Ruben Diaz: My Wife Was Denied City Job Over Position On Gay Marriage

New York state Sen. Ruben Diaz, the leading anti-gay nutcase in the legislature, is screaming that his wife was denied a job with New York City because she opposes same-sex marriage. Via the Observer:

A Bronx state senator is charging that Comptroller Scott Stringer denied his wife a job because she opposes same-sex marriage–even though Mr. Stringer’s office claims she was never offered a position. State Senator Rubén Díaz Sr., a conservative Democrat, said in an email today that his wife, Leslie Díaz, was recently offered an unspecified position in Mr. Stringer’s office. When Mr. Stringer found out that she, like her husband, is not a supporter of same-sex marriage, the offer was rescinded, according to Mr. Díaz. “Leslie’s co-workers gave her a very nice going away party. We were all very happy that Leslie was going to be working for the New York City Comptroller’s Office,” Mr. Díaz wrote in one of his periodic emailed missives known as “What You Should Know.” “Then, two days before her expected start date for her new position, she got a phone call informing her that Scott Stringer had just received a copy of a video that shows Leslie standing and participating with me–her husband–at a peaceful demonstration that we held in opposition to same-sex marriage,” he continued. Mr. Díaz said his wife was informed that because of the video, Mr. Stringer, a fellow Democrat and backer of same-sex marriage, would not offer his wife the job.

A spokesman for Stringer says that Diaz is spewing "nonsense" and that his wife was never even in consideration for the position. Diaz, you surely recall, bused in the majority of the attendees at the last two hate marches organized by NOM. (Via Aksarbent)

New York City LGBT Center Celebrates With Ribbon-Cutting After $9.2M Remodel

Last night I attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony at the New York City LGBT Center, which is almost finished with a 14-month $9.2M remodeling that has dramatically reshaped the building, an 1844 structure that in 1938 became Food Trades Vocational High School. Leading the ceremony was Center executive director Glennda Testone and Edith Windsor, who announced that the Center will be the recipient of her personal papers. Speakers included Manhattan borough president Gale Brewer, City Councilman Corey Johnson, state Sen. Brad Hoylman, state Assemblywoman Deborah Glick, NYC Comptroller Scott Stringer, and a representative from Mayor De Blasio's office, who declared yesterday to be LGBT Center Day in New York City. The Center hosts hundreds of groups and was the birthplace of ACT UP. The ribbon was provided by rainbow flag creator Gilbert Baker.

UPDATE: JMG reader Glenn provides us with his video of Edith Windsor's speech. Lots of gay history here.

Scott Stringer Wins Dem Primary For NYC Comptroller, Former Gov. Spitzer Concedes

I was leaning towards Spitzer until his campaign came up with that NAMBLA bullshit against Stringer.

NEW YORK CITY: Eliot Spitzer Slams Scott Stringer Over 1996 NAMBLA Vote

The campaign for New York City comptroller took an especially ugly turn yesterday when the lawyer for former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer slammed rival candidate Scott Stringer for a 1996 vote Stringer made as a state assemblyman against the revocation of NAMBLA's non-profit status. According to the New York Daily News, NAMBLA registered with the state under the name Zymurgy and once lawmakers learned of the group's true identity, a bill to revoke its non-profit status was passed, but Stringer and 18 other members of the Assembly voted against it.

Stringer spokeswoman Audrey Gelman said Monday that Stringer believes “NAMBLA and groups like it are abhorrent and disgusting” — but that he “voted to protect the Constitution.” “He and 18 other progressive members of the state Legislature voted on constitutional grounds that the Legislature should not be freely and subjectively revoking the nonprofit status of groups, (believing) it would be a slippery slope that could lead to targeting of group based on their political views,” she said. Aides to Stringer, the Manhattan borough president, also pointed out that he has voted to toughen penalties for sexual crimes against children.

Martin Connor, a former Democratic state senator from Manhattan who is now Spitzer’s campaign lawyer, said he voted for the Zymurgy bill and Stringer should have, too. “It’s one thing if you’ve got an organization that’s advocating communism; they’re advocating a political view," he said. “But NAMBLA? What if you had an organization advocating murder? Why would you give them a tax exemption? It’s beyond the pale.” The Spitzer campaign on Monday tried to turn the tables on Stringer, who has repeatedly bashed Spitzer for having to resign as governor because of a prostitution scandal.

Then Gov. George Pataki had attempted to yank the non-profit status of Zymurgy by direct order, but that action was blocked by a court, prompting the legislation which Pataki then signed.

Dead Heat In NYC Comptroller Race

In more surprising polling news, Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer has wiped out former Gov. Eliot Spitzer's big lead in the race for NYC comptroller.

The entire political and media world has jumped on Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer's bandwagon, helping him poll-vault from 19 points down to dead even in just two weeks," said Maurice Carroll, director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. "The black vote, which has shifted dramatically in the last two weeks, still tips to former Gov. Eliot Spitzer. Stringer holds a big lead among white voters. Did the avalanche of media criticism knock Spitzer out of the lead? Among self-described 'very liberal' voters, Stringer is way ahead. He leads among the college-educated, while Spitzer leads among those without a college degree." Likely Democratic primary voters who describe themselves as "very liberal" back Stringer 60 - 35 percent. "Somewhat liberal" Democrats back Spitzer 51 - 40 percent while moderate or conservative Democrats are divided, 47 percent for Spitzer and 44 percent for Stringer.

RELATED: A poll released yesterday similarly revealed that Public Advocate Bill De Blasio has soared to a 15-point lead over Christine Quinn in the mayoral race.

New Wall Street Journal-NBC Poll

From the Wall Street Journal:

With nine candidates on the Democratic primary ballot, there is next to no chance anyone will win the contest outright, and so the top candidates have focused their efforts on securing a spot in the runoff. While Ms. Quinn has spent most of the race as the front-runner, the poll showed she will be the underdog in a runoff, Mr. Miringoff said. In a hypothetical face-off with Mr. de Blasio, he leads against Ms. Quinn 44% to 42% among registered democrats. If the runoff were between Mr. Thompson and Ms. Quinn, he leads 44% to 43%. Mr. de Blasio would also beat Mr. Thompson in a runoff, 44% to 36%, the poll showed. The margins in all three cases were slightly wider among likely voters.

The primary is in three weeks.

Spitzer Leads NYC Comptroller Poll

Last night, twenty minutes before the 11PM deadline, former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer turned in nearly ten times the required petition signatures to make the ballot for New York City comptroller. Primarily on the strength of his name recognition (for better or worse) he's already leading in a favorability poll against Manhattan borough president Scott Stringer.

In the new poll, taken Monday and Tuesday, 67 percent of Democrats said he deserved a second chance, and 44 percent said he was a changed man. Nearly two-thirds said his scandal mattered little to the race, or not at all. He also enjoys a healthy favorability rating, with 46 percent of Democrats saying they had a positive opinion of him, compared to 40 percent saying the same of  Stringer. The poll of 536 registered Democrats has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points. Voters were asked which scandal -- Spitzer's or Weiner's -- was worse, and the responses were nearly evenly split. Thirty-one percent said Weiner sending lewd pictures over Twitter was more egregious, and 29 percent chose Spitzer's involvement in prostitution. Nineteen percent said the two scandals were equally reprehensible, while 13 percent said neither was offensive.  Stringer, who until this week seemed to have a lock on his party's nomination, has his own work to do. Forty-three percent of Democrats polled said that they'd never heard of him or were unsure what they thought of him.

Stringer already has the endorsements of virtually all of the city's major labor unions as well as most of the members of the Democratic delegations to Congress and the state legislature.