August 19, 2021 --

The day that Andrew Cuomo announced he was resigning as New York governor, August 10,  this writer received a three-page personalized-type form letter from Curtis Sliwa, the Republican candidate for mayor of New York City. 

Permit, first, this digression concerning the Cuomo announcement. The resignation is to take effect in two weeks. Note that Richard Nixon's resignation went into effect on August 9, 1974, the day after he announced he was leaving the White House.  There is no indication, but the thought is too tempting to keep to oneself, that Cuomo needs two weeks to find a country that will accept him.

Now about the Sliwa letter: notwithstanding the apparent "form" aspect, the signature appears to be written with a blue ball point pen, and is clearly different from the black font of the letter. Consequently, this writer has no doubt that Curtis signed this letter.

The letter consists of three pages and one enclosure: an information sheet concerning campaign contributions. Still, the letter contains some interesting information to be harvested for a Sliwa upset win over his highly-favored Democrat opponent, whose name will not here be mentioned; he will get the lion's share of publicity from the New York City media once the campaign gets underway.

In taking note of the information in the letter from Curtis, a few thoughts will be set forth, starting with this one. General Eisenhower told, of his service as aide to General George C, Marshall, that Marshall believed a memorandum should consist of no more than one page, and Ike expressed pride in complying with Marshall's requirement. This is to suggest to Curtis that his fund-raising letters, too, should be no more than one page -- okay, with enclosure for fund-raising  information requirements.

This is to agree with the assertion, halfway down the first page of the letter:  this mayoral campaign "is about The People vs. The Establishment." This writer has personal experience that New York City operates as an insiders' cabal. That's what the Dayton Seaside property tax manipulation, wiping out my family's interest in the three Dayton Seaside apartment buildings in Rockaway Park, Queens, was all about. 

Under Rudy Giuliani, the city, instead of settling the transition to full taxes of these buildings constructed under a tax abatement program, ignored the transition period and imposed full taxes, with the effect of creating the illusion that the buildings were in arrears for the transition period. The buildings were sold in bankruptcy.  A year before we lost the buildings, an aide for the Republican leader in the state assembly told me that the buildings would be lost in bankruptcy. Why? The conclusion is inescapalce: the Zukermans were not part of the NYC establishment.

As it happened, officials who were involved in the Dayton Seaside property tax manipulation have had their come-uppance. Bill deBlasio, at HUD as the manipulation was carried out, sent me two stonewalling letters -- and now is likely to go down as one of the worst mayors New York City ever had. Anthony Weiner, as Rockaway's congressman, sent an ex parte letter to the bankruptcy judge filled with lies about  my family, and now is a registered sex offender.

Rudy Giuliani is no longer America's mayor. HUD was mortgagee at two of the buildings and Cuomo was HUD secretary at the time. He must have approved the scheme which misapplied HUD's escrows to current taxes instead of the transition period taxes, to create the false claim of huge tax arrears (up to $60 million). And the day this article written is the day marking Cuomo's come-uppance.

This writer strongly believes that with Curtis as mayor, the days will be over when the establishment can resort to unjust means to force people out  of business, nno longer will the establishment will be favored over outsider. Indeed, with Curtis as mayor, the high fence separating the favored few from the people will be taken down and the very idea of an "establishment" will be ancient history.

As Curtis wrote, in his letter: "Together, we will defeat The Establishment." Curtis went on to write:  "I love this city and want to make it better." Sounds like a variation on a MAGA theme to me.

On the second page of his letter, Curtis writes:

"It is time for a change -- and I am the only candidate who can deliver.  I find it ironic that I am considered the underdog when only 31.7% of Democrat voters believe that [Curtis here named his opponent] is the best candidate for mayor, and overall, only 3% of New York City voters turned out to vote for him in the primary. 3%!"  (There are about 3.500,000  active registered Democrats in New York City, and 370,000 Republicans.) 

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Curtis continues:  "No one can tell me we can't (and won't) win this election."   He goes on to point out: "A run-of-the-mill Republican would have a difficult time winning in New York City. But I can win...with your help, because I am no ordinary Republican." Indeed he isn't. Before quoting further from his letter, consider the implications of low voter turnout in New York City.  More likely than not, this is a reflection of the very low political morale of the average voter -- that his or her vote means little; that the System is geared towards favoring the few and giving the back of the hand to the "deplorables."

There is this insightful line in John Doe's radio speech, in the movie "Meet John Doe." "And when. cop yells: 'Stand back there, you!'  He means us, the John Does."  

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That incisive piece of dialogue from Robert Riskin's script is what the fence separating the people from the establishment is all about.  With Curtis mayor, the fence will be taken down; and if a copy yells "stand back," it will apply to everyone!

Now, please take to heart the following quote from the letter:

"I am a populist who is focused on the people (and animals) of New York City -- not political partisanship. I am the only one who has gone into neighborhoods throughout the five boroughs where the only Republican that the residents have ever seen is Abraham Lincoln on a five-dollar bill.

"This is why I will win."   

And among other things, Curtis writes in his letter that he will revive the New York City economy and "REFUND  the police and make our streets safe again. "  

Why is the New York City mayoral contest the most important election this year?   The NYC mayoral election is a test of our democracy, which must be based on the two-party system.  Presently, the Republican Party is moribund in the City of New York as it is in all the urban areas of the country, beset by actual insurrection, rioting, arson, looting, pillaging and murder the summer of 2020 -- where the only response from the Democrats was "defund the police."  If democracy is to withstand the attack from rabid, radical leftists raising the invidious banner of Woke-ism, The People must toss away their apathy and become energized to elect Republicans like Curtis Sliwa who embody the spirit of that marvelous populist document in The Federalist Papers, Federalist No. 57 that opens by taking note of the aggrandizing class living on the sacrifice of the many, and goes on to tell officials to stay close to the people if government is not to become tyrannical. Curtis Sliwa is just the candidate New York City needs to shred that cloak of political apathy smothering democracy in the Big Apple.

A campaign that  elects  Curtis Sliwa mayor of New York City will be the model for Republicans seeking elective office in 2022.  Imagine New York City Mayor Curtis Sliwa  taking his "People, Yes, Establishment, No" campaign," in 2022, throughout the country to elect  a Republican House and Senate and, thereafter,  Mayor Curtis Sliwa, in the forefront of a successful campaign to evict the Democrats from the White House, in 2024, effective January 20, 2025.    

This autumn,  Republicans, from across the land,  should campaign with Curtis Sliwa in the five boroughs, to restore democracy to New York City,  as the first step towards Making America Great Again.   Jim Jordan, Jim Bank, Elise Stefanik, Kevin McCarthy, Steve Scalise, Louis Gohmert -- and, yes, Donald Trump, please copy.