Jacobs backing three for Long Beach City Council

Nassau County Democratic Committee Chairman Jay Jacobs said the party is backing incumbents Scott Mandel and Chumi Diamond for Long Beach City Council this year, as well as newcomer John Bendo, the president of the West End Neighbors Civic Association.

But three Democrats who received the nomination at the committee’s Democratic convention last month said they are challenging that slate in the race for three seats and intend to run in a September primary.

Jacobs said last Friday that he would support the slate after members of the Long Beach Democratic Committee — part of the county committee’s Long Beach zone — and the Independent Democratic Club of Long Beach, two local political organizations that have been at odds for several years, agreed last week to back Mandel, Diamond and Bendo. City Council President Len Torres is not seeking re-election.

Democrats will face a mixed Republican slate that includes candidates William Haas and Christopher Jones, and Leah Tozer, a registered Democrat. They announced their campaign last month. Two other candidates — Joseph Naham and Allison Blanchette — are running on the Green Party line.

Torres and Mandel are the only remaining council members who were elected in 2011 as part of a Democratic sweep that wrested control of City Hall from a Republican-led coalition. Mandel and Torres voted to appoint current City Manager Jack Schnirman, who is running for county comptroller this year and has the backing of Jacobs and county Democrats.

“I think it will be a strong ticket,” said Darlene Tangney, president of the Independent Democratic Club, which had been pushing for Mandel and Diamond and agreed to support Bendo. “Us being united, we are ready to take on the Republicans in November. If there is a primary, we believe our incumbents will be victorious.”

At the party’s convention, Long Beach committee members nominated newcomers Runnie Myles, retired FDNY firefighter Joe Miccio and Beach to Bay Civic Association President Barbara Bernardino, whose group has advocated for the reopening of a full-service hospital after Hurricane Sandy shuttered the Long Beach Medical Center — and is suing the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

But Jacobs said that he and many other Democrats — including members of the local committee — did not support that slate, floated by what he described as a small “radical element” of local Democrats with personal grievances. He added that Bendo, Diamond and Mandel are the stronger candidates. Political insiders said that Jacobs had also been pushing for Mandel and Diamond before the convention but that the two organizations could not agree on a slate.

“I didn’t see a line that the county committee could support,” Jacobs said. “I think there was a genuine feeling from both factions that unity was far more important than these special individual agendas.”

Bernardino, however, said that Jacobs did not object to the unanimous nomination at the convention.

“Jay Jacobs announced the names, and they were recorded,” she said. “And then we found out afterwards that he decided not to use those names. But the legitimate club named the three of us. Not to support the legitimate party candidates says, to me, that someone has an agenda.”

Miccio, who has criticized the city’s recent restructuring of the Fire Department, said that local committee members are divided over the two slates, but said he was confident that he and his running mates would get on the ballot to run in a primary. They were expected to formally announce their candidacies at a news conference in front of City Hall on Thursday.

Miccio said he declined to run with Mandel and Diamond when asked by party leaders. He and Bernardino charged that the city has not been transparent, and has put political and business interests first. Myles could not be reached for comment. Long Beach Democratic Committee Chairman Joe Brand could not be reached.

Miccio said that he and his running mates were nominated because many residents have expressed frustration with the city administration over a number of issues, mainly its handling of the Superblock deal and the developer iStar’s request for a 20-year, $109 million tax break. The council voted to settle the city’s lawsuit against iStar in 2014, the terms of which included the city’s support for a payment in lieu of taxes, or PILOT, program, for an unspecified term.

“It’s more a referendum on those City Council members that are doing things that are not in the best interests of what the residents want,” Miccio said. “They use the council as platforms for higher office. Our campaign slogan is, ‘It’s your city.’ We’re your local neighbors and beholden to no one.”

Jacobs acknowledged that iStar was certain to be an issue during the campaign, but cited the administration’s recovery efforts after Sandy and the city’s “laudable” financial turnaround after it was on the brink of bankruptcy in 2012.

Asked whether she thought the council needs to restore trust with residents who believe that the city “sold out” to a big developer, Diamond said, “There are many complex issues that go before the council every day. Some are more contentious than others, but as a council member, I will only support policy, budgets and government-funded projects that are in the best interests of our city.”

Political insiders said that Bendo, who is unaffiliated with a political party, was a sought-after candidate because of his long history of community advocacy and civic involvement. He has also been a frequent critic of the administration, and was among the most outspoken opponents of iStar’s requests for tax breaks, which were rejected by the Nassau County Industrial Development Agency.

“For years, I’ve been trying to effect positive change from the audience side of the podium at City Council meetings,” Bendo said. “I’m now convinced the best way to represent the best interest of the residents is in service as a council member. I’m not driven by party affiliation or ideology beyond doing what is right for the residents of our city.”

For his part, Mandel, an attorney who was re-elected to a four-year term in 2013, disagreed with claims that the city has not been transparent and defended the administration’s record. Both he and Diamond — who was appointed in February to a seat vacated by former Councilwoman Eileen Goggin — expressed excitement about running with Bendo and said he would bring a fresh perspective to the council.

“Despite all of our wonderful achievements so far, I think we still have more work to do,” Mandel said. “For example, I’d like to continue working on and solving the systemic flooding issue on the bay side of the city, strengthening our infrastructure and always looking for cost-effective ways to improve residents’ quality of life.”