Having just watched the the 34th State Senate debate on New York 1, - I have to wonder just who is State Senator Jeff Klein running against. Is it former Councilman Oliver Koppell as the ballot will say or is it former 34th State Senate candidate Lorraine Coyle Koppell who lost to then State Senator Guy Velella in the year 2000. I come to that conclusion because this election seem to be a repeat of the 2000 election by many of the comments by candidate Oliver Koppell which I remember from his wife in 2000. Lorraine Coyle Koppell tried to portray then State Senator Guy Velella as the evil Republican much the same way Oliver Koppell is trying to do to Democratic State Senator Jeff Klein. Also Lorraine Coyle Koppell had her problem in Morris Park much the same way that Oliver Koppell is having.
The only real difference in this years election is that candidate Oliver Koppell does not know when to quit. He says that he has already won because Senator Klein and the IDC are returning to work with the Senate Democratic Conference as Senator Klein, Governor Cuomo, Mayor de Blasio, and many others have said. If Senator Klein goes back on his word as challenger Koppell says there will be another election in 2 years. It looks like the 2000 election all over since only the incumbent is running on his record, and the Koppell challenging the incumbent is saying vote for me I'm a Democrat.
As for the NY 1 debate candidate Koppell said that he knows the problems in Throggs Neck and Hunts Point not just Riverdale. Koppell had to apologize for a comment about the communities, saying that he meant the district set up. Senator Klein blasted Koppell for a lack of listening to his constituents about a proposed 11 story senior/criminally mentally ill building Klein said that one community opposed. Klein added that the building will now be for seniors only. The subject of the proposed 11 story medical center in Community Board 8 came up with Senator Klein saying that the law he and Assemblyman Dinowitz got passed has halted that. Klein added that it will be no larger than 6 stories with several stories of parking. After a few minutes of just what went on when Democrats had control of the state senate for 2 short years and the dysfunction Klein said went on, Koppell came back calling Klein the new Pedro Espada.
Senator Klein rattled off endorsement after endorsement from Governor Cuomo, Mayor de Blasio, and union after union, Koppell claimed that Klein got those endorsements by extortion for fear of continuing on with the Republican Senate Conference. Koppell called Klein the 'King of Pay to Play' and anti tennant, Klein responded with the legislation he had passed in Albany to protect homeowners and tennant's
This debate ended with Senator Klein calling Oliver Koppell the puppet of Mayor Bloomberg in helping Bloomberg repeal term limits in 2009 over the will of the voters. Klein added that Koppell's reason was that the voters were not sophisticated enough, and that Koppell believes people in the East Bronx are not broad minded. Koppell responded that he was not Bloombergs lap dog, he does not believe in term limits, and that he (Koppell) goes to Morris Park often to eat.
