I haven't been doing too much writing - Writers block? Maybe. Actually I have too much I want to write about and end up chasing my tail trying to decide what to write and how to organize it. But I also want to read and watch TV and do stuff. I've been ...
I haven't been doing too much writing - Writers block? Maybe. Actually I have too much I want to write about and end up chasing my tail trying to decide what to write and how to organize it. But I also want to read and watch TV and do stuff. I've been busy. With the UFT stuff in a lull and gardening at a low ebb, I should be doing more blogging. The past 3 months have been loaded with stuff to write about. But I didn't and now am in the weeds. I had to review my calendar because I tend to forget what I did the day before. And I tend to lose track. Did this or that happen yesterday or 2 months ago? So I am going to record in this space what I remember over the past few months so I can check what happened. Looking at this calendar I think I need a rest.
Thursday, August 7, 2025 - Things I should (have) (and may) (and maybe did) write about.
Let me go back to June so I can remind myself -
May 29 through June 1 was the UFT election count - That was an experience I should have written more about. I admit I was surprised at the ABC 32 vs ARISE 14%. I thought it would have been closer. But also disappointed in finishing 22% behind Unity's 54%. I thought ABC would drag more votes out of Unity but didn't see us getting more than 36-38%. If ARISE or ABC didn't run, leaving one slate, I think Unity would still have won, but ABC would have given them a run. Now some in ARISE are admitting they never expected to win and believed ABC would do better than them. So why did they run? It's in their genes (See Sidney Sweeney) and some of them just may do it again next time.
Unity and ARISE seemed to align on criticism of ABC- clearly viewed as a threat. ABC has no formal structure -- but it looks like ABC will continue in some form. The ARISE coalition of 3 caucuses needs to do some deep thinking. How would be break up that 14%? MORE is the biggest in school faction - so give them 10%. NAC is still mostly retirees and also occupies RA - so the 3k votes is worth about 3% while the NAC in school output looks minimal. Give NAC 1%. I heard some inside resistance in MORE to the alliance with NAC -- a poor fit they said -- but they were more interested in RA's potential to bring retiree votes. And they didn't. So where does that put the ARISE coalition? The MORE brain trust would see some kind of alliance with ABC would be more fruitful - and in Sept. 2024 some MORES told us there were dozens who would be willing to run with ABC but internal issues forced them to look elsewhere. My guess is ABC wants no formal alliances with caucuses but would be open to any individuals. There have been some reachouts and also some informal talks between individuals I hear. My sense is that the ARISE people are in denial about ABC -- they did well because of social media, or they cheated - when the reality was ABC actually had real people in the schools who organized while ARISE relied on leafleting mail boxes. I wrote about the election:
I have a lot more to say on this issue, but not now.
June 4-7 trip upstate to celebrate our 54th anniversary - and taking the first road trip with my new Subaru Forester hybrid. Had a great time on the road and in Skaneateles at a place that mimicked Monet's Giverny garden with it's own bridge over the water lily pond.
June 9 - Take down the set at Rockaway Theatre Company and start work on the set for Sweet Charity which opened July 25th. One weekend left for a great show.
June 11 DA - Pissgate -- the attack on Amy Arundel is still reverberating. I have the only proof - I started a blog but never got back to it. Katie did: Misogyny at the UFT Delegate Assembly by Katie Anskat.
June 14 -The lawyer for firm hired by UFT to investigate PissGate calls and asks me for what I know - and also for my photo -- there might be finger prints. Word is Unity is in denial and passing rumors that someone in ABC did it - I heard that premise from someone in ARISE --- like there is no one in Unity capable? I told lawyer there were only 350 people there and no more than half were men - they must do prostrate exams. I'm just glad I used paper towels to remove the photo - and here's an interesting tidbit -- the guy from MORE who found it threw it in the garbage and LeRoy Barr was texted at 5:12. I was told to go in and check and found another one at 6:06.
June 17, 18 - Dentist and Urologist appointments. Not at same time, luckily.
June 20 - Summer Solstice - Yoga in Times Square -- I try to do this every year. And we get a free mat. Nothing like yoga with hundreds. I hit a pastry place after on 42nd for my favorite eclair.
