catherine guerriero -...

S.I.D.A., June 2012

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Staten Island Democratic Association est. 1961 as Staten Island’s reform Democratic Club

www.sidems.org

At our Next Meeting:

Catherine Guerriero Candidate for NYC Public Advocate

Anthony Mascolo Candidate for South Shore Assembly Seat

Tuesday, June 19, 2012, 8:00 P.M.

** NOTE LOCATION: Karl’s Klipper**

40 Bay Street - (718) 720-4442

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S.I.D.A., June 2012

Editorial Policy

Items for publication must be submitted to the newsletter no later than the last Friday of the month before the meeting. Please send items to: [email protected]. Unless explicitly stated, the views herein are those of the authors and not of S.I.D.A.

Chris Bauer, Editor

(917) 576-9248

Table of Contents

• Catherine Guerriero ..................................................................................3

• April Minutes ............................................................................................4

• Letters .......................................................................................................6

• Mark Herman Picnic .................................................................................9

• Gary Carsel Fundraiser ...........................................................................10

• Upcoming Meetings ................................................................................12

• Join/Renewal Form .................................................................................12

• Executive Committee ..............................................................................12

“I hold it, that a little rebellion, now and then, is a good thing, and as necessary in the political world as storms are in the physical.”

- Thomas Jefferson 1787

S.I.D.A. President’s Message

June 2012 ear Members of S.I.D.A.: I'm sure all of us were amazed and upset about the Governor Walker re-call election in

Wisconsin. We knew that the Democratic challenger would be outspent but a 9 to 1 ratio was not envisioned. We knew that the Citizens United decision of the Supreme Court allowing massive amounts of corporate cash to unduly influence elections was going to hurt us. We knew that the re-call election would be close. We didn't know that working men and women---and especially union brothers and sisters and their families---would not all stay firm in the fight against Governor Walker's policies (some 38% of union households voted for Walker according to Exit Poll data.) But excuses are not what we need now. We need to get out and work as we never have before or else we will have a return to the failed policies of the Republican Party and the regressive plans of the Tea Party in our national government , our Congress and our Executive branch and certainly an extremely conservative Judiciary in terms of new appointments to the Supreme Court. We need to work for the re-election of President Obama, our United States Senators and the defeat of our do-nothing Congressman. We need to send President Obama, Senator Schumer and Senator Gillibrand , along with our new Congressman Mark Murphy, to Washington to get our

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S.I.D.A., June 2012

country back on track after the last few years of regressive, harmful and negative government by in-action. We have to take the result in Wisconsin as a major lesson, and we have to learn from it quickly. Excuses will not help us and our country can't afford a Mitt Romney government! We must work together, put our differences aside and turn out the vote for the sake of our country, now more than ever before. The challenge is there; are we ready to meet it?

Dennis A. Brown

President �

Cathy Guerriero Cathy Guerriero will be a candidate for New York City Public Advocate and will be a guest

speaker at our June 19 General Membership Meeting. She supplied the following biography.

r. Catherine Guerriero is a Professional Educator of Higher Education and currently teaches policy and school politics at both New York University and Teachers College, Columbia

University. In addition to her academic career, Cathy runs a successful strategic planning consultancy in NY for small business owners and non-profits. Cathy’s expertise includes over 20 years experience of active participation in New York City political campaigns. Dr. Guerriero held positions such as Senior Policy Analyst for a Mayoral race and Chief Political/Policy Architect for the Archdiocese of New York. Cathy is a highly motivating and strong leader and an outstanding public speaker that successfully mobilizes large, complex events such as the Papal Visit to New York in 2008. She has dedicated her life to public service. Cathy is a lifelong, fourth-generation New York City resident, whose academic, political, policy and advocacy skills and experience are superior, and matched only by her passion for the City of New York. She grew up in West Brighton, Staten Island, and graduated from Sacred Heart Elementary School, Curtis High School (ranked 7th in graduating class), went to Wagner College on a basketball scholarship and graduated cum laude and received numerous academic awards, including Student Athlete of the Year. Cathy received a Masters in Public Administration and a PhD in Educational Administration from New York University, also graduating both times with multiple service and academic honors. She was a high school and college two-sport athlete in basketball and softball, having achieved numerous all-city, all borough and all-state athletic and academic schoolgirl honors (Varsity Club, PSAL Player of the Year, Academic All-American, Staten Island Advance All Star (two sports), Daily News All Star (two sports), New York Newsday All Star (two sports), among others. She is a former Sports Reporter for the Staten Island Advance, and a former Board Member of the Staten Island Hall of Fame Committee. Her Dad, Ray Guerriero, her five brothers and sisters and 13 nieces and nephews all live in Staten Island –in fact, five generations of Guerrieros have resided on the North Shore of Staten Island. Cathy recently moved to Manhattan with her husband, Anthony Vincent Bova and their 2-year-old daughter, Annarose. Cathy has been active in the New Era Democrats political club and the Congress of Italian Americans (CIAO) for twenty years.

