Published: August 12, 2010

… with Espaillat

After Pedro Espada Jr. made a press appearance in North Riverdale last week, the pols just kept on coming.

On Saturday evening, Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz could be seen on the corner of West 235th and Johnson Avenue introducing passersby to Adriano Espaillat — who he endorsed and who is vying for the 31st District State Senate seat being vacated by Eric Schneiderman.

Mr. Espaillat represents the 72nd Assembly District encompassing Washington Heights, Inwood and Marble Hill. His long list of endorsements includes big names like the Working Families Party, SEIU 1199 and 32BJ, as well as local names like the Benjamin Franklin Reform Democratic Club, Rep. Eliot Engel, Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. and Councilman Oliver Koppell.

“The goal is just to meet as many potential voters as possible,” Mr. Dinowitz said.

… with Mark Levine

Though there will be four names on the ballot come Sept. 14, Mr. Espaillat’s main rival at this stage is Mark Levine, founder of the Barack Obama Democratic Club who serves as chair of the Traffic and Transportation Committee of Community Board 12.

He has been endorsed by a star-studded cast, along with the Northwest Bronx Democratic Alliance — the political club founded by former Community Board 8 member Tony Cassino — and, most recently, by former Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum and former Manhattan Borough President Ruth Messinger.

Mr. Levine, who in July requested that the state attorney general open an investigation into Mr. Espaillat’s relationship with a nonprofit, could be seen talking to voters at Kappock Street bus stops on Tuesday, shaking hands, handing out flyers and introducing himself to Riverdale’s commuters.

… with Gustavo Rivera

Sandwiched between the two sightings was a lunch date between Gustavo Rivera, Mr. Espada’s main opponent, and Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. The press was invited to a not-quite-yet endorsement gathering.

Though Mr. Diaz said he would be willing to speak with candidate Dan Padernacht should he request a meeting, he seemed to be signaling that Mr. Rivera would have his full support soon.

Why else invite the press? To watch him eat a sandwich?

Levine v. Espaillat

The 31st District race between Adriano Espaillat and Mark Levine may not be the stuff movies are made of — not yet anyway — but it is starting to get interesting.

With four candidates in the Democratic primary on September 14, Mr. Espaillat and Mr. Levine are on each other’s heels.

He and Mr. Levine are vying to replace Senator Eric Schneiderman, who is running for attorney general, and who endorsed Mr. Espaillat.

There have already been allegations of misdeeds, and as the New York Daily News’ Errol Louis pointed out in his column this weekend, the contest is filled with ethnic politics, as Mr. Levine (Jewish) and Mr. Espilliat (Dominican) battle it out for a diverse district that spans the Upper West Side, Washington Heights and Riverdale.

In his column, Mr. Louis points out that Mr. Espaillat has a perception problem when it comes to ethics, noting that detractors have criticized his hiring of journalist Disraeli Guillen for a part-time communications position while she wrote opinion columns praising the candidate.

An article in the New York Post prompted Mr. Levine’s call for an investigation after it called into question the hiring practices of the Northern Manhattan Coalition for Economic Development, which, it said, survives on grants secured by Assemblyman Espaillat and appears to have a penchant for hiring his friends.

Mr. Louis boiled the matter down to whether voters would select ethics, or ethnicity as their prime motivators. Mr. Dinowitz, however, defended his candidate.

“If there was an ethical lapse there ... it sounds like it was on the part of the person who works for the newspaper,” he said.

He said of Mr. Levine’s campaign, “If that’s the best they got, I think that’s a good thing.”

He also alluded to the idea that Mr. Levine’s camp was playing on the ignorance of Riverdalians unfamiliar with Latino names, trying to confuse voters between two Hispanic candidates in nearby districts — namely Mr. Espaillat and Mr. Espada — who are “as far apart as any two elected officials can be.”

Mr. Levine, who speaks fluent Spanish, said confusing Mr. Espaillat with Mr. Espada was not his tactic and constituents should be given more credit than to believe they would fall for the trick.

“I think average voters are quite tired of a form of tribal politics that divides people,” Mr. Levine said.

Anna Lewis and Miosotis Munoz are also on the ballot for the seat.

Other endorsements

Gustavo Rivera picked up some powerful endorsements this week, 1199 and 32BJ SEIU put their support behind him.

State Sen. Jose Peralta and Councilmember Julissa Ferreras — both from Queens — endorsed Mr. Espaillat.

Fernando Tirado, who was kicked off the ballot in the 33rd District race for not having enough signatures, will not publically support any of the candidates since he has returned to his post on Community Board 7.