In the past couple of weeks, DFNYC hosted a pair of forums for local candidates. Both forums were well-attended and received press coverage. On April 9, 2008, we hosted a meet-and-greet for a pair of "our own". Two DFNYC members taking the plunge and running for open City Council seats next year: Steven Behar of Bayside, Queens (19th district) and Josh Skaller of Park Slope, Brooklyn (39th district). Katharine Jose and Em Whitney covered the event for the NY Observer - The Dean Generation Runs for City Council:

It was a big moment for DFNYC As noted in the opening remarks, DFNYC is one of the few "grassroots" political action committees to have come out of Dean's 2004 campaign that still hasn't produced a viable candidate for office.

They hope that's about to change. Josh Skaller of Park Slope is running for the seat Bill de Blasio is term-limited out of, and Steven Behar of Bayside wants the Tony Avella seat.

"I think it's absolutely outrageous that there's a $5 million trust fund kicking around City Council," Skaller said. "Clean money, clean elections. We need a political ecosystem filled with reform-minded, good-government politicians, and we need to work seat-by-seat to fill them."

On April 16, 2008 we hosted a forum for the Democratic candidates vying to challenge Republican Vito Fosella in the 13th Congressional District (Staten Island, West Brooklyn). Although Dominic Recchia was unable to attend, Steve Harrison, a longtime local progressive favorite who challenged Fosella in 2006, did appear. Harold Egeln covered the event for the Brooklyn Daily Eagle - Fossella Challenger Harrison Speaks At Manhattan Democratic Forum:

Harrison spoke about the record of Congressman Fossella and his ties with the Bush-Cheney Administration. Harrison spelled out his political agenda that includes quickly withdrawn U.S. troops from Iraq without endangering them, a new energy policy on the scale of the Apollo Moon program that would include issues of security, the environment and economy, and bringing lost jobs and manufacturing back to the USA.

Of Recchia's absence, Harrison quoted Woody Allen, "90 percent of life is about showing up."

Photos of the events can be viewed in our photo gallery for the Skaller/Behar meet-and-greet and the 13th Congressional District Forum.