If there is one hire that signifies the changing of the guard moment we're witnessing in the New York media scene, I'd argue it's the Village Voice's hiring of Harry Siegel, which they announced yesterday afternoon.

Siegel will be their new city columnist and is taking over the space filled, admirably, by Tom Robbins, who is now teaching the next generation of reporters over that the CUNY graduate center. (Robbin worked alongside investigative reporter Wayne Barrett who left in January, after more than three decades at the paper, for a job at the Daily Beast and The Nation Institute.) 

But don't let Siegel's age -- 33 -- fool you.

Siegel, a Brooklyn native, combines the historical perspective of a much older veteran (ask him what he was doing in the early and mid 1990s!) with the intelligent irreverence of an annoying hipster (he once demanded the New York Times write a correction after they reported that the New York Press endorsed Fernando Ferrer in the 2005 mayor's race. Even a casual reading of the endorsement -- written by Siegel -- would see he was kidding).

I probably would still be saying this even if Siegel wasn't an old friend and colleague of mine from the New York Press days.

And, in a Gchat interview yesterday (what should we call that kind of thing?), Siegel said he's eager to write a weekly column and, somewhat less reliant on using the blogging format as a way to make his mark on the scene.

Harry Siegel: Hey man

Azi Paybarah: yo. congratulations

Harry: Thanks

Azi Paybarah: all right, first things first. 

what's the name of the column going to be and the name of the blog?

Harry Siegel: Funny, but b/c of Voice style, the name of the column will be 

Harry Siegel and for blogging.

I'll be contributing to Runnin' Scared.

Azi Paybarah: you had more creative names back in the NY Press Days

Harry Siegel: Azimandias!

Azi Paybarah: ssshhhh about that.

So, will this be a reprisal of the NY Press you were building not too long ago, 

or are you picturing something different for this

- what do we call it? - column / blogging operation you're doing?

Harry Siegel: This is going to be a straight column, so 

I think comparing it to what I was doing as an editor at the Press is apples and oranges. 

And while I'll be blogging some, I'm really excited about the weekly column part --

-- it's a form that still packs a real punch when done right, and I is under-represented these days as the blog/instant news cycle model has ascended.

Excited to have a chance to hold and develop thoughts and stories, and to give them context

Azi Paybarah: despite your youthful age (33 is still young, right?), 

you've been around for a while.

what's your take on the NY media and how it's been covering Bloomberg? Because, you know, sadly, we don't have columns from Joyce Purnick, or Clyde Haberman, or even the ideologically consistent New York Sun, or, needless to say, Village Voice veterans Wayne Barrett and Tom Robbins.

Harry: there is big hole to fill in institutional knowledge. DC has gained at NY's expense --

so just looking at the New Yorkers at Politico: Ben Smith, and Gregg Birnbaum, and Glenn Thrush, and Maggie Haberman, and Edward-Isaac Dovere, and Allison Silver (formerly Nia, who is now at the Post) and Reid Epstein of Newsday. And, until recently, me.  

I'm sure I'm missing a few people, but you get the idea. 

So yes I think there's space here, especially for columnists.  

I'm not sure who writes long form about New York who really captures the city and its voice these days.

And yes, I am 33.

Azi Paybarah: think you'll score a Bloomberg interview?

Harry Siegel: Lol  

I hope so, we'll see

But I also think there's a lot to be said for looking at fundamentals, rather than personalities.

And being sure what access you do have pays off in terms of information, which ain't always the case

Azi Paybarah: any advice for blogging junkies like me, who, in some ways, are now sharing turf with you?

Harry Siegel: Hmm -- gimmie 1 sec to think about that

Azi Paybarah: in the meantime, let me try another way into the question!

what are the strengths of writing a weekly column, rather than, say, a constantly updated blog?

Harry Siegel: Dangerous to say before actually doing the column - but hopefully, I'm going to find out.

Thinking about it beforehand, I hope it's a chance to have things whole cloth, rather than in ever smaller news bits that can create proportional tricks, and defy contextualization.

Like DH Lawrence said about Joyce and Wolfe, as best I remember: It's like they're taking consciousness and ripping it up into finer and finer bits until they can only be distinguished by smell.

Mostly I hope that having access to Runnin Scared means I can blog a good deal when there's news,

but avoid the churnolism regular blogging tends to encourage

Azi Paybarah: aaaand end scene.

 

He's calling for an emergency meeting on March 24 to come up with a slate of candidates that can be approved on March 31. A spokesman for the CLC did not immediatley offer the names any likely candidates -- but you can.

"Too early to answer that question," one labor leader told me. "We should be asking other questions, Azi, like what role should CLC play as well as what sort of structure should we put in place so we can play that role."

[h/t Celeste Katz]

UPDATE: A couple of names from a couple of knowledgable source. One said the leading candidate for the job is Jim Conigliaro, of the International Machinist. A call left at Conigliaro's office was not immediately returned. Another said George Miranda, of the International Brotherhood of Teamsers, would be in the running. A secretary at Miranda's office said he was out of town at the moment.

