Entries by Matt from September 2009

Calmer than you are

Submitted by Matt on Fri, 09/11/2009 - 15:05
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I used to own a car. It was a teal blue 1993 Volkswagen Golf hatchback. I bought it when I was in college and had it junked a few months before I graduated, as getting it to pass state inspection would've cost more in repairs than I paid for the car. I used to drive that car a lot, as Middletown, Connecticut is not really a hub of mass transportation, and it was the only way to get back home to Maine.

I say this just to point out that I'm not really some kind of anti-car zealot. A coworker recently jokingly accused me of being such, and I also jokingly showed him my Transportation Alternatives membership card. I know that cars are the predominant form of transportation in the United States and we can't just change that overnight, even if I would enjoy it if we did.

NYC local elections roundup

Submitted by Matt on Mon, 09/14/2009 - 20:55
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Tomorrow is the primary election for New York City offices: mayor, city council, comptroller, public advocate, district attorney and probably a few other offices. The city is completely ignored in national elections; in fact, it is kicked to the curb by a lot of rural politicians, but I won't get into that.

The general election is in November, as per convention. However with the exception of the mayoral race, there is no realistic chance of Republicans or Independents winning anything except on Staten Island -- the current composition of the 51-seat council is 48 Dems, 5 others (3 GOP, 1 Working Families, 1 independent). Thus, the Democratic primary is effectively the real election for most of the offices.

Even though term limits for city councillors have been extended by an extra term, there are a lot of open and fairly contentious council seats, in addition to the citywide offices. Since I know you're dying to know, here is who I'm voting for and why.