parking near the new location could be a negative consequence for the surrounding community.

“Moving the Bayside branch from its prime spot in the middle of the area’s busy commercial strip to a remote and inconvenient location makes absolutely no sense,” Ackerman said. “Not only would this plan adversely impact the local residents and businesses who use this facility, but it could likely cause a further erosion in postal business since its customers may not trek to this out-of-the-way location.”

Ackerman thinks his constituents are stupid

From the Daily News:

BBW: Congressman Ackerman, you’ve been here 30 years. Can you define comity as it existed when you arrived versus how it exists now?

ACKERMAN: Your premise is that comity exists now. It may not be entirely accurate. It used to be you had real friends on the other side of the aisle. It’s not like that anymore.

Society has changed. The public is to blame as well. I think the people have gotten dumber. I don’t know that I would’ve said that out loud pre-my announcement that I was going to be leaving. [Laughter] But I think that’s true. I mean everything has changed.

Ackerman chooses Meng - for financial gain?

From the NY Times:

Representative Gary L. Ackerman, who unexpectedly announced in March that he would not seek re-election to Congress, is venturing into the primary contest to succeed him, backing the candidate he says best embodies his values: Assemblywoman Grace Meng.

Mr. Ackerman’s decision, to be announced Tuesday morning at the Pomonok Senior Center in Flushing, Queens, was hardly assured, given his reputation as an eccentric politician not known for regularly making endorsements. And while some political analysts assumed that Mr. Ackerman favored Ms. Meng, the choice of Representative Joseph Crowley and the Queens Democratic establishment, his pledge to campaign vigorously on her behalf could help sway constituents who have supported him during his nearly 30-year career.

Mr. Ackerman, in an interview, praised Ms. Meng’s chief competitors in the June 26 primary, Assemblyman Rory I. Lancman and City Councilwoman Elizabeth S. Crowley. Indeed, Mr. Ackerman said that all three were “philosophically close to the same place” on key issues like Israel and economic advocacy for the middle class.

But in what could be viewed as critiques of Mr. Lancman, an aggressive legislator who once mulled challenging Mr. Ackerman, and Ms. Crowley, whose candidacy has soured her relationship with her cousin, Congressman Crowley, Mr. Ackerman, 69, said that Ms. Meng’s self-effacing style and background as a fellow child of immigrants had won him over.

From City and State:

In a much-hyped press conference yesterday in Queens, veteran Congressman Gary Ackerman endorsed Assemblywoman Grace Meng to be his successor in Washington, D.C. – but did not bring up the fact that he has a financial interest in Meng’s campaign.

In a sometimes heated interview after the event, Ackerman did confirm that he is a part-owner of the Queens-based political consulting and printing firm Multi-Media, which is serving as the primary consultant to Meng’s well-funded congressional campaign.

Ackerman told City & State repeatedly that the financial relationship with Meng’s campaign had no role in the endorsement, which was described by the New York Times as “hardly assured” because of Ackerman’s reputation as an eccentric who does not usually back candidates.

“Did it affect my endorsement? No,” Ackerman said, acknowledging that he was aware of Meng’s business relationship with the consulting firm he co-owns before making his endorsement decision. “[Multi-Media] doesn’t run my life and I don’t run their business.”

Postal facility to stay open

From Douglaston Patch:

The Whitestone postal facility, which has been in danger of closure since 2011, has been saved, according to U.S. Rep. Gary Ackerman.

If the facility had been closed, more than 700 jobs in Queens would have been eliminated altogether, with a small number of jobs being transferred to the post office’s sorting center in Brooklyn.

Ackerman credited a near-constant campaign of workers, political leaders and community members who pressed the post office to change their decision, dating back to a rally in December.

Crowley selected to get Grace elected

From the NY Times:

At least three elected officials in Queens have decided to compete against one another in the Democratic primary in June to fill the seat of Representative Gary L. Ackerman, who unexpectedly announced his retirement last week.

The three announced their bids, in succession, on a politically manic Monday morning. First, the Queens Democratic party confirmed that it had selected Assemblywoman Grace Meng as its nominee. A couple of hours later, Assemblyman Rory I. Lancman, who had been hoping to get the nod, announced that he would run anyway. Then, just before noon, in an unexpected family twist, Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley, a cousin of Representative Joseph Crowley, the Queens Democratic chairman, announced in a statement that she, too, was jumping in.