The issue Dickens raised had been brought up earlier in the race, and is based, primarily, on Tom Robbins' reporting on Snyder’s handling of a case in 1997.

The candidates arrived one at a time and each spoke for about 25 minutes with the students. (My photos from the event are here. Fernanda Santos has a story on it here.)

City Councilman Eric Gioia of Queens spoke first and said he has “such a majestic view of the law” and considered the office “David’s sling shot.” Gioia spoke a lot about his background, stressing that he's a public-school educated kid who worked at his parents' flower shop and somehow ended up working in the White House.

Speaking of his family, he said, “We grew up pretty tough,” and said he didn’t have health insurance when he first ran for office in 2001.

He repeatedly referred to his campaign as a grassroots effort, and said that was how he won his City Council seat.

“People say the way I’m running is impossible,” said Gioia, characterizing his campaign effort as a mix of underdog moxie and populist appeal.

Gioia said he supported mayoral control of schools, but that he would like to see more parental participation. Gioia also said he’d like to see “a lot more reporting” but “not from kids,” but rather, from “the administration.”

When asked by the moderator, Tom Robbins of the Village Voice, how he’d do that from the public advocate’s office, Gioia said he wasn’t sure.

He went on to say that the role of the office is “not just to fight with folks,” but build coalitions. (Other candidates in the race, namely Bill de Blasio and Mark Green, are better known for large-scale rallies and protests, and for taking more head-on approaches when dealing with City Hall.)

Gioia told the students that “if your government worked as hard” as some school teachers, there wouldn't be as many problems.

Before leaving, Gioia asked for people to contact him if they wanted to volunteer on the campaign.

City Councilman Bill de Blasio of Brooklyn spoke next and referred to the office numerous times as a place for a community organizer. De Blasio began by praising Robbins, the moderator, for his accomplishments as a reporter.

(Fernanda Santos of the New York Times noted, jokingly, that she lived in his district. He duly praised her, too.)

Students had some pointed questions for de Blasio. One asked him about contributions he received from billboard companies shortly after introducing a bill that loosened regulations on them.

First, de Blasio defended the merits of the bill, saying the city is using overly strict rules on the industry to generate revenue. He also criticized City Hall for not even granting him an interview with agency officials in order to discuss the matter.

Then, De Blasio turned his attention to a recent New York Post editorial that criticized him for the billboard contributions. De Blasio called the editorial “particularly lame” and said it’s the result of his attendance at a recent rally to criticize a New York Post cartoon which portrayed the author of the federal stimulus package as a chimpanzee. De Blasio said others who attended the rally have been criticized by the paper also.

De Blasio offered conditional praise for Bloomberg, saying, “I tend to like the mayor the most when he’s pushing the envelope” on progressive issues, like mayoral control.

De Blasio also said the next public advocate has to build “coalitions” and not do “just quick hits.” Critics of Gioia have said he fails to bring large groups of people together, and instead, focuses on getting himself – and his issues – into newspapers and on television instead.

Mark Green, the city’s former public advocate, was the third speaker. He arrived with an entourage of campaign aides and some family members. While he spoke, his supporters handed out a letter “to New Yorkers” highlighting Green’s accomplishments when in the office. The letter included a photo of Green with former president Bill Clinton.

Speaking from behind the wooden podium, Green said “God bless” Mayor Bloomberg “for implementing my idea,” referring to 311. When asked about mass transit, Green said it was unrealistic to simply oppose revenue generators like tolls on the bridges a commuter tax.

He called some of the proposed transit cuts “insane” and said they’d cripple the city’s economy. He offered praise for Sheldon Silver’s plan to charge $2 tolls.

The moderator, Robbins, more than once asked Green to conclude his answer so they could call on other students to ask questions. At one point in his opening remarks, Green recounted the history of the office and referred to New York City political history – the Board of Aldermans! – and events that were taking place decades before many people in the audience were alive.

Robbins asked Green about running for office after pledging that his failed bid for Attorney General in 2006 was his last. Green, using an answer he’s employed before, said it’s not unlike a man getting divorced and vowing never to remarry, only to wind up at the alter again. The rabbi doesn’t not marry you, he said.

Green seemed to have trouble answering a question from Robbins about whether he’d run for mayor again. (He ran in 2001.) Green said, in principle, it wasn’t a fair question to ask because you don’t want to prevent good candidates from running for higher office. That question shouldn’t be posed to him or “any” of the other public advocate candidates.

Green said similar questions were asked of Bill Clinton, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton when before they ultimately ran. He also said nobody could rightly say Hillary Clinton shouldn’t have run because she may have answered a similar question about her higher aspirations.

Green said, “So, I learn as I campaign,” and said he’s seeking policies, stories, and advice from the public. He also pledged to hold town hall meetings throughout the city and “do what Bloomberg hasn’t,” which is, he said, to govern from the bottom up.

