Thomas Suozzi

Tom Suozzi will be among the guests on NY1 tonight discussing Eliot Spitzer's first 100 days in office.

Suozzi - remember him? - had some pretty harsh things to say about Spitzer and Albany. Which should make tonight more fun than usual.

-- Azi Paybarah

Mike Bloomberg discussed one of the worst fires in recent history.

The list of committee chairmanships for the Assembly is here.

Ed Koch, Tom Suozzi and others will help review the state comptroller's office.

Newsday's Errol Cockfield has become the second Newsday staffer to defect to the ESDC.

John Edwards won't participate in the Fox News-sponsored debate for Democratic presidential candidates.

Ben has some vintage Rudy material.

And above is a Mathieu Eugene supporter explaining what all the fuss is about.

-- Azi Paybarah

Governor Eliot Spitzer has a secret plan to shrink Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver into obscurity.  read more »

Just one day after helping elect a Democratic state Senator in Nassau -- and just hours after the election of Tom DiNapoli as comptroller by his colleagues in Albany -- Eliot Spitzer raised the possibility of campaigning against incumbent Democrats in the Assembly, demonstrating, if nothing else, that he prefers stick over carrot in his dealings with legislative intransigence.

As Tom Suozzi proved in 2004 by engineering the defeat of a sitting Democrat from Long Island, even seemingly secure incumbents can be vulnerable to primary challenges that have the backing of a popular executive.

So if Spitzer follows through - and I think we have to assume, for now, that he means it - who's his first target?

UPDATE: Ben reports that the Steamroller has shifted metaphors.

-- Azi Paybarah

Here's the new Craig Johnson ad, which moves away from the slick, soft-music pieces we got used to seeing from adman Jimmy Siegel during the governor's race.  read more »

The script is after the jump.

-- Azi Paybarah

So, what to expect from Eliot Spitzer's first budget, which he'll present tomorrow?

Soaring rhetoric, a few jabs at his predecessor and the current legislative leaders and some reiteration, presumably, of that promise to hold the line on taxes. And don't forget the record amounts of money Spitzer is planning to send to public schools.

How is all this spending and saving possible?

One Spitzer person I spoke to said a bulk of the money will come form savings on health care costs. Is this similar to what Spitzer's opponent, Tom Suozzi, proposed?

-- Azi Paybarah

The Police Benevolent Association is endorsing Democrat Craig Johnson for state Senate today, which should help stave off the 'weak on crime' argument some Democrats are burdened with.

In what hardly seems like a coincidence, the agreement was announced one day after the PBA made peace with the county's top Democrat.

For years, the PBA has been at war with Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi, who is supporting Johnson in next month's special election against Republican Maureen O'Connell. The PBA-Suozzi fight started with a budget crunch that spiraled into negative attack ads (some of which are here) and cops accusing Suozzi, basically, of supporting criminals.

Yesterday, the two sides came to an understanding on staffing and budget issues.

One by one, Suozzi seems to be mending the relationships that were strained (or non-existent) when he was in his Democratic insurgent mode. It's almost like he's planning to stick around for a while.

-- Azi Paybarah

Azi must be at the dentist, and thus temporarily unable to take phone calls, because he's had time to blackberry in his list of possible comptroller replacement candidates. Who, he asks, will be the lucky public official who "gets a prime spot seated behind the new governor when he delivers his State of the State address January 3rd?" Bill Mulrow: Lost to Hevesi but has plenty of Wall Street experience, and far fewer ties to the Albany political elite... Which might seem like an advantage right now. Assemblyman Tom DiNapoli: The nicest guy in Albany. Spitzer endorsed DiNapoli during his 2001 primary for Nassau County Executive against Tom Suozzi. Assemblyman Richard Brodsky: He does comptroller-esque work as chair of the assembly's committee on Corporations, Authorities and Commissions. Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrion: His office already has an official comment denying, while confirming, his interest in the post. As for that report that he's the favorite, his spokesman says, "no comment." -- Azi Paybarah

Eliot Spitzer swept into power as the next Governor of New York last night with a landslide victory,  read more »

Tom Suozzi is backing Alan Hevesi for re-election.

