MANHATTAN

DICKENS GETS ROBUST TURNOUT FOR COUNCIL ENDORSEMENTS

Heavy political hitters from Harlem, including Mayor Dinkins, Rep. Charles Rangel, and a former borough president of Manhattan, Percy Sutton, stood on the steps of City Hall yesterday to endorse a longtime behind-the-scenes political leader, Inez Dickens, for City Council.

Ms. Dickens, the daughter of the late Assemblyman Lloyd Dickens, is running for a seat that covers East Harlem, Morningside Heights, and parts of the Upper West Side. The seat is currently occupied by Council Member William Perkins, who is being forced out of his seat by term limits and has entered the crowded race for Manhattan borough president.

Yesterday, amid chanting fans, the high-profile Harlem establishment gushed over Ms. Dickens, who is a Democratic leader for the 70th Assembly District. “There is more genuine warmth here for [Ms. Dickens’s] candidacy than one ordinarily sees in contests like this,” Mr. Dinkins said. “I’m delighted to be here. I seek no office for myself. I have no reason to be here other than a deep belief in her candidacy.”

Mr. Rangel called the candidate his “political wife.” The two are leaders in the Martin Luther King Jr. Democratic Political Club at Harlem. “I have never, never, never, seen such a warm or more powerful political endorsement since I’ve been around,” he said. According to Campaign Finance Board records, four other candidates have declared their intention to run for the council seat. They are: Arthur Burton, Yasmin Cornelius, Eugene Daniels, and Cynthia Doty. Ms. Dickens, who plans to step down from her district leader position if she wins the council seat, said she would focus on the issues of affordable housing, jobs, and education.

– Staff Reporter of the Sun

MAYORAL RACE

BLOOMBERG CAMPAIGN SEEKS HIGH-RANKING PATAKI ADVISER

The Bloomberg campaign has been in discussions with the head of Governor Pataki’s legislative affairs office, John Haggerty Jr., about a possible senior job in the mayor’s campaign. No final decision has been made, but if Mr. Haggerty is brought into the Bloomberg camp, he would be the first Republican hired as a political aide to the Democrat-turned-Republican mayor.

An official close to the campaign said that the conversations with Mr. Haggerty are continuing, but no decision has been made. Mr. Haggerty is a Queens native who also worked for former Republican state Attorney General Dennis Vacco. He is the son of Jack Haggerty, chief counsel and adviser to former Senate Majority Leader Warren Anderson. Should he join Mayor Bloomberg’s re-election team, Mr. Haggerty would work with former 1199 labor union official Patrick Brennan, Stuart Loeser, a former aide to Democratic Senator Schumer, and Bloomberg aide Kevin Sheekey, a longtime Democrat.

– Staff Reporter of the Sun

ALBANY

PATAKI DENIES HE IS EYEING PRESIDENTIAL BID

Governor Pataki yesterday denied he has decided not to seek a fourth term as governor to instead explore a presidential run, telling reporters he has not yet made a decision on his political future.

Mr. Pataki has repeatedly said he will not make a decision on whether to run for governor again in 2006 even as rumors circulate that he is eyeing a presidential bid in 2008. A report on the television news channel NY 1 yesterday cited unnamed sources as saying the governor understands he is a long shot as a presidential candidate, but thinks of himself as good material for the vice presidency.

An aide to Mr. Pataki, Kevin Quinn, said the report was groundless. “Claims that the governor has decided not to seek a fourth term are false,” Mr. Quinn said. “He hasn’t decided. It’s false to say that he has decided.” Mr. Pataki repeated the denial at a state budget press conference at Albany.

– Staff Reporter of the Sun

GOVERNOR REFUSES TO TAKE SIDES IN ‘TRAGIC’ SCHIAVO CASE

Calling the battle over the withdrawal of a feeding tube from Theresa Schiavo “just a tragic, tragic thing,” Governor Pataki said New Yorkers should take advantage of the state’s living will and health-care proxy measures.

Mr. Pataki declined yesterday to take sides in the dispute between husband Michael Schiavo and his wife’s parents over whether the feeding tube should be reinserted. “It’s a very, very tough issue for the families and my heart goes out to them,” Mr. Pataki said.

“It’s just a tragic, tragic thing – certainly for the families, and I think for all Americans watching,” the governor said. “We’re just very proud of the steps we’ve taken with our living wills which we have in statue and also the health-care proxy,” he added.

– Associated Press

STATEWIDE

BUFFALO HOSTS WORLD TRADE CENTER EXHIBIT

BUFFALO – The traveling World Trade Center Memorial Exhibit opened here yesterday, previewing the 4-acre “Reflecting Absence” memorial that will go up in New York City in honor of the victims of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

The exhibit, on display through April 7, includes a model of the three-level memorial, along with 10 artists’ renditions. Governor Pataki and an architect explain the $500 million vision in a videotaped message.

The design, chosen from 5,201 submissions, includes an underground contemplation room with a tomb for the unidentified remains and allows visitors to touch the bedrock foundation of the World Trade Center site. The exhibit has made stops at Albany, Syracuse, Watertown, and Rochester and will travel to Binghamton and Hauppauge before returning to a permanent location at the World Financial Center in lower Manhattan.

– Associated Press