Last to speak was Norman Siegel, a civil liberties attorney and veteran public-advocate candidate. He not only praised Robbins, but said that dogged investigative reporters like him would make great public advocates. (Robbins didn't react much to the buttering up.)

Siegel walked up and down the aisles, and exuded the most enthusiasm. He recalled going to law school wanting to “change the fucking world.” The students laughed.

Siegel said he disagreed with Green, and that it was fair to ask the candidates about their higher aspirations. Siegel said he didn’t want to hold any other office. He also sought to distinguish himself from the field of candidates, saying he was “the only one early on in ‘07 who was for Obama.”

At the end of the event, I noticed that one staffer each from Gioia's and de Blasio's offices had stuck around to listen to all the candidate presentations. The two staffers, Matt Wing from De Blasio’s office, and Eric Koch of Gioia’s office, shook hands, smiled and chatted with reporters.

As they did, students from the next class had already begun filing into the room.

According to HarperCollins executive editor David Hirshey, who is editing the book, it is about 100 pages long, and takes the form of a "hallucinogenic hymn to beer, children, and the cosmic mysteries that sustain us all."

Mr. Robbins, author of Even Cowgirls Get the Blues, has not written a novel since 2003's Villa Incognito, and B is for Beer will be his first since leaving Bantam Books, his publisher of almost 30 years.

Mr. Hirshey worked closely with Mr. Robbins as his editor at Esquire from 1985 until 1995, but had fallen out of touch with him in recent years. In fact, Mr. Hirshey said, he had not spoken to Mr. Robbins in a decade and had not been able to track down his contact information, when he got a phone call from him out of the blue about a week before Christmas.

"He calls up and tells me that he's left Bantam Books and he has something that he thought I might enjoy reading," Mr. Hirshey said. 'And then he says, 'Do you know anybody at Ecco? Two of my greatest heroes are Leonard Cohen and Charles Bukowski and I know that they're both published by Ecco. It would make me really happy to be part of that pantheon.'"

Mr. Hirshey called Ecco editor-in-chief Daniel Halpern and told him about the book, and Mr. Halpern agreed immediately to publish it.

“The New York Times managed to think that 30,000 people in a stadium in Columbia, South Carolina was worth a total of a squib on page 39. I was just stunned. Could any one of these candidates, could Hillary Clinton put 30,000 people in a stadium? I don’t think so.”

He also said, "It tells me that this paper, I think, is consciously not trying to promote this guy’s candidacy.”

A week from Monday, the New York County chapter of the party, which is closely associated with Lenora Fulani, will have its annual fund-raiser at the Woolworth Kitchen Tower.

Tomorrow, a rival, Staten Island-based faction will hold an event to present awards to Councilman Vinny Ignizio, Assemblywoman Janele Hyer-Spencer and Village Voice writer Tom Robbins.

It’s safe to say whoever shows up to one probably won’t show up to the other. But it's nice to know that party infighting isn't putting a damper on the social schedule.

Here's his explanation of why McLaughlin would have been part of the alleged scheme:

Robbins, whose judgement on this kind of thing is hard to match, writes as though the case against McLaughlin is pretty well nailed down.

Over at Power Plays, Tom Robbins notes that a certain new Dem chieftain can't bring himself to say Freddy's name. I'll give you a hint: he's a Brooklyner, and his first name rhymes with "neat-o."

Team Kos takes a look at third-quarter recruitment and fundraising. Casts it as Chuck vs. Libby Dole, cheers wildly.

"Sometimes the gods of Washington gossip-mongering smile, DeLay-like, upon us all," gushes Wonkette, on the announcement of an upcoming tell-all book by former DNC chair Terry McAuliffe. The Politicker - at least partially responsible for a collision involving wine, a busboy, and Mr. McAuliffe, back at a CGI cocktail party - now feels less guilty for not begging to pay Mr. McAuliffe's dry cleaning bill. Apparently, there was a bidding war (for the book, not his suit).

We're getting a Homeland Security representative... now let's send him back home! Gothamist is amused by the Police Commissioner's warm welcome to New York's Newest.

GOP and the City sends up the Daily News' latest take on TerrorEmailgate, proposing a complex network of alliances all the way from U.S. Coast Guard information officer Nathaniel Heiner (an original member of Sha-Na-Na) to the ubiquitous Kevin Bacon.

The Daily Gotham runs an article taking Bloomberg's education record to task. And, as one reader notes, the fame of Freddy's botched appearance with Bill Clinton yesterday has spread so far, so wide, that... the Drudge Report has taken notice.

The Politicker, however, urges fans of Freddy to look on the bright side. It must be noted that, even though the speech he'd planned for this morning was cancelled when no one showed up, the sound guy was there.

'Til Monday.

The market is one of several Bloomberg no-bid deals that have raised suspicions—read Tom Robbins to figure this one out --and which could prove to be a huge liability for him this fall. But so far, Ferrer hasn’t taken the bait.