Endorsements for Surrogate's Court
Earlier this week, at its May 14 meeting, the Three Parks Independent Democrats, a club on the Upper West Side, endorsed Nora Anderson for Surrogate's Court judge, according to Anderson campaign manager Michael Oliva.
It's the latest political club endorsement in the race for the "obscure but powerful" open seat.
The vote breakdown was: 63 for Anderson, 39 for Milton Tingling, 2 for John Reddy, plus 7 members who voted not to endorse anyone.
Last night, the Chelsea Reform Democratic Club voted "overwhelmingly," to support Tingling, according to Tom Schuler, the Democratic district leader.
Last month, Reddy won the "near unanimous endorsement" of the East Side Democratic Club, according to a press release from the campaign.
So now each of the candidates in that race has at least one club's endorsement.
Why is this race important, you might ask?
The Surrogate's Court handles matters related to the estate of people who die without leaving a will. Because the Surrogate's Court appoints lawyers to take care of the estate, it's a place that's ripe for patronage and favor-trading between judges and the politically connected lawyers who helped them get elected.
- Poll
- Obama (D)
- McCain(R)
- Spread
- RCP Average
- 47.2
- 43.4
- Obama +3.8
- Candidate
- Favorable
- Unfavorable
- Spread
- Obama
- 56.4
- 35.2
- +21.2
- McCain
- 54.4
- 37.0
- +17.4
a solid win --the club reddy got has no juice
Nora Anderson also received a powerful endorsement from the Grammercy Stuyvesant Independent Democrats last night.
Tingling is a shill.
Anderson's endorsement of GSID was in fact overwhelming.
Hack (Slushwater) Quinn gave her CRDC hacks their marching orders after she got her own from Denny, so they went for Tingling. There isn't a thinking person around who would go for Tingling over Anderson. What a joke!
What is worse is County Bleeder Denny told all of the District Leaders there was no vote until the afternoon on Thursday and packed the county meeting with more hacks for Tingling.
Many of the supposed "progressives" seem to be extremely invested in things staying the way they are.
Nora represents change for the better, and the organization doesn't like it.
The score now is Anderson 2, Reddy 2 and Tingling 1...it seems like at least some people are waking up!
John Reddy knows the court best. But patronage king Michael Miller, Denny's former panel chair before he was fired, is out selling himself as judge-maker. No one should be that.
Judge Tingling is a fine jurist who would do better if he embraced people rather than bar leaders like Miller who have milked the court with Million dollar fees out of a single assignment.
Anderson knows the court the best, hands down.
Only Anderson has clerked in the court.
Only Anderson has litigated in the court, more than any other inthe State.
I could go on but that's enough right there.
Rather than attack candidates with nasty names like "shill" and "hack" let's look at some facts.
All three candidates are qualified for the job.
Anderson's associated with the law firm of Seth Rubenstein, who has successfully sued clients for additional fees not covered by retainer agreements under the theory of "quantum meritum"- sounds like a fancy legal way of saying "I want more money." Always hard to look like a champion of "regular" people when you end up suing former clients.
Reddy's done some fine work as well but his stumps speeches about building homes for Habitat for Humanity and having children who embrace different life choices really says very little about what he's going to do as Surrogate. Being bankrolled by the Michael C. Fina fortune also doesn't help further the idea that you know what the "little guy" wants in a Surrogate judge.
Tingling comes from a family of jurists and has lived in his Harlem community for years. But his literature says very little about why he's the better candidate for Surrogate besides a personal history that likens him to the "average" guy. While party support could be helpful, it doesn't help when it's perceived as "meeting packing"- same could be said for Alan Flacks packing 3 Rivers right before their vote.
I pity the voting public who needs to make sense out of all of this and choose a Surrogate.
John Reddy is the most qualified candidate for Manhattan Surrogate. www.reddyforsurrogate.com
John Reddy is the most qualified candidate for Manhattan Surrogate. www.reddyforsurrogate.com