The Liberal Party's involvement in Giuliani's victorious campaign provided key leadership roles in the political effort. Vice-Chairman Raymond B. Harding was one of Giuliani's closest political advisors. State Chair Fran Reiter served as one of Giuliani's three Deputy Campaign Managers, overseeing the day-to-day operations of the campaign. And Executive Director Carl F. Grillo, as Executive Director of Field Operations, planned and masterfully executed the 'Get Out the Vote' strategy on Election Day.
Ms. Reiter served as a Deputy Campaign Manager during the recent mayoral campaign, overseeing all day-to-day operations of the effort.
She became active in the Liberal Party in 1981, and from 1986 to 1992 she served as Co-Chair of the New York County Liberal Party. In September 1990, she was elected as State Chair of the Liberal Party, becoming the first woman ever to head one of the state's major political parties. In September 1992, the party's State Committee unanimously re-elected Ms. Reiter to a second term as Chair.
Ms. Reiter has served in senior positions in numerous local and statewide campaigns including Rudolph Giuliani's 1989 mayoral campaign. In 1990, Ms. Reiter was the Democratic and Liberal candidate for Congress for Manhattan's 15th Congressional District.
"Under Fran's leadership, the Liberal Party was better able to articulate its mission and policies," said Brian Ibbotson, publisher of the Liberal Agenda.
"She sought to establish lines of communication to our enrollees through the Liberal Agenda, and to the press, political community and interest groups through frequent policy statements and press releases."
Raymond B. Harding, Vice-Chairman of the Liberal Party, commented that:
"Fran is a Liberal in the great tradition of American mainstream liberalism. She is erudite, capable and strong, and will have an influential role in developing public policy issues.
"Her presence and influence were brought to bear during the election campaign, when Fran helped to develop the Mayor's position on a number of issues.
"The loss of Fran Reiter to the Liberal Party is softened by our knowledge that she will contribute her talents in a wiser and more influential arena. The Liberal Party wishes Fran well, and we congratulate Mayor Giuliani for having made a perceptive choice in naming her as one of his deputy mayors."
The election was declared too close to call on Election Night, and the tedious process of counting absentee ballots was not concluded until the first day of December. Ironically, the outcome of this race mirrored Eristoff's original victory this May, when he was narrowly elected to fill out the remainder of the term vacated by former Councilmember Carolyn Maloney. That special election was also decided after the long process of counting absentee ballots.
The final tally revealed that the Liberal Party had once again provided the crucial margin of votes to our candidate, with Andrew Eristoff earning 22,026 votes on the Republican line and 1,481 on the Liberal line.
Councilmember Eristoff was grateful for the party's contribution: "Obviously, the Liberal Party's support was critical to my success. I am proud to be one of the 'R-L' elected officials in the state, and I look forward to working with my Liberal Party friends and the new administration for a better New York over the next four years."
"During his short term in the City Council this Spring, Andrew has proven himself to be sensitive to the needs of his constituents," said Richard Sedlisky, co-Chair of the Liberal Party of New York County. "I am very pleased that the Liberal Party was able to make the difference in returning to the Council someone I believe has great future potential."