Is That An Island?

It's said that Staten Island got its name when Henry Hudson sailed into the harbor and asked his first mate, "Iz Dat An Island?" The mate thought he was pointing to an island called Zdaten or as we say today, Staten. And so the name stuck. Yuk, yuk.

I headed out early this morning to spend the day in Staten Island at the Frank Barbaro For Congress campaign. It was a beautiful spring day: cool and dry and the "B" train took me swiftly to Dekalb Avenue, downtown Brooklyn, where I switched for the tunnel train and disembarked at South Ferry at the southern tip of Manhattan. The Staten Island ferry terminal is being rebuilt and the temporary building is confusing. I boarded with hundreds of others but when I got on with my bike, I was told to take it down to the lower level of the boat and stow it on the rear of the boat. That was OK with me as the view of Manhattan as it receded was magnificent.

You can live, work and play in New York and yet be totally divorced from, and unaware of, its island nature and the many various waterways that surround the city. I'm sure you, like I, have been on the Staten Island ferry many times, yet when was the last time? It's fabulous! And, better yet, it's free! As the ferry makes its way you are treated to one spectacular view after another of this wonderful and grand harbor. The skyline, Ellis Island, the Statue of Liberty, Governors Island, the Verrazano Bridge, the Jersey shipyards. Reach out and touch them.


Leaving Manhattan behind. That's the Brooklyn Bridge on the right as we head for Staten Island.


The city gets smaller and smaller.


We zip past the Lady of the Harbor.

Frank Barbaro is a retired New York Supreme Court Judge. Before that he was an Assemblyman for many years from Brooklyn's Bensonhurst. He's a progressive, working-class Italian-American politician with lots of experience and who has garnered great support in his community and in the labor movement throughout the city. He's running against Vito Fosella, a young, right-wing, 100%-Bush loving member of Congress from the 13th CD. That district covers all of Staten Island and a section of Bay Ridge, Bensonhurst and Dyker Heights in Brooklyn.

New York was solidly anti-Bush in the last election and will be solidly anti-Bush in this election. However, one way that progressives can help out in the coming election is this Congressional campaign. It's important to support John Kerry's bid to replace Bush but it's equally important to take back the House and the Senate. That's what Frank's campaign is all about. And he has a good chance of winning. What's needed, though, is help, lots of help: leg work, voter registration, phone banking, fund raising, etc. Having time on my hands I figure this is a good place to put my energies in the months ahead until November. And so I took the ferry to Staten Island.

I met Frank and my old friend, Bob Greenberg, at the headquarters which is just a block from the ferry terminal on Richmond Terrace. I've known Frank personally for many years and it was good to see him getting ready to run again. I met some of the other staff as well: a young guy, Mike and and older man, Ray. The two of them are running the Staten Island Office. We talked about plans for a while and about opening an office in Brooklyn. Frank asked if I could work on reaching out to some of the Brooklyn peace groups that I have contact with and I agreed.

We had lunch and then Frank, Bob and I headed out to a public school to meet some parents and hand out some flyers. Staten Island is not Manhattan: there's no street grid there. If you don't have a map you're lost. After some confusion we found our way and were surprised at the friendly greeting and interest expressed in the campaign. Frank is very personable: he's a big, friendly guy and parents waiting outside the school for their kids gave him a big hello and big smiles as they took his literature. It was a good outing and the three of us returned in good spirits.

I headed back to Manhattan on the ferry but by the time I got there it was close to five and I was afraid to put my bike on a rush-hour subway. Being such a lovely day I decided, what the hell, I'll bike it. And I did: cross the Brooklyn Bridge, jammed with workers and tourists and all the way home. Tired. But a nice tired. And inspired...all the way home I've been making plans on how I can add my experience to help out on the campaign. I even have a whole letter (in my head) that I'm sending out to you, my friends, asking for a contribution. Check your mail soon.


Frank in his Staten Island office.


Frank greeting parents outside a Staten Island public school.