Dirty Politics Results in Double Loss

This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.

The New York Sun

New York politics can be brutal. Why on earth anyone would even get involved in the game is beyond comprehension. It’s difficult enough being a Republican in a solidly Democratic city, but to also be a member of a minority group has untold hazards.


It was back in May that I met with Al Curtis, who was running again for the state Senate seat he had run for unsuccessfully in 2000. The odds of his success this time were considerably better, yet the other day here I was, waiting to meet him in the same diner to discuss the reasons he had lost again.


I had two questions for him. First, was it his idea to have the endorsement of Lenora Fulani’s Independence Party? After all, many people in the Jewish community regard her as an anti-Semite. Second, did he have anything to do with the forged “lesbian letter” distributed by his campaign?


On October 28, the Thursday before Election Day, a campaign leaflet was distributed in the Staten Island ferry terminal that clearly put a racial spin on the contest between Mr. Curtis and Diane Savino, a union official who is white. The flier had the title, “A Message to the black community from Dr. Lenora Fulani,” and it urged a vote for Al Curtis “not because he’s black but because you’re black.”


That made absolutely no sense to anyone who knew Mr. Curtis, a former city youth commissioner and president of the United Nations Development Corporation. What I did not write in my May column was that I had asked Al why his 2000 posters did not show his picture, considering that many North Shore voters might identify with him. He told me then that he did not want the election to be about race. He wanted it to be about the issues, and about how he, as a Republican and a member of the Senate majority, could get more for the community.


Something was definitely off, and while I waited for Mr. Curtis I wondered if I could have been mistaken about him, or whether my suspicion that he had been sabotaged was correct. The truth is that the assault on his candidacy had come from both the Democrats and some Republicans.


Although it must have been a crushing blow to lose the election, Mr. Curtis appeared to bear his loss well, and without bitterness or rancor.


He told me it was not his idea to seek Ms. Fulani’s endorsement. He reminded me that Mayor Bloomberg had also accepted her endorsement. GOP advisers had indicated that the endorsement was crucial to a win, but he had no idea such a flier would be distributed.


Mr. Curtis also said he had been getting calls from blacks in the Democratic Party asking him why he was running as a Republican and whether he knew what it would do to the Democratic Party if he won. But Al Curtis was running on principle, and he was making serious enemies here.


The other document that had a devastating impact on the race was an explosive letter that was mailed to select borough voters in the final days and alleged that Ms. Savino is gay.


Mr. Curtis denied any knowledge of the letter.


The Staten Island district attorney, Daniel Donovan Jr., has asked the Brooklyn DA, Charles Hynes, to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate. If that is done, it may be determined that the culprits are members of the GOP. There is a schism in the local Republican Party, and not only are some GOP candidates being denied the full support of Republicans, they may even be sabotaged by those not in power.


I suggest that investigators contact the Staten Island Advance for more information on post #3031, which was made on a politics forum on its Web site. I am blanking out the names noted because I cannot verify the information, but it does suggest further investigation:


“It seems that —, the former – — candidate has been bragging and laughing about his role in the Savino is gay letter. It seems he and —- thought it was a hoot when they were at a local pub. They even bragged that they ran it past — — before they did it and he gave it the big OK. I wonder what Diane Savino will think about this when she is sworn in. Hey, Charlie Hynes after all the Dems you got to indict I guess your chaffing at the bit to go after some reps.”


It’s a good thing I had printed out the post, because when I checked back later it had been removed.


Yes, New York politics is dirty, and while Al Curtis may have lost, the real loser is the 23rd senatorial district.


The New York Sun

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