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S.I.D.A., June 2012

April Minutes

General Meeting

April 17, 2012

resident Dennis Brown called the meeting to order at 8:15 p.m. He pointed out that there was an error in the March minutes concerning David Goldfarb. A motion was made to accept the

minutes with one correction. The motion carried. Joann Olbrich made a motion to close the balloting at 9:30 p.m. The motion carried. Cindy Lowney, Peter Killen and Phil Jonas volunteered to count the ballots for the evening’s endorsement vote. President Brown announced that Gary Carsel would not be able to speak to the club because he was out of town due to the death of his father. We will be making a donation to a charity in memory of Gary’s father sometime soon. Although Gary had previously addressed the club as a candidate for the 62nd Assembly District, he had requested the opportunity to speak to the club about his race for State Senate. President Brown also announced that Anthony Mascolo (candidate for State Assembly, 62nd District) would not be addressing the club due to a course he was finishing which runs on Tuesday evenings. He said that members should not vote for Tony Mascolo or Gary Carsel tonight because they both still have to speak to the club. An endorsement vote for these candidates will be held at another time. President Brown introduced Mark Murphy, Democratic Candidate for Congress, 11th District. Mark announced that he is now the official candidate for Congress. He thanked the members for carrying petitions. They collected 4,000 signatures. Mark said that he is proud to say that he is a Staten Island Democrat.

Executive Secretary’s Report

Executive Secretary Mark Herman spoke about various political news stories.

Treasurer’s Report

Treasurer Tom Shcherbenko stated that the balance as of April 17, 2012 was $8,802.32,

Social Secretary’s Report

Social Secretary Liz Price reported that the upcoming picnic will not be held at Ft. Wadsworth this year due to some changes there. She is looking into the possibility of having it at the Alice Austen house. She also mentioned that members should contact her if they have any other ideas for a venue for the picnic. Liz also reported that the Annual Dinner is scheduled for September 20th at The Staaten and that the Executive Committee is working on ideas for the honorees.

Issues Committee

Chair Loretta Prisco reported that Richard Reichard submitted a paper on energy conservation. Rich Florentino, Bonnie, and Steve are on the committee. Loretta also reported that Roy Moskowitz submitted a paper on Jobs. She is asking for volunteers to work on the paper. So far the only one that has volunteered to help is Bob Dunne. Roy explained a little bit about the

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S.I.D.A., June 2012

paper. Loretta mentioned that this will be a major topic in the next election and that the committee will meet in two weeks.

Political Action & Strategy

President Brown commended Chair Richard Reichard on the rally he organized on March 24. Richard announced that he will be Gary Carsel’s Campaign Manager.

Support for NJ Marathon

Corresponding & Recording Secretary Marie Dwyer spoke to club members about her sister and brother in-law who would be participating in the NJ Marathon on May 6. They planned to raise over $26 K for the Les Turner ALS foundation in Chicago. She asked members if they would make a contribution.

Panel Discussion Citizens United

Rich Florentino and Jamie Kemmerer provided a panel presentation and discussion on the Citizens United Supreme Court case . Sam Massol was originally supposed to be part of this panel but sent his regrets. After the presentation the presenters answered questions from many members in attendance.

Results of Endorsement Vote

There were 44 votes cast. Senator Diane Savino .............................................41 Assemblyman Matt Titone .....................................41 Assemblyman Mike Cusick ...................................40 Congressional Candidate Mark Murphy ................38 Assembly Candidate John Mancuso ......................33 All Candidates were endorsed.

It was announced that the General Assembly for Occupy Staten Island will meet on Sunday, April 22 in the Ferry Terminal. President Brown spoke about how the government is driving the Post Office out of business.

Membership Committee

Chair Peter Killen mentioned that he saw a lot of new faces at the meeting. He encouraged people to join S.I.D.A. and pointed out that membership applications were on the table.

