Bill Thompson Assures Wary Jewish Community He can Win And Deliver

In the event of so many campaign announcements and Borough tours, Mayoral candidate Bill Thompson met Sunday evening with a dozen of Jewish community leaders and politicos at the Avenue Plaza Hotel in Borough Park. "You are looking at the next mayor of New York, without any doubt," said Rabbi Freilich.

Mr. Thompson, who remembers that Borough Park handed over victory to Mayor Bloomberg in 2009, faced a tougher crowd than expected, with questions about vouchers, transportation, public safety, taxes and  unions covering the entire Q&A. While Thompson seemed to be on the defensive (after all this is a district that has voted for Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani in the highest numbers) he also deferred concerns of a future Democratic administration after 20 years of Republican/Independent control of City Hall.

Christine Quinn Might Lose Key Endorsement From Home Chelsea Club

What happens to many politician once they rise to power and are given the keys to the palace. City Council Speaker might soon learn on her own flesh what you get for neglecting your district and the consequences following for  making it difficult for community groups and residents to access her. 

City Council Speaker Christine Quinn might lose the endorsement of the political club that launched her to power, DNAinfo.com New York has learned. The Chelsea Reform Democratic Club, a bastion of progressive politicians since 1958, helped transform Quinn from a young housing advocate to the City Council Speaker. But now, many Chelsea residents, dissatisfied both with her performance representing their neighborhood and her job as speaker, have joined the club in a bid to ensure anyone but Quinn wins its mayoral endorsement. 

EXCLUSIVE: Catsimatidis Planning 'Ahead of Time' Massive Jewish Outreach

Republican mayoral candidate John Catsimatidis, is not wasting time to appeal to the general public, in a bid to boost his name recognition and business credentials as an investment 8 months ahead of the general elections.

I am told that Catsimatidis has hired a Jewish liaison, who's name will be announced in the near future. As part of the planned Jewish outreach, Mr. Catsimatidis has bought ad space in every Jewish publication, Orthodox, Yiddish and English newspapers, wishing Jewish New Yorkers a Happy Purim, which is celebrated on the 14th of Adar next Sunday.

While Joe Lhota, who is believed to be the favorite hopeful in the Republican primary, is investing time among Republican donors and voters,  Mr. Catsimatidis is looking ahead to the general election. Acknowledging his scooffed up campaign chest and the extra time given, the Catsimatidis campaign's belief is, that while the Democratic candidates are busy fighting over the hearts of the labor unions and hardcore Democratic voters, and while the Republican candidates struggle to gain traction, fundraise and appeal to the GOP base who are likely to go out and vote, Mr. Catsimatidis is able to invest and time, energy and money to reach out to certain communities who feel neglected in the primary process.

According to some operatives involved in the campaign, if Mr. Catsimatidis manages to make inroads among Democratic Jewish voters while he's not obligated to do so, the effort will pay off once the primary season gears up, and he emerges as the Republican nominee for mayor. Mr. Catsimatidis hopes that by then he will already be sold as a viable candidate with an appeal to key voting blocs who are willing to give another republican a chance, especially after a bruising Democratic primary. After all, over 80 percent of Orthodox/Hasidic voters in NYC voted for Mitt Romney in the past presidential election.

Mr. Catsimatidis, at a press conference in Queens two weeks ago, told Azi Paybarah from Capital New York (and TwitterWorld) that he is planning to appoint liaisons to every ethnic group in the city who will report to him directly. Looks like Mr. Catsimatidis is not wasting time executing his promises.

It's important to note that in the Orthodox community newspaper ads are the most significant and effective outreach, and after 12 years of Bloomberg, the idea that a Republican candidate, who's not Jewish, is granting such a substantial amount of attention to the growing community, will have a great impact, a Democratic observer told me.

Attached is the 'Happy Purim' ad by John Catsimatidis that will feature in every publication over the weekend, from Hebrew, Yiddish, English and Yinglish.