Markowitz Tries to Dodge Challenger, For Whom Room 8 "Sheds No Tears"

By Roy Edroso Thu., Jul. 30 2009 at 2:03 PM

Categories: Borough Presidents, Featured, Politics

Here's a little democracy, Brooklyn-style: Borough President Marty Markowitz wants to throw his lone challenger off the Democratic ballot. The executive director of Markowitz's Seaside Summer Concert Series filed a challenge to signatures collected for Eugene Myrick, an East New Yorker and publisher and CEO of the Chocolate Brides magazine and web site.

The Brooklyn Paper has been all over the issue, and the Times, the Post, and Runnin' Scared have given Myrick some ink. Now Myrick, who hasn't got any money and supports progressive land-use policies, especially regarding Coney Island and Atlantic Yards, has to defend against the challenge. It hardly seems fair.

But Gatemouth at Room Eight, while sympathetic to Markowitz' opponents in general, looked into it and decided he would "shed no further tears" for Myrick:

Gatemouth is given to understand that only about a quarter of Myrick's petition sheets actually had signatures on them, and that Markowitz' cats-paws have a case. Also, Myrick is associated with the Rent Is Too Damn High Party (warning: loud music), led by obstreperous mayoral candidate Jimmy McMillan; Gatemouth describes Myrick as McMillan's "running mate." Gatemouth finds the association disqualifying. "I think that McMillan was the really scary nut my family encountered on Simchat Torah, right before the election, in Cadman Park," he adds, and includes peculiar statements about Jews he got from McMillan's web site.

Is Myrick a real candidate or a distraction? Whatever his qualifications, if Markowitz supporters have their way he won't be either.

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