Steve Harrison | Democrat for Congress

Steve Harrison's Statements Regarding Rep. Fossella

"It is unfortunate that Congressman Fossella's indiscretions have now had an impact on so many innocent people and lives. I wish only the best to his family in this time of personal crisis and hope they can see themselves through to a better moment.

The Congressman indicates that politics is the last thing on his mind right now. While I understand that on a human level, the simple fact is that over the next six months, with a looming election, he will have to juggle his congressional duties, the campaign and his personal responsibilities. Only he can decide if he can properly represent the people of this district during this time. He must carefully weigh all his options including resignation or not running again.

If he decides to run, the people will decide in November if his recent behavior and revelations should disqualify him from continuing in office.

There are great issues to be debated in this campaign - the War in Iraq, healthcare, the economy, the environment and energy, just to name a few. It is now my intention to get past this distraction and return to those issues"

- Steve Harrison

Endorsement for Harrison

By Tom Wrobleski
Staten Island Advance

Democratic congressional hopeful Steve Harrison has picked up the support of the Democratic Advancement PAC (DAPAC), a group that looks to elect "progressive" Democrats to office.

]]> "Harrison supports taking immediate steps to end the war in Iraq, publicly funded, single payer, universal healthcare and strong environmental protection," said DAPAC President Tom Cramer.

"He has pledged to vote for these crucial issues once in Congress. DAPAC is proud to add him as a newly endorsed candidate."

Harrison is battling Brooklyn City Councilman Domenic Recchia in a Democratic primary. The winner will face GOP Rep. Vito Fossella in the fall.

DAPAC says it provides tactical and strategic support for endorsed candidates, including fund-raising and GOTV expertise. DAPAC claims to have generated over 250,000 phone calls on behalf of the candidates they support.

The group has in the past endorsed Rep. Chris Van Hollen, chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

In Council Campaigns, Relatives on the Payroll

By Ray Rivera, Russ Buettner and William K. Rashbaum
New York Times

"A review by The New York Times found that more than a dozen of the 51 current members have used campaign funds to pay family members -- or themselves -- at election time..

..In Brooklyn, Domenic M. Recchia Jr. paid his wife $6,600 in rent in 2005 for the use of part of their family home as a campaign headquarters." ]]>

In 2005, when Larry B. Seabrook, a city councilman from the Bronx, was running for re-election, he committed close to $50,000 -- virtually all of his campaign's privately raised money -- to hiring one employee: his brother, the manager of a halfway house.

Mr. Seabrook is hardly alone among City Council members who have hired relatives to help with their political work. A review by The New York Times found that more than a dozen of the 51 current members have used campaign funds to pay family members -- or themselves -- at election time.

The list includes legislators like Helen Sears, from Queens, who has doled out more than $117,000 in campaign funds to family members since 2001 to help her win and keep her seat. In Brooklyn, Domenic M. Recchia Jr. paid his wife $6,600 in rent in 2005 for the use of part of their family home as a campaign headquarters.

It is not illegal to hire relatives to work on campaigns, although candidates are barred from using any city money provided for their campaigns to pay family members. The Campaign Finance Board said it regularly audits the use of campaign money and has not found that council members are routinely flouting its regulations.

And several council members said hiring relatives is a legitimate way to attract loyal and dedicated workers.

The test for when it is proper to hire a relative to work on a campaign, said one government watchdog, is asking whether the relative is chosen because he or she provides a necessary and particular skill, or is just a family member who could use some work.

"Certainly, having a relative as a campaign manager is something that happens a lot," said Susan Lerner, executive director of New York Common Cause, a nonprofit lobbying group that promotes open government. "I think that's a question of trust. But when there are other roles, the question always is: Is there value for the money, or is this just another way to divert campaign funds for personal use?"

The practice of hiring relatives does appear to be assisted, at least in part, by the city program that uses taxpayer dollars to finance campaigns. The central hope in creating the public financing program -- the city currently awards $6 for every dollar privately raised -- was to provide badly needed funds to candidates who might challenge incumbents, but lacked a ready machine for raising money.

The program was not designed, analysts said, to provide surplus money to candidates in uncontested races who might find themselves able to afford a range of additional expenses, including the hiring of relatives as campaign workers. Indeed, The Times's review found several instances in which relatives were paid from political treasuries swollen by the addition of public matching funds and in which the candidates were involved in barely competitive races.

In Mr. Seabrook's case, for instance, he went to the Campaign Finance Board in 2005 seeking the additional taxpayer money in part because he said he feared a hotly contested challenge from a rival he asserted was going to be backed by Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg.

