Early Voting Starts June 13 in Tense CD 12 Congressional Race

A big union endorsement for Bores - In the highly competitive primary race for Jerry Nadler’s congressional seat for New York’s 12th Congressional district, Upper East Side Assembly member Alex Bores got the coveted endorsement of the United Federation of Teachers. Other contenders vying for the Nadler seat are three high-profile West Siders - Assembly Member Micah Lasher, JFK grandson Jack Schlossberg, anti-Trump espouser George Conway and ex-spouse of Trump’s former counsel, Kellyanne Conway and civil rights attorney Laura Dunn. With early polls showing up to a third of likely voters are still undecided, it will make for some hard campaigning down the home stretch before early voting gets underway on June 13.

According to City & State New York, Bores “has already scored endorsements from New York State United Teachers and PSC-CUNY, the union representing faculty and staff at the City University of New York,” with the UFT endorsement adding to Bores’s “support from educators across the state.”

Lasher, a one term assembly member picked up early end0rsements from most of the Dem political establishment including one-time bosses Nadler and Gov. Kathy Hochul and billionaire former mayor Mike Bloomberg who is pumping money into the campaign. Schlossberg is counting on Kennedy connection and was endorsed by former house speaker Nancy Pelosi.

PAC money is flowing in particularly in pro and con Alex Bores spending and it is emerging as one of the most expensive primaries in the country. Bores, Lasher, and Conway are buying ad space in all manner of media, making the rounds of podcasts and interview, and keeping the US Post Office busy with all manner of oversized mailings, including one from Lori Bores, Alex’s mom, who lives in CD 12.

Return of the Surrogate -The days of petitioning are done, over. And New York County Surrogate Rita Mella will be on the November ballot. She had no primary opposition. Like all candidates who want to run for office, incumbents (Mella’s an incumbent) included, have to petition to get on the ballot. And during the recent petitioning period, Mella was out there on the streets alongside her petition gatherers to get her and other Democrats on the November ballot and making the rounds of Democrat party events where the party faithful and petitioners phone bank, send out mailings, and generally work to get Democrat candidates on the ballot. Judges don’t actually do hard campaigning, but they do make the rounds of various local clubs, since the judge races are often likened to the Tammany Hall days when clubs picked the candidates.

The term for surrogate judge is 14 years. In her first race in 2012, Mella had a primary, and won. This time, with no opposition, she will be on the November ballot. And will continue as one of the two NY County Surrogates Court in the 1st Judicial District. Gingold is the other and was elected in 2022 after a 3-way primary.

She came to the United States from the Dominican Republic and is the first NYC surrogate of Dominican ancestry. Professionally, Judge Mella serves on the Unified Court System’s statewide Richard C. Failla LGBTQ Commission and the statewide Advisory Committee on Alternative dispute Resolution. She has also taught Administrative Law at CUNY Law School. And for over 30 years, she has served on the board of directors of the Dominican Women’s Development Center which provides social services in Northern Manhattan.

Mella will continue to preside over cases involving affairs of those who are deceased, including issues and matters that involve estates, wills, trust, adoptions, and guardianships. In her role as surrogate, Judge Mella has presided over hundreds of adoptions. Her decision in Matter of G, in which a same sex couple was seeking to adopt a child was decided in the couple’s favor back in June 2016. Mella said that decision made it possible for more children to find permanent homes and avoid long stays in foster care.

Manhattan Miscellany - So much is always happening. Can’t zero in on everything. And not easy picking and choosing. So here you go.

Skinny Louie Look for great smash burgers at the newly opened burger haven on 2nd Avenue between 81st/82nd Streets. It’s at the location previously occupied by Agora Turkish restaurant. For opening night they promised that the first hundred customers would be treated to free smash burgers. When I got there, the line was growing and the 89th free burger was given away. So they upped the ante and announced the next hundred would also be free. Good deal, but I was about number 150. And knew about Skinny Louie, the Miami- born smash burger chain, from their two other Manhattan locations. One’s at 11 Carmine Street in the West Village. The other’s at 1145 Broadway in NoMad.

The menu is short with three versions of the smash burger - the classic, the cheeseburger, the applewood bacon burger. I’ve had them with friends at the other locations. They’re good. So are the crispy fries, and the milkshakes.

Truth to tell. After waiting on line for the opening night’s free burger, I had to have a burger. Returning home and walking north on 3d Avenue, there was McDonald’s. I sprung for the McDouble and small fries. It was almost free at $5.65. But I’ll be returning to Skinny Louie, soon.

Hungry Panda street board/sandwich board signs - Confusion reigns. Along several streets and avenues there are double-sided, blackboards framed in what looks like yellow plastic. There’s a curve-out logo at the top showing a sitting panda raring to dine. Only problem is that the same panda adorns the same framed blackboard at several, maybe many, restaurant establishments. None are for the same restaurant or type of food. It was more than a little strange when I saw the sign in front of a newly opened shop on East 91st St, between 3rd/Lex. The storefront has a dark green canopy with lettering that spells out “Cleaners” and “Tailor” and the window’s lettering spells out “Oyishi Sushi” on one side and “Omakase to Go” and “Dine In” on the other. The double-sided board near the curb promises “A free piece of sushi. Is it a restaurant? A dry cleaners/tailor shop? And if you walk over to 2nd Avenue between 89th and 90th, you’ll find another Hungry Panda soliciting baked goods and coffee. As the NY Post’s Cindy Adams might say, Only in New York, kids, only in NY.