New Business

Jamie Kemmerer presented a resolution in support of Fair Elections. The motion carried. Loretta made a motion to buy one ticket for the African Refuge event. The motion carried. Sally Jones made a motion requesting that S.I.D.A. contribute $500 to The Lathrope Voorspuy Memorial Scholarship. After some lengthy discussion, President Brown announced that we had to table Sally’s motion and discuss it at the next Executive Committee meeting. Mark Herman gave kudos to S.I.D.A.’s unsung hero, Chris Bauer for his work producing S.I.D.A.’s newsletters. President Brown thanked Peter at the Crown Palace for his hospitality. He also thanked Jamie Kemmerer and Richard Florentino for their presentation.

S.I.D.A., June 2012

The meeting was adjourned at 10:40 p.m. Respectfully submitted,

Marie Dwyer

Corresponding &

Recording Secretary �

Letters We in S.I.D.A. like to make our views known. The following are some of the letters written by

S.I.D.A. members that have appeared in print. Unless otherwise indicated, all letters were in the

Staten Island Advance and/or posted on the Advance’s website www.silive.com. Unless explicitly

stated, the views herein are those of the authors and are not the views of S.I.D.A.

The following appeared in the United Federation of Teachers newspaper NY Teacher.

On-line May 10, 2012 Printed May 10, 2012

Back Those Who Back Us

What side of the political aisle should the UFT be on? Easy, whatever side supports teachers! This can get tricky. Recently the governor bullied several Democrats into voting for the pension plan horror called Tier 6. Every Republican was already supporting this monstrosity. We must get behind legislators who stand up for us, and get more people like them elected. In Brooklyn, we have a special responsibility. We have a trio of elected officials, all Republicans, who have consistently opposed every attempt by organized labor to improve conditions for the middle class. These three — Sen. Marty Golden, Congressman Michael Grimm and Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis — hide behind slogans about tolls and taxes, but when they vote it’s always against us. All three are being challenged by pro-union candidates. Don’t be deceived by cheap talk; look at the voting records.

- Tom Shcherbenko

I.S. 211, Brooklyn On-line May 20, 2012

Some Basic Ground Rules for Running an Issue-Based Campaign

I, along with - I am sure - a lot of other folks, read with alarm the recent Advance commentary piece “Turned Off By Politics? That’s the Plan.” Our nation, our state, and our Island can ill afford to not move forward simply because legislation is put forth by a Democrat, a Republican, or some other party. We all suffer, and pay, when folks do not have health care. We all suffer, and pay, when a budget is not passed. We all suffer when legislators vote in the interests of extreme views, whether they be from the right, or the left. I have already spoken with state Sen. Andrew Lanza, and we are agreed that it is important to keep our campaigns focused on the issues. We are agreed that character attacks, which only serve to polarize voters, will not be a part of our campaigns for the 24th Senate District.

S.I.D.A., June 2012

A major theme of my campaign is getting the common sense recommendations of NYU’s Brennan Center for Justice instituted. These recommendations will make legislators more responsive to constituents. These necessary changes do not come through polarization. The change I wish to see in the world will begin with my campaign!

- Gary Carsel

[The writer is the Democratic candidate for the 24th

State Senate District.]


Rep. Grimm's Biased Spin on Gas Prices is Pure Partisan Politics

“Don’t let the facts get in the way of a good story” should have been the subtitle of Congressman Michael Grimm’s April 3 letter. Congressman Grimm writes, “Since taking office, gas prices have more than doubled.” Fact: Gas prices were over $4 a gallon during the President Bush’s last year in office. Congressman Grimm writes, “This administration has imposed such stringent Environmental Protection Agency regulations that our refineries are being forced to shut down.” Fact: The EPA has not established any refinery regulations since President Obama took office. Congressman Grimm writes: “Since taking office, this president continues to limit our capacity to tap into American energy, whether it be by announcing a moratorium on deep-sea drilling in May 2010 (which was lifted only this month), blocking permits for the Keystone XL pipeline.” Fact: The moratorium was lifted in October 2010. It was the Republican governor of Nebraska who urged President Obama to reject the Keystone pipeline permit application, raising concerns about the proposed route would cross Nebraska’s Ogallala Aquifer. The pipeline company did not submit a revised route application for review until May 4. A fact he omitted is that Republicans continue to support multi-billion dollar tax subsidies for oil companies.

