Report: Democrats urge Scissura to challenge Adams in borough president race

Can Chamber of Commerce boss be the 'New Marty'?

May 14, 2013 By Paula Katinas Brooklyn Daily Eagle

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Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce President Carlo Scissura is being quietly courted by Democratic Party leaders who are urging him to jump back into the race for borough president, according to a report in the political website City and State.

The website reported on May 14 that Democrats are nervous about the fact that the frontrunner, state Sen. Eric Adams (D-Crown Heights), was named in a federal court filing as being one of seven elected officials who were secretly wiretapped as part of an investigation into corruption in state government. Adams was revealed to have been one of the officials recorded by convicted bribe-taking state senator-turned-government informant Shirley Huntley. Federal prosecutors said that eight of the nine people on the wiretaps were under investigation. But a spokesman for the U.S. attorney’s office told the Associated Press he could not reveal which one of the nine was not under investigation.

Adams has stated that there is nothing on the tapes that will reveal any wrongdoing on his part.

Still, Democratic leaders are pursuing alternative candidates in the event Adams has to drop out of the race, City and State reported.

The report isn’t the first time Scissura’s name has been mentioned as a candidate. Scissura, a lawyer, had been considering a run for borough president, and had even raised some funds toward an eventual run. But he announced in April that he had decided not to run and instead would become president of the chamber of commerce. Scissura served as a top advisor to Borough President Marty Markowitz before leaving his post to head the business group. He started his job at the chamber of commerce on Sept. 1.

Scissura endorsed Adams in the race.

But now that it’s looking like Adams’s quest for the borough presidency isn’t going to be a slam dunk, Democrats are wondering if Scissura will throw his hat back into the ring.

Scissura couldn’t be reached for comment, but he told City and State that he’s happy where he is in the chamber of commerce and has no plans to run for borough president at this time.