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June 29, 2007 PBA Boss Eyed for Dem Albany Coup
By MAGGIE HABERMAN
Democrats in the state Senate, looking to seize enough seats from Republicans to capture a majority, have been eyeing police-union head Patrick Lynch as a potential candidate, sources told The Post. Several sources close to Senate Democrats said the idea would be for Lynch, the president of the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association, to run against Queens Republican Sen. Frank Padavan. The 11th District Senate district includes Bayside — where Lynch was raised — and is home to some of the city's most conservative-tilting voters. "I know he's been approached, and so far there hasn't been a 'no,' " said one source familiar with the conversations. Another source with direct knowledge of the issue said some Senate Democrats recently made the pitch to Lynch to gauge his interest in running next year. And a third source close to Queens Sen. Malcolm Smith, the Democratic minority leader, said, "We're interested in him, of course." Asked about the possibility of a Lynch candidacy, PBA spokesman Al O'Leary insisted his boss laughed at the question. "It's not true. He hasn't had conversations about running," O'Leary said. Lynch's name is bubbling to the surface at a time he's embroiled in a bitter contract fight with Mayor Bloomberg. The two sides are in binding arbitration over the contract. Police Commissioner Ray Kelly recently sided publicly with Lynch in his position that the city should scrap pattern bargaining, the policy that once the city reaches an agreement with one municipal union, the same terms apply for other unions. Other names floated as challengers for Padavan's seat have been Queens City Councilmen Jim Gennaro and Tony Avella, several sources said. It was unclear yesterday whether either man has an interest in the seat, and neither one could immediately be reached for comment. With Republicans holding a majority on the Senate by a two-seat margin, Democrats have been looking for the best possible options to pick off a sitting GOP senator in the next elections. Lynch would be an attractive candidate, the sources said, given his law-enforcement background, meaning he could have crossover appeal for Republican voters. Padavan has held the seat since 1972, and hosted Bloomberg in his district during the mayor's re-election bid in 2005. Lynch was elected PBA president in 1999 after running a bruising campaign as a young insurgent. He came into power as the first challenger to oust an incumbent in almost two decades. He was elected amid deep police anger with the Giuliani administration over a contract. Democratic leaders have privately mentioned him in the past as a possible congressional candidate, sources said, but he's never expressed interest. Senate Democrats believe the next elections give them one of the best opportunities in many years to take over the chamber. The number of Republican seats has been shrinking in recent elections and Gov. Spitzer has pledged to help Democrats by campaigning for them and raising money. Senate Republican leader Joseph Bruno has resisted a major push by Spitzer for campaign-finance reform because he fears it could hurt the ability of GOP members to raise the needed cash to defend their seats. The Assembly has long been in Democratic hands. Additional reporting by Fredric U. Dicker in Albany
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