June 21 - Beatles tribute band Fab Faux at the Paramount on Long Island -- loved the show but not the venue - but for sure we had a good meal at dinner.
Monday July 16 - A tour of Fraunces Tavern with the Murray Hill Neighborhood Association Preservation and Design committee. I'd never been to the museum - and we followed up with lunch. An eating establishment since 1719 - Washington's fave and he used to get take out delivered by DoorDash.
June 27 - ABC Celebrates End of School Year June 27 - ABC meets in a restaurant/bar in Battery Park City - the last hurrah for the school year as people do their summer thing - the feeling was UP even though that is how we found out 6 people had been fired, including Amy who was at this party, as was just fired District 30 Rep Ashley Rzonka, one of the most competent DRs. I started some blogs on pissgate and the firings but they are still not complete.
July 1 - That night a party on the roof of my building. Nice to meet the neighbors -- 36 floors so nice rooftop views.
July 2 - eye doctor at NYU/ - still 20-20 vision but first signs of Age Related Macular with signs of Drusen.
July 5 - My fave podcaster, Mike Duncan, on Lafayette at Fraunces Tavern -- plus other historians -- all afternoon. I bought some books and Duncan signed. Getting to downtown on a Saturday has a certain vibe.
July 8 - DA to back Mamdani - I wrote 3 items based on the fact I support Mamdani but felt the rush and process would lead to so much pushback it wouldn't help and might hurt. I felt time was needed to get into the schools in September and get into the debate. Arthur comes from the same place I did and wrote: The Zohran Endorsement, and ABC - Here's what we'd do differently.
But want to do more on how Unity and ARISE were oh so united while ABC raised objections to the process. I'm looking for an opportunity to volunteer but with the campaign directly.
That night hung out with some of the ABC crew in a bar with lots of new faces from District 30. Did the Mulgrew purge create new activists?
July 9 - Gastro Doctor - -- getting ready for upcoming endoscopy and colonoscopy in August.
July 10 - some ladies from the Murray Hill Preservation committee take the ferry out to visit - we do lunch at The Wharf. I like having friends in Manhattan and walking the streets run into people I know.
Nothing much happened between July 11-20 -- Oh, I finished work on some decking and power washed the deck and my patio -- I love power washing and how dirt just disappears. My concrete porch was so dark I forget it was pink. And my wife's nagging on the wood railings looking so bad as stopped -- she will find something else.
July 22 - Great rally for fired D. 30 Rep Rzonca in front of the UFT Queens office with over 50 teachers, parents, students and friends. Super impressive turnout. Another blog I began but didn't finish.
July 23-27 - lots of prep needed for the tours I'm running on the weekend.
July 23 - Lunch with former student at an Albanian Restaurant on E. 31 St. I subjected her to some of my upcoming MH tour. We connected back in November after 30 years - the last time I saw her she had been 12. We are friends now and it is a pleasure to know her.
Evening - attended an AI workshop at the home on East 38th St that Abe Lincoln's granddaughter lived for 20 years. The 5 story house was built around 1900 and is gorgeous. Back home early enough to work on the tour.
July 24 - Did my Gym and Swim in my building and then Went to the Met to see Sargent in Parisexhibit -- stimulated by his portrait of Gladys Russell on The Guilded Age -- where does fiction end and reality begin? No, the Met doesn't have that portrait. But has this famous one.
I learned a lot about Sargent who had American expat parents and was born and raised in Italy.
July 25 - 2 doc appointments - endocrinologist at MSK Koch (UGH) Center and delicate urological procedure. I've gotten used to young nurses doing procedures. Her fiance is starting a teaching job in NYCDOE in September. Good luck to him.
July 26 - 27 Tours. I prepped to give my two days tours (Norm Does the JULY WALKING TOUR OF MURRAY HILL). The Murray Hill Neighborhood is running these weekend tours at the end of every month through the fall.
People pay for these so even though I am a volunteer, I wanted to make sure they don't feel cheated. I had 9 people on Saturday when we covered the southern tier of landmarked buildings and one of the guys I know from the union came in with his wife and we went to lunch after -- and Sunday I had 4 people - it was cloudy with rain threatened but we survived.
