Today, The Brooklyn Paper editorial board issued three endorsements in next week’s primary battles for this fall’s U.S. House, and N.Y. State Senate seats.
Among them, their endorsement of Staten Island City Councilman Mike McMahon for the 13th congressional district – the house seat put up for grabs in May by now disgraced congressman, Vito Fossella.

Despite acknowledging the success McMahon’s challenger, local Bay Ridge attorney and long-time civic activist, Steve Harrison had in his ’06 general bid against the one-time republican darling, Vito Fossella – garnering over 46% of the vote in a general election – Brooklyn Paper endorsed McMahon as “an impressive member of the city council… far more experienced and ready to serve constituents of the Bay Ridge-Staten Island district on Day 1.”

So far recent polling shows McMahon leading Harrison 64-18%. While Harrison, whose billed himself as the only true liberal progressive democrat, gross roots candidate in this election – remains undeterred by the polling data.

BP’s endorsement of the Staten Islander is the latest in a litany of high profile editorial and political endorsements from papers such as The New York Times, Senators Chuck Schumer and Hillary Clinton from NY, and Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz.

Brooklyn Paper also endorsed Democrat Kevin Powell in Brooklyn’s 10th district congressional race, and Brooklyn’s Daniel Squadron over Marty Connor for New York Senate’s 25th District.

Two months ago is was reported by local media that Victory Memorial — the embattled hospital ordered closed June 30th per a NYSDOH commission mandate — had, in fact, been ‘saved. ‘

In July, the Brooklyn Paper reported that SUNY Downstate Medical Center would be leasing the hospital space from the site’s new owners, Borough Park Real Estate conglomerate Abe Leser Group, which purchased the hospital at auction for over 44 million dollars.

What was not so widely reported was the fact that the real ‘victory’ for the Bay Ridge hospital — at least according to State Senator Marty Golden, Councilman Vincent Gentile, and Congressman Vito Fossella — was supposed to be keeping the hospital’s ER going.

In their lawsuit against the New York State Department of Health, local politicians argued the closing of Victory’s ER would put the community’s welfare in serious jeopardy – citing unacceptable delays in emergency response time, and a strain on the remaining ER units of local hospitals.

Therefor, it should come as no surprise that two months after local pols brokered their backroom deal to ‘save’ Victory Memorial Hospital — which was brought down under the weight of years of corruption and financial mismanagement — a fully functioning Emergency Room still does not appear to be in SUNY Downstate’s immediate plans for the site.

According to the Brooklyn Paper article:

The “new” facility will continue Victory’s urgent care center and Victory’s diagnostic and treatment center, which provides ongoing, non-emergency care.. Victory will continue to run its ambulatory surgery unit — which conducts surgeries that do not require overnight stays — until Downstate receives a state certification to run that unit as well, hospital employees said. That certification could come as early as this week.

Now it appears that the one remaining silver lining in Victory’s bailout, the job security of Victory’s employees, may be in serious doubt.

On September 9th the building’s new owner, Abe Leser Group, will be forced to choose an operator for the site’s 200+ bed adult care facility.

Among those vying for the contract is Victory, which would like to remain a non-profit, and keep it’s remaining staff of SEIU1199 employees to staff the 200+ bed facility, and private, for-profit operator, Chaim Sieger; who would like to renegotiate employees contracts outside of the SEIU – likely resulting in pay cuts, loss of benefits, and layoffs.

According to Councilman Gentile’s website:
“that [SEIU1199] contract and the workers who care for the home’s residents must be honored”

“Oddly, Mr. Sieger’s ex-wife, Helen Sieger, was arrested and charged on August 7, 2008 with failing to provide workers’ compensation insurance for hundreds of employees at a Bronx nursing home.”