Lewis A.

Fidler
Personal and Unofficial

From the Desk of

June 25, 2013 Working Families Party 2 Nevins Street, 3rd Floor Brooklyn, NY 11217 Lambda Independent Democrats of Brooklyn P.O. Box 150614 Brooklyn, NY 11215 New York Communities For Change Brooklyn Office 2-4 Nevins St., 2nd Fl. Brooklyn, NY 11217 United Auto Workers 9A UAW Region 9a Education 256 W 38th St. New York, NY 10018 Stonewall Democratic Club of New York City P.O.Box 514 Old Chelsea Station New York, NY 10113 The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW) Local 348 9235 4TH AVENUE BROOKLYN, NY 112097006 Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club C/o Alan Roskoff 450 W 17th St #2405 New York NY 10011 New York Hotel and Motel Trades Council, AFL-CIO 707 Eighth Avenue New York, New York 10036 Dear friend, It has come to my attention that you have either endorsed or are prepared to endorse Igor Oberman for the City Council in the 48th District. I am writing to express my serious concern with any such endorsement as I feel he may well have misrepresented the essence of who he is to you.

Let me state at the outset that I have not endorsed a candidate in this race. A good part of my current district has been moved into this seat so I am very familiar with the cast of characters. Voters in the 48th District actually have a choice between three very good and qualified candidates---Chaim Deutsch, Ari Kagan and Teresa Scavo---and two horrific candidates---Igor Oberman and David Storobin. As you may recall, most of you supported me in my State Senate race last year, something that I will always appreciate. The race run against me by Republican Storobin was not only regressive and right-wing reactionary, but was the single most homophobic race that I can ever remember. During that campaign, Igor Oberman purported to support me. In actuality, he was a mole inside my campaign for Storobin. I do not make such an accusation lightly. We knew at a point that information about our efforts with Russian speaking voters was leaking like a sieve within minutes and at a point we suspected the culprit. But the culprit revealed himself on election night, when Igor Oberman appeared at the Storobin victory party (weeks before the results could be known, if you recall) with his arms raised in triumph interlocked with Storobin. I am told that a search of campaign records will also show a contribution from Oberman to Storobin. Now, I am a big boy and lots of people supported my opponent. But what does it say about the character of an individual who can work for a candidate while surreptitiously working for his opponent? Is that the kind of candidate you want to be supporting? Is that a candidate for public office that you can trust? Is this a man of integrity? Obermans record as President of his co-op board also reflects a lack of character. It appears to be a matter of public record that he sues to evict co-operators who disagree with him. One City-wide newspaper has already documented this fact. Then there is the Carl Kruger matter. Oberman first came to the attention of many of us when he announced that he would be running a Primary against former Senator Carl Kruger prior to his indictment. Spit and vinegar and vitriol were directed at Kruger by Oberman in the nascient days of his campaign. Then guess what happened. Oberman got a job on a government payroll and lo and behold, the Primary was over and he endorsed Kruger, the prior object of his disaffection. Such a man of conscience! I know that Igor Oberman has been paraded before you as if he is a paragon of progressiveness. He has high priced consultants in fancy suits. But you have been sold a bill of goods here. This is the same man who can embrace the most homophobic right wing effort in many a yearand not even have the integrity to do it openly. I share no such desire to work two sides of the street. I do not have a horse in this race. But your organization has appeared to bet on the nag. I urge you, if you have not already made an endorsement, please consider one of the three candidates with a measure of integrity and decency. And if you have already been sold on this fraud, please reconsider. I value the institution of the City Council too much to allow it to be demeaned by the election of Igor Oberman.

I hope you will take a hard look. I am sure you will agree. Sincerely,

Lew Fidler