Back to Rockaway that afternoon. I missed my first Rockaway Theatre Company opening night on Friday the 26th of Sweet Charity.
July 28 - dinner with the RTC set construction crew.
July 31 - Cardiologist -- one body part that's working. Picked up at ferry. Lunch at The Wharf with Carol.
Aug. 1 and 2 - Sweet Charity at RTC. Great performances including a great actress who happens to work at 52 Broadway. I will be on duty for all 4 performances on the final weekend for video. Your last chance to see it.
Aug. 3 - 3 hour cruise around Manhattan on Circle Line with the group from Shorewalkers. Took ferry in the morning and back to Rockaway at 6:30.
Aug. 5 - Back to MSK to get my port flushed. Then walked over to The Met for more art. Damn my knee started bothering me. At night went to Night Out Against Crime at Dag Hammarskjöld plaza and hung with Murray Hill group. Police served burgers and franks. Lots of politicians, showed, like this one.
On leaving I took campaign lit for the local city council Dem candidate from a young lady and we got into an interesting chat on politics and Mamdani. She works at a local college doing political stats and is working in this campaign to get some experience - I think she will be looking for a job in politics. She's American/Japanese and grew up in Manhattan. When I told her I backed Mamdani she opened up that she is volunteering for him. When I said I was a DSA member she said she is too and opened up about her politics. We had a great conversation and then my friend who is also Japanese came by and I introduced them.
Aug. 6 - Gym and swim in the morning, breakfast out and back to Rockaway.
Aug. 7 - hey, that's today. I finished putting this together and now need a nap.
I'm running this two-day weekend tour - from 11-1 - each day is different. I love Murray Hill as a neighborhood. Midtown with a touch of small town. And an amazing history. There are 14 landmarked buildings and we will visit them all - 7 on Saturday and 7 on Sunday and lots of stuff in between.... today I'm going to lunch with a former student and will subject her to a practice session. And if you want to draw any of the buildings there is a contest. There is charge - I'm a volunteer and money goes to the work of the preservation committee which works to help preserve special places that still exist - places that make this area so different from the way things are just a few blocks west. Walk from west to east on 38th St and see how things change when you cross Madison Ave.
Norm
JULY WALKING TOURS OF MURRAY HILL’S 14 DESIGNATED LANDMARKS and TWO HISTORIC DISTRICTS 11 am to 1pm
July 26 @ 11:00 am - July 27 @ 1:00 pm
Timings: July 26 @11am – 1pm and July 27 @11:00 am – 1:00 pm
60th ANNIVERSARY OF NEW YORK CITY LANDMARKS LAW (1965-2025)
2025 WALKING TOURS OF MURRAY HILL (JULY)
A
specially curated Walking Tour of Historic Murray Hill covering all 14
of Murray Hill’s designated landmarks and its two historic districts has
been developed as part of the 60th Celebration of the NYC Landmarks Law. Tours will be conducted each month over two weekend days. The next tour weekend is Saturday, July 26th and Sunday, July 27th from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm each day. Total cost per weekend: $60 MHNA members, $70 non-members. Tours are limited to 10 Guests.(For continuity and completeness, we encourage full weekend participation but understand if this is not possible. Cost forone-day tour: $40 MHNA members and $45 non-members.)
In
addition to a copy of the Historic Murray Hill Walking Tour brochure,
participants will also receive a copy of Murray Hill’s special
Landmarks60 Commemorative Booklet containing full-page color photos and
histories of all 14 of Murray Hill’s designated landmarks. The booklet
also includes the history of Murray Hill and the Murray Hill
Neighborhood Association, and information about other preservation
groups.
The total tour area will extend from 34th Street to 40th Street
and Third Avenue to Madison Avenue covering both the four-block Murray
Hill Historic District, the Sniffen Court Historic District (one of
Manhattan’s few remaining mews), and all 14 designated landmarks.
The
inception of NYC’s Landmarks Law, challenges to the law, and current
landmarking efforts will be discussed. The tours will also focus on some
of the architects who designed some of Murray Hill’s magnificent
buildings, and some of the famous people who lived here.
