Ex-Bronx BP Ferrer Endorses de Blasio For Public Advocate

BILL DE BLASIO: Called a fighter for less-fortunate.

City Council Member Bill de Blasio's campaign for Public Advocate got a boost Aug. 18 with the endorsement of ex-Bronx Borough President Fernando Ferrer, who called him "the kind of public servant who sees a problem with a human face attached to it."

Recent polls have shown the Brooklyn Councilman emerging as the main challenger to former Public Advocate Mark Green in a four-man race for the Democratic nomination that also includes Queens Councilman Eric Gioia and civil liberties lawyer Norman Siegel. The primary will be held Sept. 15.

An Old, Bitter Rivalry

Mr. Green vanquished Mr. Ferrer in a bitter 2001 Democratic primary for Mayor that turned ugly when his supporters sought to play racial politics by linking Mr. Ferrer to the Rev. Al Sharpton in a pejorative way. After losing the runoff, Mr. Ferrer offered only token support to Mr. Green in the general election.

His allies in the Bronx Democratic Party made a public show of disconnecting their phones on Election Day as an indication they would not help the party's nominee, who was narrowly defeated by Michael Bloomberg just a couple of weeks after having a 16- point lead in the polls.

FERNANDO FERRER: Definitely not going Green.

Mr. Ferrer sought to discourage any thought that this endorsement was a continuation of an old enmity, saying outside City Hall, "This isn't about politics as usual. This is about standing up for people. . . across the board. When they're being wronged, when they're being shortchanged, when their interests aren't being addressed."

'Stands Up to Power'

Asked about charges that the office Mr. de Blasio is seeking is not particularly important in city government, the former Bronx Borough President replied, "Public Advocate has a real responsibility to stand up to the powers in this city when they're doing wrong." Mr. de Blasio was ideally suited to that role, he said, because he's "not trapped by a cynicism."

Mr. de Blasio, who effusively prais- ed Mr. Ferrer for having "brought The Bronx back from some of the toughest conditions that any part of any city has gone through," said one area where he intended to make a difference if elected was through the seat the Advocate has on the City Planning Commission.

"Over these last eight years," he told reporters, "developers have gotten too good a bargain," asserting they hadn't delivered enough affordable housing or jobs for local residents in return for tax breaks they received from the city for their projects.

A day later, he was endorsed by former Gov. Mario M. Cuomo.