Um, "an unexpected family twist?" Yeah, ok. Dizzy Lizzy is only in the race because Virginia Joe ordered her to run to be a spoiler. If you split the white vote, Meng walks away with it.

Crowley announced she was running before county announced their pick in order to try to dissuade Lancman from throwing his hat in the ring. Let's think about the make-up of the district and also the fact that she never actually made an announcement.

Reporters have to call her office and ask for a statement, which is emailed to them. She doesn't even state herself that she's running and her press person says, "We're only giving out the statement to reporters that ASK for it."

Notice that Liz Crowley did not hold a press conference to announce her candidacy and she did NOT send out a press release. Does this sound like something a serious candidate would do?

Apparently the Machine thinks the constituents of NY-6 were born yesterday.

Hey mainstream media, how about reporting the truth about this setup instead of going along with the deception by portraying this as a genuine primary challenge?

Ackerman falls on the Ides of March

From the Daily News:

Rep. Gary Ackerman said Thursday he won’t seek re-election — a surprise announcement made two hours after a possible challenger vowed not to run against the veteran Democratic congressman.

The Queens political icon, who is in his 15th term, gave no reason for his decision in an early evening press release. He just thanked Queens and Long Island voters for their support in a career that saw him elected to the state Senate in 1978, followed five years later by a successful run for a seat in the House.

“I’ve been truly privileged to have had the opportunity to fight for the beliefs of my neighbors in both the state Capitol and in the halls of Congress,” Ackerman’s statement said.

Later, in a speech to Democratic club members in Queens that Ackerman, 69, said would be his last as a candidate, the congressional stalwart and staunch supporter of Israel said he looks forward to spending more time with family, a source at the meeting said.

His out-of-nowhere press release, sent at about 7:30 p.m. Thursday, caught supporters and politicos off guard — none more so than state Assemblyman Rory Lancman, who had announced at 5:30 p.m. Thursday that he wouldn’t run against Ackerman.

Other political pigs are already lining up at the trough.

Turner and Ackerman could be finished

From NY1:

Because of population changes around the country, New York is set to lose two members of Congress this year, going from 29 seats in the House of Representatives to 27.

Just how those districts would get redrawn and which members of Congress might get squeezed out in the process has been a matter of debate.

This morning, the picture got a lot clearer with the release of a draft proposal from federal magistrate Roanne Mann.

Most districts would remain largely the same, but there are some big changes, including a new Queens district that is almost 40 percent Asian and could leave Democrat Gary Ackerman out of a job.

The biggest potential loser is Republican Bob Turner, who won the special election to fill Anthony Weiner’s seat.

According to the proposed maps, the freshman congressman's district would be eliminated and absorbed into several other districts.

Nevertheless, Turner is not surrendering.

Postal service gets reprieve

From the Times Ledger:

Elected officials from Queens announced Tuesday an agreement had been reached with the U.S. Postal Service to delay the closure of all postal facilities, including the mail sorting facility in College Point, for at least five months.

U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) said she and 14 senators from other states arrived at an agreement with U.S. Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe and Thurgood Marshall Jr., chairman of the U.S. Postal Service board of governors, to put a moratorium on all closings until May 15.

The announcement was greeted with enthusiasm by U.S. Reps. Joseph Crowley (D-Jackson Heights) and Gary Ackerman (D-Bayside), who also said that they would still fight to keep the office open even after the five months end.

This about sums it up!

From True News from ChangeNYC.org:

In Queens, the local newspapers, the political machine and government all work together. The papers do not perform the role of checks and balances that Founding Fathers envisioned to protect the people from the government and ensure a working democracy. Instead, Queens local newspapers have gamed journalism to operate as a co-machine in Queens. They work in campaigns and are lobbyists to the same elected officials they help elect or reelect. The papers operate as the house organ for the Democratic party for controlling who gets elected or becomes a judge in Queens county. The judges in turn send the legal ads worth tens of thousands dollars to the local papers.