For those considering entering the Artistic Competition, tours are
an excellent opportunity to become acquainted with the area and to
consider possible buildings for drawing or painting.
Guides are
neighborhood residents and members of Murray Hill’s Preservation &
Design Committee, passionate about the character and history of New York
City, and well-versed in Murray Hill lore.
The Preservation &
Design Committee’s mission is to preserve Murray Hill’s historic
buildings and districts and to communicate to the public the history and
beauty of the neighborhood. The walking tour fees provide funding
towards the publication of walking tour maps, brochures and booklets,
programming of lectures and educational programs, and special projects.
There will be a 20% discount for Walking Tour participants at Björk Cafe & Bistro – at 58 Park Avenue when they dine after 2:30 PM on Saturdays or Sundays. Please note that Björk’s last seating on Saturday and Sunday is at 3:45 PM.
CLICK HERETo
reserve a place on the July tour, or for information on future weekend
tours, group tours, and private, custom, or special occasion tours,
contact preservation@murrayhillnyc.org.
Tuesday, July 22, 2025 - Queens UFT - 118-35 Queens Boulevard 7th Floor Forest Hills, NY 11375
I'm heading out soon to the Queens UFT office for the 6 PM rally - they say get there at 5:30 to defend fired District rep Ashley Rzonca, sponsored by the District 30 Community Education Council, a parent group, not an insignificant factor. And as I pointed out in my post yesterday _ UFT DA Tidbits - Endorsing Mamdani, ABC and ARISE/... she is also getting support from a number of D. 30 CL and UFT members. Firing her over perceived disloyalty and friendship with the fired Amy Arundell, her former boss at the Queens office.
- I'm taking a new route as I hate to drive more and more despite my new
car. I will drive to Howard Beach station to get the Airtrain to JFK
and then transfer to the one to Jamaica where I will pick up the E to
the UFT.
Click on the link to Talk out of School to hear interviews.
Everyone knows Amy revitalized that office when Mulgrew moved her out of 52 almost 10 years ago. At that time I saw that as indicating some differences between them - even though it came with a big raise, getting her out of the center of action. She built a loyal following until she was removed in late 2023, but those relationships came home to roost in helping build the A Better Contract (ABC) and its subsequent relative election success.
I had heard from a Unity source months before the firing that Ashley was in trouble due to connections to some of the CLs in D 30 who ran with or supported ABC, which was due to the Amy connection.
Yet Ashley was appointed to the recent UFT election committee as one of the "thousands" of Unity reps on that committee, ran, and was elected, on the Unity slate for the UFT Exec Bd and as an AFT/NYSUT delegate for the next 3 years.
It will certainly be interesting to see what Ashley does - will she take on the role of the missing opposition, along with fired para Hector Ruiz, Jr. who was also elected to the Exec Bd and AFT/NYSUT? A third fired official (who has asked to remain nameless) was also elected to AFT/NYSUT. (Para Migda Rodriguez, who ran with ABC and is an elected Para officer, was also fired -- I will address the fired paras in a separate post.)
What does it mean that 3 of the 6 fired were chosen to run with Unity back in February yet fired in June? Did they not hand out Unity flyers with enough vigor? Or did vote totals in District 30 have anything to do with it? The big jump in elementary school votes for ABC might have been a factor since many probably came from D. 30. I asked for school vote totals when I was on the election committee but Unity rejected that request, opting for district reports. The president of GES told me he had that data -- did Unity get that data but deny the rest of us - and examined it and found something in the D. 30 results?
Even though I was on the election committee with Ashley, I had my first conversation with her on July 9th after the DA and was impressed by her passion and smarts. I have to be honest - I used to view District reps, and indeed, the general Unity crowd as being sycophants and some real slugs. Having contact with a bunch of Unity disaffected has opened my eyes to see Unity people in a new light. I bet there are plenty more of them - some have even been in contact sub rosa. (Let Mulgrew start looking under the hood with a flashlight.)
There
are DR slugs of course, but Rzonca has an
impeccable reputation and if an election were held would win hands down.
I don't envy her successor. In fact, if she goes over to ABC, I'd bet a
bunch of CLs and members in Dist. 30 would come along with her. I know
of some who did not run with ABC but were a big help with
petitioning - dynamos that will be a force if active in ABC.
