Let's see Julie Menin show us she can read NY Const. Art. 1, Sec. 3

Candidate Shows Early Fundraising Success

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By MICHAEL HOWARD SAUL

Julie Menin is the first candidate for Manhattan borough president to raise all the money she is legally entitled to spend in the 2013 primary, a milestone that gives her an edge in what will be a competitive race.

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Julie Menin in April

The borough presidency—a high-profile position with very limited powers—will become vacant next year because the incumbent, Scott Stringer, is planning to run for mayor.
In addition to Ms. Menin, three council members, all Democrats, have said they're seeking the borough presidency: Gale Brewer, Jessica Lappin and Robert Jackson.
Ms. Menin, who recently stepped down as chairwoman of the Lower Manhattan community board because of term limits, plans to report that she has raised more than $450,000 during the six-month fundraising period that ends Wednesday, bringing her total to more than $930,000 since she began fundraising in November.
Ms. Menin has $870,000 cash on hand, and with matching funds from the Campaign Finance Board she has collected the maximum she can spend before the Sept. 10, 2013, Democratic primary.
Ms. Lappin, who represents the Upper East Side, is closest to Ms. Menin in the competition for dollars. She is expected to report raising about $125,000 during the past six months, bringing her total to $740,000. Her fundraising total includes $213,000 in unused money she plans to transfer from her 2009 council re-election account.
Mr. Jackson, who represents a swath of Upper Manhattan including Washington Heights and Inwood, plans to report raising more than $100,000 in the past six months, an aide said. He had roughly $6,000 in his account as of January.
Mr. Jackson expects to reach the maximum before the election, but an aide said it will take him longer because he represents a district that isn't as wealthy as those his competitors represent. Ms. Brewer, who represents the Upper West Side, hasn't yet begun fundraising.
Candidates for public office, including those seeking to succeed Mayor Michael Bloomberg, are required to file their disclosure reports with the Campaign Finance Board by Monday.
For Ms. Menin, who is running for political office for the first time, her robust fundraising operation demonstrates the seriousness of her candidacy. By raising more than $900,000 in eight months, she's far outpaced others who have sought the borough presidency, including Mr. Stringer and his predecessor, Virginia Fields.
According to campaign finance rules, borough president candidates may spend about $1.45 million in the primary and about $135,000 in the three-year period preceding the election.
"I'm very pleased with the momentum that we've been able to achieve and I'm very honored by the outpouring of support," Ms. Menin said. "It's very important to achieve the maximum early because it will allow our campaign to focus on voter contact."
She has a total of 1,750 donors, most of whom contributed less than $250. Some of the higher-profile donors include Tim Zagat, co-founder of the eponymous restaurant guide; Agnes Gund, president emerita of the Museum of Modern Art; and Jon Patricof, president of the parent company of the Tribeca Film Festival.
Ms. Lappin, who expects to report $630,000 cash on hand, said she expects to raise all the money she needs for the primary by the end of this year.
"I'm within striking distance of being done and I'm very proud of that," Ms. Lappin said. "I feel terrific about where we are."
Ms. Brewer conceded she's been "very slow" to get started on fundraising, but she said she's been focused on representing her district on the council.
"I have been working in this field for a very long time and I have people who are very supportive and I feel confident that I can raise the money quickly," she said.
Ms. Brewer said she has "more experience than everybody else running." Still, she said, "I think it's a wide-open race."
Asked about Ms. Menin's fundraising prowess, Ms. Brewer replied, "She's raised a lot of money, but I think she doesn't have the name recognition."
Both Ms. Brewer and Mr. Jackson are being forced to vacate their seats on the council because of term limits. In fact, Ms. Brewer said "if I could I would" stay on the council.
Ms. Lappin could run for another term on the council, but she said she's excited about serving in a borough-wide post.
Ms. Menin is a former regulatory attorney and founder of Wall Street Rising, a not-for-profit launched after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks to rebuild Lower Manhattan. She had served as chairwoman of the Community Board 1 since 2005, and presided over the board's 29-1 vote in favor of building a controversial mosque and Islamic cultural center a few blocks from Ground Zero.
"I'm focused on my track record and why I feel that it is the strongest track record," she said.
Write to Michael Howard Saul at michael.saul@wsj.com

A version of this article appeared July 11, 2012, on page A17 in the U.S. edition of The Wall Street Journal, with the headline: Candidate Shows Early Fundraising Success.

Stop scratching on holidays
Published: June 1, 2012

Off Track Betting in New York State has been racing into a crisis called shrinking revenue. Some people have spitballed a solution: Don’t close on holidays.
New York State Racing Law bars racing on Christmas, Easter and Palm Sunday, and the state has ruled OTBs can’t handle action on those days, even though they could easily broadcast races from out of state.
“You should be able to bet whenever you want,” said Jackson Leeds, a Nassau OTB employee who makes an occasional bet. He added some irrefutable logic: “How is the business going to make money if you’re not open to take people’s bets?”
Elias Tsekerides, president of the Federation of Hellenic Societies of Greater New York, said OTB is open on Greek Orthodox Easter and Palm Sunday.
“I don’t want discrimination,” Tsekerides said. “They close for the Catholics, but open for the Greek Orthodox? It’s either open for all or not open.”
OTB officials have said they lose millions by closing on Palm Sunday alone, with tracks such as Gulfstream, Santa Anita, Turf Paradise and Hawthorne running.
One option: OTBs could just stay open and face the consequences. New York City OTB did just that back in 2003. The handle was about $1.5 million – and OTB was fined $5,000.
Easy money.