Posted on 09/15/2005 11:14:28 AM PDT by neverdem
Rep. Anthony Weiner's cynical with drawal from the 2005 mayoral race may serve him well four years from now, but it is contemptuous of the law and disrespectful of the people of New York City.
No doubt he couldn't care less.
Weiner on Tuesday apparently held former Bronx Borough President Fernando Ferrer below the legally established (Sec. 6-162 of the state Election Law) threshold (40 percent of the vote) needed to avoid a primary runoff election on Sept. 27.
Tuesday night, Weiner exulted in the outcome: "I look forward to a vigorous [runoff] campaign," he said.
Then he quit.
The runoff, alas, will go as scheduled unless absentee and affidavit ballots push Ferrer through the 40 percent ceiling — an apparently unlikely prospect.
Opening the polls is a big deal. Some 6,000 voting machines need to be carted to 1,409 polling places; thousands of election inspectors need to be hired; hundreds of cops need to be put on overtime and scores of schools need to be opened early and kept open late.
All this could cost $12 million, says Board of Elections chief John Ravitz — sufficient for a year's salary and benefits for roughly 275 rookie cops.
It nevertheless would be money well spent — had Weiner honored his obligation to city voters and stayed in the race.
Quitting may have been politically right for Weiner — he gets to bank a huge chit with Hispanic voters, with hopes of collecting on it in four years.
But the point of runoff elections for citywide candidates — state law since the city's farcical 1969 Democratic primary essentially elected John Lindsay on the Liberal line — is to ensure that the winning candidate in a crowded field has some genuine mandate for the general election.
Given that barely 17 percent of...
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
Once a Weiner....always a Weiner....even in four years.
FReepmail me if you want on or off my New York ping list. That's how the Post spelled it, "with drawal". I think someone on this list may have predicted Weiner's withdrawal strategy with an eye on 2009.
If I see one more Weiner commercial, I'll throw up.
I saw that snotty Weiner on TV a few years and wanted to punch his lights out. Jerk.
Weiner weasels....lmfao@ the title.
I had almost forgotten all about this primary. So Ferrer got just under 40% and how much did Weiner get? Does he pronounce it like weener or whiner btw? ;)
Being groomed by Chuck "The Schmuck" Schumer might be a factor.
The political calculus appeared even more complicated for Mr. Weiner, whose popularity surged during the last two weeks of the campaign to the point where he captured 29 percent of the vote on Tuesday.
If you read the story, check out the graphs with the breakdown of the vote.
"The runoff, alas, will go as scheduled unless absentee and affidavit ballots push Ferrer through the 40 percent ceiling — an apparently unlikely prospect.
Opening the polls is a big deal. Some 6,000 voting machines need to be carted to 1,409 polling places; thousands of election inspectors need to be hired; hundreds of cops need to be put on overtime and scores of schools need to be opened early and kept open late.
All this could cost $12 million, says Board of Elections chief John Ravitz — sufficient for a year's salary and benefits for roughly 275 rookie cops."
That is a silly criticism. I know the Post is part of my party, but criticisms like that are just stupid and transparently meaningless.
The man withdrew - it's not contemptuous of the law at all. If anything it will save money because the city - while required to hold the run-off - will know they only need minimal staff and ballots printed.
And 250 rookie cops? I guess that sounds pretty relevant when you consider the city has 40,000 + officers.
Nope.
Dunno the regs for that kind of thing.
"The man withdrew - it's not contemptuous of the law at all."
Ferrer got 39.95% of the vote, a mere .05% short of the 40% mandated by New York's election law. Now surely they must be able to work out some sort of exclusion from that law since the percentage is so close and the runner up has conceded? After all, when was the last time that Dems ever stuck strictly to election laws before ? /s
But regardless, I'm pretty sceptical of those figure that get thrown around. It's not as though if there was no run off suddenly 250 cops would be hired - or as though because there is a run off 250 cops are cleaning out their desks.
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