By Thomas Tracy
With a sizable war chest and more money expected, Eric Adams of 100 Blacks in Law Enforcement Who Care is gaining steam in his bid for Brooklyn’s 20th State Senate seat, currently held by Carl Andrews. This week, Adams reportedly turned in his retirement papers after 22 years with the NYPD, which will allow him to run for office. He is currently the Executive Officer of the 6th Precinct in Manhattan. Political watchdogs said that Adams has already put his fundraising endeavors into overdrive, with two fundraising events this month alone. Supporters of the former NYPD lieutenant joined Adams in an event at Ovations, an Atlantic Avenue hot spot on February 10. Many more supporters are expected to attend his second fundraiser of the month at the Two Steps Down Restaurant on DeKalb Avenue on February 23, according to supporters. Sources also spotted Adams at a recent Park Slope Civic Council meeting, where he grabbed the attention of State Senator Velmanette Montgomery, possibly in an attempt to gain her support. Through it all, Adams is making his intentions clear: he wants to be the next State Senator of the 20th Senatorial District. “I am definitely [in the race],” said Adams when contacted by this paper. “People come up to me and say that they heard that I’m thinking of running, but I say that I’m already gone.” Andrews has held the 20th State Senate District since 2002. It is considered one of the most ethnically diverse districts in the borough, encompassing Flatbush, Kensington, Crown Heights, Park Slope, Windsor Terrace and Prospect Heights. Currently, Andrews is in the running for the 11th Congressional District, which is up for grabs after Major Owens announced his retirement at the end of the year. To achieve that goal, however, Andrews has to overcome four obstacles, namely City Councilmember David Yassky, City Councilmember Yvette Clarke, Assemblymember Nick Perry and Major Owens’ son Chris Owens – all of whom are running for the same seat. As of press time, it appears that Adams will be running for an open seat, since Andrews would have to give up his chances for re-election if he continues to seek a Congressional seat. Still, there are those who believe that, despite Andrews’ claims to the contrary, he may decide to stay in the Senate to gain the Minority Leadership position left behind by Harlem State Senator David Paterson, who is running for Lieutenant Governor in Eliot Spitzer’s bid for Albany’s big chair. Adams said that he doesn’t plan to back out of the race if Andrews opts to continue on in the state senate. “I am in the race,” said Adams. “Whether an elected official is still in is not going to impact my decision.” Adams said that if elected, he would like to be known as the “public safety senator.” He would also like to tackle education issues. Political watchdogs said that this would be Adams’ second political run. In 2004, he planned to run against Assemblymember Roger Green, although he opted out as the race began to heat up, claiming that he feared he would be disqualified on residency grounds. That reasoning surprised many insiders, who said that Adams had a perfectly legitimate residency claim. Setting the record straight, Adams said that he decided to drop out of the race because he wanted to retire from the NYPD as a Captain, not a Lieutenant as he was in 2004. According to campaign finance disclosures filed in January, Adams has raised over $60,000. Minus expenses, he has over $52,000 to wage his war against Andrews or any other contenders for the 20th Senatorial Seat. His only major expense, according to campaign finance disclosures, was $8,750 to the law firm of Paul Wooten & Associates, who have reportedly put on retainer to handle any legal hurdles Adams may face. Wooten, some may recall, was considered a contender in the Democratic Primary for Kings County District Attorney Charles Hynes’ seat until he opted out of the race that summer.