There was little evidence, however, that his opponent, George Rubin, actually posed a threat. In Mr. Rubin's prior try for public office, a State Senate race, he garnered 531 votes out of more than 90,000 cast. But the Campaign Finance Board approved $71,000 in public matching funds for Mr. Seabrook, nearly double what he raised privately.

The competition never surfaced, though. Mr. Rubin got no financial help from Mr. Bloomberg, or anyone else, never spent a dime on the race, and lost badly to Mr. Seabrook, who collected 87 percent of the vote.

The Council's spending habits have been the subject of increasing scrutiny. Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn admitted several weeks ago that the Council had routinely stored public money in holding accounts using fictitious names for local community groups, and later awarded the money to neighborhood organizations in the districts of individual council members. And two aides to a Brooklyn councilman were indicted recently, accused of misusing tens of thousands of dollars in public money.

Though city regulations prohibit candidates from using public money to hire relatives, city officials have long recognized that the taxpayer dollars have the effect of freeing up private funds to do just that.

After the 2003 election, the campaign board said in a report: "Although there are instances in which family members can be appropriately paid, the board realizes the need to address the appearance that public funds are subsidizing both appropriate and possibly inappropriate payments to family members." Among the actions the board had taken, the report states, was stepping up family disclosure requirements for candidates.

Two years later, Frederick A. O. Schwarz Jr., then the board chairman, said the hiring of relatives by campaigns remained an issue that the city needed to tackle. One idea on the table then, which has never been enacted, was to tally up the amount of private campaign funds being paid out to relatives and to deduct it from the public matching funds for which a candidate had qualified.

One of the issues has long been that some of the spending occurs in races where a candidate has only token opposition. Last year, at the urging of the Campaign Finance Board, the City Council and Mayor Bloomberg tried to address the issue as a part of a series of campaign finance overhauls. Among the requirements, candidates must prove they have legitimate opposition before receiving public matching funds, like showing their opponents have received a major endorsement or won at least 25 percent of the vote in a previous election.

In recent years, council members have used campaign money to offset the cost of their homes, hire relatives for poll work and as paid campaign consultants. One council member paid her father, a former councilman, for political advice. Another sprinkled cash on eight relatives, including a brother- and sister-in-law, for campaign help.

Ms. Sears, for example, hired one son to run her campaign and another to act as her treasurer in 2005. She raised $178,901 in private money and received $92,749 in public funds for that race. Stuart Sears was paid $31,375 as campaign manager and her other son, Todd Sears, received $21,675 to act as her treasurer.

In all, she has paid her two sons and her daughter-in-law $117,322 since 2001, and says she is lucky to have her sons work for her.

"The fact of the matter is, when you're in a campaign, you need those who are very trustworthy, and my sons are the most trustworthy people you can find," she said. "I've never been in trouble with the Campaign Finance Board, and that is very key, and my sons run a winning campaign. I can't ask for anything more than that. I consider myself to be very blessed."

Sometimes, the campaign board requires that family members be paid, in particular in cases when they are professionals who earn a living performing the same skills, like accounting, for which the campaign is using them.

Peter F. Vallone Jr., for example, a City Council member from Queens, paid his brother, Paul, $7,500 to work as a treasurer for his campaign in 2001. He said the board told him he had to pay his brother, who is a lawyer, or the work would have been considered an in-kind contribution.

Ms. Sears declined to answer questions about her sons' professional backgrounds and what political experience they had when she first hired them for her 2001 campaign.

Others who have hired relatives are Councilwoman Helen D. Foster of the Bronx, who has paid her mother for compliance work and rent for a "treasurer's headquarters," and her father, former Councilman Wendell Foster, for campaign consulting. She did not return phone calls seeking comment.

During his closely contested 2001 race, James Sanders Jr., from Queens, paid his brother, Raphael Sanders, a construction worker, $2,100 for services including moving, cleaning and staffing his campaign office.

"When a person runs, usually you're called on to find people who believe in you," Mr. Sanders said in an interview. "If your family does not believe in you, then that should be an indicator of your worthiness."

Councilman James F. Gennaro of Queens paid nearly $49,000 to his stepson, Richard O'Malley, for work on his 2001, 2003 and 2005 campaigns.

Mr. Gennaro's campaign compliance lawyer, Laurence Laufer, said in a statement that "all employees and consultants were paid market rates as required by the Campaign Finance Board, with whom staffing compensation matters passed muster following a detailed review."

Mr. Seabrook was billed $82,752 by his brother Oliver for work on his 2003 and 2005 election campaigns. Mr. Laufer, who also represents Mr. Seabrook, said Mr. Seabrook still owed his brother about $40,000 for work from the 2005 campaign. The campaign is now in debt, according to campaign finance records.

