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Take a good look at the usual suspects gathered in this handout photo and you’ll have a pretty good idea of which local pols will enjoy the support of the Satmar community in Williamsburg.
Surrounding Satmar leader Rabbi David Niederman (the bearded man near the center) is a veritable who’s who of favor-seeking Brooklyn pols: (from left) Assemblyman Joe Lentol (D–Greenpoint); state Sen. Martin Malave-Dilan (D–Bushwick); City Councilman (and would-be comptroller) David Yassky (D–Brookyn Heights); the always-dapper Kings County Democratic leader, Assemblyman Vito Lopez (D–Bushwick); and state Sen. Marty Connor (D–Brooklyn Heights), who is facing a strong primary challenge. Assemblyman (and would-be congressman) Darryl Towns (D–Bedford-Stuyvesant) and state Sen. Eric Adams (D–Fort Greene) appeared in another handout photo.
The Friday photo op was convened ostensibly to celebrate 4,000 newly registered Satmar voters, but the real purpose of the event was to put on display the politicians who will be backed by the sect’s typically monolithic voting bloc.
Of course, the politicians didn’t even hint at that, offering the usual paeans to Democracy.
“I am positively delighted at the success of this non-partisan voter registration drive under the auspices of Rabbi David Niederman,” Connor said in a statement that was similar to those put out by the other pols.
So it fell to Niederman, himself a Towns staffer, to remind the politicians of the reason they were there.
“This [voter registration drive] is a great show of our united strength, and that strength is what brings resources to our communities.”
In other words, money talks — and this photo speaks volumes.
©2008 Community Newspaper Group
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