Feldman is the former executive director of the Brooklyn Democratic Party, who agreed to testify against former county leader Clarence Norman who went to trial for selling judgeships. The Brooklyn district attorney dropped all charges against Feldman in exchange for his testimony. Norman was later convicted.

One of the highest ranking African-American in Eliot Spitzer’s administration has a title, nine months after joining the administration.

Carl Andrews is, officially, the “Director of NYC Intergovernmental Office” according to this directory. The space next to Andrews' name had been blank for nearly the entire time since he joined the administration back in January, leading to suspicions that the administration was deliberately creating a low profile for him because of his close work with the corrupt Brooklyn Democratic machine under Clarence Norman.

The theme this year, like last year, is "Brooklyn is Back," a not-so-veiled reference to the organization's scandal-plagued era of Lopez's predecessor, Clarence Norman.

Last year's event was Lopez's first as county leader, and it drew a number of notable guests including senator Ada Smith, Gifford Miller, and a very happy Assemblyman William Boyland.

Honorees this year include Doug Steiner, president of Steiner Studios, Dennis Quirk, president of the NYS Court Officers Association, Roy Hastick, president of the Caribbean American Chamber of Commerce, Ronald Tawil, co-chairman of the Sephardic Community Federation, Domenick Napoletano, president of Columbian Lawyers Association, Daniel Igor Branovan, Medical Director of the New York Eye and Ear infirmary and David Hernandez, President of the Puerto Rican Bar Association.

The television ads denouncing his plan to cut health care spending or the fallout from the conviction of Clarence Norman, whose right hand man, Carl Andrews, works for Spitzer but has no title.

-- Azi Paybarah

Clarence Norman was convicted of larceny and coercion but cleared of five other charges.

Bill Thompson and Anthony Weiner unofficially kick off the 2009 season this April when they discuss middle class economics at a DMI forum.

Mitt Romney wants New York's money out of Iran.

Yearly Kos will have an NYC fund-raiser on March 10.

John Kerry and his wife are writing a book due out in March.

The guy who ran Kerry's fund-raising in New York is on board with Barack Obama.

Rudy Giuliani's most ambitious fund-raiser so far is planned for March 4 in Midtown. (Baseball theme!)

Giuliani Blog points to a positive a poll.

Reform NY likes the fact Andrew Cuomo hired Blair Horner.

And pictured above is a random crowd-shot from last week's NYC 4 Obama event.

-- Azi Paybarah

Eliot Spitzer will present his $120 billion budget today.

Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno doesn't want Spitzer to cut health care spending.

Good government groups want Spitzer to tweak the ethics package he proposed.

Margarita Lopez Torres, a judge, testified against Clarence Norman, who is accused of selling judgeships in Brooklyn.

The Nassau County comptroller's audit of the Republican candidate in Nassau's special election is becoming a major campaign issue.

New York City's rickety, mechanical voting machines may still be in use for another two years.

Hillary Clinton's poll numbers in New Hampshire and Ohio look good.

And The New Republic has a piece urging Democrats to ignore Al Sharpton.

-- Azi Paybarah

As Clarence Norman's fourth trial gets underway -- this one for allegedly selling judgeships in Brooklyn -- I came across an recent back-issue of Hitz magazine that features a page-long interview with the former Brooklyn lawmaker.

The kind-of-poignant end quote: "God forgives but life does not."

Here's more from the interview:

-- Azi Paybarah

"He tells people that he is running again, he tells people about his programs and that crime has come down an that he hoped to raise one million or more, which he has done in the past," said Mortimer Matz, a spokesman for Hynes' 2009 reelection campaign, who couldn't confirm last night's meeting but called it possible. "He has brought many cases that involve corruption in Kings County and obviously one is the chairman. Obviously when you do that there is a political structure that isn't going to do to well for you."

Those hard feelings, Matz said, are the reason Hynes is out there so early.

"He has got to be out there earlier, work harder and try to get the public to understand what he's done," said Matz.

--Jason Horowitz

UPDATE: Laura Rivera in the Comptroller's office calls in to say that Barber has no association with Thompson.

He knows that there is going to be an all out effort against him.
Clarence Norman

70-100 all Jews, mostly orthodox

In Borough park, he has raised money for Carl Andrews and Bill Thompson.

Money

Ben thinks Chuck Schumer's endorsement of Andrew Cuomo is not overwhelming. Also, Jeff Feldman may testify against Clarence Norman.

Joe Lieberman leads Ned Lamont in the latest polls.

Joe Bruno has a change of heart.

There is one Republican hoping to win her in Wisconsin because she slept with football players.

Dennis Hastert gets duped into meeting a "pr-hungry evangelist."

And pictured to the right is the building into which Cory Lidle's plane crashed. [slightly revised]

-- Azi Paybarah