Those records show that Oliver Seabrook, who works as the director of the Bronx Community Re-entry Center, served as a campaign manager, as a consultant at breakfasts and black-tie dinners, and on fund-raising and petition drives. A woman who answered the phone at the halfway house on Wednesday said Oliver Seabrook does not accept calls from newspapers.

"I believe it's a liability that is certainly expected to be paid, but it hasn't been paid at this point in time," said Mr. Laufer. "He would have to raise new campaign money to pay it."

Like Mr. Recchia and Ms. Foster, other council members used a portion of their campaign to pay rent to themselves or close relatives. Kendall Stewart of Brooklyn, for example, paid his wife, Selene, a total of $3,600 in 2003 and 2005 for office space.

Darlene Mealy, who took office in 2006, paid herself $3,500 in rent in 2005 to offset the cost of using a portion of her two-bedroom apartment Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, as a campaign office. She paid herself $350 a month, according to the records she filed with the Campaign Finance Board.

Ms. Mealy declined comment on her rent payments, although an aide, David Jackson, who identified himself as her chief of staff, said "I don't think your facts are right" when asked about them.

A spokesman for the Campaign Finance Board, Eric Friedman, said the agency had audited Ms. Mealy's spending, visited her apartment and reviewed records her campaign had filed and found no irregularities. Mr. Friedman said that the city's standard is to determine if campaign activity is occurring in a location for which rent is being paid and locations that meet that standard, regardless of ownership, are not a problem.

"In her case, these things did not set off alarms," he said.

But one government watchdog said the practice of candidates paying themselves rent can create an appearance problem.

"That's very questionable, it seems to me," Ms. Lerner, of Common Cause, said of the rent payments. "It's always the type of thing which makes ordinary voters suspicious of the motives of the candidates. It's the sort of thing that makes ordinary voters dislike politicians."

Remember Dick Cheney

Editorial
The Brooklyn Paper

Rep. Vito Fossella -- the city's lone Republican congressman -- spent considerable time in his 2006 re-election campaign running away from the policies of an unpopular President Bush.
]]> Never mind that the vast majority of Bush's failed agenda has had Fossella's rubber stamp. With Congress on the verge of a Democratic takeover two years ago -- and with the Bay Ridge-Staten Island district mostly populated by Democrats -- Fossella banked on voters' short memories and rode a falsified anti-Bush message back to Washington, where he remains the consummate anti-abortion rights, pro-gun, pro-pork, pro-Big Oil, anti-immigration Conservative.

So now, when he needs big bucks for his latest re-election campaign, whom did Fossella call in?

None other than Vice President Dick Cheney.

There's no surprise why Fossella reached out to the big gun for Monday's hundreds-per-plate luncheon: While reviled by nearly three-quarters of the country, Cheney is still well liked by a Totonno's-thin upper crust of America -- many of them loyal GOP donors.

Cheney did his job, filling Fossella's coffers, and then he left.

Fossella is hoping that voters will forget that when he needed to keep alive his hopes for a sixth term, he turned to Cheney (naturally, the campaign did not allow photographers to capture the back-slapping and glad-handing going on inside billionaire David Koch's Upper East Side mansion. Of course not -- those photos would be worth two Cheney fundraisers to Fossella's Democratic opponents, Steve Harrison and Councilman Domenic Recchia).

Cheney departed after dessert -- on the people's airplane, Air Force 2.

Political experts told The Brooklyn Paper that Fossella risked little by having the unpopular Cheney stump for him in Manhattan's Gucci Gulch. After all, one consultant told us, voters have short memories.

But voters have it in their power to prove that adage wrong.

This November, one factor in choosing a candidate should be remembering who his friends are.

Fossella, King Seek to Force Vote on FISA Bill

Empire State News

Congressmen Vito Fossella (R-NY13) and Peter King (R-NY3) began circulating a discharge petition Wednesday to force a vote on the bipartisan Senate FISA modernization bill.
]]> The lawmakers said they were taking the rare step of coordinating a discharge petition, which allows a bill to be brought to the floor for a vote without the consent of House leaders, to restore a key tool in the War on Terrorism. A total of 218 signatures are needed to require a vote on the bill.

Fossella said, "House leaders shut down the ability of intelligence officials to quickly monitor the communications of terrorists overseas. We know that this law helped prevent attacks from occurring, and its expiration has prevented intelligence officials from getting all the information they need to keep us safe. The intelligence community must have every legal tool at its disposal to detect and disrupt terrorists before they can launch a new attack. When it comes to national security, Congress should work across party lines to protect our nation. We have no choice but to take this step to force House leaders to bring this bipartisan anti-terror bill to the floor for a vote."

