Intelligencer

Voting Block

How does the most heavily Democratic area of the city—Harlem—compare with the south shore of Staten Island, which delivered more votes to George Bush in 2000 than any other district in New York?

By Jacob Bernstein
Published May 21, 2005

Assembly District 62: Staten Island
Votes for Bush: 29,139
Votes for Gore: 21,907
Census data for one Zip Code in district (10309): White: 24,779; Hispanic: 1,738; Black: 717. Median Household Income: $65,397. Unemployment: 2.4 Percent. Median Value Of Owner-Occupied Unit: $252,900.
Local controversies: Ex–borough president Guy Molinari and Congressman Vito Fossella are backing two different candidates to unseat 24-year incumbent Assemblyman Robert Straniere in the GOP primary. One beef with Straniere: He “lives” in the city (he keeps homes in Manhattan and Staten Island). Also: Near-unanimous opposition to proposed NASCAR track.
Famous Progeny: Christina Aguilera, Ricky Schroder, Wu-Tang Clan
Top five nonfiction books, Barnes & Noble, 2245 Richmond Avenue: American Soldier, by Tommy Franks; The South Beach Diet, by Arthur Agatson; Bushworld, by Maureen Dowd; My Life, by Bill Clinton; The Purpose-Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For?, by Rick Warren.

Assembly District 70: Harlem
Votes for Bush: 1,062
Votes for Gore: 35,404
Census data for one Zip Code in district (10027; includes part of Morningside Heights): Black: 30,661; White: 13,456; Hispanic: 12,617. Median Household Income: $23,150. Unemployment: 10.6 Percent. Median Value Of Owner-Occupied Unit: $325,000.
Local controversies: Residents are concerned that people will be displaced by Columbia University’s massive expansion plan—and then there’s the proposed W Hotel on 125th Street.
Famous Progeny: Colin Powell, Harry Belafonte, Damon Dash
Top five nonfiction books, Hue-Man Bookstore, 2319 Frederick Douglass Boulevard: The Spook Who Sat by the Door, by Sam Greenlee; Mercy, Mercy Me: The Art, Loves and Demons of Marvin Gaye, by Michael Eric Dyson; Germany’s Black Holocaust: 1890–1945, by Firpo W. Carr; On the Down Low: A Journey Into the Lives of ‘Straight’ Black Men Who Sleep With Men, by J. L. King; The Purpose-Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For?, by Rick Warren.