Scoopy’s notebook

Unity: Local Democratic political clubs will put aside their feuding and rally together against the nonpartisan elections ballot proposal at Sheridan Sq. on Sun., Nov. 2, at 1 p.m. Just in case you don’t believe us, the rally is sponsored by Village Independent Democrats, Village Reform Democratic Club, Gay and Lesbian Independent Democratic Club, Coalition for a District Alternative, Lower Manhattan Alliance for Progressive Political Action, Downtown Independent Democrats and Chelsea Reform Democratic Club. Expected speakers include City Council Speaker Gifford Miller, City Comptroller William Thompson, state Senator Tom Duane and City Councilmember Christine Quinn.

Disunity: Despite the political clubs’ joint effort against the nonpartisan elections, last Thursday’s vote at Community Board 2 on the Hudson River Park Trust’s ice-rink proposal near Pier 40 showed that when it comes to the waterfront, at least, political feuds die hard. Leading the charge for the rink was a core of members from D.I.D., including Sean Sweeney, David Reck and Don MacPherson, plus one V.R.D.C.er, Lawrence B. Goldberg, and Aubrey Lees, a political ally. Jim Smith, the board’s chairperson, and an ally of all of the above, also voted for the rink. On the other side, feeling the proposed location was inappropriate, were Brad Hoylman and Cynthia Smith, current and past presidents, respectively, of GLID, and Chad Marlow, president of V.I.D. Also, while not a member of the board, Assemblymember Deborah Glick, a power in V.I.D., made an impassioned speech against the plan to the members. Arthur Schwartz, head of LaMAPPA, wasn’t at the meeting, but it’s a safe bet he would have been against the rink at the location.

Remember Stonewall? Lees is now a president of the Stonewall Veterans’ Association, according to the club’s press releases. She never mentioned to us that she was at the Stonewall riots in 1969, but then again that doesn’t seem to be a requirement of at least one of this club’s leaders.

Bounced: Judith Stiles, The Villager’s soccer writer and Downtown United Soccer Club executive board member, not to mention mom of movie star, Julia, was recently removed as a public member of Community Board 2’s Waterfront Committee. “I think they finally figured out I was for athletic fields on Pier 40,” Stiles said.

Burden on Born: According to Dirk McCall, Councilember Alan Gerson’s chief of staff, Amanda Burden, chairperson of the City Planning Commission, has written a letter to the Board of Standards and Appeals, advocating a maximum floor to area ratio of five for Richard Born’s planned residential building at 32-40 Bond St. Born is currently asking for an F.A.R. of 7.2 and hopes to build to a height of 14 stories. Noho residents don’t want the project any higher than eight stories. According to McCall, Ian Schrager, who had planned at one point to develop a luxury hotel on the site, is no longer in the picture and Born is in control…. Also, McCall said, Gerson planned to host the first Eastern Indian event at City Hall, Dipthali, or the Festival of Lights, on Wed., Oct. 29, at 6 p.m.

Laid down law: Noah Feldman, New York University School of Law professor, who served as the president’s constitutional adviser to the Coalition Authority in Iraq, will discuss his experiences assisting the Iraqi government draft a blueprint for its new constitution on Thurs., Oct. 30, 5 p.m., at D’Agostino Hall, Martin Lipton Hall, 110 W. Third St. The event is free and open to the public; seating is limited on a first-come, first-served basis.

Thanks, yo! Beth Greenwald, a broker with Newmark New Spectrum, pointed out that Yoyomart, opening soon on Hudson St. in the Meat Market, is not a Japanese store, as The Villager printed last week, but a children’s-wear store, currently with a location at 636 Hudson St. just south of Horatio. Greenwald was their broker for the new space. The reference was in a Villager article on rumors of a Louis Vuitton designer handbag store coming into the former Garber hardware store on Eighth Ave. There have also been rumors Gucci wants to buy the Les Pierres Antiques buildings on Bleecker St. Greenwald confirmed the Vuitton rumor is rampant in the neighborhood, Gucci less so. “Clearly, somebody is going to occupy that building who’s not a hardware store,” she said.