King, the Ranking Member of the House Homeland Security Committee, said, "The war on terror is too important for Congress to play partisan games with FISA. We must give our intelligence professionals the tools they need to protect us, and we must provide legal protection to those Americans who step forward to protect us. This is why I have joined with Congressman Fossella in introducing the stronger Senate bill, which will better protect New York and our nation from the threat of Islamic terrorism."

The FISA modernization bill is needed to allow intelligence officials to quickly monitor the communications of suspected terrorists overseas without first obtaining a warrant. A temporary fix of the FISA law, which was enacted in August 2007, expired in February and House leaders have since refused to bring a bill to the floor that would make these changes permanent.

GOP Makes FISA Bid

By Jennifer Yachnin
Roll Call

In their latest effort to force federal wiretapping legislation favored by the Bush administration onto the House floor, Republicans are pressing conservative Democratic lawmakers to sign onto a discharge petition.
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Rep. Vito Fossella (R-N.Y.), along with Republican Reps. Lamar Smith (Texas), Pete Hoekstra (Mich.) and Peter King (N.Y.), introduced the discharge petition Wednesday, which counted more than 100 signatures -- all from GOP lawmakers -- by early evening.

But GOP lawmakers hope to add the signatures of members of the Democratic Blue Dog Coalition, many of whom represent conservative-leaning districts and have previously endorsed the legislation expanding the warrantless wiretap program.

"This is an opportunity for the 21 Blue Dog Democrats who signed a letter supporting the bipartisan, Senate-passed FISA bill to prove that they are serious about America's national security," said Michael Steel, House Minority Leader John Boehner's (R-Ohio) spokesman. "Will they choose to protect their constituents or will they back the Democratic leadership in kowtowing to trial lawyers and liberal special interests?"

The petition, which would require 218 signatures to succeed, would force a Senate-approved measure to expand the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act to the House floor.

Democratic House leaders have strenuously opposed that legislation, however, over objections to provisions -- stipulated by President Bush and Congressional Republicans -- that would provide retroactive immunity provisions for telecommunications companies that aided the Bush administration in warrantless wiretapping.

The House approved its own version of the warrantless wiretap program in March after weeks of negotiations with the Senate faltered. That bill eliminated those immunity provisions and instead provided for secure proceedings for telecom companies to defend their actions in court, and to allow the judicial branch to address pending lawsuits.

While that vote provided political cover to conservative Democrats, one senior Blue Dog lawmaker, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, acknowledged that some of the coalition's freshmen may be compelled to sign the discharge petition.

"A lot of them feel a lot of political pressure from the right to go with the president's position," the Democratic lawmaker said.

But the Blue Dogs will make a concerted effort to sway their members from signing the discharge petition.

"It's a tactic of the minority to gain control of the floor," the Democratic lawmaker said. "We will talk to our folks as much as we can about what a discharge petition is and what it does."

Although negotiations between the White House, House and Senate have resumed, an agreement has remained elusive.

But House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) expressed optimism Wednesday that an agreement could be reached before the Memorial Day recess in late May.

There has been movement. We have been moving forward," Hoyer said. "I think good discussions are going on."

Bay Ridge's 'Green Spa' Grand Opening

By Harold Egeln
Brooklyn Eagle

It's getting easier being "green" but it sure takes a lot of hard work. On Earth Day on Tuesday evening, over 100 Brooklyn business and civic leaders celebrated its "eco-pioneering" small business, The Spa and Wellness Center/Green Spa New York at 8804 Third Ave.
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"We're happy to be celebrating our 10th anniversary in Bay Ridge on Third Avenue with our business transformed into the Green Spa," said Sheila Brody, co-owner of the spa. "We are the first all green spa and the first all green building in Bay Ridge. This is a building of hope and encouragement, taking a lead that this can be done."

The business opened 10 years ago on the block, with only one floor. Three years ago it moved into a neighboring building when the spa owners embarked on transforming the entire three-story brick building into a luxurious environmentally friendly haven made of recycled natural furniture, walls, floors and ceilings, and offering a wide array of natural organic products and services.

Solar power was added and an energy-saving infrastructure was installed. "Our Green Movement is dedicated to (using the letters SPA for) Spirituality, Personal Care and Awareness," its business purpose states. People were given tours at the gala, and treated to jazz music and catered refreshments in its backyard tea garden.

"This is the second green business opening in Bay Ridge that I've been to," said Borough President Marty Markowitz, accompanied by Chief of Staff Carlo Scissura. "The first was a few blocks down the avenue, Little Cupcake, the first bakery in Brooklyn that's all green. This Green Spa effort is a wonderful effort by the owners... You've taken a bold step for other businesses to follow your lead." "The Green Spa can serve as a prototype for environmentally friendly businesses along Third Avenue," said Bob Howe, president of the Merchants of Third Avenue. "The owners live and work in our community and are giving back to the community with their business and civic activity."