- Richard Reichard


The Rich Have Different Values than the Rest of Us

Understandably, different segments of the economy have different interests - not necessarily “class warfare,” maybe just class contention. Capitalists earn their living via returns from investing previously accumulated cash. Optimistically, such investments produce long-term improvements for all and not just short-term gains for a few. Most everyone else - who earns their keep primarily by trading their daily efforts (physical, intellectual, artistic, athletic) for wages - has a different perspective. Large salaries, profit-sharing, stock-purchasing (individually or through funds) obscure the differences but do not explain them away. As different views gain influence, imbalances can result - the most basic criterion, of course, being the distribution of the benefits, produced by the economy, among all of us.

S.I.D.A., June 2012

Economics is not a science: Economics is about people, not inanimate objects. Distribution is determined by policy and, arguably, even more critically, by culture, e.g., The New Deal vs. Reaganomics: “We’re all in this together” vs. individualism. The local official working most clearly in these terms is state Sen. Diane Savino. Her efforts and words regarding the “millionaires’ tax,” Tier 6 and student debt evidences a conviction to redress inequities that so many “regular” people - taxpayers, workers, consumers, small businessmen - feel.

- Rich Florentino


Rep. Grimm Should Have Voted to Protect Women

Why did Michael Grimm vote for the so-called Violence Against Women Act? This bill eliminated improvements to the Clery Act, which the bipartisan Senate bill contained. Every parent of a young woman in college should ask Grimm what he was thinking. The law was named after Jeanne Clery, who was raped and killed in her college dorm. Grimm’s bill was drafted without the input of law enforcement agencies or prosecutors. Hundreds of organizations and religious groups came out against it. Perhaps Grimm wasn’t thinking at all, but just following orders. Twenty-three Republicans did the right thing and rejected this, but Grimm doesn’t have one ounce of independence in his body. If his narrow-minded bosses tell him how to vote, he won’t spend a moment thinking. I’ve got a daughter starting college this fall, and I can’t wait to get rid of Grimm.

- Tom Shcherbenko �

Collect your petitions to get our

State legislative candidates on

the ballot!

Call County at

718-983-5009

if you haven’t picked yours up yet.

S.I.D.A., June 2012

The Mark Herman Picnic

New Venue: Miller Field

Sunday, July 15, 12 noon to 4 pm

The picnic area is located just southeast of the park

headquarters.

Driving Directions: There is a small parking lot off of the southern end circle of Father Capodano Boulevard. There are other parking areas which can be reached by taking New Dorp Lane, towards the ocean. Enter the park by making a left turn on Cedar Grove Avenue.

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S.I.D.A., June 2012

S.I.D.A., June 2012

Upcoming Meetings

June 19, 2012 General Meeting

Karl’s Klipper, 40 Bay Street • Cathy Guerriero, candidate for NYC Public

Advocate

• Anthony Mascolo, candidate for South Shore Assembly seat

July 17, 2012 General Meeting

Jimmy Max, 280 Watchogue Road

• TBD

It’s Time to Join or Renew Your S.I.D.A. Membership! To become a member, renew membership, or make a donation, call Tom Shcherbenko at (718) 420-0252, or complete and return the coupon. Voting privileges begin 45 days after joining.

------------� -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2012 DUES DONATION

$15 - Family $5

$10 - Individual $50

$5 - Senior, Student, Unemployed $100

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Make checks payable S.I.D.A. to S.I.D.A. and send to: P.O. Box 140371 Staten Island, NY 10314-0371

S.I.D.A. Executive Committee

President .............................. Dennis Brown Member at-Large .......................... Roy Moskowitz Vice President ............ Rosemary Palladino Member at-Large ............................. Loretta Prisco Executive Secretary ............. Mark Herman Ex Officio........................................ Belinda Dixon Corresponding & ........................................ Ex Officio......................................... Shawn Dwyer Recording Secretary .............. Marie Dwyer Ex Officio............................................ Gary Carsel Treasurer ....................... Tom Shcherbenko Ex Officio......................................... Joann Olbrich Social Secretary ........................... Liz Price Ex Officio........................................... Nick Popolo Member at-Large .....Michelle Akyempong Ex Officio................................... Richard Reichard Member at-Large ....................... Phil Jonas Ex Officio......................................... John Sollazzo Member at-Large ............... John F. Lavelle Ex Officio.............................................. Mark Zink

catherine guerriero -...

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