School Scope: Elections are Coming, Elections are Coming - Norm in The WAVE

Published Nov. 3, 2017 www.rockawave.com

School Scope:  Elections are Coming, Elections are Coming

By Norm Scott

I declined the VOTE NO lawn signs given out by the UFT but did take a magnet for my car – not refrigerator since I don’t get a lot of traffic at my frig – other than when I do a midnight raid.

So of course I am going to turn my ballot over and vote NO on the Constitutional Convention, though I admit to mixed feelings over allowing our political slugs to continue to make our state one of the most corrupt. And there seems no way out of that locked box.

Like home rule for our city. How come Cuomo and the Republican dominated areas of the state gets to dictate so much of our policy here in the city? Like if we want to raise taxes on the rich why do we need their permission? A note to the very rich by the way – if you don’t like it here because of high taxes, then move to Jersey.

How come de Blasio is getting the blame for a subway system Cuomo is in charge of? Do you see what they spend their money on instead of maintenance? The frills filled 3 stations on the 2^nd Ave subway that cost billions for 3 stops and led to extended delays. We may see the line completed by next century when trains will be running on fins. Or that fancy #7 train extension for one stop to the Hudson Yards where they decided to install some diagonal escalator from Italy that cost a mint. (How come we don’t seem to have the ability to keep escalators up and running while in places like London there are giant escalators in the subways running all the time?) How about those time clocks so you know when a train is coming? I like that feature but then realized I have the Transit app which gives me the same info – yes, having wifi turned on in the system is worthwhile numerous reasons – but why not just get the info from that app and put it up on the station to save all that wiring?

The big issue on the convention for unions is the threat that some of the gains won in the past will be taken away. So we see teachers, cops, fire fighters, sanitation and other city unions coming together on this one even if there are differences between them on other issues. Some of those supporting the convention are from the ed deform crowd and suspect for their motives, which is good enough for me to vote NO!

Things look like a split down the middle on the vote at this point. I even got a text announcing that our councilman Erich Ulrich had changed his mind – some of us went to the UFT to complain and they put on some pressure. I’m still not voting for him. I probably won’t vote Democratic either - I will be looking for a Green Party candidate. I hear there is a Green running for mayor but a vote for de Blasio is still in play – the ferries, pre-k and de Blasio actually came out to Rockaway Sunday to give us some storm money – there was a great photo of him sitting next to one of our favorite people, community leader Jose Velez, who played my fellow card player, Murray the Cop in The Odd Couple at the RTC, my first role on stage. Jose has been in many RTC productions and will be in the upcoming Rockaway Café.

I may want to contribute to a larger plurality for de Blasio since I so dislike the other candidates – the Republican, Nicole Malliotakis, and Bo Dietl, who by the way, Ulrich still supports. Now there’s a rational choice. Of course Erich has a plan. He is already running for mayor in 2023 and wants to keep Malliotakis’ totals down so she is less of a threat to run next time. And one of the interesting angles in all this was Phil Goldfeder’s apparently leaving his job at Yeshiva U. and possibly hinting at a return to politics. Phil endorsed Republican Ulrich over the Democrat Mike Scala. Can we foresee Phil planning to run for Ulrich’s seat when it becomes vacant? Will local Democrats welcome him back for ignoring the Dem candidate, especially given the climate of the times? Or might he run as a Republican to replace Ulrich? In working on this article I came across a delicious piece over a dispute between Ulrich and the powerful Democratic Crowley family – one of  slugs that needs to go. Charges of mob influence getting thrown around over a restaurant. (Read more at: http://nypost.com/2017/10/21/city-council-member-targets-eric-ulrich-over-ethics-complaint). Oh, the delicious permutations of politics which makes it as interesting as sports. (How about those Knicks?)

Norm permutates on UFT politics and sports at ednotesonline.org.