Headline of the Day: “Message to gun-loving Wayne LaPierre: Visit Brooklyn and Marty Markowitz will be your ‘bodyguard.'”
Councilman Domenic Recchia suddenly announced a congressional campaign against Rep. Michael Grimm. Mr. Recchia, who hails from Brooklyn, hopes he can get the Staten Island-based district to give him a kind eye. However, he said “he disagrees with the political shibboleth that Islanders will not vote for a Brooklynite.” For his part, Mr. Grimm has been the recipient of some Tea Party backlash of late.
“It’s fight, fight, fight,” Staten Island powerbroker Guy Molinari said of his recent decision to buck GOP mayoral hopeful Joe Lhota. “If you didn’t have the stomach for it, then Staten Island would suffer.” After Mr. Molinari dropped his endorsement due to unreturned phone calls, it should be noted, Mr. Lhota “later called personally.”
As Mayor Michael Bloomberg unloads endless amounts of money in the Illinois congressional race to replace Jesse Jackson Jr.–to the tune of $2 million dollars–local governor Pat Quinn is apparently less-than-pleased. “We should not allow anyone with huge amounts of money to dictate the terms of the political debate,” he argued.
Aspiring mayor Bill Thompson took off his rhetorical gloves to slam rival Christine Quinn. “There has been a pattern of questions surrounding Christine Quinn’s entire tenure as speaker,” he declared. “From the phantom member-items scandal, to breaking her word to voters and throwing out term limits, to endorsements that are potentially tied to Speaker Quinn’s actions on legislation, this is a troubling trail that reeks of cynical, old-fashioned politics.”
Add Cardinal Timothy Dolan to the list of those advocating for stronger gun control. “I have a long list of things to pray for this Lent,” Cardinal Dolan wrote on his blog late Friday afternoon. “Asking God’s help that our elected representatives in Washington and in state houses across the country have the courage and the wisdom to pass meaningful and effective gun control bills, will certainly have a prominent place in those prayers.”
Pub crawl-goers beware, Assemblyman Micah Kellner has sponsored new legislation to ban the practice when officially sponsored by bars. “Omar Sequern, 35, was drinking a beer at the Fat Black Pussycat in the West Village Thursday night when he heard of the new bill,” the New York Post reported. “‘It’s ridiculous,’ said the Windsor Terrace resident.”
And tomorrow’s special election to replace Councilman James Sanders remains heated:
