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Homeless? All these people say they have no place to go; the city agrees with seven of them. Why thinks the rest should be on their own.

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community activist with heavy backing from newscaster, Felipe Luciano narrowly lost to PRIMARY 2005 the influential Working Families Party. Mealy's Reed in 2001 and carries invaluable name campaign boasted $128,000 after the mid-July recognition. But longtime Democratic Party CITY COUNCIL RACES TO WATCH filing deadline-roughly $50,000 more than insider Joyce Johnson has Reed's endorse- her closest challenger, Danny King. Boyland's ment-along with those of AS NEW YORK POLITICS HEATS UP for its main donations are harder to pin down; he's declined politicos like Gale Brewer, which co uld help event-the Democratic Parry primary on Septem- to participate in the campaign finance program, her carry the neighborhood. Bur so far, politi- ber 13-several races warrant a closer look. There and had reported only $6,700 at press time. He cal newcomer Melissa Mark-VlVerito, a com- are two stats that generally indicate the strength of still had $70,000 left in his state assembly fund, munity activist, had beaten them both in a campaign: the nwnber of petition signarures though it's unclear how much can be used for fundraising. Mark-Viverito's campaign is being gathered to get on the ballot, which can reveal his council race. backed by her union, SEIU 1199, which hous- whether the operation has a wide reach, and the es one of the most sophisticated voter mobi- size of the war chest (a combination of donations Bronx: District 13 Throgs Neck, City Island, Morris Park lization operations in the city- and successful- and anticipated matching funds). With six candi- The crowded Democratic field jostling for ly installed Councilmember Annabel Palma in dates leaving office thanks to term limits and a outgoing Councilmember Madeline Proven- 2003. One indication of Viverito's street cred: handful of incwnbents facing serious challenges, zano's Bronx district is topped by three candi- She blew her opponents our of the water, there's plenty to talk about: Harlem's District 9, dates: Joseph McManus, a union official at reporting more than 9,000 petition signatures, the Lower East Side's District 2, Sunset Park's Dis- Steamfitters Local 638; poli tical veteran 10 times what's required to get on the ballor. trict 38. But the field narrows considerably when Stephen Kaufman, a former longtime Democ- Her opponents claimed roughly 3,500 each. you focus on neighborhood activists who've ratic state assemblyman; and James Vacca, a managed to pull together competitive campaigns. community board district manager with a quar- : District 25 Jackson Heights, Elmhurst, Woodside City Limits picks out the ones to watch. ter-century history in local civic work. Council member Helen Sears could have a McManus's union has close ties to the party, but scrappy race against community organizer : District 41 Ocean Hill, Brownsville Vacca was winning the nwnbers game as City Bryan Pu-Folkes. Mid-July filings found the All-out war might be the best way to Limits headed to press: The latest campaign fil- campaigns neck and neck for fundraising. Still, describe this hardscrabble contest for Btooklyn's ings showed him with more than $300,000 in Pu-Folkes, who has made a name for himself only open seat. Outgoing incumbent Tracy donations and pendi ng matching funds; neither otganizing against bias crime in the wake of Boyland, derided for poor council attendance of his rivals had broken $170,000. September 11, faces an uphill battle against and lackluster performance, has represented the Sears. Not only is she the incumbent, but Sears district since 1997; her father and brother have : District 8 E. Harlem, Upper W. Side and S. Bronx has some extra oomph: a 20-year history with represented nearby Bedford-Stuyvesant in the As campaign season hit August, a feisty the county party machine and union backing state assembly since 1982. Determined to keep three-way battle was heating up for outgoing fueled by her successful drive to keep Wal-Mart the family business alive, William Boyland, Councilmember Phil Reed's seat. With one- out of the borough . • Sr.- Tracy's father, 64-emerged from retire- third of the district's Democrats black and -Tracie McMillan ment to take on a field of 14 candidates. The nearly half Latino, racial politics could shape toughest challenge is likely to come from Dar- the contest. A former leader of the revolution- Research assistance provided lene Mealy, a rank-and-ft.!e union member and ary Young Lords Party who became a local by E, Holmgren and R. Breitman.

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