A mailing misstep from Democratic frontrunner Pam Harris to grab the the Democratic Party nod for the vacant 46th Assembly district seat has breathed new life into the candidacy of her closest rival, Kate Cucco.
It also highlights a growing bitter struggle between the powerful Bay Ridge Democrats, who are more white and blue-collar, and the Coney Island Democrats, who are more ethnically diverse and immigrant over control of the seat. The district includes all of Coney Island and Dyker Heights, with a big chunk of Bay Ridge and slivers of Brighton Beach, Bensonhurst and Bath Beach.
The seat opened up last month when former Assemblyman Alec Brooke-Krasny stepped down to take a job in the private sector and endorsed Cucco, his former chief of staff, whose base is Bay Ridge.
But 46th Democratic Assembly District leader Delia Schack, who’s Shorefront Democratic Club is Coney Island-based, and who controls most of the county committee votes to pick Brook-Krasny’s replacement, is backing Harris, a longtime Coney Island activist and executive director of the non-profit Coney Island Generation Gap.
Harris’ blunder came this week when she sent a mailer out for an upcoming political meet and greet she’s having with the return address being the Coney Island Generation Gap – a clear violation of the IRS rules that non-profit organizations not get involved in political campaigns.
It was a gaffe that at least one Bay Ridge-based Democratic operative quickly seized on.
“This is not only a rookie mistake but a very bad sign. This shows that Pamela doesn’t really know what she is doing. She is also putting her organization and the people that benefit from her organization in serious jeopardy by doing this. She could lose her tax exempt status if the IRS finds out. Which begs the question, who is advising her nascent campaign? It is never a good sign when a candidate breaks the rules before they even get started. I was shocked when I received this letter in the mail,” the operative said.
Harris admitted the error, but lashed out at those that seized on it as perpetuating a “smear or dirty political attack.”
“As a retired law enforcement official, I know firsthand what real criminals are about. A volunteer getting involved in the political process for the first time in their life, who made an honest error during a mailing, is not a criminal,” said Harris.
“It is beyond shameful and regretful that people with absolutely no record of service in a district I was born and raised in are resorting to smears of good-hearted and community-minded people. Rather than discourage people from getting involved in public service and feed further distrust of our electoral process, I rather focus on thousands of my fellow Sandy victims still in need of assistance, our growing public safety needs, urgent infrastructure investments, critical senior citizen services, and important quality of life concerns stretching from 3rd Avenue in Bay Ridge to Mermaid Avenue in Coney island,” she added.
Cucco refused to comment on the error and said she remains focussed on working for the entire district drawing on her experience as Brook-Krasny’s chief of staff.
“As as far as I’m concerned, nothing has changed. I’ve been talking to county committee members and I’m confidant where I’m at right now,” she said.
Governor Andrew Cuomo is expected to call a November special election for the seat, and Kings County Democratic Party Chair Frank Seddio is expected to convene the party’s executive committee early next month to decide on a candidate.
