To late-night bar-hopping Columbia students, the crowd of politicians at Campo Restaurant on Sunday may have come as a surprise.
The Italian restaurant and bar between 112th and 113th streets on Broadway played host to the annual Broadway Democrats club's Spring Fling on Sunday afternoon. The event, held in the back area of the restaurant, served both as a fundraiser for the club and a ceremony honoring several local politicians—some gearing up for re-election campaigns.
“This fundraiser basically pays for everything we do,” said Paula Diamond Roman, the female district leader for the Broadway Democrats—the official Democratic organization for Morningside Heights.
The event was saturated with public officials and politicians looking to solidify political support for the upcoming elections. Among the more notable figures present at the event were New York Senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, as well as Representatives Charles Rangel and Jerrold Nadler. Gillibrand, Rangel, and Schumer have already been officially endorsed by the Broadway Democrats. Nadler represents a district of New York City that falls outside the scope of the club.
The honorees at the event included local City Council members Inez Dickens and Melissa Mark-Viverito. “We chose Inez and Melissa particularly because they are women in an establishment that is still very much an ‘all-boys club,’” Roman said. “Both are very community-oriented, and they listen to their constituents.”
The Morningside Heights/West Harlem Sanitation Coalition was also recognized for its work instituting recycling programs in affordable housing projects, including the Grant Houses on 123rd Street between Broadway and Morningside avenues.
The "Adopt Léogâne” project was also honored for its work in conjunction with the We Can’t Have That Foundation to aid the people of Léogâne, Haiti, a town at the epicenter of the devastating January earthquake. “We’re doing a lot of work in Haiti, building life centers for orphans, bringing vocational education to Léogâne, and assisting young adults who have graduated high school,” said Evans Anozine, a representative of We Can’t Have That and a native of Léogâne.
The Broadway Democrats club has specifically helped to bring a water pump for safe drinking water to Léogâne, according to Roman.
The rest of the public figures present were still seeking political support for their respective bids for office. Among them were candidates for Civil Court judge, State Assembly member, and State Senator. District Leader Curtis Arluck explained that the Broadway Democrats will endorse 14 officials over the next three months, and will likely endorse judges for the Civil Court as well.
And the majority of officials seeking political support at the event were indeed vying for the four vacant Civil Court positions.
“You have to get support from your district leader in order to win,” attorney Mary Rosado, a candidate for the position, said.
“It is very political, to some extent,” added Glen Hardy, another candidate for Civil Court. “I believe in the system, and I understand it works when people come in front of you and listen to what you have to say in court." But when it comes to getting the seat, he said, “Sometimes it is who you know.”
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