2009

Ray Kelly held a two-and-a-half-hour meeting with local residents at a medical center in Canarsie last night, complete with a slide show, videos, and tables of cold-cut sandwiches.

Kelly delivered his usual "stump speech" (though widely rumored to be weighing a mayoral bid, he hasn't declared) about lower crime statistics, increased diversity for incoming classes of cadets, and a willingness to improve police community relations.

Many of the more than 100, mostly black and Jewish, attendees said they wanted more police in the neighborhood, but few complained about negative experiences, despite some high-profile incidents involving the police that occurred in the area during the 1990's.

More after the jump.  read more »

Councilman and all-but-announced city comptroller candidate Simcha Felder of Brooklyn hired another staffer: Eric Kuo, who will be the new new press person.

Kuo previously did press for Councilman Vincent Gentile, a Democrat in the conservative-leaning Bay Ridge section of Brooklyn (the same area that produced Democratic operatives George Fontas, Scott Gastel and Sam Cooper). He also worked for Councilman Oliver Koppell in the Riverdale section of the Bronx. (There are probably some notable operatives from there too, but I'll need some help on that one.)

More on Kuo after the jump.  read more »

Also in the paper is a look at one of the guys who wants to make Christine Quinn the next mayor of New York City: Bernard Whitman, a guy that helped elect Bill Clinton to a second presidential term when he was at the polling-industry titan, Penn,  Schoen & Berland.

“My hope is that she will run, as I think she would make a fantastic Mayor, and I would do anything I could to help if she does,” said Whitman, now the president of his own company in Chelsea.  read more »