Endorsements,Editorial Board

New York Governor

Once again we urge our readers to support Eliot Spitzer, this time in the general election, for governor of the State of New York. We've noted in the past that as New York Attorney General, Mr. Spitzer has earned a virtually unique national reputation as a spirited and dedicated protector of the public interest. There can be no denying that he has given new life to the notion that citizens really can be protected when law enforcement does its job with vigor and a no-nonsense spirit.

In addition, Mr. Spitzer was widely praised for the commitment to excellence and professionalism displayed in his insistence on hiring the best lawyers and staffers available. Indeed, his team is credited even by his opponents as among the best assembled anywhere. These qualities will stand him in good stead as New York's chief executive.

Of special interest to Jewish New Yorkers, he has, to an unprecedented degree, energetically enforced the various laws protecting the right to practice religion in the workplace, and has courageously parted with the mindless myopia and error that has driven his party's discourse on parochial school education and issues of church-state separation.

What also stands out is that despite his innovative bent, he has been careful not to stray into the area of formulating public policy through activist application of the law as many have done in the past.

Eliot Spitzer has the makings to be a great governor and we urge New York voters to give him that assignment.

New York State Attorney General

We endorse Andrew Cuomo for New York State attorney general. Any aspirant for that position will henceforth be measured against the standard established by Eliot Spitzer, who transformed the office into a peerless protector of the common weal. And in this regard, we believe, Andrew Cuomo brings much to the table.

As a young lawyer Mr. Cuomo served in the office of the legendary Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau. As a signal indication of his ability to break new ground, he launched the nation's largest nonprofit provider for transitional housing for the homeless. While running the massive Department of Housing and Urban Development under President Clinton, he was a vigorous enforcer of the nation's housing laws, having brought more than 2,000 antidiscrimination cases - and, in what should be an indication of what he would do as attorney general, he took on predatory banks and insurance companies and cracked down heavily on fraud and waste.

We also again note that he played an important role in the administration of his father, former governor Mario Cuomo, and demonstrated great sensitivity to the needs of the Jewish community as well as support for the great strides made in those years in the enforcement of the rights of observant Jews, as a religious minority, under the law. Andrew Cuomo certainly does not begin at square one in appreciating the special needs of certain New Yorkers whose traditions may be somewhat different from most others.

We believe Andrew Cuomo is particularly well-qualified, in terms of both vision and experience, to continue the work of Eliot Spitzer in taking on the big fights.

New York State Comptroller

We support Alan Hevesi for reelection as comptroller of the State of New York. We certainly are not unmindful of the ethical cloud he is now under, but he does have a four-year record of stellar accomplishment as the state's comptroller and, before that, as comptroller for eight years of New York City. In all of those years, he has been praised for his money management skills in vastly growing the fund which he oversaw. There has never been any suggestion that his performance was impacted in any way by any ethical problems. To the contrary, he has been regularly praised and held up as the gold standard for the management of great sums of public money and for being the chief fiscal watchdog of a large governmental entity.

To our mind, the current flap over Mr. Hevesi's use of a publicly paid driver for his wife is something that must be fully investigated and evaluated. But at this point, given his record and the fact that there have been no official determinations of actual wrongdoing, it should be for the voters to make the judgment as to whether he should be returned to office. Any action that becomes necessary can certainly take place post-election.

Even the report of the New York State Ethics Commission is nothing more than a determination of reasonable cause calling for a comprehensive and definitive decision. Mr. Hevesi's wife is unquestionably vulnerable, and whether a line was improperly crossed in order to protect her in her everyday activities is not a black and white issue. Nor is the point that Mr. Hevesi should have paid for the driver himself. Mrs. Hevesi is the spouse of a very visible public official, and whether her special needs - which are possibly exacerbated by the demands of her husband's position - should be accommodated at public expense is not an easily answered question.

It is extraordinary that we have not seen any endorsement of Mr. Hevesi's Republican opponent, Chris Callaghan, that dwells on Mr. Callaghan's positive qualifications for that office. It seems the only thing those urging his election have to say is that he is not Alan Hevesi.

As the New York Daily News noted in its endorsement of Mr. Hevesi ("Why It Has To Be Hevesi") we are talking here about enormous sums of money to be managed. Sums that rival the budgets of many countries. It seems hardly appropriate to arbitrarily choose someone whom nobody really thinks is up to the job over someone everyone agrees has done the job in exemplary fashion for four years. The better choice is Alan Hevesi and whatever develops, develops. We may all be pleasantly surprised about what a full investigation will show. And even if it does not turn out well for Mr. Hevesi, New York will not have lost by returning him to office.

U.S. Senator, New York

The Jewish Press endorses Hillary Rodham Clinton for United States senator from New York. In her six years as senator, the former first lady has distinguished herself as a knowledgeable and effective advocate for New York State in Washington. She has mastered the intricacies of the Senate and has excelled, even in the opinion of her detractors, as a coalition builder. She has emerged as a hard-nosed and respected voice on foreign affairs with views her colleagues on both sides of the aisle take seriously.