Bay Ridge resident Rosalie Rance, the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce's membership director, launched the ribbon-cutting ceremony remarks. "There are great people behind this business. They have created three floors using recycled material for their rooms, furniture and décor, and offer a variety of organic natural items to help people feel and look good."

The spa, a longtime member of the Merchants of Third Avenue, and its owners are among those being honored this year as the organization's "2008 Pioneers of Third Avenue." The business, Rance said, is also one of the newest members of the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, and among several chamber businesses adopting green power, products and décor.

"It's a small green and family owned business with a large space and staff, and a bounty of natural product and service offerings," said Chamber President Carl Humm in his welcome to the new chamber member.

The Green Spa was praised by elected officials on all levels of government. "This is truly a great day for Bay Ridge, Brooklyn and the City of New York," said state Senator Marty Golden. "You are sending a green signal to other stores, saying, 'If I can do it here, you can do it, too!'"

"The City Council is taking leadership in helping the environment, and the council recently passed the Climate Control Act," said Council Member Vincent Gentile, noting that the spa is in tune with the city. "Here in Bay Ridge we're shouting the praises of a green business right now."

"They've done a heck of a job here," said Democratic congressional hopeful Steve Harrison, who had served as Community Board 10 chair a few years ago. "We need more of this type of green business." Harrison has made a clean energy policy based on the scale of the 1960's Apollo Moon exploration project as a keystone of his campaign.

Activists Protest Dick And Vito Fundraiser

By Thomas Good
Next Left Notes

Republican congressman Vito Fossella, long derided by progressives as 'Bush's rubber stamp' is running for re-election. According to watchdog group Truth 13 Fossella is low on funds and his campaign is vulnerable. On April 21 billionaire oil baron David H. Koch hosted a fundraiser to help Fossella's faltering campaign. The guest of honor at Koch's upper east side home was another unpopular republican - Vice President Dick Cheney.
]]> Citing Cheney's support of torture and Koch's record of legal difficulties - Koch Industries is responsible for more than 300 oil spills in five states and was accused of fraudulent reporting by a 1989 U.S. Senate Committee on Investigations - an array of activists held a protest outside the fundraiser. Members of the Raging Grannies, CodePINK, Peace Action, the World Can't Wait and Movement for a Democratic Society were shunted by police to a location a block and a half away from the fundraiser but made the most of their opportunity to dissent.

Among those present at the protest was Fossella's congressional challenger, Democrat Steve Harrison. Harrison was "confronted" by street theatre group the "Filthy Rich for Fossella" who argued in favor of greed and torture. Harrison responded with a call to end the politics of oil and avarice - and a call to defend both the Constitution and the environment.

"Vito Fauxsella", aka John Lawrence of Peace Action, also made an appearance. Fauxsella told the crowd that "what makes America beautiful" is that "we can spend your money in wise ways" - to make "the absurd, the immoral, seem normal and acceptable."

Shortly after 10:30 A.M. the demonstrators jeered as Cheney's motorcade - a fleet of black SUVs - passed by. The "Filthy Rich" cheered Cheney and urged the crowd to "embrace Dick Cheney and his Big Oil money."

House Republicans Face Tough Sell On FISA Petition

By Daniel Reilly
The Politico

House Republicans introduced a discharge petition on controversial electronic surveillance legislation Wednesday, hoping to lure enough Democrats to the petition to force the House to take up a Senate-passed version of the bill.

Republican Rep. Vito Fossella of New York and others began circulating the petition, hoping to get the 218 signatures necessary to force the House to take up the bill. Fossella's bill is virtually identical to the Senate version of an update to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.
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With the overwhelming majority of the 191 House Republicans expected to sign on to the discharge petition, GOP leaders have been targeting conservative "Blue Dog" Democrats, after 21 of them sent House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) a letter in January urging her to pass a FISA update, even if it meant voting on the Senate bill.

However, an informal survey of Blue Dogs indicated the discharge petition would be a tough sell.

"I am not going to sign it," said Rep. Tim Mahoney (D-Fla.) a member of the Blue Dogs. "I just don't think it is necessary."

Fellow Blue Dog Rep. Michael Arcuri (D-N.Y.) agreed with Mahoney, saying he would not subvert the rules process by signing the petition.

"I like the House version of FISA better than the Senate bill anyway," added Arcuri.

Harrison doth protest

By Tom Wrobleski
Staten Island Advance

Here's some video of Democratic congressional candidate Steve Harrison protesting outside the Upper East Side building where Vice President Dick Cheney attended a fund-raiser for GOP Rep. Vito Fossella on Monday. The event was held in the home of David Koch, billionaire owner of the Koch Industries oil company, which Harrison called one of the biggest polluters around (see here, here and here for details).

