Politics on the Hudson

Supporters of Mayor Ernest Davis are meeting again tonight and this time they will be joined by New York City Councilman Albert Vann.

Vann, a former assemblyman, is coming in a show of solidarity for Davis and his supporters but—according to the announcement—will not take sides in the $600 million lawsuit the supporters have filed seeking a new election.

The meeting will be held at the Macedonia Community Center, 103 W. 2nd St., at 7:30 p.m.

Supporters of Mayor Ernest Davis are threatening to make any members of mayor-elect Clinton Young’s transition team defendants in their $600 million lawsuit calling for a new election.

They will meet tonight to consider a resolution that would direct their attorney, Stephen Jackson, to add those names as defendants in the lawsuit.
Jackson is also planning to file a court motion seeking to stop Young from being sworn in as mayor.

The supporters claim a FBI raid shortly before the general election was an attempt to stifle voter’s rights and that Young was working with the federal agencies.

Young has denied working with the FBI and called the lawsuit divisive. The lawsuit names Young, the Justice Department, the FBI and others as defendants.

Curt Stewart, coordinator for the group, said affidavit forms for those who were discouraged from voting will be collected during the meeting.

The meeting will be held at the Macedonia Community Center, 103 West 2nd Street at 7 p.m.

The Mount Vernon Democratic City Committee will host its annual brunch on Sunday at 11 a.m. at Beckwith Pointe, New Rochelle.
The theme for the Jazz brunch is “Working Hard, Regaining Strength and Serving the People.” Proceeds will be used
to continue community awareness programs, youth career and job development programs and senior initiatives.

Chairwoman Serapher Conn-Halevi will handout leadership and achievement awards to Thomas Abillama, Susan Capeci, Daniella Jackson, Rudy Persaud, and Charnese Stephenson. Others to be recognize include Robert Doughty.

Tickets are $95. Attendees are asked to bring hats, gloves, scarves and blankets for city seniors.

Members of the Mount Vernon City Council are pointing out that the carting
contracts at the center of a federal probe were signed by the mayor. And
although they participate in the bid process, Council members are trying to
use the documents as proof the contracts were the mayor’s responsibility.

Federal investigators seized City Hall records as part of an investigation
into possible mob ties to city trash-hauling contracts on Oct. 11.
The documents were related to three waste-management companies – A&D
Carting, United Waste Services and Tran Camp Demolition – and two
individuals, Albert Tranquillo III and his late father, Albert Tranquillo
II.

When the documents were seized Mayor Ernest Davis’s volunteer lawyer, Ravi
Batra, said the council was responsible for awarding these contracts. Davis
has now put Batra in charge of a commission meant to root out corruption in
the city, and Batra has subpoenaed the county for documents related to these
companies.

The contract process starts with a departmental request to the council
to pass legislation to approve bid specifications and request advertising
for a bid. The bid goes to the Board of Estimate and Contract, which
includes the mayor, council president and the comptroller. The contracts
board has the final approval, after the bid is reviewed by the law
department and the department that requested it. The contracts from A&D
Carting reviewed by The Journal News do show that Davis, who
chairs the board, signed the contracts next to the signature of Tranquillo
II.

Geraldine Christiana, who is running for county legislator for the 14th district, says the Mount Vernon Democratic Committee has left her out in the cold.
Christiana has been left out of campaign materials that include Democratic candidates Clinton Young, Lyndon Williams, Steven Horton and Loretta Hottinger.
During the primary Christiana ran with Mayor Ernest Davis but after he lost to Young she said she would support the Democratic nominee. Christiana said she was told she would be included in future campaign materials but four days before the election that still has not happened, she says.
“I have been left off,” Christiana said. “I’m a Democrat but I have been excluded.”

The Mount Vernon Democratic Committee is airing tonight’s mayoral debate live from their headquarters from 7 to 9 p.m.
News 12 is hosting Mayor Ernest Davis, County Legislator Clinton Young and Janet Whitney Snyder for a debate tonight. Refreshments will be served. Democratic headquarters is located on One Park Ave.

Westchester County Executive Andrew Spano will announce his endorsement for Legislator Clinton Young tomorrow morning.

Spano’s support adds to the growing number of major Democratic figures who have already backed Young since he beat out Mayor Ernest Davis in the Democratic primary. Davis is still running on two minor-party lines.

Spano will join Young and other Democrats at city committee headquarters, 1 Park Ave., at 11:30 a.m.Westchester Democratic Party Chairman Reginald LaFayette, city committee chairwoman Serapher Conn-Halevi and Councilman Lyndon Williams, who is running for county legislator, are also expected to be present.

He offered and Mayor Ernest Davis accepted.

The mayor has officially appointed offered Ravi Batra as pro bono counsel to the Office of the Mayor.

Although the city’s Urban Renewal Agency is under federal investigation the mayor said he is not the target. Critics of Davis question why Batra’s services are needed and what exactly  will he be doing.

Batra, whose name once was mentioned as a candidate to chair Westchester County’s Democratic Party is the assistant secretary, has been a staunch supporter of Davis.

The New Rochelle native has a law firm in New York City. Batra had close ties with Assemblyman Clarence Norman, the controversial Brooklyn Democratic chairman, who was indicted in a judgeship scandal and convicted in 2005 of soliticiting illegal campaign contributions. But Batra himself never was implicated and denied any wrongdoing.

Read Davis full statement after the jump.

Now that he is running on the Conservative and Independent lines Mayor Ernest Davis can no longer operate his campaign out of the city Democratic committee headquarters.

But nevermind that because the Campaign Committee to Re-elect Mayor Ernie Davis is holding an opening reception at their headquarters, 114 Gramatan Ave. The opening is this Saturday and starts at 11 a.m.

Mayor Ernest Davis has sent a letter to the Westchester County Fair Campaign Practices Committee alleging that his opponent County Legislator Clinton Young has used county resources in his mayoral campaign.

Young said he welcomes the committee and anyone else to look into the complaints and he called the move “pure petty politics.”

However, as it turns out the committee considers notice to the press about filed complaints an unfair campaign practice in itself.

The committee review complaints to determine whether a hearing is warranted or any action should be taken. If a complaint does merit a hearing the committee issues its findings on whether the action was an unfair campaign practice.

Read Davis’ full letter after the jump. (It is addressed to Barbara Jaffe, who no longer takes complaints at the committee.)