John McCain endorsed Chris Callaghan.

Jonathan Miller, who wrote a story in this week's Observer about the relationships between Senator Bob Menendez and hard-line anti-Castro activists, has more here on a related group of hard-liners recently called before a grand jury in Newark. The group includes one prominent Menendez fund-raiser and an employee of another Menendez supporter who died in 2000.

Bob Corker, Menendez and Sheldon Whitehouse all have double-digit leads in their Senate races.

Aides to Tom Reynolds got tips on how to manage the Mark Foley fall out two days before the story became public, indicating, again, that the congressman's office was aware of the issue.

The state Senate Democrats are paying for only one ad this year, and it's for Andrea Stewart-Cousins.

Rudy Giuliani leads John McCain in a recent Florida poll, but trails him in another poll out in Michigan.

Greg Sargent critiques the Times' coverage of John Kerry's Iraq comment.

Another site wonders whose job sucks more: press flack for George Allen or John Kerry.

Jerry Skurnik writes about a judicial race in which "for reasons that are both too complicated and murky, there is no Democratic candidate for the other slot."

And pictured above is Borat.  read more »

-- Azi Paybarah

Here's another House race that has turned out to be sneaky-competitive: Republican Rep. Peter King versus Nassau legislator Dave Mejias.

They're debating tonight on Long Island and Mejias's campaign is planning to post a video of the debate on their website tomorrow (barring any tech issues). King and Mejias already debated this morning, to air on Nov. 2 at 4 p.m. on News 12.

What's interesting about this race is that King is the chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, a posting that was a source of great strength when he first got it, but that has become an asset of more dubious local value since the Dubai-port security deal and the Republican-led cutbacks in anti-terror funding to New York.

But part of the reason New York Democrats haven't made more noise about this race may be that Mejias was an early supporter of Tom Suozzi -- not something that has ingratiated him with the Spitzer-worshiping establishment.

I asked Mejias on the phone earlier he felt that any state Democrats might have continued to hold that against him.

"Like the Democrats inner circle?" he asked. "They may have, but I can't answer for them."

-- Azi Paybarah

Tomorrow's debate at Cornell University will represent John Faso's best chance yet to slow the progress of the Eliot Spitzer juggernaut, even if the timing is less than ideal -- coming just days after his first ethics controversy of the campaign. And as Tom Suozzi learned, Spitzer is a front-runner who isn't afraid to attack his opponents at the podium.

Even though Faso has one ad running now, the debate will be the first time many New Yorkers are seeing his face. (The ad is an attack piece that doesn't even mention Faso's name, except to say that he paid for it.)

Any ideas on how Faso might go after Spitzer beyond the requisite tax-and-spend stuff?  read more »

-- Azi Paybarah

Al Gore discusses climate change at the New York Botanical Garden.

Tom Suozzi proposes Nassau's budget for 2007.

The state senate meets at 2:30. You can watch it live here.

Rep. Christopher Shays holds a hearing entitled, "What are the Consequences of Leaving Iraq?"

Karl Rove is the special guest at a fundraiser in Washington.

And there's a cannoli eating contest at the San Gennarro Festival.

-- Azi Paybarah

Sheldon Silver supports moving the primaries away from Sept. 11 and holding them in June. Jerry Skunik notes it was Gov. Carey who initially moved the primaries to September in order to help Mario Cuomo (and to a lesser extent, Ed Koch) in the mayor's race.

200,000 voters were sent to the wrong polling place today because of outdated information mailed to them from the city's Board of Elections.

Newsday wonders if Tom Suozzi will endorse Eliot Spitzer tonight, or just support him.

The Journal News gets a sad phone call:

I was stunned to get a phone call this evening from a woman asking me for the name of the Republican running for governor. I even had to spell it out for her.

When she asked me the name of the Republican running for AG, I asked her if it was a prank call.

It wasn't.

The New York Times unloaded some television stations it owned.

Joe Lieberman leads Ned Lamont 51 to 38 in a new poll.

NJ Senator Bob Menendez unveiled a new television ad attacking Bush on port security.  read more »

And pictured above is a 9/11 conspiracy theorist who visited Ground Zero yesterday while the names of WTC victims were read.

-- Azi Paybarah

Literature has dropped, ads have aired, and consultants have spun. Now it's time for predictions.

Who gets more votes: Eliot Spitzer or Hillary Clinton? Andrew Cuomo or Mark Green? John Spencer or KT McFarland? Jonathan Tasini, Tom Suozzi or Sean Maloney? Charlie King or write-in candidates?

Who wins in Brooklyn's 11th Congressional district? By how much? Who wins in Brooklyn's 10th Congressional district? By how much?

Which of the state legislative races will produce the most surprising result?

Does Suozzi win Nassau?

Where does Maloney get the most votes? Where does King get the most votes?

Does Tasini get through to Hillary when he calls to concede?

-- Azi Paybarah

The novelty of beating Tom Suozzi in the opinion polls has worn off for Jonathan Tasini.

In July, Hillary's anti-war opponent could hardly contain himself upon learning of poll results showing him outperforming the Nassau County Executive among Democratic voters.

But today, as both he and Suozzi hovering around 10 percent in the polls, Tasini seemed determined to focus on his own ability to win votes against a powerful Senate incumbent rather than on the dubious prospect of narrowly outperforming the prospective loser of the governor's race.

"Every vote I get is a vote against an incumbent who voted for the war," he said. "I don't measure our success against what Tom Suozzi does. I really don't."

Tasini will maintain a frantic pace through his last day of campaigning tomorrow, starting with an event at 6:00 a.m. at the Coalition School for Social Change on W. 58th St.

-- Azi Paybarah

Tom Suozzi has a 44th birthday party at the Crescent Beach Club (333 Bayville Avenue) in Bayville at 6.

State Senate candidate Dan Russo has a wine-filled fundraiser at the Metropolitan Republican Club at 6:30.

Mark Green is interviewed on NY1, which airs at 7 and 10:30.

The Democrats in the Brooklyn 11th congressional district debate at Temple Beth Elohim (Garfield Place & 8th Avenue) in Park Slope at 7.

State Senator John Sabini and Councilman Hiram Monserrate face off at a candidate's forum in Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church (104-11 37th Ave.) in Corona at 7.

KT McFarland has a fundariser at Henry Kissinger's home in Manhattan.

And starting at 10 p.m., C-SPAN 3 has a bunch of 9/11 related coverage, including a rerun of Rudy Giuliani and George Pataki's reaction to the attacks.

-- Azi Paybarah

The 11 Day-Pre Primary Day filing isn't online yet, but here are Eliot Spitzer's numbers:

$730,000 in contributions $2.7 million spent $12.1 million left on hand.

Any guesses what Tom Suozzi will file?

-- Azi Paybarah

In addition to endorsing Chris Owens for a Brooklyn congressional seat today, The Amsterdam News made a number of other endorsements [no link yet]. In a surprise move, they went with Tom Suozzi over Eliot Spitzer, saying:

"Both men are talented; one of them is human to the core."

Update: Amsterdam News also endorsed: Hillary Clinton for Senate Charlie King for Attorney General Charles Barron for the 10th Congressional District in Brooklyn Hiram Monserrate for the 13th Senate District in Queens Hakeem Jeffries for the 57th Assembly District in Brooklyn Sylvia Friedman for the 74th Assembly District in Manhattan. Update 2: The paper made no endorsement between state Senator Marty Connor and Ken Diamondstone in the 25th Senate District. -- Azi Paybarah

Get your TiVo ready.

All three gubernatorial candidates and three of the four Democratic AG candidates are getting some television time tonight.

Eliot Spitzer, Tom Suozzi and John Faso will take questions during a town hall meeting at 7 p.m. hosted by NY1. Wonder what they'll be asked?

Mark Green, Charlie King and Sean Maloney debate at 7 p.m. on RNN. That will be hosted by former AG candidate Richard Brodsky.

I'll be checking enjoying the festivities from an undisclosed location and won't be on the RNN panel tonight. Don't worry. Your questions are getting forwarded to station (along with other emails about the race).

-- Azi Paybarah

Chris Owens has a fundraiser at Cinema Classics (332 East 11th Street, b/w 1st and 2nd) from 6 to 8 p.m.

John Faso and Tom Suozzi debate in Buffalo at 8 p.m. Anybody not in Buffalo, like Eliot Spitzer, can watch the debate here.

The Mid-Island Little League's All-Star, back from their trip to the Little League World Series, stop-by Mid-Island's facility (3665 Victory Blvd., Staten Island) at 7:30 p.m.

Laughing Liberally, the politically-skewed comedy show, takes place at the 45th Street Theatre (354 West 45th Street, b/w 8th and 9th Avenue) at 8 p.m.

The NY Post's associate editorial page editor, Robert George, strikes back with "Laughing with the Enemy" at 9:30 (same venue).

Inside City Hall guests tonight are four political consultants (7 and 10:30 p.m.)

And C-Span 2 becomes must-watch TV when they show the Atlantis Space Shuttle news conference at 7:31 p.m.

-- Azi Paybarah

Tonight, Jonathan Tasini rides with Critical Mass bikers in Union Square.

Tom Suozzi appears on NY1.

On Saturday, a march "against Israel aggression in Lebanon and Gaza" kicks off at 2 p.m. in Astoria's Athens Square Park.

Democrats in Bayside car pool to help Andrea Stewart-Cousins's campaign in Westchester.

Hiram Monserrate campaigns for state senate at a heal fair and block party this Saturday.

Tom Suozzi sits down with WB11's Marvin Scott at 6 a.m.

On Sunday, Suozzi chats with Gabe Pressman at 6 a.m.

The four Democrats in the Brooklyn 11th congressional race attend a town hall meeting at 3 at St. Jerome Church (Norstrand and Newkirk).

Eliot Spitzer goes to Rev. Floyd Flake's church in Queens at 9 a.m. the Majority Baptist Church at 11, and picks up an endorsement of the Grand Council of Guardians on the City Hall steps at noon.

Carl Andrews makes a "call to action" outside St. Marks Episcopal Church (1417 Union Street, Brooklyn) at 10:30.

Jonathan Tasini attends a town hall meeting Sunday at 7 (55 Washington Square South) and discusses "How to Get Out of Iraq and Why Attacking Iran Would be Really Dumb."

And C-SPAN 2 has a re-run of Mark Warner's trip to New Hampshire.

-- Azi Paybarah

Howard Dean's webmaster sings the praises of John McCain.

Alan Hevesi's Republican challenger praises the comptroller's new fraud hotline, but wonders "how come it took him two and two-thirds years to think of it?"

Instead of praise, a federal judge has bad news for people who leak info.

There is also bad news for Tom Suozzi's hometown of Glen Cove, where his cousin, Mayor Ralph Suozzi, is calling in state auditors.

John Desio spots Bruce Ratner outside yesterday's meeting for Atlantic Yards.

-- Azi Paybarah

Jonathan Hicks leads his debate story with Mark Green's "withering attacks" on Andrew Cuomo , and Maggie writes that Green lobbed "shot after shot" at Cuomo's record while the frontrunner mostly stayed above it all.

Did it work? In our comments section, "Reality Check" says, "This one goes to Cuomo who appeared the most mature and statesman like of the four candidates," while "Vanessa" counters that Cuomo "can't just pretend he's above everyone else and not respond, he has an obligation to the people to respond if he's asking for our votes."

The Times gives Tony Avella the Public Lives treatment under less-than-ideal circumstances as he struggles to contain fallout from a racially motivated attack on four Asian constituents.

Tom Suozzi got some coverage for his specifically laid-out $2.5 billion plan to improve public schools, but gets the dreaded "vows to remain in race" headline.

