IN THE BEGINNING
This is the way it was.
In 1989 a group of Democrats led by then Speaker of the City Council Peter Vallone, was trying to keep Mark Green out of the Mayor’s race.
Not looking for open warfare they needed a position for Mark to keep his ambitions in check while giving him an opportunity to employ his liberal impulses to serve the public. The result of that effort was the development of an ombudsman position – someone who would be chiefly responsible for listening to the public’s needs and desires; someone who would handle serious complaints and concerns.
They knew that in order to attract Green they would have to make the ombudsman an integral part of the machinery of city government without giving him too much in the way of direct authority. They agreed that one of the ways to get Green’s involvement was to make the position second in line to the Mayoralty if the Mayor should die or resign or leave office for any other reason.
In slightly edited form, this is the outline of the ombudsman position that was presented to Green: “An independently elected public official to represent consumers of City services…able to review and investigate complaints …assess whether City agencies are responsive and able to recommend improvements in agency programs and complaint handling procedures; can actively participate in the discussions of the City Council as an ex-officio member of all Council committees and can sponsor local legislation; can monitor compliance of all City officials and agencies within the City Charter; sits on the Board of Trustees of the NYC Employees Retirement System; appoints one member of the City Planning Commission and serves on the committee to select the director of the Independent Budget Office; chairs the Commission on Public Information and Communication and appoints one of its eleven members; is one of the seven members of the Audit Committee; serves as ex officio member of the Museum of the City of New York, the Queens Public Library and of the Voter Assistance Commission; appoints two members of the Citywide Council on Special Education and Citywide Council on English Language Learners; succeeds the Mayor in the event that the Mayor resigns, is removed, dies or otherwise is unable to discharge his powers and duties.
And Green agreed that the position had merit, loved the extraordinary oversight over the administration of all City officials and agencies and the inherent freedom to serve but didn’t like the name of ombudsman – he said people wouldn’t understand it or respond to it. Vallone asked him what name he would like and he said Public Advocate…and Vallone immediately agreed on that name. The story goes that Vallone’s associates were angry at him for agreeing on Public Advocate because “it sounds too good, and makes Green sound too important.”
The name sticks.
But history shows that the job has had little impact on the government or the people and few holding that office did much with it other than run for Mayor -seemingly the only reason anybody would want the job.
Today we know there is a special election for the position to be held on February 26, 2019; that 22 people are actively seeking it and that few of them have any experience or stated qualifications. Of the few that do, the Liberal Party believes that Rafael Espinal, a City Councilman from Brooklyn, clearly embodies what the framers intended and the City Charter describes.
RAFAEL ESPINAL FOR PUBLIC ADVOCATE
Why Espinal?
Because he has accomplished what none of the other candidates have. He has been an Assemblyman and is now a Councilman. He therefore has a unique understanding of the workings of New York’s government, of the interplay between City and State, of what is possible and how those possibilities can be turned into programs that help.
Councilman Espinal has introduced and passed an enormous amount of legislation over a wide range of concerns: the environment, urban agriculture, the concerns of small businesses, the needs of English learners, the need for affordable housing, the implementation of the newly established Paid Sick Leave law. The simple fact that the Public Advocate can recommend legislation is reason enough to see Rafael
Espinal as the newly elected Public Advocate – no other candidate has introduced legislation at his level.
But there is more, substantially more. Espinal knows that the City Charter has given the position complete independence and oversight; that he needn’t be an advocate for or an antagonist toward any Mayor or any administration. He works to serve the people. That’s the job.
And this: Rafael Espinal is a liberal who understands the essential meaning of American liberalism. He knows that the humanity fundamental to the cause is supported by the belief that good government and only government has the power and resources to be the equalizer – can right the imbalance of the power of corporate, industrial and business wealth over the people. Espinal knows that words are not enough; that having an idea is not the same as making that idea a program that serves people.
THE WAY IT IS
Because so few people understand the role of the Public Advocate, because this is a non-partisan election where the usual political party identification is essentially absent, because the run-up to the election on February 26 is so short and because of the bad weather possibilities that exist during that time period, and because of the tenor and tone of national news, little media attention will exist and voter turn-out is expected to be very small…much smaller than the usual primary election.
It is essential that Rafael Espinal become the new Public Advocate – and that means that his normal constituency must vote and that as many new supporters as possible must vote as well.
Look into his website to learn more about him. https://www.rafaelespinal.nyc// and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/RLEspinaljr/
We think you will agree that his experience, character, policy involvements, independence and his concern for people warrant a special effort to vote for him in February.
He has the whole-hearted endorsement of the Liberal Party.