Politicans hit the streets for primaries

Morningside Heights residents and students above the age of 18 hurried to the calm voting booths on Tuesday—in the wee hours before work, on a break in between classes, and some last minute before the polls closed at 9 p.m.—to vote in New York City’s primaries.

The unusually wide sidewalk on 97th street between Amsterdam and Columbus—with P.S. 163, the largest site for voter turnout in the local area, at the center—was filled all day with campaigners and confident politicians stopping passersby and just barely keeping their legal distance from the entrance to the booths.

In the mid-afternoon, two prominent candidates straddled the east and west sides of the street with campaign lobbyists stopping voters and uninterested pedestrians approaching from both directions.

Closer to Columbus Avenue, Democrat David Yassky, running for comptroller, told hurried New Yorkers, “This is a tough job and the city is in a tough spot.” But, he reassured them that, “I have the best record and the best ideas,” and for that reason, he said he has received plentiful endorsements from organizations such as The New York Times and The New York Daily News.

In an interview, Yassky said, “I’m energized. This is my last opportunity to help voters make up their mind.” One woman who stopped of her own volition directly asked him why she should vote for him, and he responded with a laundry list of legislative accomplishment—including efforts to reform affordable housing and help fight rising asthma rates.

He said it was even more exciting in the morning when several candidates were courting votes on this single street. On Tuesday night, results showed that Yassky received 30 percent of the vote and will face a Sept. 29 runoff election against competitor John Liu, who had 38 percent of the vote. (If no candidate takes 40 percent of the vote, a runoff is required).

Up the block towards Amsterdam Avenue, Richard Aborn , democratic candidate for District Attorney , told approaching voters that he would focus his efforts on racial issues, youth crimes, cycles of violence, and gun prevention.

“I tell people that one out of three African American men spend their life in prison, and they say thank you for raising that issue,” he said in an interview.

“I am very confident,” he said as a hurried woman declined his invitation to chat saying she was already going to vote for him. “We have something you can’t measure, called voter intensity.”

Paula Diamond Roman , local Democratic district leader and member of the Broadway Democrats , said that she was disappointed by the turnout on 109th street, where she was volunteering. She added that she was not surprised, since primaries are typically slow and this year police cracked down on posters, which help spread the word.

Because of recurring cycles of violence and dissolving state budgets, Roman said that the District Attorney position was crucial in a time when criminal justice is in need of serious reform. Democrat Cy Vance won in the primary, and will bypass the general election, since no republicans ran.

In the highly-contested democratic public advocate race, Norman Siegel, who has represented parties prosecuting Columbia’s Manhattanville expansion, lost to candidates Bill de Blasio and Mark Green, who are expected to compete in a Sept. 29 runoff.

More locally, incumbent City Councilwoman Inez Dickens, who represents Morningside Heights, beat out democratic competitors Landon Dais and Carlton Berkley with 65 percent of the vote. Incumbent Councilman Robert Jackson also won.

“I think in light of fiscal issues, this year it is especially important that we elect thoughtful intelligent policy-oriented officials who will think through issues and not just respond at the spur of the moment,” Roman said Tuesday morning.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who was on Tuesday’s republican ticket, vying for a controversial third term— speaking today on Columbia’s campus—echoed Roman’s emphasis on the importance of the primaries. “When you have a city that is so dominated by one party, the primary is essentially the general election,” Bloomberg said. He also added his desires to see the primaries converted to open elections. As an independent who will face off with democratic victor and current city Comptroller William Thompson in the general election, he said, “You sort of feel left out of the process.”