In Hot Political Season, Local Primaries Fly Under Radar

Somewhat muffled by the roar of the upcoming presidential campaign­—not to mention the hype surrounding the impending arrival of John McCain and Barack Obama to Morningside Heights—New York City’s local primary elections will take place today.

All of New York’s State Senators and State Assembly members are up for re-election, as are several U.S. Congressmen, justices, and state party committee members. Today’s most important contests will determine the Democratic nominees for the November finals—who due to the overwhelming Democratic majority in many of the city’s districts, most often emerge as the final winners.

While some of the races in the five boroughs are hotly contested, the level of participation around Columbia will be relatively low. No legislative races are contested, but local voters will still be able to select nominees for Manhattan-wide justice positions in the Surrogate Court and Civil Court.

The latter race, between state Supreme Court clerks Nancy Bannon and Michael Katz, has been marred by fraud allegations. According to a report written by the Institute for Judicial Studies, Bannon did not properly report a loan she made from her personal funds to her campaign. Bannon’s team has insisted this was a clerical error, made after she was given conflicting directions from the State Board of Elections.

The Surrogate Court race is a three-way contest, and garnered particular attention after several commentators noted that the entire Surrogate Court system is prone to misuse and corruption. The Surrogate Court appoints and manages lawyers who oversee estates left without executors or wills—a duty which can be very lucrative for attorneys involved. Justices on the court are often accused of cronyism, giving appointments to lawyers from their own firms.

All three candidates for the nomination—Nora Anderson, John Reddy, and Milton Tingling—have emphasized the need to dispel the public perception of the Surrogate Court as a patronage machine. In the New York Law Journal, Anderson called for the formation of an independent cadre to handle appointments, and Reddy suggested that lawyers be appointed in a pre-determined rotation. Tingling said he would also disqualify former public officials and the lawyers associated with them from serving a Surrogate Court appointment for a period of two years after they leave office.

Although not of direct concern to Morningside residents, the race for the 64th State Assembly District on the Lower East Side could shake up state politics. Three candidates are challenging long-time Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, who has come under attack for being part of the old guard in a time when “change” seems to be a predominant election theme.

The U.S. Justice Department has also announced that it will send representatives to several districts throughout the five boroughs to monitor the polls. A USJD press release said the main concern was the proper fulfillment of the minority language provisions of the Voting Rights Act.

zack.hoopes@columbiaspectator.com