There seems to be a Michael Grimm hangover on Staten Island after the combustible Congressman imploded because of a federal tax evasion case that threatens to put him behind bars.

In Grimm’s wake is a special election that’s getting little attention so far – with Staten Island District Attorney Dan Donovan facing off against Brooklyn City Councilman Vincent Gentile.

After seeing Domenic Recchia stumble his way down the campaign trail in last year’s race against Grimm, national Democrats appear to have little stomach for funding another expensive campaign and are all but sitting out next month’s election. It’s  amazing that the party can’t get its act together in a district where there are actually more registered Democrats than Republicans and was carried by Barack Obama in the 2012 presidential election.

Playing the law-and-order card, Donovan has been talking up his conviction rate on the island, noting that it was the lowest in the five boroughs when he took office twelve years ago and that it now stands at the highest.

But comparing Staten Island’s conviction rate to Brooklyn’s is a little bit like touting someone’s batting average in the minor leagues before they get promoted to the Yankees. As NY1’s Courtney Gross reported last night, there were a grand total of 14 felony cases that made their way to a jury on Staten Island in 2013. That sounds more like Mayberry than Magnum P.I.

Dan Donovan has a real paper trail in his office and it’s worth examining beyond talking up numbers that don’t really say anything. There’s a little more than a month before the special election and it deserves more attention – especially because it’s the only game in town besides a special election for a Brooklyn Assembly seat.

The candidates will square off in Brooklyn tonight in their first debate while NY1 and the Staten Island Advance are sponsoring a live televised debate in two weeks at the College of Staten Island. It’s time to shake off that Grimm hangover and focus on the only Congressional race in the nation north of Mississippi.

 

Bob Hardt