What You Should Know

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW

BY

STATE SENATOR RUBEN DIAZ

Hunts Point: Here Comes Jeff Klein…Watch Out Gianaris!

You should know that the idea of creating a balanced, independent, powerful, decision making four-amigo group was born in the minds of Senators Carl Kruger and Pedro Espada. They saw the opportunity of creating a powerful, relevant and influential group that everyone would go to in order to get their support and backing. Personal demands, problems and ambitions derailed what was supposed to be an innovation never seen in New York State politics.

You should also know that Senator Jeff Klein took the idea and studied the amigos’ mistakes and personal problems. He then perfected Carl’s and Pedro’s ideas to the fullest.

Everyone knows that Senator Jeff Klein is not only ambitious, intelligent, and well-educated; he is also a political money-making machine. That is why the leadership of the Senate Democratic Conference appointed him to lead the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee (DSCC), the organization in charge of raising, seeking Democratic Senate candidates and dispersing all necessary resources to help Democrats get elected to the New York State Senate.

You should know that after forty-two years of Republican control, the Democrats took the majority in the State Senate. But in that process, Senator Jeff Klein fell from grace in the eyes of the Democratic leadership, not because he fell short on bringing money and resources, on the contrary he brought in more money than ever before. Jeff did not fall from grace because he lost any seats during his tenure as head of the DSCC. On the contrary, we won more seats than ever before and that is how the Democrats became the Majority after many years in the minority.

Ladies and gentlemen, you should know that rumor has it, that Jeff fell from grace, because he used the power, money and resources of the DSCC to go around distributing and supporting candidates for Senate that once elected, would blindly commit their support and efforts to Jeff Klein and not necessarily to the Leader of the Democratic Conference. This seems to be the case of Senator David Carlucci.

When the leadership of the Democratic Conference noticed that Jeff was becoming a threat to them, they immediately dropped him for Senator Mike Gianaris, another super-intelligent, well-educated, well-liked, and well- known for his ability for being one of the best political fundraising individuals that you could find. In other words, in Mike Gianaris, Jeff Klein found his match.

After seeing himself humiliated and dumped for Gianaris, Jeff took his marbles and saw the opportunity of recreating the Four Amigos. But knowing that the word “Amigos” was taboo in Albany, he created the Independent Democratic Conference, or the “Indies”. He did that by collecting the chips that he had already invested as the head of the DSCC.

We have to give him all the credit in the world, because he has done wonders for his four members and has been very careful in not repeating the disastrous mistakes committed by the previous Four Amigos.

Now you should know, that to add power to his ability, Jeff Klein convinced the Republican Majority to include Hunts Point Market in the South Bronx as part of his new Senate District. In order to comply with his request, they gerrymandered a district that comes from Riverdale and White Plains, New York all the way to the other side of the Bronx, called the South Bronx. You should see the way they gerrymandered this district!

Now Jeff not only has the power of being the leader of the new Four Amigos, oops, I mean the Independent Democratic Conference, while at the same time claiming to be a Democrat and voting with the Republicans, but also has the fundraising ability to work the Hunts Point Market and create a campaign war chest as big or even bigger than what Mike Gianaris may be able raise for the DSCC.

Because it is my responsibility and my commitment to educate our communities about all the shenanigans that go on here, I entitle this column Hunts Point: Here Comes Jeff Klein…Mike Gianaris, Watch Out. And now you know the rest of the story.

I am State Senator Rubén Díaz, and this is what you should know.