BY CHARLI BATTERSBY | Saturday, May 2 saw the robust ranks of the Chelsea Reform Democratic Club (CRDC) gather at Bocca di Bacco restaurant’s Ninth Ave. location during the 11am to 2pm sweet spot that embraces both breakfast and lunch. It was a fitting setting for the CRDC’s Awards Brunch, an annual occasion to honor members whose words and deeds reflect the Club’s dedication to Democratic values, reform-minded candidates, and progressive issues.

Several elected officials were on hand, including Alex Bores, the 73rd District NYS Assembly Member who has been endorsed by the CRDC in his current campaign for the 12th Congressional District seat being vacated by the retiring Jerry Nadler.

Prior to the awards ceremony, Assembly Member Bores spoke to the gathering, joking about how his microphone was malevolently cutting out at the start of his speech. “I was just about to talk about the AI guys and it turned off. I’ll just yell,” he said, to the laughing brunch crowd. Then he discussed his upcoming congressional election, and the recently redistricted Congressional seats. “I’ll be very brief because I want to hear from the audience. It is so great to be here with CRDC… It was so meaningful to have the support of this club because I know how hard you work and how many people show up and really just promote democracy here. And I am in a crazy race. We all know this.”

Numerous judges were on hand to meet with CRDC membership. Special laws grant judge candidates a “window period” during which they can engage in political activity. This brunch provided Chelsea residents a chance to shake hands with judges running for re-election, and with new faces. (These rules are intended to keep judges unbiased and apolitical, so most of the judges mingled with little fanfare, other than “Hon” printed on their nametags, short for “The Honorable [insert name].”

At the ceremony, the Volunteer Extraordinaire Award was presented to Burt Lazarin, former Chair of Manhattan Community Board 4 (MCB4), and current Executive Vice President of the CRDC. Given in recognition of “exceptional dedication to uplifting community,” Lazarin didn’t let expectation of getting the award go to his head-–the thoroughly grounded honoree could be seen at the sign-in table, helping attendees check in, and distributing name tags.

Also honored was Joe Restuccia, whose wide-ranging knowledge and effective housing advocacy earned him the Jane Wood Award “for reclaiming housing and protecting affordability.” Longtime MCB4 member Restuccia took the opportunity to discuss the attempted demolition of Chelsea’s NYCHA housing, comparing modern developers to the destructive 1950s actions initiated by Robert Moses. After recounting his long history of housing battles, Restuccia ended with, “He who will last the longest, wins. We’re not going anywhere.”

Restuccia’s firm resolve received sustained applause from a room well-represented by Chelsea residents deeply involved in the demolition vs. renovation and public/private partnership debate certain to bring change to local NYCHA properties and surrounding areas.

Veteran activist and journalist Andy Humm was presented with the Thomas K. Duane Award “for outstanding service to the Nation for fighting for human rights.” The award is named after former New York State Senator and New York City Council Member Tom Duane, who was on hand to personally present the award to Humm. Duane spoke of the shared history the two have, going as far back as when they attended rival high schools on Long Island.

Duane called Andy Humm “One of my personal heroes,” adding, “I’m actually a little bit jealous, because he’s much quicker on his feet than I am. He never stops. He just never stops.”

When accepting the award, Humm spoke about the ongoing relevance of some of the gay rights advances achieved in the 1980s. Even though there are same-sex marriage laws on the books today, the older victories, like Braschi v. Stahl Associates Co. (1989)—which protected the rights of unmarried tenants in same-sex relationships—are still being effectively used today (he cited a recent use of the precedent to help someone in Chelsea in danger of being evicted). Humm also told the crowd, “As a reporter, my job is to push on issues and ask tough questions of elected officials.” 

We spoke with Humm by phone after the ceremony, and he elaborated about his work with Gay USA, the weekly 30-minute broadcast during which he and co-host Ann Northrop discuss the latest in queer news, culture, and politics. Said Humm, “Our goal is to be fair to the story, right? To represent everybody in it fairly. I think every reporter should want to do that. Now, obviously, I have some very strong positions. I don’t endorse their local races, etc., but I’m totally open about the fact that the Republican Party has got to go, and that Trump has to go, because this is an existential threat to everybody, to the world right now.”

When we asked about journalistic objectivity and his activism, Humm answered, “I never used to take [awards] from political clubs, but these are local people; local friends who wanted to do this, so I said, ‘Yes.’ ”

We also asked Humm about gentrification, and changes to Chelsea over the 40 years he’s lived there (or “”only” 40 years, as he put it). He told us, “Obviously, urban life is more appealing [now] than it was in the ’70s, when things were cheaper. I liked it better back then. You could have more time for activism, because you didn’t need a high-paying job to survive.”

Humm left us with some advice for residents of Chelsea: “Protect your public space!,” he said. “As a local activist, as a member of the Tenants Association here, that’s one of our biggest fights.”

—Additional Photos Below, Courtesy of the CRDC—

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