Michael's restaurant, at 24 W. 55th St., is known as being the
center of power lunches and celebrity diners, but I just wanted
to know if the great cheeseburger they served me last year was
routinely wonderful. After checking in at the front desk, I
turned around and there was the author Dominic Dunne. I was
tempted to say, "I read all your books but I didn't care for
the last one," but of course I didn't.
I had scheduled an interview with Steve Shaw, who's running
against Mayor Bloomberg in the GOP primary this September. Mr.
Shaw showed up promptly and I wasted no time in getting to the
hard questions.
"What," I asked, "makes you think you have any
chance against a billionaire incumbent?"
"Actually," he answered, "it's very winnable. Only
about 65,000 voted in the last GOP primary. Most of these tended
to be conservative Republicans."
Mr. Shaw went on to say that the four candidate Democratic
primary will probably be divisive and whoever wins the nomination
will be damaged by it. The race, he speculated, will be a
three-way battle among conservatives/right-to-lifers; moderates,
and the liberal, gay-rights advocates.
He's not afraid of being the conservative, right-to-life
candidate, but there are many other issues that need to be
addressed, such as education, transportation, and sanitation.
This candidate is only 30 years old, and when I brought up the
issue of his youth he reminded me that Theodore Roosevelt was
elected to the state Assembly when he was only 24. Mr. Shaw's
youth means he has the energy and vision to solve problems. His
rise to the position of vice president of investment banking at a
securities firm at 29 should give some indication of his
abilities, he asserted.
Next big question: the smoking ban. Had Mr. Bloomberg campaigned
on this issue, he would never have been elected. I have heard
many comments from former Bloomberg supporters who will not
support him now because of that one issue. Mr. Shaw, if elected,
would allow bars to permit smoking if they provide smoking rooms
with air-purification systems. He said that 40% of bar owners
have said they are losing business because of the ban.
Still, the odds against Mr. Shaw are huge. Mr. Bloomberg is a
relatively successful incumbent and has unlimited money to
campaign. Although Mr. Shaw said he intends to make use of the
6-to-1 campaign matching funds that the city offers, he said he
believes the criteria should be changed. The provision was meant
to promote new candidates running for office. Instead, taxpayers
are financing the campaigns of incumbents, even those running
unopposed. This is absolutely ridiculous - but just further proof
that our city government needs a complete overhaul.
It may be outrageous even to consider a pro-lifer getting elected
mayor of New York City, but stranger things have happened.
Ordinarily, a mayor has little to do with the abortion issue, and
that's why I voted for Rudy Giuliani even though he holds a
pro-choice position. Mr. Bloomberg, however, has made it quite
clear that he is not impartial and has alienated right-to-life
New Yorkers.
Steve Shaw named a number of steps Mr. Bloomberg has taken while
in office that clearly signal where the mayor's allegiance lies.
Under his administration, the Economic Development Corporation
decided to issue $32 million in bonds for Planned Parenthood to
renovate its headquarters, and the city's public hospitals began
giving mandatory abortion training to student doctors.
The 2004 election proved that the conservatives can turn out in
large numbers, and they are definitely not in Mr. Bloomberg's
corner this year. But can a young upstart like Mr. Shaw beat him?
The Queens Republican Party announced its endorsement of Tom
Ognibene, the former city councilman who has entered the race.
I asked a Queens civic leader, Patrick Hurley, for his opinion of
Mr. Shaw. His response: "There is tremendous admiration for
the courage and tenacity of Steve Shaw. He kept the fire of hope
burning when there was nobody else. However, reality must be
faced. Tom Ognibene has gravitas in NYC politics. He has over
three decades of experience in GOP and Conservative politics. He
has 10 years' experience as an elected official. He was a major
architect of the Giuliani revolution. Steve should throw his lot
in with Tom Ognibene."
As I munched my delicious cheeseburger, I looked at the very
young and optimistic Mr. Shaw, thus far totally untarnished by
the corruption of city politics, and I realized how tired I am of
professional politicians. It would be far better for the city if
Mr. Ognibene threw in his lot with Mr. Shaw.