Here’s City Councilman Hiram Monserrate talking about a letter he wrote to state Senator John Sabini, a fellow Queens Democrat, criticizing a member of Sabini’s staff for allegedly making anti-immigrant comments at a recent public meeting in Queens.
It should be noted that there’s some history here. Monserrate narrowly lost to Sabini in 2006 primary for the Senate seat, and is eyeing another run against him. The Sabini staffer accused of making the remarks, Marlene Tapper, lost a Council primary to Monserrate in 2005.
Sabini’s office did not want to respond Monserrate’s accusations before watching this video. I’ve sent it to them, and I haven’t heard back.
Does anyone know anything else about this?
UPDATE: A spokesman for Sabini emailed this statement from the state Senator: "My office has responded to Councilman Monserrate’s letter regarding my staff member. Her alleged comments were not made in the official capacity of my office, and I have taken the appropriate steps to ensure that such an incident does not occur in the future. Anyone who looks at my record, both legislatively and in the community, will easily see that I have been a strong supporter for the rights of immigrants and the gay and lesbian population and have fought against bigotry my entire life. It’s a shame that when there are so many important issues facing New Yorkers, like a possible fare hike and hard economic times, that Councilman Monserrate is spending his time instead on an effort to smear one of my staff members for political gain."
