Senator Jeff Klein Re-elected UPDATED

UPDATED on Primary Day

  Yes I know that it is the day before the Democratic primary, but I wanted to share this part my weekly column with you which will be in Thursday's Bronx News. Did the Riverdale Press endorse Oliver Koppell as is implied in one of the Koppell mailings, or did Oliver Koppell try to deceive the voters.

Riverdale Report

By Robert Press

Senator Klein Re-Elected

   While this column is being written before Primary day 2014 the headline should be correct. I say it that way, because in the 34^th State Senate race challenger Oliver Koppell turned into almost everything that he had accused Senator Klein of being. From the very first word in the debates to the mailings by candidate Oliver Koppell he attacked Senator Jeff Klein since Oliver Koppell had no record to run on. Senator Klein did not have enough time in the debates or room on his mailings to extol his proven track record, which reached new heights for the 34^th Senate District, New York City, and New York State in the past two years. He has proven that he deserves to be re-elected and received the endorsement of almost everyone, and almost every union.

  In a mailing from candidate Koppell that disturbed me the most there was the four page review of his endorsements all 11 or 12 that is, if the Riverdale Press really endorsed candidate Koppell. The list is unimpressive especially with Betsy Gotbaum who had to be the worse Public Advocate, and the reason then Mayor Bloomberg wanted to get rid of the office at the top. There is a photo of candidate Koppell at a rally, but it is of candidate Koppell running for Attorney General with the words State Senate under the photo. By the way Oliver Koppell was never elected Attorney General he was anointed by the New York State Assembly to fill the vacant position. The words 'Vote to end corruption in Albany' are also below of the AG photo, and we see how good a job AG Koppell did.

  As for the Riverdale Press endorsement, the back page of the mailing has the New York Times endorsement – 'We enthusiastically support Mr. Koppel in this district'. Right under the New York Times endorsement is the Riverdale Press editorial 'Editorial: The honorable Mr. Koppell', with the words at the bottom of the page saying 'On September 9^th Vote for Oliver Koppell.' In checking the September 4^th Riverdale Press (the last before Tuesday's Democratic primary) the headline of the editorial reads 'Yes, you must vote.' In the very last paragraph they say that never endorse a candidate, and upon rechecking the Koppell mailer carefully I noticed the date of the Riverdale Press supposedly endorsement is November 7, 2013. Also in the September 4^th paper however are two half page ads for candidate Koppell that appear in no other local newspaper. One on the back page, and one on the page opposite the editorial where letters to the editor are usually found. The question is did the Riverdale Press silently endorse Oliver Koppell as its many articles the past weeks would also indicate, or did candidate Oliver Koppell try to device the voters into thinking that the paper had endorsed him?

UPDATE PRIMARY DAY 2014.

That's 81st A.D. District Leader Bruce Feld on the left, State Senator Jeff Klein in the middle, and Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz on the right talking to a voter who has come to vote at the Riverdale Kingsbridge Academy a.k.a. MS/HS 141 the largest poll site in Riverdale. Senator Klein's opponent Oliver Koppell can be seen in the background. Voting was the usual light at 10 AM time.

 I asked candidate Oliver Koppell about the mailing described above and Koppell had no comment. Also at the poll site was the associate editor of the Riverdale Press who said that the newspaper does not endorse candidates. Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz said he was shocked by the mailing and it does appear that Koppell is trying to deceive the voters in the mailing. Senator Klein did not want to comment on the record.