The big news rocking the world of Democratic mayoral hopefuls is that Reverend Al Sharpton won't endorse a candidate this year. In other words, the Reverend Al is just like Gothamist and many other voters: Wondering if there are any strong messages in the Democratic candidates. He noted that this will be the first time in 20 years he will not be involved in a Democratic primary, but, of course, Sharpton did leave himself an escape chute, he'd reconsider if a candidate seemed to shape up. Sharpton also noted that former Bronx Borough President Fernando Ferrer's remarks about Amadou Diallo didn't help things. Gothamist is shocked that Manhattan Borough President C. Virginia Fields or even City Council Speaker Gifford Miller didn't try even harder to rise to the challenge of getting Sharpton's endorsement, because his support could have really helped solidify them in the race.
Mayor Bloomberg stepped into the fray when he criticized the City Council's handling of Councilman Allan Jennings's conduct hearings; Councilman Jennings was censured and fined $5,000 for harassing and even fondling employees (Gothamist will post about the case in more detail this weekend). Mayor Bloomberg said he would have handled things differently and his years of experience are a benefit, but then the City Council, led by Miller, pointed to a document that outlined Bloomberg LP's poor history with sexual harassment charges. Snap! The Mayor would probably prefer to concentrate on talking about the city's new Video Voter Guide, which will allow candidates for Mayor, Public Advocate, Borough President and City Council airtime on NYC-TV.
And, finally, the NY Times covers Fields's decision to remove the head of Community Board 1, which is located in downtown Manhattan, claiming that Madelyn Wils' various roles (president of the Tribeca Institute, position on the Hudson River Park Trust board, member of the LMDC) would make leave her little time to lead the Community Board 1. Many board members are petitioning Fields to reconsider, and Downtown Express, which broke the news, has an editorial of why Wils, whose visibility many think is essential to rebuilding downtown, was important.
And this photo montage is from Fields' own Manhattan Borough President site; clearly, it is AWESOME, even though hula hoop skills don't make a mayor.
