Tasini Demands Wright Delay Manhattan Democrats’ Senate Endorsement

2ND UPDATE: Keith Wright sent a second letter to Jonathan Tasini, once again rejecting the complaint that the Manhattan county committee process was being rushed and requesting to know whether Tasini had raised similar complaints with the 56 counties which have already made their endorsements.'

“To be sure, political self-interest by a candidate is acceptable and understandable,” Wright wrote. “However, what is not acceptable is for you to impugn the integrity of New York County’s endorsement process as undemocratic in the name of the people when your true motivation may be simply political self-interest.”

UPDATE: Manhattan County Leader Keith Wright responded to Tasini this morning with a letter pointing out that he is far from alone in scheduling an endorsement meeting for the Senate race, writing, “As an initial matter to avoid any claims against you of hypocrisy or grandstanding, I would hope that you have sent a similarly strong worded letter to each and every county chair or county committee that has already endorsed in the United States Senate race.” Wright extended the invitation to attend Thursday again.

Tasini then responded with another letter of his own, insisting that Wright’s letter “fails to address the core issues I raised in my initial letter” regarding his claims that there has not been a chance for fair and open debate.

Jonathan Tasini has added his voice to the complaints about timing for the Manhattan County Committee’s endorsement vote for Senate, scheduled for Thursday at the State Democratic Party’s offices on Park Avenue South.

In a letter being sent to Manhattan Democratic chair Keith Wright, Tasini charges that “it is clear that the February 11^th vote is being held for one purpose only: to undemocratically ram through and endorsement for my opponent.”

Tasini continues in the letter, “Ironically, however, your very attempt to strengthen my opponent—who has never come before the voters of Manhattan in any election—with an endorsement shows her weakness and the lack of commitment our party has to serious debate.”

Tasini, a labor activist who waged a primary campaign against then-Sen. Hillary Clinton in 2006, is the only declared primary opponent for Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, though much of the attention has gone to former Tennessee Rep. Harold Ford.

In an interview, he admitted that his chance of getting the Manhattan Democrats’ endorsement is “slim,” but “there’s a real issue in trying to shut down the debate.”

Tasini complained that Gillibrand was given a chance to meet with the members of the Manhattan executive committee in January, and that all he is being offered is five minutes on Thursday to make his case and answer questions from the district leaders.

Ford did not previously meet with district leaders, but did have a private meeting with Wright. Tasini, though, said he has never even spoken directly with Wright over the phone. “This process is making a mockery of democracy,” he said. “And it is in my view exactly what the voters are rebelling against. What I’m asking for is that this process be put off and we have a real open debate.”

Though many Manhattan district leaders seem to have already decided on a preference in the race, several of them have privately expressed frustration with the timing of the process and feelings of being rushed by Gillibrand’s political operation to hold a vote.

Arthur Schwartz will not be among the current district leaders eligible to vote on Thursday. However, as a current state committeeman and former district leader from Lower Manhattan, Schwartz expressed some reservations about the process.

“I do wish that the process was handled more like they handle judicial and civil court endorsements, where people get a chance to meet candidates, get calls from candidates, receive literature from candidates, hear speeches from candidates,” he said. “I think that an endorsement that would come out of that kind of a process would be more meaningful for Sen. Gillibrand than something which just looks like a quick meeting called by a county leader.”

Schwartz, who serves as general counsel for ACORN, said he has been impressed with Gillibrand’s leftward movement on several key positions and her vote last year against the Senate’s actions to de-fund ACORN.

“Unlike other elected officials who rode with the mob mentality, she took her licks and voted with what she thought was the right thing to do,” he said, expressing his own support for Gillibrand.

But, he added, “I do wish she would let this process be a little more democratic.”

Tammy Sun, a spokeswoman for Ford, reiterated his complaints over the timing expressed in his own letter to Wright last week. Ford believes he should be given more time to decide on his candidacy before the county committee vote.

“Pushing party insiders to block Harold Ford from the race is not just undemocratic, it deprives New Yorkers of fresh ideas about how to create jobs, cut taxes and get our economy growing again,” Sun said.

Currently, Ford is not planning to attend Thursday’s vote.

In his letter, Tasini calls for “each declared legitimate candidate” to have the same opportunity as Gillibrand to appear in front of district leaders, followed by an open debate open to the public and media before an endorsement vote.

Absent that, Tasini said he is “consulting with campaign team about whether I should appear,” adding “my inclination is not to ratify this process.”

Wright did not return calls requesting comment, but Assembly Member Jonathan Bing, the finance chair for the Manhattan Democrats, rejected the idea that the meeting was being rushed.

“56 of the counties have made an endorsement in the race, and so it’s certainly not too soon,” he said.

Bing is not a district leader himself, but he noted that those who are will be able to voice their concerns, if they have them, on Thursday.

“Mr. Tasini has been out as a candidate for a while now, and people have had a chance to know him and have gotten to know Senator Gillibrand,” he said. “And certainly if Manhattan county district leaders feel that it’s too soon, they’ll have a right to say so at the meeting.”

Thursday will not be the first encounter between the East Side Assemblyman, Gillibrand and the Manhattan county committee: back in 2003, before the now-senator moved north in advance of her Congressional run, Bing suggested her name to his local district leaders to put Gillibrand on the county committee from his Assembly district.

Bing has not made a personal endorsement in the Senate race. He was, however, one of the strongest backers of Rep. Carolyn Maloney when she was weighing a run for the seat last summer.