After Being Dissed by Errol Louis, Biviano Wins First Fight; Forces Invite to NY 1 52nd AD Debate

By on August 23, 2014 12:16 pm in Brooklyn Heights, Election 14

Brooklyn Heights resident Doug Biviano (BHB Ten ’09), a candidate on the ballot in September 9 Democratic primary election for the 52nd Assembly District seat being vacated by Joan Millman, reports that after initially being excluded, he has now been invited to participate in an upcoming debate for candidates that will be televised live on NY 1 on August 25.

Taking to social media, Mr. Biviano successfully made his case to be included in the NY 1 format:

We would like to invite you to participate in our debate for the 52nd Assembly District on NY1 next Monday (8/25), scheduled to begin at 5:30.

The debate will be held in our studios inside Chelsea Market (75 9th Ave) and will also feature Jo Anne Simon and Peter Sikora.

Are you available to participate?

Please note: We still would like to see some sort of documented indication of campaign activity. Were the “No Activity” financial filings incomplete, or have you not spent any money or raised any money prior to the most recent filing? If you have raised money since the 32 day filing, can you give an indication as to how much? Is there any evidence to support this?

Michael Kurtz
Political Producer
Inside City Hall
NY1

RELATED: Elections Are Not Coronations: Brooklyn Heights Blog to Host 52nd Assembly Debate with Democratic Candidates on September 2, 2014

The issue of campaign filings raised by Mr. Kurtz references comments made by Errol Louis, moderator for Inside City Hall, who questioned Biviano’s viability as a candidate.

In an email provided by the Biviano campaign, Mr. Louis stated that: “One candidate (yours?) has filed nothing with the state except ‘no activity’ reports, including for the 32-day pre-primary period. This person, I presume, is either a placeholder, a crank, or perhaps a stalking horse trying to help one of the other people on the ballot. That’s all perfectly legal, but we are going to take the ‘no activity’ filings seriously and not present such a person to viewers as if they were a serious candidate.”

NY 1, a subsidiary of Time Warner Cable that boasts that their “more than 40 full-time reporters” are part of an operation that “represents one of the most advanced newsgathering operations in the world” initially missed the fact the Biviano—on the Democtratic ballot for the 52 AD election—is engaged in an active, if underfunded campaign.


In a conversation with BHB Mr. Biviano stated that he has not yet filled with the New York State Board of Elections because only now is he receiving much-needed funding to sustain his insurgent campaign.

Thanks to recent fundraising success, the candidate intends to file on Monday, August 25, in time for the 11-Day Pre-Primary.

Mr. Louis’ initial snub, and his opponents’ unwillingness to object to his inclusion in what may be the most visible debate of the campaign only confirmed Biviano’s cynicism when it comes to the drivers of this election.

“It’s outrageous that a news organization protected by freedom of speech is telling an official candidate on the NYS ballot for Assembly that it costs money to have freedom of speech on their news program.”

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  • BrooklynBugle

    Note that BHB’s first tweet went out at 5:20pm – magically Biviano was invited to debate at 7pm. Coincidence?

  • Doug Biviano

    http://dougbiviano.com/index.php/contribute

    My campaign is the only one talking about the interconnection between my opponents and their supporters’ backroom deals that caused LICH Hospital to close, the closing of our libraries, and condos in the park. I’m fighting a dysfunctional campaign system that only special interests fund the candidates. If you want my message heard, please contribute and tell your friends in the district.

    http://dougbiviano.com/index.php/contribute

  • skunky

    Your comment about freedom of speech is remarkable. As in, I don’t think you understand what the term means.

  • Reggie

    “It’s outrageous that a news organization protected by freedom of speech is telling an official candidate on the NYS ballot for Assembly that it costs money to have freedom of speech on their news program.” I think what NY1 is saying is, it takes money to mount a credible campaign and if Biviano isn’t raising any, he shouldn’t be given air time for what, if that interpretation is correct, is just a soapbox exercise. There is more to running for office than filing a sufficient number of petitions. And skunky is right; you’ve misinterpreted the First Amendment.

  • Doug Biviano

    Is ‘credible’ defined as taking tens of thousands of dollars from PACs, lobbyist groups and special interests who now control our elections, elected officials and decisions over closing LICH and tearing down libraries?

    For the record, we have raised enough money for mailers but we obviously need the community to rally and contribute more if they want our message heard of returning the power of governing back to them — the voters.
    http://dougbiviano.com

  • Reggie

    Of course not, but I assume we both know a rhetorical question when we see one.

  • Doug Biviano

    NY1 debate http://ny1ne.ws/fGSa8E

    Two segments, second best. Wait on same page for second part to load.

    We get our point across that our community has lost control of governing decisions like LICH, libraries and condos in park due to lobbyists and special interests that control elections and elected officials. The deception like LICH Dark Money Letter is very coordinated with campaigns and PACs is another point, in this case Sikora campaign with de Blasio’s One NY PAC and consultant Berlin Rosen.

    It should be noted on this post that Errol Louis’ hostility to me was profound both on and off the camera, pre and post taping. Hopefully more reporting of this remarkable phenomena will come out.