[Fredslist] Gothamites show support for Councilwomain-elect Elizabeth Crowley

[Raj Goel]

    On Thursday, December 18th, Gothamites Sergio Fernandez De Cordova 
and Joel Schnur hosted a meet-and-greet for Queens Councilwoman-elect 
Elizabeth Crowley.

    While it was a political event for Elizabeth Crowley, it turned into 
a real-live Gotham event with
- Sergio Fernandez De Cordova / FUEL Outdoor advertising
- Joel Schnur / Lobbying, Government Affairs
- Judy Mines / RVM Inc / eDiscovery & Litigation Support
- Rick Raymond / Leadership Coaching
- Gil Elmaleh / Insurance and Financial Planning
- Raj Goel / IT Consulting and Information Security Consulting.

A news reporter from EL Tiempo News, executives from Metropolitan Jewish 
Health Systems, Brain Tumor Foundation, Met Council on Jewish Poverty, 
UJO Williamsburg were also in attendance.

    So, what happens at a political meet-and-greet?

    Same thing that happens when you get more than 2 Gothamites in a 
room - networking!

    After that, we discussed the impact of the Madoff scandal on 
charities, community services and the real impact on everyday New Yorkers.

    James Wu and Councilwoman Crowley talked about her commitment to 
education, senior services, land use policies, etc.

    With input from the Met Council and Jewish Health systems, the 
discussion turned to the impact of the impending budget cuts on senior 
citizens, affordable housing and the role of Community Boards in 
influening public policy.

    For those of us, who had never attended one of these events before, 
a few things became clear:

- Politicians are human beings, not just names in newspapers or 
caricatures.  They have agendas, communities they are responsible for, 
and fairly hectic schedules

- Politicians start campaigning for the next election a day after the 
current election ends

- Working the political process is just like Gotham - who you know, and 
how well you know them, determines the success you will have in 
forwarding your agenda

- It's never too early to make friends with your councilman, 
assemblyman, state senator, etc.  You never know when you'll need them. 

- Sergio and Joel DO know everyone on the city council

If you want great outdoor advertising (bill boards, posters on 
construction areas, bus stops, etc, contact Sergio.

If you need something done in City government, contact Joel.

-- 
-- Raj

Rajesh Goel, CISSP
cell (917) 685-7731
CTO: Brainlink International, Inc.
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