Continue reading "Harrison doth protest"

Cheney Attends Fossella Fundraiser To Boost City's Only GOP Congressman

By Harold Egeln
Brooklyn Daily Eagle

While Republican Congressman Vito Fossella basked in the praise of Vice President Dick Cheney yesterday at a Manhattan fundraiser, the race between Fossella and erstwhile Democratic challenger Steve Harrison has erupted into a war of words over the tobacco industry lobby and legislation about the Federal Drug Administration.
]]> "Republicans in New York are in free fall, and Cheney's visit to New York just proves Vito Fossella's campaign is flagging," said Carrie James, a spokeswoman for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee in Washington, told the New York Times.

Even before Cheney's New York visit, the Staten Island-Brooklyn congressman was fuming over what he claimed are "misleading statements" about him made by Bay Ridge attorney Harrison, one of his two Democratic challengers seeking to be their party's candidate. The comments were made at a Democratic political forum in Manhattan last Tuesday evening.

"Vito Fossella has made a determination that, all of a sudden, he wants the FDA to take orders from the tobacco lobby," said Harrison, talking to an audience of about 40 people. Harrison mentioned a recent Supreme Court ruling, which he said, would "protect tobacco."

"Do you think that maybe the tobacco lobby took a little hint here?" asked Harrison, who suggested that Fossella and the tobacco backers are saying to themselves, "we can get a lot of money from the tobacco lobby. What we're going to do right now is pass laws that will actually protect tobacco."

Fossella Blasts Harrison's 'Half-Truths'

"These are the same lies, distortions and half-truths that 'Cigarette Steve' has been spreading like a virus," replied Fossella. "Now it appears that [he] is suggesting that Ted Kennedy, the American Cancer Society, and Tobacco-Free Kids are conspiring with the tobacco companies to protect them." Fossella accused Harrison of misleading the audience with an assertion that the bill was written after a Supreme Court decision in March "to protect tobacco." Fossella said the legislation has been "in the works for several years."

Campaign Lights-Up With Controversy

The battling candidates were talking about what Fossella called a "bipartisan landmark bill" now before Congress, co-authored by Democrats Senator Ted Kennedy and Congressman Henry Waxman, called the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act. It would authorize the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to regulate tobacco products.

In 1996, the FDA attempted to take over regulation of the tobacco industry, but was rebuffed by a 2000 Supreme Court decision, which stated that legislation was needed by Congress to grant the FDA such authority.

The bill would grant the FDA the ability to ban the sale of all tobacco products to minors, bring an end to all tobacco advertising targeted at children, require full disclosure of the toxic makeup of tobacco products, and prohibit unproven health claims about light tobacco and low-tar tobacco products. "'Cigarette Steve' is siding with the Bush Administration in opposing this bill," said Fossella. "His comments are more toxic than a Camel cigarette. 'Cigarette Steve' can give Joe Camel a run for his money. I am supporting this bill."

"I stand by what I said at the forum," said Harrison on Friday. "Congressman Fossella has taken money from the tobacco lobby. That's a fact. He has not signed onto this legislation, as far as I know." Harrison did not confirm that he himself opposes the bill.

Harrison has targeted Democratic primary challenger City Councilman Domenic Recchia, claiming the councilman has not appeared at a number of Democratic Party Club political forums. There have been no face-to-face debates between the two Democrats.

Harrison, waging his second consecutive campaign opposing Fossella, has received the endorsements of the American Political Heritage Organization, former assemblyman and judge Frank Barbaro, feminist leader and author Gloria Steinem, the National Progressive Democrats for America, and Democratic Organization of the County of Richmond.

In their campaigns, as of April 1, according to Federal Election Commission figures, Harrison has raised $151,650 and Recchia has outdone him with $325,175. This also puts Recchia ahead of Fossella by $76,000. The congressman has $248,496 on hand, a sum certainly to be boosted by yesterday's Manhattan fundraiser with Cheney as cheerleader.

Harrison Talks Green, Slams Fossella And Cheney

By Elizabeth Benjamin
Daily News

Here's Democrat Steve Harrison, who's taking another crack at trying to unseat Rep. Vito Fossella, at a protest outside the Staten Island Republican's fundraiser yesterday at which VP Dick Cheney was the special guest.
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In the video, Harrison uses environmentalism as a motivator for ousting Republicans like his opponents from office, praises people from the Sierra Club and the League of Conservation Voters who "support the Earth" and "support candidates who support the Earth."

"What we're looking at across here is something that's for Vito Fossella," Harrison says. "it's a fundraiser by Koch Industries, which is one of the worst pollutors in the history of the United States and possibly the world, has been hit by some of the largest fines that have ever been given out for pollution in the United States.

