New York Times
by Sam Dolnick
August 5, 2010
There appear to be some shady practices taking place in a Bronx election.
A letter dated July 31 was sent to the home of a Bronx woman who had signed a petition supporting an opponent of the Senate majority leader, Pedro Espada Jr.
In bold-face capital letters, it read “Notice of Legal Information Warning” and went on to say that the woman had been identified “as a person who has signed a legal document known as a petition.”
“Receipt of this letter is NOT an indication that you have done anything wrong,” the letter stated. “However, there is reason to believe that your signature has been obtained against the law.” The recipient was told to call “the Ballot Integrity Unit.” There was no answer at the number on Thursday afternoon.
The letter was signed by the “Concerned Citizens for Good Government,” but at the bottom of the page, in small type, it read “Paid for by New Yorkers for Espada.”
Mr. Espada’s spokesman did not immediately return a message for comment. It was not possible Thursday afternoon to verify whether the letter indeed came from Mr. Espada’s campaign.
The campaign office of Mr. Espada’s main opponent, Gustavo Rivera, released a copy of the letter Thursday, and said it had received notice of at least six similar letters sent out across the 33rd District in the northwest Bronx.
“This letter is an intimidation tactic of people who simply showed their support for Gustavo Rivera,” said Horacio Gutierrez, Mr. Rivera’s campaign strategist. “Disappointed is not a strong enough word. This is clearly an act of desperation by someone who knows they can’t win on Sept. 14.”
Mr. Gutierrez sent out a letter to supporters Thursday warning them of the letters and requesting that anyone who received one notify the campaign office.
Mr. Rivera, a political aide who worked for Senator Kirsten E. Gillibrand and Barack Obama’s presidential campaign, has received the support of the Working Families Party and Democratic advocates with deep pockets.
Supporters say Mr. Rivera offers the district an opportunity for a new representative in Albany who is not mired in scandal. Mr. Espada is under investigation by federal prosecutors and has been accused by New York’s attorney general of using his network of health clinics for personal gain.
But Mr. Espada will be difficult to unseat. His name recognition is far greater than Mr Rivera’s and his campaign has much more money in last month’s campaign filings, Mr. Espada reported having about $323,000 on hand, compared with $38,000 for Mr. Rivera.
News of the letter came a day after a dust-up in Albany between Mr. Espada and protesters was caught on video. In the video, posted by The Daily News, Mr. Espada can be seen throwing crumpled-up dollar bills at the demonstrators.
On Thursday, Mr. Espada held a news conference at a Bronx gas station to urge support for a law that he said would protect family-owned gas stations. Despite the heat, Mr. Espada was dressed in a black suit with a yellow tie and matching handkerchief.
He refused to answer questions about the charges of intimidation of Mr. Rivera’s supporters or about the incident on Wednesday in Albany, but his spokesman sent out a statement later about the clash in the capital, in which Mr. Espada said he was “victimized by goons.”
“I will not be intimidated,” Mr. Espada said.