Mike Bloomberg made his pitch in Chicago for the 2008 Democratic convention with lines like this: "I haven't been in the company of such a large group of passionate, dedicated Democrats since I was one."

The Sun has an interview with KT McFarland in which she calls for alternative fuel production in New York and other states as part of a strategy to deal with Iran.

More good news for Spitzer: a federal appeals court has sided with the attorneys general of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut in their quest to require Midwestern power plants to cut emissions.

In what's being called a "final slap at the legislature," George Pataki vetoed 70 bills that include pension sweeteners for public employees and a plan to collect cigarette taxes from Indian tribes.

And the governor also vetoed a bill that would have given city police commissioner Ray Kelly a seat at the board of the Port Authority, a move that drew the public ire of the mayor.

-- Josh Benson

A federal judge ruled the president's wire tapping program is unconstitutional. The decision is already being appealed.

Rudy Giuliani will not endorse Joe Lieberman, despite having some kind words for him yesterday.

The freakishly prolific Liz Benjamin notes that even though Eliot Spitzer has not accepted an invitation to partcipate in the August 28th gubernatorial debate, John Faso and Tom Suozzi have. Exciting!

And Errol Louis thinks Christine Quinn should keep an eye on L.A.'s City Council, which is trying to refine term limits.

-- Azi Paybarah

John Faso says he supports racial profiling to fight terrorism. "It's not the 70-year-old grandmother from Bayside we are looking for." Eliot Spitzer and Tom Suozzi disagree.

The remarks come as more phone calls from Sept. 11 victims to 911 operators are released today.

Newsday keeps wondering who is watching Nassau while Suozzi is campaigning. As for Spitzer, "He's still very engaged in his day job."

All five attorney general candidates take part in a televised town hall meeting tonight.

And government programming is coming to WNBC television.

-- Azi Paybarah

Just wondering...

If Democrats in the legislature and House are asking for Tom Suozzi's help to elect Democrats this year, what does that say about the coat tails of Eliot Spitzer and Hillary Clinton?

Yesterday's appeal to Suozzi also reminded me of another time when political leaders reached out to him, back in 2004. On a photograph of Suozzi riding an elephant [last graph] are three autographs:

"You look good on an elephant --Rudy Giuliani"

"You belong up there --George Pataki"

"Tom, we need you --George W. Bush."

--- Azi Paybarah

A reader who a) uses MySpace and b) is identified on MySpace as a New Yorker just received the following email:

Tom Suozzi, for NY Governor 2006 would like to be added to your MySpace friends list.

By accepting Tom Suozzi, for NY Governor 2006 as your friend, you will be able to send Tom Suozzi, for NY Governor 2006 personal messages, view Tom Suozzi, for NY Governor 2006's photos and blog, and interact with each other's friends and network!

Click the following link to view Tom Suozzi, for NY Governor 2006's profile and accept or reject this user as your friend...

-- Josh Benson

We can probably draw two conclusions from the news that Dan Gerstein has just been named Joe Lieberman's communications director:

1) Gerstein is being rewarded for his tireless advocacy on behalf of Lieberman throughout what was a very rough primary campaign.

2) Gerstein has concluded that serving as a consultant to Tom Suozzi's campaign is no longer the most productive use of his time.

Here's what he told us about his decision to join Lieberman full time -- and to leave Suozzi:

"I feel bad about it. I really enjoyed working with him."

And, he added, "I was very much looking forward to going back to help Tom after the primary, under the assumption he was going to win. The results turned out otherwise."

The decision was made this morning. According to Gerstein, it was Lieberman who called Suozzi this afternoon to deliver the news.

Full announcement after the jump.  read more »

-- Jason Horowitz

A Daily News editorial calls Ned Lamont 'clueless.'

The Times reports George Pataki used his appearance at the National Press Club to unveil an energy plan.

The Albany Times Union reports that Tom Suozzi will not seek an independent line to keep his bid for governor alive past primary day.

The Sun reports Hillary Clinton gave Joe Lieberman 'tepid' support and called on President Bush not to appoint Dr. Andrew von Eschenbach as commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration during the summer recess.