And who's accepting the money from them? And who's going to be beholden to them in the future should he be elected? That's Vito Fossella."

Harrison goes on to assail Cheney and his history with Halliburton, adding: "We know how he feels about the environment. And who is Vito Fossella going to be beholden to if he's elected will be Dick Cheney. We can't allow that to happen."

The fundraiser was held at the home of David Koch, the executive VP of Koch Industries, which has major gas and oil holdings.

Councilman Domenic Recchia is also raising money for a likely primary against Harrison for the Democratic nod to challenge Fossella, although he has yet to formally announce his candidacy.

Fossella entertains Cheney at billionaire's fund-raiser

Challenger Harrison joins protest outside Manhattan home of lawmaker's host

By Tom Wrobleski
Staten Island Advance

While one of his Democratic challengers joined dozens of protesters on the sidewalk below, GOP Rep. Vito Fossella entertained Vice President Dick Cheney at a Fossella fund-raiser hosted by billionaire oil executive David Koch yesterday at Koch's Upper East Side home.

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Fossella (R-Staten Island/Brooklyn), as he has done in the past,
declined to say how much was raised at the event, saying only that it
was a "success."

"It accomplished the goal of helping us to raise the money we'll need
to run a competitive race," Fossella said.

The exact take won't be known until the Fossella campaign files
financial disclosure forms with the Federal Election Commission.

Democrat Stephen Harrison lambasted Fossella for joining with Koch,
whose oil company has been fined millions of dollars for environmental
violations.

Pointing to the celebration of Earth Day today, Harrison said:

"The timing of the fund-raiser drove this as much as anything. Koch
Industries is one of the most prolific polluters of the environment
that we're aware of."

In 2000, Koch Industries agreed to pay $35 million in fines and
penalties as part of a settlement over alleged contamination of lakes
and streams in six states from Missouri to Texas.

At the time, it was the largest civil penalty ever levied against a
single company under the Clean Water Act.

In 2001, Koch Industries agreed to pay a $20 million fine to avoid
trial on charges it violated federal air pollution laws and then tried
to cover it up.

"These are the kind of people that you'd expect an experienced
politician to run away from," said Harrison, who lost a 2006 race to
Fossella.

But Fossella called Koch Industries "an American success story."

"They employ tens of thousands of people, they believe in free
markets, and innovation and creativity," Fossella said. "I think that
sounds pretty good."

Not that Fossella totally discounted the environmental concerns.

"There is always a concern," he said. "There are times when these
things happen. But nobody fought harder than me, for example, to close
the Fresh Kills landfill, which was an environmental nightmare."

Fossella called Harrison's remarks "misleading."

"He used these tactics last time, running a negative campaign that was
rejected overwhelmingly by the people of Staten Island and Brooklyn,"
he said. "It seems to be the same drumbeat."

Harrison, a Brooklyn attorney, joined about 50 or 60 other protesters
-- including pro-environmentalists, anti-war activists and those
calling for President Bush to be impeached -- outside Koch's building.

He said the fund-raiser featuring Cheney, whose approval rating hovers
around 20 percent, "shows that Congressman Fossella continues to be
out of touch with what's happening out there."

Said Fossella, "To be effective, I have to work with all people to
serve the people of my community, including the vice president."

Harrison is running in a primary against Brooklyn City Councilman
Domenic Recchia.

Fossella's most recent filing with the FEC showed him with about
$76,000 less in cash on hand than Recchia.

Cheney to Support New York Lawmaker at Fund-Raiser

By Jonathan Hicks
New York Times

Vice President Dick Cheney is scheduled to attend a fund-raising luncheon on Monday in Manhattan on behalf of United States Representative Vito J. Fossella Jr., who is running for a sixth full term.
]]> Mr. Cheney's visit puts a spotlight on a race that Democrats believe they can contest even though Mr. Fossella is an incumbent from the strongly Republican 13th Congressional District.

The event is likely to boost financing significantly for Mr. Fossella's bid for another term as the only Republican member of Congress from New York City. His district covers Staten Island and parts of Brooklyn.

Democrats contend that Mr. Fossella's continued support of the war in Iraq has put him out of touch with the district. Furthermore, they say, Staten Island has been hit hard by the nation's mortgage crisis and health care has deteriorated.

The fund-raiser for Mr. Fossella will be at the Upper East Side home of David H. Koch, the billionaire executive vice president of Koch Industries, a company with major oil and gas holdings.

Democrats from Staten Island to Washington said that Mr. Cheney's support signaled that the Bush administration had to come to Mr. Fossella's aid.

