Montelione vs. Genovesi: Pollsters Are Driving Us Nuts About the Brooklyn Judicial Race

No one ever calls us -- not only because we are such total losers, but who actually talks on telephones anymore? They're for texting! But our lives changed Sunday and now we're getting calls from our new friends every hour or so.

It started with a pollster who asked us to choose between Richard Montelione and Lara Genovesi for Brooklyn Civil Court Judge in Thursday's election.

If Genovesi is a strangely familiar name, that's because Lara Genovesi is the daughter of long-time Brooklyn political power-broker Anthony Genovesi. (Genovesi died in 1998.) Genovesi is the principal law clerk to Brooklyn’s supervising judge for matrimonial matters.

Richard Montelione, less familiar, is said to be an "experienced litigator," and has the backing of reform clubs like CBID, IND, LID and the New Kings Democrats.

- We told the pollster we didn't have an opinion yet.

Soon afterward Assemblywoman Joan Millman robocalled. Hi, Joan! (Joan gives out reading awards at our schools and takes care of the seniors in our neighborhood.) She  recommended Richard Montelione for Brooklyn Civil Court Judge.

+ Okay, then. If Joan likes Montelione, then we like Montelione.

But soon after that we read the New York Times. The Times said, "Both candidates are qualified, but Ms. Genovesi’s steady professional manner and reputation for fairness stand out." We will never forget the way the Times slobbered all over the Atlantic Yards Frank Gehry mess. Idiots! But still . . .

- Another pollster called, a live human. "George," we said, "Millman likes Montelione, but the Times likes Genovesi. We don't know who we're going to vote for yet." George (not his real name, probably) graciously replied that he was glad we were thinking about it.

Not 20 minutes later another pollster called. I told him just what I told George. Still thinking.

Then yesterday a co-worker said Genovesi spoke at his synagogue and convinced him to vote for her. "How can you vote for that other guy? Nydia Velázquez backs him," my coworker said.

+ We like Velazquez. We were back with Montelione.

As soon as we got in from work yesterday the phone rang. Didn't want to give away our hand yet, so we told them we had no opinion.

Then we read in Crain's that State Sen. Daniel Squadron endorsed Lara Genovesi.We read in Capitol NY that Chuck Schumer endorsed her.

+ We're okay with Squadron but his motives can be inscrutable, and Schumer's old mentor was her dad. What'd ya gonna do?  Still with Montelione.

Right in the middle of dinner another pollster called, this time a woman. "Do you know four other pollsters already called?" we explained (not counting robo-Joan). "We haven't made up our minds yet!"

Then we read in the NY Daily News that Vito Lopez' boy Frank Seddio is alleged to have given Genovesi, whom he has known since she was a child, an unfair advantage in getting her campaign material out by using insider information. Seddio denies this.

And, most importantly, Vito Lopez has endorsed Genovesi as well.

+++ BINGO! Now we know who to vote for!

Now that we have made a decision, nobody has called. Where is a pollster when you need one?

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