Amongst Amy's and Ashley's admirers is CL Leah Linn, who Amy had hired as a PM staffer. Leah ran with ABC as an officer and was fired soon after the election was over. Leah has helped lead the resistance. I never met Leah until this past February and became increasingly impressed with her leadership skills and her smarts.
Leah as a CL in Ashley's D. 30 and her defection to ABC is probably one
reason Rzonca was fired. Did she fail to use the Unity Caucus whip and threaten Leah for running?
Summary:
The
Friday June 27th purge was a cleansing by Unity Caucus of its
perceived dis-loyalists. Mulgrew and crew, when faced with waning
popularity, instead of trying to fix it, they resorted to fear tactics to try to cow potential internal opposition into silence and obedience, but has resulted in lots of loathing.
Fear tactics might work for some but over time these tactics alienate people in
the club, even if they remain on the job. From all reports, Mulgrew has created a toxic environment inside the union and this only exasperates that toxicity. The attacks on Amy, going back years, brought enough people
into ABC to make it a viable opposition.
If
anyone in Unity didn't notice the drop to 53% and the energized ABC
campaign infused with Unity refugees, that are fooling themselves.
Repression and fear-mongering engenders resistance or a cleansing-- I won't use a banned word for cleansing in Arabic.
While
in the long run, union staffers having a union and due process rights
seems like a good idea, there are also complications in that idea.
Shouldn't the party in power be able to hire the people they want? That
was the argument made by Unity when they killed district rep elections
in 2002. But that's the argument principals make, so no dice. District reps are a special kettle of fish. They used to
be elected by chapter leaders for decades before the change and the
union was better off for it. If ABC had won we would have moved immediately to hold DR elections.
So the firing of district 30 rep Ashley
Rzonca, who ran and won election to the Exec Bd and AFT/NYSUT rep on the
Unity slate, is unfair - based on "perceived"
disloyalty and not cancelling Amy, her former mentor and boss -- this is where Unity crossed the line. Did Rzonca fail to
stuff enough mailboxes with Unity glossy election leaflets? Were the
vote totals for D. 30 too low? Were the ABC elementary totals too high?
Being
a union member, and in my case a Chapter Leader, we are taught how to
navigate the inner workings of toxic administration. We are told to
document, to stand our ground and when the time comes, we are taught to
come together and make our voices heard. We are told to have union
representation when we are called into meetings with administration in
order to protect ourselves. Our District 30 Representative, Ashley
Rzonca helped us to build these tools to ensure that we maintain a safe work environment where we are free of bullying and harassment.
We’ve
trusted our union to stand by the values that give our collective its
strength and purpose, but it’s become painfully clear that the UFT has
abandoned those values.
Ashley
Rzonca was called into a meeting where she was told she would meet with
UFT leadership. Instead, she was met by Human Resources. She was lied
to.
Ashley
Rzonca asked if she needed to bring anything or anyone to the meeting
with her and she was told it wasn’t necessary. She was deceived.
Ashley
Rzonca was asked not to return to her position at the UFT. When she
asked why this was happening or if it had to do with her job
performance, she was told they were “unprepared” to answer those
questions. This is unacceptable.
Ashley
Rzonca reached out to report harassment in her workplace and instead of
being supported, she was terminated. This is retaliation.
If
this exact scenario were happening in a school building with a UFT
member and a principal, we would immediately call it what it is:
retaliation and an abuse of power. If a member met with administration
to ask why they were being discontinued and the answer was “we are
unprepared”, we would be up in arms about ineffective administration. We
would be advocating for this member to remain in their role and demand
accountability. Why should this be any different?
The
UFT can not give us the tools to push back against ineffective
leadership and expect us to stay silent as it unjustly terminates a
dedicated unionist who has served with integrity and excellence in her
leadership role. Ashley Rzonca’s termination is not only unwarranted, it
is a betrayal of the values we hold dear in our union.
I am demanding that Ashley Rzonca be reinstated to her position as District 30 Representative.
I
will not stand by. I will not be silent. I will speak out and demand
immediate action. Our union is only as strong as our willingness to
defend what’s right.