"Republicans in New York are in free fall, and Cheney's visit to New York just proves Vito Fossella's campaign is flagging," said Carrie James, a spokeswoman for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee in Washington. "Rather than bring home necessary resources to meet the needs of his district, Vito Fossella is embracing Dick Cheney and his Big Oil money to resurrect his failing campaign."

Mr. Fossella, 43, has been popular in his moderate-to-conservative district since winning the Congressional seat in a special election in 1997. The district voted for George W. Bush for president in 2004 and, before that, overwhelmingly for Rudolph W. Giuliani for mayor. But Democrats say the district's demographics have shifted slightly to become more moderate and less Republican.

Still, Mr. Fossella said that he found much support for his political positions among district residents. "I think that the people of Staten Island and Brooklyn have focused on my record of being an independent fighter, whether fighting for more homeland security funding for New York, or lowering taxes and finding positive ways for our economy to grow," he said during the weekend.

Two years ago, Mr. Fossella saw his Democratic rival, Steve Harrison, a Brooklyn lawyer, fare better than any previous opponent, garnering about 43 percent of the vote against the congressman in the general election. But this year, the Democrats are in an internal squabble.

Mr. Harrison is running again, insisting that he can prevail in a second bid, but it seems likely he will first have to win a primary. City Councilman Domenic Recchia Jr. of Brooklyn is raising money as he considers challenging Mr. Fossella.

The race in the 13th Congressional District is mirroring presidential politics, with the two Democratic hopefuls spending as much time attacking each other as their Republican rival.

"Without a doubt, I'm better prepared to do the job than Steve Harrison," Mr. Recchia said. "I have the knowledge and I have the experience."

Similarly, Mr. Harrison insisted that Mr. Recchia was poorly positioned to run against Mr. Fossella. "He's term-limited, and that speaks loads about why he's running," Mr. Harrison said. "He has taken positions on resolutions in the City Council that indicate that he's not in favor of getting out of Iraq. He is someone who doesn't subscribe to Democratic values. He's almost Republican in nature."

Mr. Recchia has raised $350,000 for the race, and has $325,000 in cash on hand. Mr. Fossella has about $250,000 in cash on hand after spending about $600,000 of the $850,000 he raised. Mr. Harrison has raised $150,000 so far, and has $91,000 on hand.

Both Mr. Recchia and Mr. Harrison offer similar critiques of Congressman Fossella.

"The biggest issue is the war, and then the economy," Mr. Recchia said. "And Vito Fossella has been on the wrong side of those issues. The Bush-Fossella tax cuts aren't working, and the people on Staten Island and Brooklyn want someone who will stand up for them."

Similarly, Mr. Harrison said Mr. Fossella was not in tune with his district's concerns. "The other important issue that looms large is the economy's problems and how we're going to address them, not to mention energy and the environment," he said. "I don't see Vito Fossella getting out ahead on those things."

For his part, Mr. Fossella said he was proud to have the vice president supporting him. "I'm pleased not only that he has stepped up, but that so many others have supported my re-election," he said.

Fossella Challenger Harrison Speaks At Manhattan Democratic Forum

By Harold Egeln
Brooklyn Eagle

The race by two Democrats to unseat Congressman Vito Fossella, the only Republican in the city's congressional delegation, has caught the attention of Manhattan Democrats, wanting to say "farewell" in November to the Staten Island-Brooklyn Republican after 10 years in office.
]]> On Tuesday evening candidate Steve Harrison, the Bay Ridge attorney who wracked-up 43 percent of the vote in his 2006 race against Fossella, spoke at a Congressional candidates forum in Tribeca sponsored by four liberal Democratic clubs. They are Democracy For NYC, Village Reform Democratic Club, Stonewall Democratic Club of NYC and Three Parks Independent Club.

Council Member Domenic Recchia Jr. (Gravesend-Coney Island-west Bensonhurst), who plans to face-off Harrison in the September Democratic primary election, did not attend. It was noted that he was unable to attend three previous candidates' forums in Bay Ridge. The American Heritage Political Organization recently endorsed Harrison.

Of Recchia's absence, Harrison quoted Woody Allen, "90 percent of life is about showing up." Recchia was attending a senior citizen organization's meeting on his home turf, according to a blogger on the Staten Island Advance web site Wednesday.

Recchia is ahead in campaign fund raising, with a total of $350,460 to Harrison's $151,650, according to the Federal Election Commission.

Harrison spoke about the record of Congressman Fossella and his ties with the Bush-Cheney Administration. Harrison spelled out his political agenda that includes quickly withdrawn U.S. troops from Iraq without endangering them, a new energy policy on the scale of the Apollo Moon program that would include issues of security, the environment and economy, and bringing lost jobs and manufacturing back to the USA.