Democrat Edward Hartzog is running for City Council to represent District 5 on the Upper East Side, but he also might be running for Shittiest Dean Martin Impersonation at the Atlantic City Brat Pack Festival. Hartzog has raised around $8,000 for his campaign so far, putting him in the middle of the pack of candidates, but half of the funds came from out-of-towners, and when DNAinfo reporter Victoria Bekiempis asked him about his financial reports, Hartzog replied, "What's a pretty girl like you doing reading those?"
Realizing that he may have tipped the reporter off to the time machine he invented to use in order to periodically go back to a simpler era, Hartzog attempted to smooth over his faux pas. "I hope for goodness sake that my flippant comment isn't going to be part of the story," Hartzog said, as the entire editorial staff of DNAinfo experienced a simultaneous, powerful rush of endorphins. "I was just sort of being something. I hope you didn't take offense by that. I didn't mean to be offensive."
Hartzog is a member of CB 8, formerly worked as a field coordinator for Rep. Anthony Weiner, and is the founder and executive director of Kids Voting New York, a group that encourages young people to vote. Kids Voting New York's board includes Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, former Rep. Peter Kostmayer, and a few other people who won't be returning Hartzog's calls for a few months.
Hartzog explained to Bekiempis that the out-of-town donations made up a large portion of his overall campaign chest because the contest was just starting. "Once we have a chance to do a full filing period to do fundraising, I think that'll be different. I think you'll see a lot of community support." That simple explanation was overshadowed, of course, by Hartzog's degrading remarks. Deeply embedded sources tell Gothamist that Hartzog is trying to make it up to Bekiempis with a night of swing dancing and cooking classes.