I started writing this on July 9th, the day after the special endorsement delegate assembly and nice weather and wasting lots of time watching TV at night led to avoidance. Plus others kept writing on the issue and I kept adding links to the point this has become a mess. I will not be deterred. For those intrepid souls willing to wade through this, I offer, up front, a few key takeaways while I put most of what I've been writing on hold for a follow-up.
I am struck, though not surprised, at the very different reactions of the ABC crew compared to the effusive praise coming from both the Unity and the ARISE coalition members (MORE, Retiree Advocate Organizers, New Action).
Unity people fall in line. If Mulgrew had endorsed Cuomo you would see the same level of effusivity. If he endorsed Adams, the same. Nosferatu? Hell Yes.
ARISE coalition members adhere to ideology over process (and democracy). People from the ARISE coalition groups supported Mamdani all the way and are extremely excited to see their fave endorsed by the UFT. Let's point out that Unity, MORE, New Action and Retiree Advocate are all legacy caucuses and if you don't support the basic ideology of the caucus (as I often have not) you are made to feel extremely uncomfortable - as I have been made to feel within the dozen member RA Organizing committee, which has operated on consensus, except when it doesn't.
The 3 oppo legacy caucuses echoed their UFT election misjudgements and jumped to support a bad process because of their caucus' support for a particular candidate who comes close to their groups' ideological favorite.
A MORE tweet bragged: This is what a real Delegate Assembly looks like -- and posted this graphic
The delegate red area included almost every officer in the room getting to speak plus assorted other Unity stalwarts. But the first speaker on the phone just happened to be a prominent MORE and ARISE and Mulgrew made sure to call on the co-chairman of New Action -- shades of bipartisanship.
The entire charade was "caucus member driven", not rank and file member driven.
I'm sure MORE and New Action did not have time to take a vote of their members. MORE didn't have to. It would be very unlikely to be in MORE and not be for Mamdani. No zionists left there. What about New Action? Their co-chair spoke for Mamdani at the DA but not for the caucus. As far as I know NAC did not formally endorse. But when it comes to RA, which is almost half made up of NAC, it did endorse. That is problematical since there were 300 people elected with RA and were not consulted. Only the 12 member RA Organizers (a steering committee of sorts) endorsed. I was the lone voice of opposition and while I personally support Mamdani, I objected to branding RA in this manner by ignoring voice of RA supporters, many of whom are concerned about confusion around Mamdani's support for the retiree struggle.
ABC does not view itself as a caucus with a firm set of beliefs one has to adhere to in order to "join." Actually there is no "joining". Anyone, no matter where they stand - within reason of course, is welcome under the idea of "leave your personal politics at the door", which came under much criticism from ARISEers. So while many ABCer affiliated support Mamdani, some do not. ABC believes in a big tent, which seems to enrage some ARISEers who turn up their noses at mingling with what they consider "deplorables". Imagine if ABC tried to engage in an endorsement process --- oy!
So that is how ABC looked at the UFT endorsement process on such quick notice without internal discussion --
At the July 8 emergency DA I handed out this leaflet from ABC, making the point that I personally supported Mamdani:
The UFT’s Endorsement Process Is Broken: We
need a member-led process with transparency, healthy debate, and
accountability. We stand on our platform position that members should
vote for major political endorsements. Creating a transparent, member-led endorsement process
ABC made this prediction and it came true:
There may be some scripted debate. A rushed vote. But the outcome is
already decided. And this outcome has the potential to damage our
solidarity. This is not a democratic process. It’s a performance. And it’s insulting.
One ABCer, a Mamdani supporter, did get a comment in at the DA and pointed out he would like time to get input from the staff at his school that elected him - and urged a delay until September to try to engage people and build support -- give some scrutiny to the awful alternatives and time to counter some of the ridiculous attacks like free buses (but not free Staten Island ferry) is socialistic.
Cheering the 63% vote at the DA is a false flag as to where the members stand. For all we know a majority may be against and how does that play out in the context of the UFT endorsement - often a kiss of death to a candidate? Some have been pulling COPE in response. Double OY!!
