After briefly disappearing from the scene following his loss earlier this month in the three-way 21st SD primary earlier this month, Brooklyn Councilman Simcha Felder is back in the thick of things.

Felder is working with colleagues from outside his borough on two different initiatives – both of which are related to finances, which makes one wonder whether he’s thinking about re-starting the 2009 comptroller campaign he abandoned to run for Senate.

As DN City Hall Bureau Chief Adam Lisberg reported this morning, Felder is working with Bronx Councilman James Vacca to round up opponents to Mayor Bloomberg’s bid to rescind the 7 percent property tax cut in January (an interesting effort, given that Bloomberg was Felder’s biggest endorsement in the 21st SD race).

In addition, Felder and Queens Councilman Peter Vallone Jr. sent out a letter calling on Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos to reinstate the commuter tax and close a loophole that allows double-dipping by employees collecting disability pensions.

In this effort, too, preserving the property tax cut is the chief goal.

“The repeal of the 33-year-old commuter tax in 1999 has cost the City hundreds of millions of dollars each year and at least $5.5 billion in total tax revenue since,” Felder and Vallone wrote.

“Meanwhile, the New York City Law Department estimates that by closing the double dipping loophole, the City would save $164 million in pending lawsuits and an additional $11 million per year thereafter.”

“This combination of new revenues and savings would put a significant dent in projected budget shortfalls. The alternative would be further cuts to city services and perhaps even a mid-year property tax rate hike, as Mayor Bloomberg has proposed.”
Silver said yesterday he is open to reviving the commuter tax that he was intstrumental in helping to kill back in 1999. Skelos is not so keen on the idea, however, nor is Senate Minority Leader Malcolm Smith.
Felder spokesman Eric Kuo said the councilman has made no decisions about his political future and is merely focused on doing “good things for the people of New York City.”

Should term limits be extended, Felder might have some competition should he decide to seek re-election to his Council seat.

Joe Lazar, who had been preparing for a primary against Felder ally David Greenfield in the 44th CD, recently suggested he will run for the 44th CD seat in 2009 regardless of whether Felder is in the race.

Lazar’s biggest supporter is Assemblyman Dov Hikind, who endorsed Parker over his former staffer and fellow Orthodox Jew, Felder, in the 21st SD primary.

But while Lazar may smell blood in the water over Felder’s unsuccessful run for State Senate he may want to look again at Felder’s performance within his own council district.

A reader with knowledged of the Brooklyn Jewish vote pointed out Felder received more than 95% of the vote in the 48th AD, which Hikind represents.

While Hikind pulled out all the stops for Parker, hosting him on his radio show, a mailer in Yiddish pleading with voters to support his friend Parker, and robocalls, he was only able to deliver a total of 163 votes against Felder.

(Elizabeth Benjamin, NY Daily News Blog)