Kagan finally concedes to Brook-Krasny

I know I'm sharing 'news' here thats already been reported in the Bay News and the Russian media, so hardly qualifies as news at all, but last week Arai Kagan called Alec Brook-Krasny and finally conceded the primary election. In a conversation Kagan said lasted about 30 seconds, he informed Brook-Krasny that he would not sue in Federal Court to overturn Brook-Krasny's thin margin of victory and congratulated him on his victory. Kagan then said he was not endorsing either Brook-Krasny or his GOP rival, Patricia Laudano in the general election. Brook-Krasny thanked Kagan for the call and expressed an interest in meeting sometime in the future.

Kagan said he feels a sense of "closure" after making the call, and plans to go on a long-delayed vacation with his family after receiving an award from the Manhattan Beach Jewish Center on Nov 17. He emphaszies that while he will go back to journalism, he will not fade away politically, a point that was made symbolically clear today by the prominent role he played as a master of ceremonies at an event inagurating a stone in the Holocaust Memorial Park alongside the canal in Sheepshead Bay on behalf of the victims of the Minsk Ghetto (I'll write more about the event in a few days), while Brook-Krasny stood in the audience but was not called to the stage to make remarks. Ari noted that he acknowledged Brook-Krasny's presence in the audience in his remarks and it was not his decision not to ask B-K to speak but rather that of some of the other members of the organizing committee--many of whom took strong pro-Kagan positions during the election. Still, the point was made; Kagan retains his power position in the Russian community and will not be driven from the scene by B-K and his supporters without a struggle.

As I've written here before, it would seem to behove both men to find a way to reach some form of reconciliation. Brook-Krasny barely won the Democratic primary, but lost the election to Kagan in the Russian-speaking community and thus will need to bring some of Kagan's supporters to his side if he is to be able to say persuasively in Albany that he is the key player on the Russian scene. For his part, Kagan will clearly have to reconcile with some of Brook-Krasny's wealthy and powerful supporters if he is to be politically viable for future elections. Eto nye budit licho (It wont be easy) for either of them after the extreme negativity of this campaign, but in the end political reality will likely force both to do some reaching out that they are emotionally not able to do at the moment.

Kagan asked me; "So what do you expect me to do--send flowers?" while Brook-Krasny said to me not long ago, "After all the terrible things he said about me and my family, I cant reach out to him." Earth to Ari and Alec; this is politics American style; a whole look of nasty things get said and done in the course of elections, but in the end, there are no permanent enemies or friends, only permanent interests. Alec did a wonderful job at wooing Domenic Recchia, who defeated him in 2001 and turning him into his staunchest supporter in 2006. Without Recchia's support, B-K would likely have lost this election. Certainly, of Brook-Krasny can reach out to Recchia, he should be able to do the same to Ari Kagan, especially as the interest of the Russian community would be to have these two quality human beings close this fratricidal chapter and move forward together.

On a personal note, I have to pay tribute to both Ari and Alec for providing me with such wonderful copy for so many months and with such a fascinating display of local politics. It appears that both still consider me a friend after some stories and rubyjewday dispatches that pissed both of them off, so I feel good about that as well. I'll stay on the story through November 7, when Brook-Krasny looks certain to roll to victory over Laudano and far beyond as we watch to see hosw having a representative in Albany impacts the quality of life in the Russian community and the entire 46th District.