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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 29, 2009
Contact: Jeanne Wilcke, Campaign Manager, rednyc@mac.com
Room Eight New York City Politics 05/19/09
City Councilmember Alan Gerson, had a tough time this evening, Monday, May 18 during the endorsement meeting at his home club, the Village Reform Democratic Club (VRDC), barely squeaking out a victory that required a second run-off vote.
Everyone assumed Gerson would win by a landslide. After all, Gerson, past president of VRDC, was unanimously endorsed twice by his club, in 2001 and 2005. His mother was one of its founders. But his attendance record (9th worse out of 51 members) and his failure to produce any meaningful legislation worked against him, and the third time was not the charm. Apparently VRDC members felt Gerson's vote against term limits was too much a betrayal of the democratic process for a so-called Reform Club to accept.
Amid charges of voting irregularity (33 people cast 34 ballots), the first vote was 2 votes for Margaret Chin with challenger Pete Gleason and Gerson tied at 16/16. Some members left before the run-off ballot could take place, so the final vote was 16-12 Gerson-Gleason.
Gerson must be running scared, because the influential Downtown Independent Democrats endorsement is two weeks away. Pete Gleason is considered the favorite son and, although Gerson has been packing the club for the past month, club insiders feel, like many things that Gerson has done, it's too little, too late.
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