NYC-WTC_000230569

NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document

Amidst Trauma, Democracy Needs to Go On A T ABOUT 12:40 p.m. day:“rve never seen anything comparable to what good time to hold the city’s primaries in the near a ZX yesterday, the doors I’ve seen today — the magnitude of it." future. Two weeks ago last night, 1 was at the X ^to a freight elevator' Then — on top of it all — we have the New York Queens Library in Flushing, listening to mayoral opened on a Hudson River City primary elections to worry about. Again. candidates haggle over the specifics of education pier, and into a cavernous They seem to be on for Tuesday — right in the plans and other stuff, 'fhat evening now seems hall filed maybe 40 U.S. sen­ middle of the worst crisis in the city’s history. like a lifetime ago. The big fuss that came over ators. Even though not a soul — except for maybe the Fernando Ferrer’s slyly divisive “two-cities" cam­ Ted Kennedy was there,

ss 'S.i- candidates and their families — is focused on the paign suddenly seems irrelevant. and so were 'Tom Daschle races now. Even though We may as well hold and Trent Lott and Joseph 33 in retrospect no one the primary on Tuesday. Biden and Olympia Snowe. touched on issues that I am not saying this with They were accompanied by ^SL their hosts for the day — Inepnh are crucial now. Even though the city Board of 'We may as ivell hold a sigh and a shrug. There are good reasons to hang New York’s Hillary Clinton S’W" Elections, situated near tough and plow ahead. and Charles Schumer. nOlUKW ground zero, went reel­ the primary Tues­ For one thing, experts As the senators began to ing when the Twin Tow­ as diverse as Board of speak, U.S. Marines in full camouflage — with open rifles — patrolled the ers fell. Even though many New Yorkers day/ Elections Commissioner Douglas Kellner and premises. Meanwhile, a rumor had just swept the place that British Prime Minister 'Tony Blair might drop by for a visit after he paid his respects would rather coronate Rudy Giuliani mayor for life. -------------------- Gene Russianoff of the New York Public Interest Group believe the board 3E to New York City’s firefighters and police officers All day yesterday, the — with a Herculean push at stationhouses on the East Side of Manhattan. primary date seemed to — can make the logistics w Q I mention this only to point out that New York be an opeii question. work, For example, the PI continues to live in a dreamlike state of perpetual Some thought Gov. board has now designat­ H motion , gnawing grief and chronic uncertainty. George Pataki might delay the primary for one ed new polling places for the displaced residents rs r to We have more than 6,000 missing and con- ilrmed dead to mourn. We have a large part of Lower Manliattan to rebuild — a part of town that accounts for as much as 20 percent of our week—until the Board of Elections coidd dust it- self off and get its act more together. When I grabbed Pataki’s elbow at the pier and asked him about this, he said he’d say something later in the of Battery Park City. It has put cops on double shifts to watch the polls. For another thing, it is important to choose a new city government as soon as possible. Thanks o weal wages. -And all the while we have powerful day. He didn’t. Instead, the governor apparently to term limits, most of our officials — especially s guests we must escort around — officials who chose to exercise his right to remain silent. on the City Council — will be novices. They must o Q need to see the twisted ruins of the World Trade Later — on a separate track — Federal Judge I. get up to speed instantly. Center I'or themselves so they may fully grasp the Leo Glasser denied a preliminary injunction to But most importantly, New York most show o ci irne that was done to the very concept of Ameri- some city candidates who wanted to postpone the the terrorists what our style of democracy is all o can civilization itself. election. “The Nevi York City election process is about. It is not something we postpone when our 1 Most come away awed and sickened. In the still in utter chaos," they’d said with some truth. world goes mad. It is something we practice daily, . o words of Senate Minority Leader Lott yester- But let’s be honest about this. I can’t imagine a and it is something we trust. It’s our best anchor. o co o CT, CT. GJ

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