Basil Smikle kicked off his insurgent primary challenge to incumbent state Sen. Bill Perkins this afternoon in Harlem's 30th District, and Kate Lucadamo from our City Hall Bureau was there for it all:
"We are here today because Albany seems a lot less noble these days," said Smikle, 38, a political strategist and former top Hillary Clinton aide.
""The days of playing both ends against the middle are over... I'm running as an insurgent, the outsider," Smikle told a group of about 20 sign-waving supporters, including his dad, a retired textile worker.
Smikle has been an outspoken proponent of charter schools, an issue that's gotten Perkins in some hot water with district parents and special interest groups. "My opponent has not stood up for parents in Albany," Smikle said.
The new candidate dodged a question on whether he backs Lt. Gov. Richard Ravitch's proposed borrowing plan to address the state's long-term fiscal stability, but said generally, "I would do everything I could not to furlough state workers."
Also on the scene was close Smikle friend and political consultant Rodney Capel -- who also considered taking on Perkins himself before the two and Larry Scott Blackmon of the Parks Department agreed that Smikle would be the standard-bearer to avoid fracturing the vote in the primary.
Capel said he was there as an "uber-volunteer" and predicted, "It's going to be a fight."
He also dumped on Perkins' pitch of being an outsider himself as "ridiculous," Lucadamo reports.
UPDATE: Perkins responds!
"I welcome Basil to the race. As a community organizer, City Councilmember and now as State Senator, I've built a record of taking action and getting results. I look forward to having the people of this district decide who can best represent them."
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dailypolitics/2010/05/smikle-kicks-off-harlem-state.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+nydnrss%2Fblogs%2Fdailypolitics+%28Blogs%2FThe+Daily+Politics%29#ixzz0oVlIMcuX
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