Tish James Rallies
"City Hall is public housing," said Council member Tish James of Brookyn at a housing rally in City Hall Park late yesterday. She went on to say that "one quarter of all Brooklyn residents are living below the pover level. Not one elected official who runs, who has run for the city office, for state office, has mentioend the word 'poverty.' Not one."
Also at the rally were Council members Charles Barron, Rosie Mendez, Alan Gerson, and Assembly woman Michele Titus.
Tish is pretty popular amongst her constituents...If she plays her cards right and starts kissing up to county leaders she may have a legitimate shot at being the next speaker.
Tish gives a good demogogic speech but does not know how to play with others and thinks her s**t doesn't stink. She forgets that prior to her election to the Council she was a patronage holding hack, never had a job that the party didn't get her and showed up time and again at the beckoning of Clarence Norman to knock inusrgtents off the ballot. Don't get any illusions about who Tish is. Its just who she thinks she is. She will have less support for Speaker in Brooklyn than you would imagine.
Tish has some serious ground to cover. I have to think the leaders of the field are Denny Farrell and Dan Garodnick. Also Gianaris is probably going to go for Vallone's seat. There's alot of competition, and let's face facts, Tish has an uphill battle in front of her. Also, she has taken no stand as of yet that is going to endear her to the Council. There are going to be a lot of powerful players in the Council in 2010. Time to buckle up.
Tish as Speaker? With all due respect.. not a chance. Front runners require strong coalitions and people over whom they can hold past political debts. Tish, for better or worse, doesn't have that kind of political gravitas. Think Garodnick, Dickens, Farrell...