At the heart of the queens newspaper conspiracy is Michael Nussbaum. He wears many hats. Executive V.P. and Associate Publisher TRIBCO owners of the Queens Tribune and several other papers and magazines in that borough. Nussbaum owns the papers along with Congressman Ackerman and Mike Schenkler who services as publisher of the operation. Schenkler calls Nussbaum the driving force behind Multi-Media, which he calls the paper's printing, promotion arm. What Schenkler does not tell us is that Multi-Media does campaign printing for elected officials like State Senator Shirley Huntley, Assemblyman Edward Braunstein and Councilman Peter Koo. One of Nussbaum's papers hired the wife of Councilman Leroy Comrie, Marcia, to run their southeast Queens local edition.

A Queens pol says Nussbaum and a large political consultant lobbyist group work together often in printing for candidates. Parkside is run by Evan Stavisky who works for almost all the candidates backed by the Queens machine. Stavisky moved into the big time by working for Brian McLaughlin and many of the organizations that led to the former Queens congressman's conviction. Stavisky was in the middle of the city council slush fund non-investigation where Quinn and the others walked away untouched. Stavisky is part of the permanent government. In 2009, he lost 5 out of 6 council races. In 2010, he was paid over $2 million by the Senate Democrats who lost their majority. This year, he lost a congressional district which was 4 to 1 Democrat to Republican.

Newspaper V.P. Nussbaum is not only a campaign consultant, he is also a lobbyist for developers like Patrick Thompson who is trying to clear FAA clearance to finally redevelop the illegally partially torn down 20 years ago RKO Keith's. Schenkler wrote that Nussbaum “brings us Asian clients and friends. His network includes the very top government officials and business giants in the Far East as well as their counterparts here in our country.” If you want to know where Nussbaum gets his Asian clients, all you have to do is check with one of the other papers owner Congressman Ackerman. The congressman is a member and the former Chair of the Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific which has oversight on U.S. policy towards nations in Asia. Ackerman has already show that he knows how to use the paper to benefit himself and his partners. He was Nussbaum's paper's publisher and weekly columnist until 1978 when he was elected to the State Senate.

Not only is Queens and the rest of New York stuck with newspapers designed to control them, but that control really means an uninformed public has helped cause Queens to become the most corrupt borough in the city. Where assemblymen rip off hospitals and little leagues, a comptroller rips off the CFB and taxpayers and a congressman get free mortgages from developers.

They don't trust in God

From the NY Post:

The House yesterday cast a symbolic vote to reaffirm “In God We Trust” as the US motto and encourage its placement in all public buildings and public schools.

Members voted 396-8 in favor of the bill. Those opposed included New York Congressmen Jerrold Nadler (D-Manhattan) and Gary Ackerman (D-Queens.)

Parks pilfered project cash

From the Times Ledger:

In April 2004, local papers reported details of a $4.12 million federal transportation allocation that had been secured by U.S. Rep. Gary Ackerman (D-Bayside).

Funds included $1 million for the reconstruction and expansion of the Little Bay parking lot and $3.2 million to reconstruct the Cross Island Parkway Bridge overpass at 212th Street. The funding came from the federal TEA-21 bill and was signed off on by then-President George W. Bush.

More good news followed approximately a year later in July 2005, when then-City Councilman Tony Avella announced that he had provided a $1.3 million allocation for a comfort station in Little Bay Park.

Seven years have now passed and neither project have had a shovel in the ground. It is not unreasonable to question what has happened to $5.42 million that was intended to benefit the community.

In response to a recent inquiry initiated by the Bay Terrace Community Alliance, it was learned that the city Parks Department and the city have taken “our” money, which came from different sources and bundled most of the distribution into one.

This was done without any notification of elected officials, community boards or civic groups. Parks claims that due to the ensuing confusion the wrong permits were applied for, which further delayed both undertakings.

As we are all too aware, co-mingling funds is never good practice. It inevitably results in a loss of accountability and a worst-case scenario can be an intentional or unintentional misuse of the financial allocation.

There must be a prompt public accounting for the $5.42 million in federal and city funding. In addition, the allocations must only be used for the intended purposes and in the designated locations.

Community Boards 7 and 11, along with the borough president’s office, are urged to begin an immediate official review and investigation of this matter. It is also requested that the office of the city comptroller commence a comprehensive audit in regard to these funds and actions of the agencies involved.

