Thursday, September 11, 2008

Bronx Betrayal? (Updated)

September 11, 2008

Add to Bronx Democratic Chairman Jose Rivera's growing list of enemies the supporters of soon-to-be-former Sen. Efrain Gonzalez, who are putting the blame for the lawmaker's primary loss Tuesday to Pedro Espada squarely on Rivera's shoulders.

They insist it was neither a lack of interest from Senate Minority Leader Malcolm Smith nor Gonzalez's indictment that tanked him in the end.

palm card 79

The cause of the upset rests largely on the palm cards handed out by the party troops on primary day, which prominently featured all of the organization-supported candidates - everyone, that is, except Gonzalez.

The item at right was picked up in the 79th AD (Assemblyman Michael Benjamin's district), which touts a Gonzalez, but not the senator.

The Gonzalez listed here is Sigfredo, a health care and medical supplies sales manager who was backed by the party against Benjamin in a race that grew ugly toward the end.

palm card 86

Benjamin, a member of the so-called Rainbow Rebels, the insurgent group of Bronx Democrats, won his primary handily, along with the rest of his fellow rebels.

Interestingly, both Maria Matos, the party-backed Civil Court candidate, and her opponent, Verena Powell, who was seen as a potential vote-drainer away from the rebel candidate, Liz Tayloer, are listed here. (Taylor glided to an easy victory).

In the end, all but one of Rivera's candidates lost, the one being Nelson Castro, who was a last-minute add to the ballot in the race for the seat of retiring Assemblyman Luis Diaz.

That race took place in the 86th AD, which is where the palm card at left was picked up. Again, no Efrain Gonzalez.

Gonzalez supporters discovered these palm cards when they got to polling places on Tuesday morning; one of them described them to me as the "ultimate betrayal" that demonstrated Rivera was so caught up in fighting the rebels that he neglected to provide adequate assistance to protect Gonzalez.

Which makes the video that appears below all the more interesting. It was shot at Bronx County Democratic HQ on primary evening after the results were in. Gonzalez talks about remaining active and Rivera insists that the New York political world has yet to see the last of the veteran lawmaker.

In an interview with the West Bronx News, Gonzalez blamed his loss on "a lack of resources" refused to rule out a future run for political office, adding: "Never say never."

UPDATE: A reader reminds me that Espada talked about possibly running for borough president in 2009, which is an office Rivera's son, Council Majority Leader Joel Rivera, is also planning on seeking. So the Rivera clan have something to gain by getting Espada out of their hair and making him Smith's problem.

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