Joe Lazar For City Council,Editorial Board

Joe Lazar is our choice in the March 23special election to replace Simcha Felder as New York City Councilman from Brooklyn's 44^th Council District. As reflected in the overwhelming turnout and audience participation in the February 24Jewish Press forum featuring the candidates for the seat, there is an unusual seriousness with which this race is being taken.

Perhaps as few times before, it has become clear that elected office cannot just be a reward for the candidate who yells the loudest or who puts out the most inflated, self-congratulatory press releases with extravagant claims of credit for this or that achievement. Rather, the times require elected officials with proven ability to best address complicated issues that are fast approaching intractability, if they have not already arrived there.

Without question, Mr. Lazar stands head and shoulders above the other candidates.

It is now generally recognized that for the foreseeable future, the overarching job of local government will be to do more with less spending. Key to this will be an ability to effectively evaluate the budgets and plans of various city agencies while considering the proper mix of higher taxes and reduced expenses. An effective member of the City Council must be an integral part of this process.

Comparing the background and training of the candidates, Joe Lazar shines. None of the other candidates even approaches his experience in this regard. He has been the highly respected budget director of a major New York City agency and a recognized expert in the field of public budgeting. Working with various state and city agencies, he devised creative ways to secure millions of dollars in funding for community services.

He was a pioneer in providing affordable housing in Boro Park; he contributed significantly to the growth and preservation of yeshivas; and, he played an integral role in creating programs to help Holocaust victims and children at risk.

This experience in the workings of government will also be an enormous resource for constituents of the 44th district when they turn to their councilman to intercede on their behalf with city and state elected officials and administrative agencies.

In sum, with Mr. Lazar, voters in the 44^th district would have as their representative on the council someone who will be relied on by his colleagues as an expert in fiscal matters and treated as a serious player owing to his experience in government and his demonstrated penchant for teamwork.

Joe Lazar seems ideally suited for the times.

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Joe Lazar For City Council , Editorial Board