It is obvious that the planned park and traffic enhancements have somehow been derailed. It is time to get them back on track.

Warren Schreiber
President
Bay Terrace Community Alliance Inc.
Bayside

Crowley, Ackerman stockpiling campaign cash

From the Daily News:

New York Democrats, shaken by a GOP win in the heart of New York City, are hustling to gobble up the gold, according to the latest campaign filings.

Queens Democratic Party leader Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-Queens) took in $237,571 in the third quarter to amass a war chest of $933,462, according to the latest filings.

Crowley took a lot of the heat for picking a losing candidate, David Weprin, to run for Anthony Weiner's 9th Congressional District seat, which went to Republican Bob Turner.

Before the Turner win, Weiner's old seat was considered vulnerable to elimination in Albany's redistricting plan.

Now, Republicans want to hold on to a New York City district, and Turner himself said he would run for reelection - somewhere - if his seat vanishes.

Gary Ackerman (D-Queens), whose seat Turner might be eying, pulled in only $48,585 this quarter, but still had a campaign chest of $596,721.

Turner, for his part, finished the election with $26,681 left in the kitty.

"Twenty-six thousand against half a million? Good luck with that," a Democratic strategist said.

With redistricting plans still up in the air, Crowley was stockpiling cash for his own reelection efforts, not necessarily to help other Queens Democrats, sources said.

"Raising money is the equivalent of saying 'You want a piece of me? Come and try,' " said one Democratic operative.

The Crowley camp declined to comment.

Where'd the park dough go?

From the Times Ledger:

Warren Schreiber, president of the Bay Terrace Community Alliance, told Community Board 11 Monday night he was investigating a combined $5.42 million he claims has not been used by the city Parks Department after being allocated by U.S. Rep. Gary Ackerman (D-Bayside) and then-City Councilman Tony Avella for improvements in Little Bay Park more than seven years ago.

He said he would call on City Comptroller John Liu to audit Parks to find out what happened to the funds that were intended to expand a parking lot and build a comfort station at the park.

“Seven years have passed and there’s not a shovel in the ground. It’s not unreasonable to ask what happened to the funds,” Schreiber said. “We want this money to come back to the community and used in the locations it was intended for.”

A spokeswoman for Parks wrote in an e-mail that the department is currently working to bring the projects to the construction phase.

Let the tweeding begin!

From the NY Times:

Redistricting — a brazenly political process in which seniority, connections and self-promotion can make an enormous difference — has many House members around the state on edge.

With Mr. Weiner gone, many senior Democrats see an opportunity to carve up his district — which includes sections of Queens and Brooklyn — among neighboring lawmakers who need to expand their own districts.

Representative Gary L. Ackerman, a Democrat, said, “Carving up the Weiner district makes the most common sense.”

Mr. Ackerman, whose district stretches from Queens into Nassau County, would know. At one point, some Democrats had floated the possibility of eliminating Mr. Ackerman’s district, because they believed he, at age 68, was close to retirement, though he adamantly disputes that.

Now, Mr. Ackerman, a 28-year incumbent, is poised to pick up portions of Mr. Weiner’s district, even as a special election has been set to replace Mr. Weiner, according to Democrats involved in the deliberations.

Representative Joseph Crowley, the powerful Queens County Democratic leader who is heavily engaged in the redistricting talks, may also benefit from Mr. Weiner’s departure.

Mr. Crowley’s district now includes the white ethnic areas in Queens that form his traditional political base and neighborhoods with growing Hispanic populations where Democrats say he is open to a challenge.

Mr. Crowley, who is Irish, stands to pick up many of the white working-class neighborhoods in the Queens portion of Mr. Weiner’s old district, potentially allowing him to shed the parts of his district where a challenger with strong Hispanic support might have emerged.

Democrats see a chance to use the remnants of Mr. Weiner’s district to weaken Representative Michael G. Grimm, a freshman Republican.

In an interview, Mr. Crowley insisted it was far too early to predict how the new Congressional maps might look. “Anyone who says they can tell you how this process will turn out is dreaming,” he said. “There are lots of twists and turns that have happened and will continue to happen.”

Joe Crowley is Irish? And here I thought he was American...but then again I thought he was a New Yorker, too!