—Nicole Brydson

You might think that the Suozzi campaign would want to focus at this point on the decent performance of their candidate at the debate last night, rather than harping on a nearly incomprehensible dispute over the rules.

But you'd be wrong.

Here are a couple of (trimmed!) excerpts from an email Dan Gerstein sent out today criticizing NY1, which hosted the debate, for not being explicit enough about banning written notes, and for "changing the rules" at the behest of the Spitzer campaign. The email also condemned Eliot Spitzer for threatening to back out of the debate and then "openly lying" about it afterwards.

The Spitzer campaign spread a lot of misinformation last night about the Attorney General's threat to storm out of the debate last night right before it started, and the falsehoods are continuing today. We would like to clarify a few important points.

• In NY1's initial invitation and other written communications to our campaign about the debate rules, we were told that the candidates could not use "visual aids, props and charts."

• If NY1 wanted to ban private notes, as opposed to materials meant for public consumption, why wouldn't they say something explicitly about candidate notes?

• Tom was objecting because he thought it was wrong for the Spitzer campaign to bully NY1 into changing the rules as we understood them at the last minute.

NY1's Bob Hardt sent over a response:

"We have never allowed written materials to be used in any of our debates and we weren't going to make an exception to our longstanding rules. If the Suozzi campaign was unclear about what constitutes a visual aid, they had plenty of time to ask NY1. Finally, if there were any uncertainties about that rule, it was made very clear to the Suozzi team more than four hours before the debate that their briefing book wouldn't be allowed on the podium. We told them that we were providing both candidates a pad of paper and two pens."

The full Gerstein email is after the jump.  read more »

The Times reports on yesterday's rally featuring Bill Clinton, a boost for Joe Lieberman.

Suozzi and Spitzer prepare for tonight's debate.

The Daily News reports on the questions raised about Tom Suozzi's petition drive.

The Sun reports on Hillary Clinton's new plan for the middle class.

—Nicole Brydson

A commemoration will be held for slain Council Member James E. Davis at City Hall.

Tom Suozzi will hold a town hall meeting at Medgar Evers College at 7pm.

United for Peace and Justice will deliver a letter demanding U.S. Ambassador Bolton to support the UN resolution call for cease-fire in Lebanon at the U.S. Mission to United Nations.

—Nicole Brydson

The City Council's Committee on Public Safety will hold a meeting on local gun laws.

Tony Avella and preservation groups will hold a press conference on legislation regarding public hearings on proposed landmark site designations on the steps of City Hall.

Tom Suozzi will campaign in Staten Island, hosting a town hall meeting at Hotel Staten Island.

The Center for Constitutional Rights will hold a teach-in based on the legal case developed by the center for the impeachment of George Bush at the Community Bookstore in Park Slope.

A rally will be held at 5pm at the Iranian mission to mark the one-year anniversary of Iran's execution of two teen-aged gay males.

—Nicole Brydson

A day after Kim Devlin's official departure, Tom Suozzi's campaign still says that all is rosy.

David Chauvin, a Suozzi spokesman, said that "there is a renewed sense of energy" and that they feel very "fortunate to have Paul Rivera, who is hitting the ground running. There is a new level of excitement because Paul is really bringing to the table new ideas."

No word yet if Rivera will be as genteel with reporters as Devlin claimed to have been. As the Times noted in apurposefully skeptical kicker to its story today, she claimed that she never raised her voice at a reporter.

Ah, well -- we'll leave that one.

--Jason Horowitz

Tonight, Tom Suozzi will hold a town hall meeting at a Knights of Columbus in Queens to answer questions about his candidacy and his plans for New York.

Tomorrow, the Lexington Democratic Club host Jessica Lappin and Scott Stringer at their monthly meeting at Brown Gardens.

The Women's National Republican Club hosts a summer BBQ.

A benefit to save Washington Square Park will be held at St. Mark's Church. A peace rally will take place at the U.N. —Nicole Brydson

Tonight, Dick Cheney will attend a fundraiser for Ray Meier's congressional campaign.

