Bronx Holds Town Hall Despite Jeff Klein’s Absence
The Ethical Culture hall was filled. Co-sponsorship with the League of Women Voters had been secured. Gary Axelbank, host and senior producer of BronxTalk was onboard to serve as the moderator of a dialogue between State Sen. Jeff Klein and his challenger in the fall primary, Alessandra Biaggi. But the murmurs among those gathered was that Klein was not attending.
While waiting for the program to begin, I connected with Betsey Knapp, the co-founder of NorthWest Bronx Indivisible and chairperson of the event. (Full disclosure: I am a member of NYCD16-Indivisible). I asked her about the backstory on Klein’s no-show.
“We invited both candidates two months ago,” Knapp said, “We wanted to make this a very professional event — which is why we asked Gary to moderate and the League of Women Voters to be a co-sponsor. Our community wanted to see both candidates side by side.” She added, “We are unbiased, but as a group we don’t support the IDC and were unhappy about the fracture.”
Knapp explained how she had taken measures to ensure a fair, balanced, and civil program. “We invited police in the event of heckling, and banned signs. Either candidate who asked for changes in the flyer got it.”
“When did you find out Klein wasn’t coming?” I asked Knapp. “We received no answer until 1 p.m. on Saturday. At that time, his chief of staff, Dana Carotenuto Rico, informed me that he would be taking part in a Get Out the Vote effort happening on Sunday.”
Knapp was clear that she had done everything to make the joint appearance positive and equitable. “Jeff Klein is very curated,” she noted. “He’s a no-show all the time.” In advance of making a decision about whether he would attend, Klein’s camp pressed Knapp to “see the attendance list,” because they wanted to know how many people from “outside the district would be attending.” Knapp only agreed to share the list from the local Ben Franklin Reform Democratic Club with the Klein office. Out of 140 RSVPs, Knapp said that 96.5 percent were constituents.
As the incumbent, if Klein had been present, he would have received the first speaking slot.
I was able to converse with Axelbank while people were getting seated. “Well, it’s always disappointing to have one candidate not show up,” he told me. The League of Women Voters made clear that a Klein surrogate was not acceptable. “This is a very healthy event,” Axelbank emphasized while looking at the filled room. “It speaks well for the community. The more people, the better off we will all be.”
When Knapp came to the podium to start the event, she stood beside a list outlining the protocol. She identified NW Bronx Indivisible as a “grass-roots political group dedicated to resisting the Trump administration and opposing the Republican Congressional agenda.” Knapp ran down the need to review key issues before the “endorsement, petitioning, and campaigning” process led to the September 13 primary. Knapp ended with, “We welcome you to listen and judge for yourself.”
Axelbank took over, underscoring, “We do not have a participatory movement if people don’t participate.”
Biaggi made use of her allotted ten minutes to describe how she learned about the obstructionism of the IDC. While working in the Governor’s office, she was tasked with pushing the Reproductive Health Act (RHA) into law. Surprised to discover that although it had passed in the State Assembly it couldn’t get traction in the State Senate, Biaggi checked to see which other bills hadn’t passed — and why. All the legislation that had made it through the Assembly had died in the Republican controlled Senate. Her opponent, as the leader of the IDC, had enabled that to happen.
“That,” exclaimed Biaggi, “is why I decided to run.”
Open about the fact that she had originally met with pushback from those who suggested that Klein was too powerful and had big money interests behind him, Biaggi had a simple response: “It’s not a time to be silent.”
Axelbank moved forward with a series of questions submitted from the audience. Topics encompassed ethics and prison reforms, affordable housing, healthcare, gun control, and the environment.
One of the inquiries addressed if and how Biaggi could match the influence of Klein’s “tenure.” She was succinct in her response.
“Klein has been empowering Republicans. He is no longer in a power sharing position. That agreement has cost this community and our district too much. My leadership will be better, because I won’t put my own self-interests first.”
Biaggi enumerated the bills that had not seen the light of day after success in the State Assembly: The Child Victim Act; the New York Health Act; the DREAM Act; the Reproductive Health Act. “And,” she said, “I want to see New York become a leader in making voting easier. We have the lowest voter turnout in the country.”
One of Biaggi’s key metaphors is the imagery of a table that has a place for everyone and where all people are invited. Diversity and inclusivity is key to her message. “We want to change the way the future looks,” she affirmed.
Discussing her ties to the community, Biaggi referenced her connections stating, “I grew up in this district and I came of age in this district. There are a lot of people that are hurting.” In tandem, she made clear that running for office was not about her, but about the constituents she was hoping to represent.
Before the event concluded, Biaggi reflected on the fact that the man she is challenging was not in attendance. “I’m disappointed that Jeff Klein wasn’t here,” she said.
It’s doubtful that Klein will be able to avoid Biaggi indefinitely.
Photos: Marcia G. Yerman