Revolt in District 30 (Astoria and Jackson Hts):
Oh, and don't forget the not insignificant revolt from District 30 over the firing of their district rep.
While attention was focused on the Mamdani endorsement, another significant event occurred at the July 8th DA when CL and Del from District 30 (Astoria and Jackson Hts) protested the firing of Ashley Rzonca, their District Rep. Was she viewed as too friendly with Amy? Others were fired for what looks like similar reasons. Mulgrew's crackdown is in line with other dictators who instead of reading the tea leaves - 54% Unity vote - Unity defectors being a significant factor- and redressing the issues, Mulgrew has doubled down, using fear which leads to loathing. Consider the District 30 firing a major unforced error. I pity the district rep they put in her place.
Tuesday, July 8 -- a day I have to leave the beach and shlep into Manhattan for the DA.
Today is an emergency Del Ass to endorse a mayoral candidate and there is some speculation of some kind of deal between Mulgrew and Mamdani. Remember the Unity attack on DSA? I posted about this possible endorsement last week and speculated about how the UFT kiss of death may cause Mamdani to lose.
The orthodox Jewish group, which boycotted voting for ABC or ARISE because of Amy and MORE sympathy for Palestinians and chose Unity, is certainly not happy. They put out a statement somewhere but I can't find it.
We need a member-led process with transparency,
healthy debate, and accountability. We stand on our platform position
that members should vote for major political endorsements.This is not a democratic process. It’s a performance. And it’s insulting....
ABC who show up are going out after so why not jump on the ferry?
I missed most of the retiree town hall yesterday because I didn't get the time right and logged on around 3:25 and by 3:35, it clearly ran out of steam. Some focus on the stuck para bill. I give Unity credit -- pushing a campaign for 10k para bonus worked to drain potential para votes from ABC -- our chance to win would have required a big para turnout for ABC. But that gambit won't work again. I compare the success of the Mamdani campaign to pull out new voters. And that was the same idea of the ABC campaign - not to rely on the usual suspects from legacy caucuses, which have shown no real growth over decades of so-called organizing. Their 14% was even worse than the Cuomo campaign. We can all learn from Mamdani -- and a key is people in the schools. ABC ran 520 out of the 560 who ran with us in schools while ARISE ran around 350 in school people plus 140 retirees. My advice to ABC is to start asap to build an even firmer base, not just for elections but to become a constant force in the UFT. Recent firings by Unity will help in that effort, as I will point out in an upcoming post on the Unity purges.
Some comments on the town hall related to the stalled para bill.
He’s right this had to do with politics. Him wanting to get re-elected and him willing lie to get votes.
Everyone else’s fault.
Politics got involved in a bill??? Dumb.
He comes up with the hair brained idea. Tells the paras it is as good as done, so the paras can have a vacation on the money coming their way, tries to sell it to the City Council with a massive $ tab and gets 47 to agree to it theoretically in the middle of an election but their bluff isn’t called because they only needed the election to be over, and then blames them for not doing as he said (forgetting that the City Council isn’t the Unity caucus). Did I miss anything??
Mulgrew has found a way to piss off the billionaire oligarchs and lowest paid rank and file unionists in the City with one bill. Truly remarkable.
And a poem:
Ode to Hot Air Mike
President of Piffle, Sultan of Spin, Lord of the Loophole
Oh Hot Air Mike, thou mighty breeze,
Who fills the halls with empty pleas,
Your town halls soar with pomp and flair—
Yet leave us gasping for real air.
Great Chancellor of Chatter Vague,
Your titles mount like anti-union plague:
“Commander of Circular Replies,”
“Baron of Bureaucratic Lies.”
At 52 Broadway you reign,
With crafted scripts and well-worn strain.
We ask for truth—you dodge and dance,
A master of the vacant stance.
You float above with bloated grace,
Your words: a cloud, your tie: a face.
Beneath, the Unity crew looks glum—
Each nodding head, profoundly dumb.
So here’s to you, oh winded knight,
Who turns each grievance into light.
Our questions burn, our hearts are sore—
You answer us with metaphor.
Long may you drift, ballooned and bold,
Your speeches tepid, stale, and cold.
But know this well, dear Mike of Mist:
The rank and file are getting pissed.