Sen. Clinton has emerged as an important supporter of Israel, both publicly and, perhaps more important, behind the scenes. She is held in the highest regard in this connection by those who regularly plead Israel's cause in the halls of government.

We were vocal critics of some of Sen. Clinton's actions during her husband's administration and had real reservations when she ran for office six years ago. Indeed, we endorsed her opponent at the time. But, providentially, we were proven wrong.

U.S. Senator, Connecticut

We support Joseph Lieberman for reelection. This page has regularly lamented the gross partisanship that has infected American politics in recent years. It was not too long ago that with the election of the candidate of one particular party, he became the president of us all. To be sure, party loyalty was always a fact of political life, but there was a palpable sense of unity and identification with the occupant of the White House. Sadly, these days, the situation is radically different. The loyal opposition will seize any opportunity to try and derail a president from the other party.

Were it not for Sen. Lieberman's support for the war in Iraq as part of the overall war on terror, he would be a shoo-in for reelection. Incredibly, though, antiwar activists insist that Sen. Lieberman, an acknowledged star of the Senate whose voting record on most issues happens to be quite liberal, must be turned out of office because of one thing: he will not oppose President Bush on the war in Iraq. This is a strange theory of government and we urge the voters of Connecticut to reject it.

As Americans, we think it urgent that the message go out that this sort of mindset has no place in the United States. And as Jewish Americans we note that Senator Lieberman has been a stalwart supporter of Israel's efforts to defend itself against Islamic fundamentalism. He has surely earned a return to office.

NYS Assembly

Last week, for the November 7 general election we endorsed Speaker Sheldon Silver - 60th AD (D-Manhattan); Marc Alessi - 1st AD (D-Suffolk County); Pat Eddington - 3rd AD (D-Suffolk County); Barbara LoMoriello - 10th AD (D-Nassau and Suffolk Counties); Harvey Weisenberg - 20th AD (D-Nassau County); Michelle R. Titus - 31st AD (D-Queens); Helene Weinstein - 41st AD (D-Brooklyn); Rhoda Hacobs - 42nd AD (D-Midwood); Kareem Camara - 43rd AD (D-Crown Heights); Alan Maisel - 59th AD (D-Canarsie/Sheepshead Bay); Alec Brook Krasny - 46th AD (D-Kings County); Janele Hyer-Spencer - 60th AD (D-Richmond and Kings Counties); Adriano Espailat - 72nd AD (D-Washington Heights); Brian Kavanagh - 74th AD (D-Manhattan); Naomi Rivera - 80th AD (D-Pelham Parkway); Shelly Mayer - 93rd AD (D-Yonkers); and Ken Harper - 99th AD (D-Westchester/Dutchess/Putnam Counties).

This week we add to the list the following candidates:

Tom DiNApoli - 16th AD (D-Great Neck); Audrey Pheffer - 23rd AD (D-Queens); Andrew Hevesi - 28th AD (D-Queens); Steve Cymbowitz - 45th AD (D-Brooklyn); Dov Hikind - 48th AD (D-Brooklyn); Peter Abbate - 49th AD (D-Brooklyn); Joseph Lentol - 50th AD (D-Brooklyn); Joan Millman - 52nd AD (D-Brooklyn); Vito Lopez - 53rd AD (D-Brooklyn); Darryl Towns - 54th AD (D-Brooklyn); Michael Cusick - 63rd AD (D-Staten Island); Jonathan Bing - 73rd AD (D-Manhattan's Upper East Side); Amy Paulin - 88th AD (D-Westchester); Kenneth Zebrowski - 94th AD (D-Rockland County); and Ellen Jaffee - 95th AD (D-Rockland County).

NY State Senate

We endorse Senator Kevin Parker - 21st SD (D-Brooklyn); Senator Martin Golden - 22nd SD (R-Brooklyn); Senator Martin Connor - 25th SD (D-Brooklyn); and Senator Carl Kruger - 27th SD (D-Brooklyn).

NYS Supreme Court

We endorse Acting Justice David Schmidt for justice of the Supreme Court in Brooklyn. Judge Schmidt is widely recognized as one of the stars of the Brooklyn bench and gets rave reviews for his knowledge of the law and for his ability to settle even the most complicated of cases.

U.S. House Of Representatives

For congress, we endorse Steven Israel - 2nd CD; Gary Ackerman - 5th CD; Jerry Nadler - 8th CD; Ed Towns - 10th CD; Yvette Clark - 11th CD; Anthony Weiner - 9th CD; Carolyn Maloney - 14th CD; and Eliot Engel - 17th CD. We make special note of the candidacy of Republican Cong. Peter King - 3rd CD. Congressman King has been a strong supporter of Israel and our community. His seat is in jeopardy only because of his strong stance against terror all over the world and in the Middle East. His defeat would be a significant loss for all Americans.

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