On Sunday, Green Party nominee for Attorney General, Rachel Treichler, will hold a press conference on the approval process for the proposed Forest City Ratner Atlantic Yards development project.

Develop Don't Destroy Brooklyn will hold a rally in Grand Army Plaza (pdf).

Tom Suozzi will deliver a speech at the Grace Baptist Church in Brooklyn, addressing the need for the Democratic Party to show respect for issues in minority communities.

Eliot Spitzer and Tom Suozzi will both march in the Dominican Day Parade in the Bronx.

—Nicole Brydson

Following up (again) on this weekend's Daily News story on Eliot Spitzer and his family trust, Tom Suozzi went up to Albany today to ask the State Ethics Commission to look into the propriety of the attorney general -- which regulates the state's charities -- helping his family run a $25 million charitable trust.

In a statement, Suozzi said of his opponent that "sitting on this board is a clear conflict of interest, and his presence on the trust board is a continued abuse of authority and show of disrespect to the people of New York."

Walter Ayres, the Ethics Commission's highly courteous spokesman, responded: "We do recognize there is a public interest in this complaint and we will be reviewing it."

-- Josh Benson

So on one hand, Tom Suozzi filed his petitions early and had more than 40,000 signatures - well above the 15,000 he needed to make it onto the ballot.

On the other, 40,000 is hardly an intimidating show of strength for a statewide candidate. Andrew Cuomo, if I'm recalling correctly, filed more than 100,000 signatures to get into a primary with Carl McCall four years ago. And even Betsy McCaughey Ross managed to collect more than 55,000 signatures in 1998.

One possible conclusion is that Suozzi's candidacy is even weaker than Cuomo's in 2002 or Ross's in 1998 - in which case he's in for a thrashing every bit as thorough as the polls indicate.

An alternative conclusion, taking into account the sad fates that befell those Cuomo and Ross campaigns, is that the number of signatures is irrelevant, and that it's silly to put much stock in what is essentially a meaningless public relations exercise.

Take your pick.

-- Josh Benson UPDATE: A reader who's considerably smarter than I am reminds me that one Eliot Spitzer, on the strength of a somewhat lavishly self-funded effort, filed 54, 297 signatures in his unsuccessful AG campaign in 1994.

The TImes reports on Eliot Spitzer's role in his family trust, questioned by Tom Suozzi yesterday.

The Sun reports Diane Gordon was charged yesterday with conspiracy and receiving bribes from a developer, the seventh person of the city's Albany delegation to face charges.

The Daily News reports that Anthony Weiner has unveiled his new tax plan, but hasn't decided yet if he will run for mayor again.

—Nicole Brydson

Tom Suozzi is going to open this week's offensive with a press conference on the theme of Eliot Spitzer and his family money.

In particular, he'll be releasing a "formal ethics opinion" on Spitzer's service on the board of his family's charitable trust.

It does raise the interesting question about who gets to regulates the state official in charge of regulating charities.

As a political issue, though, it would be surprising if Spitzer's family money proves to be any more resonant now than it was in 1998, the year his opponents accused him of buying the primary by showering dollars on Clarence Norman and other party officials in exchange for support.

-- Josh Benson

On Saturday, the New York Young Republican Club will join the Astoria / Frank Kenna Republican Club in kicking off its summer voter registration drive at the corner of Ditmars Ave and 31st Street from 11am to 3pm.

Tom Suozzi opens a campaign headquarters in Huntington before heading over to campaign at the Riverhead Blues Festival.

A charity softball game will be held between Long Island Assembly Republicans and News 12 Long Island in Hicksville.

On Sunday, Progressive Women for Bill Perkins will host a fundraiser at Wimp's Skylight Cafe at 7pm.

On Monday, Bill Clinton will travel to South Africa to begin a tour of Clinton Foundation affiliated AIDS facilities on the continent and launch a sustainable development initiative.

—Nicole Brydson

In many ways, Tom Suozzi is a good candidate.  read more »

In many ways, Tom Suozzi is a good candidate.    read more »